Emergent causes of placentitis and abortion.
Abstract: The clinical signs, laboratory findings, diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention and control of two emerging causes of placentitis and abortion in horses are described in this article. Leptospirosis has been reported as a significant cause of fetal loss in horses in Kentucky, Northern Ireland, and England. Most abortions result from infection by serovars kennewicki or bratislava. Nocardioform placentitis has become the most common cause of placentitis in central Kentucky horses. Nocardioform placentitis is associated with infection by unnamed, gram-positive, filamentous, branching bacteria, and is characterized by distinctive changes in the placental membranes.
Publication Date: 2001-02-24 PubMed ID: 11219342DOI: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30088-3Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review
Summary
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This research article is about the clinical aspects and prevention methods of two emerging causes of placentitis, or inflammation of the placenta, and abortion in horses – Leptospirosis and Nocardioform placentitis.
Overview of the Research
- This study focuses on two significant, emerging causes of placentitis and abortion in horses, namely Leptospirosis and Nocardioform placentitis.
- It offers in-depth analyses, from clinical signs and laboratory findings to diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, prevention, and control of these diseases.
- The article discusses the incidence of these diseases in different regions, with Leptospirosis causing significant fetal loss in Kentucky, Northern Ireland, and England, and Nocardioform placentitis becoming prevalent among central Kentucky horses.
Leptospirosis
- Leptospirosis, caused by serovars kennewicki or bratislava, is identified as a considerable cause of fetal loss in horses across Kentucky, Northern Ireland, and England.
- This bacterium is usually transmitted to horses through infected urine, water, or soil, primarily leading to fever, jaundice, kidney damage, and, eventually, abortion in infected animals.
- The study further delves into various aspects of this disease, from recognizing the symptoms and definitive laboratory tests to potential preventative measures for reducing its incidence.
Nocardioform Placentitis
- Nocardioform placentitis, caused by an unnamed, gram-positive, filamentous, branching bacterium, has emerged as the most common cause of placentitis in central Kentucky horses.
- This condition is defined by the distinctive changes it produces in the placental membranes, leading to reduced gestation periods and causing abortion in severely affected cases.
- The article provides comprehensive details about the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease, along with strategies to prevent its spread among horse populations.
Cite This Article
APA
Donahue JM, Williams NM.
(2001).
Emergent causes of placentitis and abortion.
Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 16(3), 443-viii.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30088-3 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Science, College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Abortion, Veterinary / diagnosis
- Abortion, Veterinary / microbiology
- Abortion, Veterinary / therapy
- Actinomycetales / isolation & purification
- Actinomycetales Infections / diagnosis
- Actinomycetales Infections / microbiology
- Actinomycetales Infections / therapy
- Actinomycetales Infections / veterinary
- Animals
- Female
- Fetal Death / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Inflammation / veterinary
- Leptospira / isolation & purification
- Leptospirosis / diagnosis
- Leptospirosis / microbiology
- Leptospirosis / therapy
- Leptospirosis / veterinary
- Placenta Diseases / diagnosis
- Placenta Diseases / microbiology
- Placenta Diseases / therapy
- Placenta Diseases / veterinary
- Pregnancy
References
This article includes 66 references
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- van Heule M, Verstraete M, Norris JK, Graniczkowsa KB, Scoggin KE, Ali HE, Ball BA, De Spiegelaere W, Daels P, Weimer BC, Dini P. Beyond nocardioform: Transcriptionally active microbes and host responses in equine mucoid placentitis. Equine Vet J 2026 Mar;58(2):601-618.
- Mendes J, Aymée L, Lilenbaum W. A Scoping Review of Antimicrobial Therapy in Leptospira Infections in Domestic Animals. Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 20;15(20).
- Kabir A, Lamichhane B, Habib T, Adams A, El-Sheikh Ali H, Slovis NM, Troedsson MHT, Helmy YA. Antimicrobial Resistance in Equines: A Growing Threat to Horse Health and Beyond-A Comprehensive Review. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024 Jul 29;13(8).
- Li L, Li S, Ma H, Akhtar MF, Tan Y, Wang T, Liu W, Khan A, Khan MZ, Wang C. An Overview of Infectious and Non-Infectious Causes of Pregnancy Losses in Equine. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 2;14(13).
- Morales-Vázquez MM, Meza-Serrano E, Lara-Pereyra I, Acuña-González RJ, Alonso-Morales R, Hayen-Valles S, Boeta AM, Zarco L, Lozano-Cuenca J, López-Canales JS, Flores-Herrera H. Equine Placentitis in Mares Induces the Secretion of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine eIL-1β and the Active Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. Vet Sci 2023 Aug 22;10(9).
- Cantón GJ, Navarro MA, Asin J, Chu P, Henderson EE, Mete A, Uzal FA. Equine abortion and stillbirth in California: a review of 1,774 cases received at a diagnostic laboratory, 1990-2022. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023 Mar;35(2):153-162.
- Ricard RM, St-Jean G, Duizer G, Atwal H, Wobeser BK. A 13-year retrospective study of equine abortions in Canada. Can Vet J 2022 Jul;63(7):715-721.
- Wollanke B, Gerhards H, Ackermann K. Infectious Uveitis in Horses and New Insights in Its Leptospiral Biofilm-Related Pathogenesis. Microorganisms 2022 Feb 7;10(2).
- Agerholm JS, Klas EM, Damborg P, Borel N, Pedersen HG, Christoffersen M. A Diagnostic Survey of Aborted Equine Fetuses and Stillborn Premature Foals in Denmark. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:740621.
- El-Sheikh Ali H, Loux SC, Kennedy L, Scoggin KE, Dini P, Fedorka CE, Kalbfleisch TS, Esteller-Vico A, Horohov DW, Erol E, Carter CN, Smith JL, Ball BA. Transcriptomic analysis of equine chorioallantois reveals immune networks and molecular mechanisms involved in nocardioform placentitis. Vet Res 2021 Jul 8;52(1):103.
- Ye C, Yan W, McDonough PL, McDonough SP, Mohamed H, Divers TJ, Chang YF, Yang Z. Serodiagnosis of equine leptospirosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using four recombinant protein markers. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2014 Apr;21(4):478-83.
- Lin YP, Lee DW, McDonough SP, Nicholson LK, Sharma Y, Chang YF. Repeated domains of leptospira immunoglobulin-like proteins interact with elastin and tropoelastin. J Biol Chem 2009 Jul 17;284(29):19380-91.
- Szeredi L, Haake DA. Immunohistochemical identification and pathologic findings in natural cases of equine abortion caused by leptospiral infection. Vet Pathol 2006 Sep;43(5):755-61.
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