Enterococcus infections in foals.
Abstract: Enterococci have been increasing in prevalence in foal sepsis over the past three decades. There are no published studies in the peer-reviewed literature documenting common sites of infection, antimicrobial susceptibility, or outcome specifically associated with enterococcal infections in foals. Our objectives were to evaluate the sites of origin, antimicrobial susceptibility, and survival outcome to discharge in foals with enterococcal infections compared with foals with sepsis of another bacterial etiology. Seventy-five foals 0-30 days of age with cultures positive for Enterococcus and 170 control foals 0-30 days of age with cultures positive for other bacteria were included. Enterococcus was 2.67 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.49-4.80; P = 0.0012) more likely to be isolated from the lower urogenital tract of foals than were other bacteria. Enterococci were less likely to be isolated from blood cultures than other bacteria, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.17 (95% CI 0.09-0.35; P < 0.0001). For Enterococcus isolates, 48% (n = 29/61) had a multiple antimicrobial resistance (MAR) index of ≥30% and 46% (n = 28/61) had a multiple drug resistance (MDR) index of ≥30%. Foals with enterococcal infections were less likely to survive to discharge (49.9% vs. 63.5%; P = 0.03). Enterococcus is commonly isolated from the lower urogenital tract of foals, is often multidrug resistant, and foals with enterococcal infections were less likely to survive. Multidrug resistance is common among enterococcal isolates, and therefore antimicrobial susceptibility testing of cultured isolates is warranted.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-04-06 PubMed ID: 31113561DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2019.04.005Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research paper discusses the increasing prevalence of enterococcal infections in newborn foals, its common infection sites, resistance to antimicrobials, and associated survival outcomes. The study suggests that this bacterium is often found in the lower urogenital tract of foals and showcases high multidrug resistance, making infections from these bacteria less likely for foals to survive.
Objectives and Methodology
- The main purpose of this study was to analyze the origin, antimicrobial susceptibility, and survival outcome of foals with enterococcal infections in comparison to those infected with different bacteria. Previous studies hadn’t documented these aspects specific to enterococcal infections in newborn foals.
- The research involved two groups: 75 foals with cultures testing positive for Enterococcus and 170 control foals whose cultures tested positive for other bacteria. All these foals were aged between 0 to 30 days.
Findings
- Researchers found that Enterococcus was much more likely to be found in the lower urogenital tract of foals compared to other bacteria.
- Contrarily, Enterococcus was less likely to be detected in blood cultures in comparison to other bacteria.
- It was observed that 48% of Enterococcus isolates displayed a multiple antimicrobial resistance index of 30% or more. Similarly, 46% were found to have a multiple drug resistance index of 30% or more.
Outcomes
- The study revealed that survival to discharge rates was lower for foals infected with Enterococcus when compared to those infected with other bacteria.
- This suggested that foals with enterococcal infections were less likely to survive, potentially due to the common multidrug resistance among enterococcal isolates.
Recommendations
- Taking into account the high prevalence of multidrug resistance in Enterococcus, the study emphasizes the necessity of testing the antimicrobial susceptibility of cultured isolates for effective treatment planning.
Cite This Article
APA
Willis AT, Magdesian KG, Byrne BA, Edman JM.
(2019).
Enterococcus infections in foals.
Vet J, 248, 42-47.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2019.04.005 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California-Davis, 1 Garrod Dr, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, 1 Garrod Dr, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Electronic address: kgmagdesian@ucdavis.edu.
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, 1 Garrod Dr, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, 1 Garrod Dr, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Case-Control Studies
- Drug Resistance, Multiple
- Enterococcus / drug effects
- Enterococcus / isolation & purification
- Female
- Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / drug therapy
- Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Male
- Microbial Sensitivity Tests / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Bookbinder LC, Mani R, Carr EA. Antibiograms of field and hospital acquired equine neonatal bacterial fluid cultures in the Midwestern United States: 149 samples (2007-2018).. J Vet Intern Med 2023 May-Jun;37(3):1193-1200.
- Shnaiderman-Torban A, Marchaim D, Navon-Venezia S, Lubrani O, Paitan Y, Arielly H, Steinman A. Third Generation Cephalosporin Resistant Enterobacterales Infections in Hospitalized Horses and Donkeys: A Case-Case-Control Analysis.. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021 Feb 4;10(2).
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