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Factors associated with survival of neonatal foals with bacteremia and racing performance of surviving Thoroughbreds: 423 cases (1982-2007).
Abstract: To identify factors associated with short-term survival in bacteremic neonatal foals, evaluate the racing performance of Thoroughbred survivors, and evaluate changes in causative organisms and their antimicrobial susceptibility. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 423 bacteremic foals. Methods: Medical records of foals that were hospitalized in 1982 through 2007 were reviewed, and those with bacteremia were included in the study. Data retrieved included signalment, physical examination and clinicopathologic findings at admission, localized infections, concurrent illnesses, duration of hospitalization, and outcome (survival to discharge from the hospital vs nonsurvival). The number, identity, and antimicrobial susceptibility of organisms isolated from blood samples were also obtained. Racing records for surviving Thoroughbred foals and maternal siblings were examined. Results: Of 423 bacteremic foals, 254 survived. Odds of survival were negatively associated with age at admission, septic arthritis, band neutrophil count, and serum creatinine concentration and positively associated with year of admission, diarrhea, rectal temperature, neutrophil count, and arterial blood pH. Overall, microbial culture of blood samples yielded 554 isolates; Escherichia coli was consistently isolated most frequently. Percentage of isolates susceptible to enrofloxacin, but no other antimicrobial, decreased over time. Surviving Thoroughbred foals did not differ from siblings with regard to percentage of starters, percentage of winners, or number of starts; however, surviving foals had significantly fewer wins and total earnings. Conclusions: During the study period, microbial resistance to antimicrobials commonly used to treat bacteremic foals did not develop. Surviving bacteremic Thoroughbred foals were as likely to start races as their siblings but earned less money.
Publication Date: 2008-11-05 PubMed ID: 18980499DOI: 10.2460/javma.233.9.1446Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This research study sought to identify the factors related to the survival of neonatal foals suffering from bacteremia, the racing performance of those survivors, and changes in causative organisms and their susceptibility to antimicrobial treatment over a span of 25 years.
Methodology
- This was a retrospective case series that examined the medical records of 423 bacteremic foals hospitalized between the years of 1982 and 2007.
- The data under review included physical examination records, clinicopathologic findings at admission, any localized infections or concurrent illnesses, duration of hospitalization, and the outcome (the foal survived to be discharged or did not).
- The blood samples of the foals were also cultured to identify the type and number of organisms present, as well as their susceptibility to various antimicrobials.
- Racing records for Thoroughbred foals that survived and their maternal siblings were also examined as part of the study.
Results
- Out of the 423 bacteremic foals, 254 survived.
- The odds of survival were seen to be negatively influenced by factors such as the foal’s age at admission, presence of septic arthritis, band neutrophil count, serum creatinine concentration, whereas the survival odds were positively associated with the year of admission, presence of diarrhea, rectal temperature, neutrophil count, and arterial blood pH.
- The microbiology culture of blood samples yielded 554 isolates and Escherichia coli was found to be the most frequently isolated organism.
- The susceptibility of these isolates to enrofloxacin, an antimicrobial, was seen to decrease over time, although they remained susceptible to other antimicrobials.
- The surviving Thoroughbred foals did not differ significantly from their siblings in terms of the proportion of starters or winners, or the number of starts. However, they obtained significantly lesser wins and total earnings.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that over the span of the study period, microbial resistance to common antimicrobials used to combat bacteremia in foals did not develop.
- The surviving Thoroughbred foals had the same likelihood of starting races as their siblings, but earned less money overall.
Cite This Article
APA
Sanchez LC, Giguère S, Lester GD.
(2008).
Factors associated with survival of neonatal foals with bacteremia and racing performance of surviving Thoroughbreds: 423 cases (1982-2007).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 233(9), 1446-1452.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.233.9.1446 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0136, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Arthritis, Infectious / mortality
- Arthritis, Infectious / physiopathology
- Arthritis, Infectious / veterinary
- Bacteremia / drug therapy
- Bacteremia / mortality
- Bacteremia / physiopathology
- Bacteremia / veterinary
- Creatinine / blood
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Escherichia coli / drug effects
- Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
- Female
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Male
- Microbial Sensitivity Tests / veterinary
- Neutrophils
- Odds Ratio
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Prognosis
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Sports / statistics & numerical data
- Survival Analysis
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 21 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.
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- Yuen KY, Gibson JS, Hinrichsen S, Medina-Torres CE, Bertin FR, Stewart AJ. Cumulative antibiogram and multidrug-resistant organisms in a regional equine referral hospital. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021 Jan;33(1):149-155.
- Delvescovo B, Mullen KR, Eicker SW, Ivanek R, Ainsworth DM. The effect of neonatal dysphagia on subsequent racing performance in Standardbred horses. Equine Vet J 2021 May;53(3):481-487.
- Taylor S. A review of equine sepsis. Equine Vet Educ 2015 Feb;27(2):99-109.
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- Theelen MJP, Wilson WD, Byrne BA, Edman JM, Kass PH, Mughini-Gras L, Magdesian KG. Differences in isolation rate and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolated from foals with sepsis at admission and after ≥48 hours of hospitalization. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):955-963.
- Sheats MK. A Comparative Review of Equine SIRS, Sepsis, and Neutrophils. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:69.
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- Sprayberry KA. Ultrasonographic Examination of the Equine Neonate: Thorax and Abdomen. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2015 Dec;31(3):515-43.
- Bertin FR, Squires JM, Kritchevsky JE, Taylor SD. Clinical findings and survival in 56 sick neonatal New World camelids. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Jan;29(1):368-74.
- Dembek KA, Hurcombe SD, Frazer ML, Morresey PR, Toribio RE. Development of a likelihood of survival scoring system for hospitalized equine neonates using generalized boosted regression modeling. PLoS One 2014;9(10):e109212.
- Frederick J, Giguère S, Sanchez LC. Infectious agents detected in the feces of diarrheic foals: a retrospective study of 233 cases (2003-2008). J Vet Intern Med 2009 Nov-Dec;23(6):1254-60.
- Graham AE, Colgate VA, Floyd EF. Antibiograms of Bacterial Cultures From Equine Neonates at a United Kingdom Hospital: 381 Samples (2018-2023). J Vet Intern Med 2025 Sep-Oct;39(5):e70198.
- Wilkins PA, Wong D, Slovis NM, Collins N, Barr BS, MacKenzie C, De Solis CN, Castagnetti C, Mariella J, Burns T, Perkins G, Delvescovo B, Sanchez LC, Kemper AM, Magdesian KG, Bedenice D, Taylor SD, Gold J, Dunkel B, Pranzo G, Constable PD. The Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Predictors of Infection and Mortality in 1068 Critically Ill Newborn Foals. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70004.
- Castelain DL, Dufourni A, Pas ML, Bokma J, de Bruijn E, Paulussen E, Lefère L, van Loon G, Pardon B. Retrospective cohort study on diseases and risk factors associated with death in hospitalized neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Jan-Feb;39(1):e17269.
- Köhne M, Hüsch R, Tönissen A, Schmidt M, Müsken M, Böttcher D, Hirnet J, Plötz M, Kittler S, Sieme H. Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages specific to Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus and evaluation of efficacy ex vivo. Front Microbiol 2024;15:1448958.
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