First report of pulmonary disease associated with Nicoletella semolina in a horse in New Zealand.
Abstract: A 9-year-old warmblood gelding with a history of chronic intermittent tachypnoea and dyspnoea was presented for evaluation and removal of a mass on the left side of the neck. A fibrous mass adherent to the left jugular vein developed and was removed surgically 6 weeks later, at which time the owner requested an evaluation of the cause of the persistent respiratory signs first noted on primary admission. Clinical findings included coarse lung sounds on thoracic auscultation, tracheal wheeze, and an abnormal trans-tracheal aspirate. These findings, in addition to the results of ultrasonographic imaging of the thorax and transtracheal cytology, were suggestive of bacterial bronchopneumonia. Initial antimicrobial therapy included I/M 22 mg/kg procaine penicillin every 12 hours and I/V 6.6 mg/kg gentamicin sulphate every 24 hours. The horse's clinical signs improved within 36 hours. It was discharged after 6 days, and at the owner's request antimicrobial therapy was changed to 25 mg/kg trimethoprim/sulphadimidine to be given orally every 12 hours for 10 days. One month later, the horse had recovered and there were no further complications reported by the owner except for an occasional cough while grazing Bacterial culture of transtracheal wash fluid resulted in the isolation of as the sole organism, later confirmed by genotyping. Attempts to subculture the organism for antimicrobial susceptibility testing were unsuccessful. Infectious bronchopneumonia associated with Further work is required to determine whether is acting as an opportunistic commensal of the equine respiratory tract or a primary pathogen. However, this article reports the first instance in New Zealand of an association between the presence of this organism and respiratory disease in a horse.
Publication Date: 2020-10-25 PubMed ID: 32819211DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2020.1811795Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The study discusses a case of respiratory disease in a horse in New Zealand, brought about by the bacterium Nicoletella semolina, marking its first report in the country.
Case Presentation
- The focus of the study is a 9-year-old warmblood gelding horse that was experiencing chronic tachypnea and dyspnea, which are rapid breathing and difficulty breathing, respectively.
- The horse was initially presented to the researchers for diagnosis and removal of a fibrous mass located in its left neck near the jugular vein.
- After surgery, the owner requested an evaluation for the cause of the persisting signs of respiratory problems that were previously observed.
Clinical Findings and Treatment
- The clinical observations included the presence of coarse lung sounds, tracheal wheeze, and abnormal trans-tracheal aspirate, indicating some form of pulmonary disease.
- Further diagnostic tests like ultrasonography of the thorax and cytological examination of a transtracheal aspirate reinforced that it was likely a case of bacterial bronchopneumonia.
- The initial treatment was based on antimicrobial therapy involving procaine penicillin and gentamicin sulphate, which resulted in the improvement of the horse’s condition within 36 hours.
- The horse was later discharged after 6 days with the owner provided with oral doses of trimethoprim/sulphadimidine for a period of 10 days.
- A month later, the horse had no major complications apart from occasional coughing while grazing.
Bacterial Culture Findings
- A bacterial culture of the horse’s transtracheal wash fluid revealed the presence of Nicoletella semolina as the sole organism. This finding was later confirmed through genotyping.
- The team was unable to subculture the organism for further testing of drug susceptibility.
Implication and Conclusion
- The study has linked, for the first time in New Zealand, Nicoletella semolina with respiratory disease in horses.
- However, it remains unclear if this bacterium is an opportunistic commensal in the equine respiratory tract or it’s a primary pathogen, necessitating further research.
Cite This Article
APA
Riley CB, Aldrich ED, Pemberton SL, Mirza AA.
(2020).
First report of pulmonary disease associated with Nicoletella semolina in a horse in New Zealand.
N Z Vet J, 69(1), 65-69.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2020.1811795 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Lung Diseases / drug therapy
- Lung Diseases / microbiology
- Lung Diseases / veterinary
- Male
- New Zealand
- Pasteurellaceae / isolation & purification
- Pasteurellaceae Infections / drug therapy
- Pasteurellaceae Infections / veterinary
- Penicillins / therapeutic use
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Zhu Y, Chen S, Yi Z, Holyoak R, Wang T, Ding Z, Li J. Nasopharyngeal Microbiomes in Donkeys Shedding Streptococcus equi Subspecies equi in Comparison to Healthy Donkeys. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:645627.
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