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Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc2018; 30(3); 483-485; doi: 10.1177/1040638717753965

High mortality in foals associated with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Abortusequi infection in Italy.

Abstract: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Abortusequi is frequently reported as a cause of abortion in mares and neonatal septicemia and polyarthritis in Asian and African countries, but only sporadically in Europe and the United States. We report an outbreak of S. Abortusequi in foals in Italy, characterized by high mortality. In a herd of Murgese horses, 10 of 34 newborns died at birth and a further 7 died, after developing severe clinical signs, during the first 10 d of life. Tissue specimens from different organs of 2 dead foals, synovial fluids from 4 sick foals, and vaginal and rectal swabs from their dams were cultured. A total of 16 isolates, all as pure cultures, were obtained and identified as Salmonella. The isolates exhibited the same antimicrobial resistance pattern and the same sequence type, ST251, a type that has been associated with S. Abortusequi. Six of 16 isolates were serotyped and found to be S. Abortusequi 4,12:-:e,n,x. Equine practitioners should be aware of S. Abortusequi infection as a cause of neonatal mortality in foals.
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Publication Date: 2018-01-11 PubMed ID: 29322884PubMed Central: PMC6505811DOI: 10.1177/1040638717753965Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The research discusses a case of high foal mortality in Italy, resulting from an outbreak of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Abortusequi, a bacterium that typically causes abortion in mares and neonatal illnesses in foals, and generally prevalent in Asia and Africa.

Background

  • This species of Salmonella, S. enterica subsp. enterica Abortusequi, is known to be responsible for causing diseases in horses, mainly abortions and fatal illnesses in newborn foals. These bacterial infections are common in Asia and Africa but have been reported less frequently in Europe and the United States.

Case Details

  • The researchers studied an outbreak in a herd of Murgese horses in Italy. Within this group, 10 out of 34 newborn foals died at birth, and a further seven eventually died following the development of severe clinical symptoms during their first 10 days of life.

Methods and Results

  • The researchers collected tissue samples from multiple organs in two of the dead foals, synovial fluids (seen in joints) from four sick foals, and vaginal and rectal swabs from the mother mares for analysis.
  • A total of 16 pure isolates of a bacteria suspected to be Salmonella were obtained from the samples.
  • All 16 isolates showed the same pattern of resistance to antibiotics and belonged to the same sequence type, ST251, which has been linked in previous studies with S. Abortusequi infections.
  • Serotyping (a method used to identify different types of bacteria) on six of the 16 isolates identified them as S. Abortusequi 4,12:-:e,n,x.

Conclusions

  • The study concludes by suggesting that equine practitioners ought to be aware of S. Abortusequi, given its potential to cause fatal diseases in newborn foals. This case indicates that this species of Salmonella is present outside of its normally reported geographical spread, and its occurrence could escalate the neonatal foal mortality rate.

Cite This Article

APA
(2018). High mortality in foals associated with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Abortusequi infection in Italy. J Vet Diagn Invest, 30(3), 483-485. https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638717753965

Publication

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
ISSN: 1943-4936
NlmUniqueID: 9011490
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Pages: 483-485

Researcher Affiliations

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
  • Female
  • Horses
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Salmonella Infections, Animal / epidemiology
  • Salmonella Infections, Animal / microbiology
  • Salmonella Infections, Animal / mortality
  • Salmonella enterica / genetics
  • Salmonella enterica / isolation & purification
  • Serogroup

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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