Infectious agents associated with diarrhoea in neonatal foals in central Kentucky: a comprehensive molecular study.
Abstract: Diarrhoea caused by infectious agents is common in foals but there is no comprehensive molecular work-up of the relative prevalence of common agents and appearance of coinfections. Objective: To determine the prevalence of 9 infectious agents in gastrointestinal (GI)-diseased and healthy foals with ages ranging from 1 to 20 weeks of age and to what degree coinfections are associated with clinical signs of GI disease. Methods: Retrospective controlled observational study. Methods: The population consisted of 88 Thoroughbred foals aged 2 days to 17 weeks born on 32 different studfarms in Kentucky. Healthy (n = 37) and GI-diseased (n = 51) foals were identified based on clinical presentation. Faecal samples were analysed for 9 infectious agents by real-time PCR: equine rotavirus, equine coronavirus, Clostridium difficile toxins A & B, Neorickettsia risticii, Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin, Lawsonia intracellularis, Rhodococcus equi, Cryptosporidium spp., and Salmonella spp. Salmonella was also cultured from overnight selenite enrichment broth. Results: The prevalence of infectious pathogens under study was between 0% (Lawsonia intracellularis) and 34.6% (equine rotavirus). The overall prevalence for any infectious agent was 63.2% in the GI-diseased group and 43.2% in the healthy group. Coinfections were significantly more frequent in the sick group (15 monoinfections vs. 22 coinfections) than in the healthy group (12 vs. 4, respectively, P = 0.0002). Six of the 8 infectious agents were associated with the GI-diseased group, the other 2 were not (equine coronavirus and R. equi). Conclusions: The use of panels rather than individual tests in combination with quantitative toxin gene analysis enables detection of coinfections significantly associated with risk of disease. Several infectious diseases previously not tested for or considered unimportant were found at high prevalence and require further investigation.
© 2013 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2013-08-30 PubMed ID: 23773143PubMed Central: PMC7163618DOI: 10.1111/evj.12119Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research presents an in-depth investigation into the prevalence of various infectious agents causing diarrhoea in newborn foals in Kentucky. The analysis reveals the frequency of co-infections and correlations with gastrointestinal diseases, suggesting that several diseases traditionally overlooked require further study.
Study Methodology
- The researchers carried out a retrospective controlled observational study encompassing 88 Thoroughbred foals from 32 different stud farms in Kentucky. The foals, which ranged in age from 2 days to 17 weeks, were classified into healthy (37 in number) and GI-diseased (51 in number) groups based on clinical presentation.
- The study employed real-time PCR to test faecal samples for the presence of nine infectious agents: equine rotavirus, equine coronavirus, Clostridium difficile toxins A & B, Neorickettsia risticii, Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin, Lawsonia intracellularis, Rhodococcus equi, Cryptosporidium spp., and Salmonella spp. For detecting Salmonella, the researchers also used overnight selenite enrichment broth cultures.
Study Results
- The research found the prevalence of the studied infectious pathogens to be between 0% (for Lawsonia intracellularis) and 34.6% (for equine rotavirus).
- In the GI-diseased group, the overall prevalence of any detected infectious agent was 63.2%, contrasted with 43.2% in the healthy group.
- The study established that co-infections were significantly more common in the GI-diseased group (where there were 22 coinfections versus 15 monoinfections) than in the healthy group (which had 4 coinfections versus 12 monoinfections). The result had a very significant p-value of 0.0002, implying a genuine difference between the groups.
- Out of the eight infectious agents, six were associated with the GI-diseased group. The other two (equine coronavirus and R. equi) showed no association with the diseased group.
Conclusions
- The findings suggested that using panels, rather than individual tests, alongside quantitative toxin gene analysis effectively identifies significant co-infections that correlate with a higher risk of disease.
- The research concluded that certain infectious diseases, traditionally either not tested for or treated as inconsequential, were found at a high prevalence and require additional investigation.
Cite This Article
APA
Slovis NM, Elam J, Estrada M, Leutenegger CM.
(2013).
Infectious agents associated with diarrhoea in neonatal foals in central Kentucky: a comprehensive molecular study.
Equine Vet J, 46(3), 311-316.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12119 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Kentucky, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Bacterial Infections / epidemiology
- Bacterial Infections / microbiology
- Bacterial Infections / veterinary
- Cryptosporidiosis / epidemiology
- Cryptosporidiosis / parasitology
- Diarrhea / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Kentucky / epidemiology
- Virus Diseases / epidemiology
- Virus Diseases / veterinary
- Virus Diseases / virology
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