Is Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection (pigeon fever) in horses an emerging disease in western Canada?
Abstract: This report describes 5 horses in the southern Alberta region with typical and atypical external abscessation due to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (pigeon fever). "Pigeon fever" has recently been diagnosed in new geographic regions in North America and should be kept as a differential diagnosis by practitioners when an external or internal abscess is identified in a horse. L’infection parCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis(fièvre du pigeon) chez les chevaux est-elle une maladie émergente dans l’Ouest canadien? Ce rapport décrit cinq chevaux dans la région sud de l’Alberta atteints d’abcès externes typiques et atypiques causés par Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (fièvre du pigeon). La «fièvre du pigeon» a récemment été diagnostiquée dans de nouvelles régions géographiques de l’Amérique du Nord et devrait être conservée comme diagnostic différentiel par les praticiens lorsqu’un abcès externe ou interne est identifié.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).
Publication Date: 2016-10-07 PubMed ID: 27708444PubMed Central: PMC5026146
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.
- Case Reports
- Journal Article
- Case Reports
- Clinical Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Disease
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Geographical Differences
- Horses
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Public Health
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article discusses the occurrence of “pigeon fever in horses” in new geographical regions in North America, specifically Alberta, prompting practitioners to consider it during differential diagnosis when handling horse abscess cases.
Research Focus
- The study specifically focusses on the identification of pigeon fever, caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, in horses.
- The disease is marked by typical and atypical external abscessation in infected horses.
- Five particular cases from the southern Alberta region in Western Canada have been discussed and investigated in this study.
New Geographic Reach of Pigeon Fever
- The article observes that pigeon fever, more commonly found in specific regions, has now started to be diagnosed in new geographic regions in North America.
- This shift in geographic reach might be due to various environmental and climatic factors, leading to a change in the disease’s epidemiology.
Implications for Practitioners
- The authors suggest that given the geographic expansion of the disease, horse practitioners and veterinarians must keep pigeon fever as a differential diagnosis when an external or internal abscess in a horse is detected.
- They emphasize the need for thorough and accurate diagnosis to manage and control the spread of the disease in new regions.
Research Contribution
- This research contributes to the overall understanding of the geographical reach of pigeon fever in horses.
- It also aids veterinary practitioners in identifying and diagnosing the disease in areas where it was not commonly found before.
Cite This Article
APA
Corbeil LE, Morrissey JF, Léguillette R.
(2016).
Is Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection (pigeon fever) in horses an emerging disease in western Canada?
Can Vet J, 57(10), 1062-1066.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Moore Equine, Balzac, Alberta (Corbeil, Morissey, Léguillette); Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Léguillette).
- Moore Equine, Balzac, Alberta (Corbeil, Morissey, Léguillette); Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Léguillette).
- Moore Equine, Balzac, Alberta (Corbeil, Morissey, Léguillette); Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Léguillette).
MeSH Terms
- Abscess / drug therapy
- Abscess / microbiology
- Abscess / veterinary
- Alberta / epidemiology
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Communicable Diseases, Emerging / epidemiology
- Communicable Diseases, Emerging / microbiology
- Communicable Diseases, Emerging / veterinary
- Corynebacterium Infections / drug therapy
- Corynebacterium Infections / epidemiology
- Corynebacterium Infections / microbiology
- Corynebacterium Infections / veterinary
- Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Female
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Lymphangitis / drug therapy
- Lymphangitis / microbiology
- Lymphangitis / veterinary
- Male
References
This article includes 21 references
- Spier SJ, Leutenegger CM, Carroll SP. Use of a real-time polymerase chain reaction-based fluorogenic 5′ nuclease assay to evaluate insect vectors of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections in horses.. Am J Vet Res 2004;65:829–834.
- Spier SJ, Whitecomb MB. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.. In: Sellon DC, Long M, editors. Equine Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders; 2014. pp. 372–379.
- Jeske JM, Spier SJ, Whitcomb MB, Pusterla N, Gardner IA. Use of antibody titers measured via serum synergistic hemolysis inhibition testing to predict internal Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in horses.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013;242:86–92.
- Kilcoyne I, Spier SJ, Carter CN, Smith JL, Swinford AK, Cohen ND. Frequency of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in horses across the United States during a 10-year period.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2014;245:309–314.
- Nogradi N, Spier SJ, Toth B, Vaughan B. Musculoskeletal Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in horses: 35 cases (1999–2009). J Am Vet Med Assoc 2012;241:771–777.
- Aleman M, Spier SJ, Wilson WD, Doherr M. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in horses: 538 cases (1982–1993). J Am Vet Med Assoc 1996;209:804–809.
- Rhodes DM, Magdesian KG, Byrne BA, Kass PH, Edman J, Spier SJ. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of equine Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates (1996–2012). J Vet Intern Med 2015;29:327–332.
- Spier SJ. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.. Proc 10th Bain-Fallon Memorial Lectures 2005:32–43.
- Fultz L, Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Davis JL. Comparative pharmacokinetics of desfuroylceftiofur acetamide after intramuscular versus subcutaneous administration of ceftiofur crystalline free acid to adult horses.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2013;36:309–312.
- Hall K, Brian JM, Cunningham W. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections (pigeon fever) in horses in western Colorado: An epidemiological investigation.. J Equine Vet Sci 2001;21:284–286.
- Doherr MG, Carpenter TE, Hanson KM, Wilson WD, Gardner IA. Risk factors associated with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in California horses.. Prev Vet Med 1998;35:229–239.
- Doherr MG, Carpenter TE, Wilson WD, Gardner IA. Evaluation of temporal and spatial clustering of horses with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection.. Am J Vet Res 1999;60:284–291.
- Spier SJ, Toth B, Edman J. Survival of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi in soil.. Vet Rec 2012;170:180.
- Augustine JL, Renshaw HW. Survival of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in axenic purulent exudate on common barnyard fomites.. Am J Vet Res 1986;47:713–715.
- Spier SJ. Clinical Commentary — Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in horses: An emerging disease associated with climate change?. Equine Vet Ed 2008;20:7–39.
- Szonyi B, Swinford A, Clavijo A, Ivanek R. Re-emergence of pigeon fever (Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis) infection in Texas horses: Epidemiologic investigation of laboratory-diagnosed cases.. J Equine Vet Sci 2014;34:281–287.
- Britton A, DeWith N. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in horses in British Columbia.. Abbotsford: Abbotsford Agricultural Center; 2011.
- . Climate Trends and Variations Bulletin: Government of Canada.. 2013.
- Boysen C, Davis EG, Beard LA, Lubbers BV, Raghavan RK. Bayesian geostatistical analysis and ecoclimatic determinants of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection among horses.. PLoS One 2015;10:e0140666.
- Piontkowski MD, Shivvers DW. Evaluation of a commercially available vaccine against Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis for use in sheep.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998;212:1765–1768.
- Gorman JK, Gabriel M, MacLachlan NJ, Nieto N, Foley J, Spier S. Pilot immunization of mice infected with an equine strain of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.. Vet Ther 2010;11:E1–8.
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- de Souza Lima E, de Oliveira Filho RB, Malta KC, Pires IC, Rosa DS, Chideroli RT, Aburjaile FF, de Jesus Sousa T, Ramos RTJ, Góes-Neto A, de Castro Soares S, Brenig B, de Carvalho Azevedo VA, da Costa MM, de Carvalho Fernandes AC. First case report of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi in semiarid region of Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 2025 Sep;56(3):2251-2256.
- Hughes K. Development and Pathology of the Equine Mammary Gland. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 2021 Jun;26(2):121-134.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
