Isolation of Brucella suis biotype 1 from a horse.

This research article reports the first known instance of isolation of the Brucella suis biotype 1, a type of bacteria, from a horse in Barcaldine, Australia, highlighting a potential health concern affecting equine populations.

Introduction

• The article begins by highlighting the rarity of isolating Brucella suis from horses. Previous reports include an untyped B. suis discovered in Brazil in a horse with severe cervical bursitis, and another isolated from an aborted equine foetus.
• The authors make the point that B. suis biotype 1 is globally distributed and has been identified in domestic and feral pigs, cattle, and even humans in Australia. This study is the first report of such bacteria isolated from a horse in this region.

Investigation Details

• The research involved an examination of a herd of 29 mares in an effort to understand an abortion problem within the herd.
• All mares were tested for brucella antibodies using both the Rose Bengal (RBT) and the complement fixation (CFT) tests.
• One 9-year-old horse showed a positive reaction to the brucella antibody tests, presenting painful swellings near one of its bursas (fluid-filled sacs that reduce friction between body tissues) and its hock joint (the joint in a horse’s hind leg corresponding to the ankle in humans).
• Another horse provided a milder positive reaction in the RBT test but was negative in the CFT test. All other horses tested negative.

Results

• The horse with the clinical and serological evidence of active brucella infection was euthanized, and a necropsy was performed.
• The details and results of the necropsy are not fully outlined in the abstract, suggesting the main body of the article holds further information related to this.