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Home / Equine Research Bank / Emerg Infect Dis / Macrolide- and rifampin-resistant Rhodococcus equi on a hors...
Emerging infectious diseases2013; 19(2); 282-285; doi: 10.3201/eid1902.121210

Macrolide- and rifampin-resistant Rhodococcus equi on a horse breeding farm, Kentucky, USA.

Abstract: Macrolide and rifampin resistance developed on a horse breeding farm after widespread use was instituted for treatment of subclinical pulmonary lesions in foals. Resistance occurred in 6 (24%) of 25 pretreatment and 8 (62%) of 13 (62%) posttreatment isolates from affected foals. Drug-resistant isolates formed 2 distinct genotypic clusters.
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Publication Date: 2013-01-26 PubMed ID: 23347878PubMed Central: PMC3559061DOI: 10.3201/eid1902.121210Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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 documents a study where a horse breeding farm in Kentucky, USA saw the development of resistance to two antibiotics, macrolide and rifampin, after they were used widely to treat subclinical lung lesions in foals. The change in resistance was significant, rising from 24% before treatment to 62% after treatment. The study also found that two distinct genetic groupings formed among these drug-resistant bacteria.

Objective of the Research

  • The study was conducted to observe and understand the development of antibiotic resistance among pathogens, specifically Rhodococcus equi, following the widespread use of macrolide and rifampin for treating pulmonary lesions in foals in a horse breeding farm.

Findings of the Study

  • Resistance to the antibiotics macrolide and rifampin developed within the bacterial population after they were consistently used for treatment. This signifies the adaptation and evolution of the bacterial community to withstand the effects of these antibacterial agents, a phenomenon observed in many types of bacteria worldwide due to continuing antibiotic misuse and overuse.
  • Before the use of antibiotics, 24% of the bacterial isolates showed resistance. The treatment caused a significant increase in the resistant population, rocketing to 62% after the antibiotics were administered.
  • The drug-resistant isolates observed post-treatment grouped into two distinct genotypic clusters. It implies that either different genetic strategies were used by bacteria to develop resistance or these resistant clusters were different strains or sub-strains of Rhodococcus equi that had been present in the population all along but had proliferated post-treatment due to preferential survival and growth.

Implications of the Findings

  • This study underscores the dangers of overusing antibiotics, especially in veterinary medicine where it is less regulated compared to human medicine. Overuse of these drugs may lead to antibiotic resistance, a significant concern for both animal and human health.
  • The creation of genetically distinct clusters of drug-resistant pathogens could complicate treatment strategies due to variations in their response to different antibiotics. These clusters also present a risk of cross-species infection transmission, since different resistant strains might have varying levels of toxicity and infectiveness in different host species.

Cite This Article

APA
Burton AJ, Giguère S, Sturgill TL, Berghaus LJ, Slovis NM, Whitman JL, Levering C, Kuskie KR, Cohen ND. (2013). Macrolide- and rifampin-resistant Rhodococcus equi on a horse breeding farm, Kentucky, USA. Emerg Infect Dis, 19(2), 282-285. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1902.121210

Publication

Emerging infectious diseases
ISSN: 1080-6059
NlmUniqueID: 9508155
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 19
Issue: 2
Pages: 282-285

Researcher Affiliations

Burton, Alexandra J
  • University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
Giguère, Steeve
    Sturgill, Tracy L
      Berghaus, Londa J
        Slovis, Nathan M
          Whitman, Jeremy L
            Levering, Court
              Kuskie, Kyle R
                Cohen, Noah D

                  MeSH Terms

                  • Actinomycetales Infections / diagnostic imaging
                  • Actinomycetales Infections / drug therapy
                  • Actinomycetales Infections / microbiology
                  • Actinomycetales Infections / veterinary
                  • Animals
                  • Asymptomatic Infections
                  • Breeding
                  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
                  • Genes, Bacterial
                  • Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
                  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
                  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
                  • Horses
                  • Kentucky
                  • Macrolides / pharmacology
                  • Molecular Typing
                  • Phylogeny
                  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / diagnostic imaging
                  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / drug therapy
                  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / veterinary
                  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / genetics
                  • Rhodococcus equi / drug effects
                  • Rhodococcus equi / genetics
                  • Rhodococcus equi / isolation & purification
                  • Rifampin / pharmacology
                  • Ultrasonography

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