Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ulcerative keratitis in a Thoroughbred racehorse.
Abstract: We report the first case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) keratitis in a racehorse. A 5-year-old mare developed punctate keratitis after racing. The corneal ulcer continued to expand despite ophthalmic antimicrobial therapy. On day 6, a conjunctival graft surgery was performed. The mare was euthanized, following colitis and laminitis development on day 10. MRSA was isolated from the corneal swab taken at the time of euthanasia. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated gram-positive and anti-S. aureus monoclonal antibody-positive cocci infiltration of the corneal stroma; and a diagnosis of MRSA ulcerative keratitis was made. An ophthalmic antimicrobial against the isolated MRSA did not improve the ocular lesion. The MRSA strain was found to be staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type II, a strain frequently isolated from humans in Japan.
Publication Date: 2015-09-30 PubMed ID: 26435683PubMed Central: PMC4591416DOI: 10.1294/jes.26.95Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article describes the first recorded case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) keratitis (a type of eye infection) in a Thoroughbred racehorse that developed after a race and ultimately led to the horse’s euthanasia due to subsequent health complications. Despite applying ophthalmic antimicrobial treatment, a widespread MRSA strain in Japan was identified and the infection couldn’t be cured.
Clinical Case
- The study presents the first known case of MRSA keratitis in a racehorse. The horse, a 5-year-old mare, developed punctate keratitis (a condition marked by inflammation and damage to the cornea) post-racing.
- The corneal ulcer in the mare’s eye continued to enlarge even with the application of antimicrobial therapy. A surgical intervention in the form of a conjunctival graft was done on the sixth day.
Euthanasia and Pathogen Identification
- The health condition of the mare worsened, eventually developing further complications that included colitis and laminitis, which led to the decision to euthanize her on the tenth day.
- A corneal swab taken at the time of euthanasia revealed the presence of MRSA. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of the mare’s eye showed infiltration of gram-positive, anti-S. aureus monoclonal antibody-positive cocci in the corneal stroma, confirming the diagnosis of MRSA ulcerative keratitis.
Antimicrobial Resistance and Strain Typing
- The use of an ophthalmic antimicrobial, aimed to attack the isolated MRSA, did not result in any improvement to the corneal ulcer, indicating a probable antimicrobial resistance by this specific strain of MRSA.
- Further investigation into the MRSA strain identified it as staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type II. This strain is often isolated from human cases in Japan, thus implying a potential zoonotic transmission (from humans to animals), though this was not explicitly confirmed in this research.
Cite This Article
APA
Kuroda T, Kinoshita Y, Niwa H, Mizobe F, Ueno T, Kuwano A, Hatazoe T, Hobo S.
(2015).
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ulcerative keratitis in a Thoroughbred racehorse.
J Equine Sci, 26(3), 95-98.
https://doi.org/10.1294/jes.26.95 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Clinical Science and Pathobiology Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Tochigi 320-0856, Japan.
- Epizootic Research Center, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Tochigi 329-0412, Japan.
- Epizootic Research Center, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Tochigi 329-0412, Japan.
- Racehorse Hospital, Ritto Training Center, Japan Racing Association, Shiga 520-3085, Japan.
- Epizootic Research Center, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Tochigi 329-0412, Japan.
- Clinical Science and Pathobiology Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Tochigi 320-0856, Japan.
- Kyushu Stallion Station, The Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association, Kagoshima 899-8313, Japan.
- Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.
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Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Tahoun A, Elnafarawy HK, El-Sharkawy H, Rizk AM, Alorabi M, El-Shehawi AM, Youssef MA, Ibrahim HMM, El-Khodery S. The Prevalence and Molecular Biology of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Healthy and Diseased Equine Eyes in Egypt. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022 Feb 10;11(2).
- Zak A, Siwinska N, Slowikowska M, Borowicz H, Ploneczka-Janeczko K, Chorbinski P, Niedzwiedz A. Conjunctival aerobic bacterial flora in healthy Silesian foals and adult horses in Poland. BMC Vet Res 2018 Aug 31;14(1):261.
- Ekapopphan D, Srisutthakarn A, Moonarmart W, Buddhirongawatr R, Bangphoomi N. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of microorganisms isolated from severe corneal ulcers of dogs in Thailand. J Vet Med Sci 2018 Aug 22;80(8):1259-1265.
- Marlo TL, Giuliano EA, Tripathi R, Sharma A, Mohan RR. Altering equine corneal fibroblast differentiation through Smad gene transfer. Vet Ophthalmol 2018 Mar;21(2):132-139.
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