Abstract: We describe three cases of osteoarticular infection (OAI) in young thoroughbred horses in which the causative organism was identified by MALDI-TOF as . The pattern of OAI resembled that reported with infection in humans. Analysis by 16S rRNA PCR enabled construction of a phylogenetic tree that placed the isolates closer to and , rather than . Average nucleotide identity (ANI) comparison between the new isolate and and however revealed low probability that the new isolate belonged to either of these species. This preliminary analysis suggests the organism isolated is a previously unrecognised species.
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This research paper discusses three instances of bone and joint infections in young racehorses that were caused by a previously unknown type of bacteria.
Investigation of Osteoarticular Infection (OAI)
The study began by examining three cases of osteoarticular infections (OIAs) in young thoroughbred horses. OIAs are infections that occur in the bones and joints.
The causative organism for these infections was unidentified initially, leading to deeper analysis.
Identification of Causative Organism
To identify the culprit, the researchers used a technique known as MALDI-TOF. This is a type of mass spectrometry that is often used to identify bacteria.
After using the MALDI-TOF technique, they discovered that the pattern of OIA in the horses closely resembled infection patterns typically seen in humans infected by a specific type of bacteria.
Phylogenetic Analysis
They then conducted a 16S rRNA PCR analysis. This is a molecular technique that is often used in identifying, classifying, and determining the evolutionary relationships of bacteria.
The results from the 16S rRNA PCR allowed the researchers to construct a phylogenetic tree, or a diagram that represents the evolutionary relationship among species. This tree showed the new bacteria isolate was closer to two specific bacterial species than to others.
Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) Comparison
An Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) comparison was performed between the new isolate and the two aforementioned bacterial species. ANI is a measurement used to compute the genetic distance between two genomes, essentially to see how closely related they are.
The results of this comparison revealed low probability that the newly discovered bacteria belonged to either of the two species identified in the phylogenetic analysis. Instead, the bacteria seemed to be a distinct, new species.
Conclusion
This research concluded that the organism causing the osteoarticular infections was an unknown species of Gram Negative Cocco-Bacillus bacteria.
Cite This Article
APA
Hudson BJ, Chicken C, Blishen A, Todhunter KH, Begg AP, Chan L, Karagiannis T, Raymond B, Bogema D, Adkins AR, O'Sullivan CB, O'Rourke BA, Roy Chowdhury P, Djordjevic SP, Charles IG, Edgar A, Mitsakos K.
(2020).
Osteoarticular Infection in Three Young Thoroughbred Horses Caused by a Novel Gram Negative Cocco-Bacillus.
Case Rep Vet Med, 2020, 9785861.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9785861
NSW Health Pathology, Department of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales 2065, Australia.
Chicken, Catherine
Scone Equine Hospital, 106 Liverpool Street, Scone, New South Wales 2337, Australia.
Blishen, Anna
Scone Equine Hospital, 106 Liverpool Street, Scone, New South Wales 2337, Australia.
Todhunter, Kristen H
Vetnostics Laverty Pathology, 60 Waterloo Rd, Macquarie Park, Sydney, New South Wales 2113, Australia.
Newcastle Equine Centre & Newcastle Equine Rehabilitation & Reproduction Centre, The Old Tote Building, Broadmeadow Racecourse, New South Wales 2292, Australia.
Begg, Angela P
Vetnostics Laverty Pathology, 60 Waterloo Rd, Macquarie Park, Sydney, New South Wales 2113, Australia.
Chan, Leonie
NSW Health Pathology, Department of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales 2065, Australia.
Karagiannis, Thomas
NSW Health Pathology, Department of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales 2065, Australia.
Raymond, Benjamin
The ithree Institute, University of Technology, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Bogema, Daniel
Department of Primary Industry, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Woodbridge Rd, Menangle, New South Wales 2568, Australia.
Adkins, Angus R
Scone Equine Hospital, 106 Liverpool Street, Scone, New South Wales 2337, Australia.
O'Sullivan, Christopher B
Randwick Equine Centre, 3 Jane St, Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales 2031, Australia.
O'Rourke, Brendon A
Department of Primary Industry, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Woodbridge Rd, Menangle, New South Wales 2568, Australia.
Roy Chowdhury, Piklu
The ithree Institute, University of Technology, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Djordjevic, Steven P
The ithree Institute, University of Technology, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Charles, Ian G
The ithree Institute, University of Technology, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Quadrum Institute Bioscience-Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UA, UK.
NSW Health Pathology, Department of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales 2065, Australia.
The ithree Institute, University of Technology, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.
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