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Outbreak of equine endometritis caused by a genotypically identical strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that has been recognized as a cause of endometritis in mares. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis was used to characterize and compare isolates of P. aeruginosa from an outbreak of endometritis and unrelated isolates collected at the same time as the outbreak. The restriction endonuclease digestion patterns and antimicrobial resistance profiles of all outbreak isolates were identical. Therefore, a single strain of P. aeruginosa was responsible for the cases of endometritis. The unrelated isolates could be distinguished from the outbreak strain using the techniques outlined in the present study. The results establish that this pathogen was not venereally transmitted between all the horses from which it was isolated, but rather must have been disseminated, at least initially, from a contaminated water source. Once the water used to clean the mares and stallions was replaced, there were no further reports of endometritis caused by this organism on the affected stud. Furthermore, the fertility of the stallions was not affected, in spite of persistent carriage for 1 to 2 months. The current study has shown that the use of pulsed field gel electrophoresis has considerable value in epidemiological investigations of equine urogenital tract infections with P. aeruginosa.
Publication Date: 2011-10-20 PubMed ID: 22362810DOI: 10.1177/1040638711425589Google Scholar: Lookup 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.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research investigates an outbreak of endometritis in horses caused by a single strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, obtained from a contaminated water source. The findings concluded that disease transmission was not through sexual activity but water contamination, and it further revealed the importance of pulsed field gel electrophoresis in track infection spread.
Understanding the Research
- The research focused on the outbreak of endometritis in mares caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Endometritis is an infection of the inner lining of the uterus, a disease which can negatively impact the fertility of mares.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa is recognized as an opportunistic bacteria, which means it can cause disease when it enters the body, particularly if the immune system is compromised.
- The study carried out a precise comparison between different isolates of P. aeruginosa – those responsible for the outbreak and others unrelated to it – collected at the same time.
Methodology and Findings
- A technique called pulsed field gel electrophoresis was used to characterize the different P. aeruginosa isolates. This is a laboratory technique used for the separation and characterization of large DNA molecules.
- The research revealed that all the bacterial isolates from the outbreak had the same restriction endonuclease digestion patterns and antimicrobial resistance profiles, confirming they were of the same single strain of P. aeruginosa.
- By contrast, the unrelated isolates showed distinct traits, distinguishing them from the outbreak strain.
Significance of the Research
- This study has debunked the belief that the infection was venereally transmitted, affirming instead that the source was a contaminated water supply.
- Effective management of the outbreak was achieved by replacing the contaminated water used for cleaning, which halted further cases of endometritis.
- Despite infection, the stallions’ fertility was unaffected, even with the bacteria persisting for 1 to 2 months.
- The research demonstrated the significant value of using pulsed field gel electrophoresis in epidemiological investigations relating to such equine infections.
Cite This Article
APA
Allen JL, Begg AP, Browning GF.
(2011).
Outbreak of equine endometritis caused by a genotypically identical strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 23(6), 1236-1239.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638711425589 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. jlallen@unimelb.edu.au
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
- Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
- Drug Resistance, Bacterial
- Endometritis / microbiology
- Endometritis / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Male
- New South Wales / epidemiology
- Pseudomonas Infections / epidemiology
- Pseudomonas Infections / microbiology
- Pseudomonas Infections / veterinary
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Victoria / epidemiology
- Water Microbiology
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Knox A, Zerna G, Beddoe T. Current and Future Advances in the Detection and Surveillance of Biosecurity-Relevant Equine Bacterial Diseases Using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP). Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 18;13(16).
- Tyrnenopoulou P, Fthenakis GC. Clinical Aspects of Bacterial Distribution and Antibiotic Resistance in the Reproductive System of Equids. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023 Mar 28;12(4).
- Pottier M, Castagnet S, Gravey F, Leduc G, Sévin C, Petry S, Giard JC, Le Hello S, Léon A. Antimicrobial Resistance and Genetic Diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains Isolated from Equine and Other Veterinary Samples. Pathogens 2022 Dec 30;12(1).
- Thomson P, Pareja J, Núñez A, Santibáñez R, Castro R. Characterization of microbial communities and predicted metabolic pathways in the uterus of healthy mares. Open Vet J 2022 Nov-Dec;12(6):797-805.
- Holyoak GR, Premathilake HU, Lyman CC, Sones JL, Gunn A, Wieneke X, DeSilva U. The healthy equine uterus harbors a distinct core microbiome plus a rich and diverse microbiome that varies with geographical location. Sci Rep 2022 Aug 30;12(1):14790.
- Mahmoud SF, Fayez M, Swelum AA, Alswat AS, Alkafafy M, Alzahrani OM, Alsunaini SJ, Almuslem A, Al Amer AS, Yusuf S. Genetic Diversity, Biofilm Formation, and Antibiotic Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Cow, Camel, and Mare with Clinical Endometritis. Vet Sci 2022 May 16;9(5).
- Allen JL, Doidge NP, Cheng C, Lynch M, Crabb HK, Scheerlinck JP, Bushell R, Browning GF, Marenda MS. Genomic characterisation of an entomopathogenic strain of Serratia ureilytica in the critically endangered phasmid Dryococelus australis. PLoS One 2022;17(4):e0265967.
- Hu D, Yang J, Qi Y, Li B, Li K, Mok KM. Metagenomic Analysis of Fecal Archaea, Bacteria, Eukaryota, and Virus in Przewalski's Horses Following Anthelmintic Treatment. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:708512.
- de Melo ACC, da Mata Gomes A, Melo FL, Ardisson-Araújo DMP, de Vargas APC, Ely VL, Kitajima EW, Ribeiro BM, Wolff JLC. Characterization of a bacteriophage with broad host range against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from domestic animals. BMC Microbiol 2019 Jun 17;19(1):134.
- Tosaki K, Kojima H, Akama S, Ootake Y, Inoue K, Katsuda K, Shibahara T. Bovine esophageal and glossal ulceration associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Fusobacterium spp. in a 10-month-old Holstein heifer. J Vet Med Sci 2018 Jul 18;80(7):1174-1178.
- Yang L, Xie Y, Zhong G, Liu D, Zhu Y, Li J. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in equine-associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Vet Res 2025 Dec 22;22(1):44.
- Scholtz M, Guthrie AJ, Newton R, Schulman ML. Review of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae as venereal pathogens in horses. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):587-597.
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