Postoperative infection with Actinobacillus spp in horses: 10 cases (1995-2000).
Abstract: To determine features of postoperative wound infection caused by Actinobacillus spp in horses undergoing clean, elective surgery and to evaluate bacterial susceptibility profiles of bacteria isolated. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 10 horses. Methods: Data were retrieved from medical records and the microbiology laboratory database. Results: 1,604 horses underwent clean, elective surgical procedures during the study period. Of these, 23 (1.43%) had postoperative wound infections, and Actinobacillus spp was isolated from 10 of these 23 (43%). Surgical procedures in these 10 horses included laryngoplasty with ventriculocordectomy (n = 3), arthroscopy (3), desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor tendon (2), removal of laryngoplasty prostheses (1), and hygroma resection (1). Seven horses survived, and 3 were euthanatized. All 10 Actinobacillus isolates were resistant to penicillin, and 6 were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. All isolates were susceptible to ceftiofur and gentamicin. During the 5-year period of the study, Actinobacillus organisms were isolated from 35 of 513 (6.8%) samples from the general hospital population submitted for bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Conclusions: During the study period, Actinobacillus spp was isolated from a higher than expected percentage of horses that developed postoperative wound infections after clean, elective surgery. Susceptibility profiles for these isolates were different from typical susceptibility profiles for Actinobacillus isolates, suggesting that a pattern of resistance may be emerging.
Publication Date: 2002-11-07 PubMed ID: 12418698DOI: 10.2460/javma.2002.221.1306Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research paper is about a study on postoperative wound infections in horses caused by Actinobacillus spp, and it investigates the bacteria’s susceptibility profiles.
Introduction and Methods
- The study was a retrospective analysis conducted between 1995 and 2000. It looked into medical records and the microbiology laboratory database.
- The study focused on horses that underwent clean, elective surgical procedures. In total, there were 1,604 surgical procedures conducted during the study period.
Findings and Results
- Out of 1,604 surgical procedures, 23 (1.43%) had postoperative wound infections.
- Actinobacillus spp was isolated from 10 of these 23 cases, which is approximately 43%. This suggests that Actinobacillus spp was associated with almost half of the postoperative wound infections.
- The surgical procedures where Actinobacillus spp was found include: laryngoplasty with ventriculocordectomy, arthroscopy, desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor tendon, removal of laryngoplasty prostheses, and hygroma resection.
- The survival rate among these horses was 70%, with 7 out of 10 surviving and 3 had to be euthanized.
- All of the 10 Actinobacillus isolates were found to be resistant to penicillin, and 6 were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. All isolates were found to be susceptible to ceftiofur and gentamicin.
- During the five-year study period, Actinobacillus organisms were isolated from 6.8% of samples from the general hospital population submitted for bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that Actinobacillus spp was isolated from a higher than expected percentage of horses that developed postoperative wound infections after clean, elective surgery. This suggests that Actinobacillus is a significant threat for postoperative infections in horses.
- The susceptibility profiles for these isolates were found to be different from typical profiles for Actinobacillus isolates, which suggests that a pattern of resistance may be emerging. This could impact the effectiveness of certain antimicrobial therapies in the future.
Cite This Article
APA
Smith MA, Ross MW.
(2002).
Postoperative infection with Actinobacillus spp in horses: 10 cases (1995-2000).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 221(9), 1306-1310.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2002.221.1306 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- The Home of Rest for Horses, Philip Leverhulme Large Animal Hospital, University of Liverpool, Neston, Wirral, United Kingdom.
MeSH Terms
- Actinobacillus / drug effects
- Actinobacillus / isolation & purification
- Actinobacillus Infections / drug therapy
- Actinobacillus Infections / microbiology
- Actinobacillus Infections / veterinary
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Drug Resistance, Bacterial
- Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
- Female
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Male
- Microbial Sensitivity Tests / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Surgical Wound Infection / drug therapy
- Surgical Wound Infection / microbiology
- Surgical Wound Infection / veterinary
- Survival Analysis
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Symoens A, Gauthier ML, Paillette L, Allano M, Lavoie JP, Leclère M. Evolution of in vitro antimicrobial resistance at an equine hospital over 4 decades. Can Vet J 2025 Aug;66(8):903-910.
- Kabir A, Lamichhane B, Habib T, Adams A, El-Sheikh Ali H, Slovis NM, Troedsson MHT, Helmy YA. Antimicrobial Resistance in Equines: A Growing Threat to Horse Health and Beyond-A Comprehensive Review. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024 Jul 29;13(8).
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