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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Sci / Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Renal Failure Associated with Oxyte...
Veterinary sciences2020; 7(4); 160; doi: 10.3390/vetsci7040160

Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Renal Failure Associated with Oxytetracycline Administration in Two Neonatal Foals Affected by Flexural Limb Deformity.

Abstract: Oxytetracycline (OTC) administration has become a frequent practice in equine neonatology for the treatment of flexural limb deformity. The cause of this condition remains unclear but clinical studies revealed that following IV administration of OTC a relaxation of the metacarpophalangeal joint occurs in foals affected by flexural deformity. Studies concluded that OTC administration in neonatal foals did not adversely affect the kidneys. Other adverse effects of OTC have never been reported. This report presents two cases with different outcomes of 3-day-old foals which presented acute collapse and progressive depression after OTC administration. The clinical aspects, the increased activity of serum enzymes indicative of muscular damage, the presence of myoglobin in urine were clear diagnostic indicators of severe rhabdomyolysis, and the gross and histological findings confirmed a myopathy associated with renal damage in one case. Adverse effects on the musculoskeletal and urinary systems in healthy foals were first reported and were probably associated with multiple doses administered to foals less than 24-48 h old and/or at dosing intervals less than 24-48 h. The risk of development of rhabdomyolysis and nephrotoxicity in neonatal foals treated with OTC for flexural deformity from now on should be considered.
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Publication Date: 2020-10-22 PubMed ID: 33105842PubMed Central: PMC7711985DOI: 10.3390/vetsci7040160Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 finds that the use of oxytetracycline (OTC) in newborn foals for the treatment of flexural limb deformity may lead to severe rhabdomyolysis and kidney damage. Care should be taken with dosing, especially in foals less than 24-48 hours old.

Background

  • Oxytetracycline (OTC) is commonly used in equine neonatology for treating flexural limb deformity, a condition whose cause remains unclear.
  • Previous studies pointed out that administration IV of OTC caused a relaxation of the metacarpophalangeal joint in foals affected by the deformity.
  • Past research concluded that the kidneys of neonatal foals were not adversely affected by OTC, and that other adverse effects were not reported.

Cases and Findings

  • But this study, based on two cases of 3-day-old foals, challenges those conclusions.
  • The foals showed acute collapse and progressive depression following the administration of OTC.
  • Diagnostics revealed severe rhabdomyolysis, a condition characterized by the breakdown of muscle tissue that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents into the blood.
  • Markers of this included increased activity of serum enzymes indicating muscular damage and the presence of myoglobin, a protein in muscle tissues, in the urine.
  • One of the foals experienced kidney damage in conjunction with myopathy, which is disease of the muscle tissue.
  • These negative effects on the musculoskeletal and urinary systems in healthy foals were probably related to the administration of multiple OTC doses to foals that were less than 24-48 hours old and/or the dosing intervals being less than 24-48 hours.

Conclusion

  • This suggests that foals treated with OTC for flexural deformity are at risk of developing rhabdomyolysis and nephrotoxicity (toxicity in the kidneys).
  • This is a complication that was hitherto unconsidered in treatment with OTC but should be considered moving forward.

Cite This Article

APA
Ellero N, Freccero F, Lanci A, Morini M, Castagnetti C, Mariella J. (2020). Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Renal Failure Associated with Oxytetracycline Administration in Two Neonatal Foals Affected by Flexural Limb Deformity. Vet Sci, 7(4), 160. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7040160

Publication

Veterinary sciences
ISSN: 2306-7381
NlmUniqueID: 101680127
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 7
Issue: 4
PII: 160

Researcher Affiliations

Ellero, Nicola
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Freccero, Francesca
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Lanci, Aliai
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Morini, Maria
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Castagnetti, Carolina
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
  • Health Science and Technologies Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (HST-ICIR), University of Bologna, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Mariella, Jole
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Lanci A, Mariella J, Ellero N, Faoro A, Peric T, Prandi A, Freccero F, Castagnetti C. Hair Cortisol and DHEA-S in Foals and Mares as a Retrospective Picture of Feto-Maternal Relationship under Physiological and Pathological Conditions.. Animals (Basel) 2022 May 14;12(10).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12101266pubmed: 35625111google scholar: lookup
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