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Veterinary medicine and science2020; 7(3); 621-625; doi: 10.1002/vms3.411

Ten cases of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis infections linked to equine abortions in Japan, 2018-2019.

Abstract: Bacterial placentitis in horses commonly results in abortion, premature birth or compromised neonatal foal health. Although mycobacterial infections are generally uncommon in horses, 10 equine abortion cases caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) infections occurred between 2018 and 2019 in Japan. They occurred on seven Thoroughbred horse farms in the Hidaka district of Hokkaido, but direct contact among the mares on different farms was not recorded. Most cases were characterized by extensive pathological lesions of the placenta, which are not typical in cases of common pathogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Escherichia coli. All abortions featured white-yellow exudates on the surface of the placenta. Mycobacterial granuloma formations were histologically found in the placenta and fetal organs, and acid-fast bacteria were isolated from the placenta, fetal samples (heart, lung, liver, kidney, spleen and stomach contents) or uterine lavage fluid. The greatest number of bacteria was isolated from necrotic lesions on the placenta, which could be an important site for bacterial isolation in mycobacterial equine abortions. The isolates were identified as MAH based on internal genome sequences. In variable number tandem repeat analysis, all patterns of the strains were identical. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the core genome grouped all strains in the II-a/SC3 subcluster. Both results reveal that these strains share the same genetic background, suggesting that the horses had been infected by the same unknown contagious source.
© 2020 The Authors. Veterinary Medicine and Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2020-12-18 PubMed ID: 33336899PubMed Central: PMC8136959DOI: 10.1002/vms3.411Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The research article discusses ten cases of equine abortion in Japan caused by a bacterial infection, specifically Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH), which occurred between 2018 and 2019 on seven Thoroughbred horse farms.

Background

  • Infections caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) are generally uncommon in horses, but in this study, 10 instances of equine abortions linked to this bacterial infection were reported in Japan.
  • The affected horses were from seven different Thoroughbred farms in the Hidaka district of Hokkaido. However, there were no records of direct contact among the mares in different farms.

Characteristics of the Infections

  • Most of the recorded cases featured extensive pathological lesions on the placenta, which is not a common symptom in bacterial infections caused by more common pathogens such as Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Escherichia coli.
  • All the abortion cases were noted for featuring white-yellow exudates on the placenta’s surface.
  • Mycobacterial granuloma formations were found in the placenta and the fetal organs upon histological examination.
  • The bacteria were mainly isolated from the placenta, fetal samples (heart, lung, liver, kidney, spleen, and stomach contents), or uterine lavage fluid.
  • The highest number of bacteria was isolated from necrotic lesions on the placenta, which the study suggests could be a critical site for bacterial isolation in mycobacterial equine abortions.

Bacterial Identification and Analysis

  • The isolated bacteria were identified as MAH based on internal genome sequences.
  • A variable number tandem repeat analysis showed that all patterns of the strains were identical, implying they originated from the same genetic background.
  • A single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the core genome grouped all the strains under the II-a/SC3 subcluster, reaffirming that they shared the same genetic background.
  • These results contribute to the hypothesis that horses had been infected by the same, as of yet, unidentified contagious source.

Cite This Article

APA
Kinoshita Y, Takechi M, Uchida-Fujii E, Miyazawa K, Nukada T, Niwa H. (2020). Ten cases of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis infections linked to equine abortions in Japan, 2018-2019. Vet Med Sci, 7(3), 621-625. https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.411

Publication

Veterinary medicine and science
ISSN: 2053-1095
NlmUniqueID: 101678837
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 7
Issue: 3
Pages: 621-625

Researcher Affiliations

Kinoshita, Yuta
  • Microbiology Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Japan.
Takechi, Mari
  • Hokkaido Hidaka Livestock Hygiene Service Center, Hidakagunshinhidakacho, Japan.
Uchida-Fujii, Eri
  • Microbiology Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Japan.
Miyazawa, Kunio
  • Hokkaido Hidaka Livestock Hygiene Service Center, Hidakagunshinhidakacho, Japan.
Nukada, Toshio
  • Microbiology Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Japan.
Niwa, Hidekazu
  • Microbiology Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Japan.

MeSH Terms

  • Abortion, Veterinary / microbiology
  • Animals
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horses
  • Japan
  • Mycobacterium / physiology
  • Mycobacterium Infections / microbiology
  • Mycobacterium Infections / veterinary

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Li L, Maboni G, Lack A, Gomez DE. Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Horses: A Narrative Review. Vet Sci 2023 Jul 6;10(7).
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  2. Li L, Li S, Ma H, Akhtar MF, Tan Y, Wang T, Liu W, Khan A, Khan MZ, Wang C. An Overview of Infectious and Non-Infectious Causes of Pregnancy Losses in Equine. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 2;14(13).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14131961pubmed: 38998073google scholar: lookup
  3. Morales-Vázquez MM, Meza-Serrano E, Lara-Pereyra I, Acuña-González RJ, Alonso-Morales R, Hayen-Valles S, Boeta AM, Zarco L, Lozano-Cuenca J, López-Canales JS, Flores-Herrera H. Equine Placentitis in Mares Induces the Secretion of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine eIL-1β and the Active Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. Vet Sci 2023 Aug 22;10(9).
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