The treatment of septicemia of newborn foals with streptomycin and penicillin.

This research paper studies the treatment of newborn foals affected by Shigella equuli, or navel-ill, primarily using streptomycin and penicillin. Previously, treatments mainly comprised of stimulants, supportive measures, and blood transfusions, while the use of sulfonamides was not particularly successful.

Disease Description

• Shigella equuli, as the research details, primarily affects young foals in the first week of life, posing severe health risks. The majority of fatalities from this infectious disease occur in the first three days after birth.
• The foals may be ill at birth, displaying symptoms like weakness, inability to stand or nurse, semiconsciousness, or random wandering inside the stall. Some foals may appear normal at first but soon develop a rapidly intensifying illness marked by sudden onset, extreme prostration, and early death.
• Clinical symptoms such as increased pulse, breathing, and temperature, are common. The conjunctiva appears dull and congested. Lameness and swelling of leg joints are also typical early symptoms of Shigella equuli infection in foals.

Prior Treatments

• Before the development of sulfonamides and antibiotic agents, the treatment options were limited. Measures included the use of stimulants and supportive care to help the foals maintain their health.
• Repeated, early transfusions of the dam’s blood were seen as the most effective treatment method. Artificial feeding, carried out either by milking the mare or using diluted canned milk with lime water, was found to be beneficial in several cases.
• The use of sulfonamides, a group of antimicrobials, was also explored. However, it doesn’t appear to have led to significant improvements in the treatment of this disease in foals.

Treatment with Streptomycin and Penicillin

• The study then moves on to discuss the treatment of Shigella equuli infection using streptomycin and penicillin. But it does not provide the results or discuss the effectiveness in this extract. We can assume from the context that these antibiotic therapies are much more promising than the previously used measures.