Use of bacitracin in the prevention and treatment of experimentally-induced idiopathic colitis in horses.
Abstract: Ten healthy ponies from a single herd were found by repeated fecal culture to be free of Salmonella species and Clostridium cadaveris. In a preliminary study, four ponies administered a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg lincomycin did not develop idiopathic colitis when the drug was administered alone. Four other ponies were administered 10 mg/kg lincomycin by stomach tube together with 0.45 L of colonic content from a horse with idiopathic colitis induced earlier by lincomycin alone. Two of the four ponies were treated with 25 g oral zinc bacitracin premix (110 g/kg active ingredient) 24 h later. Forty-two hours after inoculation the two untreated ponies had severe signs of idiopathic colitis and were euthanized. Postmortem findings were typical of idiopathic colitis. The two treated ponies had milder illness but the more severely affected was also euthanized; the other was retreated at 42 h with bacitracin pre-mix and again 12 h later. Its illness and diarrhea resolved over the next 24 h. Clostridium cadaveris was isolated in large numbers from the cecum of the euthanized ponies and their cecal content contained mouse lethal and guinea pig dermonecrotic, but not cytotoxic, activity. Enterotoxins of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium difficile could not be demonstrated. No toxin could be demonstrated in culture supernatants of C. cadaveris or in supernatants of cecal contents treated with ethanol prior to culturing in anaerobically incubated broth. No Salmonella spp. were isolated. A further two ponies were administered 10 mg/kg lincomycin orally with 0.45 L colonic content from a horse with idiopathic colitis, as described.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Publication Date: 1992-07-01 PubMed ID: 1423060PubMed Central: PMC1263544
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research study explores the use of bacitracin in the prevention and treatment of colitis in horses, a condition that was induced experimentally in the animals. The findings highlight the potential for bacitracin to treat this condition successfully, particularly if administered within 42 hours of colitis onset.
Research Context and Methodology
- The research involved ten ponies that had been verified as free of certain bacterial species, namely Salmonella and Clostridium cadaveris, which were considered to be potential factors in the development of colitis in horses.
- A preliminary study confirmed that a single oral dose of lincomycin did not cause colitis when administered on its own. However, when coupled with a significant volume of colonic content from a horse with pre-existing colitis, it triggered the condition in four of the subjects.
- Following this, the researchers aimed to treat two of these colitis-affected ponies with an oral zinc bacitracin premix to investigate the effectiveness of this treatment approach.
Research Findings
- At the 42-hour mark, the two untreated ponies exhibited severe symptoms of colitis and had to be euthanized.
- Postmortem examinations confirmed the diagnosis of colitis in these subjects.
- The two ponies that received bacitracin treatment displayed milder symptoms. While one was euthanized due to severity, the other pony was retreated with bacitracin and showed an improvement in symptoms over the subsequent 24 hours.
- Microbiological analysis of the cecal content of the euthanized ponies revealed a significant presence of Clostridium cadaveris but no detectable levels of Salmonella or other enterotoxins related to specific Clostridium species.
Implications and Conclusions
- The research suggests that bacitracin can potentially prevent and treat idiopathic colitis in horses, particularly if it is administered within 42 hours of the onset of symptoms. It is important to note, however, that the most severe cases may still require euthanasia.
- The study also sheds light on the role of certain bacterial species in the development of colitis in horses. Critical to the condition’s onset appears to be the presence of Clostridium cadaveris, while Salmonella and other Clostridium bacterial species seem to have no substantial role in this context.
Cite This Article
APA
Staempfli HR, Prescott JF, Carman RJ, McCutcheon LJ.
(1992).
Use of bacitracin in the prevention and treatment of experimentally-induced idiopathic colitis in horses.
Can J Vet Res, 56(3), 233-236.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bacitracin / therapeutic use
- Cecum / chemistry
- Cecum / microbiology
- Clostridium / isolation & purification
- Clostridium Infections / drug therapy
- Clostridium Infections / pathology
- Clostridium Infections / prevention & control
- Clostridium Infections / veterinary
- Colitis / drug therapy
- Colitis / pathology
- Colitis / prevention & control
- Colitis / veterinary
- Colon / microbiology
- Colon / pathology
- Enterotoxins / analysis
- Feces / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Lincomycin / therapeutic use
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Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- 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).
- Arnold C, Pilla R, Chaffin K, Lidbury J, Steiner J, Suchodolski J. Alterations in the Fecal Microbiome and Metabolome of Horses with Antimicrobial-Associated Diarrhea Compared to Antibiotic-Treated and Non-Treated Healthy Case Controls. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 17;11(6).
- Videvall E, Song SJ, Bensch HM, Strandh M, Engelbrecht A, Serfontein N, Hellgren O, Olivier A, Cloete S, Knight R, Cornwallis CK. Early-life gut dysbiosis linked to juvenile mortality in ostriches. Microbiome 2020 Oct 12;8(1):147.
- Kachrimanidou M, Tzika E, Filioussis G. Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile in Food-Producing Animals, Horses and Household Pets: A Comprehensive Review. Microorganisms 2019 Dec 9;7(12).
- Keir AA, Stämpfli HR, Crawford J. Outbreak of acute colitis on a horse farm associated with tetracycline-contaminated sweet feed. Can Vet J 1999 Oct;40(10):718-20.
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