Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foals very weak and depressed - what is Actinobacillus suis?
By Nelson, K M et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·1996·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Actinobacillus suis septicaemia in two foals.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 24-hour-old Hackney filly and a 48-hour-old Arabian colt were both brought in showing signs of weakness and depression. The filly had poor sucking reflexes and harsh lung sounds, while the colt developed loose stools and stopped eating. Both foals tested positive for a bacterial infection called Actinobacillus suis, which was resistant to common antibiotics in the colt's case. Treatment options were limited due to this resistance, and the foals required careful monitoring and supportive care to help them recover.
People also search for: foal weakness treatment · Actinobacillus suis infection in horses · foal diarrhea causes
Abstract
A 24-hour-old Hackney ony filly developed signs of weakness, depression and a poor suck reflex, with harsh lung sounds over both fields, and a 48-hour-old Arabian colt from a normal birth which had sucked vigorously developed loose stools and became depressed, weak and anorectic. Both foals had serum IgG concentrations greater than 800 mg/dl, but each had a severe neutropenia with a left shift, and blood cultures from both of them yielded Actinobacillus suis. The A suis isolates had different antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and, in the case of the Arabian, the isolate was resistant to commonly used broad spectrum antimicrobial agents.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8629322/