Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bronchopneumonia associated with extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2008
- Authors:
- DebRoy, Chitrita et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old female Quarterhorse developed a serious lung infection called bronchopneumonia, which was caused by a specific strain of E. coli that usually affects parts of the body outside the gut. After the horse passed away, a thorough examination revealed that the lungs were infected with E. coli, along with other bacteria, and showed signs of inflammation and bleeding. The E. coli strain found was resistant to several common antibiotics, making it difficult to treat. This case is notable because it is the first time this particular strain of E. coli has been linked to a fatal lung infection in horses. Unfortunately, the treatment options were limited due to the antibiotic resistance, and the outcome was not favorable.
Abstract
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains carrying distinct virulence attributes are known to cause diseases in humans and animals and infect organs other than the gastrointestinal tract. A fatal case of bronchopneumonia in a 12-year-old female Quarterhorse was investigated. Following postmortem examination, E. coli, Enterococcus sp., and Klebsiella pneumonia were isolated from the lungs, which contained multifocal intra-alveolar accumulations of neutrophils and macrophages with edema, hemorrhage, and fibrin. The strain of E. coli belonged to O2H21 and carried virulence genes cnf1, sfa, foc, fimA, and papG allele I that are known to be associated with ExPEC strains. The strain was resistant to several antimicrobials including clindamycin, erythromycin, oxacillin, penicillin, and rifampin. This is the first report, to the authors' knowledge, in which ExPEC O2H21 has been associated with fatal bronchopneumonia in a horse.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18776106/