Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mare with kidney failure and foal with seizures - what happened?
By Dickinson, Charles E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2008·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hemolytic-uremic syndrome in a postpartum mare concurrent with encephalopathy in the neonatal foal.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A postpartum mare and her foal were brought to the vet because the mare had a fever and was very tired. The mare was diagnosed with an infection in her uterus and initially improved with treatment. However, she soon developed serious kidney problems, while the foal showed alarming signs of brain issues, including seizures. Unfortunately, neither the mare nor the foal responded to treatment and both were euthanized. Tests revealed a specific type of E. coli bacteria in both animals, which may have contributed to their severe conditions.
People also search for: mare fever lethargy treatment · foal seizures causes · postpartum mare kidney problems
Abstract
A postpartum mare and foal were presented for evaluation of fever and lethargy in the mare. The mare was diagnosed with endometritis and initially responded well to treatment. On the second day of hospitalization, the mare developed renal insufficiency characterized by oliguria, azotemia, hemolysis, and thrombocytopenia. Concurrently, the foal developed rapidly progressive central nervous system signs culminating in refractory seizures. Both animals failed to respond to treatment and were euthanized. Thrombotic microangiopathy involving glomeruli was evident on microscopic examination of the mare's kidneys. Microscopic evidence of brain edema was the principal postmortem finding in the foal. No specific etiology was confirmed in either case. Notably, Escherichia coli 0103:H2 was isolated from the mare's uterus and the gastrointestinal tracts of both animals. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report in which an organism implicated as a cause of hemolytic-uremic syndrome was isolated from an animal with clinical signs and postmortem findings consistent with the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18319442/