Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High death rate in newborn foals from Salmonella Abortusequi in Italy
By Grandolfo, Erika et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2018·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: High mortality in foals associated with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Abortusequi infection in Italy.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of newborn Murgese foals in Italy experienced a serious outbreak of Salmonella Abortusequi, leading to high mortality rates. Out of 34 foals, 10 died at birth, and another 7 died within the first 10 days of life after showing severe symptoms. Tests confirmed the presence of Salmonella in the sick foals and their mothers. This outbreak highlights the need for horse owners and veterinarians to be vigilant about Salmonella infections, as they can cause significant health issues and death in young foals.
People also search for: foal death causes · Salmonella in newborn horses · foal health problems · equine neonatal septicemia · Murgese horse care
Abstract
Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Abortusequi is frequently reported as a cause of abortion in mares and neonatal septicemia and polyarthritis in Asian and African countries, but only sporadically in Europe and the United States. We report an outbreak of S. Abortusequi in foals in Italy, characterized by high mortality. In a herd of Murgese horses, 10 of 34 newborns died at birth and a further 7 died, after developing severe clinical signs, during the first 10 d of life. Tissue specimens from different organs of 2 dead foals, synovial fluids from 4 sick foals, and vaginal and rectal swabs from their dams were cultured. A total of 16 isolates, all as pure cultures, were obtained and identified as Salmonella. The isolates exhibited the same antimicrobial resistance pattern and the same sequence type, ST251, a type that has been associated with S. Abortusequi. Six of 16 isolates were serotyped and found to be S. Abortusequi 4,12:-:e,n,x. Equine practitioners should be aware of S. Abortusequi infection as a cause of neonatal mortality in foals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29322884/