Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with coughing and nosebleeds due to tuberculosis - what to know
By Hlokwe, Tiny Motlatso et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2016·ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Isolation and molecular characterization of Mycobacterium bovis causing pulmonary tuberculosis and epistaxis in a Thoroughbred horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male Thoroughbred horse was brought to the clinic because he was coughing and had bleeding from both nostrils. After tests, vets found a mass in his lungs and identified the cause as a rare infection from Mycobacterium bovis, which is unusual in horses. The horse was treated with an antibiotic called enrofloxacin, and after three months, the lung mass had shrunk significantly. This case highlights that while tuberculosis is rare in horses, it can still occur and can be treated effectively.
People also search for: horse coughing and nosebleeds · Mycobacterium bovis in horses · Thoroughbred horse lung infection treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) is very uncommon in horses worldwide. CASE PRESENTATION: In the current study, an eight-year-old male Thoroughbred in good body condition was admitted to the Equine Clinic at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital in 2005 due to bilateral epistaxis accompanied by coughing. Routine examinations were conducted to determine the cause of the condition. Endoscopic examination revealed the major source of the epistaxis as the trachea, whereas thoracic radiography indicated the presence of a primary pulmonary mass. M. bovis was isolated from a broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) sample collected. The pulmonary mass reduced in size three months later following an oral administration of enrofloxacin (7.5 mg/kg PO SID). Genetic fingerprinting by spoligotyping identified the M. bovis isolate as spoligotype SB0868 strain. This M. bovis strain type was never described previously in South Africa (SA). This is the first case of M. bovis infection in a horse in SA which has been fully documented including clinical findings, isolation and genetic characterisation of the causative pathogen. CONCLUSIONS: This report indicates that horses may contract and harbour M. bovis despite their lower susceptibility compared to other domestic animals. It also suggests that the infection may be more easily contained and eliminated from the host.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27590011/