Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Leptospirosis causing abortion in a mare on the farm
By Bernard, W V et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1993·Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Leptospiral abortion and leptospiruria in horses from the same farm.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mare experienced an abortion, which was found to be caused by leptospirosis, a bacterial infection. Tests revealed the presence of leptospires in the fetal kidneys and placenta, and high levels of antibodies against the bacteria in both the mare and the fetus. Additionally, urine samples from the mare and two other horses on the farm tested positive for the bacteria. This indicates that leptospirosis was affecting multiple horses on the property. The mare's case highlights the importance of monitoring for this infection in pregnant horses.
People also search for: horse abortion causes · leptospirosis in horses · mare urine infection treatment
Abstract
Leptospirosis was documented as the cause of abortion in a 5-year-old mare. Leptospires were detected in tissue specimens from fetal kidneys and from placenta by histologic evaluation of silver-stained sections. Antibodies against Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona were detected in fetal serum at a titer of 1,600 by use of a microscopic agglutination test. The mare had serum titers of 6,400; 0; 400; 800; 3,200; and 6,400 to L interrogans serovars bratislava, canicola, grippotyphosa, hardjo, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona, respectively. A serologic survey identified titers of at least 6,400 against serovars bratislava and pomona in 5 other horses on the farm. Titers of at least 100 against serovar bratislava were detected in 53% of the horses on the farm. Leptospires were detected by direct fluorescent-antibody testing in urine samples from the mare that aborted and from 2 of the other 5 horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8496088/