Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Salmonella typhimurium abscess as a postoperative complication in a horse with colic.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1991
- Authors:
- Blikslager, A T et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old fox-trotter stallion weighing 430 kg was brought in because he was having colic, which is severe abdominal pain. During surgery, the vets found that part of his small intestine was trapped in a hernia and they had to remove the damaged section and perform a connection between the remaining parts. Three days after the surgery, the horse started having trouble using his left hind leg, and the area around his thigh became swollen. Tests showed that he had an abscess filled with a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhimurium, which was also found in his stool. Unfortunately, the owner decided to have the horse euthanized.
Abstract
An 11-year-old, 430-kg fox-trotter stallion was referred for evaluation of colic. A right-sided inguinal hernia was diagnosed. At exploratory laparotomy, the ileum was found to be herniated through the right inguinal canal. Compromised small intestine was resected, jejunocecal anastomosis was performed, and the horse was castrated. Three days after surgery, the stallion would not bear weight on the left hind limb. The musculature of the left thigh region became swollen. Aspiration of the left thigh region yielded serosanguineous fluid from which Salmonella typhimurium was isolated. Ultrasonography of the left thigh revealed multiple hypoechoic areas suggestive of abscess. The left medial thigh region was surgically incised, and a large abscess was drained. Bacteriologic culture of feces yielded S typhimurium. The owner elected to have the horse euthanatized.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1813469/