Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Meningitis from horse bacteria - what to know
By Eyre, D W et al.·Published in European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology·2010·John Radcliffe Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus meningitis--a case report and review of the literature.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This report discusses a rare case of a 79-year-old man who was trampled by his horses and later developed a serious infection in his wounds, which led to meningitis (an infection of the brain and spinal cord). The bacteria responsible for his meningitis was identified as Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, which is usually found in animals, especially horses, and can infect humans after contact with them. The review of similar cases showed that this type of meningitis has a high risk of death, particularly in older patients, with many fatalities linked to consuming unpasteurized dairy products. Hearing loss was a common issue for those affected, and only a small number of patients fully recovered. Treatment often involved antibiotics, and those who survived typically received treatment for about 23 days.
Abstract
A case is described of a 79-year-old man, trampled by his horses, who subsequently developed a wound infection and, later, meningitis. Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus was isolated as the causative organism. S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus, which carries the Lancefield Group C antigen, is an uncommon human pathogen but is commonly isolated from bacterial infections in animals, particularly horses. It is most commonly acquired by humans following animal contact. A review of the literature identified 20 previously described cases of S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus meningitis. Crude mortality following infection was 24%. All of the patients who died were over 70 years of age and the ingestion of unpasteurised dairy products was associated with all but one of the fatal cases. Hearing loss was a frequent complication, occurring in 19% of cases. Only 38% of patients made a complete recovery. Treatment regimes commonly included benzylpenicillin or a third-generation cephalosporin, with a mean treatment duration in survivors of 23 days.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20820836/