Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with bacterial endocarditis - treatment and outcome
By Dedrick, P et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1988·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Treatment of bacterial endocarditis in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A yearling Thoroughbred filly was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the heart valve, after showing signs of fever and occasional lameness in her back legs. Tests revealed the presence of Streptococcus bacteria in her blood, and she was treated with penicillin, which successfully cleared the infection. Unfortunately, the treatment led to severe damage to the heart valve, causing a serious condition known as mitral regurgitation, which ultimately resulted in her death. Generally, horses with bacterial endocarditis have a poor outlook, as it's rare for the infection to be completely resolved without serious complications.
Abstract
Using echocardiography, mitral valve bacterial endocarditis was diagnosed in a yearling Thoroughbred filly with a history of periodic fever and intermittent hind limb lameness. Streptococcus sp were isolated from blood, and the filly was treated with penicillin, resulting in a bacteriologic cure. Severe mitral regurgitation developed secondary to scarring of the valve, which resulted in the filly's death. A poor prognosis usually is indicated in horses with bacterial endocarditis, as bacteriologic cures are infrequent and severe valvular insufficiency often develops.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3182385/