A prospective study of septicaemia in colostrum‐deprived foals

Abstract

Summary Fourteen mares and their foals were attended at parturition. After mare‐foal bonding, 8 colostrum‐deprived (CD) foals were removed from their dams, deprived of colostrum, and provided with an alternative milk source for the first 24 h of life. The mares were milked out every 2–4 h during this period to remove colostrum, after which the CD foals were returned to their mares and allowed to nurse. Six colostrum‐fed (CF) foals were allowed to suck colostrum in the normal manner. Foal serum IgG concentration was determined by single radial immunodiffusion (means, CD = 0 mg/dl; CF = 1,508 mg/dl). Accepted methods were used to minimise infections in the neonatal foals. Of the 8 CD foals, 7 demonstrated clinical signs of sepsis. Septicaemia was confirmed in 5 of the 7 septicaemic CD foals by ante‐mortem blood culture or by culture of tissue at necropsy. Organisms isolated included: Actinobacillus equuli, Escherichia coli, undifferentiated coliforms, Pseudomonas spp., and Actinomyces pyogenes. Clinically ill foals were treated with antimicrobial drugs, intravenous fluid therapy, flunixin meglumine, and anti‐endotoxin hyperimmune serum. Three septicaemic CD foals survived. Four of 7 septicaemic CD foals died or were destroyed. Post‐mortem lesions included bacterial embolic pneumonia, glomerulonephritis/nephritis, lymphoid depletion/atrophy, splenic and lymphoid necrosis, hepatitis, septic arthritis, and systemic bacterial embolism. None of the CF foals bècame septicaemic. One CF foal had foal heat diarrhoea and 1 CF foal had a serum IgG concentration of 160 mg/dl (i.e. failure of passive transfer), but both foals were otherwise normal. Despite the precautions taken to prevent infection in these foals, the severity, rapidity of disease onset, and extent of this outbreak of septicaemia in CD foals demonstrate the importance of colostral immunity in protecting neonatal foals from opportunistic and pathogenic bacterial infection.

Passive Immunisierung bei Pferden

“…Another retrospective study indicated that 48% of foals with complete FTP had an infectious disease (septicaemia, arthritis, diarrhoea...) in the first weeks (Mc Guire et al, 1977). Other studies have produced similar conclusions (Chavatte and Collobert, 1994;Robinson et al, 1993).…”

Correlation of Serum IgG Concentration in Foals and Refractometry Index of the Dam’s Pre- and Post-Parturient Colostrums: An Assessment for Failure of Passive Transfer in Foals

“…It has been suggested that FPT may be positively correlated with bacterial sepsis in foals [9,10,15,31,39,40]. These results indicate that early diagnosis and treatment of FPT are important.…”

Serum Lactoferrin and Immunoglobulin G Concentrations in Healthy or Ill Neonatal Foals and Healthy Adult Horses

“…Other studies have revealed a correlation between sepsis and the IgG concentration and survival in neonatal foals. 4,6,7 The survival data were not stratified by actual cause of death (euthanasia or natural death), thus it cannot be succinctly determined if failure of the passive transfer of IgG influenced the attending veterinarians' decision on recommendation for euthanasia.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] The strong association between increased risk for septicemia and mortality in foals with inadequate serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations has focused major emphasis on the role of IgG in preventing infection of neonates. 4,6,7 However, the fact that some foals with adequate transfer of colostral IgG succumb to infection and some foals with inadequate transfer of IgG do not acquire infection in the perinatal period 3 supports the premise that there are other significant components of transferred immunity that protect neonates against microbial disease. Indeed, evidence from other species suggests that additional factors in colostrum, such as lactoferrin, might also be important in innate immunity.…”