Actinobacillus sp. Bacteremia in Foals: Clinical Signs and Prognosis

Abstract

Medical records of 101 blood culture-confirmed bacteremic foals were reviewed to determine whether foals with Actinobacillus sp. bacteremia are affected at an earlier age, have more severe signs of disease, and have a worse prognosis than do foals with bacteremia of other causes. Thirty percent (30/101) of bacteremic foals had Actinobacillus sp. cultured, and these were 2 times more likely to die (crude odds ratio [OR(CR)] 0.8, 4; P = .14), with a survival rate of 43% (13/30) compared to the overall survival rate of 55% (56/101). When compared to other bacteremic foals, foals with actinobacillosis were 7 times more likely to have been sick from birth (adjusted odds ratio [OR(ADJ)] 2, 26; P = .003) and 6 times more likely to have diarrhea (OR(ADJ) 1, 22; P = .009). By bivariate analysis. foals with Actinobacillus sp. bacteremia were 5 times more likely to have a sepsis score >11 (OR(CR) 1, 18; P = .007), 6 times more likely to be obtunded (OR(CR) 2, 20; P = .005), and 3 times more likely to have pneumonia (OR(CR) 1, 7; P = .03). Furthermore, Actinobacillus sp. bacteremic foals were 27 times more likely to have a segmented neutrophil count <3.3 X 10(9) cells/L (OR(ADJ) 4, 166: P < .0001) and were 4.5 times more likely to have a band neutrophil count >0.46 x 10(9) cells/L (OR(ADJ) 1, 17; P = .02) when compared to foals that had bacteremia caused by either gram-negative enteric or gram-positive organisms. Sepsis score was < or = 11 in 49% (29/59) of bacteremia foals aged <13 days for which a discernible sepsis score was calculable. Results of this study should improve the diagnostic sensitivity of clinical examinations of neonatal foals, thereby facilitating treatment decisions.

Infectious Agents Detected in the Feces of Diarrheic Foals: A Retrospective Study of 233 Cases (2003–2008)

“…The low sensitivity and specificity of the sepsis score in predicting blood culture results has also been recognized in prior studies. 24,25 However, sepsis score was a good indicator of outcome in the current study with odds of survival 6.1 times lower in foals with a sepsis score ! 14 than in foals with a lower sepsis score on admission.…”

Actinobacillus Pleuritis and Peritonitis in a Quarter Horse Mare

“…It is associated with neonatal septicemia [2] and enteritis, abortion, hemorrhagic diatheses, and peritonitis with or without concurrent pleuritis e84 STEWART [3,4]. There are more than 28 different antigenic groups of A equuli, and there seem to be regional differences in the frequency of A equuli peritonitis [4].…”

“…Thirty horses also showed mild to moderate signs of abdominal pain. Other clinical signs included reduced fecal output (14), diarrhea (1), and staining to urinate and defecate (2). The onset of clinical signs was less than 24 hours in 30 horses, 1 to 4 days in 8 horses, and greater than 3 weeks and associated with weight loss in 3 horses.…”

Alterações patológicas em potros infectados por Actinobacillus equuli subsp. haemolyticus

“…Nos potros, o agente é frequentemente isolado de articulações, rins, pulmão e intestino (STEWART et al, 2002 (PLATT, 1973;COLLINS et al, 1994), peritonite (PLATT, 1973;COLLINS et al, 1994;PATTERSON-KANE et al, 2001), hemorragia pulmonar (PUSTERLA et al, 2008), endocardite valvular (AALBAEK et al, 2007), septicemia (PATTERSON-KANE et al, 2001) e abortos (SCHLAFER & MILLER, 2007). Os animais jovens quando infectados apresentam geralmente prostração e morte repentina (BAKER, 1972;PLATT 1973;STEWART et al, 2002). Também são relatados casos de febre, diarreia (STEWART et al, 2002) e celulite facial, embora a última seja pouco comum (CASTAGNETTI et al, 2008).…”

“…Os animais jovens quando infectados apresentam geralmente prostração e morte repentina (BAKER, 1972;PLATT 1973;STEWART et al, 2002). Também são relatados casos de febre, diarreia (STEWART et al, 2002) e celulite facial, embora a última seja pouco comum (CASTAGNETTI et al, 2008). Após o início das manifestações clínicas, o prognóstico é desfavorável (BAKER, 1972).…”