Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Anca BULGARU, Elena NEGRU, Horia DINU, Dragoş LUPU, Mihai DANEŞ, Doina DANEŞ
The present study is a report of a strangles outbreak in a horse breeding farm. The clinical signs began to appear in the first week of July, and included coughing, purulent nasal discharge, lymph node abscesses and fever. Bacteriological tests confirmed Streptococcus equi ssp. equi infection. The horses were treated with Penicillin 12 mg/kg, from the onset of the clinical signs: 38 of the 42 affected horses showed improved clinical status after 5-10 days of therapy. The other 4 foals were diagnosed Rhodococcus equi induced pneumonia, and they were placed under rifampicin (7.5 mg/kg) and claritromicin (7.5 mg/kg) treatment. Of the 38 horses treated successfully with penicillin, 6 horses aged 3 to 6 months, were later dignosed with Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus induced pneumonia, and were also treated with rifampicin and clarithromicin. By the end of September, none of the horses present on the farm showed any more signs of respiratory infections. Daily monitoring of the herd, active bacteriological surveillance and early onset of antibiotic therapy were key factors in avoiding severe complications of strangles and limiting mortality.
[Read full article] [Citation]
