Equine The Compendium December 1998

CONSULTANT’S CORNER

How should clients manage horses

that have had diarrhea and cultured
positive for Salmonella to minimize
exposure to other horses?
that stimulate intestinal fluid secre-
Michael J. Murray, DVM, MS, tion; activation of local immune re-
Diplomate ACVIM sponses, including the recruitment of
inflammatory cells and release of
Marion duPont Scott Equine their mediators; local cytotoxic ef-
Medical Center fects; and systemic responses at-
Virginia–Maryland Regional College tributable to endotoxin. Host suscep-
of Veterinary Medicine tibility to Salmonella infection is
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and influenced by the composition of
State University normal intestinal microflora and the
Leesburg, Virginia competence of local and systemic im-
mune surveillance. Factors that can
negative culture does not rule out in-
termittent or low-level fecal shedding
of Salmonella. In the latter situation,
a PCR test for Salmonella may detect
persistent fecal shedding of Salmonel-
la because it is more sensitive than is
bacteriologic culture. In most cases,
the amount of Salmonella bacteria
shed in the manure of convalescing
horses will be relatively small and will
not pose a serious threat to other ani-
mals. However, if the Salmonella

S
almonella bacteria are wide-
spread in equine environments.
A recent report using a poly-
merase chain reaction (PCR) test
found that as many as 17% of healthy
horses were shedding Salmonella bac-
teria in their manure. 1 The three
most important factors that influ-
ence whether a horse becomes ill af-
ter exposure to Salmonella are the in-
fective dose of the bacteria, the
inherent virulence of the bacteria,
and the inherent susceptibility of the
host.
The infective dose is determined
by the amount of bacteria shed in the
feces, environmental conditions that
favor (or hinder) proliferation of the
bacteria, and whether another animal
or human ingests a sufficient dose
(usually more than 106 organisms in
healthy animals) to cause illness.
Salmonella bacteria possess an array
of virulence factors that confer at-
tributes of mucosal adhesion and in-
vasion; production of enterotoxins
negatively affect host susceptibility serovar is especially virulent or able to
include antimicrobial administration; survive and proliferate in the environ-
abrupt dietary changes; and stresses ment, persistent fecal shedding of the
associated with transportation, crowd- bacteria could pose a risk to other an-
ing, or intense physical activity. imals and humans.
The surrounding environment is at
Fecal Shedding greatest risk for Salmonella contami-
Assuming that the Salmonella bac- nation from a diarrheic horse because
teria cultured from diarrhea caused bacteria will be spread over a relative-
the horse’s illness, fecal shedding of ly large area and (being in a predomi-
Salmonella may persist for days to nantly aqueous suspension) will be
weeks. Some horses remain consis- able to “hide” in cracks in stalls, on
tently positive on fecal culture while the surface of water buckets or auto-
they shed the bacteria, but even a matic watering devices, and in bed-
Consultant’s Corner is published regularly in Compendium. The purpose of the
column is to provide expert answers to questions that are frequently asked by
practitioners. Readers are encouraged to ask questions that they would like to
have answered, and experts are welcomed to submit questions they would like to
address. For suggestions involving topics in equine medicine, please contact James
N. Moore, DVM, PhD, Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Vet-
erinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; 706-542-3325;
fax 706-542-8833; email jmoore@vet.uga.edu.
The Compendium December 1998
ding material that may be spread by wind or careless foot
traffic. If the horse’s manure is formed, however, its re-
moval and elimination of pathogenic bacteria from the en-
vironment will be facilitated. In such cases, with judicious
isolation considerations, exposure of other animals and hu-
mans to Salmonella infection is unlikely.
Protecting the Environment
Measures to prevent the spread of Salmonella in an envi-
ronment with potentially susceptible hosts need not be ex-
cessively laborious or expensive. The goal is to minimize
the size of the infective dose to which susceptible hosts
may be exposed. Removing potentially contaminated fecal
material is most important. Other important preventive
measures include thoroughly cleaning areas where fecal
contamination is likely and preventing mechanical distri-
bution of contaminated material.
Cleaning must include removal of organic debris, which
can be accomplished with several products designed for
that task. I use Break-Up™ (SC Johnson, Racine, WI),
which contains potassium hydroxide and sodium silicate,
as a primary cleaning agent for stalls, necropsy rooms, and
other areas. Areas that require particular attention are
stalls, including water buckets or automatic watering appa-
ratus, drains, and cracks in the floors and walls; stall imple-
ments; common areas, including drains; and nasogastric
tubes and pumps. Extensive use of disinfectants may not
Equine
be necessary if cleaning measures are adequate. Chlorine
bleach (1:30 dilution) is an excellent disinfectant (except
for rotavirus) but is highly corrosive. Vesphene II® (Conva-
Tec, St. Louis, MO) is a phenolic disinfectant that I use in
areas in which chlorine bleach might be undesirable.
Isolation
I usually recommend that an affected horse be isolated
from other horses for 10 to 14 days after returning from
the hospital. This typically includes stall confinement,
which is often appropriate for a horse convalescing from
colitis. When turnout is appropriate, I often recommend
confinement in an isolated paddock. My recommendation
for the duration and level of isolation from other horses
depends on environmental conditions, management con-
siderations, and the level of client concern. Some people
will elect to continue to isolate a horse as long as it remains
positive for Salmonella on fecal culture, although that is
not necessary in every case. Measures taken to prevent oth-
er animals from developing salmonellosis ultimately should
be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Reference
1. Cohen ND, Martin LJ, Simpson RB, et al: Comparison of poly-
merase chain reaction and microbiologic culture for detection of
salmonellae in equine feces and environmental samples. Am J Vet Res
57:780–786, 1996.