- Commensal of the equine intestinal and reproductive tract
- Pathogenesis and clinical signs:
- Foals infected in utero or or after birth via the umbilicus
- Infection at birth causes severe enteritis and septicaemia within 24 hours, known as sleepy foal disease
- Foals become pyrexic and recumbent
- Death usually occurs within 1-2 days
- In foals that survive neonatal infection the condition progresses to cause joint infections and purulent nephritis, enteritis or pneumonia
- A. equuli in arthritis of horses
- Abortion, septicaemia and peritonitis in horses
- Diagnosis:
- Specimens cultured on blood agar and MacConkey agar and incubated aerobically for 1-3 days
- Sticky colonies with variable haemolysis on blood agar
- Lactose-fermenting colonies on MacConkey agar
- Treatment and control:
- Antimicrobials ineffective unless early in course of disease
- Blood trasfusion and administration of colostrum
- Good hygiene
- Consider prophylactic antibiotics for new-born foals
- Bacteria susceptible to streptomycin, tetracyclines and ampicillin
- In other animals:
- Septicaemia in piglets
- Arthritis and enteritis in pigs
- Enteritis in calves
- RTX group cytotoxin present