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Temporal trends in prevalence of bacteria isolated from foals with sepsis: 1979–2010
Author(s) -
Theelen M. J. P.,
Wilson W. D.,
Edman J. M.,
Magdesian K. G.,
Kass P. H.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.1111/evj.12131
Subject(s) - sepsis , medicine , bacteria , horse , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , immunology , genetics , paleontology
Summary Reasons for performing study Sepsis is an important cause of death in foals. Knowledge of which pathogens are likely to be involved is important for selection of antimicrobial drugs for initial treatment. Objectives To identify temporal trends in prevalence of bacteria isolated from foals with sepsis between 1979 and 2010. Study design Retrospective review of medical records. Methods All foals ≤30 days of age presented to the V eterinary M edical T eaching H ospital ( VMTH) at the University of California, D avis between 1979 and 2010, with a diagnosis of sepsis confirmed by culture of bacteria from blood or internal organs ( antemortem or at necropsy), were included in the study. Conventional microbiological methods were used to identify isolated organisms. The C ochran– A rmitage trend test was used for statistical analysis. Results The percentage of G ram‐positive isolates increased significantly over the years. The percentage E nterobacteriacea , and K lebsiella spp. in particular , decreased over time. E nterococcus spp. isolates were cultured more often in recent years. Conclusions Whereas G ram‐negative bacteria, particularly E nterobacteriaceae, remain the most common isolates from neonatal foals with sepsis, the prevalence of G ram‐positive bacteria is increasing. This trend underlines the importance of including antimicrobial drugs active against both G ram‐positive and G ram‐negative bacteria in treatment protocols while awaiting the results of bacteriological culture and susceptibility tests. The increased prevalence of E nterococcus spp. is of concern because antimicrobial susceptibility patterns for enterococci are unpredictable and enterococci can also act as donors of antimicrobial resistance genes to other bacteria.