Retrospective evaluation of 155 adult equids and 21 foals with tetanus in Western, Northern, and Central Europe (2000-2014). Part 1: Description of history and clinical evolution.
- van Galen G Department of Medicine and Surgery and Large Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Saegerman C the Equine Hospital and Center for Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Belgium.
- Rijckaert J the Equine Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ghent, Belgium.
- Amory H the Equine Hospital and Center for Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Belgium.
- Armengou L the Unitat Equina, Fundació Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
- Bezdekova B the Equine Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic.
- Durie I Evidensia Strömsholm Equine Hospital, Strömsholm, Sweden.
- Findshøj Delany R Department of Medicine and Surgery and Large Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Fouché N the Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine (ISME), Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland.
- Haley L the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland.
- Hewetson M the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
- van den Hoven R the Equine Hospital, Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria.
- Kendall A the Equine Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uppsala SLU, Sweden.
- Malalana F the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
- Muller Cavalleri J the Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Germany.
- Picavet T De Bosdreef, Moerbeke-Waas, Belgium.
- Roscher K the Equine Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Giessen, Germany.
- Verwilghen D Department of Medicine and Surgery and Large Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Wehrli Eser M the Clinic for Equine Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse-faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
- Westermann C the Equine Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Mair T Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, Maidstone, United Kingdom.
- 2017-09-30
Published in:
- Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001). - 2017
Clostridium tetani
epidemiology
horses
infectious disease
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Europe
Female
Horse Diseases
Horses
Retrospective Studies
Tetanus
English
OBJECTIVE
To describe clinical data of hospitalized adult equids and foals with tetanus.
DESIGN
Multicenter retrospective study (2000-2014).
SETTING
Twenty Western, Northern, and Central European university teaching hospitals and private referral centers.
ANIMALS
One hundred fifty-five adult equids (>6 months) and 21 foals (<6 months) with tetanus.
INTERVENTIONS
None.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Information on geographic, annual and seasonal data, demographic- and management-related data, clinical history, clinical examination and blood analysis on admission, complications, treatments, and outcomes were described and statistically compared between adults and foals. The described cases were often young horses. In 4 adult horses, tetanus developed despite appropriate vaccination and in 2 foals despite preventive tetanus antitoxin administration at birth. Castration, hoof abscesses, and wounds were the most common entry sites for adults; umbilical cord infections and wounds for foals. Stiffness was the commonest observed initial clinical sign. Blood analyses frequently revealed an inflammatory response, hemoconcentration, muscle damage, azotemia, negative energy balance, liver damage, and electrolyte and acid base disturbances. Common complications or clinical signs developing during hospitalization included dysphagia, dyspnea, recumbency, hyperthermia, seizures, hyperlipemia, gastrointestinal impactions, dysuria, and laryngeal spasms. Cases were supported with wound debridement, antimicrobial treatment, tetanus antitoxin, muscle spasm and seizure control, analgesia, anti-inflammatory drugs, fluid therapy, and nutritional support. Mortality rates were 68.4% in adult horses and 66.7% in foals. Foals differed from adult horses with respect to months of occurrence, signalment, management-related data, potential causative events, clinical signs on admission, blood analysis, complications, and severity grades.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study that rigorously describes a large population of equids affected by tetanus. The information provided is potentially useful to clinicians for early recognition and case management of tetanus in adult horses and foals. Tetanus affects multiple organ systems, requiring broad supportive and intensive care. Neonatal and adult tetanus in the horse should be considered as distinct syndromes, as in human medicine.
To describe clinical data of hospitalized adult equids and foals with tetanus.
DESIGN
Multicenter retrospective study (2000-2014).
SETTING
Twenty Western, Northern, and Central European university teaching hospitals and private referral centers.
ANIMALS
One hundred fifty-five adult equids (>6 months) and 21 foals (<6 months) with tetanus.
INTERVENTIONS
None.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Information on geographic, annual and seasonal data, demographic- and management-related data, clinical history, clinical examination and blood analysis on admission, complications, treatments, and outcomes were described and statistically compared between adults and foals. The described cases were often young horses. In 4 adult horses, tetanus developed despite appropriate vaccination and in 2 foals despite preventive tetanus antitoxin administration at birth. Castration, hoof abscesses, and wounds were the most common entry sites for adults; umbilical cord infections and wounds for foals. Stiffness was the commonest observed initial clinical sign. Blood analyses frequently revealed an inflammatory response, hemoconcentration, muscle damage, azotemia, negative energy balance, liver damage, and electrolyte and acid base disturbances. Common complications or clinical signs developing during hospitalization included dysphagia, dyspnea, recumbency, hyperthermia, seizures, hyperlipemia, gastrointestinal impactions, dysuria, and laryngeal spasms. Cases were supported with wound debridement, antimicrobial treatment, tetanus antitoxin, muscle spasm and seizure control, analgesia, anti-inflammatory drugs, fluid therapy, and nutritional support. Mortality rates were 68.4% in adult horses and 66.7% in foals. Foals differed from adult horses with respect to months of occurrence, signalment, management-related data, potential causative events, clinical signs on admission, blood analysis, complications, and severity grades.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study that rigorously describes a large population of equids affected by tetanus. The information provided is potentially useful to clinicians for early recognition and case management of tetanus in adult horses and foals. Tetanus affects multiple organ systems, requiring broad supportive and intensive care. Neonatal and adult tetanus in the horse should be considered as distinct syndromes, as in human medicine.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- green
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1111/vec.12668
- PMID 28960717
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/22799
Statistics
Document views: 20
File downloads:
- Full-text: 0