title: Comparison of bacteriologic culture of blood and necropsy specimens for determining the cause of foal septicemia: 47 cases (1978-1987)
abstract: Diagnosis of bacterial septicemia was confirmed by results of bacteriologic culture of antemortem blood samples and/or necropsy specimens obtained from 47 foals up to 8 days old. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from all 47 foals, and mixed infections with more than one organism were involved in 26 (55%). Escherichia coli, Actinobacillus spp, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most frequent isolates, infecting 55, 34, and 23% of foals, respectively. Gram-positive bacteria and anaerobic bacteria were isolated only from foals with mixed infections with gram-negative organisms. Clostridium perfringens was the only anaerobe isolated. In 38 (81%) of 47 foals with confirmed septicemia, blood samples were culture-positive. Thirty-two septicemic foals subsequently died, allowing a comparison to be made between the species of bacteria isolated by culture of blood with those recovered by culture of internal organs at necropsy. Blood failed to yield any gram-negative organisms in 12 (37.5%) of 32 foals from which a gram-negative pathogen was isolated at necropsy. Forty-three percent of the gram-negative bacteria, including 59% of the E coli, and 10% of the gram-positive bacteria found in septicemic foals at necropsy were not detected earlier by results of bacteriologic culture of blood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Madigan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006736:Horses; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*