title: Investigation and control of an outbreak of salmonellosis caused by multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium in a population of hospitalized horses.
abstract: An outbreak of salmonellosis in a population of hospitalized horses resulted in the closure of a teaching hospital for a period of 10 weeks. Fecal samples were collected from suspected cases and cultured for Salmonella. Salmonella isolates were characterized using antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and phage typing. Thirty-three cases of infection by a multidrug-resistant strain of S. typhimurium were detected. The index case was admitted on 26 August 1999. Fifteen (45%) cases occurred between April and June 2000. PFGE results suggested that this strain of S. typhimurium might have been introduced into the hospital environment by a foal presenting with diarrhea. The hospital was closed on June 13, and intensive environmental cleaning and disinfection were completed. Enforcement of infectious disease control protocols in hospitals and environmental and patient surveillance is needed to prevent outbreaks of salmonellosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Purdue University, 725 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2027, USA. mward@cvm.tamu.edu
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Timea H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: Laurent L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Couëtil
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liljebjelke
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Maurer
authors.forename: Ching Ching
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001434:Bacteriophage Typing / Q000662:veterinary; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000662:veterinary; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006736:Horses; D007196:Indiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial