Båverud V, Gustafsson A, Franklin A, Aspán A, Gunnarsson A
Department of Bacteriology, National Veterinary Institute, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden.
Equine Vet J. 2003 Jul;35(5):465-71. doi: 10.2746/042516403775600505.
Clostridium difficile has been associated with acute colitis in mature horses.
To survey C. difficile colonisation of the alimentary tract with age, occurrence of diarrhoea and history of antibiotic therapy; and to study the occurrence and survival of C. difficile in the environment and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated strains.
A total of 777 horses of different breeds, age and sex were studied. Further, 598 soil samples and 434 indoor surface samples were examined. Antimicrobial susceptibility of 52 strains was investigated by Etest for 10 antibiotics.
In horses that developed acute colitis during antibiotic treatment, 18 of 43 (42%) were positive to C. difficile culture and 12 of these (28%) were positive in the cytotoxin B test. Furthermore, C. difficile was isolated from a small number of diarrhoeic mature horses (4 of 72 [6%]) with no history of antibiotic treatment, but not from 273 healthy mature horses examined or 65 horses with colic. An interesting new finding was that, in normal healthy foals age < 14 days, C. difficile was isolated from 1/3 of foals (16 of 56 [29%]). All older foals (170) except one were negative. Seven of 16 (44%) nondiarrhoeic foals treated with erythromycin or gentamicin in combination with rifampicin were also excretors of C. difficile. On studfarms, 14 of 132 (11%) outdoor soil samples were positive for C. difficile in culture, whereas only 2 of 220 (1%) soil samples from farms with mature horses were positive for C. difficile (P = < 0.001). By PCR, it was demonstrated that strains from the environment and healthy foals can serve as a potential reservoir of toxigenic C. difficile. The experimental study conducted here found that C. difficile survived in nature and indoors for at least 4 years in inoculated equine faeces. The susceptibility of 52 strains was investigated for 10 antibiotics and all were susceptible to metronidazole (MIC < or = 4 mg/l) and vancomycin (MIC < or = 2 mg/l).
C. difficile is associated with acute colitis in mature horses, following antibiotic treatment. Furthermore, C. difficile was isolated from 1 in 3 normal healthy foals age < 14 days.
Strains from healthy foals and the environment can serve as a potential reservoir of toxigenic C. difficile.
艰难梭菌与成年马的急性结肠炎有关。
调查不同年龄马消化道中艰难梭菌的定植情况、腹泻的发生率以及抗生素治疗史；研究艰难梭菌在环境中的存在及存活情况以及分离菌株的抗菌药敏性。
共研究了777匹不同品种、年龄和性别的马。此外，还检测了598份土壤样本和434份室内表面样本。采用Etest法对52株菌株进行了10种抗生素的抗菌药敏性检测。
在抗生素治疗期间发生急性结肠炎的马中，43匹中有18匹（42%）艰难梭菌培养呈阳性，其中12匹（28%）细胞毒素B检测呈阳性。此外，从少数无抗生素治疗史的腹泻成年马（72匹中的4匹[6%]）中分离出了艰难梭菌，但在检测的273匹健康成年马或65匹患绞痛的马中未分离到。一个有趣的新发现是，在年龄小于14天的正常健康驹中，三分之一的驹（56匹中的16匹[29%]）分离出了艰难梭菌。除一匹驹外，所有年龄较大的驹（170匹）均为阴性。16匹未腹泻的驹中，7匹（44%）接受了红霉素或庆大霉素联合利福平治疗，也是艰难梭菌的排泄者。在种马场，132份室外土壤样本中有14份（11%）艰难梭菌培养呈阳性，而来自成年马养殖场的220份土壤样本中只有2份（1%）艰难梭菌呈阳性（P = < 0.001）。通过聚合酶链反应证明，来自环境和健康驹的菌株可能是产毒艰难梭菌的潜在储存库。本实验研究发现，艰难梭菌在接种的马粪便中在自然环境和室内至少存活4年。对52株菌株进行了10种抗生素的药敏性检测，所有菌株对甲硝唑（MIC≤4mg/L）和万古霉素（MIC≤2mg/L）敏感。
艰难梭菌与成年马抗生素治疗后的急性结肠炎有关。此外，在年龄小于14天的正常健康驹中，三分之一可分离出艰难梭菌。
来自健康驹和环境的菌株可能是产毒艰难梭菌的潜在储存库。
