Prevalence, risk factors, and characterisation of extended-spectrum β-lactamase -producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) in horses entering an equine hospital and description of longitudinal excretion.
Authors: Eskola Katarina, Aimo-Koivisto Elina, Heikinheimo Annamari, Mykkänen Anna, Hautajärvi Tiina, Grönthal Thomas
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary: ESBL-Producing Enterobacterales in Hospital Horses Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) represent a growing concern in equine medicine because these organisms resist many commonly used antibiotics and can spread between horses and humans, yet their prevalence in equine hospital populations remains poorly characterised. Finnish researchers conducted a prevalence and risk factor study at an equine teaching hospital, screening horses on admission via rectal swabs and collecting detailed questionnaire data to identify which animals carried ESBL-E and what factors predisposed them to colonisation. The study quantified local ESBL-E prevalence, characterised the bacterial isolates genetically, tracked longitudinal shedding patterns in colonised horses, and identified specific risk factors associated with carriage—information essential for designing targeted infection control protocols. Understanding which horses are most likely to arrive as ESBL-E carriers and how long they shed these organisms allows equine hospitals to implement risk-stratified screening and isolation procedures, reducing nosocomial transmission and preserving the utility of β-lactam antibiotics when treating serious infections. For practitioners, these findings underscore the importance of infection control measures, judicious antimicrobial use, and potentially pre-admission screening programmes, particularly for horses with recent hospitalisation or antimicrobial exposure.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Rectal screening on hospital admission can identify ESBL-E carrier horses and inform targeted infection control measures
- •Understanding local prevalence and risk factors allows development of facility-specific biosecurity protocols to reduce hospital-acquired difficult-to-treat infections
- •Knowing excretion patterns helps determine appropriate isolation periods and management strategies for colonized horses
Key Findings
- •Study established local prevalence of ESBL-E in horses admitted to an equine teaching hospital through rectal screening
- •Risk factors for ESBL-E colonization were identified through questionnaire data collection
- •Longitudinal excretion patterns of ESBL-E were characterized in hospitalized equine patients