Number Confirmed: 2;
Number Exposed: 3;
Comments: On May 23, 2024, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, reported confirmation by bacterial culture a positive case of Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative agent of contagious equine metritis (CEM), in an 11-year-old domestic pony mare in central Florida. The mare had been bred by live cover on May 10th to a 4-year-old pony stallion. After breeding, the mare had retained free fluid in her uterus and was treated by uterine lavage on May 13th. The uterine fluid was collected and sent for routine bacterial culture, which ultimately yielded the confirmed positive results for T. equigenitalis. On May 31, 2024, NVSL confirmed the 4-year-old pony stallion positive for T. equigenitalis on bacterial culture. Banked serum samples were used to conduct pre- and post-exposure complement fixation testing (CFT) on the pony mare which confirm the pony stallion as the source of her infection. The affected mare and stallion are both being held under state quarantine in Florida. Four other potentially exposed ponies on the premises (3 stallions, 1 mare) have been sampled for testing at NVSL with results pending. Traceback and epidemiological investigation is ongoing and additional updates will be posted as they become available.
For more information, go to https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/equine/contagious-equine-metritis;
Previous Alerts: 3732