On May 23, an 11-year-old domestic pony mare in Orange County, Florida, was confirmed positive for contagious equine metritis (CEM). The mare had been bred by live cover on May 10 to a 3-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 Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative agent of CEM.
The mare and the stallion are both being held under state quarantine in Florida, and the stallion has been sampled for testing with results pending. Traceback and epidemiological investigation is ongoing.
EDCC Health Watch is an Equine Network marketing program that utilizes information from the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) to create and disseminate verified equine disease reports. The EDCC is an independent nonprofit organization that is supported by industry donations in order to provide open access to infectious disease information.
