On May 23, an 11-year-old pony mare in Orange County, Florida tested positive for Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative agent of contagious equine metritis (CEM), by bacterial culture. The mare had been bred by live cover on May 10 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 13.
On May 31, the 4-year-old pony stallion was also confirmed 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 (three stallions and one mare) have 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.
