Bacterial endocarditis in horses: ten cases (1984-1995)

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Cardiology
• Equine Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Bacterial endocarditis is a serious cardiac condition in horses.
• Echocardiographic findings, clinical signs, and post-mortem data are crucial for diagnosis and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe echocardiographic findings in horses with bacterial endocarditis.
• To correlate echocardiographic findings with clinical and post-mortem results.
• To evaluate the prognostic value of echocardiography in equine bacterial endocarditis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 10 horses diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis.
• Echocardiographic and post-mortem examinations were performed on varying numbers of horses.
• Clinical data, pathology, and culture results were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Common clinical signs included fever, cardiac murmur, tachycardia, and tachypnea.
• Pasteurella/Actinobacillus spp. and Streptococcus spp. were the most frequent isolates.
• Echocardiography accurately identified vegetative lesions, predominantly on the mitral and aortic valves.
• Horses with mitral/aortic valve endocarditis had a fatal outcome, while tricuspid valve endocarditis cases showed potential for recovery.

Conclusions:

• Echocardiography is a valuable tool for diagnosing bacterial endocarditis in horses and assessing lesion severity.
• Prognosis is poor for horses with mitral or aortic valve endocarditis.
• Tricuspid valve endocarditis may be treatable with antimicrobial therapy, offering a better prognosis.