Acute respiratory failure caused by Leptospira spp. in 5 foals.

Abstract

A lthough clinical disease in horses is uncommon, serological surveys show that equine exposure to leptospires is very common. In some populations, up to 80% of the animals have leptospiral antibodies. In Europe, Leptospira interrogans serovar bratislava, copenhageni, and patoc are the presumed host-adapted serovars of horses. Clinical leptospirosis in horses is primarily associated with recurrent uveitis, abortions, stillbirth, neonatal disease, hemolysis, renal disease, and liver disease. Unlike cases in humans or small animals, respiratory signs caused by alveolar hemorrhage have not been associated with leptospirosis. The present report describes 5 cases of foals with respiratory distress caused by leptospirosis.