Most foals are exposed to R. equi in their first few days or weeks of life. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

So researchers from Texas A&M University’s (TAMU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, in College Station, performed a retrospective study of an affected farm to find out. Michelle Coleman, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, assistant professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine at TAMU, presented their results at the 2016 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 3-7 in Orlando, Florida.

Most foals are exposed to R. equi in their first few days or weeks of life, but only some develop and show signs of disease, said Coleman. If researchers could identify risk factors for foals developing R. equi, they could help reduce the burden of disease on the animal, farm, personnel, and veterinarian.

In general, the higher a farm’s stocking density, the greater the risk for clinical R. equi cases. Management practices likely play a role in R. equi transmission. The bacteria spread particularly quickly on large farms, most notably through the air (via secretions from coughing and sneezing or in airborne dust)