Cornell University researchers have successfully created a model in horses to study infections caused by the bacterium Leptospira interrogans.

In horses, leptospirosis can cause fever, icterus (jaundice), uveitis and recurrent uveitis, abortion, and kidney failure, though clinical signs are variable.

"The exact prevalence of leptospiral infections in horses is unknown, and the course of disease in terms of timing of serologic response, spread of the bacterium in the blood, excretion in urine, and ocular infections remains unclear," said Yung-Fu Chang, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVM (veterinary microbiology), Director of the Infectious Disease research laboratory and a professor in Cornell's department of population medicine.

The purpose of this study was to determine responses (both serological and hematological) in horses exposed to L. interrogans serovar Kennewicki–the most common cause of Leptospira infections in horses in North America