APPARENT OUTBREAKS OF CLOSTRIDIUM-DIFFICILE-ASSOCIATED DIARRHEA IN HORSES IN A VETERINARY MEDICAL TEACHING HOSPITAL

Intestinal colonization with toxigenic strains of Clostridium difficle was documented in 9 of 10 horses with acute onset diarrhea in a veter inary medical teaching hospital, whereas a similar isolate was detecte d in only 1 of 23 other horses without diarrhea in the hospital. One h orse with diarrhea was infected simultaneously with both C. difficile and Salmonella krefeld. Clostridium difficile was detected by fecal cu lture on selective medium, confirmed with a latex particle agglutinati on test, and identified as toxigenic by polymerase chain reaction ampl ification of toxin A and toxin B gene sequences. Using an arbitrarily- primed polymerase chain reaction, 6 distinct C. difficile isolates wer e detected in the feces of the 9 affected horses at the time of the ou tbreak of diarrhea.