BACTERIAL-ENDOCARDITIS IN HORSES - 10 CASES (1984-1995)

A retrospective study of 10 horses with bacterial endocarditis was per formed in order to describe the echocardiographic findings in horses w ith bacterial endocarditis, in conjunction with clinical signs and pos t mortem findings, and to evaluate the usefulness of echocardiography in the diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis and the formulation of a pr ognosis. Echocardiographic and post mortem examinations were performed in 7 horses. Post mortem examination alone was performed in 2 horses and echocardiographic examination alone performed in one horse. No bre ed or sex predilection was obvious. Mean age +/- s.d. was 2.12 +/- 3.3 2 years. Predominant clinical signs and abnormal clinical pathology da ta were fever, cardiac murmur, tachycardia, tachypnoea, hyperfibrinoge naemia, anaemia and leucocytosis. Pasteurella/Actinobacillus spp, and Streptococcus spp. were most commonly cultured. Vegetative lesions wer e found most frequently on the mitral valve and secondarily on the aor tic valve. The location and number of lesions identified with echocard iography in the horses accurately described the lesions found on post mortem examination. Medical treatment was attempted in 50% of the hors es. Serial echocardiography was used to assess the response to treatme nt in 2 horses. All horses with vegetative lesions of the mitral and/o r aortic valve died or were subjected to euthanasia due to the severit y of their cardiac disease. Both horses with tricuspid valve endocardi tis were cured of the infection; one horse returned to racing after an timicrobial therapy and the other was subjected to euthanasia due to s evere laminitis.