Study of the Diagnostic Role of Ultrasonography in Enteritis Caused by Salmonella Infections in Horses

One of the most common horse diseases that cause diarrhea and septicemia is salmonella disorder, which is also a reason for economic losses in this type of livestock. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the diagnostic role of ultrasonography in enteritis caused by Salmonella infections in horses.

In this study a sample of 4 to 9 years old hybrid horses (n=9) with the symptoms of clinical fever, intense tenesmus, rectal prolapse, dysentery, and anorexia were gathered from horse riding clubs and traditional farms around the Urmia city. At first, each of the horses underwent ultrasound on the skin of the abdomen to evaluate the thickness of the wall of the small intestines and other ultrasonic parameters, then blood samples were taken from these animals and the samples were sent to the microbiology laboratory for specific tests and definitive diagnosis of the disease. Statistical results were analyzed by utilizing SPSS version 21, T-test, Chi-squared test, and Fisher’s exact test.

ELISA test results demonstrated that 33.3 percent of infected horses had Salmonella Typhimurium anti-body. The relative frequency of horses with chronic diarrhea and/or attenuation affected horses were 100 percent, 66.7 percent, and 22.2 percent, respectively. In ultrasonographic assessment, the mean skin thickness of the small intestine of infected horses was 7.2 millimeters which is a considerable difference compared to healthy horses (i.e. 2.8 mm) (P<0.05).

In general, it can be concluded that the ultrasound method is very useful and effective for the clinical diagnosis of salmonellosis in horses suffering from this disease, and with this method, a quick diagnosis can be achieved.