Abstract:
REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY :
The response to the first outbreak of contagious equine metritis in South Africa included pioneering a web-based platform to coordinate key aspects of a national, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based stallion screening programme to determine the
distribution and prevalence of Taylorella equigenitalis in stallions and exposed mares. OBJECTIVES : To define the hypothesised pre-existing status of T. equigenitalis in the South African equine
population and progression of the epidemiological investigation via the implementation of a
molecular diagnostic-based surveillance programme.
STUDY DESIGN : Retrospective case series. METHODS : Screening for T. equigenitalis was via a qPCR assay on genital swabs obtained from
predilection sites in stallions and mares with subsequent confirmation using bacterial
culture according to prescribed methods.
