Equine reproductive failures for many different reasons are the main contributors to economic losses in the horse industry. This paper describes major bacterial agents isolated from thoroughbred mares that had reproductive failures in the previous year as well as the antimicrobial susceptibility of these bacterial isolates. A total of 146 vaginal and uterine swab samples were submitted to Jeju Self-Governing Veterinary Research Institute by equine veterinarians from 2011 to 2015. Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus were the most frequently encountered bacteria in 29 samples (48.3%). Other identified species included 21 samples (35%) with Escherichia coli, six samples (10%) with Klebsiella pneumoniae, and four samples (6.7%) with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus isolates were sensitive to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefazolin, cefuroxime, and florfenicol, while all were resistant to tetracycline and kanamycin. All E. coli were sensitive to enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and most were susceptible to cefazolin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefuroxime, florfenicol, and gentamicin. All K. pneumoniae isolates were sensitive to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefazolin, cefuroxime, florfenicol, and ciprofloxacin, while all were resistant to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. P. aeruginosa exhibited sensitivity to quinolones and aminoglycosides, particularly gentamicin, while all were resistant to cefazolin and cefuroxime.

Viral respiratory infections are common in horses, notably equine herpesvirus infection and equine influenza, which primarily initiate secondary bacterial respiratory infections such as strangles caused by Streptococcus equi equi. A decline in the production of stallions has been associated with these respiratory diseases leading to adverse financial implications. This study investigated the antibody responses against respiratory diseases in horses from Jeju Island a year after vaccination. A low level of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) (11.36%) antibodies was detected from stallions, however a high level of EHV-4 (95.84%) antibodies was detected from horses without vaccination against this infection suggesting that EHV-4 is ubiquitous in this horse population. In case of equine influenza, ranch stallions showed low positive rate (12.06%) whereas stallions from Subtropical Livestock Research Institute displayed higher positive rate (81.32%). Antibody responses against equine influenza and strangles revealed positive rates of 26.32% and 55.12%, respectively. These findings may draw attention towards the importance of developing an improved disease prevention and/or immunization program that will effectively control respiratory diseases in horses.

Respiratory diseases among horses cause economic losses in foals and productivity decreases in horses being raised and in adult horses. In South Korea, fundamental studies of horses’ respiratory diseases and those related to disease occurrence are insufficient. Therefore, the aim if the current study was to use diverse hematological indicators, obtained through hematological tests and measurment of blood antibody level in horses suffering form respiratory diseases, to monitor disease occurrence and prognosis evaluation. Investigations of infection states by horses’ bacterial respiratory diseases, susceptible drugs, and resisted drugs according to pathogens showed differences between farms. Among the β-lactam-based antibiotics, cephalosporin-based antibiotics showed some efficacy against Streptococcus spp. To review age-based changes in erythrocytometer hemograms in hematological tests of riding horses, red blood cell (RBC) tended to gradually decrease with increasing age this tendency was statistically significant. In addition, leukocytometer hemograms analyzed by age showed that total white blood cell counts tended to decrease with increasing age. These results of drug susceptibility tests and hematological tests, which have not been presented thus far, will be useful as standardized data in future breeding management and disease tests of Jeju riding horses.