Actinobacillus equuli

Actinobacillus equuli
Scientific classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Gammaproteobacteria
Order: Pasteurellales
Family: Pasteurellaceae
Genus: Actinobacillus
Species:
A. equuli
Binomial name
Actinobacillus equuli
(van Straaten, 1918) Haupt, 1934

Actinobacillus equuli is a gram-negative, non-motile rod bacteria from the family Pasteurellaceae.

A. equuli is classified as a bio-containment level 2 organism under the U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines. Biochemical differentiation tests with positive results are: catalase, urease and oxidase tests. Actinobacillus equuli subspecies equuli is not hemolytic and is found in equine and porcine hosts. Another subspecies exists and is classified as Actinobacillus equuli subsp. haemolyticus which is positive for hemolysis and is found in horses and very rarely in rabbits. Occasionally, humans can become infected with A. equuli, more commonly as a result from destruction to the skin barrier, such as a horse bite.

A. equuli can commonly be isolated from the upper respiratory tract and oral cavity of adult healthy horses and can be important for diseases of foals, adult horses and pigs. It is a commensal bacteria unless it multiplies to overwhelming numbers, at which point it will cause disease. Specifically, A. equuli is known to cause neonatal sepsis in foals, known as Sleepy Foal Disease. Less commonly, A. equuli will cause disease in adult horses, resulting in respiratory infections. A. equuli also has the capability to cause kidney damage, arthritis and septicemia in affected pigs. The subspecies A. equuli subsp. haemolyticus results in similar pathogenesis as A. equuli subsp. equuli in horses. Due to these diseases and conditions, A. equuli can result in great economic losses especially in the equine industry.

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