However, the only definitive way to confirm R. equi , as opposed to other bacterial pathogens, as the cause of the infection is bacteriologic culture of tracheal or bronchial fluid. The distinction between pneumonia caused by R. equi and that caused by other bacterial pathogens is important because the treatment approaches are different. It would be considerably more convenient to control R. equi pneumonia on enzootically infected farms by the active immunization of mares and their foals with a protective antigen rather than by the intravenous administration of a large volume of plasma. Such experimental attempts generally have been unrewarding, and vaccines against R. equi infections are not available. Clearly, R. equi can be a devastating and demoralizing problem on some horse farms.
Control is possible, but expensive.
It also is crucial that pneumonic foals are not sent to spread infection from enzootic farms to farms with little contamination. Giguere is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He presented these findings during the 1997 AAEP Convention.