Abstract
Faecal samples of sixty-six 3-day- to 6-month-old foals were screened for Helicobacter equorum DNA by means of a PCR amplifying a 1074 bp fragment of the 23S rRNA gene with primers specific for this enterohepatic Helicobacter species. H. equorum DNA was demonstrated in faeces from 28.6% of the less than 1-month-old foals, while 67.8% of foals from 1 to 6 months of age tested positive. In a previous study, H. equorum was demonstrated in faeces of 0.8-7.9% of adult horses. These results indicate that the prevalence of H. equorum in horses differs with the age of the investigated horse population. The organism seems highly prevalent in foals between 1 and 6 months of age but the possible association with intestinal disease in this age group needs further investigation.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Age Factors
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Animals
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Animals, Newborn
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Belgium / epidemiology
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DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
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DNA, Bacterial / genetics
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Feces / microbiology
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Gastrointestinal Diseases / epidemiology
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Gastrointestinal Diseases / microbiology
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Gastrointestinal Diseases / veterinary*
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Gene Amplification
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Helicobacter / genetics
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Helicobacter / isolation & purification*
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Helicobacter Infections / epidemiology
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Helicobacter Infections / microbiology
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Helicobacter Infections / veterinary*
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Horse Diseases / epidemiology*
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Horse Diseases / microbiology
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Horses
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Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
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Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
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Prevalence
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RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / chemistry
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RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / genetics
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Sensitivity and Specificity
Substances
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DNA, Bacterial
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RNA, Ribosomal, 23S