Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis infection in two sibling Fjord horses diagnosed using quantitative real time PCR: a case report

Abstract

This report describes new possibilities for intravital and post mortem diagnosis of avian mycobacteriosis in horses using the quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) method. Using this method, Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis was diagnosed in two sibling Fjord horses. In the first horse, M. a. hominissuis was detected by qPCR in numbers of 2.89 × 10⁵ and 1.47 × 10⁴ cells per 1 g of intestinal content and mesenteric lymph nodes, respectively; in the second horse, faeces and mesenteric lymph node samples showed numbers of 6.31 × 10⁵ and 3.36 × 10⁶ cells per 1 g of tissue, respectively. Another aim of this study was to comprehensively describe clinical and pathological findings in both animals.