Endometritis in Donkeys Associated with Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus Infection

Abstract

Endometritis has recently become one of the most important infectious diseases in donkey breeding farms in China. However, so far, no research has been conducted to confirm the causative agents. In the present study, one breeding farm was selected as a research model for isolation and identification of causative agents and epidemiological investigation. Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus was isolated from the uterus of symptomatic and asymptomatic donkeys and identified by PCR and MALDI-TOF MS analysis. On the farm, the infection rate was 57.1%, which indicated that endometritis is a severe problem and needs to pay much attention to donkey breeding farms. Moreover, female donkeys without mating experience were all negative which suggested the transmitting route might be artificial insemination or related handlings. This study will lead to a great understanding of the causative agent and epidemiological characteristics for endometritis in intensive donkey breeding farms