Salmonellosis
Basic Information 
Epidemiology
Contagion and Zoonosis
• There are a large number of Salmonella serovars and serotypes, many of which have been associated with equine disease. The most commonly isolated include Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella newport, Salmonella anatum, and Salmonella agona.
• Horses are not typically Salmonella carriers because there are no equine-specific host adapted strains (other than Salmonella abortus equi, which has been eradicated from the United States and does not typically cause diarrhea).
• However, infected horses shed large numbers of organisms in their feces and can do so for weeks to months without developing clinical disease.
• Salmonellosis may occur in individual horses without any known risk factors or may occur in outbreaks at equine hospitals or large farms.
• Horses can be infected with Salmonella serovars that may also affect humans, although direct transmission from a horse to human is rare. Very young, very old, and immunocompromised individuals are at the greatest risk.
Clinical Presentation
Disease Forms/Subtypes
Physical Exam Findings
• As for other causes of colitis (see “Colitis/Diarrhea, Acute, in Adult Horses” in this section).
• It is common to see fever and depression in the absence of diarrhea in mild cases.
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