Salmonella is a bacterial pathogen that can infect horses of all ages and result in disease (including diarrhoea, dehydration and severe illness) and even death of affected animals. Salmonella can have major impacts on the health and well-being of horses, cause disruption to Thoroughbred stud farms, other horse properties and veterinary hospitals (including temporary closure due to spread among patients) and can be transmitted to humans resulting in illness. In addition, Salmonella can have resistance to multiple types of antimicrobial drugs: a finding that can be associated with increased risk of severe disease/death, greater treatment costs and greater risks of outbreaks of Salmonella in veterinary hospitals and on Thoroughbred stud farms. To better understand Salmonella infection in Australian horses, investigation of the factors that are associated with the likelihood of infection in horses and the characteristics of the infecting Salmonella strains is necessary. The purposes of this study are to:
1. determine the rate of Salmonella infection in Thoroughbred horses in Australia, including subsets of the horse population that may be at increased risk, and the health and financial impacts of infection of affected horses
2. identify and assess factors that are associated with Salmonella infection of horses to determine opportunities and strategies to reduce the risk of infection
3. determine the Salmonella strains (serotypes) most commonly associated with infection of horses in Australia and whether antimicrobial resistance is present