Frequency of potentially pathogenic bacterial and fungal isolates among 28,887 endometrial samples from mares, with an emphasis on multi-drug resistant bacteria in Germany (2018-2022).

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria pose a serious threat to the wellbeing of animals and humans. In equine reproduction, endometritis caused by facultative microbial pathogens is a condition, which is usually treated with antibiotics. Data from Germany on prevalence of facultative pathogenic microorganisms cultured in samples from the equine uterus and the frequency of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria is lacking. The aim of the study was to provide representative numbers for both. Microbiological culture results (n=28,887) of endometrial samples submitted to a large veterinary diagnostic laboratory from 2018-2022 were analyzed. An average of 25.9% of the culture results showed growth of facultative pathogenic bacteria. The dominant isolated bacteria were β-hemolytic streptococci (79.7%) followed by Escherichia (E.) coli variatio haemolytica (5.2%). E. coli were cultured in 4.3% of the samples and occurred more often than Klebsiella pneumoniae (3.9%), Candida species (2.9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2.0%), and Staphylococcus aureus (1.5%). Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed sensitivity of β-hemolytic streptococci towards penicillins in almost 100% of the cultured samples (99.5%). E. coli-isolates were sensitive to gentamicin in 96.2% of the cases. The frequency of multidrug-resistant extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-positive bacteria and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was 3.1% of all positive culture results. The number of ESBL-positive isolates (n=159) and MRSA was stable from 2018-2022. In conclusion, the situation regarding occurrence of MDR bacteria in Germany is favorable, but should further be monitored.

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Declaration of competing interest The authors do not report any conflict of interest.