Abstract
During a bacteriological survey conducted on infertile mares on a thoroughbred breeding farm in Hokkaido, many mares were found manifesting clinical signs of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in May, 1980. The most remarkable sign was discharge of white, turbid mucus from the cervix. Cervical swabs were collected from these mares and cultured in an atmosphere containing 10%CO2 on eugon chocolate agar containing 5% horse blood. Gram-negative short rods were isolated from 17 samples. They were positive in oxidase and catalase tests. These organisms were identified to Haemophilus equigenitalis, on the basis of their properties and the cross agglutination tests with a reference strain, Kentucky 188. In sera of the mares yielding H. equigenitalis, agglutinating and complement fixing antibodies were demonstrated. Therefore both the tests proved to be useful in diagnosis of H. equigenitalis infection in an early stage.
