Taylorella equigenitalis (Contagious equine metritis -CEM-): Culture; Molecular diagnosis (PCR).

Taylorella equigenitalis is a bacteria of veterinary interest in the implications for horse breeding. This bacterium was associated in 1977 with contagious equine metritis (Contagious Equine metritis -CEM-), for a few outbreaks of this process emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Subsequently, it has been found elsewhere in the world, and today is considered universal distribution, constituting a problem as far afield as Europe, Australia, Japan or South America.

Contagious equine metritis is a sexually transmitted infection that causes infertility, affecting the breeding of horses, so it is an economic problem. In females affected, induces the appearance of vaginal discharge, infertility and spontaneous abortion early. The bacteria colonizes the surface of the uterine endometrium causing endometritis, and as a result of her infertility in mares, which persists in the clitoris and clitoral sac, infecting stallions. Its reservoir are asymptomatic animals.

Gram - negative bacteria is so cocoide, microaerophilic, and is included in the Pasteurellaceae family. It is very labile, so not survive during storage in swabs samples with cervical or vaginal exudate. It is also slow growing, requiring 4 to 6 days to develop laboratory cultures, so it can go unnoticed in crop growing when passed by the accompanying flora in the sample. For these reasons, detection by culture is problematic. Today diagnosis can be performed by the methods of screening genomic PCR tests (polymerase chain reaction). With this method the problems inherent in the crop are obviated.

In IVAMI offer detection by PCR testing. For detection Swab samples of the uterine cervix, or clitoral fossa of mares, and stallions urethra or fornix between the parietal and visceral prepuce recommended.