A team of researchers working at Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital in Liverpool found that Escherichia coli bacteria in a horse’s intestine appear to acquire antibiotic resistance while a horse is hospitalized.

The researchers found a significant increase in multiple drug resistance in E. coli samples isolated from horses’ feces after a period of hospitalization.

The research was led by Adele Williams, BVSc, MRCVS, who had received funding from equine charity The Horse Trust. Williams carried out the research while undergoing a Horse Trust-funded clinical training program in equine internal medicine at the University of Liverpool.

Williams and colleagues collected fecal samples from randomly selected horses at Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital over an 18 month period between 2006 and 2008. Fecal samples were collected when the horse was admitted, and again after the horse had been hospitalized for seven days. The selected horses included horses treated and not treated with antibiotics before and during hospitalization