Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 4, 2000 Purdue's Large Animal Hospital set to reopenWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University's Large Animal Hospital is now accepting appointments for its reopening on Aug. 22. The facility has been closed since June 14 due to a particularly virulent strain of Salmonella bacteria that infected several horses that were patients at the hospital. "The Large Animal Hospital has been thoroughly disinfected and we are now in the process of replacing the flooring in the stalls, treatment areas and breezeways," said Dr. Alan Rebar, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. "We have really appreciated the patience of our referring veterinarians and clients, and want to assure them that the hospital's infection problem is now under control." Salmonella is commonly found in the environment and also in the digestive tracts of many horses, especially in the warm, humid summer months. "A horse's immune system is usually capable of suppressing its effects unless the animal is battling another illness or is otherwise stressed," explained Dr. Mimi Arighi, director of Purdue's Veterinary Teaching Hospital. "Because virtually all the horses referred to us here are sick to begin with, they are naturally more susceptible to this bacteria in the hospital setting." Dr. Arighi speculated that the infectious agent originated with a single patient at some point in time and was not neutralized by the standard sanitation practices of the facility. Operations at the Small Animal Hospital and the Large Animal Ambulatory Clinics were not affected, and there were no reports of the bacteria being passed to other species of animals or people working in the Purdue veterinary facilities. "We are very pleased that the Large Animal Hospital will soon reopen and that we will again be of service to our referring veterinarians and clients," said Dr. Jan Hawkins, assistant professor of large animal surgery. CONTACT: Mimi Arighi, (765) 494-7235, marighi@vet.purdue.edu
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