Contagious equine metritis

Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is a type of metritis (uterine inflammation) in horses that is caused by a sexually transmitted infection. It is thus an equine venereal disease of the genital tract of horses, brought on by the Taylorella equigenitalis bacteria. Passed on through sexual contact, according to Robert N. Oglesby DVM, the disease was first reported in 1977 on horse breeding farms in England and was found in 1978 by Dr. C.E.D. Taylor in horses imported from Europe into the state of Kentucky in the United States. A second American outbreak occurred a year later in Missouri but in both cases, the diseases were quickly eradicated. . The American Association of Equine Practitioners has advised that the disease has also been found in a few but limited cases in California, Virginia and New Jersey. On December 17, 2008 a case was reported by USDA-Aphis to the OIE in a 16-year-old Quarter Horse stallion standing at stud in Kentucky who had previously been located in Texas .