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Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM)

Contagious Equine Metritis is a transmissible, exotic, venereal disease which affects horses. It is caused by the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis . Thoroughbred horses appear to be more severely affected than other breeds. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse between undetected CEM-positive breeding mares and stallions. The Irish Equine Centre is a Department of Agriculture approved laboratory for CEM testing. The following table lists the different variations of CEM tests provided by the Centre.

PLEASE NOTE: CEM PCR tests are not processed on Saturdays or Sundays. Results of CEM PCR samples submitted on a Friday will be reported on the following Monday or the next working day.

Test	Turnaround Time
CEM Swab - Mare (with certificate)	7 days
CEM Swab - Mare (with certificate) batches 10-20 swabs	7 days
CEM Swab - Mare (with certificate) batches of 20+ swabs	7 days
CEM Swab - Stallion (with certificate)	7 days
CEM PCR (with certificate)	1 -2 days
Rapid Multi-plex PCR CEM	1 day
Klebsilella pneumoniae capsule typing	5-7 days

Equine Breeding Profiles	Turnaround Time
Mare Breeding Profile (with certificate) CEM and EVA	7 days
Mare Breeding Profile (with certificate) CEM, EIA and EVA	7 days

Sample submission instructions:

Samples for CEM should be submitted in Amies Charcoal Swabs* within 36 hours of being taken and should clearly state on both the swab and sample submission form the following:
- Name of the animal
- Date and time of sampling
- Site of swab
- Test name

* Charcoal swabs can be purchased from the Centre at a cost of €0.50 cent per swab.

Download Sample Submission form PDF (2.5 MB)

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