US woman's deadly infection linked to horse riding

An elderly woman in the US has died from an infection that may have been contracted from a horse she rode, according to a new report.
The 71-year-old woman had visited her daughter, who operates a horse boarding and riding centre in King County, Washington.
In February this year, one of the horses developed nasal and eye discharge, suggesting the animal had an infection.
Both the mother and daughter had been in close contact with the horse, with the mother petting and riding the horse on at least two days.
The daughter developed a mild sore throat and cough, and her mother also showed symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, 'Live Science' reported.

A few weeks later, the mother experienced vomiting and diarrhoea and was later taken to a hospital, where she died, according to the report published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Officials collected a nasal swab from the previously sick horse, along with a swab of the daughter's throat and samples of the mother's blood.
All three samples tested positive for the same strain of bacteria, called S zooepidemicus. This type of bacteria is known to infect animals, including horses, pigs and cats.
However, it is rare that people get sick from S zooepidemicus, the report said.
"(The) evidence from this investigation linked a fatal S zooepidemicus infection to close contact with an ill horse," the report said.

The woman may have been at increased risk for infection because of her age. It also remains unclear if her respiratory symptoms preceded or followed her infection with S zooepidemicus.