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Mystery surrounds the death or miscarriage of about 400 foals this month in
Kentucky, the heart of the American horse-racing industry. Initial autopsies
show about half the dead foals had Streptococcus bacteria in their blood, but
experts from the University of Kentucky in Lexington believe this may be an
opportunistic secondary infection, and suspect a diet-related cause. “I’ve seen
contradictions in every theory I’ve heard,” says Roger Ollman, who has been
collecting pasture samples for the university. The researchers suspect a fungal
toxin that mimics the effects of oestrogen may be responsible.