Written by – Dr. Bassem Badr
Horse diphtheria is considered “horse fever”, one of the inflammatory diseases that affect the respiratory system of the horse and the most common in the world, as it is an acute epidemic bacterial disease that can affect horses of all ages and species.
Symptoms of the disease
Among the most important symptoms that appear on horses after contracting the disease: “acute inflammation in the upper respiratory tract, high temperature, loss of appetite, and abscesses in the lymph nodes above the respiratory system.”
Horse fever
Horse diphtheria “horse fever” is a bacterial infection that affects the respiratory system of the Equine family, caused by Equine streptococcus bacteria “a type of positive bacteria (Streptococcus Equi)”. This disease causes great economic losses to the horse sector all over the world due to the rapid spread of Infection with it, and its severe and dangerous complications, and can lead to horse death (simple cases, the horse’s mortality rate is 1%).
Infection
When the disease appears, the infection is rapidly spreading through direct contact between horses, from an infected horse to a healthy horse, and it is also transmitted through indirect contact through daily care tools, horse training and saddles, drinking and eating from common waterings and forages between horses, in addition to workers’ clothes. , And the hands of coaches.
It is worth noting that some horses do not show the disease as a “disease carrier”, which is difficult to detect, which in turn transmits the disease to healthy horses.
Symptoms of the disease
The incubation period of the disease ranges from 3-14 days, with a prevalence rate of 100% and a mortality rate of 3 to 10%, while the time period of the disease from the onset of symptoms to recovery ranges from two to three weeks, and the disease also appears suddenly, as it is characterized by a high temperature “fever” From 39.5 ° C to 40 ° C, calm, loss of appetite, and nasal secretions of the horse.
Over time, a cough appears, and the nasal secretions change into pus secretions, with an increase in the size of the “submandibular or retropharyngeal LN” lymph nodes, which are accompanied by a fluid-filled tumor “edema”. The lymph nodes can burst internally or externally within a week.
In the advanced stages of the disease, the bacteria can spread to all parts of the body, such as “the liver, kidneys and spleen”, while in old horses the disease is mild, with no more than fever and sore throat, and often there are no “abscesses” in the lymph nodes.
The most common symptoms
Fever, loss of appetite and difficulty swallowing food, and nasal secretions are among the most common symptoms (cream-like secretions), with “abscesses” appearing in the lymph nodes (especially the submandibular lymph gland) and any other lymph nodes in the horse’s body. For the disease, horses have to contact the veterinarian specialized in detecting and diagnosing the disease.
Similar diseases include:
Equine viral rhino pneumonitis, which does not cause an increase in the size of the lymph nodes. Equine influenza: The lymph nodes do not increase in size.
These diseases can be diagnosed by taking swabs from the nasopharynx (Nasopharynx) and in some cases taking swabs from the annular sinuses (Guttural Pouches) to create a bacterial culture and treatment Usually, a specialist veterinarian takes a decision to isolate the affected horse and give it supportive treatments only according to the case.
Therefore, it is very important to consult a specialist veterinarian directly, and for this reason, the affected horse must be isolated with complete rest, the areas of nasal secretions are disinfected, the appropriate antibiotic injection in severe cases, and anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and supportive treatments are given, along with washing the sinuses by the specialist veterinarian.
In the event that the disease develops and the lymph nodes increase in size, the places of swelling can be encouraged to ripen, where they can be opened and the abscess drained as usual, and in this case the antibiotic must be stopped because it delays the process of maturation of the abscess.
And when symptoms of the disease appear on a group of horses, it is advisable to isolate them without giving them antibiotics. They can only be given anti-inflammatories and a fever reducer and follow the progress of the disease with the allocation of special tools and labor that are not mixed with other workers.
Preventing disease and reducing infection rate
The disease is prevented and the infection is reduced, by quarantining new horses in a place far from the horses in the stable for a period of 21 days to ensure that they are free of diseases and try to avoid the horse’s contact with other horses, avoid the use of forages and drinkers with other horses, and reduce the contact of workers and trainers with other horses, With disinfection of all shoes and clothes for workers and trainers.
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