Horse-protozoa Flashcards
Eimeria leuckarti
-40% of foals
-no pathogenic
-diarrhea rare
-no treatment needed
Cryptosporidium parvum
-often asymptomatic
-17% of horses; most common in foals
-villous atrohy and epithelial sloughing
-malabsorptive diarrhea
-life threatening in SCID foals
Diagnosis of cryptosporidium in horses
-IFAT on feces
-acid fast stain
Treatment of cryptosporidium in horses
-supportive Tx
-ELDU
-paromomycin, tylosin, azithromycin
-environmental decontamination difficult
-zoonotic potential
Sarcocystis fayeri
-Dog DH
-Horse IH
-incidental findings in muscle biopsy or histopathology
-rarely causes eosinophilic myositis
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis
-caused by sarcocystis neurona and neospora hughesi
-only in N and S america
-usually only 1 horse per farm
-linked with stress trigger (heavy exercise, transport, injury, surgery, birth and lactation)
Who does equine protozoal myeloencephalitis effect?
-effects young (under 5 yrs) and old (older than 13 yrs)
-thoroughbreds, standardbreds, quarter horses
Sarcocystis neurona
-DH: opossum
IH: skunks, raccoons, armadillos, cats, birds
Horse is aberrant IH= sarcocysts seldom develop
-Pathology= merozoites (asexual reproduction)
-vertical transmission rare
Sarcocystis neurona life cycle
Neospora hugesi
-DH- unknown; possibly wild canid
IH: wildlife? Horses (develop tissue cysts)
*tissue cysts with bradyzoites
-transplacental transmission occurs, in multiple pregnancies
-only 1/10 positive horses develop EPM
Neospora hughesi life cycle
clinical signs of EPM
- asymptomatic
- dysphagia, lameness, seizures, muscle wasting, ataxia
- most consistent: asymmetric gait and focal muscle atrophy
Diagnosis of EPM in horses
- neurological exam
- rule out other causes (non febrile and no pain)
- Antemortem diagnosis= high CSF to serum antibody ratio
*seropositive for N. hughesi more useful to detect EPM - Post mortem: IHC or PCR on CNS
Management of EPM in horses
Treat. 6-8weeks, longer if still improving AND may still relapse
-sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine (coccidiostatic)
-ponazuril, diclazuril (coccidiocidal)
-NSAIDs, immune stimulants, prevent contamination of feed/water, feed prophylaxis in highly endemic farms
Haemosporidia infecting horses
*equine piroplasmosis; foreign disease in Canada= reportable to CFIA
- Babesia caballi
- Theileria equi
- Theileria haneyi