Notifiable Diseases

Question 1

African Horse Sickness - about

Answer 1

• affects all species of equids
• non-contageous
• can result in 90% mortality in naive horses
• member og genus = obivius, family = reovidridae
• 3 forms
  ~ pulmonary (peracute)
  ~ cardiac
  ~ mixed (most common)

Question 2

African horse sickness - spread

Answer 2

• spread by midges

- (not directly between horses)

Question 3

African Horse Sickness - pathogenisity and CS

Answer 3

• virus
• incubation period 5-7 days
• swelling/redness around eyes and face
• frothing and discharge from nostrils
• fever
• slow/heavy breathing
• coughing
• swollen face

Question 4

African Horse Sickness - is it zoonotic

Answer 4

no

Question 5

African Horse Sickness - diagnosis

Answer 5

• virtually impossible to diagnose from CS during early febrile (fever) stage
• Blood samples collected in heparin and or EDTA
• haemological abnormalities:
  ~ leucopenia (low wbc)
  ~ thrombocytopenia (low platelets)
  ~ elevated erythrocyte count and haemoglobin conc

Question 6

African Horse Sickness - Treatments

Answer 6

• no specific treatment

- rest for 4 weeks as slight exertion can cause death

Question 7

African Horse Sickness - control measures

Answer 7

• strict biosecurity

- live attenuated vaccine annually late winter or early summet

Question 8

African Horse Sickness - level of risk to uk

Answer 8

• never been an outbreak in uk

Question 9

Equine Viral Encephalomyelitis - West Nile Virus - about

Answer 9

• one of several EE viruses
• one of the leading causes of equine neurological disease in USA
• 2 phylogenic liniages of WNV (one more pathogenic)