What is equine piroplasmosis?

Equine Piroplasmosis is a blood-borne protozoal infection of horses caused by Theileria (Babesia) equi and/or Babesia caballi. Equine Piroplasmosis is present in South and Central America, the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico), Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern and Southern Europe.

Can humans get equine piroplasmosis?

Can humans get EP? Humans are rarely infected by the causative organisms of equine piroplasmosis.

How is piroplasmosis spread?

The disease is transmitted via ticks or through mechanical transmission by improperly sanitized surgical, dental or tattoo instruments, through the reuse of needles and syringes, or through the administration of contaminated blood products.

Which parasites are included in piroplasmosis?

Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan protozoan parasites, Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. The disease is responsible for serious economic losses to the equine industry.

What are horse glanders?

Glanders is an infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei. While people can get the disease, glanders is primarily a disease affecting horses. It also affects donkeys and mules and can be naturally contracted by other mammals such as goats, dogs, and cats.

What is EPM horse disease?

EPM is a neurologic disease that horses get from eating infected opossum feces. Incoordination, muscle atrophy and loss of feeling around the body are a few signs of illness. Keep your horses healthy by storing grain in sealed bins and controlling opossum populations around your barn.

What causes equine infectious anemia?

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a viral disease transmitted primarily by flies, contaminated instruments and equipment. There is no vaccine for EIA and no known treatment. Horses that survive the acute phase of infection become lifelong carriers that pose a transmission risk to other horses.

How can piroplasmosis be prevented?

Minimize the amount of exposed skin, by wearing socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck the pant legs into the socks, so ticks cannot crawl up the inside of the pants. Wear light-colored clothing, to make it easier to see and remove ticks before they attach to skin. Apply repellents to skin and clothing.

How do horses get glanders?

The primary route of infection is believed to be ingestion of feed or water contaminated by B. mallei, although inhalation and skin exposure may occur. Infected equipment, tack and clothing can also transmit the bacteria. Some infected horses show no symptoms but can serve as sources of infection by shedding B.

Is there a cure for glanders?

Since human cases of glanders are rare, there is limited information about antibiotic treatment in humans. Sulfadiazine has been found to be effective in experimental animals and in humans.

What is the best Treatment for EPM?

How is EPM treated? Treatment to control infection should include an FDA-approved anticoccidial drug (Ponazuril, Diclazuril, Sulfadiazine/Pyrimethamine). Additional treatments should be provided as needed based on the severity of the clinical signs and any associated complications.

What is the most common disease in horses?

The most common diseases in horses

  • Flu.
  • Colic.
  • Tetanus.
  • Equine encephalitis.
  • Babesiosis (piroplasmosis)
  • Mumps.

How does equine piroplasmosis ( EP ) affect horses?

Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease that affects horses, donkeys, mules and zebras. The disease is transmitted via ticks or through mechanical transmission by improperly sanitized surgical, dental or tattoo instruments, through the reuse of needles and syringes, or through the administration of contaminated blood products.

What kind of disease does a horse have?

1. What is Equine Piroplasmosis? Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease that affects horses, donkeys, mules and zebras.

Is there a cure for EP in horses?

Only the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Iceland are not considered to be endemic areas. Mortality rates for infected horses can reach 50%. Horses infected with EP can be enrolled in a USDA-APHIS-approved EP treatment program which is frequently successful at permanently eliminating the infection. EP has not been shown to be zoonotic.

What makes a horse a chronic carrier of EP?

These horses, often called chronic carriers, are potential sources of infection for other horses through tick-borne transmission or mechanical transfer by reuse of needles/syringes or surgical, dental or tattoo instruments that have not been adequately sanitized between horses. 4. How is EP diagnosed?