What are glanders in horses?
Glanders is a contagious, acute or chronic, usually fatal disease of Equidae caused by Burkholderia mallei, a pathoadaptive clone derived from B pseudomallei. It is characterized by serial development of nodules in the upper respiratory tract, lungs, and skin.
What are the symptoms of glanders in horses?
Common symptoms of glanders include fever with chills and sweating, muscle aches, chest pain, muscle tightness, and headache. Additional symptoms may include excessive tearing of the eyes, light sensitivity, ulcers, and diarrhea (loose stool/poop). Symptoms can develop 1 to 5 days after infection.
What are 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.
How do you test for glanders?
Glanders can be diagnosed by culturing B. mallei from lesions, lymph nodes, and nasal or other respiratory exudates. This organism is uncommonly detected in blood. Bacteriological diagnosis can be difficult when the animal is in the early stages of disease or subclinically infected.
How do you prevent glanders in horses?
How can glanders be prevented? In the United States, and other countries where the disease has been eradicated, stringent post-arrival quarantine and testing of all imported horses ensures early detection of affected animals. There is no vaccine for glanders in any species.
Where is glanders found?
Glanders is endemic in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America. It has been eradicated from North America, Australia, and most of Europe through surveillance and destruction of affected animals, and import restrictions.
Is there a cure for glanders in horses?
Prevention and Treatment There is no vaccine for glanders. Protective immunity involves T cell responses elicited by live attenuated bacteria. Prevention and control of glanders depend on early detection and elimination of affected animals, as well as complete quarantine and rigorous disinfection of the area involved.
How can glanders spread?
The bacteria that cause glanders are transmitted to humans through contact with tissues or body fluids of infected animals. The bacteria enter the body through cuts or abrasions in the skin and through mucosal surfaces such as the eyes and nose.
How do animals get glanders?
Horses get glanders by close contact with other infected horses, especially through shared water and feed troughs (oral) as well as by nuzzling (direct contact). The bacteria can also be spread by fomites (non-living objects contaminated by infected animals), such as brushes, halters or harnesses.
What are other names for glanders?
Throughout history glanders has been known by other names including equinia, malleus, droes, and farcy [1-5]. Glanders is primarily characterized by ulcerating lesions of the skin and mucous membranes. Solipeds are the natural reservoir of Burkholderia mallei.
What are the strangles in horses?
Strangles is an infection caused by bacteria called Streptococcus equi. It is highly contagious and the infection can be spread by horse-to-horse contact or by humans, tack, drinking troughs and other environmental factors.
How common are glanders?
Glanders is not normally found in the United States. No naturally-occurring cases of glanders have been reported in the United States since the 1940s. The disease still occurs in other parts of the world such as Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America.
