Three Michigan Horses Positive for Strangles
The horses live in Genesee County.
Three horses in Genesee County, Michigan, are positive for strangles, and two additional cases are suspected.
Three horses in Genesee County, Michigan, are positive for strangles, and two additional cases are suspected. | Wikimedia Commons

Three horses in Genesee County, Michigan, are positive for strangles. 

On September 5, a Kentucky Mountain Horse gelding was confirmed positive after developing clinical signs on August 27. He is now recovering. A grade gelding was also confirmed positive on September 5 after developing clinical signs on August 15. The horse came to the property in early August and is now recovering. A Standardbred gelding was confirmed positive on September 5 after developing clinical signs on August 30. He is now recovering. 

The affected horses are under quarantine. Two additional cases are suspected. 

EDCC Health Watch is an Equine Network marketing program that utilizes information from the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) to create and disseminate verified equine disease reports. The EDCC is an independent nonprofit organization that is supported by industry donations in order to provide open access to infectious disease information.

About Strangles

Strangles in horses is an infection caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi and spread through direct contact with other equids or contaminated surfaces. Horses that aren’t showing clinical signs can harbor and spread the bacteria, and recovered horses remain contagious for at least six weeks, with the potential to cause outbreaks long-term.

Infected horses can exhibit a variety of clinical signs:

  • Fever
  • Swollen and/or abscessed lymph nodes
  • Nasal discharge
  • Coughing or wheezing
  • Muscle swelling
  • Difficulty swallowing

Veterinarians diagnose horses using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing with either a nasal swab, wash, or an abscess sample, and they treat most cases based on clinical signs, implementing antibiotics for severe cases. Overuse of antibiotics can prevent an infected horse from developing immunity. Most horses make a full recovery in three to four weeks.

A vaccine is available but not always effective. Biosecurity measures of quarantining new horses at a facility and maintaining high standards of hygiene and disinfecting surfaces can help lower the risk of outbreak or contain one when it occurs.

Brought to you by Boehringer Ingelheim, The Art of the Horse
categories
tags
Trending Articles
Keynote_Rick Lesser_Montana
Meet Your 2024 AAEP Keynote Address Speaker: Rev. Dr. Richard Lesser 
Old white horse on pasture
‘Free to a Good Home’: When Owners Can No Longer Afford Their Horses 
portrait of beautiful holstein grey stallion horse on red forest background
Disease Du Jour: Nuchal Bursitis in Horses
AdobeStock_131334434
10 Radiographic Prepurchase Abnormalities in Sport Horses 
Newsletter
Don’t miss an important EDCC Health Alert! Get alerts delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for EquiManagement’s newsletter.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Untitled
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for EDCC Health Watch text alerts to get notified when an equine disease outbreak is reported in your state or region.