Equine grass sickness : the geochemical connection

A new study uses the British Geological Survey’s geochemical map to investigate whether minerals in the environment are a factor in this predominantly fatal neurodegenerative disease of horse

Equine grass sickness in Scotland: a case-control study of environmental geochemical risk factors

Epidemiological investigations suggest that soil macro- and micro-nutrients may be a trigger for the occurrence of equine grass sickness (EGS). However, there is limited information regarding relationships between exposure to geochemical elements and the occurrence of EGS. Objectives To determine whether the geographical distribution of EGS cases referred to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies was associated with the presence or absence of particular geochemical elements in the environment

Can the distribution of cases of equine grass sickness in Scotland be explained by geochemical parameters?

Equine grass sickness (EGS) is a frequently fatal neurological disease, which affects horses grazing fields in certain geographical locations. The aim of this study was to determine whether the geographical distribution of EGS cases referred to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, Scotland was associated with the presence or absence of particular geochemical parameters in the environment

Bilateral laryngeal paralysis associated with hepatic dysfunction and hepatic encephalopathy in six ponies and four horses

Six ponies and four horses with a mean (sd) age of 15.9 (6.0) years developed sudden-onset bilateral laryngeal paralysis (BLP) in association with hepatic dysfunction. Nine of them had been referred for the investigation of respiratory distress, and one pony had been referred for weight loss before BLP developed. Nine of the animals had clinicopathological evidence of liver disease, and nine had histological evidence of liver disease. All of the animals had one or more of the following: hepatic encephalopathy (in eight), hyperammonaemia (in six) and endoscopic evidence of BLP (in nine). Three of the animals had signs of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, a diagnosis supported in two by endocrine function testing, and in two by histopathological examination. Histopathological examination of the intrinsic laryngeal musculature and recurrent laryngeal nerves of four of the horses and of the region of the nucleus ambiguus of two did not reveal any abnormalities. Three of the animals were euthanased after they had first been examined, and one improved temporarily before the condition recurred. A temporary tracheostomy was performed in six of the animals, five of which subsequently died or were euthanased; one pony recovere

Cerebral equine hydatidosis in Southern Brazil Hidatidose cerebral em eqüino no Sul do Brasil

Equine cerebral hydatid disease is described in a 7-year-old, crossbred, female horse. Clinical signs were characterized by circling gait, pressing of head against fences or objects and motor incoordination. On gross examination of the brain the hemispheres were swollen, mainly the left one. On transversal sections, a 5cm X 7cm fluid-filled cyst was observed within the lateral ventricle of the left hemisphere. The cyst extended from the parietal to the occipital lobe, and compressed the third ventricle. There was also marked mid line deviation. Histologically, the brain lesion adjacent to the cyst, was characterized by a piogranulomatous process and vacuolization of neuropil. A diagnosis of equine hydatidosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus was made on the basis of the morphometric features of protoscolices hooks.<br>Descreve-se um caso de hidatidose cerebral em um eqüino, cruza, fêmea, de 7 anos de idade, que apresentou sinais clínicos nervosos de torneio, pressão da cabeça contra cercas e objetos e incoordenação motora. Na abertura da caixa craniana observou-se aumento de volume do cérebro, mais acentuado no hemisfério esquerdo. Ao corte observou-se, no interior do ventrículo lateral esquerdo, um cisto de aproximadamente 5cm x 7cm, de parede branca opaca, com conteúdo líquido translúcido, que se estendia desde o lobo parietal até o lobo ocipital, comprimindo o tecido nervoso. No exame histológico do cérebro observou-se, na área contígua à parede do cisto a presença de um processo inflamatório piogranulomatoso e vacuolização da neurópila. Os dados morfométricos do cisto, dos protoescóleces e dos ganchos permitiram concluir que o cisto era de Echinococcus granulosus