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November 2011: Potomac Horse Fever
We are again starting to see some cases of Potomac Horse Fever within the practice area. It has been a couple years since we have seen or been aware of cases in this area. Potomac Horse Fever generally presents with high fevers (104 to 105), depression, poor appetite and diarrhea. This can be a life threatening disease if not treated early and aggressively, but generally responds well to oxytetracycline antibiotic and supportive care. A Potomac Horse Fever vaccine is available, and many of your horses are already being vaccinated annually. The vaccine is not 100% protective, though will often decrease severity of infection.
Potomac Horse Fever is caused by the organism Neorickettsia risticii. This organism is harbored inside flukes that parasitize water snails. When the water becomes warm, the flukes “hatch” immature forms, called cercaria, which carry the PHF organism, and pass out of the snail into the water. Experimentally, this water can infect horses. Currently, the most important transmission route is believed to be these immature flukes which are ingested by a variety of aquatic insects. The larval stages of the insects then molt into flying insects, carrying the immature fluke and PHF organisms into the horse’s environment. The horse then becomes infected when it eats or drinks anything contaminated with these insects. Most of the research has focused on 2 types of insects: caddis flies and mayflies, which carry the organism.
To read more, please see attached article. Please call Hood to Coast Equine Veterinary Service if you would like to schedule to have your horse vaccinated for Potomac Horse Fever
LAMINITIS WEST CONFERENCE 2010
There is a lot that is known about the pathogenesis of laminitis, and a lot that yet needs to be discovered. As researchers unfold the microscopic processes that takes place in the developmental phase of laminitis, they provide target points for clinicians to interrupt the cycle before the irreversible damage is done. There are many amazing researchers including veterinarians, scientists and farriers who are dedicating their life’s work to this disease.
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