Equine Severe Combined Immune Deficiency

(Equine SCID)

Description

Severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) of horses is an autosomal, recessive hereditary disease occurring in 2-3% of Arab or cross-bred Arab foals. It is characterised by a complete absence of functional B and T lymphocytes and affected (homozygous) foals fail to produce antigen-specific immune responses. The disease results in the absence of a functional immune system and affected foals are unable to resist or recover from infections.

Signalment

Only Arab or cross-bred Arabs are affected.

Pathogenesis

SCID occurs due to a mutation in the allele encoding for DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) that is involved in V(D)J lymphocyte recombination. V(D)J recombination is required for antigenic receptor expression on B and T lymphocytes. Without these receptors, differentiation of B and T lymphocytes does not occur and lymphoid tissue fails to develop. The result of this mutation is a complete is a severe immunodeficiency.

Clinical signs

Affected foals are clinically normal at birth and usually develop infections at around two to three months of age due to declining maternal antibodies in the colostrum. The most common clinical signs relate to infections of the respiratory tract such as nasal discharge, cough, dyspnoea or increased respiratory sounds.

• Foals usually die from bronchopneumonia