Changes

There will be 100% morbidity; 5% mortality in most cases as the disease is so contagious.

There will be 100% morbidity; 5% mortality in most cases as the disease is so contagious.

== Clinical Signs ==

== Clinical Signs ==

== Diagnosis ==

== Diagnosis ==

History and clinical signs are presumptive. Samples need to be taken from deep nasopharyngeal swabs, abscess content or guttural pouch washings and sent off for culture. If present, you will see mucoid colonies with beta-haemolysis. Sugar fermentation allows differentiation of ''S. equi'' from [[Streptococcus zooepidemicus|''S. zooepidemicus'']] and [[Streptococcus equisimilis|''S. equisimilis'']] as the last two are commensals of the upper respiratory tract. PCR can be used to detect asymptomatic carriers.

History and clinical signs are presumptive. Deep nasopharyngeal swabs, a sample of abscess content or guttural pouch washings should be taken and sent off for culture. If present, you will see mucoid colonies with beta-haemolysis. Sugar fermentation allows differentiation of ''S. equi'' from [[Streptococcus zooepidemicus|''S. zooepidemicus'']] and [[Streptococcus equisimilis|''S. equisimilis'']] as the last two are commensals of the upper respiratory tract. PCR can be used to detect asymptomatic carriers.

Endoscopy of the guttural pouch can be performed and samples taken to detect disease in here as this is more difficult to destroy and therefore stronger antibiotics need to be prescribed.

To diagnose carrier animals, either three swabs from the nasopharynx taken one week apart or a single guttural pouch washing are needed. This picks up the majority of carrier animals, but not all of them.  

== Treatment and Control ==

It should be noted that horses treated with penecillin will not develop immunity to Strangles and are therefore susceptible to the disease if re-exposed.

In the case of an outbreak, '''penicillin''' should be administered to the affected animal and to in-contact animals. If abcesses are already present antibiotics should not be administered as this is shown to slow the recovery. Instead abcesses should be hot-packed

Animals with abdominal abscesses (Bastard Strangles) require long term antibiotic therapy (up to 6 weeks). Horses presenting with purpura haemorrhagica have a guarded prognosis and require treatment with penecillin, immunosupressive doses of steroids and analgesics.  

Isolation of affected animals is required immediately. The yard needs to be shut and no animals are allowed in or out. Strict control needs to be enforced on all personnel in the yard and them made aware they are not to visit another horse or take their vehicle to other yards. Disinfection of all tack, stables, vehicles, boots and any other equipment that has come into contact with infected animals need to be performed. Water troughs should be emptied and disinfected regularly to reduce the expose of in-contact horses to the pathogens. Before horses are taken out of isolation they should have tested for the presence of infection, so that asymptomatic carrier animals are identified.   

Guttural pouch empyema is treated by lavage and/or surgical drainage.   

Control measures to prevent the disease includes quarantine of all in-coming animals. It is important to try to reduce stress on the yard or within groups of horses turned out together and it is necessary to avoid overcrowding and mixing different age groups.

==Control==

Immunity occurs in animals that have been infected, however it is short-lived.  

Isolation of affected animals is required immediately. The yard needs to be shut and no animals are allowed in or out. Strict control needs to be enforced on all personnel in the yard and them made aware they are not to visit another horse or take their vehicle to other yards. Disinfection of all tack, stables, vehicles, boots and any other equipment that has come into contact with infected animals need to be performed. Water troughs should be emptied and disinfected regularly to reduce the expose of in-contact horses to the pathogens. Before horses are taken out of isolation a negative culture from three consecutive swabs of the nasopharynx (each taken one week apart) or a single guttural pouch washing are needed to confirm freedom for disease.  

== References ==

== References ==

Brown, C.M, Bertone, J.J. (2002) '''The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult- Equine''', ''Lippincott, Williams &amp''; Wilkin

Brown, C.M, Bertone, J.J. (2002) '''The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult - Equine''', ''Lippincott, Williams &amp''; Wilkin

 

Knottenbelt, D.C. '''A Handbook of Equine Medicine for Final Year Students''' University of Liverpool

Knottenbelt, D.C. '''A Handbook of Equine Medicine for Final Year Students''' ''University of Liverpool''

[[Category:Respiratory_Bacterial_Infections]] [[Category:Respiratory_Diseases_-_Horse]] [[Category:Expert_Review]]

[[Category:Respiratory_Bacterial_Infections]] [[Category:Respiratory_Diseases_-_Horse]] [[Category:Expert_Review]]

[[Category:Streptococcus species]][[Category:Horse Bacteria]]

[[Category:Streptococcus species]][[Category:Horse Bacteria]]

[[Category: To Do - Siobhan Brade]]

[[Category: To Do - Siobhan Brade]]