NEWS
Equine leptospirosis cases rise in Central Kentucky
Posted: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 9:41 PM
Forty cases of equine leptospirosis have been confirmed this season in Central Kentucky compared with only two confirmed cases at this time last year.
The University of Kentucky’s Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) said a majority of the cases have resulted in foal loss by pregnant mares.
Equine leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that affects many species, including horses and people, is caused from bacteria found in the urine of wild animals, including mice, squirrels, fox, skunks, possums, and deer. Other domestic species such as cattle, dogs, and pigs can also be a source of infection.
Horses become infected when bacteria enter through the skin or mucosal membranes of the eyes or mouth by contact with blood, urine, or tissues from infected animals. This infection can also occur when horses splash infected urine into their eyes or eat hay or feed contaminated by infected urine.
Although rare, Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animal to human.
Once infected, horses may experience fever, loss of appetite, and listlessness. An infected horse’s eyes become a source of pain and often are characterized by swelling, squinting, blinking, cloudiness, and tearing. Pregnant mares may lose their foals late in gestation and adult horses can die of liver and/or kidney failure.
The LDDC advises consultation with a veterinarian if any of these symptoms occur. Equine leptospirosis is detected by testing blood and urine. No vaccines are available for horses.
The LDDC advises owners to help prevent the disease by keeping wildlife out of areas where horses eat and live, and by eliminating access to stagnant water that might be contaminated with cattle urine.
