Pigeon Fever in Horses: Manifestations and Complications

Though it has many aliases--including pigeon fever, dryland distemper, and false strangles--and can look gruesome on the surface, a normal infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is relatively easy to treat. Treating an infection that's developed complications, however, is a more challenging task for veterinarians. At the 2011 America College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, held June 15-18 in Denver, Colo., Lutz Goehring, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, assistant professor of equine medicine at Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science, presented on common complications associated with pigeon fever.

Traditionally pigeon fever has been most common in the western United States, but has slowly spread east over the years. An affected horse generally forms external abscesses, particularly in the pectoral area (hence, the name pigeon fever), around the head, and in the udder or sheath areas.

Goehring explained that pigeon fever is typically contracted through skin abrasions or contact with contaminated soil. Insect vectors--such as horn or stable flies--are also common means of passing infection.

Goehring stated that when diagnosing C. pseudotuberculosis infections, veterinarians first try to localize the location of the abscess (if not visible on the horse's body) using a variety of procedures including rectal exam, abdominal tap, auscultation (listening with a stethoscope) of heart and lungs, abdominal or thoracic (chest) ultrasound and/or radiology, needle aspirate with culture and cytology, blood cultures, and specific laboratory and titer testing. Additionally, it's important to rule out other diseases that pose a similar clinical picture and blood profiles, such as Streptococcus equi , equine infectious anemia, lymphoma, or even a foreign body abscess.

In the majority of pigeon fever cases (about 90%), abscesses form externally and fill with a purulent (pus) material. Treatment is relatively easy: Lance and drain the abscess, and practice good hygiene to avoid further infection. Goehring noted that veterinarians and owners should pay special attention to the disposal of the waste material to limit the risk of infecting other horses on a property (the bacterium is very hardy and can survive in soil).

"Use of antimicrobials in the external abscess cases is discouraged," Goehring explained, although veterinarians sometimes administer low doses of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs phenylbutazone (Bute) or flunixin meglumine (Banamine) if the patient appears to be in severe pain.

Treating A Fever - News


Pigeon Fever in Horses: Manifestations and Complications

Though it has many aliases--including pigeon fever, dryland distemper, and false strangles--and can look gruesome on the surface, a normal infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is relatively easy to treat. Treating an infection that's



'Don't use paracetamol for fever'

Institute programme director Dr Kyle Perrin said: "Although there isn't a huge amount of data we would say there's no benefit of treating a fever with paracetamol and there's potential harm in terms of making the illness worse or longer.



Antibiotic Resistance and the Bacterial Arms Race
Antibiotic Resistance and the Bacterial Arms Race

From the late 1890s through the late 1940s, bacterial illnesses like tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, and sepsis were the leading cause of death in the developed world. The discovery of penicillin in 1928, followed by its mass production in the 1940s and



Vitamin D deficiency seen by pair as contributing to Mozart's death

such as influenza or typhoid fever. It could be that the doctors treating Mozart also unwittingly contributed to his death. That's what Dawson believes. “They bled Mozart a lot as one of the treatments for his disease,” he told Sohn.



Little Vampires: Summertime is tick time in Georgia
Little Vampires: Summertime is tick time in Georgia

While tick-borne diseases are relatively uncommon in Georgia, the Georgia Division of Public Health reports 50-80 suspected cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever each year in addition to a few cases of Lyme Disease. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the




Treating Hay Fever

More common in the summer months when the pollen count is at its highest, hay fever is a very common condition suffered by huge numbers of people around the world.

Caused by an allergic reaction to pollen, hay fever can cause several side effects including wheezing, watery eyes, sneezing, runny noses and a sore throat and conditions can differ from relatively mild to very severe.

For the most severe cases, medical doctors advise making use of face masks when going outdoors and avoiding early mornings and evenings when the pollen count is at its highest.

Unlike in years past when there was no cures or allergies treatment options for hay fever, nowadays we have an abundance of treatment options, both over-the-counter and herbal to help keep the condition in check.


Treating A Fever - Bookshelf

Practitioner

Practitioner

... favourable condition for resisting the destructive attacks of the fever, ... method of treating typhoid fever will compare favourably with any other. ...

Selects evidences of a successful method of treating fever and disentery in Bengal

Selects evidences of a successful method of treating fever and disentery in Bengal

SELECT EVIDENCES OF A SUCCESSFUL METHOD OF TREATING FEVERS IN BENGAL, , , % ( Cl2z 7, CASE I. -^uU REED. Age 30, Admitted 1st March 1787. March 1st. ...

Textbook of pediatric infectious diseases

Textbook of pediatric infectious diseases

Treatment of Fever The decision to treat fever symptomatically should be individualized for each patient. In general, there appears to be no compelling ...

JAMA., The Journal of the American Medical Association

JAMA., The Journal of the American Medical Association

I abandoned the symptomatic treatment now advocated by some learned professors and began in 1876 with extreme caution to treat typhoid fever under the same ...

Journal of health and human behavior

Journal of health and human behavior

FACTORS IN PROPHYLAXIS BEHAVIOR IN TREATING RHEUMATIC FEVER: AN ... concept of prophylaxis for rheumatic fever.1 This recommendation is supported by a fund ...

Everyday Report Directory


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