Anemia is seen clinically as ______________ , exercise intolerance, dyspnea, pale mucous membranes, heart palpitations, muscular weakness and anorexia. Diagnosis is made through blood analysis showing decreased amounts of circulating haemoglobin. Treatment includes the treatment of the underlying cause such as the supplementation of iron, treatment of the infection and the prevention of haemorrhage during exercise.
Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)
Equine infectious anemia is a viral infection that causes the _____________ of blood cells.
The equine infectious anemia virus is a lenti-retrovirus , meaning that the viral genetic material is in an ___________ format instead of the more common and more treatable DNA format. The transmission of the equine infectious anemia virus is through biting arthropods such as horse flies and deer flies, as well as through the re-use of needles or other surgical equipment. Once in the blood stream, the virus infects _______________. It travels inside the macrophages to the spleen, the liver, the kidneys and to the lymph nodes, where the virus replicates inside the tissues. This phase of viral replication is sub-clinical, meaning that the animal has no signs of disease. After the phase of viral replication, the virus infects the cells of the blood, causing the immune system to attack the blood cells, resulting in haemolytic anemia and inflammation of the affected tissues. Equine infectious anemia exhibits three clinical presentations: the ________________ attack, the ____________ clinical individual and the sub-clinical . During an acute attack there is a very high concentration of circulating virus, making the horse very contagious during this time. The horse will exhibit pyrexia, anorexia, depression, ventral edema, edema of the distal limb, muscular wasting, muscle weakness and icterus. The chronic presentation involves cycles of acute disease, followed by a period of sub- clinical infection. Chronic individuals have a blood virus concentration that varies with the severity of the clinical signs and symptoms. Generally, the sub-clinical phase lasts around fourteen days, and the acute episodes are less severe than in an acute individual. During acute phases the blood viral content is high, while during sub-clinical phases it is low. These animals are shown to be as contagious as an acutely affected individual. A sub-clinical carrier is an animal that is infected with equine infectious anemia virus, though it shows no signs of disease. The blood viral content is low in a sub-clinical carrier, making this type of individual less contagious.
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