The disease is endemic in countries that border the
and parts of Asia,
Africa & Russia. Horses under the age of 6 are more susceptible.
Signs & symptoms include pain, fever, swelling and cutaneous nodules forming along lymph vessels that ulcerate and erupt with a thick creamy white purulent matter and can spread. Cording of limbs occur. Neighbouring lymph nodes can become hard and swollen and nasal discharge can be seen with horses whose lymph nodes under the jaw are affected. Lesion can be seen most notably on the limbs and neck but also can appear within the eyes, nose & lungs. Secondary bacterial infections may occur. Diagnosis and treatment are the same as ulcerative lymphangitis although it needs to be differentiated. Zoonotic lymphangitis is untreatable and fatal past the acute stage resulting in a very poor prognosis.
is available in endemic areas. Prevention is good hygiene and isolation.
Lymphedema
Similar to edema, lymphedema is a disease that is seen more commonly in horses recently. It is caused by an inability of the lymphatic system to adequately remove fluid, waste products and plasma proteins from the tissues resulting in congestion & fibrosis of surrounding tissues. Lymphedema is categorized in 2 ways: primary & secondary. Primary develops when a horse is born with lymphatic problems. It may be latent, meaning the horses remains subclinical until later in life. Secondary is . Generally, it develops after a horse has had lymphangitis or chronic inflammation such as pastern dermatitis. Again, it can be latent. The accumulation of fluid in the tissues is due to an obstruction to flow in the lymphatic vessels or nodes. Common causes of obstructions include hyperplasia or hypoplasia of vessels or nodes due to trauma, inflammation or cancer. Obstruction can also result due to compression of the vessels or nodes for various reasons.
The breed predisposition for lymphedema is
horses.
Lymphedema is accompanied by chronic inflammation. It usually appears in the hind limbs first. It is seen as swelling in the cutaneous & subcutaneous tissues that starts distally and moves proximally. Initially lymphedema is seen as a soft swelling that pits with pressure. No pain is associated at this stage. Chronically we see resulting in obstruction and damage of the lymphatic & blood vessels. The skin becomes fragile and may lose hair, develop cracks or open sores which ooze fluid called “lymphorrhea”. This increases risk of infection. This stage is painful and surrounding structures become obscured with the increased amount of swelling, which often becomes hard. ROM and movement are also decreased due to the increase in pain & swelling. Lameness is seen with chronic and severe cases.
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