Prevention is to keep horses from exposure to wet, boggy, swamp areas or stagnant waters.
Cutaneous Habronemiasis (Swamp Cancer, Summer sores) Cutaneous habronemiasis is an equine eosinophilic granuloma disorder, characterized as a parasitic skin infection.
It is a hypersensitivity reaction caused by the
of the Habronemia megastoma species.
Transmission is the stable & horse flies.
The larva is deposited into skin wounds, bug bites and moist areas of the skin such as the medial canthus of the eye, the lips, the genital region and the lower limbs. Once in the skin the larvae trigger an inflammatory reaction.
Cutaneous habronemiasis usually occurs in horses that are mature and in those living in wet or swampy areas during the summer/fly season.
The lesions seen with cutaneous habronemiasis start as pruritic nodules and papules which grow rapidly. As the lesions mature, they become granular and eventually become exuberant tissue. Like proud flesh, the granulomas seen with cutaneous habronemiasis are quite friable and ulcerate and bleed easily. A yellow gritty necrotic core may be seen at the centre of some ulcerated lesions. The larvae migrate inside the skin causing the granulation reaction to spread.
Lesions usually appear with warm weather and spontaneously regress with the onset of . By the end of winter most lesions are completely gone.
Diagnosis of cutaneous habronemiasis can be made through clinical signs and symptoms or through skin biopsy. Blood analysis will also reveal high levels of IgE.
Treatment is the administration of oral ivermectin three times, ten days apart. Ivermectin is the only type of antihelmintic that is safe at these dosages. Large or poorly placed lesions, or severely ulcerated lesions may be removed by excision or cryosurgery to reduce scarring.
Prognosis is good with proper care. Prevention can be achieved through the use of fly sprays, insecticides, and fly sheets and masks plus wound management.
Cutaneous Papillomatosis
Cutaneous papillomatosis or equine viral papillomatosis is commonly called
.
This disease is a viral infection of the skin caused by the Papovaviridae virus.
The virus enters the skin in areas of pre-existing damage and infects basal cells of the epidermis. Infected cells show hyperplasia, cellular swelling as well as hyperkeratosis and hypomelanosis.
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