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A new surveillance system has been launched to understand the prevalence of Strangles in British horses.
A year in development, the Equine Equine Surveillance Project (ESS) provides vital information to help veterinarians and horse owners understand where outbreaks occur, how strangles spread and reduce the impact of this disease extremely contagious.
The project was launched by the Animal Health Trust (AHT), in collaboration with the Universities of Liverpool and Melbourne, and was made possible through funding from the Horse Trust.
Strangles is a bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract in horses. It was reported for the first time 750 years ago. There are still cases and outbreaks of strangles worldwide. Horses with this condition typically develop fever, runny nose, and abscess in the submaxillary and retropharyngeal lymph nodes. The healing usually takes 4 to 6 weeks. But some horses that seem to recover may remain persistently infected. These seemingly healthy horses carry and transmit the infection to other horses in a yard or when they move around the country, generating new outbreaks.
In addition to the health consequences of strangles, epidemics are expensive for homeowners. A better knowledge of where outbreaks occur and how Strangles was spreading among horse populations would allow veterinarians and owners to introduce measures to reduce the spread of the disease. The Surveillance of Equine Strangles project allows diagnostic laboratories in the United Kingdom to report positive diagnoses of Streptococcus equi, the bacterium responsible for Strangles infections), providing a picture of the extent of the disease in the British horse population.
In 2018, the project gathered new information on how veterinarians diagnose strangles. 284 were declared positive Streptococcus equi diagnoses from samples submitted by 108 veterinary practices in the UK. By mapping this information, Strangles hot spots have been identified in Staffordshire, Northumberland and Hertfordshire. Fifty-six percent of the diagnoses came from veterinarians sampling horses clinically ill or directly suspected of strangulation. However, 34% of positive samples were taken from healthy, outdoor, bearing horses that were detected after infection or tested positive for Strangles (iELISA). By identifying and treating these carrier horses, veterinarians are able to "break the choke" by preventing new outbreaks that could affect many more horses. The other results are shown in the graph below.
Horse Trust Executive Director Jeanette Allen said the trust has been funding Strangles research for the Animal Health Trust for several years.
"This partnership continues the fight against this disease. Allowing veterinarians and horse owners to better understand where the risks of infection are highest and to help scientists understand how the disease spreads across the UK are the two main products of the SES.
Strangles is a curable, though very unpleasant disease, and this project will help dispel misinformation and stigmatization and, ultimately, protect Strangles horses. It's something The Horse Trust is extremely proud to be an integral part of, "Allen said.
The Surveillance of Equine Strangles program also receives support from organizations involved in the British equine industry.
Among them, BHS Scotland, and the organization's national director, Helene Mauchlen, said, "Knowledge is power when you're dealing with something as unpleasant as Strangles."
"Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, the prevalence of Strangles does not decrease in the UK. That's why SES is so important. This gives people the confidence to speak openly about the disease, to control and monitor it, thereby contributing to the destruction of stigma, "Mauchlen said.
"Knowing where the outbreaks are will help site owners to be more vigilant in the event of a local outbreak."
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