Clinical observations on equine phycomycosis.

The research article documents a clinical study conducted in northern Australia on equine phycomycosis, a type of fungal infection affecting horses. The study identified three specific forms of the infection and observed their occurrence patterns in relation to weather conditions and regions.

Overview of the Study

• The study focused on observing the clinical occurrence of the three specific strains of equine phycomycosis: hyphomycosis, basidiobolomycosis, and entomophthoramycosis.
• Out of 266 cases diagnosed in five different laboratories, hyphomycosis was found to be the most common, accounting for 76.7% of the infections.
• The other two types of infection, basidiobolomycosis and entomophthoramycosis constituted 18.0% and 5.3% of the cases respectively.

Seasonal Occurrence

• Most cases of hyphomycosis were observed between March and July, after the monsoonal wet summer but were calculated based on clinical histories to originate in the wet season between November and May.
• Theres was no specific seasonal pattern found for the occurrence of basidiobolomycosis and entomophthoramycosis.
• All these conditions occurred in horses in similar tropical regions of Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Infection Characteristics

• The study found no breed, sex, or age predisposition for these fungal diseases. However, there were notable differences among the three in terms of infection site, appearance, and lesion size.
• Hyphomycosis presented as a kind of ulcerative granuloma with characteristic ‘coral-like’ formations, commonly seen on the horse’s legs, chest, and abdomen – places where swamp water contact was evident.
• Basidiobolomycosis was similar in appearance to hyphomycosis but was mostly found on lateral parts of the trunk and face – where soil contact could be expected.
• Distinctly, all lesions of entomophthoramycosis were located in the nasal region suggesting airborne transmission of the fungus leading to infection.