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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Rec / Clinical signs of West Nile virus encephalomyelitis in horse...
The Veterinary record2002; 151(2); 47-49; doi: 10.1136/vr.151.2.47

Clinical signs of West Nile virus encephalomyelitis in horses during the outbreak in Israel in 2000.

Abstract: Between August and October 2000, 76 horses were reported by veterinary practitioners as having signs of a neurological disorder, varying from an involvement of the spinal cord alone to the entire central nervous system; 15 of the horses died or were euthanased as a result of their grave prognosis or secondary complications. At the same time, an outbreak of West Nile virus infection affected people and birds, principally domestic geese. West Nile virus was isolated from four of the horses with encephalomyelitis and five other horses seroconverted, indicating that the virus was the probable cause of the outbreak in horses. Three of the cases from which the virus was isolated are described briefly and one case is described in detail. This horse behaved abnormally and had general proprioceptive deficits in all four limbs. Its neurological condition deteriorated after two days and severe inspiratory dyspnoea due to a failure to abduct the arytenoids necessitated a tracheostomy. It died on the fourth day and histological lesions were observed in the brain stem and grey matter of the spinal cord.
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Publication Date: 2002-08-01 PubMed ID: 12148602DOI: 10.1136/vr.151.2.47Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research describes the outbreak of West Nile virus in horses in Israel in the year 2000 and its symptoms. The virus was identified as the cause of neurological disorders in the animals, resulting in severe health complications and death in some instances.

Overview of the Research

  • The paper revolves around an outbreak that was recorded in Israel between August and October 2000. The focus here was on the impact and severity of the outbreak among horses. 76 horses were reported to show signs of neurological disorders during the period.
  • The disorders had differing degrees of severity, ranging from minor to major involvement of the central nervous system. A total of fifteen horses either died as a direct result of the disorder or had to be euthanized due to the disease’s prognosis and related complications.

Outbreak among Other Species

  • Besides the horses, the outbreak also affected humans and birds. Most notably among birds, the domestic geese were significantly affected.

Identification of West Nile Virus

  • The West Nile virus was isolated from four horses that had encephalomyelitis, thus establishing it as the potential cause of the outbreak among the horses. Besides these four, five other horses were also noted to have seroconverted, further supporting the claim of the West Nile virus being the causative agent.

Case Studies

  • The researchers provide detailed insights into the life of one of the horses affected by the virus. This particular horse displayed abnormal behavior and developed proprioceptive deficits in all four limbs.
  • The condition of the horse grew worse after two days as it developed severe inspiratory dyspnea due to the failure of arytenoids abduction, leading to the performance of tracheostomy on the horse.
  • The horse ultimately succumbed to the infection on day four. Postmortem examinations showed noticeable histological lesions within the brain stem and grey matter of the horse’s spinal cord.

Cite This Article

APA
Steinman A, Banet C, Sutton GA, Yadin H, Hadar S, Brill A. (2002). Clinical signs of West Nile virus encephalomyelitis in horses during the outbreak in Israel in 2000. Vet Rec, 151(2), 47-49. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.151.2.47

Publication

The Veterinary record
ISSN: 0042-4900
NlmUniqueID: 0031164
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 151
Issue: 2
Pages: 47-49

Researcher Affiliations

Steinman, A
  • School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
Banet, C
    Sutton, G A
      Yadin, H
        Hadar, S
          Brill, A

            MeSH Terms

            • Animals
            • Diagnosis, Differential
            • Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
            • Dyspnea / etiology
            • Dyspnea / veterinary
            • Encephalomyelitis / pathology
            • Encephalomyelitis / veterinary
            • Encephalomyelitis / virology
            • Horse Diseases / pathology
            • Horse Diseases / virology
            • Horses
            • Israel / epidemiology
            • Male
            • West Nile Fever / pathology
            • West Nile Fever / veterinary
            • West Nile virus / isolation & purification
            • West Nile virus / pathogenicity

            Citations

            This article has been cited 17 times.
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