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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Diagn Invest / Coccidioidomycosis in 26 horses in California, USA: case ser...
Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc2022; 34(6); 995-999; doi: 10.1177/10406387221114622

Coccidioidomycosis in 26 horses in California, USA: case series and review of the literature.

Abstract: Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease caused by or . We searched the records of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory from 1990 through 2020 for cases of coccidioidomycosis in horses. The selection criteria for these cases were: 1) live-born horses submitted for autopsy, and 2) a diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis was established, regardless of cause of death. During that time, 19,054 horses were received, and 26 cases (0.14%) of coccidioidomycosis were diagnosed in horses, of which 19 (73%) cases had pneumonia and/or pleuritis with or without lesions in other organs, and 7 (27%) cases had lesions only in organs other than the lungs (nasal mucosa, spleen, thoracic lymph nodes, heart, pericardial sac, liver, kidney, mediastinum, and/or mesentery). Pneumonia was diagnosed as the cause of death in 1,838 (9.64%) of the horses received; spp. was the cause of pneumonia in 19 (1.0%) of these animals. Horses have been reported to have low susceptibility to coccidioidomycosis, and the severity and chronicity of the disease can be variable. Lesions in our cases consisted of multifocal-to-coalescing pyogranulomas with intralesional fungal spherules. Coccidioidomycosis must be considered a differential diagnosis in cases of persistent cough, chronic weight loss, fever, and cases with a travel history to, or living in, a region considered endemic for coccidioidomycosis. spp. infection should also be considered when pyogranulomatous inflammation is found within lung, spleen, nasal mucosa, and lymph nodes of horses.
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Publication Date: 2022-07-25 PubMed ID: 35879871PubMed Central: PMC9597331DOI: 10.1177/10406387221114622Google 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 article presents an analysis of case records to identify and examine instances of coccidioidomycosis, a fungal disease in horses, in California over a span of three decades (1990-2020). The objective is to better understand the manifestation and impact of the disease on this animal population.

Methodology and Selection Criteria

  • The researchers performed a historical study by examining case records from the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory for the years between 1990 to 2020.
  • The selection criteria for the horses included in the study were: horses that were live-born and submitted for autopsy, and horses that were diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis, irrespective of the cause of death.

Key Findings

  • Out of a total of 19,054 horse records reviewed, 26 cases or 0.14 % were diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis.
  • Of these 26 cases, 19 (73%) cases had pneumonia and/or pleuritis with or without lesions in other organs.
  • The remaining 7 cases (27%) had lesions solely in other organs and not the lungs. These organs include the nasal mucosa, spleen, lymph nodes in the thoracic area, heart, a sac that surrounds the heart (pericardium), liver, kidney, region between the lungs (mediastinum), and/or mesentery (folds of tissue in the abdomen).
  • It was found that horses have low susceptibility to coccidioidomycosis, with variations in severity and chronicity of the disease.

Conclusion

  • The study concludes with a suggestion that coccidioidomycosis should be considered as a possible cause in cases of persistent cough, chronic weight loss, fever, and instances where the horse has a travel history or resides in an area recognized as an endemic region for coccidioidomycosis.
  • The suggestion extends to consider coccidioidomycosis in cases where pyogranulomatous inflammation is detected within the lung, spleen, nasal mucosa, and lymph nodes of horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Macías-Rioseco M, Sheley M, Ochoa J, Carvallo-Chaigneau FR, Uzal FA. (2022). Coccidioidomycosis in 26 horses in California, USA: case series and review of the literature. J Vet Diagn Invest, 34(6), 995-999. https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387221114622

Publication

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
ISSN: 1943-4936
NlmUniqueID: 9011490
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 34
Issue: 6
Pages: 995-999

Researcher Affiliations

Macías-Rioseco, Melissa
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, Tulare.
Sheley, Matthew
  • Eastern VetPath, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Ochoa, Jennine
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, Tulare.
Carvallo-Chaigneau, Francisco R
  • Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Uzal, Francisco A
  • San Bernardino Laboratories, and School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Coccidioidomycosis / diagnosis
  • Coccidioidomycosis / epidemiology
  • Coccidioidomycosis / veterinary
  • Lung / pathology
  • Granuloma / veterinary
  • California / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / pathology

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Waitt Wolker LH, Black A, Lee JK. Dermatitis, cellulitis, and osteomyelitis caused by Aspergillus nidulans in a horse with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. J Vet Diagn Invest 2024 Mar;36(2):248-253.
    doi: 10.1177/10406387241226942pubmed: 38462742google scholar: lookup
  2. Moni BM, Wise BL, Loots GG, Weilhammer DR. Coccidioidomycosis Osteoarticular Dissemination. J Fungi (Basel) 2023 Oct 11;9(10).
    doi: 10.3390/jof9101002pubmed: 37888258google scholar: lookup
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