[Glanders–a comprehensive review].
Abstract: Since 1990 the number of glanders outbreaks in race, military and pleasure horses in Asia and South America is steadily increasing. Glanders, which is eradicated in Western Europe, Australia and Northern America, is currently considered a re-emerging disease. Consequently, the disease may be introduced into glanders-free regions by subclinical carriers at any time. The causative agent of glanders, Burkholderia (B.) mallei, is highly contagious and leads to chronic disease in horses whereas in donkeys and mules the disease is acute and often fatal. Occurrence of the disease leads to international trading restrictions and infected animals immediately have to be culled and safely disposed off. In humans B. mallei infection results in a severe clinical course, and is fatal without appropriate therapy. Its pathogenicity makes B. mallei a potential biological agent that may be used in bioterroristic attacks. Due to the eradication of glanders in the second half of the last century, veterinarians in western European countries are no longer familiar with its clinical presentation in solipeds. Having these facts in mind, this review describes the epidemiology, clinical signs, pathology and the current eradication strategy of this interesting zoonosis. Pictures of imported endurance horses infected with glanders taken during an eradication campaign in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2004 illustrate most typical clinical findings.
Publication Date: 2006-10-03 PubMed ID: 17009807
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- English Abstract
- Journal Article
- Review
- Biotechnology
- Burkholderia mallei
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Signs
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Glanders
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Pathogenicity
- Public Health
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Science
- Zoonotic Diseases
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.
The research focuses on the re-emergence of glanders, a contagious disease primarily affecting horses, in Asia and South America since 1990. It provides an overview of the epidemiology, clinical signs and pathology of the disease and discusses eradication strategies.
Epidemiology of Glanders
- Despite eradication in Western Europe, Australia, and Northern America, Glanders has seen a resurgence in several Asian and South American regions, predominantly affecting race, military, and pleasure horses.
- The disease is caused by Burkholderia mallei, a highly contagious bacteria. The symptom presentation varies across species; in horses, it usually presents as a chronic disease, but in donkeys and mules, it could become an acute and fatal condition.
Impact of Glanders
- The resurgence of glanders poses significant concerns for international trade; infected animals have to be immediately culled, resulting in economic losses. It also leads to bans or restrictions on trade involving implicated animal populations.
- The bacteria can also infect humans with severe consequences. In the absence of suitable treatment, the infection can be fatal. Owing to the pathogenicity of Burkholderia mallei, it could potentially be utilised for bio-terroristic attacks.
Clinical Signs and Pathology
- Detailed clinical signs and pathology of the disease are discussed. Unfortunately, due to the eradication of glanders in much of Western Europe, many veteran practicians are unfamiliar with its clinical presentation, making early detection challenging.
Eradication Strategy of Glanders
- The research reviews the eradication strategy, emphasising that infected horses need to be identified and safely disposed of to prevent the spread.
- To exemplify the clinical findings, the study includes images of an eradication campaign from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, in 2004 involving endurance horses infected with glanders.
Cite This Article
APA
Wittig MB, Wohlsein P, Hagen RM, Al Dahouk S, Tomaso H, Scholz HC, Nikolaou K, Wernery R, Wernery U, Kinne J, Elschner M, Neubauer H.
(2006).
[Glanders–a comprehensive review].
Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr, 113(9), 323-330.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institut for Mikrobiologie der Bundeswehr, München, Deutschland. 1asheila6z@gmx.net
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bioterrorism
- Burkholderia mallei / pathogenicity
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control
- Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
- Equidae
- Glanders / epidemiology
- Glanders / prevention & control
- Glanders / transmission
- Horses
- Humans
- International Cooperation
- Zoonoses
References
This article includes 45 references
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Moriya JCK, Suniga PAP, Araújo ACL, Santos MG, Rieger JSG, Mantovani C, Jardim R, Silva MR, Araújo FR, Santos LR. Detection of Burkholderia mallei in Microbiological Culture: A Comparative Analysis of PCR Primer Sets. Pathogens 2025 Aug 2;14(8).
- Knox A, Zerna G, Beddoe T. Current and Future Advances in the Detection and Surveillance of Biosecurity-Relevant Equine Bacterial Diseases Using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP). Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 18;13(16).
- Appelt S, Rohleder AM, Jacob D, von Buttlar H, Georgi E, Mueller K, Wernery U, Kinne J, Joseph M, Jose SV, Scholz HC. Genetic diversity and spatial distribution of Burkholderia mallei by core genome-based multilocus sequence typing analysis. PLoS One 2022;17(7):e0270499.
- Wernery U, Chan E, Raghavan R, Teng JLL, Syriac G, Siu SY, Joseph M, Yeung ML, Jia L, Cai JP, Chiu TH, Lau SKP, Woo PCY. Development of a sensitive competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serodiagnosis of Burkholderia mallei, a Tier 1 select agent. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Dec;15(12):e0010007.
- Norris MH, Tran HTT, Walker MA, Bluhm AP, Zincke D, Trung TT, Thi NV, Thi NP, Schweizer HP, Unger F, Blackburn JK, Hang NTT. Distribution of Serological Response to Burkholderia pseudomallei in Swine from Three Provinces of Vietnam. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Jul 18;17(14).
- Norris MH, Khan MSR, Chirakul S, Schweizer HP, Tuanyok A. Outer Membrane Vesicle Vaccines from Biosafe Surrogates Prevent Acute Lethal Glanders in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2018 Jan 10;6(1).
- Malik P, Singha H, Goyal SK, Khurana SK, Tripathi BN, Dutt A, Singh D, Sharma N, Jain S. Incidence of Burkholderia mallei infection among indigenous equines in India. Vet Rec Open 2015;2(2):e000129.
- Wernery U. Zoonoses in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Med J 2014 Dec;35(12):1455-62.
- Scholz HC, Pearson T, Hornstra H, Projahn M, Terzioglu R, Wernery R, Georgi E, Riehm JM, Wagner DM, Keim PS, Joseph M, Johnson B, Kinne J, Jose S, Hepp CM, Witte A, Wernery U. Genotyping of Burkholderia mallei from an outbreak of glanders in Bahrain suggests multiple introduction events. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014 Sep;8(9):e3195.
- Malik P, Khurana SK, Dwivedi SK. Re-emergence of glanders in India - Report of Maharashtra state. Indian J Microbiol 2010 Sep;50(3):345-8.
- Wernery U, Wernery R, Joseph M, Al-Salloom F, Johnson B, Kinne J, Jose S, Jose S, Tappendorf B, Hornstra H, Scholz HC. Natural Burkholderia mallei infection in Dromedary, Bahrain. Emerg Infect Dis 2011 Jul;17(7):1277-9.
- Tomaso H, Scholz HC, Al Dahouk S, Splettstoesser WD, Neubauer H, Pfeffer M, Straube E. [Mission oriented diagnostic real-time PCR]. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2007;119(19-20 Suppl 3):26-32.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
