Guttural pouch mycosis in two horses.

This research paper discusses two cases of horses suffering from guttural pouch mycosis, a fungal infection in the guttural pouch of the horses. One horse managed to slowly recover with medical treatment, while the other was euthanized for further examination, which suggested the presence of a fungus similar to an Aspergillus species.

Introduction to Guttural Pouch Mycosis

The research article starts off by providing a background on guttural pouch mycosis, a fungal infection that affects the guttural pouches in horses. The guttural pouch is a large air-filled pocket located on the side of a horse’s neck, and an infection in it could potentially cause serious health issues. Mycosis refers to the infection being caused by a fungus.

Common Symptoms

• The initial symptoms discovered in both horses were extreme spontaneous nasal hemorrhage (nosebleeding) and partial pharyngeal paralysis (partial paralysis of the throat).
• Later, food-containing bilateral (affecting both nostrils) nasal discharge, the inability to drink, and parotid (a major salivary gland) pain manifested.

Treatment and Outcome

The paper reveals two different outcomes:

• One horse was able to gradually recover after being subjected to conservative medical treatment that aimed to manage the symptoms of the infection rather than trying to completely eradicate the fungus.
• The second case had to be euthanized, and then was submitted for post-mortem, histopathological (the study of changes in tissues caused by the disease), and microbiological examinations.

Findings from Examination

The examination carried out on the euthanized horse could not pinpoint the exact cause of the lesion. However, it was found that the later stages of the condition were certainly associated with an invasive septate fungus that morphologically resembled Aspergillus – a genus of molds known to cause respiratory disease in animals and humans. It keeps the door open for future research, particularly aimed at the initiating factors for such lesions and deployment of preventive measures.