Pemphigus foliaceus in the horse: a retrospective study of 20 cases.
Abstract: Twenty horses with pemphigus foliaceus were seen over a period of 15 years in a veterinary medical teaching hospital. Breeds seen were seven quarterhorses, five thoroughbreds, three cross-bred horses, two Arabians and one of each of the following: standardbred, Tennessee walker and warmblood. There was no breed, age or sex predisposition. Nine were mares, ten were geldings and one was a stallion. Ages ranged from 2.5 months to 25 years, with a mean of 8.6 years. Sixteen (80%) of the pemphigus foliaceus horses first exhibited signs between September and February. There was a statistically significant more common occurrence of pemphigus foliaceus during those months. Signs in the four other horses were first noted in March, May or June. Three of those horses were < 13 months of age. Oedema (14/20) and crusts (13/20) were the most common lesions. Pain was present in 9/20 horses, pruritus in 7/20 and pyrexia in 7/20. Follow-up was available for 13 horses. Five of these horses were euthanased. In three horses the reason for euthanasia was laminitis secondary to treatment. Four horses remained lesion-free after medication was discontinued. Two horses required maintenance medication and are doing well at the time of writing.
Publication Date: 2004-12-09 PubMed ID: 15585014DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3164.2004.00423.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Case Reports
- Clinical Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevention
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Mortality
- Retrospective Study
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
Summary
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This research article details a study of 20 horses diagnosed with the skin disease pemphigus foliaceus over a 15-year period. The findings suggest there is no correlation between the horse’s breed, age or sex to the occurrence of this disease, but there was a notable increase in cases between the months of September and February.
Study Sample and Demographics
- From a period of 15 years, the researchers observed 20 horses affected by pemphigus foliaceus.
- The observed horses belonged to various breeds, including quarterhorses, thoroughbreds, cross-bred horses, Arabians, standardbred, Tennessee walker, and warmblood.
- The sample included nine mares, ten geldings and one stallion, reflecting varied sex makeup in the sample.
- The age range of the affected horses spanned from 2.5 months to 25 years, with the average age being around 8.6 years.
Incidence Rates and Correlation with Seasonality
- It was found that the highest prevalence of this disease, involving 16 out of the 20 horses, was detected between the months of September and February.
- Statistically, there was a significant correlation between these months and the occurrence of pemphigus foliaceus in horses.
- In contrast, the remaining four horses began showing symptoms in the months of March, May, or June. Most of these horses were less than 13 months old.
Presenting Symptoms and Follow-up Results
- The most common symptom found in the affected horses included oedema (14 out of 20 cases) and crusts (13 out of 20 cases).
- Other notable symptoms included pain in 9 of the horses, itching in 7, and traumatic fever in 7 cases.
- Follow-up reports were available for 13 of the horses. In these cases, five horses were euthanized, three of which had to be put down due to laminitis resulting from the treatment.
- Four horses showed full recovery, exhibiting no lesions after the discontinuation of their medication.
- Two horses, however, required continued medication and at the time of documentation, were reportedly doing well.
Cite This Article
APA
Vandenabeele SI, White SD, Affolter VK, Kass PH, Ihrke PJ.
(2004).
Pemphigus foliaceus in the horse: a retrospective study of 20 cases.
Vet Dermatol, 15(6), 381-388.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3164.2004.00423.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. s.vandenabeele@ugent.be
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use
- Male
- Pemphigus / drug therapy
- Pemphigus / pathology
- Pemphigus / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Janzen AM, Wiles D, Myers S, Marqués FJ. Pemphigus foliaceus in a juvenile Cashmere goat, and outcome after prednisolone and methylprednisolone therapy. Can Vet J 2011 Dec;52(12):1345-9.
- Lefrançois J, Sauvé F. Overview of the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune skin disorders in horses. Can Vet J 2024 Sep;65(9):964-969.
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