Military medicine2026; 191(Supplement_1); 16-21; doi: 10.1093/milmed/usaf625

Risk Factors for Disease in Military Working Equines.

LaDouceur, E
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Raynor, K
·
Chilcoat, C
·
Crawford, J
·
Heitz, E

Abstract: Diseases can impact Military Working Equids (MWEs) readiness and limit days in service. The objectives of this study are to categorize diseases in MWEs and evaluate potential risk factors for disease. Methods: Pathology reports from MWEs from 2005 to 2025 were retrieved from the Joint Pathology Center archives. Disease processes with ≥5 cases were evaluated for potential risk factors, including MWE breed, sex, neuter status, geographic location, and age at sampling. Results: Diagnoses included inflammation (n = 30), neoplasia/proliferation (n = 24), within normal limits (n = 12), trauma (n = 3), atrophy (n = 1), and necrosis (n = 1); 2 cases had 2 diagnoses each. Inflammation was most common in the skin (n = 19). The most common neoplastic diagnoses were sarcoid (n = 8) and melanocytic neoplasia (n = 5). Mustangs had nearly 8 times the odds of developing infection than other MWE breeds (odds ratio [OR]: 7.85, 95% CI, 1.50-41.10, P < .05) and more than 8 times the odds of developing bacterial infections (OR: 8.10, 95% CI, 1.20-54.82, P < .05), though this may have been an artifact of the relatively low sample size in this study. Military Working Equids from Fort Carson had 81.33 times the odds of developing melanocytic neoplasia than MWEs from other locations (95% CI, 6.82-970.22, P < .05); Fort Carson is at a high elevation, raising the possibility of UV-induced melanocytic neoplasia. Conclusions: The Joint Pathology Center is the only Department of Defense (DoD) pathology laboratory and maintains a repository capturing over 100 years of data. Future studies with larger sample sizes may yield stronger statistical associations and identify additional risk factors for diseases in MWEs.

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2026.

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Publication Date: 2026-08-06 PubMed ID: 42560202DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usaf625Google Scholar: Lookup

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Risk factors influencing diseases in Military Working Equids (MWEs) were studied by analyzing pathology reports from 2005 to 2025 to identify common diseases and evaluate breed, sex, location, and age as potential contributors.

Study Objective and Background

The research aimed to categorize diseases occurring in MWEs and assess various risk factors contributing to these diseases.
Understanding disease prevalence and risk factors is critical because diseases affect MWE readiness and reduce active service days.
The study used pathology records spanning two decades, providing a longitudinal perspective on disease patterns in MWEs.

Methods

Pathology reports were collected from the Joint Pathology Center archives, covering cases from 2005 to 2025.
Disease processes with five or more cases were included for analysis to ensure meaningful evaluation.
Potential risk factors analyzed included MWE breed, sex, neuter status, geographic location, and age at sampling.
The researchers performed statistical analyses to calculate odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) to identify significant associations between risk factors and diseases.

Results: Disease Categories and Frequency

Diseases were grouped primarily into inflammation, neoplasia/proliferation, trauma, atrophy, necrosis, and some cases with no abnormality detected.
Inflammation was the most common diagnosis, especially affecting the skin (19 cases).
Neoplastic cases mainly consisted of sarcoid tumors (8 cases) and melanocytic neoplasia (5 cases).
Two cases had dual diagnoses, indicating co-occurrence of different pathological conditions.

Key Risk Factor Findings

Breed: Mustangs showed significantly higher risk of infections:
- About 7.85 times higher odds of any infection compared to other breeds.
- Over 8 times higher odds specifically for bacterial infections.
- Note: This finding may be influenced by the relatively small sample size, which could affect reliability.
Geographic Location: MWEs from Fort Carson had dramatically increased odds (81.33x) of developing melanocytic neoplasia compared to other locations.
- Fort Carson’s high elevation was noted as a possible factor, potentially due to increased UV exposure leading to pigment-related tumors.

Conclusions and Implications

The Joint Pathology Center plays a unique role as the sole Department of Defense pathology lab with a comprehensive repository of over 100 years of data, facilitating such analyses.
Current sample sizes limit the strength and generalizability of some statistical associations found in this study.
Future research with larger populations of MWEs is needed to confirm identified risk factors and uncover new ones.
Improved understanding of risk factors can support targeted prevention and treatment strategies to maintain MWE health and operational readiness.

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APA

LaDouceur E, Raynor K, Chilcoat C, Crawford J, Heitz E. (2026). Risk Factors for Disease in Military Working Equines. Mil Med, 191(Supplement_1), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaf625