Strangles in equines: An overview.
Abstract: Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi, is a highly infectious respiratory disease affecting horses and other equines. The disease is economically important and compromises the productivity of equine farm significantly. The disease is characterized by pyrexia, mucopurulent nasal discharge, and abscess formation in the lymph nodes of the head and neck of horses. The disease transmission occurs either directly by coming in contact with infectious exudates or indirectly via fomite transmission. Besides this, carrier animals are the primary and most problematic source of disease infection. The organism not only initiates outbreaks but also makes the control and prevention of the disease difficult. The diagnosis of strangles is best done by isolating and characterizing the bacteria from nasal discharge, pus from abscesses, and lymphoid tissues or by using PCR. ELISA can also be used to detect serum protein M (SeM) antibodies for diagnosis. The most popular treatment for strangles is with penicillin; however, the treatment is affected by the stage, feature and severity of the disease. Prevention and control of strangles can be achieved through vaccination and good hygiene practices. Basically, this review describes the global prevalence of S. equi, as well as general aspects of the disease, like pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, control and management of the disease.
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2023-03-15 PubMed ID: 36924902DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106070Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article provides an overview of a highly infectious respiratory disease in horses and other equines called Strangles, caused by the Streptococcus equi subspecies equi bacteria. It discusses the disease, its symptoms, spread, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as the global prevalence and management of this condition.
Disease Description
- Strangles is a highly infectious respiratory disease that profoundly affects horses and other equines. It imposes a significant economic burden on equine farms due to its impact on productivity.
- The disease manifests as a fever, nasal discharges of mucopurulent nature, and the formation of abscesses in horses’ head and neck lymph nodes.
Disease Transmission
- The disease spreads either directly, through contact with contagious exudates, or indirectly through fomites. In this context, fomites are objects or materials likely to carry infections.
- Carriers are the leading and most challenging source of infection, as the bacteria they carry can not only trigger outbreaks but also hinder disease prevention and control.
Disease Diagnosis
- The optimal method for diagnosing strangles is by isolating and identifying the S. equi bacteria from nasal discharges or pus from abscesses or lymphoid tissues.
- Diagnostic methods could also include PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), which allows for the detection of the presence of the bacteria’s DNA. The ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) procedure can also detect serum protein M (SeM) antibodies, which indicates the presence of the disease.
Treatment
- The most common treatment for strangles is penicillin. However, the success of the treatment can be influenced by the stage, feature, and severity of the disease when the treatment starts.
Prevention and Control
- Strangles can be best prevented through vaccination and proper hygiene practices that prevent the spread of the bacteria.
- Management of the disease involves understanding the global prevalence of S. equi and tricks to control and prevent disease outbreak.
Cite This Article
APA
Chhabra D, Bhatia T, Goutam U, Manuja A, Kumar B.
(2023).
Strangles in equines: An overview.
Microb Pathog, 178, 106070.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106070 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, 125001, India.
- ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, 125001, India.
- Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.
- ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, 125001, India. Electronic address: amanuja@rediffmail.com.
- ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, 125001, India. Electronic address: bmanuja.nrce@gmail.com.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Streptococcal Infections / diagnosis
- Streptococcal Infections / epidemiology
- Streptococcal Infections / veterinary
- Streptococcus equi / genetics
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Lymphadenitis
- Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control
- Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Righetti F, Hentrich K, Flock M, Frosth S, Jacobsson K, Bjerketorp J, Pathak A, Ido N, Henriques-Normark B, Frykberg L, Paillot R, Guss B, Wood T, Flock JI, Waller AS. Neutralisation of the Immunoglobulin-Cleaving Activity of Streptococcus equi Subspecies equi IdeE by Blood Sera from Ponies Vaccinated with a Multicomponent Protein Vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2025 Oct 17;13(10).
- Veiga RF, Clarindo LN, Fensterseifer AL, Pompelli LH, Sfaciotte RAP, Schwarz DGG, Eloy LR, Ferraz SM. Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus equi isolated from horses in Santa Catarina state, Southern Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 2024 Dec;55(4):4147-4155.
- Soliman R, Yousef M, Gelil SA, Aboul-Ella H. Development of novel Streptococcus equi vaccines with an assessment of their immunizing potentials and protective efficacies. BMC Vet Res 2024 May 3;20(1):173.
- Emiru AY, Regassa F, Endebu Duguma B, Kassaye A, Desyebelew B. Invitro antibacterial activity of bark, leaf and root extracts of combretum molle plant against streptococcus equi isolated from clinical cases of strangles in donkeys and horses. BMC Vet Res 2024 Mar 13;20(1):102.
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