FYI. Heads-up for those in the area. Tick control is
critical. There is no vaccine but the disease is treatable. Horses
are quarantined and it is a reportable disease. Always something to worry
about.
From: promed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Reply-to:
promedNOREPLY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To:
promed-ahead-edr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: 10/30/2009 10:28:43 A.M. Eastern
Daylight Time Subj: PRO/AH/EDR> Equine piroplasmosis - USA (08): (TX)
alert
EQUINE PIROPLASMOSIS - USA (08): (TEXAS)
ALERT ********************************************** A ProMED-mail
post <http://www.promedmail.org> ProMED-mail is a program of
the International Society for Infectious
Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
Date: Tue 27 Oct
2009 Source: KALB-TV
[edited] <http://www.cenlamedia.com/alb/index.php/site/article/louisiana-horse-owners-advised-to-be-on-the-alert/>
Louisiana
horse owners advised to be on the
alert ------------------------------------------------- Horse owners,
beware. Agriculture and Forestry commissioner Mike Strain says a
tick-borne disease has shown up in Texas and that horse owners in
Louisiana should be on the alert.
The disease is called equine
piroplasmosis, or EP for short. It's a tick-borne disease caused by
microscopic parasites of the red blood cells. Texas animal health
officials say 101 horses at a ranch in Kleberg County, Texas, have
tested positive for EP. The ranch is near Corpus Christi.
EP
symptoms include weakness, loss of appetite, fever, anemia,
jaundiced mucous membranes, swollen abdomen and labored
breathing.
[Readers are
encouraged to see ProMED-mail post 20091021.3617 for information
about the disease.
Ectoparasites are responsible for a number of
different diseases and over the years have become resistant to many
pesticides. This disease and the tick that caries it are one such
example. It behooves everyone with animals to be on the look out for
ticks. Ticks like certain places, such as ears, tails, heads,
genital regions, mid belly, and mid back. Those are places an animal
has a hard time scratching but is easy for a tick to get a blood
meal. There are other places where ticks can be found, but these are
often good areas to start a search. Remember, ticks can be tiny so
look carefully. - Mod.TG]
[The states of Texas and Louisiana can be
located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the US
at <http://healthmap.org/r/00Yf>. Kleberg County in southeast
Texas can be seen on the map
at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleberg_County,_Texas>. -
Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]
[see also: Equine piroplasmosis - USA (07): (TX)
20091024.3675 Equine piroplasmosis - USA (06): (TX) OIE
20091022.3631 Equine piroplasmosis - USA (05): (TX)
20091021.3617] ........................................sb/tg/mj/jw *##########################################################*
