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Released July 1, 2009

BOZEMAN, Mont. – There are about 150,000 horses in Montana, about one-sixth the number of people living in the state. Whether they are used for pleasure riding, racing, ranching or hunting, all of these horses are susceptible to strangles, a disease parallel to strep throat in humans.

"Most horses will get strangles eventually, so it is very critical to find a vaccine," said Benfang Lei, assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Molecular Biology.

Also known as horse distemper, strangles is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacteria Streptococcus equi, which infects the upper respiratory tract of equine species such as horses, mules and zebras. While the disease is rarely fatal (about 5-10 percent in well-managed cases), about 50 percent of horses worldwide that are exposed to strangles get sick.

The infection starts with nasal discharge and fever, and leads to swelling of lymph nodes under the horse's jowls and throat. The swelling can interfere with the horse's ability to breathe--hence the name strangles--and be very painful.

Like strep throat, the disease can cause secondary problems such as myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), anemia, an acute case of a chronic skin condition and disease which leads to weight loss and renal failure.

Graduate student Yanchao Ran from Binzhou, China is working on the project with Lei.

"I have special passion for horse disease research since I was born in the year of the horse (based on Chinese astrology)," she said.

"Strangles is one of the most common infectious disease in horses. It causes enormous pain, respiratory difficulty and even death."

"There is a live bacterium-based vaccine commercially-available for this disease, but this project aims to develop protein-based vaccine to prevent strangles," Ran added.

While the live vaccine can reduce the symptoms of strangles, it does not completely prevent it, nor is always safe. Lei hopes to develop a more effective and safe vaccine based on protective antigens-- proteins produced by the strangles bacterium that are critical for allowing the bacterium to cause strangles. Immunization with these proteins prompts the horse's body to produce antibodies that neutralize the functions of these proteins and thus prevent the infection.

Lei is starting his search for the protective antigen by working with mice, which are easier to wrangle and less expensive than horses. First, a protein-based vaccine is injected into the mice. Then, they are infected with strangles (strangles does not naturally occur in mice, but does cause similar infection symptoms when mice are experimentally exposed to it). If the mice are protected from strangles by the vaccine, Lei may have found the protective antigen. The possible vaccine can then be tested on horses.

"Starting this year we will immunize horses and test that they are producing antibodies. If the antibodies are present, the horses shouldn't develop strangles when they are exposed to the disease," Lei said.

There's more to eliminating strangles than finding a protective antigen and developing a vaccine. There also needs to be an immunization method and formulization that is effective in horses. The vaccine will need to be stabilized before the horse community can use it.

"There is a lot of work to be done, but the most important step is to find something that will work, and hopefully we will have a vaccine in a few years," said Lei.

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http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7302

Source: Ben Lei, 406-994-6389, blei@montana.edu

View three video segments on sheltering and evacuating horses during a natural disaster or emergency situation.

When an emergency or natural disaster occurs, horse owners must be prepared to take the necessary precautions. In some circumstances this requires evacuating the area. Texas A&M University developed three video segments on sheltering and evacuating horses during a natural disaster or emergency situation. These videos can now be viewed on eXtension.org/horses.

For more information on disaster preparedness for horse owners, visit the Texas A&M Equine Extension web site.

Video Segments

• Evacuating Horses
• Sheltering Horses During a Natural Disaster
• Tending to Horse Trailers During an Evacuation

Released June 16, 2009

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Horse owners who keep their animals in suburban or even some rural settings may find challenges in handling manure to avoid issues with odor or flies that can strain neighborly relationships. To help them learn strategies for managing and composting manure, a Michigan State University (MSU) Extension program is scheduled for two western Michigan locations in August.

The Equine Manure Management and Compost Production workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will take place Aug. 8 at the MSU Bioeconomy Institute in Holland and Aug. 29 at the Kent County Extension office in Grand Rapids.

The program is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of equine manure management, the use of composting as a manure management practice and equine mortality disposal options.

Participants will see a demonstration of the manure management tools in the Equine Manure Management Planning CD and learn to use the Spartan Composting Optimizer spreadsheet.

Presenter Charles Gould is an MSU Extension educator based in Ottawa County. He will answer questions and clearly explain Michigan Right-to-Farm Act guidelines related to equines, and he’ll discuss the components of manure management systems, including manure collection, transfer, storage, treatment and use.

Participants will come away with an understanding of how to develop a farm-specific manure management plan.

The program has been approved as a Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program Phase I event.

The registration fee is $35 for the first person from each farm and $10 for each additional registrant from the same farm. The registration fee includes lunch, handouts, and one CD and spreadsheet per farm. The registration deadline is July 31.

To register or receive more information, call the Ottawa County MSU Extension office at 616-846-8250. Information is also available at http://www.msue.msu.edu/ottawa (click on the “Nutrient Management” link on the left side of the page).

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http://anrcom.msu.edu/press/060109/061609_equinemanagement.htm

Writer: Laura Probyn, 517-432-1555, ext. 175

Released June 2, 2009

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- When Camie Heleski traveled to Brazil to attend a conference in 2000, she noticed that the horses used to pull carts transporting people throughout the country’s villages appeared frail and their hair looked brittle and dull. The animals also displayed lesions on their bodies where dry sweat would build up under their leather harnesses.

In Brazil, cart horses are used for transporting goods to markets and picking up recyclables from off the streets, such as plastics and metal scraps, to be sold to recycling centers for profit. Cart horses are often used by the members of Brazilian society who can’t afford vehicles.

When Heleski, coordinator of the Michigan State University (MSU) horse management program, returned home from the 2000 conference, she made a commitment to improving the welfare and quality of care for cart horses in Brazil. She formed a research team made up of colleagues and students and, in 2003, she, her major professor, Adroaldo Zanella, and his brother, Ricardo, returned to Brazil to begin formally assessing the treatment of cart horses and conducting one-on-one interviews with horse owners.

Upon closer inspection by Heleski and the research team, many of the horses appeared weak and depressed.

“Owners weren’t providing these horses with the proper nourishment,” she said. “You could be driving along in the city or through the suburban areas when all of a sudden you would see these shabby-looking horses coming towards you down the road.”

Another factor the researchers considered when assessing how the animals were cared for is southern Brazil’s high average temperatures.

“It’s easy for the animals to become dehydrated in hot weather, so it’s really important to provide the animals with ready access to salt blocks and plenty of water,” Heleski said.

Many of the horses were also infected with parasites and needed to receive deworming treatment.

Heleski traveled to Brazil again in 2006 with six students and a colleague, Russell Erickson, to work directly with cart horse owners, teaching them how to improve the lives of their horses.

The students created caretaker manuals -- printed in Portuguese, the national language -- to teach the horse owners how to care for their animals properly. The manuals encouraged owners to give their horses more access to grass and water, and it also included information on preventive practices such as deworming and wound care. Some of the students’ fundraising money went toward purchasing deworming medicines to give to some of the cart horses during their trip.

Heleski said most of the owners valued their horses but just didn’t know how to take care of them.

“The welfare of these horses could be dramatically improved without spending a lot of money simply by teaching the owners how to properly care for their animals,” Heleski said. “The Brazilian cart horse owners were very friendly people, and they were kind and appreciative for the information we gave them.”

Heleski said several organizations funded the trips to Brazil, including the Humane Society International, the Michigan Horse Council, Friends of the Horse Teaching and Research Center, and the Department of Animal Science at MSU. Students also collected money to pay for the trip by conducting fundraisers.

Ultimately, Heleski hopes this project will result in longer, healthier and more productive lives for the cart horses, which will also benefit the people who depend on the animals to make a living.

“Everybody should want these animals to live a better life,” Heleski said. “Working together with the horse owners to teach them how to care for their animals is a win-win situation. The owners become more knowledgeable about caring for animals and can share what they have learned with other horse owners, and the horses benefit by being able to live a more fulfilling life.”

Heleski, a faculty member in the MSU Department of Animal Science, is a member of the Animal Behavior and Welfare Group (ABWG). The mission of the ABWG is to apply sound scientific principles to assess the roles that management and environment play in animal behavior and welfare. Research focuses on developing solutions to practical problems faced by the animal industries and assisting industry with implementing these solutions in socially responsible and sustainable ways.

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http://anrcom.msu.edu/press/060109/060209_horsesinbrazil.htm

Writer: Laura Probyn, 517-432-1555, ext. 175