Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Clinical signs of West Nile virus encephalomyelitis in horses during the outbreak in Israel in 2000.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2002
- Authors:
- Steinman, A et al.
- Affiliation:
- School of Veterinary Medicine
Plain-English summary
Between August and October 2000, 76 horses in Israel showed signs of a neurological disorder, which affected their spinal cord and central nervous system. Sadly, 15 of these horses either died or were put down because their condition was very serious or they developed complications. During this time, there was also an outbreak of West Nile virus, which was affecting people and birds, especially domestic geese. The virus was found in four of the affected horses, and five others showed signs of having been exposed to it, suggesting it was likely the cause of the neurological issues. One specific horse had unusual behavior and trouble with coordination in all four legs, and its condition worsened quickly, leading to severe breathing difficulties that required emergency surgery; unfortunately, this horse died four days later, and tests showed damage in its brain and spinal cord.
Abstract
Between August and October 2000, 76 horses were reported by veterinary practitioners as having signs of a neurological disorder, varying from an involvement of the spinal cord alone to the entire central nervous system; 15 of the horses died or were euthanased as a result of their grave prognosis or secondary complications. At the same time, an outbreak of West Nile virus infection affected people and birds, principally domestic geese. West Nile virus was isolated from four of the horses with encephalomyelitis and five other horses seroconverted, indicating that the virus was the probable cause of the outbreak in horses. Three of the cases from which the virus was isolated are described briefly and one case is described in detail. This horse behaved abnormally and had general proprioceptive deficits in all four limbs. Its neurological condition deteriorated after two days and severe inspiratory dyspnoea due to a failure to abduct the arytenoids necessitated a tracheostomy. It died on the fourth day and histological lesions were observed in the brain stem and grey matter of the spinal cord.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12148602/