Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dermatitis in a horse associated with the poultry mite (Dermanyssus gallinae).
- Journal:
- Veterinary dermatology
- Year:
- 2008
- Authors:
- Mignon, Bernard & Losson, Bertrand
- Affiliation:
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This case report describes a 16-year-old horse that developed skin irritation due to contact with poultry mites, which are tiny parasites often found on chickens. The horse showed signs of severe itching, leading to hair loss, especially on its head. Even though tests were done to find the mites on the horse, they were only found on the chickens and in the horse's surroundings. The horse was treated with a special spray applied weekly for four weeks, and its living area was cleaned regularly. While the mites couldn't be completely eliminated and the horse still had some exposure to them, the itching was kept under control with ongoing treatment and cleaning.
Abstract
This is the first documented case report of dermatitis associated with the poultry mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) in a horse. It occurred in a 16-year-old horse that was in contact with domestic hens. Clinical signs consisted of severe pruritus, with self-induced hair loss mainly on the head. Despite the multiple skin scrapings performed during both day- and nighttime, mites were only isolated from the in-contact poultry and from the horse's environment, and not the horse. The animal was treated using a 2% permethrin solution, sprayed on the entire body once a week for 4 weeks, and by decontamination of the horse's immediate environment. Although eradication of the mites and elimination of further contact between the horse and the poultry were not achievable, recurrence of dermatitis was prevented by regular applications of permethrin on the horse and biannual decontamination of the horse's stable.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18177291/