Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hereditary junctional mechanobullous disease in a foal.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1988
- Authors:
- Frame, S R et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A male Belgian foal was diagnosed with a rare skin condition called mechanobullous disease, which caused him to lose his hooves shortly after birth, at 30 hours and again at 6 and 12 days old. Tests showed that the problem was due to a separation in the skin layers, but there were no signs of immune system involvement. The foal's mother had also produced a female foal with similar hoof issues when bred to a different stallion, suggesting a genetic link. This condition in horses is similar to a type of skin disease seen in humans. The treatment details and outcome for the foal were not provided in the study.
Abstract
Mechanobullous disease was diagnosed in a male Belgian foal that had sloughed hooves at 30 hours and at 6 and 12 days of age. Histologic and electron microscopic studies disclosed that lesions were the result of separation of the basal epithelial cell layer from the lamina densa of the basement membrane zone along the lamina lucida. Results of immunofluorescence on tissue specimens were negative for immunoglobulin deposition. The breeding history of the foal's dam indicated that the foal was produced from breeding of the mare to its full sibling stallion. This same mare had produced a female foal, sired by a different stallion, which also had sloughed hooves during the first 2 weeks of life and had similar histologic and electron microscopic changes. This newly recognized disease of horses most closely resembles junctional-type epidermolysis bullosa described in human beings.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3209456/