Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Murray Valley encephalomyelitis in a horse.
- Journal:
- Australian veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2012
- Authors:
- Holmes, J M et al.
- Affiliation:
- University of Melbourne · Australia
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Thoroughbred mare was brought in because she was showing signs of severe pain, leading the veterinarians to perform surgery to investigate her abdomen. They found a mild issue in her gastrointestinal tract, but it didn’t seem to explain how much pain she was in. Unfortunately, the pain was so severe that she was euthanized. After her death, further testing on her brain tissue confirmed that she had Murray Valley encephalomyelitis, a viral infection that can cause different symptoms in horses. This case highlights how the signs of this virus can vary widely in horses.
Abstract
A 5-year-old Thoroughbred mare presented with signs of severe pain and was taken to exploratory laparotomy based on suspicion of an acute abdominal lesion. A mild gastrointestinal lesion was discovered, but was considered disproportional to the severity of signs displayed. The mare was later euthanased because of intractable pain. Comprehensive postmortem examination, including polymerase chain reaction testing of central nervous system tissue samples, allowed a definitive diagnosis of Murray Valley encephalomyelitis to be made. This case demonstrates the variability of clinical presentations in horses infected with Murray Valley encephalitis virus.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22731944/