Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with skin sores from habronemiasis - how photodynamic therapy
By Ferreira, I et al.·Published in Journal of equine veterinary science·2025·University of Vale do Paraí, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Photodynamic therapy in the treatment of cutaneous habronemosis in a horse: Case report.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old male horse was suffering from a skin condition called habronemiasis, caused by a parasitic worm that leads to hard-to-heal sores, often worsened by flies. This horse had painful, oozing wounds on its legs and face that weren't getting better with standard treatments. The veterinarians used a special light therapy called photodynamic therapy (PDT), along with other medications, over six months. After two months, the size of the sores started to shrink, and by four months, the wounds on its body were completely healed, with the facial wounds healing by the end of the six months. Overall, PDT proved to be an effective additional treatment for this horse's condition.
Abstract
Habronema muscae is a parasitic nematode that causes habronemiasis in horses, leading to chronic skin lesions. The parasite is transmitted via flies, and larvae deposited in wounds result in difficult-to-heal "summer sores". This case study involved treating a 9-year-old gelding male horse with recurrent habronemiasis using photodynamic therapy (PDT) concurrent with conventional treatments. The horse presented with ulcerated, exudative wounds on its limbs and face, unresponsive to traditional treatments. PDT was applied over six months, using methylene blue (MB) as a photosensitizer, combined with LED irradiation. Additionally, an ivermectin-based ointment and other healing agents were used. The results showed a reduction in lesion size after two months, complete healing of the thoracic wounds by month four, and facial wound healing after six months. In this case, PDT was an effective adjunct treatment for managing habronemiasis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40816495/