Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mare with mastitis from a soil worm - what to know
By Greiner, E C et al.·Published in The Journal of parasitology·1991·Department of Infectious Diseases, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Verminous mastitis in a mare caused by a free-living nematode.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 22-year-old Paso Fino mare from Miami, Florida, had to be euthanized due to a severe infection in her mammary gland caused by a type of soil-dwelling worm called Cephalobus. These worms were found in large numbers, with over 12,900 detected in just one gram of tissue. This case is notable because it's the first time this particular worm has been reported to infect horses, showing that there are different types of infections caused by these kinds of worms, not just the more commonly known ones. Unfortunately, the treatment was not successful, leading to the decision to euthanize the mare.
Abstract
Verminous mastitis was the reason for euthanasia of a 22-yr-old Paso Fino mare from Miami, Florida. The etiologic agent was a species of Cephalobus (Rhabditida: Cephalobidae), a genus of soil-inhabiting nematodes that were obviously multiplying in the mammary gland. Only females and larvae were detected in the tissues by histologic section or by teasing the tissue to liberate the worms. At least 12,900 individuals were present per gram of tissue. This is the first case of Cephalobus infecting horses and it indicates that not all histiotropic infections of horses by rhabditoid nematodes are by Halicephalobus deletrix ( = Micronema deletrix).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2010867/