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Organizations Partner To Provide Resources On Equine Botulism

Neogen Corporation and US Equestrian will develop educational materials for US Equestrian members

Photo: Bernhard/Adobe Stock

Neogen Corporation, an international food safety company and manufacturer of BotVax B, the only USDA-approved vaccine for botulism Type B in equines, is partnering with US Equestrian to enhance equine care solutions for veterinarians and horse owners, according to a news release.1 Neogen and US Equestrian will collaborate to create educational materials for members, including best practices, prevention tecniques, and recommended treatment protocols for equine botulism.

"Neogen has been part of the equestrian community for more than 30 years and has focused efforts on providing quality horse health products, from wound care and vaccines to genetic testing and biosecurity solutions," Bill Moroney, chief executive officer at US Equestrian, said in a news release.1 "Neogen's commitment to research on equine botulism is important and aligns with the goal of providing our members with quality resources and access to experts to help them care for their horses. We welcome Neogen as a sponsor of US Equestrian and look forward to working together."

Equine botulism is a neuromuscular disease in horses that leads to worsening muscle weakness and paralysis, often resulting in death.1 The disease is caused by the neurotoxin botulinum, which is one of the most potent toxins known.2 The toxin is produced by Clostridium botulinum. There are 8 different types of botulism, each producing toxins with varying levels of potency. Although the disease can affect all mammals, horses are among the most vulnerable species. These animals are most commonly affected by botulism types A, B, and C.2

Horses can acquire the disease by consuming feed or hay contaminated with the toxin or with the bacteria. Although less common, animals can also acquire the disease through wound infections. Additionally, botulinum can be found in soil.2

The disease is often described as a silent killer.1 The primary clinical sign of equine botulism is flaccid paralysis, which is weakness with decreased muscle tone. Initially, the condition may present as a stiff, stilted gait, which then advances to muscle tremors, weakness, and eventually result in recumbency, where the horse is unable to stand. Other signs include2:

Spending more time lying down

Paralysis of the eyelids and/or tongue: Dilated pupils and weak blinking; difficulty chewing and swallowing

Decreased tail tone

Bladder paralysis and colic

Paralysis of the respiratory muscles, resulting in death

According to the University of Florida, horses with equine botulism will have normal mentation—they will be aware of their surroundings and often want to eat—which distinguishes the disease from other neurological disorders.2

"Education is a critical component to help horse owners understand and prevent this deadly disease," Renee Hall, head of Pet Health and Wellness for Neogen, said in a news release.1 "Horse owners, if they understand the threat of botulism, know that the culprit is not just round bales of hay. Botulism can be found in many forage types and cannot be seen or smelled. We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

According to Neogen, US Equestrian members will have access to Neogen's and US Equestrian's free resources this fall.

References

Neogen announced as an official sponsor of US Equestrian. News release. Neogen Corporation. August 22, 2024. Accessed August 26, 2024. Https://prnmedia.Prnewswire.Com/news-releases/neogen-announced-as-an-official-sponsor-of-us-equestrian-302227788.Html

Botulism in horses & other mammals. University of Florida. Accessed August 26, 2024. Https://largeanimal.Vethospitals.Ufl.Edu/botulism-mammals/

Post-flood Care

A big loss in Pakistan's agricultural and livestock sectors was noted during the flood in the year 2010. The scenario nowadays is not different in large parts of the country. The flood has not only caused death losses of cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and donkeys but has also washed out the poultry and fish farms. Not only have this, but acres of standing crops and fodders have also been washed away. The leftover fodder has been destroyed and is not usable for livestock feeding. This damage has topped up the problem of livestock feed scarcity for the survivors. The farmers who could luckily save their livestock from the flood are now worried about their feeding. Farmers are also waiting for veterinary health specialists to take care of sick and starved animals. In this alarming situation, the remaining livestock will die in the coming days if vaccinations/medications and feed are not made available. Therefore, post-flood feeding and health care of surviving livestock are of utmost importance.

Post-flood livestock health care

Animals surviving floods are prone to several diseases and toxicities. Generally, animals at this stage are under stress due to evacuation, relocation, starvation, feed changes, and mixing with other animals. These multiple stress factors increase livestock's vulnerability to different threats that can lead to outbreak of diseases, particularly infectious diseases.

Among diseases, the commons are Tetanus, Anthrax, Blackleg, Botulism, Listeriosis, Footrot, and Mastitis. All livestock, especially horses, sheep, and goats, are susceptible to tetanus. During an evacuation, animals get injuries, therefore such animals are in need of wound treatment and tetanus vaccinations. Anthrax is another post-flood disease. Animal affected by anthrax is in apparently good condition, but dies suddenly without showing overt signs of ill health. Excessive bloody discharges from natural openings of dead animals is a common sign of Anthrax. Proper disposal of dead carcasses is recommended by burial or burning to prevent and minimise the spread of the infection to other animals and humans.

Blackleg, a clostridial disease mainly characterised by high fever and hot, painful swellings of hindquarters muscles, can be fatal in post-flood areas. Like other clostridial diseases, vaccination is the better option.

Horses and birds are generally susceptible to botulism, which causes paralysis. The initial symptoms include weakness, and difficulty in eating and swallowing. Antibiotics are of little use in treating botulism. Only good supportive care is the mainstay of treatment.

Animal health can be better managed by avoiding exposure to stagnant water, decaying carcasses, and vegetables. Listeriosis, caused by Listeria moncytogenes, is a disease of the central nervous system. The affected animals move in a circle, have blindness, and show other abnormal behaviour. Affected animals can be treated with antibiotics and protected by avoiding grazing in wet areas.

Footrot in cattle, sheep, and goats, while thrush in horses may develop in animals standing in mud or water for prolonged periods. The cure is to remove the animals from the muddy and wet areas. The soft tissue and hooves should be properly cleaned and disinfected.

In severe conditions, antibiotics can be used for treatment. The major problem faced by animals standing in mud or water is Mastitis. The bacteria present in mud and water can cause acute, severe Mastitis in dairy animals. In such severe cases, it is better to first clean, sterilise and dry the teat ends and administer antibiotics intra-mammary, followed by systemic antibiotics treatment.

Livestock exhibiting any sign of ill health should be treated by the veterinarian available in the flood-affected areas. Livestock owners should immediately contact the local veterinary teams rather than wait for their arrival or self-treatment.

Post flood livestock feeds and feeding

The starving animals require an immediate supply of good quality fodder and small quantity of concentrates. The post-flood situation does not focus much on provision of livestock feeds in sufficient quantity. Major relief and rehabilitation activities during disasters usually surround around human beings rather than livestock feeds and housing.

The feeds and fodder requirements of livestock are many times higher than that of human beings, thus making it difficult to provide as per their needs. In emergency conditions, an adult cow requires at least 25-30kg of green fodder for its body maintenance. However, more quantity is required to fulfil nutritional demands, when cow or buffalo is producing milk.

The supply of green fodder in sufficient quantities is not possible during the relief operations. The present scenario demands the supply of dry fodder in the form of hay, dry corn stovers, and wheat/rice straw.

Concentrates like cotton seed cake, wheat bran, and cereal grains should also be supplied for livestock feeding. Such items could reduce the weight to be transported and decrease the risk of spoilage as dry fodder can be secured for many days.

Although the consumption of dry fodder could increase the animal water requirements at the same time animal would feel satiated with less consumption than green fodder. Supply of concentrate is required along with dry fodder to meet energy and protein demands of animals.

However, if this is not possible, the protein requirements of cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats (ruminant animals) can be met through the addition of urea in the dry fodder. Urea is a source of nitrogen and ruminants can convert this nitrogen into body protein. However, precautionary measures must be followed while feeding urea to stressed animals. It is better to thoroughly mix 1kg of urea in 10 litres of clean water and then sprinkle this water over 50kg of dry fodder or wheat straw. Care must be taken that urea mixed water should be sprinkled all over the straw and then the straw should be mixed thoroughly. This urea-treated dry fodder / straw then can be used for feeding purposes.

In a cattle / buffalo relief camp, having 100 animals of different ages, a minimum of 10 tonnes of dry and 30 tonnes of green fodder, 8-10 tonnes of concentrates, 0.4 tonnes of mineral mixture, and 0.2 tonnes of salt is required for 30 days.

Livestock owners must take care of the abrupt animal feed changes because such changes are stressful and can cause significant disease and even death, so feed changes should be minimised as much as possible. However, when feed changes are unavoidable then only one-fourth of the total feed should be changed daily and animals should be brought on the new feed in total after 4 or 5 days.

Owners should not offer flood-damaged feed to the animals due to the presence of dirt, contaminants, and mould growth. Animals should not be allowed to graze in unknown areas in flood-hit areas. This might increase the chance of toxicities. Tree leaves can be used for animal feeding, but it is advisable not to feed in high amounts. The extra care during this emergency period would protect the animals from ill health.

The writer is an Associate Professor, Animal Nutrition at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University

Hong Kong Woman Gets Potential Killer Botulism After Botched Do-it-yourself Beauty Treatment

A Hong Kong woman is in hospital with potential killer disease botulism after a botched do-it-yourself beauty treatment.

The Centre for Health Protection said on Saturday that the patient, 50, injected herself with online-sourced botulinum toxin at a friend's home in Shenzhen on the mainland Chinese side of the border last month and started to show symptoms of botulism poisoning a few days later.

A spokesman for the centre said the woman, who had been treated in Shenzhen, went to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on Friday, with symptoms that included problems with swallowing, speaking and drooping eyelids, as well as weakness in her limbs.

"She is now in a stable condition," the spokesman said. "The clinical diagnosis was suspected … botulism."

Botulism is a rare but serious condition which can develop when too much botulinum toxin is injected for cosmetic or medical reasons.

The spokesman said the toxin could spread to other parts of the body and symptoms such as blurred vision, problems with chewing and difficulties in breathing could appear hours, days or weeks after an injection.

Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where a woman is being treated for botulism after a botched DIY botulinum toxin treatment. Photo: Jelly Tse

The spokesman added that epidemiological investigations into the incident continued and that it had been reported to the mainland authorities.

The woman, who has not been identified, injected herself with the toxin, bought from an e-commerce website and used to reduce wrinkles, as well as for treatment of some medical conditions, on July 16.

She went to a Shenzhen hospital on July 24 and was admitted three days later, discharged on July 28 and later returned to Hong Kong.

She went to the accident and emergency department at Kwong Wah Hospital and doctors started treatment for botulism.

The centre said botulinum injections in Hong Kong can only be performed by registered doctors.

It emphasised members of the public should ensure anyone administering botulinum treatments outside Hong Kong was qualified to use the toxin.

The centre added that people should not use botulinum obtained from suspicious sources and get medical advice if they started to feel unwell.

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