ANIMLSCI 497A Lecture Notes - Equine Infectious Anemia
Document Summary
Equine infectious anemia is a contagious, viral disease known by the horse community as swamp fever. It can be acute or chronic in form and affects all members of the equine species. Once an animal is infected, it becomes a life-long carrier of the virus. The virus is in the hiv family and is spread from horse to horse by biting flies and mosquitoes. The symptoms of the acute form are fever, depression, loss of appetite, hemorrhaging of the mucous membranes, stocking up, and edema along the abdomen. Symptoms of the chronic form are recurring fever, depression, loss of appetite/weight loss, anemia, weakness, and incoordination of the hind limbs. The majority of infected horses are carriers without showing any signs of the disease. Carriers may be stressed or worked into showing symptoms. Mares with the disease may abort or fail to conceive. Swamp fever can be tested for with a coggins or agid.