The truth about glanders

The Bahrain Horse Society held a seminar at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sanabis to give an overview and understanding of glanders covering issues from its inception, history and reported cases, while also presenting slides showing infections and the bacteria.

The speakers were Royal Stables Bahrain equine veterinary surgeon Dr Caonabo Melo and government veterinarian Abbas Al Hayki, while Dr Ebrahim Yusuf Ahmed, director of animal wealth directorate, answered questions from the floor.

The seminar also pointed out that there were other equine diseases that had symptoms similar to glanders such as strangles and ulcerative lymphangitis, and that the only way to correctly ascertain if the horse is infected is through thorough testing using certified tests, blood/secretion testing.

The Bahrain Horse Society has brought out an information leaflet about glanders - the advisory note of which was prepared by a renowned international equestrian veterinary consultant, who recently visited Bahrain.

A hard copy of this publication, which has been produced in English and Arabic, can be obtained by contacting the society on their website www.bahrainhorsesociety.com, by calling 3947006 or e-mail bahrainhorsesociety@hotmail.com.

The leaflet explains that glanders is an infectious disease mainly affecting horses, donkeys and mules. However, it is contagious to other animals, including, goats, sheep, camels and domestic pets such as dogs and cats. The cause is a bacterium called 'Burkholderia mallei'. It is not caused by a virus.

Glanders is NOT airborne, there is also no evidence of wildlife carriers. It is most commonly spread from stable to stable by the movement of infected animals, or people, food, water or equipment.

Once a horse has contracted the disease there is a huge variance of when it may become sick, from a few days to six months.

Glanders is a zoonotic disease which means it can be transmitted from animals to people, or more specifically a disease that normally existis in animals but can infect humans.

Humans can be infected with glanders although it is NOT common even in severe outbreaks - veterinary surgeons and laboratory workers handling post mortem tissues are most at risk. Infection in humans is transmitted by contact with the discharged fluids, but this again is rare. Humans can be effectively treated with antibiotics.

The signs of glanders in horses can appear in several forms; it may cause a sudden severe illness that kills the infected animal very quickly, usually in the form of high fever, pneumonia, discharges from the nose, acute depression, weight loss - these animals will usually die within 1-4 weeks.

It can appear as a more protracted disease that lasts for months or even years! In these cases there are ulcers in the nose and windpipe that cause discharge, ulcers in the lungs causing laboured breathing and coughing.

Glanders, in some cases, appears in the form of ulcers and abscesses in the skin, especially on the legs - this particular form is called 'Farcy'. Horses with this will also have internal abscesses and may have ulcers in the nasal passages as well as the skin disease.

It is possible for horses to have glanders for years without showing severe signs; some horses may have recovered from an undetected case of glanders in the past or may never have been seriously ill!

However, it is imperative to know that all forms of glanders are extremely infectious to other horses because the discharges from the nose, the material (discharge) they cough up and the fluid from skin abscesses are all packed with infectious bacteria. It only takes a few microscopic bacteria to infect another horse and this can be transported by clothes, shoes, tack, equipment, hands, feeds and contaminate drinking water (which is usually shared).

So, how can the spread of infection be prevented?

Once glanders is identified efficient bio-security measures will be essential to prevent the spread of the disease and then to eliminate it.

Measures should involve:

Isolation of horses with clinical signs.

Testing all horses at risk and compulsory euthanasia of those proved to be carriers of the disease.

Prohibiting the movement of horses from one premise to another.

Vigilance in bio-security.

On premises where an infected horse has been identified:

Premises should be closed so there is no movement of horses on or off premises.

Infected animals should be humanely euthanised and either incinerated or buried deeply.

All other horses on the premises should be tested for infection.

All tack from the infected animal must be incinerated.

All tack, equipment, including feed buckets, water troughs, barrows, tools cleaned and disinfected. Entire stable and yard cleaned and disinfected.

Personnel should wash any clothing used.

Personnel should wash hands and shoes frequently.

On premises where no disease has been idientifed:

Do not allow horses to come into contact with horses from other premises.

Do not allow visitors from other stables to come to your premises without ensuring proper hygiene policy e.g. wash hands and disinfect footwear, and if necessary change of clothing.

Do not allow vehicles onto your premises that have visited other equine premises.

Do not borrow or share equipment with other stables or yards.

Do not allow your horses to drink form communal water troughs.

Do not put your horses into a stable, yard or vehicle from another yard unless you are certain it has been disinfected.

If you have to use communal muck heaps ensure disinfection of barrow and footwear prior to return to your premises.

The final part of the leaflet asks the question - should we stop riding horses for pleasure in Bahrain? The answer - it is not necessary to close down the whole equine industry. However, it advocates caution and the following of reasonable precautions.