Clinical signs and clinical pathology findings in horses with equine encephalosis at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisor Eberhardt, Christina
dc.contributor.coadvisor Viljoen, Adrienne
dc.contributor.postgraduate Piketh, Graeme
dc.date.accessioned 2024-09-27T10:29:07Z
dc.date.available 2024-09-27T10:29:07Z
dc.date.created 2024-09
dc.date.issued 2024-06
dc.description Dissertation (MMedVet (Equine Medicine))--University of Pretoria, 2024. en_US
dc.description.abstract Introduction: Equine encephalosis is a systemic disease of horses caused by equine encephalosis virus. This virus is an Orbivirus that is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides species). Equine encephalosis is often reported as a subclinical infection with a relatively limited number of clinical cases showing predominantly fever, with minimal morbidity and mortality. Rare instances of neurological disease have also been associated with the virus. Clinical relevance: Information regarding the clinical presentation of equine encephalosis is underrepresented in current scientific literature. This study aims to contribute to a more detailed conceptualization of the significance of the disease and its clinical impact. Method: A retrospective, descriptive, observational study was performed on data obtained from the University of Pretoria’s clinical database for cases identified with equine encephalosis over the period 2013-2023. Data from the history, clinical signs and clinicopathological findings were analysed. The clinical presentation and clinicopathological findings are reported. Results: A total of 28 horses conformed to the study parameters as having clinical infection with equine encephalosis virus. Pyrexia was apparent in 89.2% of these cases. Other clinical findings included tachycardia (64.3%), tachypnoea (46.4%), colic (39.3%), neurological signs (21.4%), peripheral oedema (14.3%), and icterus (10.7%). Evaluation of the clinicopathological findings identified lymphopenia (86.7%), thrombocytopenia (76.0%), leukopenia (48.0%), immature neutrophilia (31.8%), and mature neutropenia (27.3%). Conclusion: Equine encephalosis can result in a wide variety of clinical signs in horses and is associated with changes in haematology variables. These haematological changes suggest a systemic response to the viral infection. Further research into the pathophysiology of equine encephalosis is required to better understand the disease and its clinical relevance. en_US
dc.description.availability Unrestricted en_US
dc.description.degree MMedVet (Equine Medicine) en_US
dc.description.department Companion Animal Clinical Studies en_US
dc.description.faculty Faculty of Veterinary Science en_US
dc.identifier.citation * en_US
dc.identifier.other S2024 en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/98378
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher University of Pretoria
dc.rights © 2021 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
dc.subject UCTD en_US
dc.subject Clinical signs en_US
dc.subject Clinical pathology en_US
dc.subject Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital en_US
dc.title Clinical signs and clinical pathology findings in horses with equine encephalosis at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, South Africa en_US
dc.type Dissertation en_US


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