Equine Infectious Anaemia
Vet, Horse First Aid
From: Equestrian and Horse | Horse Ailments
Equine Infectious Anaemia
EIA is an infectious anaemia virus that is caused by a retrovirus.
Some infected horses who carry the virus can show no signs of the disease and mares in foal have been known to not abort or pass the disease on to their foals.
Other Names - Swamp Fever
Transmitted
EIA is transmitted by biting flies such as horse flies and deer flies.
Symptoms
- High fever
- Anaemia
- Swelling of the horses lower abdomen
- Over all weakness
- Weak pulse and irregular heartbeat
- Weight loss
- Enlarged spleen
- Abortion of foals
- Sudden death
- Splenic lymph nodes are enlarged
- Depression
- Pale mucous membranes
EIA is a notifiable disease and all cases must be reported. In many countries all infected horses are destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease from becoming widespread.
Diagnosis
Clinical diagnosis by serology is the only diagnosis for EIA. The agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test or as it is also known the Coggins test is widely used.
Treatment
There is at present no treatment for EIA positive horses and due to the high risk nature of the virus infecting other horses with EIA horses that carry EIA are put into permanent quarantine.
Prevention
There is at present no vaccine available. The virus is endemic in the Americas, Russia, South Africa and parts of Europe.
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