This disease is a very specific, contagious equids disease which attacks mainly the young foals (6 to 24 months old). This infection reaches the upper respiratory tract and is due to a bacterium: Streptococcus equi.
This disease generally appears in the breeding where the sanitary conditions are poor.

Contamination

The disease is generally transmitted by respiratory tract after direct contact with a sick equids or objects contaminated (drinking troughs, trucks...).
The bacteria disease are fragile and can be easily eliminated by disinfecting the material.

Symptoms

The donkey starts to present the first sign of the symptoms after two weeks, loss of appetite, of form, moderated fever, slight cough, bilateral nasal discharge, abscess formation especially under the jaw.

After a few days, the lymph nodes of the head and neck are swollen. The recovery is approx 2-3 weeks without any important after-effects for the animal. It is necessary to continue to isolate the animal for several weeks after the recovery, because it can still constitute a source of contamination for the other donkeys.

For the adults, the symptoms can be more discrete, but we can sometimes observe certain complications like abscesses in the lungs, or in the guttural pockets can be deadly.

Prevention - Treatment

The contamination of the breed is generally due to the introduction of a sick donkey. It is thus necessary to isolate and supervise the new donkey for 2 to 3 weeks before putting it in contact with the others donkeys.
In the event of infection, the environment of the donkey will have to be disinfected (feeding troughs, buildings...) each day, and all the stables (where the sick donkey was) have to be considered as infected for a one month period.


The treatment with antibiotics is not always recommended during the milder phase of the disease because they could disturb the installation of immunity and would prevent a complete sterilization of the abscess. That could then involve a chronic form.