The present study was conducted to investigate the etiology of sudden clinical manifestations and some mortalities in a large farm used for breeding of Arabian horses.
The most prevalent symptoms were severe colic, abdominal distention, depression, watery diarrhea with fetid feces, severe congestion of mucous membranes and excessive sweating. Affected animals were arched back with unpleasant odour of respiration. Some animals exhibited laminitis and others showed hemiplegia. Few of affected animals died within one week of onset of clinical signs.
The history of the case was associated the onset of the symptoms with the entrance of new feed lots of barley. Samples were collected from barley and subjected for mycological examination where some mycotoxin producing fungi e.g. Asperigllus species (A.Flavus, A.Parasitiscus & A. Ochracious) and Fusirum species were isolated and identified.
The levels of some mycotoxins e.g. aflatoxins (B1; B2; G1; G2 & M1); Ochratoxin A; Zearalenone and T2 toxins were estimated in barley and tissues of dead animals. Immunological investigation declared a degree of immunosuppressions in affected animals associated with hematological changes and a significant decrease in alfa 1 and gamma globulin.
Histopathological examination revealed congestion, hemorrhage, degeneration and necrosis with mononuclear inflammatory cellular infiltration in liver, kidney and heart. Focal areas of malacia, perivascular hemorrhage, edema, neural degeneration and gliosis were the main brain lesions.
Bacteriological culture of fecal samples and intestinal content of dead animals recorded salmonella, enterococci, pseudomonas, bacillus and shigella species.
|
