title: Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.
abstract: Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) can be caused by either of 2 related protozoan parasites, Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi, although S. neurona is the most frequent etiologic pathogen. Horses are commonly infected, but clinical disease occurs infrequently; the factors influencing disease occurrence are not well understood. Risk factors for the development of EPM include the presence of opossums and prior stressful health-related events. Attempts to reproduce EPM experimentally have reliably induced antibody responses in challenged horses but have not consistently produced acute neurologic disease. Diagnosis and options for treatment of EPM have improved over the past decade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0099, USA. Electronic address: daniel.howe@uky.edu.
authors.forename: Daniel K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 Southwest 16th Avenue, Room VH-136, PO Box 100136, Gainesville, FL 32610-0125, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: MacKay
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0099, USA; Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, PO Box 12070, Lexington, KY 40580, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D004679:Encephalomyelitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D006736:Horses; D018688:Neospora / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012522:Sarcocystis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012523:Sarcocystosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Central nervous system; EPM; Neospora; Opossum; Protozoa; Sarcocystis