First snot infection for 50 years

Snot infection detected in a sport horse in Lower Saxony

01/30/2015

For the first time in almost 50 years, the infectious disease „snot“ occurred in a horse in Germany. In a sport horse from Lower Saxony, the suspicion of further investigations of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) has now confirmed, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of Lower Saxony. The horse was held since November 2014 in a stock in the district of Osnabrück and should actually be exported to the US.

According to the district, the sport horse was noticed during routine examinations at the end of November 2014 and clarified the findings „in December 2014 a diagnostic killing.“ The subsequent bacteriological examinations of the organs were initially negative, after which FLI targeted skin samples were examined molecular biology. In these samples be now „snot“-specific DNA has been detected, reported the district of Osnabrück. The infection was thus officially confirmed. For the first time since 1956, therefore, a snot infection was detected in this country.

Path of infection unclear
Because the other horses of the affected stock were tested negative three times negative every two weeks, the disease in this stock is already considered extinct, reports the district of Osnabrück on. At present, further investigations were carried out in the stocks where the horse was previously. The way in which the affected horse has become infected remains unclear. The „New Osnabrück newspaper“ reported that the horse was born in Schleswig-Holstein in 2008, where he stayed longer, was subsequently transferred to North Rhine-Westphalia and came to Lower Saxony from there. Since no stays abroad took place, the infection must have taken place here in Germany, but Germany was actually considered to be free of the infectious disease for about 50 years.

Snot infections in horses often go undetected
Snot is a notifiable animal disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia Mallei. It occurs mainly in solipeds such as horses, donkeys or mules and is transmitted by Körpersekrete, reports the district of Osnabrück. The infectious disease could „in the form of nodular and swollen inflammations in the skin (Hautrotz), the nasal mucous membrane (Nasenrotz) and the lung (lung rust) occur.“ In horses, the infection often remains unrecognized, as here dominate the chronic or latent form.

Infections of humans possible
If necessary, snot can also be transmitted to humans in close direct contact with diseased animals, the county reports. However, in the past, infections in humans have been very rare even in high disease frequencies in the horse population. Symptoms of acute snot infection in humans include, for example, fever, chills, headaches and body aches, as well as diarrhea, itchy rash and palpitations.

Introduction of the notifiable animal disease
While the disease has been eradicated in Europe since the 19th century, according to the FLI, snot infections are currently more common in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. „However, the expansion and facilitation of global trade in live animals has significantly increased the risk of the introduction of snot and specific animal health regulations for international trade“, the FLI continues. (Fp)