What is Ehrlichia Risticii?
What is Ehrlichia Risticii?
Ehrlichia risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever (PHF), has been recently detected in trematode stages found in snail secretions and in aquatic insects. Based on these findings, horses could conceivably be exposed to E.
What disease is caused by Neorickettsia risticii?
Neorickettsia risticii (formerly Ehrlichia risticii) is a known cause of Potomac horse fever (PHF), a disease characterized by enterocolitis in horses. The disease causes clinical signs of acute colitis similar to those of salmonellosis. The diarrhea can be profuse and watery and may be accompanied by endotoxemia.
Is Neorickettsia risticii a bacteria?
risticii to improve culture isolation. Importance: Neorickettsia risticii is an environmental bacterium that lives inside flukes that are parasitic to aquatic snails, insects, and bats.
Is Potomac horse fever infectious?
Definition Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) is a non-contagious, infectious equine disease caused by the rickettsial organism Neorickettsia risticii (previously known as Ehrlichia risticii). The disease can affect any age, breed or sex of horse.
What are the symptoms of Potomac horse fever?
Potomac Horse Fever is a bacterial disease caused by the bacteria Neorickettsia risticii, which causes variable degrees (from mild to very severe) of fever, lethargy, poor appetite, diarrhea, mild colic, and laminitis in horses. It can can also infrequently cause abortion in pregnant mares.
How is Potomac horse fever diagnosed?
Potomac horse fever can look clinically similar to several other diseases so a firm diagnosis requires further testing. Tests for PHF include a blood antibody test (titer), and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) of the blood and feces. A high titer to PHF suggests a recent exposure to N. risticii.
Can a horse recover from Potomac fever?
Treatment is generally continued for 3 to 7 days, and the normal recovery time is approximately one week with no other complications. If not treated quickly, horses can decompensate rapidly and develop fatal complications from the disease.
How is Potomac horse fever spread?
N. risticii is transmitted to horses by freshwater snails, trematodes (flukes) carried by snails, and aquatic insects such as caddisflies, mayflies, damselflies, dragonflies, and stoneflies. Infection usually occurs when a horse accidentally ingests an infected insect or snail in their grass or water.
Where is Potomac horse fever found?
It was first described in areas surrounding the Potomac River northwest of Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, but cases have been described in many other parts of the United States, such as Minnesota, California, and Pennsylvania. Currently, it is found in more than 40 U.S. states and Canada.
Can humans get Potomac fever?
Although the organism can be isolated from the feces, clinically ill horses are not contagious and can be housed with healthy, non-infected horses. The disease is not considered zoonotic, which means it cannot be passed from horses to humans.
