Equine grass sickness may be caused by a neurotoxic enzyme with similarities to toxins in snake venoms, according to research involving the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies' Equine Hospital.
The finding offers promise of new treatments for the deadly disease in grazing horses, which causes intestinal paralysis, colic, inability to swallow and muscle tremors. It currently has no cure and leads to death in 1 per cent of horses grazing in high-risk premises.
Professor Bruce McGorum from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies' Equine Hospital said, “Identifying a probable cause of equine grass sickness represents a significant breakthrough. We hope that this discovery will lead to novel treatments and improved diagnostics for this devastating condition.
“We are very grateful for the generous support we have received from horse owners, veterinary surgeons, scientists, charities and funding bodies. Further work is under way to determine the source of this neurotoxin; it is likely to be produced by a microbe such as a bacterium or fungus which grows on grass during the cold and dry weather which typically occurs before cases of the disease are identified.”
The research has been published in a special editorial in the January 2025 issue of the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ). It is free to read here for 12 weeks.
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