Summer Sores Secondary to a Hoof Crack in an Andalusian Stallion

oleh: Adriana Palozzo, Donato Traversa, Giuseppe Marruchella, Gianluca Celani, Simone Morelli, Lucio Petrizzi

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-08-01

Deskripsi

Cutaneous habronemosis in horses is caused by larvae of the spirurid nematodes <i>Habronema microstoma</i> and <i>Habronema muscae</i>. These lesions, also known as “summer sores’’, are often severe and disfiguring. Although <i>Habronema</i>-caused lesions at the coronary grooves have been described, cases of hoof cracks with secondary summer sores have never been reported. The present case describes clinic-pathological and surgical features of a quarter crack case complicated by cutaneous habronemosis at the dermal layers. A 15-year-old, Andalusian stallion was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Teramo because of a mass of the hoof and a severe lameness. The clinical examination revealed an exuberant granulation tissue protruding from a full thickness vertical quarter crack. The mass was surgically removed, and subjected to histopathological, microbiological, and parasitological analyses. A copromicroscopic examination was also performed. The feces scored PCR positive for <i>H. muscae</i>, while the skin for both <i>H. microstoma</i> and <i>H. muscae</i>, thus confirming the primary role of <i>Habronema</i> in causing the hoof mass. This is the first description of a hoof wall crack complicated by summer sores, with simultaneous gastric habronemosis. This case confirms that a prompt diagnosis during fly activity is imperative for an efficacious treatment and a timely prevention of disfiguring summer sores.