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Inleiding

De interactieve database voor staart- en maneneczeem ("zomereczeem") bij paarden

Wetenswaardigheden en nuttige informatie

Waarom een database?

Staart- en maneneczeem is een ziektebeeld dat de kwaliteit van het leven van duizenden paarden - in Europa bijvoorbeeld vooral de vertegenwoordigers van Noordeuropese ponyrassen - nadelig beïnvloedt. Als hoofdzakelijke veroorzakers gelden sommige van de ca. 50 soorten Culicoides (kriebelmuggen). Volgens bepaalde publicaties zijn er 120 soorten, ja zelfs het getal 800 wordt genoemd. Deze minuscule insecten (ze wegen per stuk 1/1700 gram) zijn actief in de maanden maart t/m october en dan met name in de ochtend- en avonduren, althans in de gematige klimazones van het noordelijk halfrond. Er zijn echter in toenemende mate ook meldingen (onder andere eigen ervaringen, C.B.) dat de symptomen in zachte wintermaanden niet overgaan. De oorzaak kan ook een verzelfstandigde jeuk- en krabreflex zijn.

Culicoides vliegen trouwens niet hoger dan ca. 3 m; dientengevolge zou een Pegasus boven de kwelling uit moeten kunnen stijgen...

De insecten broeden op vochtige plaatsen, op veengrond en onder boomschors. Alleen de vrouwtjes zuigen bloed.

Naast de als bewezen geldende allergie ten gevolge van Culicoides zijn er andere factoren die de toestand kunnen verergeren: bijv. eiwitrijke voeding of veel zon. In een (Duitstalige) bijdrage van Dr. Dieter Kolb (14 K) wordt met name een verminderd aantal zweetklieren als oorzaak genoemd. Een (Duitstalig) artikel van Dr. Peter Schneider en Karola Schmeil wijst spijsverteringsproblemen een een tekort aan beweging als oorzaken aan. Een andere bezoekster van deze site stuurde een uitvoerig (Engelstalig) bericht dat een andere allergische reactie aanwijst waar de paardeneigenaar op bedacht zou kunnen zijn.

De mate van het eczeem is uiteenlopend en het wordt bij diverse rassen aangetroffen. In de literatuur worden - afgezien van IJslanse paarden - in het bijzonder arabieren en volbloeds genoemd. Men gaat er bijvoorbeeld van uit dat onder IJslandse paarden tussen 5 en 25 % van de populatie buiten IJsland onder deze allergie lijden. In sommige gebieden komt men zelfs hogere percentages tegen. In Australië waar de verschijnselen onder de naam "Queensland Itch" bekend zijn, lijden zelfs 32 tot 60 % van alle paarden (er zijn daar bijna geen IJslandse paarden) eronder. In Japan is de ziekte onder de naam "kasen" bekend. Een andere benaming luidt "dhobie itch".

Vlak aan zee en boven 800 m hoogte verdwijnen de symptomen vrijwel volledig (niet echter de allergie). Ze keren terug zodra de dieren weer terug worden gebracht naar de oorspronkelijke standplaatsen.

De symptomen zijn gelige of grijze plekken van ca. 5 - 150 mm diameter die veelal door de dieren tot bloedens toe worden opengebeten en -geschuurd waarna korsten ontstaan. In het bijzonder betroffen zijn staartwortel en manenkam. In de manenkam kunnen harde plekken verschijnen en openbreken waardoor de manenkam - van de zijkant gezien - zaagtandachtige kloven vertoond. Op het hoofd wordt de behaaring vaak weggeschuurd waardoor de (donkere) huid eronder verschijnt (zie plaatjes ; 12 K tekst + 330 K voor 9 foto's).

Het is werkelijk geen fraai gezicht om de wanhopige dieren te observeren wanneer ze zich zelf of elkaar met de tanden bewerken of urenlang gaan schuren aan een paal of een ander hard voorwerp. De paarden nemen soms de meest vreemde lichaamshoudingen aan om maar de jeukende plekken te kunnen bereiken. Sommige dieren zijn zonder problemen in staat om hun eigen staartwortel tot bloedens toe volledig open te bijten, ter groote van een handpalm.

Staart- en maneneczeem is weliswaar niet besmettelijk maar kan ook gevolgen hebben voor de gezonde dieren in de kudde. Immers, een ziek dier zal zijn "collega" bij het wederzijdse knabbelen in de manen op grond van de eigen sterke jeuk harder gaan bijten en daarbij diens vacht en/of manen beschadigen.

Er zijn aanwijzingen dat de allergie erfelijk bepaald is. Zie hiervoor de gegevens van Marion Unkel. Het veroorzakende gen is tot dusver (1998) niet gevonden. Waarschijnlijk wordt de allergie door een hele groep genen veroorzaakt. Een tijdlang dacht men dat bijvoorbeeld dieren die buiten IJsland waren geboren, geen last van deze allergie zouden krijgen. Er blijkt echter ook een neiging onder deze populatie tot de genoemde symptomen, zelfs in de vierde generatie buiten IJsland.

De symptomen zijn levenslang aanwezig, en er zijn gevallen bekend waar de allergie in het 20e levensjaar voor het eerst optrad.

De toestand is niet alleen vreselijk voor het dier én zijn eigenaar wanneer hij naar de ongelukkige dieren kijkt en hun gevecht tegen de jeuk moet aanzien. Ook voor de fokkers, handelaren en eigenaren ontstaat immers een grote economische schade omdat de waardedaling van een ineens onder staart- en maneneczeem lijdend dier 50 % en meer kan bedragen. Bij een gemiddelde prijs van een gezond IJslands paard in Europa van USD 6.000 is een dergelijk verlies niet te verwaarlozen.

Gelukkig zijn de gebruiksmogelijkheden van dergelijke paarden maar zelden beperkt voorzover er geen plekken onder het zadel ontstaan hetgeen vrij zeldzaam is. In sommige gevallen treedt het eczeem echter in een dusdanige mate op dat berijden door een erg onrustig dier onmogelijk wordt. Ook kan het voorkomen dat een veulen niet kan drinken omdat het door de merrie vanwegen een pijnlijke uier weggetrapt wordt. Er wordt echter zelfs van een noodzakelijke euthanasie in extreme gevallen melding gemaakt. Ook enkele bekende sportpaarden en in de fokkerij gebruikte hengsten lijden onder deze allergie. De keuringsresultaten van een paard met staart- en maneneczeem zouden (theoretisch, d.w.z. volgens de keuringsregels) niet nadelig worden beïnvloed. Desondanks zijn ze veelal lager, wat verklaard kan worden door het vaak armetierige uiterlijk van deze paarden (misschien ook door de onbewuste veronderstelling van een erfelijke aanleg).

De hierna als abstracts (zie Info Menu) getoonde wetenschappelijke artikelen van Gail Anderson c.s. geven aan dat kennelijk niet alleen het speeksel van bepaalde Culicoides-soorten een allergene werking heeft maar het gehele insect. Bovendien is men er achter gekomen dat Culicoides-soorten die in een bepaald gedeelte van de wereld reacties bij paarden tot gevolg hebben, deze zelfde werking "gelukkig" ook bij dieren in andere Landen uitoefenen (waar deze insecten dan als het ware exotisch zijn). Dit feit vergemakkelijkt in principe de productie van een globaal werkende desensibiliserings-stof. De door Anderson c.s. gemelde verbeteringen zijn verbazingwekkend goed, een over twee jaar voortgezette wekelijkse behandeling met eerst klimmende en later gelijkblijvende dosering vooropgesteld.

Verder vermelden Anderson c.s. dat reeds één enkele beet een allergische reactie kan veroorzaken. Het opstallen tussen 16.00 en 07.00 uur is derhalve eigenlijk niet echt nuttig (volgens mijn eigen - C.B. - ervaringen zijn het 16.00-22.00 en 06.00-10.00 uur) omdat de muggen ook in gebouwen vliegen. Die betekent natuurlijk niet dat u vanaf nu de dieren geen stal meer hoeft aan te bieden! Een zekere bescherming gaat er altijd van uit. Zelfs de optie om de dieren dag en nacht op te sluiten in een met een extreem fijnmazig net afgeschermde stal (minimaal 20 gaten per cm) is volgens Anderson c.s. niet 100 % afdoende, nog afgezien van de dieronvriendelijkheid van zo'n maatregel.

Talloze eigenaren heben haast evenzovele (huis)middelen uitgeprobeerd om de allergie te bestrijden of tenminste te verzachten. Een groeiende collectie ervan vindt u in ItchBase waar bezoekers hun ervaringen bekend kunnen maken.

De kern van ItchBase vormt - naast het scheppen van een centraal informatiepunt rondom dit thema, bijvoorbeeld in de vorm van behandelingsadviezen en wetenschappelijke artikelen -de openbare database die uit de bijdragen van bezoekers aan deze website bestaat.

Met het verzamelen is begonnen in januari 1998. Van enkele artikelen was geen datum te achterhalen.

De op het net gevonden artikelen zijn - met een enkele uitzondering - niet vertaald, vandaar dat het gros van de gegevens Engelstalig is.

Wilt u ook goede nota ervan nemen dat ik geen dierenarts ben maar gewoon een geïnteresseerde leek? Met uw eventuele vragen van medische aard zult u zich moeten wenden tot uw eigen dierenarts of een faculteit voor diergeneeskunde. Ik heb ItchBase alleen naar aanleiding van mijn eigen ervaringen met eczeempaarden opgezet.

Houdt u s.v.p. ook rekening met het feit dat op deze website genoemde productinformatie over middelen tegen zomereczeem vrijwel altijd afkomstig is van de producent/leverancier zelf. Voor de volledigheid, juistheid, werkzaamheid, objectiviteit, wetenschappelijke onderbouwing, juiste prijs-kwaliteitsverhouding en zelfs het bona- of evtl. malafide karakter van de gegevens kan ik niet instaan - u zult steeds zelf een kritische beoordeling moeten maken.

Deze pagina wordt geleidelijk aan uitgebreid. De nieuwtjes vindt u telkens aan het einde van elk kader.

Info Menu

Einführung

Die interaktive Datenbank für Sommerekzem bei Pferden

Wissenswertes und nützliche Informationen

Weshalb eine Datenbank?

Sommerekzem ist ein Krankheitsbild, das die Lebensqualität von Tausenden von Pferden beeinträchtigt, in Europa z.B. vor allem die Vertreter nordeuropäischer Ponyrassen. Als hauptsächliche Verursacher dieser Allergie gelten einige der etwa 50 Culicoides - Stechmückenarten, nur 1/1700 Gramm "schwere" Insekten ("Gnitzen"), die hauptsächlich zwischen März und Oktober und dann vor allem in den Morgen- und Abendstunden aktiv sind. Dies gilt zumindest in den gemäßigten Klimazonen der nördlichen Hemisphäre. Allerdings häufen sich Berichte (u.a. eigene - C.B. - Erfahrungen), nach denen Ekzem auch in milden Wintern auftritt. Auch kann im Winter fortgesetztes Kratzen ein Juck-/Kratzreflex sein, der auch ohne vorhandene Mücken autonom weiterwirkt. Culicoides fliegen übrigens nicht höher als ca. 3 m; demnach müßte ein Pegasus der Qual entgehen können, meine ich...
In einigen Quellen wird von 120, ja sogar von 800 Sorten Culicoides gesprochen.

Die Insekten vermehren sich an feuchten Stellen, auf Moorböden und unter Baumrinde. Nur die Weibchen sind Blutsauger.

Abgesehen von der als bewiesen geltenden Allergie infolge von Culicoides gibt es weitere Faktoren, die den Zustand verschlimmern können: z.B. vermutlich eiweißreiche Nahrung und starke Sonneneinstrahlung. In einem (deutschsprachigen) Beitrag von Dr. Dieter Kolb (14 K) wird insbesondere eine geringere Anzahl Schweißdrüsen als Ursache genannt. Ein Artikel von Dr. Peter Schneider und Karola Schmeil nennt Verdauungsprobleme sowie mangelnde Bewegung als Ursachen. Ein andere Besucherin dieser Website sandte einen ausführlichen (englischsprachigen) Bericht, in dem auf eine andere allergische Reaktion als mögliche Ursache hingewiesen wird.

Sommerekzem tritt in unterschiedlichem Ausmaß sowie bei Pferden verschiedener Rassen auf. In der Literatur werden - abgesehen von Islandpferden - insbesondere Friesen, Araber en Vollblutpferde genannt. Angenommen wird, dass beispielsweise bei Islandpferden zwischen 5 und 25 % der Population außerhalb von Island unter dieser Allergie leiden, wobei in manchen Gebieten sogar höhere Prozentsätze beobachtet werden. In Australien, wo die Allergie als "Queensland Itch" bezeichnet wird, sind sogar zwischen 32 und 60 % (!) der Pferde betroffen. In Japan kennt man die Krankheit unter dem Namen "Kasen". Auch ist die Allergie unter dem Namen "dhobie itch" bekannt.

In Meeresnähe und über 800 m Seehöhe gehen die Symptome (nicht jedoch die Allergie selbst) fast vollständig zurück. Sie kehren wieder, sobald solche Tiere die besagten Zonen verlassen.

Die Symptome sind gelbliche oder graue Stellen von etwa 5 - 150 mm Durchmesser, die in vielen Fällen von den Tieren bis zum Bluten aufgebissen und aufgescheuert werden, wonach sich Krusten bilden. Besonders befallen sind Mähne und Schweif(rübe). In der Mähne können harte Stellen auftreten und aufbrechen, wodurch der Mähnenkamm ein sägezahnartiges Äußeres erhält. Im Gesichtsbereich wird die Behaarung häufig weggescheuert, wonach die darunterliegende (dunkle) Haut sichtbar wird (siehe Bilder ; 14 K Text + 330 K für 9 Fotos).

Es ist wirklich kein schöner Anblick, sich die verzweifelten Tiere anzusehen, wie sie sich selbst oder gegenseitig mit den Zähnen bearbeiten oder sich endlos an Pfählen u.dgl. scheuern. Die Pferde verrenken sich bisweilen in akrobatische Stellungen, um an die juckenden Stellen zu gelangen. Für einige Tiere ist es völlig problemlos, die eigene Schweifrübe handflächengroß blutig aufzubeißen.

Sommerekzem ist zwar nicht ansteckend, wirkt sich aber unter Umständen auch auf die gesunden Tiere in der Herde aus: Durch das gegenseitige Knabbern in der Mähne beißt das betroffene Tier aufgrund seines eigenen, relativ starken Juckreizes recht stark und beschädigt dabei das Fell und/oder die Mähne des gesunden Tieres.

Es gibt relativ deutliche Hinweise auf Erblichkeit. Siehe hierzu die Angaben von Marion Unkel. Ein verursachendes Gen wurde bisher (1998) noch nicht gefunden. Vermutlich liegen mehrere Gene der Anfälligkeit zugrunde. Eine Zeitlang vermutete man, dass beispielsweise Tiere, die außerhalb von Island geboren wurden, vom Sommerekzem verschont seien. Es scheint jedoch eine Tendenz auch für diese Gruppe zu geben, allergische Reaktionen zu zeigen, und das sogar noch in der vierten Generation auf dem Kontinent.

Die Symptome halten lebenslang an, und es gibt Fälle, wo die Allergie erst nach 20 Jahren auf dem Kontinent auftrat.

Der Zustand ist nicht nur höchst unangenehm für das Tier selbst und schrecklich für die Besitzer, um die geplagten Tiere anzusehen und sich das ausgiebige Beißen anzuhören. Den Züchtern, Händlern und Besitzern entsteht immerhin ein großer wirtschaftlicher Verlust, weil der Wertverlust eines plötzlich von Sommerekzem befallenen Tieres 50 % und mehr betragen kann. Bei einem durchschnittlichen Preis in Europa von etwa USD 6000 für ein gesundes Islandpferd ist die Einbuße durchaus gravierend.

Glücklicherweise ist die Einsatzfähigkeit der Tiere selten eingeschränkt, sofern nicht in der Sattellage entsprechende Stellen auftreten, was jedoch eher selten der Fall ist. In einigen Fällen tritt das Ekzem allerdings so stark auf, dass das Tier nicht mehr geritten werden kann, weil es zu unruhig wird. Auch kommt es vor, dass ein Fohlen nicht trinken kann, weil es von der Stute aufgrund von Ekzem am Euter geschlagen wird. Es wird sogar von Einschläferung in Extremfällen berichtet. Auch manche berühmte Turnierpferde und zur Zucht eingesetzte Hengste leiden unter Sommerekzem. Die Beurteilungsnoten eines betroffenen Pferdes sollten theoretisch (also laut Körungsordnung) nicht vom Vorhandensein von Sommerekzem beeinflußt; werden, sind jedoch häufig niedriger, wohl aufgrund des unansehnlichen Äußeren der Tiere (vielleicht auch unbewußt aufgrund des angenommenen Erbfaktors).

Den nachstehend als Abstracts (siehe Info Menü) angebotenen wissenschaftlichen Artikeln von Gail Anderson c.s. ist zu entnehmen, dass offensichtlich nicht nur der Speichel mancher Culicoides-Arten allergen ist, sondern das ganze Insekt. Überdies hat sich "glücklicherweise" erwiesen, dass Culicoides-Arten, die in einem bestimmten Teil der Welt allergische Reaktionen bei Pferden auslösen, dieselbe Wirkung auch auf Pferde in anderen Ländern ausüben (wo die Insekten sozusagen Exoten sind). Dadurch erleichtert sich im Prinzip die Herstellung eines global wirksamen Desensibilisierungs-stoffes. Die von Anderson c.s. berichteten Verbesserungen sind erstaunlich, eine über zwei Jahre durchgeführte, regelmäßig wöchentliche Behandlung mit zunächst ansteigenden und danach gleichbleibenden Dosierungen vorausgesetzt.

Ferner berichten Anderson c.s., dass schon ein einziger Stich die Allergie hervorrufen kann. Eine Aufstallung zwischen 16.00 und 07.00 Uhr ist daher eigentlich nicht so besonders effektiv, weil die Mücken auch in Gebäude fliegen. (Meine eigenen - C.B. - Erfahrungen ergeben andere Zeiten, an denen die Pferde den Stall aufsuchen: 16.00-22.00 und 06.00-10.00 Uhr.) Das heißt natürlich nicht, dass man den Tieren keinen Stall anzubieten braucht! Etwas helfen tut es natürlich immer. Sogar die Option, die Tiere 24 Stunden pro Tag in einem mit extrem feinem Moskitonetz verhüllten Stall (20 Öffnungen pro cm Netz) einzusperren, hilft laut Anderson c.s. nicht 100%ig, abgesehen von der Unzumutbarkeit für das Tier.

Unzählige Besitzer haben fast ebensoviele (Haus)mittel angewandt, um die Allergie zu beheben oder zumindest zu lindern. Eine wachsende Anzahl solcher Ratschläge finden Sie in ItchBase, wo Besucher ihre Erfahrungen kundtun können.

Ziel von ItchBase nun ist es, neben der Zentralisierung relevanter Informationen zu diesem Thema, etwa in Form von Behandlungsempfehlungen und wissenschaftlichen Artikeln, der öffentlichen Datenbank, die aus Beiträgen der Besucher dieser Website besteht.

Das Sammeln von Daten begann im Januar 1998. Bei einigen Artikeln war das Datum leider nicht zu eruieren.

Die im Internet gefundenen Artikel u.dgl. wurden - mit wenigen Ausnahmen - nicht übersetzt.

Bitte beachten Sie, daß ich kein Tierarzt bin, sondern nur ein interessierter Laie. Mit eventuellen medizinischen Fragen müssen Sie sich an einen Tierarzt oder eine veterinärmedizinische Fakultät wenden. Ich habe diese "ItchBase"-Seiten nur deswegen eingerichtet, weil mir das Problem des Sommerekzems bei Pferden aus eigener Erfahrung sehr zu Herzen geht.

Bitte, berücksichtigen Sie auch die Tatsache, dass die auf dieser Website erwähnten Informationen über Produkte/Mittel gegen Sommerekzem fast ausnahmslos von den Produzenten/Lieferanten stammen. Für die Vollständigkeit, Richtigkeit, Wirksamkeit, Objektivität, wissenschaftliche Unterbauung, das richtige Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis sowie den gut- oder evtl. sogar schlechtgläubigen Charakter der Angaben kann ich nicht einstehen; Sie werden sich immer Ihr eigenes kritisches Urteil bilden müssen.

Diese Seite wird ständig erweitert. Neue Beiträge finden Sie jeweils am Ende jedes Kastens.

Info Menü

Introduction

The interactive database for Sweet Itch in horses

Facts and helpful information

Why a database?

Sweet itch is a condition that affects the quality of life of thousands of horses, in Europe e.g. mainly pony-sized breeds from Northern Europe. It is believed to be mainly an allergic reaction to some of the approx. 50 types of Culicoides biting midges, tiny insects ("no-see-ums", "punkies"; 1700 of them go into one gram) that are active between roughly March and October (i.e. in moderate climates of the Northern hemisphere) during some hours in the morning and the evening.
Some sources report 120 or even 800 different Culicoides species.

But reports indicate that during mild winters the sweet itch will continue the year round. (I can confirm this - C.B.) Continued scratching in wintertime can also be an autonomous continued itch/scratch reflex without midges being present.

The insects by the way do not fly higher than approx. 3 metres (3.3 yd) - a Pegasus should therefore be able to escape the torture...

The midges like to breed on wet land, on peat-like ground or under tree bark. Only the females are blood-sucking.

Besides the Culicoides allergy - which seems to be a proven fact - there are other factors that can aggravate the situation: e.g. protein-rich diet and/or lots of sunshine. On a separate page visitors will find a contribution by Dr. Dieter Kolb (14 K) (in German only, sorry); he assumes a reduced number of sweat glands to be a / the causing factor. An article (in German) by Dr. Peter Schneider and Karola Schmeil describes digestive problems and lack of physical movement as possible causes. Another visitor to this website sent an extensive report in which she points to other possible allergic causes that should not be overlooked.

Sweet itch occurs in varying degrees of severity in horses of various breeds. Besides Icelandic horses also Friesian, Arabian and thoroughbreds are mentioned amongst others in the literature. It is believed that e.g. in Icelandic horses between 5 and 25% of the population outside of Iceland suffer from this condition, in some areas even higher percentages have been observed.

In Australia where the allergy is known as "Queensland Itch", between 32 and 60% (!) are reported to be affected. In Japan the sickness is known as "kasen", elsewhere also as "dhobie itch".

Near the sea shore and above 800 metres elevation the symptoms (but not the allergy) disappear almost completely. They reappear as soon as such allergic animals leave the said areas.

The symptoms are yellowish or greyish spots approx. 5 - 150 millimetres in size, in many cases scratched open by the animals until bleeding occurs. Crusts are formed, the mane and tail hair being scratched and/or bitten away. In the crest hardened spots can appear and burst open which give it a saw-like appearance. In the face the hair sometimes is scratched away and the black skin underneath becomes visible (see images ; 12 K text + 330 K for 9 photographs).

It is definitely not a pleasant sight to see the desperate animals biting themselves or each other, or rubbing endlessly against poles or other hard surfaces. The horses get sometimes into very uncommon postures in order to reach the itchy spots. For some horses it is no problem at all to open a bloody patch the size of a handpalm on their dock (i.e. the base of the tail) with their teeth.

Sweet itch is not contagious but other, healthy animals in the herd might be affected as well because a horse with sweet itch will scratch harder into the withers of a healthy animal due of his own strong itch sensation and will in this way do some damage to the other's skin and hair.

There seems to be considerable evidence of a hereditary factor. You can read more in the short abstract of Marion Unkel's work. The causing gene has not been determined yet (1998). Probably several genes form the cause. For some time it was believed that e.g. animals born outside of Iceland were safe from sweet itch. But there seems to be a tendency also for those horses to become affected, even in their 4th generation on the continent.

The condition is a life sentence and animals have been known to develop the allergy even in their 20th year on the continent.

The condition is not only terrible for the animal itself and weird for the owners to look at and listen to. It also presents a great economic loss for breeders, sellers and owners alike since the value of a horse suddenly becoming an "eczema case" can plummet with 50% and more. At an average European price of some USD 6,000 for (e.g.) a healthy Icelandic horse this is not negligible.

Fortunately the usability of the animal is seldom restricted unless it develops patches in the saddle area which is rare. In some cases however the eczema is so strong that the horse cannot be used anymore because it becomes so restless. In other cases foals are beaten away by the mare when they attempt to drink fom an affected udder.

Scientific articles report euthanasia being necessary in extreme cases. Even some famous competition horses and stallions used for breeding suffer from sweet itch. The ratings of an affected horse should theoretically not be affected but are nonetheless frequently lower due to the shabby look of the animals, possibly also due to the supposed hereditary factor.

The abstracts of scientific articles by Gail Anderson c.s. (see Info Menu) reveal that obviously not only the Culicoides saliva is allergenic but the whole insect. Moreover "luckily" it has been established that Culicoides-species that produce allergic reactions in certain parts of the world, show the same effect on horses in other countries (where these insects are exotic so to speak). This fact makes it in basically easier to produce a globally usable desensitization agent. The improvements reported by Anderson c.s. are astonishing, provided the weekly treatment with at first low doses, later enlarged doses until a certain dosage level is kept up during a period of two years.
Furthermore Anderson c.s. report that just a single bite can cause an allergic reaction. Keeping the animal in a stable between 4 p.m. en 7 a.m. is "theoretically" not very effective as the insects also enter buildings. (My own - C.B. - experiences show other times, i.e. 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. - 10 a.m.) This does of course not warrant the conclusion that you would not need to give the animals a stable as a hide-away from the insects! There will always be a certain alleviation.

Even the option of keeping the horses day and night in a stable tightly sealed with extreme fine mosquito netting (at least 20 holes per centimeter) is not totally helpful according to Anderson c.s. - besides the unfriendlyness of such a treatment for the animal.

A great number of people have tried almost as many remedies to cure or at least ease the condition.

The purpose of ItchBase is to centralize relevant information on the subject such as scientific articles, treatment advice - both mostly found on the Internet - and to run a public database filled by visitors to this website.

Collection started in January 1998. Some articles unfortunately lack a date.

Please note that I am not a vet but only an interested layman. You should consult a vet or a veterinary faculty with any medical questions. I have only set up these ItchBase pages based on my own involvement with sweet itch cases.

Since the information found on the Internet is presented as-is, it has - with a few exceptions - not been translated. You can try Altavista's translation service if a particular article is not in your appropriate language (don't expect wonders though! The word "Wallachen" ("geldings") was translated in a test I performed with "whale laughter" (Wal = whale, lachen = laughter...).

Please be aware of the fact that practically all information on this website about products/remedies against sweet itch were provided by the producers/distributors themselves and/or found on their websites. I can in no way be held responsible for the completeness, correctness, efficiency, objectivity, scientific basis of these data, and furthermore of correct value for money and the good or possibly even bad faith character of that information. You will always have to use your own critical judgement.

New material is added to this page from time to time. You will find it at the end of each table frame.

Info Menu

Verdachte of bewezen allergene soorten
Verdächtige oder erwiesenermaßen allergene Arten
Suspected or proven allergenic species
  • Culicoides arakawae
  • C. biguttatus
  • C. brevitarsus
  • C. chiopterus
  • C. circumscripta
  • C. cockerellii (Coquillet)
  • C. dewulfi
  • C. imicola (Kieffer) *)
  • C. insignis (Lutz)
  • C. lupicaris
  • C. nubeculosus (Meigen)
  • C. obsoletus (Meigen)
  • C. odibilis
  • C. peregrinus (Austen)
  • C. pulicaris
  • C. punctatus (Meigen)
  • C. robertsi
  • C. scoticus
  • C. spinosus
  • C. stellifer (Coquillet)
  • C. variipennis (Coquillet)
  • C. venustus (Hoffmann)

"Culicoides spp." = "Culicoides species"

There are reports from several regions of a more frequent attack by the following species:

Australia: C. brevitarsus
Canada: C. obsoletus
Israel: C. lupicaris, C. imicola, C. nubeculosus, C. punctatus, C. circumscripta
Spain: C. imicola, C. nubeculosus, C. obsoletus
UK: C. pulicaris
USA: C. variipennis, C. insignis, C. spinosus, C. stellifer

Frequency, worldwide (n=5735):

C. dewulfi (26,5 %)
C. obsoletus (Meigen) (25,8 %)
C. chiopterus (20,6 %)
C. scoticus (19,4 %)
Other species (7,7 %)

Some known preferred landing sites of Culicoides species:
C. dewulfi: mane
C. chiopterus, C. scoticus and C. obsoletus: abdomen
C. chiopterus: legs

*) In warm countries (at present already Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey; originally Israel, Africa, Asia) C. imicola is also the vector (= carrier) of the very dangerous bluetonge virus (20% mortality in sheep) and the African Horse Sickness virus (95% mortality in horses). See e.g. www.proagri.co.za/uitgawe_22/22-28_African_Horse_sickness-e.htm and www.oie.int/eng/publicat/rt/2003/A_R2035.htm.

Other itch-producing insects are e.g. Stomoxys calcitrans (stable flies), Simulium spp. (blackflies, very nasty, especially attacking the ears) and Haematobia irritans (horn flies).

Differential diagnosis

Before diagnosing sweet itch at least the following conditions should be excluded/treated:

Ectoparasitisms: biting flies, forage mites, habronemiasis, Mange mites (Psoroptes, Sarcoptes, Chorioptes), onchocerciasis, oxyuriasis, pediculosis, Poultry mites, trombiculidiasis
Hypersensitivities: atopy/atopia, contact hypersensitivity, drug eruption, food hypersensitivity, intestinal parasite hypersensitivity, urticaria (immunologic or non-immunologic)
Pemphigus foliaceus
Dermatophytosis
Seborrhea
Bacterial dermatoses
Bacterial folliculitis
Dermatophilosis

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ItchBase Main Menu / Hauptmenü (Database) (12 K)

Meer over paarden, honden, vissen, wormen etc.: software, bizarre verhalen en handige tips: Mehr über Pferde, Hunde, Fische, Würmer usw.: Software, skurrile Geschichten und praktische Tips: More on horses, dogs, fish, worms etc.: software, strange stories and practical ideas:

Terug / Zurück / Back -> Christoph Bouthillier

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Western Pferde Journal

Juli - August 1995, S. 52

Medizin: Das Sommerekzem

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PEGASUS Pferdemagazin (Schweiz)

Wenn das Sommerekzem wieder kommt...

E-mail: pegasus@pop.agri.ch

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Stall-Apotheke

Symposion Verlag GmbH
Postfach 1040
D-65836 Sulzbach/Taunus
Telefon +49 (6196) 75700

August 1996, S. 12

Sommerekzem - Problem von April bis November

Das Sommerekzem ist eine Kombination aus Stoffwechselstörung und Allergie. Welche Pferde davon betroffen sind und was man sowohl gegen die Symptome als auch gegen die Ursachen tun kann, verrät Ihnen Uta Over.

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PEGASUS Pferdemagazin (Schweiz)

Mit der Anti-itch-Lotion gegen das Sommerekzem

E-mail: pegasus@pop.agri.ch

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Freizeit im Sattel, 3/97:

Sommerekzem inklusive?

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Reiter Revue International 6/97:

Drei-Punkte-Programm gegen Sommerekzem

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Christopher Day:

Pferde natürlich heilen - Ein Ratgeber für den Umgang mit natürlichen Heilmethoden wie Homöopathie, Kräuterheilkunde, Behandlungen mit ätherischen Ölen, Biochemie und Bachblüten. Hinweise auf Behandlungsmöglichkeiten der wichtigsten Krankheiten.

Aus dem Inhalt:
- Erste Hilfe bei Verletzungen
- Abszeß, Allergie, Arthritis
- Rückenprobleme
- Kolik, Husten, Durchfall, Nasenausfluß
- Hufprobleme, Hufrehe, Mauke
- Nervosität und Erregbarkeit
- Hautpilz, Satteldruck
- Verletzungen von Sehnen, Bändern und Muskeln
- Sommerekzem, Gallen

DEM 9,95 (= ca. EUR 5,--)

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A MODERN HORSE HERBAL

By: Hilary Page Self

SIMPLY PUT, THIS IS THE MOST complete work available on medicinal herbs for horses and how to use them. It covers A-Z of common ailments and conditions that can be effectively and safely treated with herbs. Among these are allergies, arthritis, coughs, colic, eczema, hay fever, hoof weakness, head shaking, lamintis, muscle and joint stiffness, navicular disease, nervousness, pedalostitis, rheumatism, scouring, sweet itch, ulcers, warts, worm infestation and wounds. In addition, many stable management applications for herbs such as fly repellents, coat conditioners, shampoos and disinfectants are included. For background, a descriptive list of over 50 readily obtainable herbs is included, giving details on habitat, collection, actions and uses. Useful non-herbal products such as cider and vinegar and honey are discussed. Complete guidelines on making herbal preparations are offered, along with advice on selecting remedies and determining dosage. For hoses seeking a more natural approach to their horses health, A Modern Horse Herbal is a must!

USD 39.95

DEM 9,95 (= ca. EUR 5,--)

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SOMMEREKZEM IST IN DEN GRIFF ZU BEKOMMEN

Interview with Dr. Carl-Heinz Rettig, a German vet
In: Eiðfaxi International, 2/1998, p. 44-47

Eiðfaxi specializes in Icelandic horses and is published in Iceland in Icelandic, English and German. I (C.B.) present here a very short abstract:

People should not be too afraid of sweet itch. Cortisone injections are really not the only remedy. Horses used in competition have the same amount of sweet itch but it is controlled much better in those animals because they are used and looked after daily. Dr. Rettig's judgement is that much more than the often quoted 30% of all animals imported from Iceland are affected. He has doubt about using affected stallions. No horse seller can guarantee an itch itch free animal. The decrease in value once sweet itch has appeared can go up to USD 2500 but this hardly holds for competition horses since their owners are not so much concerned. Dr. Rettig guesses that the yearly treatment costs amount to USD 100-125. Also Haflinger and Norwegian horses are much affected. Fat horses are affected more easily. Ultraviolet light should be avoided. Before export from Iceland the animals should be injected with BAYPAMUN which increases their immune system which is stressed to its limits due to the export transport. There seems to be no colour dependence. It is much better to import animals when very young or still in the mare. Older animals can hardly cope with the immunity problems. Dr. Rettig had little confidence in Ökozon (see elsewhere on this page) at first but found that after 3 or 4 years of intensive treatment with Ökozon the symptoms disappear almost totally.

 
Comment (C.B.): I believe that this article is quite over-optimistic. It also attracted by the way some very negative readers' mail directed at some statements made by. Dr. Rettig. The colour and gender independence of the allergy is stressed indeed by most authors although some report a slightly higher incidence in male animals with a dark colour.
In Eiðfaxi International 4, 1998, p. 20, two letters from readers were published that contained quite severe criticism of Dr. Rettig's article.

CHRISTIANE ROCHLITZ:
ES MUSS NICHT IMMER GLEICH EKZEM SEIN ( in: Das Islandpferd Nr. 68/1999, 37-38) 

Amongst other remarks, this article contains a strong and in my view wise plea to not overemphasize a breeding policy of exclusion of horses suffering from sweet itch. Christiane Rochlitz says that probably 100% of all Icelandic horses are genetically disposed towards sweet itch anyway and that the inheritance is carried by various recessive genes. I (C.B.) refer to Marion Unkel who found that the difference in sweet itch frequency in a horse with two healthy parents as compared to one with only one healthy parent is between 4 and 7 %. This means that trying to eradicate sweet itch by breeding selection alone is by far not efficient enough and would narrow down the gene pool.

KLAUS STROTHMANN:
WER MIT EKZEMPFERDEN ZÜCHTET, VERSTÖSST GEGEN DEN TIERSCHUTZ (in: Das Islandpferd Nr. 68/1999, 38)

In a totally opposite direction as compared to Christiane Rochlitz, Klaus Strothmann makes a strong plea towards breeding selection; in his opinion breeding with suffering animals is a violation of animal protection laws.

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SIGRIÐUR BJÖRNSDÓTTIR: EKZEMFORSCHUNG - Wird es bald einen Impfstoff gegen Ekzem geben? (in: Eiðfaxi International Nr. 6, 1999, p. 45)

The author describes one ongoing and one planned (1999) research project in Iceland: The first project that started in 1997 and tries to explain the genetic and environmental factors contributing to sweet itch. The other project is directed towards isolation of the allergenic substances or the proteins in the saliva of Culicoides midges and the subsequent cloning of the DNA of these proteines. The ultimate goal is the development of a DNA vaccination. The article reports that trials with such DNA vaccination in mice are capable to influence allergic reactions. It is hoped that such a vaccination can function both prophylactically and therapeutically.

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Zur genetischen Fundierung des Sommerekzems beim Islandpferd/ Marion Unkel. - 1985. - 142 S. : graph. Darst. Bonn, Univ., Diss., 1985.

I (C.B.) found a short article on Unkel's work on a photocopy of one page from a Dutch journal on Icelandic horses (no number, no date). The following is therefore an (abridged) quote of a quote.

Marion Unkel studied the heredity of sweet itch in 1,000 Icelandic horses in Rhineland (Germany) between 1982 and 1985.

She found the following heredity values:

StallionMareFoals with sweet itch
healthyhealthy13.5 %
healthysweet itch21.1 %
sweet itchhealthy17.5 %
sweet itchsweet itch37.5 %

It was not possible to answer the question of the dominance or recessivity of the allergy since the allergy is located on various genes.

The mares in this study show a strong influence on the outcome which is according to Unkel possibly due to the fact that the mother takes up various allergenic substances and/or that the foal gets them via the milk. According to Unkel however the surroundings possibly play (also) a role since the stallion in most cases lives somewhere else, under different conditions.

Unkel predicts that avoiding breeding with affected animals would lower the sweet itch rates. After eight generations of healthy parents for example the percentage should (theoretically) be reduced from 18 % to 9 %. Her advice is to exclude all allergic horses from breeding.

In 1974 only 5 % of all Icelandic horses in the Rhineland suffered from sweet itch whereas this percentages had risen to 18 % in 1985.

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Culicoides and allergic dermatitis in horses http://www.sheridan.com/entsoc/abs/SD2/E3292.html

1997 ESA Annual Meeting

Abstract Number: 688

Culicoides and allergic dermatitis in horses

Section: SD2: Culicoides as Vectors and Pests-Management in the 21st Century

Location: Bayou E
Date: December 17, 1997, 2:10 PM

Presenter: Anderson, Gail S.
Contact Email: ganderso@sfu.ca

Authors:

School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University
Anderson, Gail, S 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C.

V5A I S6

Culicoides Hypersensitivity is a chronic, recurrent, seasonal dermatitis of horses, which was first reported in British Columbia in 1984. The prevalence varies from 3-32% depending on world wide region. The disease has a major impact on the horse, in some cases leading to euthanasia. A review of the disease will be presented, together with research that identifies the causal insect in BC.

Results of potential therapy, hyposensitization, will be presented.

Send comments to webmaster@sheridan.com

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London University - Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA

Royal Veterinary College

Foster, A.P.; Cunningham, F.M.

MEDIATORS OF ANTIGEN-INDUCED VASCULAR AND CELLULAR CHANGES IN EQUINE ALLERGIC SKIN DISEASES.

Abstract: The aim of this project is to identify mediators of the vascular and cellular changes occurring in the skin of sweet itch ponies following exposure to Culicoides antigen. The effects of a range of compounds on oedema formation and dermal cell accumulation are being studied. Specific inhibitors of the formation or actions of these mediators on antigen-induced responses are being examined. The properties of circulating granulocytes from allergic horses are being compared to those of cells obtained from normal animals.

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Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Vet Clinical Sciences

Foil, C.S.; Corstvet, R.E.; Foil, L.D.

DETERMINATION OF INSECT SPECIES ASSOCIATED WITH CULICOIDES HYPERSENSITIVITY IN LOUISIANA HORSES.

Abstract: Studies to determine culicoides species associated with hypersensitivity in horses were conducted. There were 4 farms studied on which 6 culicoides hypersensitivity patients were followed. The patients were identified by seasonal dorsal pruritus which was not responsive to Ivermectin and for which cutaneous infections and ectoparasitism was ruled out. Over 100,000 Culicoides flies were collected by light-traps and by vacuum suction from the farms and from the horses.

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Florida, University of - Gainesville, FL 32611

College of Veterinary Medicine

Greiner, E. C.; Fadok, V. A.; Barbet, J.

DETERMINATION OF THE CULICOIDES SPP, ASSOCIATED WITH HORSES THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO SWEET ITCH IN FLORIDA.

Abstract: This project was initiated to determine which of the 50 species of Culicoides (biting midges) in Florida might be involved in causing the seasonal pruritus, sometimes called sweet itch. Insect light traps were operated on horse farms from Best Palm Beach to near Panama City. During the two years of insect light trapping, we also aspirated Culicoies directly from horses. Horses were also skin tested to determine the relative contribution various blood feeding insects might play in the insect hypersensitivity seen.

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London, University of-Hatfield, Hertfordshire United Kingdom AL9 7TA

Royal Veterinary College

Andrews, M.J.; Foster, A.P.; Bailey, S.;Elliott, J.; Cunningham, F.M.

PLATELET FUNCTION IN EQUINE SWEET ITCH.

Abstract: The aggregation and release of a range of platelet derived product is being studied using platelets from horses with the allergic skin disease, sweet itch. Responses obtained during the active phase of the disease, when horses are showing clinical signs, are being compared to those obtained during the inactive phase and to those of platelets from normal horses.

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London, University of-Hatfield, Hertfordshire United Kingdom AL9 7TA

Royal Veterinary College McKelvie, J.M.; Foster, A.P.; Hamblin, A.; Cunningham, F.M.

LYMPHOCYTE FUNCTION IN EQUINE SWEET ITCH.

Abstract: Lymphocyte subsets in the skin and blood of horses with the allergic skin disease, sweet itch, are being characterized. The functional activity of lymphocytes from animals with clinical signs of disease is being compared with that of cells from the same horses during the inactive phase of the disease and with that of cells from normal animals. The regulation of eosinophil function by T cell derived products is also under investigation.

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(Please see also the comment at the end of this article)

REACT - Equine Allergy Clinic
THE RONDELS, ROCKSHAW ROAD
MERSTHAM
SURREY RH1 3BZ
UNITED KINGDOM
TEL: +44 (0)1737 642392
FAX: +44 (0)1306 877680
Website: http://www.equine-allergy.com E-Mail: norman.curl@virgin.net

Introduction to the Field Study Field study compiled by:

M H Burrell BVMS MVM MRCVS
V J Curl
Dr J R Mansfield MRCS LRCP DRCOG
B J Esnouf

Common diseases of horses in the United Kingdom with an allergic aetiology are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), urticaria, headshaking and sweet itch. Fifty horses of various breeds were treated with the technique of allergy neutralisation.

Allergy neutralisation treatment, sometimes known as provocation neutralisation, was first suggested in human medicine by Lee (1961) and since that time has undergone various refinements. The technique of allergy neutralisation is quite distinct from incremental desensitisation. It has been available as a human treatment since 1978 in the United Kingdom and about 15 clinics have treated several hundred thousand patients during that time. In the USA the technique has been used extensively since the early 1960's and is currently utilised in approximately 3,000 clinics, including a large proportion of the Ear Nose and Throat profession.

React Equine Allergy Clinic is the first such clinic to use this technique for the treatment of horses.

Please complete our brief questionnaire and a full copy of the Field Study will be sent to you.

- - -

Upon my (C.B.) request (February 1998) the authors sent me the following article:

TREATMENT OF EQUINE ALLERGIC DISEASES WITH ALLERGY NEUTRALISATION

A FIELD STUDY

Mr M H Burrell BVMS MVM MRCVS, Priory Veterinary Surgery, 10 Evesham Road, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 9DF, United Kingdom.

Dr J R Mansfield MRCS LRCP DRCOG, The Burghwood Clinic, 34 Brighton Road, Banstead, Surrey, SM7 1BS, United Kingdom.

Mrs V J Curl, REACT Equine Allergy Clinic, The Rondels, Rockshaw Road, Merstham, Surrey, RH1 3BZ, United Kingdom.

Mrs B J Valler, The Burghwood Clinic, 34 Brighton Road, Banstead, Surrey, SM7 1BS, United Kingdom.

INTRODUCTION

Allergy neutralisation treatment, sometimes known as provocation-neutralisation, was first suggested in human medicine by Lee (1961) and since that time has undergone various refinements. The technique of allergy neutralisation is quite distinct from incremental desensitisation. It has been available as a human treatment since 1978 in the United Kingdom and about 15 clinics have treated several hundred thousand patients during that time. In the U.S.A. the technique has been used extensively since the early 1960's and is currently utilised in approximately 3,000 clinics, including a large proportion of the of the Ear, Nose and Throat profession.

Common diseases of horses in U.K. with an allergic aetiology are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), urticaria, headshaking and sweet itch. This paper describes the first reported attempts to treat these conditions with the technique of allergy neutralisation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty horses, of various breeds, were treated. These horses were either seen as a first opinion or were referred by other clinicians.

Suspected causative allergens were injected intradermally into a clipped area of the horse's neck to produce a wheal measuring approximately 7 mm x 7 mm in diameter. The response to this injection was observed over ten minutes. Positive reactions were indicated by an increase of 2 mm or more in lateral measurement, an increase in hardness and the development of clearly demarcated edges. If a positive response was obtained a further 1/5 dilution was injected in a "cocktail". A daily injection of the cocktail (0.1 ml) was then given subcutaneously for 14 days. Thereafter, the same injection was given on alternate days.

A wide range of allergens were used in the intradermal tests. The inhaled substances were housedust, housedust mite, pollens, hay and straw dust. Mould allergens used were extracts from forty-six different species. Extracts of foods were also used and included wheat, corn, oats, barley, soya, sugar beet and cane sugar. A Culicoides spp. allergen was also used.

The allergens were obtained from commercial manufacturers in the USA and UK.

The horses were discharged after treatment started. Owners were asked to carefully observe the symptoms. A questionnaire was sent to them after 3 months and they were asked to score the degree of improvement in symptoms as being one of: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, or 100% improvement. If an improvement was seen, they were asked to state whether it had occurred within 2 weeks, between 2 to 6 weeks or after 6 weeks from the start of treatment.

RESULTS

Of the 50 horses treated, follow-up questionnaires were received for 41, comprising 18 cases of COPD, 12 of urticaria, 8 headshakers and 3 with sweet itch. The results are shown in tables 1 and 2.

No adverse reactions were observed during skin testing or treatment.

COPD

Of the 20 cases with COPD, the results after three month's of treatment were obtained for 18. Three of these showed no improvement, 1 showed a 25% improvement and the remaining 14 cases showed between 75% and 100% improvement. One of the cases which showed no improvement was subsequently diagnosed as suffering from congestive cardiac failure.

The time from diagnosis of COPD to treatment ranged from 3 months to 4 years, the mean duration being 16 months. In all cases referral for allergy neutralisation followed disappointing results with conventional therapies and environmental management.

The three horses which did not respond to therapy (including the case which developed heart failure) had all had severe symptoms for at least 3 years.

Of the 14 cases which showed an improvement following therapy, a reduction in symptoms was noted within 2 weeks in 4 cases, between 2 and 6 weeks in 6 cases, and after 6 or more weeks in 5 cases.

One case of COPD was only symptomatic when turned out to grass in the summer, usually referred to as "Summer COPD". This horse showed a 75% improvement in symptoms the following summer after treatment.

Urticaria

Of the 12 cases treated, the results of treatment were obtained for all 12. Of these 1 horse failed to show any response to treatment. The remaining 11 all showed at least a 75% improvement, 9 being considered a 100% improvement.

The time from the appearance of symptoms of urticaria to treatment ranged from 1 month to 24 months, with a mean of 10 months. In all cases the condition responded to corticosteroids prior to referral and changes to the feed and bedding had failed to alleviate symptoms. The one case which did not respond to therapy had shown signs for 24 months, the longest of all in the group.

An improvement in symptoms was noted within 2 weeks in 6 cases, after 2 to 6 weeks in 3 cases and after 6 or more weeks in 2 cases.

Headshaking

Of the 12 horses treated follow-up data was received from 8. Of these, 5 showed no improvement after 3 months and the remaining 3 were scored as having shown 50%, 75% and 100% improvement respectively.

Headshaking had been occurring for between 5 years and 3 months in the cases tested, with a mean duration of 20 months.

Of the 3 cases that had shown a response after 3 months, one showed the first signs of improvement within 2 weeks and the other two 2 to 6 weeks after treatment started. However, the case that improved by 100% subsequently reverted to headshaking after 4 months and three other cases had initially shown a temporary improvement, but relapsed and no improvement was present after 3 months.

Sweet itch

Of the 6 horses treated only 3 have been monitored through the subsequent sweet itch season. Of these, 1 showed no improvement, 1 showed a 50% and the other showed a 75% improvement.

In both cases the first signs of improvement occurred within 2 weeks of the start of treatment.

Sweet itch had been present for between 9 years and 2 months in the cases tested, with a mean of 28 months.

DISCUSSION

The use of allergy neutralisation in significant numbers of horses has not been previously reported. This study shows that allergy neutralisation is an effective means of treating COPD with 14 out of 18 (78%) cases showing at least a 75% reduction in symptoms. It also appears to be highly effective in treating urticaria with 11 out of 12 (92%) cases showing at least a 75% reduction in symptoms.

In treating headshaking only 3 out of 8 cases appeared to show any benefit and therefore this would not appear to be a very satisfactory therapy. With only 3 sweet itch cases followed over a suitable period of time, no conclusions regarding efficacy can be drawn at this stage.

Allergy neutralisation has steadily gained acceptance as a method for treating human allergies involved in a large range of syndromes. Because the treatment injection contains doses of allergen which are (a) very small, and (b) produce negative skin reactions, the incidence of anaphylaxis is very low. There have been no reported fatalities anywhere in the world as a result of this treatment. This is in contrast to incremental desensitisation which uses large and increasing doses of allergen and can produce severe anaphylactic reactions. For this reason it is now only undertaken in clinics with resuscitation equipment available. No adverse effects were seen in any of the 50 horses skin tested or treated in this study.

There have been many well controlled studies reported on the efficacy of the technique in humans for asthma (Boris et al 1983 and 1988), allergic rhinitis (Scadding and Brostoff 1986; Van Niekerk and De Wet 1987), asthma and allergic rhinitis (Gerrard and King 1989), hyperkinetic syndrome of children (O'Shea and Porter 1981). A large multicentre trial reported by King et al (1988) is arguably the most important study done on this technique. A review of all publications between 1969 and 1988 concluded that the weight of evidence strongly supports allergy neutralisation as an effective therapy. (Gerdes, K.A., 1990. Clinical Ecology, 6,121-123).

Criticism can be made of the method of assessing response to treatment in the present study. Ideally, a more objective measurement of symptoms should be made by an independent operator, before and after treatment. However, the study was carried out within the limitations of clinical practice on horses in private ownership which in many cases lived far away. But, all the conditions display obvious signs such as increased resting respiratory rate, coughing, nasal discharge and exercise intolerance in COPD; conspicuous raised oedematous bumps in urticaria; pronounced abnormal head movements in headshakers, and well defined pruritic lesions of the mane and tail in sweet itch. Furthermore, they are all chronic conditions with which the owners become very familiar and in a position to detect and roughly evaluate any improvement.

The disparity in success rates between, for instance, urticaria and headshaking, further suggests that owners' judgement is reasonably reliable. Therefore the results are considered to be a fair indication of the efficacy of allergy neutralisation although it is accepted that further controlled studies are needed.

It is of interest to note that the three COPD cases and the one urticaria case which did not respond to treatment had all been ongoing for significantly longer than the mean duration of all cases. This may reflect more severe pathology and in one COPD case the onset of cardiac failure, possibly due to cor pulmonale, affected the therapy.

The aetiology of headshaking is poorly understood. Headshaking maybe a sign common to several different disease processes affecting various structures in the head and neck (Cook, 1980). It has also been suggested that, in seasonal cases at least, the cause is an allergic rhinitis (Lane and Mair, 1987). It has been suggested that headshaking may be a stereotypic learned behaviour and it may also involve a neuralgia (Cook, 1980). Identification of the causes is difficult and therapy is frequently unrewarding. Therefore it may not be surprising if allergy neutralisation, which assumes the cause to be an allergic rhinitis or other allergic disease, was not particularly successful. Perhaps a more careful choice of cases, such as only treating those which are seasonal and suppressed by cortisone, might result in better response rates.

The immunological mechanisms in humans by which allergy neutralisation can produce both a rapid relief of symptoms and a subsequent desensitisation are not understood.

In horses there is a poor correlation between the presence of COPD and intradermal skin test reactions to suspected allergens (McPherson et al., 1979). McGorum et al. (1993) found a poor correlation between intradermal and pulmonary reactions to 3 moulds and concluded that the technique was of little diagnostic value. However, this should not detract from the value of skin testing in identifying putative allergens for purposes of treatment by desensitisation. In the present study, most horses reacted to many allergen extracts. A positive reaction, indicated a potential allergen. In treatment it was considered relevant if desensitisation was achieved against potential rather than active allergens.

In conclusion, this study suggests that allergy neutralisation is an effective treatment for COPD and urticaria, but of less use in headshakers. The data for sweet itch is not yet large enough to draw any conclusions.

REFERENCES (on seperate page)

TABLE 1:
Percentage improvement in symptoms at least 3 months after treatment with allergy neutralisation

DISEASENUMBER OF CASESPERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS
0%25%50%75%90% 100%
COPD1831052 7
URTICARIA1210019 9
HEADSHAKING850111 1
SWEET ITCH310110 0

TABLE 2:
Onset of improvement in symptoms after allergy neutralisation treatment.

DISEASENUMBER OF CASESNUMBER IMPROVED ONSET OF IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS
<2 WEEKS2-6 WEEKS6 WEEKS
COPD1815 (83%)465
URTICARIA1211 (92%)632
HEADSHAKING83 (38%)12 0
SWEET ITCH 32200

End

UP-DATE TO FIELD STUDY JULY, 1997
At the Clinical Meeting of the British Equine Veterinary Association on July 16th, 1997, Mr Mike Burrell MRCVS gave a paper entitled "Allergen nuetralization in the horse". This novel therapy for the treatment of equine allergic diseases has been pioneered by a team in Surrey called REACT. This team, headed by Mr Burrell and Dr JR Mansfield, one of the United Kingdom's leading allergy and enviromental medicine practictioners, has produced a field study and describes the first reported attempts to treat such common diseases in horses as COPD, urticaria, headshaking and sweet itch.

An up-date to the field study is as follows:

COPD. Of the 27 cases treated, follow-up data obtained on 24 cases.
90% improvement12 horses
75% improvement8
25% improvement1
No improvement 3

Urticaria. Of the 14 cases treated the results of treatment were obtained for 13.
100% improvement10 horses
90% improvement1
75% improvement1
No improvement1

Headshaking. Of the 15 horses treated follow up data was received from 11.
100% improvement1 horse
75% improvement 3
50% improvement2
No improvement 5

Sweet Itch. No up-date available.

This study shows that allergy neutralisation is an effective means of treating COPD with 20 out of 24 (83%) cases showing at least a 75% reduction in symptoms. It also appears to be highly effective in treating urticaria with 12 out of 13 (92%) cases showing a 75% reduction in symptoms.

Treatment is only by referral from Veterinary Surgeons.

REACT Equine Allergy Clinic can be reached on +44 (0)1306 877 680

I (C.B.) would like to add that according to information by Dr. M.M. Sloet van Oldenruitborgh-Oosterbaan (who teaches at the veterinary faculty of Utrecht/NL) I received in October 2000 this hyposensibilisation treatment can induce very serious complications at the injection points and the results vary considerably.

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James Cook University of North Queensland, Australia

Department of Tropical Veterinary Science

Ladds, P.W.

IMMUNOPATHOLOGY OF EQUINE DERMATOSES.

Abstract: The approach was to examine in detail a large collection of the microscopic sections through typical dermatoses that had been collected over the years at the University of North Queensland Clinic. Using a new technique, it was possible to measure the presence of the most important immune proteins (the immunoglobulins) around the primary infection site.

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SWEET-ITCH SOLUTIONS
In: H and R (= Horse and Rider?) 3/96, page 42

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10 OF THE WORST: SKIN DISEASES
In: H and R (= Horse and Rider?) 2/96 page 46

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CULICOIDES OBSOLETUS (DIPTERA: CERATOPOGONIDAE) AS A CAUSAL AGENT OF CULICOIDES HYPERSENSITIVITY (SWEET ITCH) IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

G.S. ANDERSON,(1) P. BELTON,(1) AND N. KLEIDER(2)

J. Med. Entomol. 28(5): 685-693 (1991)

ABSTRACT Six horses severely affected by a seasonal dermatitis similar in both histopa-thology and epidemiology to Culicoides hypersensitivity (CH) and six unaffected or normal horses were inoculated intradermally with an extract of Culicoides obsoletus (Meigen), the most common Culicoides in southwestern British Columbia. Affected horses developed large welts within 20 min after injection, representing an immediate (type I) reaction; welts were largest 24 h or more after challenge, indicating in addition a delayed (type IV) reaction. This reaction was discernible for >3 wk in some of the affected horses. Normal horses developed small welts which peaked 2-4 h after challenge. Affected horses were irritated by the injections and developed characteristically ridged skin at the injection sites, similar to that seen in natural lesions, whereas the normal horses showed neither discomfort nor clinical signs. C. obsoletus is one of the most numerous Culicoides species biting horses, feeds on parts of the body where lesions are found, and is, we believe, responsible for dermatitis in the Pacific Northwest. The skin test was repeated 2 yr later in three of the affected horses. In two, the reactions were similar to those in the first test, but in the third horse, the reaction was greatly reduced after the second test. This paralleled a decrease in the severity of its natural clinical signs. Thus, a skin test may be useful in the diagnosis of Culicoides hypersensitivity.

(1) Centre for Pest Management, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
(2) Kleider Veterinary Services Ltd., 24145 55th Avenue, Langley, British Columbia V3A 7N6, Canada.

REFERENCES
(All references of the articles of Gail Anderson c.s., presented here as abstracts, are listed on the seperate reference page as a single list.)

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HYPERSENSITIVITY OF HORSES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA TO EXTRACTS OF NATIVE AND EXOTIC SPECIES OF CULICOIDES (DIPTERA: CERATOPOGONIDAE)

GAIL S. ANDERSON, PETER BELTON, AND NICHOLAS KLEIDER(1)

Centre for Pest Management, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6

J. Med. Entomol. 30(4): 657-663 (1993)

ABSTRACT Six horses from British Columbia severely affected by Culicoides hypersensitivity, a seasonal dermatitis caused by the bites of Culicoides spp., were inoculated intradermally with extracts of six species or forms of Culicoides from British Columbia, United States, and Israel. Two native and four exotic species were thought to cause the disease in their own geographical area. The horses developed large welts within 20 min after injection of any of the six extracts, indicating an immediate (type I) reaction. The skin reactions caused by each extract peaked at or after 24 h, indicating an additional delayed (type IV) reaction. These reactions confirm that the reactions to the extracts were allergic in nature. The horses were physically irritated by each extract and developed transverse ridges in the injection area similar to those seen in natural cases of the disease, again indicating an allergic reaction. Previous studies showed that control horses injected with Culicoides extract showed only a small, short-term reaction, with no delayed component, no irritation, and no transverse ridge development, further indicating that the observed reactions were allergic in nature. The affected horses reacted to all extracts of Culicoides, despite the fact that they had not been previously exposed to most of the species, indicating that the allergen(s) was present in all the extracts tested.

(1) Kleider Veterinary Services Ltd., 21081 Yeomans Crescent, Langley, B.C., Canada, V3A 8G6.

REFERENCES
(All references of the articles of Gail Anderson c.s., presented here as abstracts, are listed on the seperate reference page as a single list.)

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A POPULATION STUDY OF CULICOIDES OBSOLETUS MEIGEN (DIPTERA: CERATOPOGONIDAE), AND OTHER CULICOIDES SPECIES IN THE FRASER VALLEY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

G.S. ANDERSON, P. BELTON, and E.M. BELTON

Centre for Pest Management, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6

The Canadian Entomologist 125: 439-447 (1993)

ABSTRACT A seasonal light-trapping study of Culicoides species, in particular C. obsoletus Meigen, was conducted in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia to determine seasonal peaks and first and last appearance of these insects. Culicoides obsoletus is the causal agent of Culicoides Hypersensitivity (CH), an allergic dermatitis in horses, in British Columbia. Trapping at two sites in 1987 showed that C. obsoletus was first trapped in late March, and peaked in early May and again in late June. Small numbers were collected into mid-November. This coincided with the appearance and regression of clinical signs associated with CH in horses in the area. Stabling horses during the peak activity of Culicoides spp. has been recommended to prevent the development of CH. Light-trapping Culicoides both inside and outside stables showed that although fewer insects were caught inside, some (6%) were trapped indoors. A horse kept in an unscreened stable will not be protected from being bitten.

REFERENCES
(All references of the articles of Gail Anderson c.s., presented here as abstracts, are listed on the seperate reference page as a single list.)

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IMMUNOTHERPAPY TRIAL FOR HORSES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA WITH CULICOIDES (DIPTERA CERATOPOGONIDAE) HYPERSENSITIVITY

GAIL S. ANDERSON, PETER BELTON, ELISABETH JAHREN,(1) HENRY LANGE,(2) AND NICHOLAS KLEIDER(3)

Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6 Canada

J. Med. Entomol. 33(3): 458-466 (1996)

ABSTRACT Immunotherapy was used to treat horses in British Columbia for Culicoides hypersensitivity. This is a severe, chronic, recurrent allergic disease of horses that results in severe irritation, large lesions, hair loss, and secondary infection in the ventral midline, mane, and proximal region of the tail. A crude Culicoides extract was injected subcutaneously, in increasing doses, into 10 horses that were affected severely by the disease. Weekly doses reduced the clinical signs in 9 of the 10 horses in the 1st yr. Eight horses were treated with a maintenance dose during a 2nd yr. After the 2nd yr, 3 horses were completely free of clinical signs, 3 showed much less severe clinical signs than in untreated years, and 2 showed moderate reduction in clinical signs. Dosage, frequency of injections, and possible future applications of this technique are discussed.

Canadian Council on Animal Care approved animal use protocols were followed throughout this study.

(1) Jahren Veterinary Services, 21967 96th Avenue, Langley, BC V3A 8G6 Canada.
(2) Health Management Veterinarian, Animal Health Centre, 1874 Gladvin Road, Box 100, Abbotsford, B.C. V2S 4N8 Canada.
(3) Kleider Veterinary Services, Equine Clinic and Surgery, 8036 232nd Street, Langley, B.C. V3A 4P9 Canada.

REFERENCES
(The many references in the articles of Gail Anderson c.s., presented here as abstracts, are listed on the seperate reference page as a single list.)

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DAS SOMMEREKZEM
In: Eiðfaxi International, Deutsche Ausgabe, 6, 1998, 44-47

This journal on Icelandic horses is printed in three language versions: Icelandic, English and German. Website http://www.eidfaxi.is, E-mail eidfaxi@eidfaxi.is

Steinbjörnsson B.

The authors critizises the attitude of Icelandic farmers who in his opinion have not paid enough attention to the sweet itch problem that appears in their horses after export. Furthermore he gives some basic information on sweet itch; the figures for sweet itch in other breeds he mentions is definitely too low (1-3%) (see the introduction to this page). He also describes the plans developed at the Hannover veterinary faculty that intend to attack the problem on an immunological and genetical basis. The faculty wants to find the causing genes. That knowledge could in the future lead to remedies and a situation where susceptible animals with the "wrong genes" would be ruled out from breeding.

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INCREASED RESEARCH ON SUMMER ECZEMA
In: Eiðfaxi International, 1, 1999, in the German version page 30-31
Deutsche Fassung weiter unten, gleich nach der Englischen.
(Full article reproduced here with permission of the chief editor)

Hulda G. Geirsdóttir, marketing representative of the Society of Horsebreeding Farmers

At the yearly meeting of the Society of Horsebreeding Farmers, that took place last autumn, a comprehensive motion was agreed to regarding research on summer eczema in Icelandic horses. The board was encouraged to lead the way and achieve co-operation on such research, supported by funds and interested parties in Iceland. The main goal of this project would be to increase the research and find the means for prevention and healing of this disease, which could be achieved by:

  • Supporting those studies on eczema in Icelandic horses that are already under way or being prepared. Looking for co-operation between Icelandic and foreign laboratories, that work in this area.
  • Finding out what the prospects are of organising an international conference in Iceland, about the status of international research on summer eczema.
  • Calculating the total cost and how it spreads between the various studies.
  • Obtaining support.
  • Following up on other studies on summer eczema and keeping in touch with other research teams.
  • Gathering and publishing the knowledge that exists at each time about this disease. Making material about how the disease can be prevented and how it should be treated, available to all owners of Icelandic horses.

There are three types of studies that would be part of this project to begin with:

  1. Studies on the heredity of the disease and the influence of environmental factors on its frequency, as well as DNA-analysis in relation to summer eczema. Such a study is being done by the Hólar Agricultural College, the Agricultural Research Institute at Keldur, The Farmers Association of Iceland, the Genetics Department of the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket UK and the Genetics Department of the Bern University in Switzerland.
  2. Studies on immunogenic agents and various antidotes against them (antidotes that create or reinforce immunity). The development of tests to demonstrate the presence of allergy, and methods of vaccination. This study is done by the Department for Immunology of the Hanover Veterinary University in Germany.
  3. Research on the effect of vaccination with small doses of a solution from body parts of the fly Culicoides (the allergenic). The Agricultural Research Institute at Keldur is interested in starting off such a study.

COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT

In the explanations that accompany the motion it says that it is necessary to work continuously on studies about epidemics, immunology, genetics and pharmaceutics, since allergic diseases are complicated and difficult to deal with. Summer eczema is an allergic disease, which is by now a well-known fact, caused by a fly that isn't found in Iceland, but exists in one form or other in all countries Iceland does business with. The eczema has damaged the marketing of horses that are born in Iceland, and it has also thrown a shadow on the well-being of Icelandic horses abroad, which can become very ill if the disease gets the upper hand. Work on the first two of the above mentioned studies has started already. Samples and information for the study at Hólar have been collected: during the last 2 years 400 samples have been collected in Scandinavia and Germany. These are samples from offspring of 20 Icelandic stallions which have a large enough number of exported offspring for the research to be relevant.
Sigríður Björnsdóttir says the collection of information and samples has gone very well, and the next step is the analysis of the samples, which will take place in Newmarket in the UK. The goal of this study is to find out whether the disease could be hereditary and whether individual genes are connected with the disease.

DEVELOPMENT OF TESTS

Recently, the Society of Horsebreeding Farmers invited Dr. Wolfgang Leibold and Björn Steinbjörnsson to Iceland. Both veterinary surgeons work in Hannover in Germany. Dr. Leibold has participated in the above mentioned research on immunogenic agents. It's his job to develop a test that could be done on horses here in Iceland before they are exported and that would demonstrate how large - or small - the likelihood is that they will develop summer eczema abroad. During a meeting that was held at Keldur Dr. Leibold lectured to Icelandic veterinary surgeons and scientists about his research and people discussed the possibility of doing a part of the research here in Iceland. A group of co-workers has now applied for support from the Production Funds for Agriculture for this important research. Studies like this one are very expensive and take at least a few years.

Deutsche Fassung:

KOOPERATIVE EKZEM-FORSCHUNG
In: Eiðfaxi International, 1, 1999, S. 30-31

Hulda G. Geirsdóttir, Marketing-Direktor des Pferedezuchtverbandes

Anläßlich der Hauptversammlung des Pferdezuchtverbands im vergangenen Herbst wurde eine ausführliche Vorlage zur verstärkten Erforschung des Sommer-Ekzems beschlossen. Der Verbandsvorstand wurde aufgefordert, ein gemeinsames Forum diesbezüglicher Forschung mit Unterstützung von Geldgebern, aber auch allen damit Befaßten ins Leben zu rufen. Hauptziel dieser Initiative soll neben ausgebauter Forschung die Suche nach Vorbeugungsmaßnahmen sowie Therapiemöglichkeiten sein. Dies soll erreicht werden durch:

  • Förderung der bereits laufenden oder in Vorbereitung befindlichen For- schungsprojekte zum Sommer-Ekzem des Islandpferdes.
  • Kooperation isländischer und auslän- discher Forschungsinstitute, die sich mit dem Problem befassen.
  • Prüfung von Möglichkeiten, in Island eine internationale Konferenz zum Forschungsstand auf dem Gebiet Sommer-Ekzem zu halten.
  • Finanzierungsplan des gesamten Projekts, aber auch einzelner Teilforschungsprojekte.
  • Geldbeschaffung.
  • Beobachtung anderer Sommer-Ekzem-Forschungen, Kontaktaufnahme zu anderen Forschungseinheiten.
  • Konzentrierung und Weitergabe des jeweils erarbeiteten Wissensstandes.
Geeignetes Informationsmaterial betreffend Vorbeugung und Heilungsweise soll allen Islandpferdebesitzern zugänglich gemacht werden. Als erstes sollten drei wichtige Forschungsfelder bearbeitet werden:
  1. Erhebungen zur Vererbung der Krankheit und zum Einfluß von Umweltfaktoren auf seine Häufigkeit. DNA-Analyse des Sommer-Ekzems. Diese Untersuchungen werden von der Agrarschule in Hólar, dem Forschungsinstitut Keldur, dem Bauemverband Islands, der genetischen Abteilung von Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, England, sowie dem Genetik-Lehrstuhl der Universität Bern, Schweiz, durchgeführt.
  2. Untersuchung der Allergie-Auslöser sowie verschiedener Gegenmittel (allergie-erregend oder allergie-abwehrend). Entwicklung von Tests zur Bestimmung von Allergien sowie von Schutzimpfungsmethoden. Dieser Teil der Forschung liegt in Händen der Allergieabteilung an der veterinär- medizinischen Fakultät der Universität Hannover.
  3. Erforschung der Auswirkungen, welche Schutzimpfungen mit dem allergie-erregenden Wirkstoff Culicoides (aus der gleichnamigen Fliege gewonnen) haben. Das Forschungsinstitut in Keldur (bei Reykjavik) hat Interesse daran signalisiert, ein derartiges Forschungsmodell in die Wege zu leiten.
KOMPLIZIERT UND SCHWIERIG

In der Schlußfolgerung der Vorlage wird u.a. betont, wie wichtig ein gleichzeitiger Forschungsbeginn auf den Gebieten der Seuchenkunde, Allergieforschung, Genetik und Pharmazie sei, zumal Allergieerkrankungen kompliziert und schwierig seien. Wie bekannt, handelt es sich beim Sommer-Ekzem um eine allergische Reaktion auf eine Fliege, die in Island nicht vorkommt, jedoch in der einen oder anderen Form in allen Ländern auftritt, die Islandpferde importieren. Das Ekzem hat die Vermarktung des in Island gezogenen Islandpferdes erschwert und zugleich das Wohlergehen von "Original"-lsländern beschnitten, denn die Pferde leiden bei ausgeprägter Krankheit erheblich.

Von den obengenannten Forschungszweigen haben zwei bereits die Arbeit aufgenommen. Daten und Objektträger mit 400 Proben aus Skandinavien und Deutschland wurden während der beiden letzten Jahre an der Agrarschule Hólar, Nordisland, zusammengeführt. Es handelt sich dabei um Proben, die von Nachkommen von 20 isländischen Hengsten stammen, deren exportierte Nachkommen zahlreich genug sind, um einen gültigen Datenvergleich anstellen zu können. Nach Aussage von Sigriöður Björnsdóttir, Veterinärin in Hólar, hat die Datensammlung keine Probleme bereitet. Als nächster Schritt folgt nun die Analyse der Daten und Proben in Newmarket, England. Dabei soll untersucht werden, ob die Krankheit erblich ist, und wenn ja, welche Gene damit in Verbindung gebracht werden.

DIE ENTWICKLUNG VON TESTS

Vor kurzem lud der Verband der Pferdezüchter zwei Spezialisten der Veterinärmedizinischen Fakultät Hannover ein, und zwar Dr. Wolfgang Leibold und Björn Steinbjörnsson. Die Aufgabe von Dr. Leibold, der sich mit der Erforschung von Allergie-Auslösern beschäftigt, wird nun darin bestehen, einen Test zu entwickeln, der bereits in Island Auskunft darüber geben kann, ob und in welchem Maße ein für den Export bestimmtes Pferd allergieanfällig, d.h. ekzemanfällig ist. Bei einer Konferenz zu Anfang des Jahres in Keldur erläuterte Dr. Leibold seinen isländischen Kollegen und anderen Wissenschaftlern seine Arbeit. Damals wurde auch die Möglichkeit diskutiert, einen Teil der Forschung nach Island zu verlagern. Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft hat nun einen Finanzierungsantrag an den Produktionsausschuß der isländischen Landwirtschaft gestellt. Damit sind große Hoffnungen verbunden, denn Untersuchungen der geplanten Art sind sehr kostenintensiv und werden sicherlich einige Jahre in Anspruch nehmen.

At http://www.aht.org.uk/R%20canine%20equine%20genomees.htm the researchers explain in short some of their work:

Equine linkage map

Our work on an equine genetic linkage map funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Childwick Trust is part of an international collaboration to produce a low resolution genetic map, comprising approximately 300 markers, within the next 3 years. Again, the aim is to develop genetic screening tests for inherited diseases in equids and to use these tests to breed selectively for healthier horses. One disease of particular interest is ‘sweet itch’, a hypersensitivity to insect bites. Samples are being collected by Icelandic, Swedish and Swiss collaborators from pedigrees of Icelandic horses to enable us to identify markers linked to this complex disease. Although many breeds of horse suffer from ‘sweet itch’ it is particularly frequent in Icelandic horses which have been exported to other countries in Europe. Interestingly, the disease does not occur in Iceland itself, where the insect vector responsible for the disease is absent.
The international collaborative group is mapping markers on 13 half-sibling reference families each with 21-56 offspring. In addition, the AHT group is mapping markers on 2 full-sibling reference families based on 2 pairs of identical twin mares, generated in collaboration with Professor W. R. Allen (TBA Equine Fertility Unit, Newmarket).
Equine microsatellites are being isolated from equine cosmid and phage clones to enable the markers generated to be both physically and genetically mapped. To date, markers have been located to 16 of the 32 autosomes and several markers mapping on the X chromosome have been identified. More than 150 markers have been characterised by the collaboration and many of these have been mapped on the full-sibling families to generate a large number of linkage groups.

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Im Dezember 2001 als persönliche Mitteilung erhalten:

Promotion zum Sommerekzem
Weiterer Schritt in der Forschung

Die in diesem Jahr von Dr. Christine Kobelt vorgelegte Doktorarbeit beeinhaltet Untersuchungsergebnisse von verschiedenen Islandpferden bezüglich ihrer Sensibilisierung gegenüber das Sommerekzem auslösenden Gnitzen (Culicoiden). Dr. Kobelt untersuchte mit Hilfe eines von Dr. Susanne Kaul (Immunologin an der Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover) neu entwickeltes Bluttestes.
Untersucht wurden:

  • gesunde und an Sommerekzem erkrankte, erwachsene Pferde über den Zeitraum eines Jahres; gesunde und an Sommerekzem erkrankte, auf Spiekeroog lebende erwachsene Pferde, die kleine Symptome zeigen;
  • gesunde Jungpferde (Fohlen bis zu drei Jahren);
  • gesunde Pferde in Island, wo es ja bekanntlich kein Sommerekzem gibt.
Die Belastung der Pferde bei den Untersuchungen besteht im Gegensatz zu bisherigen Allergietests ausschließlich in der Blutentnahme. Im Folgenden sollen die wichtigsten Ergebnisse vereinfacht dargestellt werden:
  • Einmal an Sommerekzem erkrankte Pferde können auch zu Zeiten ohne klinische Symptome mit diesem Test als positiv nachgewiesen werden.
  • Es gibt Pferde, die kein Sommerekzem zeigen, aber eine eindeutige Empfindlichkeit aufweisen.
  • Einzelne Jungpferde zeigen schon sehr früh (als Fohlen) eine nachweisbare Empfindlichkeit gegenüber Gnitzen, ohne jedoch Symptome des Sommerekzems zu zeigen.
  • In Island lebende Pferde sind nicht sensibilisiert. Einzelne Tiere zeigen im Test grenzwertige Reaktionen, die warscheinlich auf Kreuzreaktionen mit in Island heimischen Insekten zurückzuführen sind, da dort ein Vorkommen von Gnitzen nicht beschrieben ist. Ob diese Tiere bei einem Import nach Deutschland bevorzugt Sommerekzem entwickeln, bleibt zu untersuchen.
Alle diese Ergebnisse sind Schritte auf dem Weg zur Erforschung der immunologischen Mechanismen, die zur Entstehung des Sommerekzems führen. Weitere Untersuchungen in dieser Richtung sind notwendig, um in Zukunft statt der bisherigen, oft unbefriedigenden symptomatischen Behandlung eine Therapieform zu entwicklen, die an der Ursache ansetzt.

Zum Sommerekzem, eine Typ-I-Allergie beim Islandpferd: Verlauf der In-vivo-Sensibilisierung von basophilen Granulozyten nachgewiesen, mit einem funktionellen In-vitro-Test (FIT).
Inaugural-Dissertion vorgelegt von Dr. Christine Kobelt, Tierärtzliche Hochschule Hannover, 2001.

(Autor dieser Zuammenfassung: Klaus Strothmann)

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Februar 2002, gefunden bei www.veterinaerspiegel.de:

Sommerekzem beim Pferd - Eine Roundtable-Veranstaltung mit Experten
beta-verlag


Im Januar [2002] hatten der Beta Verlag und die Redaktion des pferde spiegels zu einem Round-Table-Gespräch nach Bonn ins Hotel Bristol eingeladen. Ziel war es, durch die Zusammenführung von Praktikern aus der klassischen Medizin und der Naturheilkunde sowie Wissenschaftlern aus den Bereichen Dermatologie und Immunologie eine praxisnahe Standortbestimmung zum Thema -Sommerekzem beim Pferd- aufzunehmen. Die Themenbereiche Ätiologie, Diagnosemöglichkeiten und Therapiemöglichkeiten standen dabei im Vordergrund. Die Veranstaltung wurde von Prof. Dr. Arthur Grabner von der Freien Universität Berling moderiert. In der Februar/März-Ausgabe des pferde spiegel berichten wir über die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse und Lösungsansätze, die sich an diesem Tag herauskristallisiert haben. In der nachfolgenden Ausgabe werden wir ausführlicher berichten und dieses Thema als Schwerpunkt aufgreifen.

An dieser Stelle möchten wir Sie in das Thema einführen und Ihnen aufgrund der Aktualität die wichtigsten vorbeugenden und therapeutischen Maßnahmen vorstellen.

Einleitung
Das Sommerekzem beim Pferd ist seit vielen Jahren ein viel diskutiertes Thema. Tierärzte sowie Tierhalter stehen dieser Erkrankung, über deren Ursache man lange Zeit im Dunkeln tappte, zum Teil hilflos gegenüber. Der Pferdebesitzer, dessen Pferd an dieser Erkrankung leidet, muss seine Lebensgewohnheiten und/oder die Haltungsbedingungen im Stadium der deutlichen klinischen Symptome intensiv verändern, um seinem Pferd Linderung verschaffen zu können. Dabei greift der Tierbesitzer zu allen Möglichkeiten, die sich ihm bieten. Auch das Internet wird rege genutzt, um sich über Erfahrungen auszutauschen, aber auch um zweifelhafte Therapiemethoden zu verbreiten. Eine einfache Suche unter dem Schlagwort ergab zum 10. Januar in Deutschland 1000 Einträge. Verschiedenste Hersteller bringen immer wieder neue Wundermittel auf den Markt, die angeblich die Probleme des Sommerekzems beseitigen können, aber in der Realität maximal individuelle Einzelerfolge erzielen. Auf Grund der ausgeprägten klinischen Symptomatik und der bis heute unmöglichen ätiologischen Behandlung ist selbst der behandelnde Tierarzt schnell überfordert bzw. dieser Erkrankung hilflos ausgeliefert. Da das Sommerekzem aber viele Pferderassen betrifft (beim Isländer bis zu 20 % der Population) werden die Tierärzte häufig in Bezug auf diese Erkrankung gefordert, um dem Pferd, aber auch dem Besitzer diese -Leidenszeit- zu erleichtern. Nicht selten werden auf Grund der schwierigen und insuffizienten Therapieerfolge von den Pferdebesitzern Naturheilpraktiker herangezogen, um nichts unversucht zu lassen und um der regelmäßigen Kortison-Behandlung zu entgehen. Denn: Obwohl seit mehreren Jahrzehnten in vielen Ländern Forschungen zum Sommerekzem laufen, gibt es bis heute keine hundertprozentige Therapie. Dabei konzentrieren sich die Forschungen in der Regel auf die Rasse der Isländer, da hier die Häufigkeit für eine mögliche Erkrankung am größten ist. Was es jedoch gibt, sind verschiedene Behandlungsmethoden und Vorbeugemaßnahmen, die, basierend auf den Erfahrungen der Teilnehmer, zumindest Teilerfolge bringen. Besonders die Forschungen der Arbeitsgruppe Immunologie der TiHo Hannover um Professor Leibold und Fr. Dr. Wagner haben gezeigt, dass über einen Bluttest die Erkrankung -Sommerekzem- klar zu diagnostizieren ist und nicht jede ekzematöse Erkrankung der Mähne und/oder des Schweifs ein Sommerekzem darstellt. Bei den unterschiedlichsten therapeutischen und prophylaktischen Ansätzen berichteten die Teilnehmer über gute Erfolge im Hinblick auf die Ausprägung der klinischen Symptomatik mit dem Hautpilzimpfstoff Insol(R) Dermatophyton.

Prophylaxe und Therapie
Bis heute gibt es noch keine klare ätiologische Therapie. Hauptschwerpunkt der Präventiv-Maßnahmen ist die Vermeidung bzw. Verringerung der Exposition. Da das auslösende Insekt bestimmte Wohnräume und Flugzeiten bevorzugt, sollten diese gemieden werden. Das bedeutet Weidehaltung in windigen und nicht dauerfeuchten Bereichen. Der beste Zeitraum für die Weidezeit ist von 10.00 bis 16.00 Uhr, da entgegen der herkömmlichen Meinung diese Insekten in dieser Zeit am wenigsten ausschwärmen. Hauptflugzeit ist die Dämmerung und die Nachtzeit. Spezielle Decken, die den größten Teil der Körperoberfläche abdecken, sind nach Aussage der meisten Diskussionsteilnehmer als zusätzliche Hilfe geeignet. Eine praktikable Möglichkeit als Repellens stellen Ohrmarken, wie sie die Kühe tragen, dar. Diese können auch für Pferde verwendet werden und sollten beidseits in die Mähne eingeflochten werden. Andere Repellentien können individuell erfolgreich sein, bedürfen aber einer regelmäßigen (bis zu täglicher) Anwendung. Empfohlen wird auch ein Wälzplatz mit trockenem Sand auf der Weide bzw. auf dem Auslauf. Ebenso sollten Scheuermöglichkeiten angeboten werden, die nicht verletzen z. B. Bürstengalgen, glatte Holzpfosten, etc.

Als weitere Präventiv-Maßnahme wurde die -Impfung- mit dem Hautpilzimpfstoff Insol(R) Dermatophyton diskutiert bzw. erste sehr vielversprechende empirische Erfolge von einigen Teilnehmern erläutert. Dabei werden zwei verschiedene Varianten diskutiert:

a) Behandlung schon klinisch erkrankter Tiere

Die Impfung (3 x doppelte Dosis im Abstand von je 2 Wochen) scheint einem vergleichsweise hohen Prozentsatz der Pferde mit ausgeprägter klinischer Symptomatik stark zu helfen, so dass das Leiden der Tiere und damit auch der Besitzer deutlich reduziert werden kann. Eine mögliche Wirkungsweise über Immunmodulation wird diskutiert, aber wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen stehen noch aus.

b) Prophylaktische Impfung von noch nicht klinisch erkrankten Tieren und von Jungtieren

Auf Grund der guten Ergebnisse beim erkrankten Pferd und der ersten Erfolge von mehreren Pferdetierärzten hofft man, den Ausbruch bzw. die Ausprägung der klinischen Symptomatik zu verhindern oder zu verringern. Um den Pferdebesitzern die anfallenden Kosten ökonomisch sinnvoller darzustellen, wird eine Behandlung nach positivem FIT-Test diskutiert.

Durchführung der prophylaktischen Impfung mit Insol(R) Dermatophyton:

Zu Beginn des Jahres (möglichst Februar bis Ende März, bzw. vor Beginn der Ekzemsaison) 3 Impfungen mit doppelter Dosierung ( bis zu max. 2 ml) im Abstand von je 2 Wochen und evtl. je nach Bedarf eine Wiederholungsinjektion im Sommer.

Die Erfolgschancen sind bei prophylaktischem Einsatz besser als bei therapeutischer Impfung und liegen bei Jungekzemern zwischen 60 % und 80 % und bei Altekzemern zwischen 30 % und 50 %.

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In Eiðfaxi International 4-2002 (www.eidfaxi.is) a scientific article on sensitizing horses in Iceland was published. The full text can be viewed here (Sweet_Itch_Sommerekzem_Eidfaxi_4_2002.pdf 230 K) in English and German, with kind permission by the publisher. Please see the literature reference page for the details of the publication.

Here is the English summary:

Horses in Iceland are sensitized against insect-allergens.Peripheral blood basophils from 12 randomly selected adult healthy horses in Iceland were investigated for qualitative and quantitative sensitization with antibodies irrespective of their isotype. A functional in vitro test (FIT) for type I allergy was developed to obtain information about the degree of general and allergen-specific sensitization by monitoring the total and allergen-specific antibod ies on basophils. All 12 horses investigated showed a high degree of general sensitization with antibodies capable of triggering mediator release. Moreover, 6 of these horses displayed individual patterns of specific sensitization against 4 out of 8 allergens associated with various forms of equine allergic diseases in many parts of the world. Two of them showed positive reactions with allergen preparations from Culicoides nubeculosus, one of the midges inducing and boostering the Summer eczema ("sweet itch"). Whether such a subclinical sensitization in Iceland against allergens derived from insects not indigenous may be due to cross-reactivity with indigenous insect species in the country they are exported to and may predispose horses for the development of allergic diseases such as the Summer eczema upon export awaits elucidation.
In Eiðfaxi International 4-2002 (www.eidfaxi.is) erschien ein wissenschaftlicher Artikel über die Sensibilisierung von Pferden auf Island. Der vollständige Text (Sweet_Itch_Sommerekzem_Eidfaxi_4_2002.pdf, 230 K) ist in englischer und deutscher Sprache verfügbar, mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Herausgebers. Siehe auch die Literaturliste.

Hier die Zusammenfassung:

An 12 zufällig ausgewählten erwachsenen Pferden eines Gestütes in Südisland wurden mit Hilfe eines funktionellen In-vitro-Tests (FIT) erstmals sowohl der generelle als auch der spezifische Sensibilisierungsgrad ihrer basophilen Granulozyten qualitativ und quantitativ untersucht. Alle Pferde hatten auf ihrer basophilen Granulozyten reichlich sensibilisierende Antikörper gebunden, die eine Aktivierung dieser Zellen bis hin zur Mediatorfreisetzung vermitteln konnten (generelle Sensibilisierung). 6 dieser Pferde waren - individuell unterschiedlich - gegen 4 von 8 geprüften Insektenallergenpräparationen auch spezifisch sensibilisiert, davon 2 sogar gegen Culicoides nubeculosus, einem der Auslöser des Sommerekzems. Ob es sich hierbei um eine "Kreuzsensibilisierung" handelt, die diese Tiere nach dem Export für die Entwicklung einer allergischen Erkrankung wie das Sommerekzem besonders prädisponieren, bleibt zu prüfen.

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HALLAMAA R.L., R.L. LEPISTÖ, TH. TALLBERG: TREATMENT OF EQUINE SUMMER ECZEMA WITH AN AUTOGENOUS SERUM PREPARATION, POSSIBLY EFFECTED BY INDUCTIONAL LIPID SIGNALS. In: Deutsche Zeitschr. f. Onkologie, 2001, 33, p. 57-62.

The results of using an affected horse's own blood serum in a highly diluted solution can produce statistically significant improvements. The full article and a description of the serum preparation can be downloaded as a PDF-file (1.3 MB).

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In einem interessanten Artikel in der deutschen Ausgabe von MIT Technology Review vom April 2006 wird über rekombinante Allergene berichtet. Näheres dazu hier.

An interesting article in the April 2006 edition of the German version of MIT Technology Review describes the work of Professor Rudolf Valenta in Vienna on recombinant allergenes.

  • Behandeling
  • Behandlung
  • Treatment Information

Info Menu

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A General Remark

In many lotions etc. the ingredients are not made public which is in my (C.B.) view a serious disadvantage. As is the case with cars, stereo equipment and food in a supermarket, the user/consumer can expect full disclosure of the active substances, he has a definite and absolute right to know what kind of chemicals he/she is going to apply. Some of the ingredients could be allergic themselves and thus endanger - in this case - the animal. Users should press for openness. I (C.B.) have used the following methods:

Your own information is very much welcome and could be included here - please make an entry in ItchBase or e-mail me E-mail with for example information on a new product not mentioned here.

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Various sources indicate that - at least for Icelandic horses - a low-protein diet is advised. Oat e.g. should be avoided for that reason.

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You could consider combining the Boett® pyjama + Switch pour-on. They both take up very little of your time and alleviate the problem. Please contact the producer of Switch pour-on (see "Floris" below) in case you cannot read the Dutch information below which I scanned from the packaging box: [Tekst op verpakking van "Switch pour-on":]

SWITCH pour-on

Heldere vloeistof, bevattende High Cis Permethrin (80/20) voor uitwendige toepassing

WETTELIJK GEBRUIKSVOORSCHRIFT

Toegestaan is uitsluitend het gebruik als middel ter bestrijding van vliegen en dazen bij paarden en ezels

Gebruiksaanwijzing

Dosering: 1 ml per 10 kg lichaamsgewicht
10 ml =>1 00 kg
20 ml => 200 kg
30 ml => 300 kg
40 ml => boven 300 kg

Voor toepassing op paarden en ezels

  • Ter bestrijding van vliegen (musca autumnalis / de oogvlieg) en hydrotea spp (de hoofdvlieg) en dazen (haematopoda spp).
  • Hulpmiddel ter voorkoming van staart- en maneneczeem, door de bestrijding van de vliegen (Culicoides), die staart- en maneneczeem plegen te veroorzaken.

De vliegendodende en -afwerende werking van het middel kan verminderen of zelfs ophouden als de paarden nat worden door regen of wassen. Afhankelijk van de weersomstandigheden on vliegendruk de behandeling herhalen.

Algemene opmerking m.t.v. de wijze van toediening

Het reservoir dat het eindprodukt bevat heeft een doseerinrichting met schaalverdeling.

Het product wordt als volgt toegediend:

  1. De schroefdop nooit van de cilindervormige hals afnemen.
  2. De dop van de doseerinrichting verwijderen. De foliesluiting breken.
  3. De vereiste dosering afmeten door de fles lichtjes in te drukken tot de vloeistof het gewenste niveau bereikt heeft.
  4. De afgemeten dosering op de boven aangegeven wijze over het dier gieten.
  5. Na gebruik de dop weer op de fles schroeven.

DE FLES TIJDENS HET GIETEN NIET INDRUKKEN.

Waarschuwing: De werkingsduur van barbituraten kan verlengd worden.

Contra-indicaties: Niet toegestaan bil dieren met leverziekten, anemie en uitgebreide huidlaesies.

Bijwerking: Bij overgevoeligheld kan huidirritatie optreden.

SWITCH

Werkzame stof: Permethrin
Gehalte: 37 g/l
Toxicologische groep: Synthetische pyrethroide
Toelatingsnummer: 1293N (WI)

Toelatingshouder:

Floris Veterinaire Produkten bv
Kempenlandstraat 33
5262 GK Vught
The Netherlands

BIJTEND

Bijzondere gevaren: Gevaar voor ernstig oogletsel.

Veiligheidsaanbevelingen: Buiten bereik van kinderen bewaren.

Verwijderd houden van eet- en drinkwaren en van diervoeder.
Niet eten, drinken of roken tijdens gebruik.

Bij aanraking met de ogen onmiddellijk met overvloedig water afspoelen en deskundig medisch advies inwinnen.
Draag geschikte handschoenen en een beschermingsmiddel voor de ogen.

Attentie: Schadelijk voor vissen.
Geen vijvers, stromen en sloten met het produkt of gebruikte flakon besmetten.

[Extra informatie van leverancier:]

BEHANDELINGSADVIES SWITCH

Staart- en maneneczeem

Start de behandeling in het voorjaar, bit voorkeur voordat de symptomen aanwezig zijn.

Zijn de jeukverschijnselen reeds aanwezig, vraag dan uw dierenarts om een "spuitje" tegen de jeuk. In dit geval loopt de behandeling van SWITCH parallel met het "spuitje".[Dit is cortisone!!! c.b.]

Afhankelijk van de infectiedruk en de gevoeligheid voor steken van het muggetje zal de toepassing van SWITCH éénmaal per twee weken tot éénmaal per week moeten plaatsvinden.

Vliegen

Start de toepassing aan het begin van het vliegenseizoen. Een behandeling geeft gewoonlijk een bescherming van enkele weken.

Dazen

De beste resultaten worden verkregen indien men Switch, bij voorkeur voor iedere bosrit, met behulp van een plantenspuit, over het dier vernevelt. Speciaal de borststreek en de benen. Eventueel kan Switch gemengd worden met de inhoud van een klein flesje citronella olie. Pas op uw ogen en uw eigen huid.

Waarschuwing: Binnen 24 uur na toediening van Switch het paard niet zadelen en aan de felle zon bloot stellen.

[Toevoeging van een derde:]

Mag niet op de zadelstreek worden gebruikt.

[Prijs: NLG 85,- voor 250 ml]

Ivomec Pour-on (for cattle) is advertised at http://www.lambriarvet.com/catalog/cattle.htm (more than USD 300 per 2.5 litres)

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Allergic Dermatitis

By: Pam Gleason

Biting gnats and midges can cause a number of serious problems, including allergic dermatitis, otherwise known as sweet itch. This condition is usually an allergic reaction to the bite of any insect in the gnat family (Simulidae) or the biting midge family (Culicoides). The affected horse has painful, itchy bumps that cause him to scratch against whatever objects he can find, frequently rubbing off whole segments of his mane, tail or coat, and even biting himself until he bleeds. His sores then become a magnet for non-biting, filth spreading flies, and he falls in danger of secondary infection.

Depending on their species, gnats and midges generally attack a horse's ears, legs, abdomen, withers, back, chest and tail. If your horse has dermatitis and you live near cattle, the culprit could also be horn flies, which lay their eggs in cow manure. These flies have a particularly vicious bite, rasping the skin before they penetrate it with their sharp mouthparts to make the blood flow more freely.

What you can do:

Gnats and midges breed in slow moving water and are particularly active at daybreak and early evening. Horses with a propensity to dermatitis should stay in during these hours. In addition, all horses in areas with a significant gnat population can be treated with a fly repellent: pyrethrin based concoctions work well. Fly masks, particularly those that cover the ears, can provide some protection, but they must be fitted close to the face, or else the little nasties will simply crawl under them and feed to their hearts' content.

To lessen the gnat population, fill in puddles and keep the barn area clean and dry. Additionally, various gnat control measures may be possible in your area. Buffalo gnats, otherwise known as black flies, can be killed by treating the waters where they breed with a bacteria called Bacilus thuringiensis, or BCI. This bacteria, which must be reintroduced frequently, kills blackfly larvae, but is harmless to other life forms. It is not something that you can buy in the store and dispense yourself, however. Instead, it is usually part of a community- wide black fly control program. Check with your local agricultural extension service to find out about BCI in your community.

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You can find a longer scientific article on "Dangerous Bugs" by Pam Gleason at http://www.sai.com/pedlar/may96/bugs.html

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VETMIX

D6 Tamar Park
Coxpark
Gunnislake
Cornwall
PL18 9BD
UK

Telephone: +44 (1822) 833402

Homeopathy Heals and Never Harms

Simply the best natural way to massively enhance the healing process

Worried about pollen allergy, sweet itch in your horses? Keep your animals active and healthy in the warmer months just ahead. By using our formulations of this non-invasive, simple, safe yet powerful therapy.

What about the chronic miseries such as arthritis, rheumatics, cataracts in any species? Mostly much reduced with permanentself-cure always a possibility. The ageing process is slowed, dependence on external insulin reduced such are other situations that often favourably respond to our presentations of this wonderful resonance-medicine.

Big 'H' will be able to reverse Big 'C' in receptive individuals, partially or totally. With any problem we should quickly know if your friend is responding, or likely to do so, soon.

Minimum interference, maximum impact and no clashing with standard therapies.

Do not delay, get them to sort themselves out their way, nature's way, in their time and in a manner that is total efficiency for them.

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EQyss Equine Products
BOX 188219
CARLSBAD
CALIFORNIA 92009
TEL 1-800-526-7469
FAX 760-591-7787
Web: http://www.eqyss.com
E-Mail: eqyss@eqyss.com

Micro Tek Shampoo and Spray eliminate skin conditions virtually on contact. They are simply the most effective skin disease treatments ever developed! Micro Tek shampoo eliminates fungal, bacterial, and viral skin conditions on contact. It is effective on scratches, rain rot, sweet itch.
Micro Tek spray is a leave-on spray whose protective ingredients continue to work for over 24 hours. It promotes healthy skin and coat by eliminating skin conditions while adding protein to strengthen damaged areas and prevents conditions from spreading.

Micro Tek shampoo and spray contain no steroids or alcohol and will not hurt open wounds. These products were developed from NASA research on the decontamination of astronauts and come with a 100% money back guarantee.

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Selected Bioproducts Inc.
Telephone: 519-638-2018
Fax: 519-638-3617
E-mail: ralph@horseherbs.com Sweet Itch Herb Mixture

Main Contents: Nettle, burdock root, camomile, garlic, rosemary
Actions: Astringent, diuretic, anti-septic, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, weak anthelmintic
Uses: Skin disorders such as sweet itch and other irritants

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Premier Health Care Ltd
Unit 7&8, Enterprise Centre, Tuamgraney, Co. Clare,
Registered Manufacturers of Natural Veterinary Products
Tel : +353 (0)61 921766 Fax : +353 (0)61 921767
E-mail : premheal@tinet.ie
WWW: http://homepage.tinet.ie/~premheal/Equine/SwItchSp.html

Sweet Itch Spray

This desperate condition seems to occur more and more frequently. Sweet Itch occurs mostly from March through to October. In severe cases it is better to use the spray fed orally out of season to help prevent illness returning.

Active ingredients : Psorinum 30c, Urtica Urens 30c

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Hilton Herbs, Ltd.

DOWNCLOSE FARM
NORTH PERROTT
CREWKERNE
SOMERSET
ENGLAND
TA18 7SH

TEL: +44 1460 78300
FAX: +44 1460 78302

FREE HELP LINE FAX NUMBER (U.S. to U.K. only):
1-800-359-8076

E-mail: hilton.herbs.ltd@dial.pipex.com

HILTON COOLER

Indications for use:

Sweet itch, skin irritation.

Hilton Cooler contains herbs that will help to cleanse the blood stream of toxins. It will help to strengthen the horse or ponie's own immune system, helping to reduce the allergic reaction.

In addition to blood cleansing herbs, the mix contains herbs that are rich in sulphur. This sulphur is ultimately excreted by the horse through the pores of the skin. This will result in helping to cleanse and encourage healing of the skin, as well as acting slightly as a fly repellent.

The best results will be obtained if Hilton Cooler is given prior to the horse or pony beginning to rub. Therefore we advise that if possible the mix be started 3-4 weeks prior to the "sweet itch" season, this will give the herbs time to get into the system, and start to help the horse or pony resist the condition.

If this is not possible and the pony has already started rubbing, Hilton Cooler can still be used successfully.

Very often once an improvement is seen, the dosage can be reduced to a lower maintenance dose.

As with all Hilton products please contact the helpline for any further information or advice.

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AE - Ätherische Emulsion
Producer:
Gestüt Aegidienberg
Peter Staffel-Straße 13
53604 Bad Honnef
Germany
Tel.: +49 (2224) 80030
Fax: +49 (2224) 89362
web: www.aegidienberger.de/ae/ae.html

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The following - abridged - information can be found in full (in French) at http://homepages.mcnet.ch/~hippoch

For any French-illiterates amongst you I (C.B.) include a partial translation:

Eczéma d'été (sweet itch)

Sweet itch is an allergic reaction against various environmental factors. It is called in English "Transpiration Itch" (hm, well, I (C.B.) guess that the French got a bit confused here with "sweat"... ;=) ...). So far there is no efficient medical treatment. A hereditary factor is suspected.

Causes
Insect bites, too much protein in the food, too much sunshine, allergy against young grass in the spring like clover, lucerne and weeds, allergy against certain insect repellents.

Advice
Add herbal mixture from February onward to clean kidneys and liver (hm, do the French extrapolate their perennial personal "vin rouge" problems to horses ;=) ? (C.B.)) The high sulphur content of these herbs (Hilton Cooler, see previous article) cleans the blood and repels insects.

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Triple Crown
4A Ford Airfield Industrial Estate
Ford
Arundel
West Sussex BN18 0BE
Greeat Britain
Tel: (01903) 733133
Fax: (01903) 733818
E-Mail: TC@triple-crown.demon.co.uk

RN14 Derma Plus

An efficacious feed supplement with systemic properties that may help with the avoidance of 'Sweet-itch' and other inappropriate inflammatory conditions in horses and ponies if fed early in the season. Also contains extra Biotin, Methionine and Chelated Zinc. When wounds have appeared as a result of rubbing, use with a concurrent external application of a proprietary ointment. In all cases of skin mal-conditions consult your veterinarian.

500 grms

START FEEDING ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE THE FLIES ARRIVE

FEEDING GUIDE:
10 grms/day
review after 4/5 weeks
then feed to suit circumstances

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G&K HorseDream GmbH
Private Akademie für Pferde, Freizeit und Kommunikation
Teebaumöl-Creme

Zur Pflege problematischer Haut, auch bei Sommerekzem; zieht s