Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
The Fell pony immunodeficiency syndrome also occurs in the Netherlands: a review and six cases.
- Journal:
- Tijdschrift voor diergeneeskunde
- Year:
- 2006
- Authors:
- Butler, C M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Equine Sciences · Netherlands
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In the last ten years, a serious condition has been found in young Fell pony foals in the UK, which leads to a weakened immune system and severe anemia (a lack of healthy red blood cells). These foals seem healthy at birth, but by 2 to 4 weeks old, they start to lose weight and show signs of anemia. The immune issues usually show up around 3 to 4 weeks of age. Unfortunately, all affected foals die or are put to sleep before they reach 3 months old, even with intensive treatment. Recently, six cases of this syndrome have also been reported in the Netherlands.
Abstract
Over the last ten years a fatal syndrome associated with immunodeficiency and severe anaemia has been reported in young Fell pony foals in the UK. Affected foals are usually normal at birth but from the age of 2-4 weeks they progressively lose condition and become severely anaemic. Signs of immunodeficiency become apparent at around 3-4 weeks of age. Morbidity is low but mortality is 100% despite intensive treatment. Affected foals die or are euthanized usually before they reach the age of 3 months. A single autosomal recessive gene is suggested to be on the basis of the syndrome. Recently, affected Fell pony foals have been identified in the Netherlands and between June 2003 and August 2005, six affected Fell pony foals were referred to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for investigation.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16514970/