January 4, 2011
Two of four horses with glanders disease in the Bijnore district of Uttar Pradesh, India, have been euthanised.
District authorities were acting on the directions of the state's Animal Husbandry Department, which sought quick disposal of the animals.
The two other horses would be euthanised soon, indianexpress.com reported.
Glanders is a dangerous bacterial disease caused by Burkholderia mallei.
It is primarily a disease of horses, mules, and donkeys, but can be contracted by other animals such as dogs, cats and goats.
Humans are able to contract the disease and it can prove fatal, especially if the infection gets into the blood.
The most common sign of infection in animals is yellow-green nasal discharge and ulcers on the nose. Horses may have enlarged lymph nodes and nodules on the skin.
Severe coughing can also occur. Long-term infections can occur in horses, which may last for several years.
The acute form results in coughing, fever and the release of an infectious nasal discharge, followed by septicaemia and death within days.
Glanders is endemic in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America.
Glanders, because of its high mortality rate in humans and the small number of organisms required for infection, is considered a potential bioterrorism agent.
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/01/016.shtml
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