Atypical Myopathy: Why Are Only Some Horses Affected? Sponsored by:
Equine atypical myopathy is an unusual, deadly disease which is poorly-understood. If a group of horses is turned out together, only some will be affected by the debilitating disease, caused by the ingestion of the seeds or saplings of specific trees in the Acer family.
Equine atypical myopathy typically affects horses that live on pasture in the spring and fall. It has been seen in Europe since the mid-1990s. Some 2,500 cases have been reported in the last decade.
Researchers believe intestinal bacteria may play a role in why some horses get the disease while herdmates don t. Drs. Christina Wimmer-Scherr, Bernard Taminiau, Benoît Renaud, Gunther van Loon, Katrien Palmers, Dominique Votion, Hélène Amory, Georges Daube and Carla Cesarini hypothesized that fecal microbiota may play a role in whether or not horses became affected by the disease.
Horsetalk.co.nz Researchers seek answers to an intriguing question around atypical myopathy in horses
Acer pseudoplatanus) in Germany. Photo: Willow CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Understanding changes in the gut bacteria of horses may help in developing therapeutic or preventive strategies for those at risk for atypical myopathy, according to researchers.
Equine atypical myopathy is a muscular disease caused by eating the seeds or seedlings of some
Acer tree species.
The hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine contained in the plant material can cause a non-exercise-induced breakdown of muscle, affecting mainly postural and respiratory muscles, and the heart.
The clinical picture is characterized by the sudden onset of stiffness, muscular weakness, a fast heart rate and the darkening of urine as a result of the presence of myoglobin. The disease progresses in many cases to recumbency, respiratory difficulties and death.