| Dourine is an often chronic venereal disease of horses that is transmitted during coitus and caused by
T
equiperdum
. The disease is recognized on the Mediterranean coast of Africa and in the Middle East, southern Africa, and South America; distribution is probably wider. |
| Signs may develop over weeks or months. Early signs include mucopurulent discharge from the urethra in stallions and from the vagina in mares, followed by gross edema of the genitalia. Later, characteristic plaques 2-10 cm in diameter appear on the skin, and the horse becomes progressively emaciated. Mortality in untreated cases is 50-70%. |
| Demonstration of trypanosomes from the urethral or vaginal discharges, the plaques on the skin, or peripheral blood is difficult unless the material is centrifuged. Infected horses can be detected with the complement fixation test but only in areas where
T
evansi
or
T
brucei
are not found because they have common antigens. An ELISA test may become available for diagnosis. |
| In endemic areas, horses may be treated (Table:
Drugs Commonly Used for Trypanosomosis in Domestic Animals ). When eradication is required, strict control of breeding and elimination of stray horses has been successful. Alternatively, infected horses may be identified using the complement fixation test; euthanasia is mandatory. |
