UC Davis Creates Veterinary Resources for Diagnosing EPM

Veterinarians created several resources designed to help trained equine veterinarians determine if their patients could be suffering from the debilitating neurologic disease.
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While it might not seem difficult to visually identify a horse as neurologic, diagnosing equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) can be a detailed process of evaluating the history, physical examination, and neurological examination of the horse. To assist veterinarians in diagnosing EPM, veterinarians at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the has created several resources designed to will help trained equine veterinarians determine if their patients could be suffering from the debilitating neurologic disease.

“We discussed our EPM research and clinical activities extensively at last year’s American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention,” said Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, chief of UC Davis’ Equine Medicine Service. “What we discovered was that many veterinarians wanted assistance in properly diagnosing the disease, as it can be masked as many other possible conditions.”

In response to the multitude of requests, UC Davis has developed a website full of resources for veterinarians who suspect their patients could have EPM. The site (which is available at vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/large_animal/equine/equine_medicine_dentistry/EPM/) includes:

  • Diagnostic flow chart which walks veterinarians through several steps, ultimately to a positive or negative outcome;

  • Detailed procedure for performing a neurologic examination;

  • Videos showing differing levels of neurologic horses;

  • EPM laboratory testing available at UC Davis; and

  • Research study conducted by UC Davis outlining the prevalence of EPM throughout the United States.

After obtaining more than 3,000 diagnostic submissions from across the United States, UC Davis researchers determined that horses from 42 states were affected by parasites causing EPM. Originally believed to be a regionalized disease, EPM has proven to be far more widespread than first thought. UC Davis researchers are extending that study, and believe they will find even more evidence of the disease spreading to previously unsuspected parts of the country

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