Equine Grass Sickness Shares Signs With Human Disease

Horses with grass sickness have similar signs of disease as people with Alzheimer’s, a study has found.
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Horses with a rare nerve condition have similar signs of disease as people with conditions such as Alzheimer’s, a study has found.

The findings shed new light on the causes of the rare and predominately fatal horse condition—called equine grass sickness— and could help to develop new tools for diagnosing the illness. Scientists say that horses affected by the disease could also hold clues to human conditions.

Grass sickness attacks nerve cells in horses but the causes of the disease are unknown. It causes gastric upset and muscle tremor and can kill within days. If diagnosed quickly, animals can sometimes be nursed back to health.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies looked at nerve tissue from six horses that died from equine grass sickness in a bid to investigate the causes of the condition

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