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M
uch more recently the condition
has been confirmed in a Dales pony
foal and there are strong suspicions
that it will surface in other pony breeds, in
particular the coloured cobs. As a result the
condition has now been renamed Foal
Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
Affected foals appear normal at birth although
some breeders develop suspicions at an early
age. They usually become obviously sick
around ten days to three weeks of age and
it is their failure to respond to treatment that
arouses concern over their future. They
become progressively anaemic and succumb
to secondary infections, most commonly
diarrhoea and respiratory infections. If the
foal survives the infections, the anaemia
becomes steadily worse until they no longer
have enough strength to continue. In the
advanced stages of the condition, the gums
are extremely pale and the foal will not be
feeding at all. We have never understood
the lack of appetite which is a major feature
of this condition and leads directly to the
devastating weight loss. Until recently, vets
have been frustrated by a lack of diagnostic
tests that could definitively identify the
syndrome in affected foals and allow decisions
to be made about the future of the foal.
At the end of 2009, as a result of the
research collaboration between The Animal
Health Trust and The University of Liverpool,
Leahurst, it was announced that the suspected
genetic defect responsible for the syndrome
had been positively identified. The practical
application of this breakthrough is that the
Animal Health Trust is now offering a DNA
test that can positively identify the carrier
animals and those affected by the syndrome.
The sample required is hair plucked from the
mane, (or from the tail in foals if the mane
hair is brittle) by a veterinary surgeon and
the identity of the animal checked against
the passport and microchip. Your local
XLVets practice can obtain the sample kits
from the Animal Health Trust and more
information is available via their website
http://www.aht.org.uk/genetics_fis.html
.
This is a major breakthrough for the affected
breeds and represents a significant advance
in our provision for the welfare of affected
foals. Until this test became available, our
only confirmation for affected foals was
that their health worsened in time despite
treatment. The availability of this DNA test
will significantly shorten the time affected
foals are suffering which is a great relief for
FOAL IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME
Paul May
Paragon Veterinary Group
(
FIS
)
FOAL IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME
Since the late 1980's
it has been apparent that
fell ponies suffer a lethal syndrome affecting
foals in the first three months of life. In the mid
1990's, as a result of work funded by MAFF
at the Penrith VI centre and at Lasswade, it
was identified as a syndrome of anaemia,
immunodeficiency and neuropathy and was
referred to as Fell Pony Syndrome.
3 EQUINE REVIEW
AUTUMN 2010