Equine insect-related summer skin diseases

01 June 2011
Clinical
8 mins read
02 June 2011
Volume 2 · Issue 5

Abstract

Equine summer skin diseases are primarily dominated by insect-related conditions, although outdoor allergens and the sun are responsible for the large proportion of the remaining commonly presented problems.

This article reviews the aetiology, presentation and current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to common insect-induced dermatoses including insect bite hypersensitivity (sweet itch) and harvest mite infestation.

Allergic reactions to insect bites are the primary causes of pruritis in horses, of which Culicoides spp (midge) hypersensitivity is the most common and widely documented. It has many synonyms including sweet itch (sweat itch), Queensland itch, equine summer eczema, seasonal summer recurrent dermatitis. This article will, therefore, primarily address summer skin disease related to insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH).

There are numerous figures for disease prevalence reported and these include;

  • 2.8% ponies in the UK (McCraig, 1973)
  • Survey of British and German Shire horse owners; 11.6% and 37.7% respectively and familial occurrence in 35% cases (Littlewood, 1998)
  • 6.33% skin admissions at Cornell University Clinic (Scott and Miller, 2003)
  • 8–18% in Netherlands (Sloet et al, 2009)
  • 32% in Australia (Sloet et al, 2009)

    • There is no sex or breed predilection although the heritable nature of the condition has been documented (Marti et al, 2008).

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    insect bite hypersensitivity
    summer dermatitis
    harvest mite infestation