Glanders is a disease that occurs primarily in solipeds. It is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei . Humans can become infected through direct contact with infected animals.

Asia, Africa, Middle East and South America

Equines (donkeys, horses, mules), camels

Directly from animal to animal (mucous membrane, skin lesions) and indirectly via contaminated feed, water, objects (grooming utensils and the like).

Few days up to several months

Nasal rash: high fever, loss of appetite, ulcerative changes in the nasal mucosa, yellow-greenish nasal discharge, cough, difficulty breathing, swelling of the lymph nodes Pulmonary rash: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, nodules and abscesses in the lungs Skin rash: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, nodules in the skin (often along the lymph vessels). Nodes often break open ulcerated (thick yellow exudate).

Animals are not treated, in humans antibiotic therapy is long and difficult.

There is no vaccination

Glanders is a notifiable animal disease. Austria has been free of glanders for many decades (1953).

Glanders is a disease predominantly found in donkeys, mules and horses. It is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei, a gram-negative, non-motile bacterium that does not form spores.

Glanders occurs mainly in parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. There has been no case of glanders in Austria for several decades.

Donkeys and mules usually contract an acute form. Horses are more likely to have a chronic or latent form, making these animals potentially unrecognised excretors of the pathogen. In addition to the aforementioned species, susceptible animals include camels, dogs, cats, and humans. Transmission occurs directly through contact with infected animals via the mucosa or skin lesions and indirectly through food, water, and objects (e.g., grooming utensils). Zoo animals can also become infected by feeding on infected meat. The incubation period varies from a few days to several months.

Symptomatology

Based on the localization of the primary lesions, three forms of glanders are distinguished (nasal glanders, pulmonary glanders, cutaneous glanders). Clinical cases are often a combination of these three forms. They may be acute (or subacute), chronic, or latent.

Nasal snot and pulmonary snot usually present in an acute form, while cutaneous snot is more of a chronic process.

Nasal snot: high fever, loss of appetite, ulcerative changes in the nasal mucosa, yellow-greenish nasal discharge, cough, difficulty breathing, swelling of the lymph nodes.

Pulmonary redness: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, lumps and abscesses in the lungs.

Skin redness: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, nodules in the skin (often along lymphatic vessels). Nodes often break open ulcerated (thick yellow exudate).

Detection methods:

• Pathomorphological investigations
• pathogen detection (isolation)
• molecular biological methods (PCR)
• detection of antibodies by ELISA
• Detection of antibodies by means of complement fixation reaction