Rabies in horses: 21 cases (1970-1990)

Summary The records of 21 horses with rabies were reviewed. Results of fluorescent antibody testing for rabies antigen in brain tissue were positive in each case. According to the histories, 5 of the horses had been vaccinated for rabies between 4 to 24 months prior to the onset of the clinical signs. Bite wounds were not observed on any of the horses, and exposure to a suspected rabid animal was witnessed in only 5 cases. Clinical signs of disease at the time of initial examination included ataxia and paresis of the hindquarters (9/21, 43%), lameness (5/21, 24%), recumbency (3/21, 14%), pharyngeal paralysis (2/21, 10%), and colic (2/21, 10%). The major clinical signs observed over the course of hospitalization included recumbency (21/21; 100%), hyperesthesia (17/21; 81%), loss of tail and anal sphincter tone (12/21; 57%), fever (11/21; 52%), and ataxia and paresis of the hindquarters (11/21; 52%). Mean survival time after the onset of clinical signs was 4.47 days (range, 1 to 7 days). Supportive treatment, given to 9 horses, had no effect on survival time and did not correlate with the detection of negri bodies at necropsy. Cerebrospinal fluid (csf) was obtained from 6 horses and was determined to be abnormal in 5. The most common abnormality was a slightly high total cell count (5/6), with a predominance of lymphocytes (4/6). The csf total protein concentration was high in only 2 horses. At necropsy, there was gross evidence of diffuse brain edema, meningeal congestion, and focal areas of hemorrhage in 5 horses (24%). The major histologic findings included diffuse perivascular cuffing with leukocytes (predominantly lymphocytes) in the meninges and neural parenchyma (14/21; 67%), neuronal degeneration and neuronaphagia (11/21; 52%), gliosis (9/21; 43%), and malacia of the gray matter of the spinal cord (6/21; 28%). Negri bodies were not identified in brain tissue of 11 horses (53%). Horses that survived 4 or more days after the onset of clinical signs were significantly (P < 0.025) more likely to have negri bodies in the neural tissues.