September 2005

Pigeon Fever Can Harm Inside And Out

Fortunately, a natural immunity is likely, but cases continue to occur.

The organism that causes pigeon fever can live in manure, soil and bedding.

A horse suffering from pigeon fever usually has extremely large abscesses on its chest. The abscesses have been described as looking like a pigeon’s breast, hence the term. The disease is found throughout the Western United States and is particularly common in California, Colorado and Utah. However, cases it’s been in Kentucky, too.

The culprit organism, corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (CP), is a bacterium and can live in the soil, manure, bedding, etc. for up to two months in warm weather, longer in cold. The organism enters the horse’s body through wounds, small breaks in the skin or possibly via biting insects that carry the organism on their body. Most cases are found…