Re: RC: Strangles

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated Fri, 4 May 2001  8:56:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Dbeverly4@aol.com writes:

<< 
Well, sadly, Strangles definitely is fatal sometimes. A friend of mine just   
lost her 17 year old mare to strangles a couple of weeks ago. The mare was   
in fine health, got strangles, died. Very sad outcome. Also, just because   
your horse has had Strangles does not mean that he is immune for life. My   
Paint gelding had Strangles twice in his life once as a 3 year old and once   
as a 20 year old <snip> Also, (I could have this wrong) but I was under the   
impression that the vaccine was only 25% effective -- anybody have other data?  >>

Sylvia, you are painfully correct that strangles IS sometimes fatal, and also that recovered horses do NOT have lifetime immunity!  It is not at all uncommon for a recovered horse to have strangles again a few years later.

As for the efficacy of the vaccines--there is quite a range on the injectables, with some of the old original ones being as low as you mention, but the newer ones more in the range of 80-85% efficacious.  The new intranasal approaches 95% efficacy.  In both cases, vaccinated horses who DO still contract strangles tend to have very mild cases.

Heidi