Dourine

Dourine 

in equids, a parasitic disease caused by the flagellate Trypanosoma equiperdum. The causative agent is transmitted by sick animals, primarily during copulation. Symptoms of dourine include edema of the genitalia, neurological dysfunctions, and skin disorders, including depigmentation and plaque formation. Chronically sick animals suffer from emaciation, anemia, and paresis and paralysis of the lips, ears, and hindquarters. (Paresis and paralysis of the hindquarters cause the animals to squat somewhat while walking.)

A diagnosis of dourine is based on the results of epizootiological, clinical, microscopic, and serologic tests. The disease is treated with naganin, Novarsenol, Sur’min, and Antrycide. Preventive treatment includes the clinical and serologic examination of all breeding stock before coitus. Sick animals and those with positive serologic reactions are isolated and treated or destroyed. Stallions on infested farms are injected with naganin before mating.