Habronemose equina: revisão de literatura

Abstract

Habronemiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the nematodes Habronema muscae, H. microstoma, and Draschia megastoma. These agents have a heteroxene evolution cycle using equines and some flies as definitive and intermediate hosts, respectively. For this reason, a higher prevalence is attributed in the hottest and rainiest months of the year, when there is an increase of flies in the environment. The pathogenesis presents itself according to the location of adult nematodes and infective larvae, which may be gastric, cutaneous, mucocutaneous and pulmonary habronemiasis. The clinical signs observed in the gastric form include changes such as catarrhal gastritis due to excessive mucus production, mechanical obstruction, hemorrhages, and ulcers that can culminate with the death of the animal. The third stage larvae (L3) can also be deposited in open wounds and abrasions in the mucocutaneous regions, giving rise to erratic forms of the disease, which are characterized by presenting exudative and granulomatous ulcerated lesions, known as "summer sures". The diagnosis is based on clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, and epidemiological data. Treatment varies according to the clinical form. In gastric habronemiasis, systemic endectocidal therapy with ivermectin, moxidectin, abamectin are efficient, while in cutaneous and mucocutaneous forms, the association of regular cleaning of the lesion with the use of antiseptics and the use of ointments prepared based on anti-inflamatories, trichlorfon, coumafós and antibiotics, have positive reports in the healing of granulomatous lesions. However, in cases unresponsive to topical treatments, surgical intervention is recommended. In order to be successful in the control and prevention of habronemiasis, it is necessary to implement sanitary management strategies in pens and paddocks, with regular cleaning and proper destination of the organic materials that serve as vector reproduction habitats; the periodic deworming protocols and for the prevention of the cutaneous form of the disease must avoid the exposure of wounds with the use of bandages or repellents.