Strangles Confirmed in Michigan Horse
Map of Ottawa County, Michigan, where a horse is confirmed positive for strangles
A gelding in Ottawa County, Michigan, has tested positive for strangles. Two other horses have been exposed. | Wikimedia Commons

A 10-year-old Kentucky Mountain Horse gelding in Ottawa County, Michigan, is positive for strangles. He started displaying clinical signs, including coughing and nasal discharge, on November 7. Strangles was confirmed on November 10.

The gelding is recovering, and two other horses have been exposed.  

EDCC Health Watch is an Equine Network marketing program that utilizes information from the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) to create and disseminate verified equine disease reports. The EDCC is an independent nonprofit organization that is supported by industry donations in order to provide open access to infectious disease information.

About Strangles

Strangles in horses is an infection caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi and spread through direct contact with other equids or contaminated surfaces. Horses that aren’t showing clinical signs can harbor and spread the bacteria, and recovered horses remain contagious for at least six weeks, with the potential to cause outbreaks long-term.

Infected horses can exhibit a variety of clinical signs:

  • Fever
  • Swollen and/or abscessed lymph nodes
  • Nasal discharge
  • Coughing or wheezing
  • Muscle swelling
  • Difficulty swallowing

Veterinarians diagnose horses using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing with either a nasal swab, wash, or an abscess sample, and they treat most cases based on clinical signs, implementing antibiotics for severe cases. Overuse of antibiotics can prevent an infected horse from developing immunity. Most horses make a full recovery in three to four weeks.

A vaccine is available but not always effective. Biosecurity measures of quarantining new horses at a facility and maintaining high standards of hygiene and disinfecting surfaces can help lower the risk of outbreak or contain one when it occurs.

Share
Related Articles
1_CaitlinAcree_SanAnt2025_CBC_V11_0302
Ranch Sorting Live on Ride TV
Ranch Sorters Are Loving These Ride TV Videos
EDCC-Unbranded-8-scaled
Washington Horse Tests Positive for Pigeon Fever
EDCC-Unbranded-7-scaled
Quebec Horse Confirmed Positive for Equine Influenza
Grad Rookie Sort Winners - Cash Fowler Joao Augusto - JJJ_1859 (1)
Get Ready for June 🥇
Your Onsite Guide to the 2025 Cinch RSNC World Finals
Newsletter
Don’t miss an important EDCC Health Alert! Get alerts delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for Horse & Rider’s newsletter.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Additional Offers
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for EDCC Health Watch text alerts to get notified when an equine disease outbreak is reported in your state or region.

Horse and Rider
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.