HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mohammed, H. O. Articles by Mauskopf, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mohammed, H. O. Articles by Mauskopf, A.

Risk factors associated with equine motor neuron disease

A possible model for human MND

Section of Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Sciences (Drs. Mohammed, Divers, and Farrow, and A. Mauskopf), the Department of Anatomy (Drs. Cummings and de Lahunta), and the Department of Pathology (Drs. Valentine and Summers), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; and the Blood Typing Laboratory (Dr. Trembicki-Graves), University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.

Equine motor neuron disease (EMND), a newly described neurodegenerative disease, bears a striking resemblance to progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) in humans. We present a comparison of the equine and human diseases and the results of a case-control study conducted to identify intrinsic factors associated with EMND. Cases included all horses with a confirmed diagnosis of EMND diagnosed in the United States since 1985 (32 cases). Controls included horses diagnosed with either cervical stenotic myelopathy, equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy, or protozoan myelitis at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University (153 controls). Logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with the risk of EMND. Risk factors considered were age, sex, and breed of the horse. Most cases of EMND (30 of 32) have been sporadic. There was a breed association with the risk of EMND. Quarter horses were at a high risk for developing EMND (odds ratio [OR] = 12.7; 95% confidence interval, 3.3 to 49.6); thoroughbred horses were at increased risk (OR = 2.9, 0.8 to 10.4). There was also an age association with the risk of EMND. The risk increased with age, peaked at 16 years, and then declined, a pattern similar to that for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in humans. There was no sex association with the disease. Despite the breed association, equine lymphocyte antigen studies have not revealed a systematic pattern, suggesting that genetic factors influencing susceptibility to EMND may be outside the major histocompatibility complex

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Hussni O. Mohammed, Section of Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853.

Supported by The Unrestricted Alumni Funds, New York State College of Veterinary Medicine; The American Horse Show Association; and The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association.

Received July 13, 1992. Accepted for publication in final form September 1, 1992.