AAEP Issues Field Diagnostic Guidelines for Infectious Neurologic Disease

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has published on its website Field Diagnostic Guidelines for Infectious Neurologic Disease to assist practitioners in developing differentials and diagnostic strategies for suspected acute neurologic cases in adult horses. 

Until proven otherwise, practitioners are urged to approach horses with acute-onset neurologic disease cautiously and consider differential diagnoses that are contagious, like Equine Herpesvirus-1, or have public health implications, such as Rabies, West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and more. The diagnostic flowchart contained within these guidelines will help practitioners navigate their differential list, sample collection and diagnostic test selection. 

The flowchart also includes sample handling, packaging and shipping guidance, along with best practices for post-mortem specimen collection.  

“Our goal was to provide field practitioners with readily accessible targeted guidance in the diagnosis of equine acute infectious neurologic disease in North America,” said guidelines co-author Toby L. Pinn-Woodcock, DVM, DACVIM, chair of the AAEP Field Guidelines Subcommittee and assistant clinical professor, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.  

Dr. Pinn-Woodcock co-authored the AAEP Field Diagnostic Guidelines for Acute Infectious Neurologic Disease with the AAEP Field Guidelines Subcommittee and Sally DeNotta, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, clinical associate professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and chair of the AAEP’s Infectious Disease Committee. The new guidelines were reviewed and approved by the AAEP Infectious Disease Committee and board of directors.  

View the guidelines or save them to your mobile device at https://aaep.org/guidelines-resources/field-diagnostic-guidelines/. AAEP members may also access the guidelines through the AAEP On-the-Go app; search “AAEP On-the-Go” at your app store to download. 

In addition to the Field Diagnostic Guidelines, AAEP guidelines for more than 30 equine infectious diseases and foreign animal diseases are accessible through the app and the AAEP Guidelines Library at https://aaep.org/guidelines-resources/resource-library/guidelines-library.  

About AAEP 

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.