Are there any diseases you can give to your horse, or, perhaps more likely, that your horse can give to you? Kieran O'Brien a veterinarian at EqWest Equine Veterinary Clinic, Tavistock, UK, is warning horse owners to be wary about kissing their horses based on the fact that some diseases are communicable between horses and humans and vice versa.
Kissing - Gateway for infection in horses and humans
A UK veterinarian is warning about the dangers of kissing horses because a number of infections including MRSA, ringworm, salmonella and Clostridium difficile can infect both people and horses.
"Highly antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria are a big worry as the prevalence in the human population is increasing. A recent study in the UK found that the carrier rate of MRSA by horses at present is low – less than 1%. But studies in other countries have shown that MRSA from humans will readily colonize horses, and the reverse also occurs.
In one Belgian study of 166 human-horse 'pairs', MRSA was found in 2.4% of the people and 1.2% of the horses. Significantly in two human-horse infected 'pairs', the strain of MRSA found in the horse was the same as that in the human, indicating probable cross-infection."
"The fungal skin infection ringworm is the principal condition we have to warn owners to be careful about. It doesn't often spread to humans (children are more susceptible than adults) and when it does it causes small round red patches that are quite itchy, in contrast to horses, where itchiness is unusual."
"These patches are often misdiagnosed by doctors (not normally attuned to the possibility that their patients' ailments can be acquired from their animals) as 'eczema' and an inappropriate cream prescribed. The condition is readily treated in people with an anti-fungal cream, although I can say from personal experience that it takes several weeks to clear up."
"Both salmonella and Clostridium difficile cause a nasty and potentially fatal colitis in horses and people. Any horse that develops acute diarrhea and is ill, as distinct from diarrhea associated with digestive upsets where the horse is usually otherwise healthy, should be placed in isolation and barrier nursing instigated to prevent spread both to other horses and to the personnel involved in caring for them."
"These infections are more common in horses undergoing antibiotic treatment, or stressed because of a long journey , etc. Rubber boots, protective clothing and gloves should be worn when handling horses with diarrhea."
"There have been reports of infections spreading through stables, so the significance of these two diseases should never be underestimated. Although the carrier rate in healthy horses is low, a sensible precaution when handling horses would be to always wash one's hands before eating or drinking."