A horse with a neurological problem will often leave its feet in the awkward position, because it cannot sense their location very well. Often, however, the parasite has already done severe damage to the nervous system before treatment has begun. Even when all parasites are eliminated from the body, the damage to the nervous system remains when it has been there for a long time. During the course of treatment, it is wise to conduct periodic neurologic examinations to monitor the progress of therapy. It is also important to watch for adverse side effects of therapy, which may include anemia, abortion, diarrhea, and low white blood cell counts.
Some horses are currently on medication indefinitely.
The threat from EPM grows every month. It is important to the horse industry that the complete life cycle of the organism be determined so that effective preventive measures can be instigated. Antoinetter March, a University of California, Davis, PhD student, in collaboration with Drs. Patricia Conrad, John Madigan and Bradd Barr, is currently developing a rapid, accurate diagnostic test for EPM using a parasite-specific DNA probe. The sensitivity and specificity of the DNA test is currently being evaluated to ensure its reliability.