Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM)
EPM is an inflammation of brain and spinal cord caused by protozoa (usually Sarcocystis neurona, less often Neospora hughesi) that can produce very varied neurological deficits. GEOGRAPHIC NOTE: EPM occurs mainly in North, Central and South America, because its definitive host — the opossum — is native there; in Europe and the German-speaking region it appears practically only in imported horses or returning travellers that were previously in the Americas. Horses become infected via feed or water contaminated with opossum faeces, not horse-to-horse.
Veterinary care required
This condition belongs in veterinary diagnosis and treatment. Compounds are at most supportive.
Priority · vet & management
Neurological signs are an urgent veterinary case — diagnosis is veterinary via the neurological exam combined with targeted laboratory diagnostics (antibody ratio serum/CSF) and exclusion of other causes such as wobbler or West Nile virus. The travel/import status is decisive in the history; specific treatment against the protozoa is veterinary and prescription-only.
Possible causes
- · protozoa Sarcocystis neurona (most common cause) or Neospora hughesi
- · intake of infectious sporocysts via feed/water contaminated with opossum faeces
- · definitive host opossum (Didelphis spp.) — hence distribution mainly in the Americas
- · in Europe/DACH primarily in imported horses or after a stay in the Americas; no horse-to-horse transmission
Supportive compounds · supplementary feed, not medication
Prevention
In the DACH region attention is focused on imported horses and travel returnees; in distribution areas management aims at keeping opossums away and protecting feed and water stations from wildlife faeces.
Equiterna's take
Equiterna places EPM explicitly geographically: it is not an everyday diagnosis in the DACH region but almost always an import or travel topic — the neurological and laboratory work-up at the vet is the core, compounds at most accompany convalescence.
Usage note
This content is for information and education. It does not replace veterinary diagnosis or treatment. If your horse shows signs of illness, consult a veterinarian.
Equiterna is an intermediary platform for equine knowledge, marketplace and tools — not a veterinary-medicines dealer, veterinary practice or pharmacy. Compound information is study-attributed and free of healing claims. Legal framework: Regulation (EU) 2019/6 / TAMG (DE/AT), Feed Regulation (EC) 767/2009, FEI Prohibited Substances List, HWG.