are sarcoids contagious?

Archiepoo

Archiepoo

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just wondering as it seems from the number of threads on this subject that theres a lot of horses getting these now- so does anyone isolate horses with sarcoids or is anyone worried about their horses grazing with horses that have sarcoids ie: do flies spread them? i have a horse with a very nasty sarcoid and no one has even inquired if im having it treated (which i am ) or if i keep it covered- our yard suffers very badly with midges as we are in the woods. just wondered what peoples thoughts were on this ? x
 
As far as I know, they are not contagious. During the 20 years I had my mare who had sarcoids intermittently, none of my son's ponies or any of the horses who came into contact with her in livery yards ever "caught" them.

They are caused by a virus, but I'm not sure how the virus is transmitted. Any vets on here may be able to answer this one.
 
I think I read somewhere that the virus can be transmitted by biting insects, typically flys. There are many different types of sarcoid, so I summise there must be different strains of the virus.:)
 
A very well respected vet told me recently that the latest research has shown that, if a fly lands on a sarcoid and picks up sarcoid cells and then flies over to an open wound on another horse and deposits the sarcoid cells into the wound then it is possible for a sarcoid to develop on this site.
 
thanks ruth83 thats what id heard too,so is it pot luck if your horse is turned out with a horse with sarcoids, i wonder if its a certain type of fly that is the carrier and if our horses do have sarcoids should we be more careful to cover them somehow to try to prevent flies getting to them?
 
The vet didn't go into lots of detail (it was an aside during a different lecture) but suggested that good wound management was essential to preventing sarcoids, especially if your horse was close to a sarcoid sufferer. She also suggested summer fly cream (the horrid flourescent yellow one) for around sarcoids (perhaps with veterinary permission depending on the type/aggressiveness of the sarcoid in question) to prevent flies on them in the first place.
 
ruth83 said:
A very well respected vet told me recently that the latest research has shown that, if a fly lands on a sarcoid and picks up sarcoid cells and then flies over to an open wound on another horse and deposits the sarcoid cells into the wound then it is possible for a sarcoid to develop on this site.
Click to expand...

Yes apparently this ^^ it is worrying, what can you do on a livery yard though.

I was quite suprised watching a programme with Carl Hester, he buys alot of his horses with them cos they are cheap
 
ruth83 said:
A very well respected vet told me recently that the latest research has shown that, if a fly lands on a sarcoid and picks up sarcoid cells and then flies over to an open wound on another horse and deposits the sarcoid cells into the wound then it is possible for a sarcoid to develop on this site.
Click to expand...

Yes I have also been told this by a well respected equine vet
 
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