Sarcoids very common in UK - quite rare elsewhere in the world?

[Tia]

I was just answering a post to Kate in Vet when it occurred to me that I have never seen a horse with sarcoids over here in Canada. I'm sure they must exist but I don't know anyone who has a horse with them here

.

Interestingly, all 3 of my English horses had sarcoids at some point in their lives - not always the same types of sarcoids either. On my livery yard, there must have been at least 10 or 11 horses over the years who arrived and also had sarcoids.

All the horses on my yard were treated with Camrosa and it cleared up all of the sarcoids regardless of which type they were. And it wasn't cross-infection as these horses had never met each other before arriving on my yard.

Is this weird? Could it be something to do with genetics or environment or something? What about all the others on here who live outside of the UK; do you know lots of horses with sarcoids? Or is it just up here in the Great White North that they seem very rare?

I would love to hear some feedback as I am really interested in this.

 

[FMM]

If you have the energy to read the following, it gives quite a of info about the whys and wherefore of sarcoids. A few facts they have come up with is that young, recently castrated males suffer more. In the USA quarter horses are more prone to them than TBs and they have also identified something called BPV through DNA testing which proves that they can be passed from horse to horse through open wounds. It is a very interesting topic. I don't remember any horses on my livery yards from when I was a kid having sarcoids, whereas they seem more prevalent now.

http://www.socgenmicrobiol.org.uk/jgvdirect/18947/18947ft.htm

 

[TGM]

Blimey FMM - that was tough reading - but very interesting stuff!

 

[FMM]

It's quite a slog TGM but as you say, interesting stuff!

 

[kirstyfk]

I have to say that I can only ever remember seeing one horse with sarcoids. Maybe i'm sheltered but they don't seem so common up here.

 

[druid]

Never seen them over here either...

 

[Farm Kat]

I've only ever seen 2 with them and both were mares, one newfie, one TBx.

 

[Tia]

Oh crumbs!! I am sooo sorry but I forgot about this thread!

Thank you so much for that link - I will take a good time to read it later on this evening. Much appreciated and from what you have said, it does sound interesting to me.

 

[Faithkat]

That also got me thinking that years ago you never saw horses with sarcoids either. Ive been around quite a few riding schools and livery yards (I started riding *ahem - whispers* 50 years ago) but I'd never seen a horse with a sarcoid until about ten years ago and I know of two who lived next door to each other, one of which is related to three others that I have come across that also have sarcoids. Strange.

 

[FMM]

I wonder if we didn;t come across them was because no one really made a fuss about them 20-30 years ago. Even now, I don't see many unless someone says their horse has sarcoids and points it out to me. (obviously not the massive ones hanging down that are REALLY obvious!)

 

[GTs]

I have seen them - nothing horrendously bad. Like that one picture SN showed - that was ICKY!

 

[Tia]

You could very well be right there. Do you remember that horses back then seemed to often have "warts"? Warts seem to be rarely seen these days.....could it be because they aren't warts? And those warts that we saw back then might actually have been sarcoids?

Just technical name changing?