Classic signs of strangles include bilateral nasal discharge and enlarged lymph nodes. | Photo: The Horse Staff

Better tests, vaccines, and management methods might halt the spread of this disease

Strangles. The name calls to mind images of a relentless force compressing your horse’s throat so he can’t breathe. And that’s exactly what’s happening with this disease … at least in its advanced form. But the force isn’t something external—it comes from the inside: the horse’s own lymph glands. Infectious bacteria invade those glands, causing abscesses that swell until they burst into torrents of thick, yellow-green pus cascading from the nostrils or from beneath the jaw.

While rarely “strangling” a horse to the point of death, strangles can still be painful and debilitating, causing horses to miss weeks of work. What’s worse, it’s highly contagious, spreading quickly through barns and farms. And because the bacteria can survive away from the horse, outbreaks can be difficult to manage.

Fortunately, researchers are making progress understanding strangles. Better diagnostic tests, vaccines, biosecurity techniques, and management methods could lead to fewer outbreaks and their resulting health and financial ­consequences