UC Davis to Study Novel EPM Treatments

The USA Equestrian Trust has approved a grant of $25,000 to the University of California, Davis to fund research on new drugs to treat equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM).

This neurologic disease, one of the most common equine nervous system disorders in the U.S., is caused by protozoal parasites. Treatment can take several months, and many horses never recover completely.

EPM is spread when horses eat feed or hay contaminated by the droppings of infected opossums. Signs of the disease include incoordination, stumbling, difficulty in chewing or swallowing, shifting lameness, and problems with balance.