Which statement is true about African horse sickness?

Which statement is true about African horse sickness?

• A. It is primarily a neurological disease
• B. It requires direct contact for transmission
• C. It is viscerotropic with predilection for abdominal and thoracic viscera
• D. It does not cause edema

Answer: (C)

African horse sickness is a viral disease of horses transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides). A defining, characteristic feature is edema, especially in the viscera. The viscerotropic form specifically targets abdominal and thoracic internal organs, causing marked edema and often death. Transmission does not occur primarily through direct horse-to-horse contact; it relies on the insect vector. Neurological signs can occur, but they are not the central or most typical aspect, and edema is a hallmark of the disease. Saying there is no edema is therefore incorrect, and describing the disease as primarily neurological or as requiring direct contact does not fit its main features.

African horse sickness is a viral disease of horses transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides). A defining, characteristic feature is edema, especially in the viscera. The viscerotropic form specifically targets abdominal and thoracic internal organs, causing marked edema and often death. Transmission does not occur primarily through direct horse-to-horse contact; it relies on the insect vector. Neurological signs can occur, but they are not the central or most typical aspect, and edema is a hallmark of the disease. Saying there is no edema is therefore incorrect, and describing the disease as primarily neurological or as requiring direct contact does not fit its main features.