Veterinary Dictionary:
lymphangitis
Inflammation of a lymphatic vessel. It is a common finding in diseases of animals, and is of particular importance in horses because of the need to differentiate causes from glanders, and in cows because of the importance of this lesion in bovine tuberculosis.
- epizootic l. — see epizootic lymphangitis.
- mycotic l. — see bovine farcy.
- sporadic l. — a noninfectious disease of horses, characterized by an acute onset of severe swelling in a hindleg, with lymphangitis, three-legged lameness and great distress. Incomplete recovery leads to extensive fibrosis of the entire limb. The disease is thought to be an extension from a pre-existing lymphadenitis and lymphangitis.
- streptococcal l. — occurs in young foals and is caused by Streptococcus zooepidemicus. It presents as an ulcerative lymphangitis.
- ulcerative l. — a mildly contagious disease of horses and cattle caused principally by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. It is a lymphangitis of the lower limbs, marked by the presence of ulcers which discharge green pus.
Ulcerative lymphangitis. By permission from Knottenbelt DC, Pascoe RR, Diseases and Disorders of the Horse, Saunders, 2003
