CNRS/ENS Lyon/UCB-Lyon1, Centre de RMN à Très Hauts Champs, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France.
J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2010 Dec;94(6):712-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2010.01019.x.
Seventy horses with clinical evidence of Australian stringhalt were studied in France from 2003 to 2008. All horses but one had history of bilateral stringhalt and grazed pastures infested with Hypochoeris radicata (L.). They displayed hind limbs hyperflexion and an abnormal gait because of a distal axonopathy with a skeletal muscle denervation and atrophy. Fifty percentage of them recovered spontaneously in 8 months, and only the more affected horses were unable to recover even if they looked healthy on dry and hot days. Clinical troubles revealed also depression or aggressive behaviour, suggesting that central nervous system might be affected. Treatment with phenytoin resulted in a rapid noticeable improvement of stringhalt in some horses but the administration of taurine seems to improve behavioural disorders. Deeply affected horses (grade III and more of Huntington's classification at the beginning) must be treated with phenytoin when the weather is muddy and damp because they still display stringhalt when they are afraid or at the beginning of the work.
2003 年至 2008 年，在法国对 70 匹具有澳大利亚缰挛临床证据的马匹进行了研究。除一匹马外，所有马匹均有双侧缰挛病史，并在受 Hypochoeris radicata（L.）感染的牧场放牧。它们表现出后肢过度弯曲和异常步态，这是由于远端轴突病导致骨骼肌去神经和萎缩。其中 50%的马匹在 8 个月内自发恢复，只有病情更严重的马匹即使在干燥炎热的天气下看起来健康，也无法恢复。临床问题还揭示了抑郁或攻击性行为，表明中枢神经系统可能受到影响。苯妥英钠治疗可使一些马匹的缰挛迅速显著改善，但牛磺酸的应用似乎可改善行为障碍。病情严重的马匹（亨廷顿分类的 III 级及更高级别）在天气潮湿泥泞时必须用苯妥英钠治疗，因为当它们害怕或开始工作时，仍会出现缰挛。
