Recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks worldwide have American health officials on alert. Though the United States hasn't experienced a case of FMD since 1929, officials have diagnosed FMD in 34 countries in the last 18 months. The latest outbreaks occurred in the United Kingdom, Argentina, France and the Netherlands.

Anthrax, pronounced as anthraks, is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. This rod-shaped microbe grows in soil, where it can be ingested by sheep, cows, horses and goats.

By Sandra L. Bushmich, MS, DVM - Lyme disease is a bacterial illness caused by the spirochetal (corkscrew shaped) bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is most commonly transmitted by the bite of infected Ixodes spp ticks, commonly referred to as "deer ticks" or "black legged ticks".

CEM is a venereally transmitted bacterial disease of horses. CEM was first reported in the UK in 1977 but this country is now free of this disease. CEM still occurs in a number of other EU countries, including the Scandinavia countries, as well as in Morocco and Japan.

EPM is a debilitating neurologic disease of horses. It can affect the brain, brainstem, spinal cord or any combination of these three areas of the central nervous system. Clinical signs may suggest focal or multifocal disease, which means the disease may affect a very small (focal) part of the central nervous system (CNS) or may parts of the CNS (multifocal).

EIA is an infectious viral disease that affects only members of the equine species. The disease was first reported in the United States in 1888. It is commonly referred to as "swamp fever". EIA is an incurable disease which is characterized by three distinct forms: acute, chronic and inapparant.