CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department has imposed strict regulations on horse riding activities at beaches and major tourist destinations, including Chennai, Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and Kodaikanal, following concerns over the spread of glanders infection among horses after a confirmed case in the State capital.
The move follows the death of a horse in Chennai after it tested positive for glanders, a highly contagious bacterial disease affecting equines.
In response, authorities have directed horse owners and operators to strictly follow veterinary safety protocols and avoid using unhealthy animals for commercial rides. Officials warned that horses showing symptoms such as fever, coughing, nasal discharge, skin lesions and respiratory distress should not be used for public riding activities.
“Any horse exhibiting signs of illness must be immediately withdrawn from service and isolated,” the department said in its advisory issued to operators across the State. “Owners must avoid unnecessary transportation of horses between districts and tourist centres to contain the risk of transmission.
Stable areas, riding equipment and shelters must be cleaned regularly and disinfected without fail.”
The fresh restrictions are expected to affect horse riding operations along Chennai’s beaches, where the activity remains popular among tourists and families. Authorities have simultaneously extended the guidelines to hill stations and tourism hotspots, including Ooty and Kodaikanal, where horse rides are a key part of local tourism activity.
Senior officials said that veterinary teams have been asked to intensify monitoring and carry out regular inspections of horses engaged in commercial operations. Owners have been urged to cooperate fully with the authorities and ensure strict compliance with the prescribed health and safety measures.
The department said that surveillance would continue across tourist centres to prevent any further spread of the infection and safeguard both animal and public health.
Glanders is a highly contagious and often fatal zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei. It primarily affects solipeds (horses, donkeys, and mules), but can be transmitted to humans and other mammals through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated equipment, or inhalation
Humans can catch glanders through broken skin such as cuts and abrasions, direct contact with mucous membranes like eyes and nose, or by inhaling the bacteria. Veterinarians, stable workers, and laboratory handlers are at the highest risk.
Depending on how the bacteria enters the body, it can manifest in four ways:
Localised infection: Nodules and abscesses on the skin at the site of entry, accompanied by swollen lymph nodes.
Pulmonary infection: Inhaling the bacteria leads to chest pain, muscle aches, and severe pneumonia or lung abscesses.
Nasal infection: Ulceration and thick, purulent discharge from the mucous membranes in the nose.
Septicemic infection: The deadliest form, where the bacteria enters the bloodstream and causes widespread organ failure, which is usually fatal without rapid antibiotic treatment.
Prompt, long-term antibiotic therapy is necessary and can cure the infection in humans. Untreated cases have a very high fatality rate.
There is no vaccine. Control relies strictly on quarantines, testing (like the Complement Fixation Test or ELISA), eliminating infected animals, and stringent sanitation measures