The diagnosis of morbus maculosus in horses

This is a review on Morbus maculosus equorum (purpura haemorrhagica) on the base of literature data and of a case report on 13 own patients. It is shown, that the clinical picture of this disease has not changed within the last 150 years. Clinical main symptoms are haemorrhagic diathesis (petechiae, ecchymosis, suggillations) as well as peripheral edema and fever. The main haematological findings are neutrophilia, mostly going along with shift to the left and lymphopenia. In the last few years thrombocytopenia was also described in some cases. Basic therapeutics are glucocorticoids and penicillins. Problems of differential diagnosis and of nomenclature are discussed.