Streptococcus equi infections: current best practice in the diagnosis and management of ‘strangles’

Foreword This document was commissioned to provide UK veterinary surgeons with up-to-date information on Streptococcus equi infection and to provide practical recommendations for veterinary surgeons in the field. The participants were selected to provide representation from a range of expertise and viewpoints and included practitioners, academics and social scientists. The document and practical recommendations were developed using a modified non-anonymised two-round Delphi process, considering published and unpublished research relating to ‘strangles’ using online discussion. The expert group was convened by UK-Vet Equine and Redwings and an online meeting held on 20th January 2021 with sponsorship from MSD and support from World Horse Welfare. The sponsors did not participate in the meeting and had no influence over editorial content. Each of the panellists was provided with a sub-topic and presented a review of the evidence pertaining to that area prior to taking two rounds of questions relating to the evidence presented. Where research evidence was conflicting or absent, collective expert opinion, based on the experience of the group, was applied. The opinions expressed are the consensus of views expressed by the authors who all approved the final manuscript. Where it was not possible to reach consensus, different viewpoints are presented.