Unraveling Atypical Myopathy: Tools and Insights from Equine Research

This seminar will outline the key milestones that have led to our current understanding of equine atypical myopathy, an environmental intoxication linked to certain maple trees, known in the U.S. as seasonal pasture myopathy. This poisoning, which affects grazing equids and has a high mortality rate, is an increasing concern in Europe due to the invasive nature of the implicated maple tree, Acer pseudoplatanus.
Over the past 20 years, research on this condition has been like assembling a complex puzzle, where tools such as epidemiology, histopathology, specialized biochemistry, and, more recently, omics studies have helped identify its cause and shed light on its pathophysiology. Beyond atypical myopathy, these methods have broader applications, from preventing pasture-related intoxications to addressing other equine health challenges.