Glanders in Donkeys: Nasal Discharge, Skin Nodules, and Zoonotic Risk
- See your vet immediately if your donkey has thick nasal discharge, nasal ulcers, swollen lymph vessels, skin nodules, fever, or trouble breathing.
- Glanders is a contagious bacterial disease caused by Burkholderia mallei. It is zoonotic, which means people can become infected through contact with nasal secretions, pus, tissues, or contaminated equipment.
- Donkeys may develop nasal disease, lung disease, or the skin form called farcy, with nodules and draining tracts along lymph vessels.
- Diagnosis usually involves immediate isolation plus official testing directed by your vet and animal health authorities, such as serology, PCR, and sometimes culture in specialized laboratories.
- There is no routine vaccine, and treatment is generally not the standard control approach in equids because glanders is a reportable disease with major public health and regulatory implications.
What Is Glanders in Donkeys?
See your vet immediately. Glanders is a serious, often fatal bacterial disease of equids caused by Burkholderia mallei. It affects donkeys, horses, and mules, and it also carries zoonotic risk, meaning people can become infected after contact with an affected animal, its body fluids, or contaminated materials.
In donkeys, glanders may show up as purulent nasal discharge, ulcers inside the nose, coughing, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, or firm skin nodules that ulcerate and drain. The skin form is often called farcy and follows the lymph vessels, creating cord-like swelling and sores. Some animals become very ill quickly, while others have more chronic signs that can be mistaken for other respiratory or skin problems.
This disease is especially important because it is reportable and has major herd, movement, and human health consequences. In the United States, naturally occurring glanders has been eradicated, but suspected cases still require urgent veterinary and regulatory attention because imported animals and international exposure remain relevant risks.
Symptoms of Glanders in Donkeys
- Thick yellow or green nasal discharge
- Ulcers or nodules inside the nostrils
- Swollen lymph nodes under the jaw
- Skin nodules and draining tracts along lymph vessels
- Fever, depression, and weight loss
- Coughing or labored breathing
- Poor appetite and reduced stamina
Any donkey with purulent nasal discharge, nasal ulcers, skin nodules, draining sores, or breathing trouble needs urgent veterinary attention. Because glanders can spread to people and other equids, avoid close contact, wear gloves, limit handling, and keep the donkey away from shared waterers, tack, trailers, and grooming tools until your vet advises next steps.
Do not lance nodules or flush the nose at home. Those steps can increase exposure risk and contaminate the environment. If anyone has had direct contact with discharge, pus, or tissues, tell your vet right away so they can guide you on appropriate public health follow-up.
What Causes Glanders in Donkeys?
Glanders is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei. Equids are the main hosts, and infection usually spreads through direct contact with infected animals, especially nasal secretions, pus from skin lesions, and contaminated feed, water, tack, buckets, grooming tools, or housing surfaces.
The bacteria can enter through the mouth, nose, eyes, or broken skin. In some situations, inhalation of infectious droplets or aerosols may also play a role. Donkeys may be exposed during transport, importation, commingling with infected equids, or contact with contaminated equipment and facilities.
This is not a disease caused by routine barn dust, weather changes, or ordinary respiratory irritation. Because glanders is uncommon in the United States but still occurs in some parts of the world, travel history, import history, and contact with equids from endemic regions matter. Your vet may ask detailed questions about recent movement, new arrivals, shared trailers, and any international exposure.
How Is Glanders in Donkeys Diagnosed?
Diagnosis starts with immediate suspicion, isolation, and notification. Clinical signs can raise concern, but they are not enough to confirm glanders, because other conditions can also cause nasal discharge, ulcers, pneumonia, swollen lymph nodes, or skin nodules. Your vet will usually treat this as a biosecurity event first and a diagnostic workup second.
Testing may include serology such as complement fixation or other officially accepted antibody tests, along with PCR on appropriate samples. In some cases, culture from lesions can confirm infection, but this must be handled in specialized laboratories because B. mallei is hazardous to people. Sampling plans are often coordinated with state or federal animal health officials.
Your vet may also consider other causes of similar signs, including strangles, ulcerative lymphangitis, fungal disease, abscessing bacterial infections, foreign body irritation, and other respiratory or skin conditions. Because glanders is reportable, the diagnostic process often includes movement restrictions, trace-back questions, and guidance on protecting people who have handled the donkey.
Treatment Options for Glanders in Donkeys
Spectrum of Care means you have options. Here are treatment tiers at different price points.
Budget-Conscious Care
- Urgent farm call or clinic exam
- Immediate isolation from other equids
- Basic PPE guidance for handlers
- Sample collection for official testing
- Communication with state or federal animal health authorities
- Restricted movement of exposed animals and equipment
Recommended Standard Treatment
- Full veterinary assessment and biosecurity plan
- Official serology and PCR through approved channels
- Supportive care while awaiting direction from your vet and authorities
- Exposure assessment for herd mates and handlers
- Cleaning and disinfection planning for stalls, buckets, tack, and transport equipment
- Humane euthanasia and regulated disposal if required after confirmation
Advanced / Critical Care
- Hospital-level supportive care for severe respiratory compromise or systemic illness when appropriate and safe
- Advanced diagnostics to evaluate competing diagnoses if glanders remains unconfirmed
- Intensive wound and lesion management under strict biosecurity
- Expanded herd investigation and repeated testing of exposed equids
- Specialized transport, containment, and disposal coordination
Cost estimates as of 2026-03. Actual costs vary by location, clinic, and individual case.
Questions to Ask Your Vet About Glanders in Donkeys
Bring these questions to your vet appointment to get the most out of your visit.
- Based on my donkey's signs, how concerned are you about glanders versus other causes of nasal discharge or skin nodules?
- What isolation steps should I start right now for this donkey, herd mates, and shared equipment?
- Which tests are most appropriate in this case, and will samples need to go through official animal health channels?
- What protective gear should family members, barn staff, and farriers use while this is being investigated?
- Do any people on the property need to contact their physician because of direct exposure to discharge, pus, or tissues?
- What other diseases are on your differential list, and how would treatment or prognosis differ if this is not glanders?
- What cleaning and disinfection steps do you recommend for stalls, buckets, tack, trailers, and grooming tools?
- If testing is positive, what are the next legal and herd-management steps for quarantine, tracing contacts, and humane disposition?
How to Prevent Glanders in Donkeys
Prevention centers on biosecurity and careful movement control. There is no routine vaccine for glanders in donkeys. The most important steps are avoiding contact with infected equids, using reputable sources when buying or transporting animals, following import and health certificate rules, and isolating new arrivals before they mix with the herd.
Do not share water buckets, feed tubs, bits, nose bags, grooming tools, tack, or trailers between unfamiliar animals without cleaning and disinfection. If a donkey develops suspicious nasal discharge, ulcers, or draining skin nodules, separate that animal immediately and call your vet before moving it off the property.
Because glanders is zoonotic, human safety matters too. Wear gloves when handling discharge or wound drainage, avoid splashes to the eyes or mouth, cover broken skin, and wash hands thoroughly after contact. If your vet suspects glanders, follow their instructions closely on PPE, restricted access, testing of exposed animals, and environmental cleanup.