glanders

noun

glan·​ders ˈglan-dərz 

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: a highly contagious and life-threatening disease of horses and other equines (such as donkeys and mules) or sometimes other animals (such as dogs, cats, or goats) that is caused by a bacterium (Burkholderia mallei synonym Pseudomonas mallaei), is characterized especially by fever, cough, nodular lesions that tend to rupture and ulcerate, enlarged lymph nodes, and nasal discharge, and may be transmitted from infected animals to people

Note: Glanders may occur as an infection of the skin, lungs, upper respiratory tract, or bloodstream. Chronic glanders progresses slowly over a period of years before death while acute glanders typically leads to death within a week or two following the onset of symptoms.

Examples of glanders in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1915, Germany initiated attempts to sabotage Allied troops by spreading anthrax and glanders among horses. —Claas Kirchhelle, Wired, 11 Mar. 2022

One of the earliest biowarfare scares took place a century ago, in 1920, when news hit of an alleged plot by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to disseminate typhoid and glanders among British troops in Dublin. —Claas Kirchhelle, Wired, 11 Mar. 2022

In it, an anonymous source discussed spreading typhoid via milk among British troops stationed in Dublin and infecting horses with glanders. —Claas Kirchhelle, Wired, 11 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle French glandre glandular swelling on the neck, from Latin glandulae, from plural of glandula, diminutive of gland-, glans

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

glanders

singular or plural noun

glan·​ders ˈglan-dərz 

: an infectious often fatal bacterial disease especially of horses

Medical Definition

glanders

noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction

glan·​ders -dərz 

: a contagious and destructive disease especially of horses caused by a bacterium of the genus Burkholderia (B. mallei synonym Pseudomonas mallei) and characterized by caseating nodular lesions especially of the respiratory mucosae, lungs, and skin that tend to break down and form ulcers