Topic:Antibodies
Antibodies in horses are specialized proteins produced by the immune system in response to foreign substances, known as antigens. These substances can include pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Antibodies function by recognizing and binding to specific antigens, thereby neutralizing them or marking them for destruction by other immune cells. In equine health, antibodies are integral to both natural immune responses and those induced by vaccinations. The study of antibodies in horses encompasses their production, diversity, and role in disease resistance and management. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the generation, function, and implications of antibodies in equine immunology and disease control.
Serologic and molecular survey of horses to Coxiella burnetii in East of Iran a highly endemic area. There are few reports about Q fever in horse populations worldwide. This study aimed to detect the C. burnetii infection by serologic and molecular confirmation using commercial ELISA kit and real-time PCR in the East of Iran a region highly endemic. A total of 177 blood samples and 115 vaginal swabs were randomly collected from horses in East of Iran. The sera samples were analyzed for anti C.burnetii Ig G antibodies by a commercial ELISA kit and nucleic acid extraxted from vaginal samples were used to determine the C. burnetii DNA by real-time PCR assay. Antibodies were detected in 5.64 % (1...
Serological evidence of Rickettsia in horses from a semi-arid Brazilian region. Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is a common tick-borne disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii. Horses are the primary hosts of the main vector, Amblyomma sculptum, and are considered efficient sentinels for circulation of Rickettsia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to detect antibodies reactive to R. rickettsii antigens in horses from a non-endemic area in the north-central region of Bahia state, Brazil. Blood samples and ticks were collected from 70 horses from the municipalities of Senhor do Bonfim, Antônio Gonçalves, Pindobaçu, and Campo Formoso. The sera obtained were tested by an i...
Active equine parvovirus-hepatitis infection is most frequently detected in Austrian horses of advanced age. Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) research is in its infancy. Information regarding prevalence, geographical distribution, genetic diversity, pathogenesis and risk factors enhances understanding of this potentially fatal infection. Objective: Determining the prevalence of EqPV-H in Austrian equids. Investigating factors increasing probability of infection, liver-associated biochemistry parameters, concurrent equine hepacivirus (EqHV) infection and phylogenetic analysis of Austrian EqPV-H variants. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Sera from 259 horses and 13 donkeys in Austria were a...
Sindbis virus neutralising antibodies detected in Swedish horses. A number of viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are well known to cause disease in both humans and horses, ranging from mild fevers to mortal neurological disease. A recently discovered connection between the alphavirus Sindbis virus (SINV) and neurological disease in horses in South Africa initiated this serological study in northern Europe, where the same genotype of SINV (SINV-I) is also highly endemic. We tested 171 serum samples, originally obtained from horses for other reasons from April to October 2019, for presence of SINV neutralising antibodies using a plaque reduction neutralisation ...
Equine leptospirosis: Experimental challenge of Leptospira interrogans serovar Bratislava fails to establish infection in naïve horses. Little information is available about experimental inoculation of leptospirosis in horses and the pathogenicity of Leptospira interrogans serovar Bratislava in this host. Objective: To determine the serological, clinical, pathological and haematological responses of horses to L. interrogans serovar Bratislava strain PigK151. Methods: Randomised controlled in vivo experiment. Methods: Ten seronegative female foals were divided into 2 groups, control (n = 4) and challenged (n = 6). The challenged group received 1 × 109 leptospires divided equally between topical ocular and intraperitoneal...
Epididymal Sperm Granuloma and Antisperm Antibodies in Donkeys. This study aimed to describe and compare semen parameters (pre-freeze and post-freezing) and antisperm antibodies (ASA) of donkeys with epididymal sperm granuloma and healthy controls. Feral donkeys (n = 10) castrated in a concurrent study were enrolled in the present experiment. Three donkeys had unilateral granulomas, two donkeys had bilateral granulomas, whereas the remaining five had grossly normal epididymides. The granulomas were either single or multiple, firm, well-circumscribed, tan to red, and 1-5 mm in size. Upon incision, abundant, thick, tan to white-yellow fluid was recovered. ...
A hepatitis B virus causes chronic infections in equids worldwide. Preclinical testing of novel therapeutics for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) requires suitable animal models. Equids host homologs of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Because coinfections of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV occur in humans, we screened 2,917 specimens from equids from five continents for HBV. We discovered a distinct HBV species (Equid HBV, EqHBV) in 3.2% of donkeys and zebras by PCR and antibodies against EqHBV in 5.4% of donkeys and zebras. Molecular, histopathological, and biochemical analyses revealed that infection patterns of EqHBV resembled those of HBV in humans, including hepatotro...
Besnoitiosis in donkeys: an emerging parasitic disease of equids in Italy. Besnoitiosis is an emerging parasitic disease of equids. Italy is one of the few European countries where the circulation of Besnoitia spp. antibodies was demonstrated. In this study, a case of clinical besnoitiosis in two donkeys in northern Italy is reported. The two animals were clinically examined. Serum and blood samples were analyzed for the detection of Besnoitia spp. antibodies and for hematology, biochemistry, and enzyme activity, respectively. ITS-1 PCR and sequencing were carried out on DNA extracted from skin biopsies. Clinical examination revealed numerous scleral pearls in eyes o...
Prevalence of heterophilic antibodies in serum samples from horses in an equine hospital, and elimination of interference using chicken IgY. Heterophilic antibodies in serum and plasma can interfere with mammalian antibodies in immunoassays and result in false test results, usually false positive. Although studies screening for heterophilic antibodies as well as elimination studies have been conducted in dogs and cats, knowledge of the presence of heterophilic antibodies in other species in veterinary medicine is limited. In this study, a 2-site sandwich-type interference assay that detects anti-mouse antibodies was used to detect heterophilic antibodies in a population of horses treated in an animal hospital. Results: A total of 1...
Hemagglutinin inhibition antibody responses to commercial equine influenza vaccines in vaccinated horses. The use of a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay to assess humoral immune response to equine influenza virus (EIV) vaccines from various manufacturers administered to previously immunized adult horses was investigated. Subjects were allocated into one of 3 groups and vaccinated with various commercially available vaccines. Groups were subdivided into subjects that received 1 dose of a particular vaccine and those that received a second dose, 30 d later. Serum was collected at various times to assess antibody responses to contemporary EIV Florida sub-lineage strains. Statistical significance...
Development of an Indirect ELISA to Detect Equine Antibodies to Theileria haneyi. The apicomplexan parasite is one of two known causative agents of equine theileriosis. It causes milder clinical disease than its more virulent counterpart, , in experimentally infected horses, and can superinfect -positive horses. The current equi merozoite antigen 1 (EMA1)-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)used in the U.S. to detect equine theileriosis detects but not , and the complexity of molecular assays precludes widespread use for epidemiologic studies. In order to facilitate urgently needed studies on the prevalence of , the goal of this study was to develop...
First Evidence of Ehrlichia minasensis Infection in Horses from Brazil. The genus includes tick-borne bacterial pathogens affecting humans, domestic and wild mammals. has been identified in different animal species and geographical locations, suggesting that this is a widely distributed and generalist . In the present study, we evaluated infection in 148 Equidae presented to the Medical Clinic Department of a Veterinary Hospital from a midwestern region of Brazil. Blood samples and ticks collected from the animals were tested by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the presence of spp. A multigenic approach including Anaplasmataceae-specific (i.e., 16S rRNA, , ...
Growth properties and immunogenicity of a virus generated by reverse genetics for an inactivated equine influenza vaccine. Keeping vaccine strains up to date is the key to controlling equine influenza (EI). Viruses generated by reverse genetics (RG) are likely to be effective for quickly updating a vaccine strain. Objective: To evaluate the growth properties of an RG virus in embryonated chicken eggs, and to evaluate antibody responses to a formalin-inactivated vaccine derived from the RG virus in Thoroughbred horses. Methods: In vitro and in vivo experiments. Methods: Wild-type (WT) viruses (A/equine/Ibaraki/1/2007) or RG viruses (consisting of haemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase genes derived from A/equine/Iba...
Immunogenicity of Calvenza-03 EIV/EHV® Vaccine in Horses: Comparative In Vivo Study. Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of equines that is caused mainly by the H3N8 subtype of influenza A virus. Vaccinating horses against EI is the most effective strategy to prevent the infection. The current study aimed to compare the kinetics of EI-specific humoral- and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in horses receiving either identical or mixed vaccinations. Two groups of horses were previously (six months prior) vaccinated with either Calvenza 03 EIV EHV (G1) or Fluvac Innovator (G2) vaccine. Subsequently, both groups received a booster single dose of Calv...
Validation of a Commercial Glanders ELISA as an Alternative to the CFT in International Trade of Equidae. Glanders, caused by Burkholderia (B.) mallei is a notifiable zoonotic disease in equidae. For international trade and movement of equids, certificates of negative serological test results for antibodies against B. mallei are required. To date, the complement fixation test (CFT) is the mandatory test to issue these health certificates. The CFT is difficult to standardize and, due to its poor specificity, often leads to false-positive reactions resulting in trade restrictions with considerable financial consequences. In the present study, the new ID Screen Glanders Double Antigen Multispecies EL...
Serological Evidence of Natural Exposure to Tick-Borne Pathogens in Horses, Romania. The purpose of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of selected tick-borne-pathogens (TBPs) among Romanian horses. For this, a total of 223 animals originating from north, central, and southeast Romania, including horses from stud farms ( = 118) and working horses ( = 105), were tested using a commercial rapid ELISA-based test. Overall, 10.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.7-15.1%) of the tested horses were seropositive for antibodies (Ab) against Additionally, 18.8% (95% CI: 13.9-24.6%) and 0.5% (95% CI: 0.01-2.5%) of horses were seropositive for Ab against sensu lato and spp...
Seroprevalence of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi in Croatia – Short communication. Clinical cases resembling strangles are regularly seen in some areas of Croatia. However, there are no data on the prevalence of infection and the clinical forms or geographic distribution of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi in horses resident in Croatia, in order to estimate the geographic distribution of infection. The study included 291 horse sera from the eight counties where the majority of Croatian horses are kept. Sera were tested by indirect ELISA (iELISA) for the presence of serum antibodies against S. equi pr...
An Evaluation of Three Different Primary Equine Influenza Vaccination Intervals in Foals. In order to evaluate the effect of three different primary vaccination intervals on EI vaccine response, 21 unvaccinated thoroughbred foals were randomly divided into three groups of 7 and vaccinated with three different intervals of primary immunization (i.e., with 1, 2 or 3 months intervals between V1 and V2, respectively). The antibody response was measured for up to 1 year after the third immunization V3 (administered 6 months after V2) by single radial hemolysis (SRH) assay. All weanlings had seroconverted and exceeded the clinical protection threshold 2 weeks after V2 and 1 month after V...
Designing of Western Blot Technique for Glanders Diagnosing in Iran. Burkholderia mallei is the etiologic agent of glanders. It is difficult to diagnose this zoonotic disease in its early stages. Some methods such as the complement fixation test (CFT) cause some problems for veterinary authorities and financial losses to animal owners due to false-positive results. The mallein test requires appropriate laboratory equipment and skilled personnel. To quickly and accurately diagnose the disease, especially in areas where animals cannot be kept, new methods (such as the Western blot test [WBT]) should be used to identify the disease. This study designed and optimiz...
Evaluation of Antibody Response in Horses After Vaccination With an Inactivated Getah Virus Vaccine Using an Accelerated Immunization Schedule. Antibody response in horses after accelerated-schedule Getah virus vaccination was evaluated for its potential adoption during outbreaks. One-year-old Thoroughbred horses received two doses of priming vaccinations following an accelerated schedule (accelerated group: 14-day interval, n = 30) or the conventional schedule (control group: 28-day interval, n = 30). At Day 14, both groups showed similar seropositive rates (66.7% in control group and 73.3% in accelerated group) and geometric mean (GM) virus-neutralizing titers (5.2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.0-8.8] in control group and 5.3...
Molecular detection of Sarcocystis neurona in cerebrospinal fluid from 210 horses with suspected neurologic disease. An ante-mortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is presently based on clinical presentation, immunodiagnostics performed on serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and ruling out other neurological disorders. Molecular techniques introduce a novel and promising approach for the detection of protozoal agents in CSF. Hypothesizing that real-time PCR (rtPCR) can be a useful complement to EPM diagnostics, 210 CSF samples from horses suspected of neurological disease with EPM included as a differential diagnosis were tested using rtPCR to detect Sarcocystis neurona DNA and immunod...
Effects of srtA variation on phagocytosis resistance and immune response of Streptococcus equi. Strangles, which is caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), is one of the most prevalent equine infectious diseases with worldwide distribution and leads to serious economic loss in the horse industry. Sortase A (srtA) is a transpeptidase that anchors multiple virulence-associated surface proteins to the cell surface of S. equi. srtA plays a major role in S. equi infection and colonization of the host cell. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of srtA mutation on the phagocytic activity and immunogenicity of S. equi. The point-mutated recombinant sortases, includi...
Vaccination against GnRH as a prelude to surgical castration of horses. Surgical castration is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in horses and is associated with various post-surgical complications ranging in severity. Objective: We investigated the effects of administering an anti-GnRH vaccine to colts for reduction of testis size on the incidence of complications associated with their subsequent surgical castration. Methods: Randomised open controlled trial. Methods: Nineteen colts were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Treatment Groups V1-57 and V2-100 received two treatments of Improvac (Zoetis, South Africa) before their castration in...
Detection of Ehrlichia sp. in Amblyomma sculptum parasitizing horses from Brazilian Pantanal wetland. Bacteria of the genus Ehrlichia are transmitted by ticks and also are an important cause of infection in wild and domestic mammals. Infection with Ehrlichia spp. has been reported in horses, especially in the USA, Nicaragua and Brazil. In this study, we report the parasitism by Amblyomma sculptum, Rhipicephalus microplus and Dermacentor nitens ticks in horses from a ranch located in south Pantanal wetland. Molecular and serological analyzes to determine infection by Ehrlichia spp. in horses and their respective ticks were carried out. A total of 12 horses were submitted to blood collection to ...
Optimisation and validation of immunohistochemical axonal markers for morphological and functional characterisation of equine peripheral nerves. Horses are affected by various peripheral nerve disorders but defining their aetiology and pathophysiology is hampered by limited understanding of associated morphological and pathological changes and involvement of specific axonal types. Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that selected antibody markers, used in conjunction with various tissue processing methods, would enable identification of axons with different functional modalities within a range of equine peripheral nerves. Methods: Optimisation and validation study. Methods: A range of antibodies were evaluated immunohistochemicall...
Interactions Between Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and the Recipient Immune System: A Comparative Review With Relevance to Equine Outcomes. Despite significant immunosuppressive activity, allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) carry an inherent risk of immune rejection when transferred into a recipient. In naïve recipients, this immune response is initially driven by the innate immune system, an immediate reaction to the foreign cells, and later, the adaptive immune system, a delayed response that causes cell death due to recognition of specific alloantigens by host cells and antibodies. This review describes the actions of MSCs to both suppress and activate the different arms of the immune system. We then review the surviva...
Primary vaccination in foals: a comparison of the serological response to equine influenza and equine herpesvirus vaccines administered concurrently or 2 weeks apart. This study compared concurrent and separate primary vaccination against equid alphaherpesviruses 1 and 4, genus Varicellovirus, subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae, family Herpesviridae, and equine influenza A virus, genus Alphainfluenzavirus, family Orthomyxoviridae. Their vernacular names are equine herpesvirus 1 and 4 (EHV1/4) and equine influenza virus (EIV). Infection with these respiratory pathogens is associated with loss of performance, interruption of training schedules, and on occasion, cancellation of equestrian events. Vaccination is highly recommended, and for some activities it is a man...
Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to plant-produced African horse sickness virus VP7 quasi-crystals. African horse sickness (AHS) is a devastating viral disease affecting equines and has resulted in many disastrous epizootics. To date, no successful therapeutic treatment exists for AHS, and commercially used live-attenuated vaccines have various undesirable side effects. Previous studies have shown that mice inoculated with insoluble African horse sickness virus (AHSV) VP7 crystals are protected from live challenge with a lethal dose of AHSV. This study investigates the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in guinea-pigs to a safer monovalent vaccine alternative based on AHSV-5 VP7 quas...
Cross-matching of allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells eliminates recipient immune targeting. Allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been used clinically for decades, without cross-matching, on the assumption that they are immune-privileged. In the equine model, we demonstrate innate and adaptive immune responses after repeated intra-articular injection with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) mismatched allogeneic MSCs, but not MHC matched allogeneic or autologous MSCs. We document increased peri-articular edema and synovial effusion, increased synovial cytokine and chemokine concentrations, and development of donor-specific antibodies in mismatched recipients compared wi...
Opsonization but not pretreatment of equine macrophages with hyperimmune plasma nonspecifically enhances phagocytosis and intracellular killing of Rhodococcus equi. Evidence regarding the efficacy of equine hyperimmune plasma to prevent pneumonia in foals caused by Rhodococcus equi is limited and conflicting. Objective: Opsonization with R. equi-specific hyperimmune plasma (HIP) will significantly increase phagocytosis and decrease intracellular replication of R. equi by alveolar macrophages (AMs) compared to normal plasma (NP). Methods: Fifteen adult Quarter Horses were used to collect bronchoalveolar lavage cells. Methods: In the first experiment, AMs from 9 horses were pretreated (incubated) with either HIP, NP, or media only (control) and then infecte...