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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.
Antibody levels by indirect ELISA test in Trypanosoma evansi infected horses following treatment with quinapyramine sulphate. An ELISA test was used to determine the persistence of antibody levels in horses following treatment for Trypanosoma evansi. In 17 horses with T. evansi from two farms treated and cured with quinapyramine sulphate, ELISA antibody levels fell progressively post-treatment, but remained with positive results for 22.6 months in one horse, 12.8 months in a second, 4.1 months in another four and 2.3 months in three, whilst the rest became negative at 2.3 months. In two horses that suffered a post-treatment infection relapse the decrease in ELISA levels was only temporary, and a new increase in antib...
Surfactant proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of horses: assay technique and changes following road transport. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for equine surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-D in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Anti-equine SP-A or SP-D monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were produced by hybridoma technology, purified by the antibody purification reagent, and analysed by Western blotting analysis. The immunoreaction (two-site sandwich ELISA) with a mAb, peroxidase-labelled mAb and BALF sample was carried out simultaneously and analytical recovery and precision were assayed. Six mAb for SP-A and four mAb for SP-D were successfully cloned in limiting dilution to monocl...
Equid herpesvirus (EHV-1) live vaccine strain C147: efficacy against respiratory diseases following EHV types 1 and 4 challenges. The temperature sensitive and host range mutant clone 147 of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) was assessed for its ability to protect conventional, susceptible adult horses against respiratory infection by EHV-1 and equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4). Intranasal (IN) vaccination with 5.2 log(10) TCID(50) did not cause adverse clinical reactions although a limited virus shedding and viraemia (leukocytes) was observed in 11 of 15 and 10 of 15 vaccinated horses respectively. All 15 vaccinated horses showed a significant seroresponse to both EHV-1 and EHV-4 for virus neutralising (VN) antibody. None of 14 c...
Chemotherapy of surra in horses and mules with diminazene aceturate. During June-July 2000, an outbreak of surra occurred on an equine breeding farm in Khonkaen Province, Thailand. Forty-two percent of pregnant mares aborted or gave stillbirth and 40% (19/47) of horses and 10% (1/10) of mules died from surra. In August 2000 Trypanosoma evansi were detected in the remaining animals (28 horses and nine mules) on the farm by blood smear and/or the haematocrit centrifuge technique. All animals were treated with diminazene aceturate at 3.5 mg/kg body weight by intramuscular injection on days 0 and 41 of the study. Blood samples of eight randomly selected horses and ...
The impact of a low dose, low volume, multi-site immunization on the production of therapeutic antivenoms in Thailand. Therapeutic antivenom against snakes was first produced by Albert Calmette in 1894. Since then antivenoms have saved the life of countless snakebite victims. However, there are still many problems associated with antivenom production, for example variable percentage of responder horses, low neutralizing potency of antivenom, the large amount of snake venom needed for immunization and the difficulties encountered in producing potent polyvalent antivenoms. These problems have led to shortage and high cost of antivenom and, in some cases, failure of treatment. In 1997, a new immunization protocol...
Development and validation of a specific radioimmunoassay for equine osteocalcin. This study describes for the first time the development and validation of a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for equine osteocalcin (OC) quantification using purified equine OC as standard, tracer, and immunogen for antibody formation in rabbits. The assay allowed to measure equine serum OC levels with a sensitivity of 0.2 ng/mL. Immunoreactive serum OC values of clinically normal, different-aged horses ranged from 3.68 to 127.31 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) were 6.2 and 8.2%, respectively. Serial equine serum sample dilutions were linear. The recov...
Survival of foals with experimentally induced Rhodococcus equi infection given either hyperimmune plasma containing R. equi antibody or normal equine plasma. The purpose of this study was to determine if colostrum-deprived foals with experimentally induced Rhodococcus equi pneumonia have a decreased severity of the disease and decreased mortality rate when given hyperimmune (HI) R. equi antibody plasma (R. equi titer at least 100 % and virulence-associated protein A [VapA] at least 10000) prophylactically versus when given normal equine plasma (R. equi titer less than 20 % and VapA less than 160). Sixteen colostrum-deprived foals (R. equi titer less than 5 %) each received normal equine plasma in the first 24 hours of life (R. equi titer less than ...
Serum and mucosal antibodies of infected foals recognized two distinct epitopes of VapA of Rhodococcus equi. Virulence-associated protein A (VapA) of Rhodococcus equi has been proposed for use both as a vaccine and as a target for antibodies in immunotherapy and diagnostic tests. Epitope mapping of VapA allowed the identification of two B cell epitopes associated with R. equi pneumonia. The peptide NLQKDEPGRASDT was confirmed as an immunodominant N-terminal B cell epitope recognized by all sera from infected foals while VSFQYNAVGPYLNINFFDSS (C-terminal B cell epitope) was exclusively recognized by IgA from the tracheal aspirates. Moreover, specific antibodies produced against the VapA-specific peptid...
Stable and long-lasting immune response in horses after DNA vaccination against equine arteritis virus. Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of the equine viral arteritis. It is a small RNA virus with a linear, non-segmented plus RNA genome. EAV is a member of the Arteriviridae family that includes porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRSSV), simian haemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) and lactate dehydrogenase virus (LDV). The viral transmission is via respiratory and reproductive routes. Clinical signs in horses vary, and severe infection can lead to abortions in pregnant mares or neonatal foal death. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of the imm...
Identification of pulmonary T-lymphocyte and serum antibody isotype responses associated with protection against Rhodococcus equi. Rhodococcus equi infects and causes pneumonia in foals between 2 and 4 months of age but does not induce disease in immunocompetent adults, which are immune and remain clinically normal upon challenge. Understanding the protective response against R. equi in adult horses is important in the development of vaccine strategies, since those mechanisms likely reflect the protective phenotype that an effective vaccine would generate in the foal. Twelve adult horses were challenged with virulent R. equi and shown to be protected against clinical disease. Stimulation of cells obtained from bronchoalve...
Myosin heavy chain-based fibre types in red cell hyper- and normovolaemic Standardbred trotters. An assumed link between red cell hypervolaemia, an excessive amount of training and impaired performance of hypervolaemic horses has led to a theory that the muscle fibres could be affected. Myosin heavy chain (MHC)-based fibre type composition in gluteus medius muscle of red blood cell normo- (NV) and hypervolaemic (HV) Standardbred trotters was evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Muscle biopsies were obtained from 13 NV and 16 HV horses. Serial transverse sections were cut and reacted with antibodies against different isoforms of the myosin heavy chains MHCI, MHCIIA and MHCIIX. Sections we...
Equine infectious anemia virus envelope evolution in vivo during persistent infection progressively increases resistance to in vitro serum antibody neutralization as a dominant phenotype. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infection of horses is characterized by well-defined waves of viremia associated with the sequential evolution of distinct viral populations displaying extensive envelope gp90 variation; however, a correlation of in vivo envelope evolution with in vitro serum neutralization phenotype remains undefined. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to utilize a previously defined panel of natural variant EIAV envelope isolates from sequential febrile episodes to characterize the effects of envelope variation during persistent infection on viral neutralizatio...
Antigen-specific antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid after intramuscular injection of ovalbumin in horses. Eighteen normal horses were assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups to investigate the effects of IM or intrathecal (IT) administration of ovalbumin on serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibody production. Horses of group 1 were injected intramuscularly with ovalbumin and adjuvant, while horses in treatment groups 2 and 3 received ovalbumin intrathecally or intravenously, followed by IM injection as in group 1. Serum and CSF antibody titers were tested in group I every 30 days for 4 months, while serum and CSF were collected in group 2 and 3 horses at postvaccination day 60. Horses of group 1 (...
Neutralizing antibodies against vesicular stomatitis viruses (serotypes New Jersey and Indiana) in horses in Costa Rica. Serum samples were collected from domestic horses in 4 different regions of Costa Rica to detect antibodies against vesicular stomatitis viruses, serotypes New Jersey (VSV-NJ) and Indiana (VSV-IN). A total of 214 samples were tested by the virus neutralization test. The sampling regions were identified as low North Pacific dry area (1), low Middle Atlantic humid area (2), low South Pacific humid area (3), and the highlands (4). In region 1, 97.1% of horses were positive for VSV-NJ and 16.5% were positive for VSV-IN. The mean antibody titer and its standard deviation after logarithmic transform...
Porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraception of wild horses (Equus caballus) in Nevada: a 10 year study. Porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraception was investigated for possible use in free-roaming wild horses in the western USA. A protocol of two injections (3-4 weeks apart) of vaccine lasting 1 year was first used and a single-injection controlled-release vaccine of 1 year duration was developed and tested in the field. Studies of a presumptive vaccine of 2 year duration were initiated. The parameters of anti-PZP antibody titre response, pregnancy testing and offspring production were used, and PZP vaccine was found to provide up to 94% infertility in free-roaming wild mares. In addition,...
Evaluation of ELISA and Western Blot Analysis using three antigens to detect anti-Trichinella IgG in horses. We assessed a serological method for detecting Trichinella infection in horses, specifically, an ELISA using three antigens to detect anti-Trichinella IgG (i.e. a synthetic tyvelose glycan-BSA (stg-BSA) antigen, an excretory/secretory (ES) antigen, and a crude worm extract (CWE) antigen). Serum samples were collected from 2502 horses (433 live horses from Romania and 2069 horses slaughtered in Italy and originating from Italy, Poland, Romania, and Serbia). Serum samples were also taken from horses experimentally infected with different doses of T. spiralis and T. murrelli larvae, as controls. ...
The use of chosen serological diagnostic methods in Lyme disease in horses. Part II. Western blot. In this investigation the Western blot test was treated as a method verifying results of the IFA, commercial ELISA and standardized ELISA tests (described in Part I). The verifying investigations were performed on 82 serum samples, which in the commercial ELISA were positive in 36 cases, dubious in 31 cases and negative in 15 cases as well as on 5 serum samples obtained from horses infected with Leptospira spp., which in the ELISA commercial were dubious (total of 87 sera samples). The antigens, against which the immunological response in horses was directed, were also established. The Milenia...
The use of chosen serological diagnostic methods in Lyme disease in horses. Part I. Indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The investigations aimed to establish the reliability of the chosen serological tests designed for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis in horses. The investigations were carried out in five Horse Breeding Centres (OHK). Statistical analysis methods were used to determine sample size for particular centres: Krasne (Kr)--49, Łack (Ł)--21, Walewice (W)--111, BogusŁawice (B)--17, Kozienice (K)--61. The experimental material comprised the chosen horses from which blood samples were collected in order to obtain sera. The test used for indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA No 75941, Bio-Mérieux) i...
West Nile virus outbreak in horses, southern France, 2000: results of a serosurvey. During late summer and autumn 2000, a West Nile fever outbreak in southern France resulted in 76 equine clinical cases; 21 horses died. We report the results of a large serosurvey of all equines within a 10-km radius of laboratory-confirmed cases. Blood samples were obtained from 5,107 equines, distributed in groups of 1 to 91 animals. West Nile virus immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies were found in 8.5% of animals (n=432). Forty-two percent of the IgG-positive animals were also IgM positive. Horses living in small groups were more affected than those in large groups. The results suggest that We...
Horses and Borrelia: immunoblot patterns with five Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains and sera from horses of various stud farms in Austria and from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Grazing animals are continuously exposed to tick bites. Consequently, one may expect that horses will become infected with the various pathogens carried by ticks including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Whether horses may develop clinical disease due to this pathogen is controversially discussed. We were interested to learn about the infection of horses with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato within one season by studying the dynamics of the humoral immune response in paired blood samples. The majority of horses examined were Lipizzaner from the stud farm in Piber/Steiermark, and from the Spani...
Multiple RNA splicing and the presence of cryptic RNA splice donor and acceptor sites may contribute to low expression levels and poor immunogenicity of potential DNA vaccines containing the env gene of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). The env gene is an excellent candidate for inclusion in any DNA-based vaccine approach against equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Unfortunately, this gene is subjected to mutational pressure in E. coli resulting in the introduction of stop codons at the 5' terminus unless it is molecularly cloned using very-low-copy-number plasmid vectors. To overcome this problem, a mammalian expression vector was constructed based on the low-copy-number pLG338-30 plasmid. This permitted the production of full-length EIAV env gene clones (plcnCMVenv) from which low-level expression of the viral surface un...
Detection of antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona in cerebrospinal fluid from clinically normal neonatal foals. To determine whether antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona could be detected in CSF from clinically normal neonatal (2 to 7 days old) and young (2 to 3 months old) foals. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 15 clinically normal neonatal Thoroughbred foals. Methods: Serum and CSF samples were obtained from foals at 2 to 7 days of age and tested for antibodies against S. neurona by means of western blotting. Serum samples from the mares were also tested for antibodies against S. neurona. Additional CSF and blood samples were obtained from 5 foals between 13 and 41 days after birth and between ...
Serological responses of mares and weanlings following vaccination with an inactivated whole virus equine herpesvirus 1 and equine herpesvirus 4 vaccine. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a major cause of respiratory disease and abortion in horses worldwide. Although some vaccines have been shown experimentally to reduce disease, there are few reports of the responses to vaccination in the field. This study measured antibody responses to vaccination of 159 mares (aged 4-17 years) and 101 foals (aged 3-6 months) on a large stud farm with a killed whole virus EHV-1/4 vaccine used as per the manufacturer's recommendations. Using an EHV glycoprotein D (gD)-specific ELISA and a type-specific glycoprotein G (gG) ELISA, respectively 13.8 and 28.9% of ma...
Modelling equine influenza 1: a stochastic model of within-yard epidemics. This paper demonstrates that a simple stochastic model can capture the features of an epidemic of equine influenza in unvaccinated horses. When the model is modified to consider vaccinated horses, we find that vaccination dramatically reduces the incidence and size of epidemics. Although occasional larger outbreaks can still occur, these are exceptional. We then look at the effects of vaccination on a yard of horses, and in particular at the relationship between pre-challenge antibody level and quantity of virus shed when challenged with the virus. While on average, a high antibody level impli...
Evolution of the six horse IGHG genes and corresponding immunoglobulin gamma heavy chains. It is generally assumed that the different mammalian IgG isotypes have developed during evolution by duplications of a common ancestor gamma heavy chain constant region gene (IGHG). In contrast to other species studied so far, which express between one and four IGHG genes, the horse (Equus caballus) genome contains six IGHG genes, and it has been postulated that they all can be expressed. For determination of the evolutionary history of the six horse IGHG genes, genomic DNA and cDNA of the IGHG genes were sequenced. The structure of these genes with reference to exons and introns was determine...
The classification of seven serotypes of equine encephalosis virus and the prevalence of homologous antibody in horses in South Africa. Selected isolates of equine encephalosis virus were shown to have comparable viral protein profiles and to represent seven distinct serotypes, based on cross-neutralization tests. Serotype-specific virus-neutralizing antibody in serum samples from horses confirmed the widespread occurrence of infection. The distribution and prevalence of individual serotypes however, varied considerably. Localised foci with an increased seasonal seroconversion in groups of horses to a specific serotype and the detection of an ongoing low level of infection from other serotypes within the population, confirmed ...
