Disease control in horses encompasses the strategies and measures implemented to prevent, manage, and eradicate infectious and non-infectious diseases within equine populations. This field involves the study of pathogen transmission, host-pathogen interactions, and the development of effective vaccination and biosecurity protocols. Disease control also includes monitoring and surveillance of equine health to identify outbreaks and implement timely interventions. Key aspects of disease control in horses involve understanding the epidemiology of equine diseases, improving diagnostic techniques, and enhancing treatment options. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various methodologies, technologies, and practices aimed at controlling diseases in horses, with a focus on improving overall equine health and welfare.
Findlay GM, Maccallum FO.(1) Among 3,100 persons immunized against yellow fever with virus and immune serum over a period of five years, 89 cases of jaundice have been traced.(2) The symptoms are those of a hepatitis and closely resemble those produced by common infective hepatic jaundice, cases of which have frequently been noted as occurring in the same areas.(3) The average period between the time of inoculation and the development of hepatitis is between two and three months.(4) Attention is directed to the occurrence of hepatitis in horses, usually two to three months after immunization against the viruses of hor...
Amoss HL, Marsh P.Experiments were made for the purpose of testing the reaction of protection against infection as a measure of potency of antimeningococcic serum. The results of the experiments were extremely variable and bore no relation to the quality of the sera as determined by the period of immunization of the horses from which they were obtained, or the indications of efficiency based upon their employment in human cases of epidemic meningitis. The results also failed entirely to conform to the agglutination titer of the sera tested and to be affected by the different type forms of the meningococci. We r...
Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a relatively uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection, it can cause devastating losses during outbreaks. Antemortem diagnosis of EHM relies mainly on the molecular detection of EHV-1 in nasal secretions and blood. Management of horses affected by EHM is aimed at supportive nursing and nutritional care, at reducing central nervous system inflammation and preventing thromboembolic sequelae. Horses exhibiting sudden and severe neurologic signs consistent with a diagnosis of EHM pose a definite risk to the surrounding...
Cleve H, Schmid DO.An apparent incompatibility in the GC/DBP system in a mare and her colt was found after classification by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Because of this observation an analysis of the equine GC/DBP system by isoelectric focusing and subsequent immunoprinting was initiated. Further GC subtypes, however, were not encountered: the three phenotypes GC F, FS and S were also delineated by this method. The GC types in the case of disputed descent were dissolved: GC S was found in the mare and GC FS in her colt as well as in another of her male offspring. It is proposed that a rare GC mutant is r...
Ludwig KG, Craig TM, Bowen JM.Six mares were treated on the day of parturition with an intramuscular injection of 0.2 mg kg-1 ivermectin and placed in a pasture free of equine parasites as soon as possible after foaling. The mares and their foals were compared with a similar group of untreated mares and foals on an adjoining pasture. The experimental data was derived from mare and foal fecal egg counts, foal necropsies and pasture larval counts. Ivermectin administered to mares on the day of parturition, when combined with movement to parasite-free pastures, significantly lowered the cyathostome (small strongyle) egg produ...
Allen WR, Bowen JM, Frank CJ, Jeffcott LB, Rossdale PD.This short review article describes the various techniques currently available for artificial insemination in the horse. The collection and use of raw and extended semen is discussed together with the more recent developments in freezing semen. The expected conception rates with both fresh and frozen semen are quoted. The possible benefits in disease control and stud management are discussed, as well as the difficulties in controlling the use of A.I. from the Breed Registration Authorities point of view.
Lyons ET, Drudge JH, Tolliver SC.The efficacy of 2 injectable formulations of ivermectin, administered intraorally at the dosage of 200 micrograms/kg of body weight, was evaluated against naturally occurring infections by abomasal nematodes in lambs in 2 controlled tests. One test (A) included 17 lambs treated with the equine formulation and 16 nontreated lambs. For the other test (B), 14 lambs were treated with the bovine formulation, and 12 were nontreated. In controlled test A, only mature nematodes were recovered, and removals were 98% to 100% for Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia circumcincta male, O trifurcata male, Oste...
Gordon S, Bolwell C, Rogers C, Guthrie A, Magunda F, Hove P.A study of the prevalence of African horse sickness in horses was conducted, using records from two private equine practices in Harare for the period 1998-2004. Results indicated a higher prevalence of the disease in horses in Zimbabwe in the late rainy season (March - May). Age of the horse was found to be a significant risk factor, with foals or yearlings appearing to be 1.80 times more likely to contract the disease compared with horses older than two years. The case fatality rate in foals or yearlings was also higher than in older age groups, but this difference was not significant. The va...
Foster NM, Barber TL, Walton TE.Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) TC-84 vaccinal virus, from 10-1. quantities of infected duck embryo fibroblast cell culture fluids, was isolated by combined continuous-flow centrifugation with isopycnic banding in sucrose. Most of the recovered infectivity and hemagglutinating activity were in a single band at a buoyant density (rho) of 1.2. About 90% of the total input protein (450-520 mg) was removed with the effluent, whereas most of the remaining 10% also banded at a rho of 1.2. Infectivity was inactivated with formalin at a final concentration of 0.05% at 37 degrees C for 24 hr....
Trevisiol S, Moulard Y, Kaabia Z, Delcourt V, Loup B, Garcia P, Boyer S, Dauriac K, Groseille G, Rouger S, Narbe R, Popot MA, Bailly-Chouriberry L.Ciclesonide (CIC) is the first inhaled highly potent corticosteroid that does not cause any cortisol suppression. It has been developed for the treatment of asthma in human and more recently in equine. CIC is the active compound of Aservo® EquiHaler® (Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH), the pre-filled inhaler generating a medicated mist based on Soft Mist™ technology. This prodrug is rapidly converted to desisobutyryl-ciclesonide (des-CIC), the main pharmacologically active compound. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, CIC is prohibited for use in horse competitions. To set up an ap...
Mulhern FJ.There is an increasing need for the veterinary profession to meet the new challenges brought about by increased and intensified livestock production. These challenges consist of control and eradication of diseases, the humane treatment of animals and the prevention of transmission of disease from animals or animal products to man. Examples are given of the contribution which regulatory medicine activities have made to the prevention/control/eradication of screw worm, foot-and-mouth disease, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, Newcastle disease, bovine brucellosis, hog cholera, and certain oth...
Croft MG, Fraser GC, Gaul WN.A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was used to manage the laboratory data and support planning and field activities as part of the response to the equine influenza outbreak in Australia in 2007. The database structure of the LIMS and the system configurations that were made to best handle the laboratory implications of the disease response are discussed. The operational aspects of the LIMS and the related procedures used at the laboratory to process the increased sample throughput are reviewed, as is the interaction of the LIMS with other corporate systems used in the management...
Larsen M, Nansen P, Grønvold J, Wolstrup J, Henriksen SA.The potential of using fungi to prevent nematodosis caused by parasites with free-living larval stages is well documented today. In this respect Duddingtonia flagrans, a net-trapping, nematode-destroying fungus, appears to be the most promising candidate. Laboratory experiments and in-vivo studies, where fungal spores have survived passage through the gastro-intestinal tract of cattle and horses, plus field studies with cattle, horses and pigs, demonstrate significant reduction in the number of infective larvae that develop in the faecal environment. In field trials this reduction subsequently...
Theves G.During the second half of the 18th century scientific veterinary medicine, a new profession was born as a result of economic and military needs--losses of cattle as a consequence of infectious diseases and the growing demand for treatment to be given to the horses of the armies. At first the members of the emerging occupation, who are generally of very modest origin, hardly differ from the traditional actors of animal health. At the beginning of the 19th century the governments employ a large number of veterinarians for official missions to combat infectious diseases. As from the second half o...
Lunney JK, Kai C, Inumaru S, Onodera T.This special issue of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology summarizes the Proceedings of the 9th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (9th IVIS) held August 2010, in Tokyo, Japan. Over 340 delegates from 30 countries discussed research progress analyzing the immune systems of numerous food animals and wildlife, probing basic immunity and the influence of stress, genetics, nutrition, endocrinology and reproduction. Major presentations addressed defense against pathogens and alternative control and prevention strategies including vaccines, adjuvants and novel biotherapeutics. A spe...
McTigue FE, Mansbridge SC, Pyatt AZ.Equine anthelmintic resistance poses a threat to the health and welfare of horses worldwide. With no new imminent anthelmintic classes, it is vital to decrease the resistance rate and preserve available classes. Traditional indiscriminate anthelmintic use is not synonymous with a strategic control ideology; however, many continue to implement outdated practices. In comparison to livestock farmers, there have been few social science studies examining horse owner behaviours. This study aimed to understand the perceived barriers faced by horse owners and yard managers to adopting a strategic appr...
Hill V, Koch RT, Bialosuknia SM, Ngo K, Zink SD, Koetzner CA, Maffei JG, Dupuis AP, Backenson PB, Oliver J, Bransfield AB, Misencik MJ, Petruff TA....Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) causes a rare but severe disease in horses and humans, and is maintained in an enzootic transmission cycle between songbirds and mosquitoes. In 2019, the largest EEEV outbreak in the United States for more than 50 years occurred, centered in the Northeast. To explore the dynamics of the outbreak, we sequenced 80 isolates of EEEV and combined them with existing genomic data. We found that, like previous years, cases were driven by frequent short-lived virus introductions into the Northeast from Florida. Once in the Northeast, we found that Massachusetts...
Bublot M.Until recently, Influenza was considered as a veterinary problem in avian, swine and horse only. New influenza strains able to infect and cause a disease in dogs and cats emerged these last six years. The most widely used influenza veterinary vaccines are the inactivated adjuvanted vaccines which are based on whole or split virus. New technologies have allowed the development of new generation vaccines including modified-live and vector vaccines. Modified-live influenza vaccines are available for horses only but they are in development in other species. Vector vaccines are already in use in ch...
Nts'aoana ME, Molapo S, Kompi P, Phalatsi M.Parasitic infection is one of the major problems in equines which negatively influence their health. It hinders working performance of equines. This study was conducted to evaluate donkey owners' knowledge and control measures on prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) in three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Maseru district. A total of 144 donkey owners were selected for individual interviews through a stratified random sampling. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyze data. The significance (p <0.05) of different AEZs was tested using a post-hoc cell-wise ad...
Gaĭdamovich SIa, Pomelova VG, Lavrova NA, Mel'nikova EE, Sokolova MV, Kharitonenkov IG, Zlobin VN.Potentialities of differentiation between Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) complex viruses by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay and enzyme immunoassay were studied. For this, 4 test systems were used based on different combinations of native and labeled polyclonal antibodies to VEE virus, strain Trinidad, and monoclonal (MCA) antibody MAK 14-7 to protein EL of this virus. The maximal sensitivity and specificity was achieved in the test system formed from native MCA MAK 14-7 for sensitization of the solid phase and labeled polyclonal immunoglobulins for demonstration of the test results....
Ledermann W.With the apparition of the crazy cows disease at the end of twentieth century, great was the temptation for denominate "crazy horses disease" an ancient enzootic encephalo-myelitis, known from the 17th century and now named "Borna disease" in 1970, because severe outbreaks affecting horses in this city of Germany since 1885. But the sickness was not a prion disease but a viral one, causing also encephalopathy in several other animal species. After seventy years of investigation, the finding of the virus in human patients with psychiatric pathology in the eighties gave an incentive to work hard...
Sun L, Adams AA, Page AE, Betancourt A, Horohov DW.While interferon-gamma (IFNγ) plays an important role in protection against viral and intracellular bacterial infections, its production in neonates is deficient. Exposure to environmental antigens can promote the maturation of the immune system of neonatal humans and mice. We hypothesize that exposure to high level of microbial components would increase the production of IFNγ in neonatal foals. To test this hypothesis, one group of foals was placed into stalls three times a week for 8 weeks. A second group of foals remained on pasture. Air samples were collected from the barn and pasture fo...
Adeyefa CA, McCauley JW, Tomori O.The complete amino acid sequences of the hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein of three equine-2 influenza viruses from tropical Africa are presented in comparison with that of a well characterized European equine-2 virus (Suffolk/89) and a consensus sequence from the database. The sequences of the tropical African viruses were deduced from the complete nucleotide sequences of their HA genes reported earlier. Mutational changes in the nucleotide sequences resulted in amino acid changes in the HA which led to the introduction of a new asparagine-linked (N-linked) glycosylation site in two viruses. Th...
Touratier L.There is increasing interest in many parts of the world in trypanosomoses other than those transmitted by tsetse flies, as shown by numerous research projects and field studies. The refinement of techniques for studying the behaviour of trypanosomes (techniques of molecular biology) in axenic culture or in the parasitised host has led to progress in diagnosis and immunology, and a rational approach to chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis of these infections. Field trials of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in Africa, Asia and South America have shown that these tests may now be regarded as reli...
Moore RM, Moulthrop JI, Sather GE, Holmes CL, Parker RL.Field studies were conducted in 1972 to determine the immunization status of equines along the Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico borders. Interviews with horse owners were conducted along roads selected at random in the counties of Santa Cruz and Yuma, Ariz., and in Dona Ana County, N. Mex. At least 450 horse owners in each county were asked about the vaccination status of their animals, and information was taken on 1,260 animals. Blood specimens were obtained from every third equine, regardless of stated vaccination status, and tested for the presence of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE), we...
Petrucciani A, Yu G, Ventresca M.Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is an arbovirus that, while it has been known to exist since the 1930's, recently had a spike in cases. This increased prevalence is particularly concerning due to the severity of the disease with 1 in 3 symptomatic patients dying. The cause of this peak is currently unknown but could be due to changes in climate, the virus itself, or host behavior. In this paper we propose a novel multi-season deterministic model of EEE spread and its stochastic counterpart. Models were parameterized using a dataset from the Florida Department of Health with sixteen years of ...
Nadruz V, Beard LA, Delph-Miller KM, Larson RL, Bai J, Chengappa MM.Prevention of spread of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) after an outbreak is best accomplished by endoscopic lavage of the guttural pouch, with samples tested by culture and real time, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Disinfection of endoscopes must eliminate bacteria and DNA to avoid false diagnosis of carrier horses of S. equi. Objective: Compare failure rates of disinfection of endoscopes contaminated with S. equi using 2 disinfectants (accelerated hydrogen peroxide [AHP] or ortho-phthalaldehyde [OPA]). The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference bet...
Becker W.From 1981 until 1987 we investigated the more detailed circumstances regarding a prophylactic vaccination in altogether 37 stud farms with a history of virus abortion. In 23 cases, in which Prevaccinol and/or Resequin were used, it was found that the following of vaccination schedule and necessary immunization programmes respectively, had considerable imperfections. In seven cases prophylactic vaccinations were not carried out or corresponding questionnaires were not answered. The fact that in the present data no case of virus abortion was observed, when the mare was vaccinated according to th...
Nichani AK, Sharma RD, Sarup S.Efficacy of medium RPMI-1640 (supplied by Gibco USA, Centron and Hi-media) supplemented with horse, donkey, sheep and goat sera was evaluated for in vitro propagation of Theileria annulata (Hisar) infected bovine mononuclear cells. The results were compared with the growth rate in RPMI-1640 supplemented with foetal bovine serum (Gibco). RPMI-1640 (Gibco) proved to be the best medium for in vitro cultivation of the parasite infected cells. Foetal bovine serum could be easily, safely and reliably substituted with goat and sheep sera in the growth medium. Horse and donkey sera also gave comparabl...
Lauková A, Styková E, Focková V, Maďar M.Nowadays, developed more precisious identification techniques have allowed to validate newer enterococcal species. Among them, the species Enterococcus moraviensis was also validated, at first from surface waters. However, in this study, characteristics and potential to bacteriocin production by the strain E. moraviensis EMo 1-1Nik isolated from buccal mucosa of Slovak warm-blood horse breed has been studied. BLASTn analysis allotted this strain to the species E. moraviensis with percentage identity BLASTn 16S rRNA sequence in the strain up to 100% (99.93% similarity with E. moraviensis NR1139...
Aubert MF.The author describes a method for evaluating the minimal number of diagnosis failures for each animal species (this diagnosis uses the Fluorescent Rabies Antibodies Test and mouse inoculation simultaneously). The percentage of well diagnosed rabid animals on total rabid ones is called sensibility of the diagnosis: it varies according to the species of animal examined: from 99.98% for the fox, to 98.61% for the horse. The percentage of errored negative diagnosis on total negative diagnosis is called infidelity of negative responses: it varies for each species according to the sensibility of the...
Borges LM, Ferreira LA, da Silva LS, de Oliveira RA, Mussi SV, Faria KA, Melo LS, Abud LJ, Costa GL, Soares SF.This study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the efficacy of a 2,6-dichlorophenol (2,6-DCP) lure to control Dermacentor nitens (Acari: Ixodidae). Slow-release formulations of the pheromone formulated with and without cypermethrin were prepared. Olfactometer bioassays were used to define the best dose of the pheromone and to evaluate the effect of cypermethrin with 2,6-DCP attractiveness. Sexually active males were released 15 cm from 2 cmx1 cm pieces of polypropylene treated with different odors: 2,6-DCP in a liposphere system (1.5, 30 and 300 microg--without cypermethrin and 30...
