Disease surveillance in horses involves the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data to monitor and manage equine diseases. This process aids in the early detection of outbreaks, tracking of disease trends, and evaluation of control measures. Surveillance systems may incorporate various data sources, including clinical reports, laboratory testing, and field observations. These systems can focus on infectious diseases, such as equine influenza and West Nile virus, or non-infectious conditions affecting horse populations. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore methodologies, technologies, and outcomes associated with disease surveillance in equine populations.
Hoxha I, Xhekaj B, Muja-Bajraktari N, Sekulin K, Unterköfler MS, Schlamadinger L, Situmorang T, Fuehrer HP, Obwaller AG, Camp JV, Walochnik J....West Nile virus (WNV, family Flaviviridae) is the most geographically widespread arbovirus affecting humans. It circulates between wild birds and mosquitoes, while humans and horses are dead-end hosts. In recent years, several outbreaks have been reported from European countries, including the Balkan Peninsula. In the Republic of Kosovo, a southern Balkan country, data on WNV are scarce, and neither mosquito monitoring nor WNV surveillance is established. To address this gap, we aimed to assess a first monitoring approach that should set the basis and support future large-scale activities in t...
Whitlock F, McGlennon A, Newton R, Riley K.As part of her undergraduate research project, Cambridge vet student Katie Riley surveyed the attitudes of UK veterinarians with regard to preventing and controlling strangles, including the use of vaccination. Here, she and Fleur Whitlock, Abigail McGlennon and Richard Newton of Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance discuss her findings.
Kholik K, Sukri A, Priscilia Riwu KH, Ayu IW, Dewi IN.The transmission of () containing virulent genes from animals to humans and the environment poses significant public health challenges. This study aimed to detect the virulence factor of the () in isolated from the feces of apparently healthy horses in the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. The study utilized 52 fecal samples from a total horse population of 283, calculated using the disease detection formula. Fresh feces were collected immediately after excretion and placed in buffered peptone water for subsequent analysis. The samples were then isolated on eosin methylene blue media and identi...
van Maanen K, van den Wollenberg L, de Haan T, Frippiat T.Monitoring infectious diseases is essential for safeguarding equine health and ensuring the sustainability of the horse industry. In 2019, the Royal Veterinary Association of the Netherlands (KNMvD) and Royal GD (GD Animal Health) launched SEIN (Surveillance of Equine Infectious diseases in the Netherlands), a voluntary surveillance system for laboratory-confirmed outbreaks of equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), equid alphaherpesvirus 4 (EHV-4), equine influenza virus (EIV), and subsp. . This retrospective study analyzed 364 confirmed outbreaks reported through SEIN between June 2019 and April ...
Atay YE, Ekinci G, Öztürk AE, Timur MC, Mete A, Altınbay K, Derelli FM, Akar Y, Keleş İ.Equine Coital Exanthema (ECE) is an endemic herpesvirus disease primarily affecting the external genitalia and impairing mating activities in horses. Its extremely contagious nature, latency and subclinical features can result in outbreaks and significant economic losses. Transmission occurs primarily through mating activities; therefore, robust biosecurity measures are crucial in breeding facilities. This study aims to determine the clinical prevalence of ECE among horses in a covering station in Türkiye from 2021 to 2024. It also aims to assess the efficacy of routine PCR implementation wit...
Firdausy LW, Fikri F, Wicaksono AP, Çalışkan H, Purnama MTE.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a lentiviral disease affecting members of the Equidae family, with global distribution and significant implications for animal health and biosecurity. Despite numerous individual reports, a comprehensive synthesis of its global prevalence and risk factors remains lacking. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the global prevalence of EIA, identify diagnostic trends, and evaluate factors associated with heterogeneity across studies. Unassigned: A systematic search was conducted in six major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web ...
Donovan K, Torres J, Zhu D, Herrington WG, Staplin N.Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of disease progression are vulnerable to collider bias caused by selection of participants with disease at study entry. This bias introduces spurious associations between disease progression and genetic variants that are truly only associated with disease incidence. Methods of statistical adjustment to reduce this bias have been published, but rely on assumptions regarding the genetic correlation of disease incidence and disease progression which are likely to be violated in many human diseases. MR-Horse is a recently published Bayesian method to estimate...
Nielsen MK, Pyatt A, Perrett J, Tydén E, van Doorn D, Pihl TH, Schmidt JS, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Beasley A, Abbas G, Jabbar A.Equine parasite control has historically been characterized by confusing and conflicting information, posing significant challenges for veterinarians and horse owners to make evidence-based decisions. Since 2012, equine parasite control guidelines have been developed and published for different parts of the world to address this situation and provide trusted sources of current guidance. At the 2024 International Equine Infectious Disease Conference in Deauville, Normandy, France, lead authors of equine parasite control guideline documents published in the USA, UK, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherla...
Abbas I, Ahmed F, Muqaddas H, Alberti A, Varcasia A, Sedda L.Climate change can cause spatio-temporal shifts in the epidemiology of various vector borne pathogens, especially in vulnerable areas such as the Mediterranean Basin (MB). Among these pathogens, the West Nile virus (WNV) became endemic in the region. This systematic review and meta-analysis study summarizes WNV epidemiology, molecular characteristics, and surveillance in various MB countries, relying on data and scientific articles on WNV published during 2010-2023. The number of published articles varied across the three MB subregions: Southern Europe (n = 153), North Africa (n = 33), and...
Firdausy LW, Fikri F, Wicaksono AP, Çalışkan H, Purnama MTE.Trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease with significant implications for animal health and rural livelihoods in Indonesia. Despite surveillance efforts, comprehensive national-level estimates of its prevalence in domesticated animals remain lacking. This study aimed to synthesize the pooled prevalence of trypanosomiasis across Indonesian provinces, identify contributing factors, and assess trends over time using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Unassigned: A systematic search was conducted in seven electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Cochrane...
Kuhn KG, Shelton K, Sanchez G, Zamor R, Bohanan K, Nichols M, Morris L, Robert J, Austin A, Dart B, Bolding B, Maytubby P, Vogel J, Stevenson B.West Nile Virus (WNV) is the most widespread and frequently reported mosquito-borne disease in the US, with a high risk of outbreaks. Accurate surveillance of WNV is complicated by many mild or asymptomatic infections, resulting in human cases being under-reported and disease distribution and transmission not being well understood. In this study, we investigated how wastewater surveillance can be used for monitoring WNV in Oklahoma. We analyzed samples collected from wastewater treatment facilities in 16 counties during July 1 to September 31, 2023, for the presence of WNV genetic material and...
Ballados-González GG, Cruz-Romero A, Martínez-Hernández JM, Aguilar-Domínguez M, Vieira RFC, Grostieta E, Becker I, Sánchez-Montes S.Hemotropic mycoplasmas (HM) are emerging pathogens known to infect a wide range of mammals, including ungulates like horses. These infections can lead to severe haematological conditions, posing a threat to animal health and welfare. Recent studies have begun shedding light on the prevalence and impact of HM on horse populations worldwide. For instance, in Germany, Iran, Nigeria, and Brazil, at least three species of HM have been identified in horses, with a lack in knowledge in Latin American countries like Mexico. Our research aims to fill a crucial knowledge gap regarding the presence of HM...
Franco JJ, Gonzálvez M, Cano-Terriza D, Barbero-Moyano J, Jose-Cunilleras E, Alguacil E, García J, García-Bocanegra I.Equine viral arteritis is a notifiable infectious disease with sanitary and economic implications at a global scale. A cross-sectional serosurvey was performed to determine the exposure of equids to the Alphaarterivirus equid [Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV)] in three regions in western Europe. Serum samples from 1425 equids (1196 horses, 104 donkeys, and 125 mules/hinnies) from Catalonia (northeastern Spain), Andalusia (southern Spain) and southeastern United Kingdom (UK) were collected during the period 2011-2023. The overall EAV seroprevalence in EAV-unvaccinated equids was 9.7 % (138/1425; 9...
Elmahallawy EK, Hassan MF, Cano-Terriza D, Albalawi NO, Fajardo T, Gouda AA, Atiba A, Hendawy A, Villena I, Barakat AM, Alzaylaee H, Almería S....Toxoplasmosis, caused by the intracellular protozoan (), continues to be a widespread parasitic zoonotic disease globally. The seroepidemiology of infection in Egyptian equids, particularly donkeys, remains insufficiently explored. The present study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of in equines from Northern Egypt. Unassigned: A total of 360 serum samples from two equine species (157 horses and 203 donkeys) were obtained during 2023. The Modified Agglutination Test (MAT, cut-off of 1:25) was used to screen for the anti- antibodies. The study also analyzed potential risk factors th...
Punyadarsaniya D, Taesuji M, Rattanamas K, Ruenphet S.Standard serological tests post-vaccination, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), complement fixation, and virus neutralization, are crucial for monitoring African horse sickness (AHS). However, the availability of commercial test kits such as blocking ELISA varies by regions; while they are commonly used in Africa and Europe, their limited availability and high cost in Thailand present significant challenges. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate an alternative approach using an in-house indirect ELISA based on cell-based monovalent and polyvalent strains of live attenuated AH...
Cito F, Di Francesco CE, Averaimo D, Chiaverini A, Alessiani A, Di Domenico M, Cresci M, Rulli M, Cantelmi MC, Di Bernardo MD, Giammarino A.... subsp. (SEZ) is a major problem in equine veterinary medicine. Typically, a commensal in horses, SEZ can cause severe disease including respiratory infections, septicaemia and reproductive tract infections under certain conditions. Recent evidence suggests that humans can also develop severe disease infection through direct contact with infected animals or the consumption of contaminated unpasteurised milk and milk products. This study investigates SEZ strains isolated from nasal swabs of equidae in central Italy in 2023 to describe the epidemiology and genomic characteristics of circulating...
Pádua GT, Tavares MA, de Lima NJ, Paula WVF, Dos Santos GC, Neves LC, Bittencourt RBM, Paludo RLDR, Cardoso ERN, da Silva BBF, Pádua BR....This study sought to investigate the presence of anti- spp. antibodies in georeferenced serum samples from equids across all regions of the state of Goiás, while also presenting variables that indicate risk factors for the circulation of rickettsiae, and evaluating the presence of rickettsial DNA in ticks collected from equids and the surrounding environment in the municipalities of Uruaçu and Porangatu, located in the northern region of the state. A total of 1156 equid serum samples provided by the Goiás Agricultural Defense Agency (Agrodefesa) were analyzed for antibodies against 4 antig...
Chambers A.All anti-doping programmes face financial constraints and monitoring trends in medication use or abuse in a population of racehorses can be difficult and expensive. Obtaining biological samples is the primary method of anti-doping control in individual horses or stables of horses but can be invasive and expensive. Another important practice of anti-doping control has been the confiscation of used and filled syringes by regulators for individual forensic analysis. Pooled samples testing involves the testing of multiple individual samples together as one composite sample. This pooled sample appr...
Lundmark Hedman F, Ewerlöf IR, Frössling J, Berg C.The presence of a trustworthy and effective animal welfare control system is important both for animal welfare and for public and consumer trust. The inspectors' main task, regardless of whether they are official inspectors or private auditors, is to check for and enforce compliance with any relevant regulations. The aim of this study was to investigate how official animal welfare inspectors and private animal welfare auditors in Sweden perceive their inspection work and to explore any differences in the perception of being an inspector between these two groups. An electronic questionnaire was...
Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Flynn K, Hankin S, Runk D, Mendonsa E, Doherty T.The present study reports on the management of an EHV-1 outbreak at a large, multi-week equestrian event with ongoing showing. Within a 48 h period, 8 horses out of a cohort of 38 horses from the same trainer displayed elevated rectal temperatures ranging from 38.4 to 39.0 °C. Initial testing using a point-of-care PCR assay detected EHV-1 in 2/8 horses, with the results being confirmed at a later time by qPCR. As a precautionary measure and because of the inability to isolate the entire at-risk population, the 38 horses were relocated to an equine facility outside the equestrian event for dai...
Golamgouse NN.Mauritius hosts a population of approximately 900 equids, but no investigations have delved into issues such as the prevalence of equine helminths, anthelmintic usage, and resistance emergence. This study aimed to devise a qualitative and quantitative profile of common helminthic intestinal parasites in equines at eight out of twenty-eight stables (272 horses, 29 % of local population) and to determine whether helminthic intestinal parasites in equines at one stable have developed resistance to Fenbendazole by quantitatively assessing pre-treatment faecal egg counts, post-treatment faecal egg...
Matté YA, Baldasso DZ, Rezende MA, Lui JFM, Seibel AC, Guizzo JA, Frandoloso R, Kreutz LC.Lawsonia intracellularis is an obligatory intracellular bacterium associated with equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), which significantly impacts equine health. Despite its clinical relevance, epidemiological and diagnostic approaches for this infection in horses have remained underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the humoral immune response in horses immunized with an experimental vaccine for L. intracellularis and to determine the occurrence of anti-L. intracellularis antibodies in horses from southern Brazil using the flow cytometry antibody test (FCAT). Unassigned: A total of 12 ...
Levasseur A, Paré J, Aubry P, Iwasawa S, Leung D, Arsenault J.Vaccination is the most efficient tool for preventing West Nile virus (WNV) disease in horses. The objectives of this retrospective study were to: i) estimate the provincial and national horse population in Canada; ii) estimate the annual vaccination coverage for WNV in each province; and iii) compare estimates of provincial annual vaccination coverage. Horse population data (2006-2023) and the number of vaccine doses sold in Canada (2016-2020) were obtained by province. Based on these data and expert consultations, the annual number of vaccine doses administered, and provincial horse populati...
Polo MC, Huby FD, Uehlinger FD, Rubin JE.Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat in human and veterinary medicine. Among the most problematic resistant organisms are the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales, which are resistant to the 3rd-generation cephalosporins. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of colonization of horses admitted to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine with resistant Escherichia coli. Unassigned: Rectal swabs were collected from 60 horses admitted between November 2021 and March 2022. Swabs were selectively cultured for E. coli, which was identified usi...
Hain-Saunders NMR, Knight DR, Harvey A, Bruce M, Hampson BA, Riley TV.Clostridioides difficile is a known cause of diarrhea and colitis in human and non-human animals. While C. difficile is regularly isolated from domesticated horses, little is known about its prevalence in wild or feral populations. In Australia, the horse population encompasses a mix of both domesticated and feral animals, with the feral population of 400,000 estimated to be the largest in the world. This study investigated the presence and characteristics of C. difficile in Australian feral horses and evaluated their potential as a source or reservoir of C. difficile in the wider community. F...
Streng K, Holicki CM, Hesson JC, Graham H, Chandler F, Krol L, Blom R, Münger E, van der Linden A, Koenraadt CJM, Schrama M, de Saint Lary CB....We report Sindbis virus circulation in the Netherlands based on serologic evidence found in 6 resident wild birds and 3 horses (2021-2022). Tested mosquitoes were molecularly negative, and humans were serologically negative. Veterinarians and health practitioners in the Netherlands should be aware of the importance of surveillance for Sindbis virus.
Martins AS, Romanowski TNA, Campos JS, Vieira RC, Silva TA, Borsanelli AC.Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of Brucella genus, which affects domestic and wild animals and humans. In horses, the infection can be caused by Brucella canis, Brucella suis or Brucella abortus, through the ingestion of contaminated food, contact of bacteria with skin wounds or through the respiratory tract, manifesting with signs such as fistulous withers and reduced performance. The present study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Brucella abortus infection in equids in the state of Goiás. Sampling was carried out on 299 farms across 132 municipalities, with a total of 89...
McTernan SP, Heller J, Clulow JR, Gannon L, Huang R, Tidd N, Blishen A, Hughes KJ.Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality within horse populations, worldwide. The prevalence of Salmonella shedding in faeces has largely been reported in hospital settings, with limited information from general horse populations. Further, there is little understanding of the serotypes and antibiograms of Salmonella isolates from horses in Australia. The objectives of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence of Salmonella in stud farm horse populations, (2) determine serotypes and antibiograms for isolates, and (3) determine whether seaso...
Rykala M, Jasiak M, Niedzwiedz A.Preventing the spread of infectious diseases in horses requires breaking the chain of infection through appropriate prophylaxis. In Poland, where the horse population reached 273,006 in 2023, vaccinations are voluntary and primarily the responsibility of horse owners, with mandatory influenza vaccinations limited to sport horses. This study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of Polish horses against infectious diseases through a survey of 980 horse owners and an analysis of 123 horse passports from slaughterhouses. Survey participants represented all provinces, predominantly owning warmb...
Prudhomme J, Bardet C, Rakotoarivony I, Garros C, Bouhsira É, Lienard E.Insect bite hypersensitivity in horses ("sweet itch") is a common pruritic, chronic, seasonal, and recurrent dermatitis affecting approximately 10% of horses in France and is a major concern for the horse industry and private owners. This dermatitis results from an allergic reaction to the saliva of specific biting flies (Diptera: Nematocera), primarily from the Culicoides genus. Given the frequent occurrence of this health problem and the limited investigation in France, we conducted a field survey in the vicinity of a riding stable in southwestern France with a reported chronic case of recur...
Arrigo NC, Adams AP, Weaver SC.The eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) complex consists of four distinct genetic lineages: one that circulates in North America (NA EEEV) and the Caribbean and three that circulate in Central and South America (SA EEEV). Differences in their geographic, pathogenic, and epidemiologic profiles prompted evaluation of their genetic diversity and evolutionary histories. The structural polyprotein open reading frames of all available SA EEEV and recent NA EEEV isolates were sequenced and used in evolutionary and phylogenetic analyses. The nucleotide substitution rate per year for SA EEEV (1.2 x 10(-4...
Labruna MB, Kasai N, Ferreira F, Faccini JL, Gennari SM.Natural tick infestations were assessed every 14 days on horses over a 2-year period. Amblyomma cajennense adult ticks were counted individually, without detachment from the horses. Larvae and nymphs of A. cajennense were collected using a rubber scraper that scratched engorged immature ticks from the host. Adult females of Anocentor nitens larger than 4mm length were counted on the horses. Blood samples were also obtained from the horses every 14 days and macroclimatic data were obtained for the study period. Infestations of A. cajennense demonstrated distinct peaks of activity for each of th...
Zoonoses and public healthJuly 22, 2008
Volume 55, Issue 6 291-298 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01136.x
Zhang W, Shen Q, Mou J, Gong G, Yang Z, Cui L, Zhu J, Ju G, Hua X.Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen of which several species of animal were reported as reservoirs. Antibodies to HEV and HEV RNA have been detected in some Chinese population and swine groups but few other domestic animals. In this study, to investigate the HEV prevalence, we tested sera from 788 pigs, 100 cows, 50 goats, 49 horses, 101 pet dogs, 105 chickens, 47 duck and 45 pigeons in eastern China for anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG). We also tested 50% of the swine sera, all of sera from the other domestic animals and 13 Shanghai human sera which were positive for anti-HEV immuno...
Lab on a chipApril 26, 2020
Volume 20, Issue 9 1621-1627 doi: 10.1039/d0lc00304b
Sun F, Ganguli A, Nguyen J, Brisbin R, Shanmugam K, Hirschberg DL, Wheeler MB, Bashir R, Nash DM, Cunningham BT.Rapid, sensitive and specific detection and reporting of infectious pathogens is important for patient management and epidemic surveillance. We demonstrated a point-of-care system integrated with a smartphone for detecting live virus from nasal swab media, using a panel of equine respiratory infectious diseases as a model system for corresponding human diseases such as COVID-19. Specific nucleic acid sequences of five pathogens were amplified by loop-mediated isothermal amplification on a microfluidic chip and detected at the end of reactions by the smartphone. Pathogen-spiked horse nasal swab...
Bryant NA, Rash AS, Russell CA, Ross J, Cooke A, Bowman S, MacRae S, Lewis NS, Paillot R, Zanoni R, Meier H, Griffiths LA, Daly JM, Tiwari A....Equine influenza virus (EIV) surveillance is important in the management of equine influenza. It provides data on circulating and newly emerging strains for vaccine strain selection. To this end, antigenic characterisation by haemaggluttination inhibition (HI) assay and phylogenetic analysis was carried out on 28 EIV strains isolated in North America and Europe during 2006 and 2007. In the UK, 20 viruses were isolated from 28 nasopharyngeal swabs that tested positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All except two of the UK viruses were characterised as members of the Florida sublineage w...
Jongejan F, Ringenier M, Putting M, Berger L, Burgers S, Kortekaas R, Lenssen J, van Roessel M, Wijnveld M, Madder M.Autochthonous populations of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in the Netherlands were discovered after fatal cases of babesiosis occurred in resident dogs in 2004. The presence of D. reticulatus in the Netherlands has also linked with the emergence of piroplasmosis in the resident horse population. The aim of this study was to put together results of continued surveillance of field sites and hosts for this tick in the Netherlands and also in Belgium and determine their infection status for Babesia and Theileria species. Methods: Ticks were collected from the vegetation at 11 locations between 201...
Bhoora R, Franssen L, Oosthuizen MC, Guthrie AJ, Zweygarth E, Penzhorn BL, Jongejan F, Collins NE.A molecular epidemiological survey of the protozoal parasites that cause equine piroplasmosis was conducted using samples collected from horses and zebra from different geographical locations in South Africa. A total of 488 samples were tested for the presence of Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi using the reverse line blot hybridization assay. Ten percent of the samples hybridized to the Theileria/Babesia genus-specific probe and not to the B. caballi or T. equi species-specific probes, suggesting the presence of a novel species or genotype. The small subunit of rRNA gene (18S; approximat...
Hassan HK, Cupp EW, Hill GE, Katholi CR, Klingler K, Unnasch TR.An important variable in the amplification and escape from the enzootic cycle of the arboviral encephalitides is the degree of contact between avian hosts and mosquito vectors. To analyze this interaction in detail, blood-fed mosquitoes that were confirmed vectors of eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus were collected in 2002 from an enzootic site in central Alabama during the time this virus was actively transmitted. Avian-derived blood meals were identified to the species level of the host, and the proportion derived from each species was compared with the overall composition of the ...
Malkinson M, Banet C.Surveys on wild birds conducted during the last two decades in Europe, notably Poland and the Czech Republic, to determine their infection rate with WN virus have revealed endemic foci of infection. Some species of seropositive birds were nonmigrators while others were hatchlings of migrating species. Persistently infected avian reservoirs are potential sources of viruses for mosquitoes that multiply in the temperate European zone in hot, wet summers. In the past, evidence for geographical circulation of WN viruses was based on antigenic analysis of strains from different countries while more ...
Oladunni FS, Horohov DW, Chambers TM.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of the most important and prevalent viral pathogens of horses and a major threat to the equine industry throughout most of the world. EHV-1 primarily causes respiratory disease but viral spread to distant organs enables the development of more severe sequelae; abortion and neurologic disease. The virus can also undergo latency during which viral genes are minimally expressed, and reactivate to produce lytic infection at any time. Recently, there has been a trend of increasing numbers of outbreaks of a devastating form of EHV-1, equine herpesviral myeloenceph...
Rizzo C, Napoli C, Venturi G, Pupella S, Lombardini L, Calistri P, Monaco F, Cagarelli R, Angelini P, Bellini R, Tamba M, Piatti A, Russo F, Palù G....In Italy a national Plan for the surveillance of imported and autochthonous human vector-borne diseases (chikungunya, dengue, Zika virus disease and West Nile virus (WNV) disease) that integrates human and veterinary (animals and vectors) surveillance, is issued and revised annually according with the observed epidemiological changes. Here we describe results of the WNV integrated veterinary and human surveillance systems in Italy from 2008 to 2015. A real time data exchange protocol is in place between the surveillance systems to rapidly identify occurrence of human and animal cases and to de...
Cullinane A, Newton JR.To date, equine influenza outbreaks have been reported all over the world with the exception of a small number of island nations including New Zealand and Iceland. Influenza is endemic in Europe and North America and is considered to be of potentially major economic significance to the equine industry worldwide. The importation of subclinically infected vaccinated horses, and inadequate quarantine procedures have resulted in several major outbreaks in susceptible populations for example, in Australia (2007) when more than 76,000 horses on over 10,000 properties were reported as infected. This ...
Payne SL, Fang FD, Liu CP, Dhruva BR, Rwambo P, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.The extent and nature of genomic variation among nine antigenically distinct EIAV isolates recovered during sequential clinical episodes from two experimentally infected ponies were examined by restriction fragment analysis and nucleotide sequencing. Only minor variations in restriction enzyme patterns were observed among the viral genomes. In contrast, env gene sequences of four isolates from one pony revealed numerous clustered base substitutions. Divergence in env gene nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences between pairs of virus isolates ranged from 0.62 to 3.4% env gene mutation rate...
Tirosh-Levy S, Gottlieb Y, Fry LM, Knowles DP, Steinman A.Equine piroplasmosis (EP), caused by the hemoparasites , , and , is an important tick-borne disease of equines that is prevalent in most parts of the world. Infection may affect animal welfare and has economic impacts related to limitations in horse transport between endemic and non-endemic regions, reduced performance of sport horses and treatment costs. Here, we analyzed the epidemiological, serological, and molecular diagnostic data published in the last 20 years, and all DNA sequences submitted to GenBank database, to describe the current global prevalence of these parasites. We demonstrat...
Rico-Hesse R, Weaver SC, de Siger J, Medina G, Salas RA.One of the most important questions in arbovirology concerns the origin of epidemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) viruses; these viruses caused periodic, extensive epidemics/epizootics in the Americas from 1938-1973 (reaching the United States in 1971) but had recently been presumed extinct. We have documented the 1992 emergence of a new epidemic/epizootic VEE virus in Venezuela. Phylogenetic analysis of strains isolated during two outbreaks indicated that the new epidemic/epizootic virus(es) evolved recently from an enzootic VEE virus in northern South America. These results suggest co...
Brault AC, Powers AM, Chavez CL, Lopez RN, Cachón MF, Gutierrez LF, Kang W, Tesh RB, Shope RE, Weaver SC.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), the sole species in the EEE antigenic complex, is divided into North and South American antigenic varieties based on hemagglutination inhibition tests. Here we describe serologic and phylogenetic analyses of representatives of these varieties, spanning the entire temporal and geographic range available. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed additional genetic diversity within the South American variety; 3 major South/Central American lineages were identified including one represented by a single isolate from eastern Brazil, and 2 lin...
Bonnett BN, Egenvall A.From 1995 to the present Agria Animal Insurance, Sweden (Agria Djurförsäkring, Stockholm, Sweden) has provided data on both health care and life insurance claims for descriptive and analytical research. From these data we have published extensively on insured dogs and horses and have recently submitted a study on cat mortality. Over the periods studied most extensively (1995-2002 for dogs, 1997-2004 for horses and 1999-2006 for cats), Agria has insured approximately 200,000 dogs, 100,000 horses and up to 200,000 cats per year. Estimates based on formal research or market surveys suggest that...
Hilbe M, Herrsche R, Kolodziejek J, Nowotny N, Zlinszky K, Ehrensperger F.Borna disease virus (BDV) is the causative agent of severe T-cell-mediated meningoencephalitis in horses, sheep, and other animal species in central Europe. Here we report the first unequivocal detection of a BDV reservoir species, the bicolored white-toothed shrew, Crocidura leucodon, in an area in Switzerland with endemic Borna disease.
Olson ME, Thorlakson CL, Deselliers L, Morck DW, McAllister TA.Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are commonly identified intestinal pathogens in humans and animals. In light of the clinical disease, production losses and zoonotic potential of both Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections, a study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of these parasites in cattle, sheep, pigs and horses in Canadian farms at different geographical locations. A total of 104 cattle, 89 sheep, 236 pigs and 35 horses were sampled from 15 different Canadian geographical locations. Fecal samples were examined after concentration and immunofluorescent staining. Gi...
Dürrwald R, Kolodziejek J, Weissenböck H, Nowotny N.Borna disease (BD) is a sporadic neurologic disease of horses and sheep caused by mammalian Borna disease virus (BDV). Its unique epidemiological features include: limited occurrence in certain endemic regions of central Europe, yearly varying disease peaks, and a seasonal pattern with higher disease frequencies in spring and a disease nadir in autumn. It is most probably not directly transmitted between horses and sheep. All these features led to the assumption that an indigenous virus reservoir of BDV other than horses and sheep may exist. The search for such a reservoir had been unsuccessfu...
Herrera HM, Dávila AM, Norek A, Abreu UG, Souza SS, D'Andrea PS, Jansen AM.In order to better understand the enzootiology of trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi in the Brazilian Pantanal we examined domestic and wild mammals by microhematocrit centrifuge technique (MHCT), immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). T. evansi infection was detected in all species sampled with exception of the sheep and the feral pig. High parasitemias were observed in capybaras (5/24), coatis (18/115), horses (31/321) and dogs (3/112). Among these species, only the capybaras did not develop anemia. Low parasitemias, only detected by PCR, were ...
Gramiccia M.The leishmanioses are diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, parasites infecting numerous mammal species, including humans, and transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies. They are a large group of diseases ranging over inter-tropical zones of America and Africa, and extend into temperate regions of Latin America, Europe and Asia. Pet animals are found infected with different Leishmania species but Leishmania infantum is the most widespread being dogs the main reservoir of zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (ZVL). Dogs are very susceptible to this parasite and may suffer fro...
Attoui H, Mendez-Lopez MR, Rao S, Hurtado-Alendes A, Lizaraso-Caparo F, Mohd Jaafar F, Samuel AR, Belhouchet M, Pritchard LI, Melville L, Weir RP....During 1997, two new viruses were isolated from outbreaks of disease that occurred in horses, donkeys, cattle and sheep in Peru. Genome characterization showed that the virus isolated from horses (with neurological disorders, 78% fatality) belongs to a new species the Peruvian horse sickness virus (PHSV), within the genus Orbivirus, family Reoviridae. This represents the first isolation of PHSV, which was subsequently also isolated during 1999, from diseased horses in the Northern Territory of Australia (Elsey virus, ELSV). Serological and molecular studies showed that PHSV and ELSV are very s...
Friedhoff KT, Tenter AM, Müller I.The geographical distribution of Babesia equi and Babesia caballi and their tick vectors is discussed. Control of infections with these protozoa is hampered by the lack of a suitable antiprotozoal drug and a reliable serological test. No vaccine is available. Ehrlichia risticii (the causal agent of Potomac horse fever) and E. equi are rickettsial parasites which are difficult to control. Little is known of their geographical distribution and vectors. Early diagnosis is required for tetracycline therapy to be effective and there is a need for a rapid test to provide an early diagnosis.
Müller N, Welle M, Lobsiger L, Stoffel MH, Boghenbor KK, Hilbe M, Gottstein B, Frey CF, Geyer C, von Bomhard W.The present report describes a novel etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses that, at least for some cases, sporadically appeared as autochthonous infections in geographically distant regions of Germany and Switzerland. The infection was initially diagnosed upon clinical and immunohistological findings. Subsequent comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ssrRNA classified the respective isolates as neither Old World nor New World Leishmania species. However, four isolates subjected to molecular analyses all exhibit...
King S, Rajko-Nenow P, Ashby M, Frost L, Carpenter S, Batten C.African horse sickness was confirmed in horses in Thailand during March 2020. The virus was determined to belong to serotype 1 and is phylogenetically closely related to isolates from South Africa. This is the first incidence of African horse sickness occurring in South East Asia and of serotype 1 outside of Africa.
