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.
Hillyer MH, Taylor FG, French NP.The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of colic in horses in Thoroughbred training premises in 1997 in the British Isles. The seasonal pattern and outcome of colic episodes were also investigated, together with any association between premises level variables and colic. Data were collected by a postal questionnaire. The results showed a colic incidence density of 7.19/100 horse years (s.e. 0.42) and a cumulative incidence of colic of 5.80% (s.e. 0.30). Premises were grouped according to whether they had more Flat than National Hunt horses (Flat premises) or more National Hunt than...
Ellis JA, Konoby C, West KH, Allan GM, Krakowka S, McNeilly F, Meehan B, Walker I.Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is a recently recognized agent that is consistently associated with postweaning multisystemic wasting disease in swine. There are conflicting data concerning the ability of this virus to infect and cause disease in other species. To determine if normal cattle, cattle affected with various illnesses, and normal horses in endemic areas of PCV2 infection in swine have had PCV2 infections, 100 randomly selected bovine sera, 100 equine sera, and 100 colostrum samples from clinically normal dairy cattle were examined for the presence of antibodies to porcine circovir...
Archer DF, Dorin M, Lewis V, Schneider DL, Pickar JH.To evaluate vaginal bleeding profiles with lower doses of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) as continuous combined therapy. Methods: The Women's Health, Osteoporosis, Progestin, Estrogen (Women's HOPE) study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Study centers across the United States. Methods: Two thousand six hundred seventy-three healthy, postmenopausal women. Methods: Women received CEE, 0.625 mg/d; CEE, 0.625 mg/d, plus MPA 2.5 mg/d; CEE, 0.45 mg/d; CEE, 0.45 mg/d, plus MPA, 2.5 mg/d; CEE 0.45 mg/d, plus MPA, 1.5 mg/d; CEE, 0....
Garmendia AE, Van Kruiningen HJ, French RA.West Nile fever emerged in New York in the summer of 1999 when seven people, several horses and thousands of wild birds died. It was soon established that the human disease and the mortality of birds were related. Continued surveillance detected West Nile virus in mosquitoes, birds, horses, small mammals, bats and humans, and has shown its spread to several northeastern states. These events confirm the establishment of West Nile virus endemically in the United States.
Tremaine WH, Dixon PM.The treatments of 277 horses with equine sinonasal disease (1984-1996), described by Tremaine and Dixon (2001), are reported here. Long-term (median duration 24 months) outcomes of treatment of the more common disorders were good, with 92% of horses with sinonasal mycosis, 84% with primary sinusitis, 82% with sinus cysts, 78% with dental sinusitis and 75% with sinonasal trauma reported to have complete remission of clinical signs. However, only 33% of horses with progressive ethmoidal haematoma (PEH) and 12% with sinonasal neoplasia reported long term remission of clinical signs.
Wozniak A, Dowda HE, Tolson MW, Karabatsos N, Vaughan DR, Turner PE, Ortiz DI, Wills W.Arboviruses isolated and identified from mosquitoes in South Carolina (USA) are described, including new state records for eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE), St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLE), Flanders virus, Tensaw virus (TEN), and a variant of Jamestown Canyon virus (JC). Mosquitoes were collected at 52 locations in 30 of 46 South Carolina counties beginning in June 1996, and ending in October 1998, and tested for arboviruses. Of 1,329 mosquito pools tested by virus isolation (85,806 mosquitoes representing 34 mosquito species or complexes), 15 pools were positive. Virus isolations in...
Nagarajan MM, Simard C.A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying a region of the gag gene of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) was developed for the rapid and direct detection of proviral DNA from the peripheral blood of naturally infected horses and was compared with the Coggins test. DNA prepared from white blood cells of 122 field horses from 15 stables with reported cases of EIAV and one seronegative stable were analysed. Amplifications of expected size fragments were obtained by nested PCR for 88 horses using two different sets of primers targeting the gag region. The specificity of the amplified ...
Leroux C, Craigo JK, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.A primary mechanism of lentivirus persistence is the ability of these viruses to evolve in response to biological and immunological selective pressures with a remarkable array of genetic and antigenic variations that constitute a perpetual natural experiment in genetic engineering. A widely accepted paradigm of lentivirus evolution is that the rate of genetic variation is correlated directly with the levels of virus replication: the greater the viral replication, the more opportunities that exist for genetic modifications and selection of viral variants. To test this hypothesis directly, we ex...
Egenvall A, Franzén P, Gunnarsson A, Engvall EO, Vågsholm I, Wikström UB, Artursson K.A cross-sectional study of the seroprevalence to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and granulocytic Ehrlichia spp. in Swedish horses was conducted to evaluate associations with demographic, clinical and tick-exposure factors. From September 1997-1998, blood samples from 2018 horses were collected from the animals presented to veterinary clinics affiliated with the Swedish Horserace Totalizator Board (regardless of the primary cause for consultation). Standardized questionnaires with information both from owners and attending veterinarians accompanied each blood sample. The apparent seroprevalenc...
Amavisit P, Markham PF, Lightfoot D, Whithear KG, Browning GF.From 1992 to 1997, multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella Heidelberg isolates were cultured from a number of horses hospitalised in a veterinary hospital in Victoria, Australia. To examine the relationships between the cases, 28 isolates from the hospital were compared by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), IS200 element profiles, antimicrobial resistance patterns, plasmid profiles and phage typing. The PFGE patterns following digestion with XbaI and BlnI restriction endonucleases showed that the isolates from the veterinary hospital originated from a common source. These isolates also had...
Ozaki H, Shimizu-Nei A, Sugita S, Sugiura T, Imagawa H, Kida H.To provide information on the antigenic variation of the hemagglutinins (HA) among equine H 3 influenza viruses, 26 strains isolated from horses in different areas in the world during the 1963-1996 period were analyzed using a panel of monoclonal antibodies recognizing at least 7 distinct epitopes on the H 3 HA molecule of the prototype strain A/equine/Miami/1/63 (H 3 N 8). The reactivity patterns of the virus strains with the panel indicate that antigenic drift of the HA has occurred with the year of isolation, but less extensively than that of human H 3 N 2 influenza virus isolates, and diff...
Sentsui H, Inoshima Y, Murakami K, Akashi H, Purevtseren B, Pagmajav O, Sugiura T.Cross reactivity of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) antigen prepared using a recombinant baculovirus containing the p26 gene of strain P337-V70 was examined by the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum samples serially collected from 13 horses experimentally infected with six different EIAV strains (two or three horses per strain) were subjected to the test. Positive reactions were observed in the AGID test and ELISA before or soon after the first feverish period and continued persistently in most of the horses. The results with recombi...
Timoney PJ.In an era of increasing globalization, the risk of spread of infectious diseases in humans and animals, including equids, has never been greater. International movement of equids and trade in semen are the most important factors responsible for the dissemination of various equine pathogens. Other factors that can or do have the potential to influence the global distribution of equine infectious diseases include: multinational trade agreements, emergent diseases, mutation of pathogens, climate related phenomena, migration of amplifying/reservoir hosts or vectors, availability of new vectors, va...
McCluskey BJ, Mumford EL.Physical trauma, dietary factors, certain toxins, immune mediated disorders, and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection are known causes of stomatitis in horses. There is evidence that some outbreaks of equine stomatitis are caused by as yet unidentified infectious agents. It remains to be determined whether stomatitis is an emerging equine infectious disease, or if the increase in reported cases is simply the result of greater public awareness as a consequence of widespread outbreaks of VSV in the southwestern United States in recent years. Focused laboratory and epidemiological studies a...
Timoney PJ.Expansion in international trade in equids and equine semen has been especially notable over the past 10-15 years among those countries historically identified as having significant breeding and performance horse industries. The continuing trend towards globalization of the horse industry received additional impetus in January, 1995, following establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose primary goal is to promote freer economic exchange between member countries through the reduction or elimination of protectionist barriers to trade. Continued growth in international trade, close...
Dávila AM, Silva RA.Animal trypanosome species of economical importance in South America include T. vivax and T. evansi. Both species are described in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. In Argentina and Guyana, only T. evansi and T. vivax are found, respectively. Our studies on T. vivax indicated that the parasite was spreading around 1.3 km per day in Bolivia. We found severe leukopenia in bovines from Pantanal (Brazil) and the Department of Santa Cruz (Bolivia). Because it can cause immunosuppression, the importance of trypanosomiasis control in ensuring success of vaccinat...
Madigan JE, Pusterla N.Equine granulocytic and monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia equi and E. risticii, respectively, are seasonal diseases in horses that occur throughout the United States E. equi is transmitted by lxodes ticks and causes high fever, depression, anorexia, limb edema, petechiation, icterus, ataxia, and stiffness in gait. E. risticii, also known as the agent of Potomac horse fever, causes a febrile illness with a colitis of variable severity. Its occurrence is associated with aquatic habitats. The natural route of transmission is oral, through the ingestion of E. risticii infected trematode s...
Powell DG.Examples of equine disease surveillance at the local, regional, national and international level are discussed in this article. Reporting systems at each level are also considered, and the increasing importance of laboratory confirmed diagnoses is emphasized. The need to develop national disease reporting systems is addressed, particularly with respect to conforming to international trading standards.
Jones RL.Equine clostridial enterocolitis is being recognized with increasing frequency. It has been identified in foals with diarrhea, antibiotic-associated enterocolitis, or nosocomial enterocolitis. The sporadic occurrence of clostridial enterocolitis, the variety of types of clostridia involved, and the difficulty of experimentally reproducing the disease suggest that it is a poorly defined multifactorial syndrome. The risk factors associated with susceptibility to colonization and progressive infection are largely based on anecdotal observations and extrapolation from human studies. Quantitative s...
Krebs JW, Rupprecht CE, Childs JE.During 1999, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported 7,067 cases of rabies in nonhuman animals to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a decrease of 11.2% from 7,961 cases in nonhuman animals and 1 case in a human being reported in 1998. More than 91% (6,466 cases) were in wild animals, whereas 8.5% (601 cases) were in domestic species (compared with 92.4% in wild animals and 7.6% in domestic species in 1998). No cases of rabies were reported in human beings in 1999. Decreases were evident in all major species groups, with the exception of cattle, sheep/goats, ...
Boireau P, Vallée I, Roman T, Perret C, Mingyuan L, Gamble HR, Gajadhar A.After the initial report in 1976 of a trichinellosis epidemic caused by the consumption of infected horsemeat, 12 other outbreaks have been described in Europe. Since the first serious human outbreak several experiments have confirmed the susceptibility of horses to Trichinella species and the rapid disappearance of specific antibodies in this host that prevents the use of serological methods for routine screening. A review of the distribution of parasite burdens in muscles of naturally or experimentally infected horses indicates that the tongue is the most likely sample to contain detectable ...
Ceci L, Carelli G.This paper reviews basic information on the knowledge of tick-borne diseases, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and theileriosis, in horses, cattle, sheep and goats in Italy with particular reference to the southern part of the country. It is stressed that there is limited knowledge about the parasite species present, their vectors, distribution, prevalence and impact on livestock production and there is the need to assess their epidemiology. A study carried out in the Apulia region to assess the prevalence of Anaplasma marginale infection in 1,648 cattle showed a seroprevalence of 17% using the Card A...
Farahi S, Shishehbor P, Nemati A, Witaliński W.A new mite species, Trachygamasus karuni sp. nov. is described from buffalo, sheep and horse manure at several locations north of Ahvaz city, Khuzestan, Iran. A key to 14 world species of Trachygamasus with described adults is also provided.
Beelitz P, Rieder N, Gothe R.In this epidemiological study 30 mares and their foals from seven farms in Upper Bavaria were investigated. Eimeria-leuckarti-oocysts were found in 24 foals (80%), but only in one mare. Oocysts were first detected 28 days post partum at the earliest and 191 days post partum at the latest. In foals, excretion of oocysts usually occurred intermittently with coproscopically negative intervals of up to 15 weeks, and was most frequent in June (8 foals), July (17 foals), and August (10 foals). With the exception of two animals which had mild diarrhoea, the oocyst-shedding foals showed no clinical si...
Fouché N, Remy-Wohlfender F, Blau D, Franzen J, Gurtner C, Seuberlich T, Unger L, Gerber V.Outbreaks of equine coronavirus (ECoV) infections have been described in different parts of the world including Europe. The aim of this report was to describe clinical signs, diagnostic work-up and outcome of the first documented outbreak of ECoV in Switzerland in order to raise the awareness for the disease and its various clinical presentations. The outbreak occurred on a farm with 26 horses. Of these, seven horses developed clinical disease ranging from mild signs such as fever and anorexia to severe signs of acute colitis. One horse died due to severe endotoxemia and circulatory shock seco...
Following the recent confirmation of cases of equine viral arteritis in stallions in south-west England, James Crabtree of Equine Reproductive Services (UK) discusses the disease and its potential routes of spread into and around the UK.
Goto H, Shimizu K, Taya Y, Noda H, Tokunaga T.The antibody responses to equine influenza viruses were investigated during a postepizootic period of the disease. Serum samples were collected from a total of 128 horses on three occasions during the years 1967-77. No significant increase of hemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers to subtypes 1 and 2 of equine influenza virus were detected in any of the sera tested. The maternal hemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers of foals decreased over a four month interval. A marked increase of the titers was recognized in only the equine influenza virus vaccinated horses. These findings sugges...
Roberts H, Lopez M, Hartley M.African swine fever in the Caucasus and Leningrad regions of Russia. Equine infectious anaemia in several EU member states. Foot-and-mouth disease in Bulgaria--the first in an EU member state since 2007. Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in the Far East. West Nile virus in southern Europe. These are among matters discussed in the international disease monitoring report for October to December 2010, prepared by Defra's Food and Farming Group, Veterinary Science Team.
Matthews JB, Dowdall SM, Baudena MA, Klei TR, Kaplan RM, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Drögemüller M, Schnieder T.This collection of articles provides an in depth account of five presentations delivered during the Symposium on Equine Cyathostomins held at the 19th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP), New Orleans, Louisiana,10–14 August 2003. The symposium was organized and chaired by Ray M. Kaplan and Jacqui B. Matthews and focused on new developments in two major areas of current importance: the immunobiology of cyathostomin–horse interactions and anthelmintic resistance.
Virtanen J, Hautaniemi M, Dutra L, Plyusnin I, Hautala K, Smura T, Vapalahti O, Sironen T, Kant R, Kinnunen PM.We report a sequencing protocol and 121-kb poxvirus sequence from a clinical sample from a horse in Finland with dermatitis. Based on phylogenetic analyses, the virus is a novel parapoxvirus associated with a recent epidemic; previous data suggest zoonotic potential. Increased awareness of this virus and specific diagnostic protocols are needed.
Epp T, Waldner C, Leighton FA, Berke O, Townsend HG.The primary objectives of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection of horses in Saskatchewan in 2003 and to identify risk factors for the infection. Blood samples were collected in August and October from 212 horses in 20 herds in 5 geographic zones. After accounting for within-herd clustering, the proportion of horses that had been infected with WNV, as determined by IgG and IgM antibody response, was 55.7% (95% confidence interval, 44.9% to 65.8%). The proportion of antibody-positive horses differed among herds (0% to 100%) and across ecoregions (20%...
Lohmann KL, James CR, Higgins SN, Howden KJ, Epp T.This retrospective study describes the detection of equine infectious anemia (EIA) during Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) disease investigations in Canada, examines aspects of importance for disease control, and evaluates potential animal-level risk factors for EIA in high-risk horses. Based on review of all EIA-positive samples and all samples collected during disease investigations (N = 4553) over a 4-year period (2009 to 2012), 409 EIA cases were detected. Horse owners with EIA cases owned between 1 and 60 affected animals, and 49 horses seroconverted during a disease investigation p...
Wagstaff KH, Dickson SL, Bailey A.The history of WEE surveillance in Utah is reviewed, beginning with the 1933 outbreak involving 3,958 horses. The step by step formation of the Utah Mosquito Abatement Associations surveillance program from 1957 to the present is discussed. Results of an enlarged sentinel chicken flock surveillance program in Utah during 1983 (3 sero-conversions in September), 1984 and 1985 (no sero-conversion) show the lack of WEE activity in the surveillance area.