Disease transmission in horses refers to the spread of infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites among equine populations. These pathogens can be transmitted through various routes, including direct contact, vector-borne transmission, or environmental exposure. Factors influencing disease transmission include horse density, management practices, and biosecurity measures. Understanding the mechanisms and conditions that facilitate the spread of diseases is essential for developing effective prevention and control strategies. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the modes of transmission, risk factors, and management practices related to infectious diseases in horses.
Yoon J, Park T, Kim A, Song H, Park BJ, Ahn HS, Go HJ, Kim DH, Lee JB, Park SY, Song CS, Lee SW, Choi IS.Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) and equine hepacivirus (EqHV) are etiologically associated with Theiler's disease (TD), causing fulminant equine hepatitis, but the transmission route and co-infection effect remain unclear. We determined EqPV-H and EqHV prevalence and coinfection rate in 160 serum and 114 faecal samples using nested polymerase chain reaction. Amino acid and nucleotide analyses were performed and phylogenetic trees were constructed. By measuring liver-specific parameters (AST, GGT, TBIL and A/G ratio), hepatopathological changes in viremia status were compared. We found a h...
El-Hage C, Mekuria Z, Dynon K, Hartley C, McBride K, Gilkerson J.Equine herpesviruses (EHVs) are common respiratory pathogens in horses; whilst the alphaherpesviruses are better understood, the clinical importance of the gammaherpesviruses remains undetermined. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of, and any association between, equine respiratory herpesviruses EHV1, -2, -4 and -5 infection in horses with and without clinical signs of respiratory disease. Nasal swabs were collected from 407 horses in Victoria and included clinically normal horses that had been screened for regulatory purposes. Samples were collected from horses during Australia's e...
Page AE, Partridge E, Erol E, Scoggin KE, Fedorka CE, Ruby RE, Ball BA, Horohov DW, Adam E.Cases of nocardioform placentitis are characterized by focal, mucoid placentitis resulting in late-term abortion, premature birth, or small, full-term foals, occur sporadically, and are most commonly associated with Crossiella equi and Amycolatopsis spp. infection. The goal of this project was to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantifying antibodies against Crossiella equi and Amycolatopsis spp. and utilize the ELISA to determine when exposure occurs. Serum samples collected during the 2020 foaling season from Crossiella equi (n = 8) and Amycolatopsis spp. (n = 32...
Bugno-Poniewierska M, Kij-Mitka B, Podstawski Z, Długosz B, Lasek O, Mrowiec P, Tischner M.The use of frozen semen lowers the risk of disease transmission, eliminates geographical limitations and supports the implementation of genetic resource protection programs. However, due to the very rare use of frozen semen from Hutsul stallions, their genetic material is not secured in sperm banks, and very little information is available about their semen, including its suitability for cryopreservation, and sperm survival rates after thawing. The aim of this study was to analyse basic parameters such as sperm motility, vitality and morphology in diluted-stored and post-thawed Hutsul semen, u...
Ciota AT.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV; Togaviridae, Alphavirus) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) primarily maintained in an enzootic cycle between Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) and passerine birds. EEEV, which has the highest reported case- fatality rate among arbovirus in the Americas, is responsible for sporadic outbreaks in the Eastern and Midwest United States. Infection is associated with severe neurologic disease and mortality in horses, humans, and other vertebrate hosts. Here, we review what is known about EEEV taxonomy, functional genomics, and evolution, and identify gaps i...
Burkett-Cadena ND, Day JF, Unnasch TR.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV; family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus) is a mosquito-borne pathogen found in eastern North America that causes severe disease in humans and horses. The mosquito Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary enzootic vector of EEEV throughout eastern North America while several mosquito species belonging to diverse genera serve as bridge vectors. The ecology of EEEV differs between northern and southern foci, with respect to phenology of outbreaks, important vertebrate hosts, and bridge vector species. Active transmission is limited t...
Armstrong PM, Andreadis TG.In the current review, we examine the regional history, ecology, and epidemiology of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) to investigate the major drivers of disease outbreaks in the northeastern United States. EEEV was first recognized as a public health threat during an outbreak in eastern Massachusetts in 1938, but historical evidence for equine epizootics date back to the 1800s. Since then, sporadic disease outbreaks have reoccurred in the Northeast with increasing frequency and northward expansion of human cases during the last 20 yr. Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) (Diptera: Culicidae...
da Costa Pimenta J, Saavedra MJ, da Silva GJ, Cotovio M.Many emergent pathogenic agents are cross-transmitted from animals to humans. Horses are considered as potential reservoirs of commensal, zoonotic, and multidrug-resistant bacteria. Equine bites could lead to infections caused by these agents, considering equine species as a public health concern. The more it is known about the equine oral microbiota the best secondary problems created by their commensal flora can be controlled. There are very few reports of , a zoonotic and opportunistic bacterium, both in human and veterinary medicine. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the Gram-negativ...
Stobierski MG, Signs K, Dinh E, Cooley TM, Melotti J, Schalow M, Patterson JS, Bolin SR, Walker ED.Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is an emerging public health concern in the state of Michigan. Although Michigan has one of the highest incidence rates of EEE in the United States, much of the information known about cases in humans, equines, and other animals residing in Michigan is unpublished. This article summarizes such information and explores spatial trends in the historic distribution of EEE in Michigan. Outbreaks in Michigan have occurred over an 80-yr interval, involving only horses in 1942-1943 and 1973-1976, and then episodically from 1...
Otzdorff C, Beckmann J, Goehring LS.(1) Background: Equine arteritis virus (EAV) infection causes reproductive losses and systemic vasculitis in susceptible equidae. The intact male becomes the virus' reservoir upon EAV infection, as it causes a chronic-persistent infection of the accessory sex glands. Infected semen is the main source of virus transmission. (2) Here, we describe acute EAV infection and spread in a stallion population after introduction of new members to the group. (3) Conclusions: acute clinical signs, acute phase detection of antigen via (PCR) nasal swabs or (EDTA) blood, and seroconversion support the idea of...
Takai S, Sudo M, Sakai M, Suzuki K, Sasaki Y, Kakuda T, Suzuki Y.Rhodococcus equi was isolated from the gastrointestinal contents of earthworms (family Megascolecidae) and their surrounding soil collected from pastures of two horse-breeding farms in Aomori Prefecture, outdoor pig pens, forest in Towada campus, orange groves and forest where wild boars (Sus scrofa) are established in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture. The number of R. equi in the lower gastrointestinal contents of 23 earthworms collected from our campus was significantly larger than that of the upper gastrointestinal content. The mean numbers of R. equi from the gastrointestinal contents of earthw...
Tuemmers C, Quezada G, Morales R, Serri M.In the Araucanía Region there are no studies on the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in horses. Serological samples from 100 draft horses from Mapuche communities of four communes in the region were analyzed using the microMAT technique. The seroprevalence was 35% for at least one serovar of Leptospira spp. being the most frequent serovars canicola (22%), grippotyphosa (21%), hardjo (13%) and pomona (10%). It was evident that the equine populations studied are exposed to infection by Leptospira spp. and reveal a potential risk of transmission to their owners.
Tamamura-Andoh Y, Niwa H, Kinoshita Y, Uchida-Fujii E, Arai N, Watanabe-Yanai A, Iwata T, Akiba M, Kusumoto M.Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae have become a cause for great concern. Although some studies have reported the prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria and ESBL-encoding genes in horses worldwide, the genetic structure surrounding the ESBL gene has not been analysed in detail. In the present study, we isolated two ESBL-producing Escherichia coli strains from diseased racehorses in Japan and demonstrated the mechanisms underlying the acquisition of their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. Two ESBL-producing E. coli strains (E148 and E189) were isolated from th...
Cai W, Ryan U, Xiao L, Feng Y.Giardia duodenalis is a common intestinal parasite in various hosts, with the disease giardiasis being a zoonosis. The use of molecular typing tools has improved our understanding of the distribution and zoonotic potential of G. duodenalis genotypes in different animals. The present review summarizes recent data on the distribution of G. duodenalis genotypes in humans and animals in different areas. The dominance of G. duodenalis assemblages A and B in humans and common occurrence of host-adapted assemblages in most domesticated animals suggests that zoonotic giardiasis is probably less common...
Abdullah HHAM, Elbayoumy MK, Allam AM, Ashry HM, Abdel-Shafy S.Vector-borne bacterial diseases (VBBD) are a diverse group of tropical and subtropical zoonotic diseases. This study investigated the possibility of domestic animals to carry certain vector-borne bacterial microorganisms (VBBMs), as well as the presence of these targeted DNAs in their ectoparasites in different localities of Egypt using molecular analyses. For this study, 234 animal hosts (112 cattle, 38 sheep, 28 goats, 26 buffaloes, 22 donkeys, and 8 horses) in addition to 115 ectoparasites (95 ticks and 20 lice) were investigated for the molecular detection of Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp....
Mota SL, Dos Santos LO, Vidaletti MR, Rodrigues RO, Coppola MM, Mayer FQ.Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern that must be addressed from a one health perspective. Horses are companion animals and their contact with humans facilitates exchange of resistant bacteria. This study aimed to evaluate AMR of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CoPS), including Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from healthy Crioulo horses. Swab samples from nostrils (n = 214) and skin (n = 107) of 107 horses from Porto Alegre, South Brazil, were used for CoPS isolation. The isolates were evaluated for AMR and a multivariate logistic regression was applied to identify the ris...
Khan A, Mushtaq MH, Muhammad J, Ahmed B, Khan EA, Khan A, Zakki SA, Altaf E, Haq I, Saleem A, Warraich MA, Ahmed N, Rabaan AA.There are different opinions around the World regarding the zoonotic capability of H3N8 equine influenza viruses. In this report, we have tried to summarize the findings of different research and review articles from Chinese, English, and Mongolian Scientific Literature reporting the evidence for equine influenza virus infections in human beings. Different search engines i.e. CNKI, PubMed, ProQuest, Chongqing Database, Mongol Med, and Web of Knowledge yielded 926 articles, of which 32 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Analyzing the epidemiological and Phylogenetic data from ...
Tantely ML, Guis H, Randriananjantenaina I, Raharinirina MR, Velonirina HJ, Cardinale E, Raveloarijaona N, Cêtre-Sossah C, Garros C, Girod R.In Madagascar, the high West Nile virus (WNV) antibody prevalence reported in horse populations suggests a high level of vector-horse contact. This study aims to characterize the mosquito species usually involved in WNV transmission in horse stables in Madagascar. Five horse stables were investigated in October and November 2016 in five distinct inland areas. Mosquitoes were collected using double net traps baited with human, poultry or horse as well as light traps. Blood meal identification from engorged females was performed using host-specific PCRs. A total of 2898 adult mosquitoes were col...
de Oliveira-Filho EF, Fischer C, Berneck BS, Carneiro IO, Kühne A, de Almeida Campos AC, Ribas JRL, Netto EM, Franke CR, Ulbert S, Drexler JF.Among 713 equids sampled in northeastern Brazil during 2013-2018, West Nile virus seroprevalence was 4.5% (95% CI 3.1%-6.3%). Mathematical modeling substantiated higher seroprevalence adjacent to an avian migratory route and in areas characterized by forest loss, implying increased risk for zoonotic infections in disturbed areas.
Higuera A, Herrera G, Jimenez P, García-Corredor D, Pulido-Medellín M, Bulla-Castañeda DM, Pinilla JC, Moreno-Pérez DA, Maloney JG, Santín M.... is frequently reported in fecal samples from animals and humans worldwide, and a variety of subtypes (STs) have been observed in wild and domestic animals. In Colombia, few studies have focused on the transmission dynamics and epidemiological importance of in animals. In this study, we characterized the frequency and subtypes of in fecal samples of domestic animals including pigs, minipigs, cows, dogs, horses, goats, sheep, and llama from three departments of Colombia. Of the 118 fecal samples included in this study 81.4% ( = 96) were positive for using a PCR that amplifies a fragment of t...
Oladunni FS, Oseni SO, Martinez-Sobrido L, Chambers TM.Equine influenza virus (EIV) is a constantly evolving viral pathogen that is responsible for yearly outbreaks of respiratory disease in horses termed equine influenza (EI). There is currently no evidence of circulation of the original H7N7 strain of EIV worldwide; however, the EIV H3N8 strain, which was first isolated in the early 1960s, remains a major threat to most of the world's horse populations. It can also infect dogs. The ability of EIV to constantly accumulate mutations in its antibody-binding sites enables it to evade host protective immunity, making it a successful viral pathogen. C...
Vissani MA, Damiani AM, Barrandeguy ME.Equine coital exanthema (ECE) is a highly contagious, venereally-transmitted mucocutaneous disease, characterized by the formation of papules, vesicles, pustules and ulcers on the external genital organs of mares and stallions, and caused by (EHV-3). The infection is endemic worldwide and the virus is transmitted mainly through direct contact during sexual intercourse and by contaminated instruments during reproductive maneuvers in breeding facilities. The disease does not result in systemic illness, infertility or abortion, yet it does have a negative impact on the equine industry as it forc...
Löwen Levy Chalhoub F, Maia de Queiroz-Júnior E, Holanda Duarte B, Eielson Pinheiro de Sá M, Cerqueira Lima P, Carneiro de Oliveira A....In June 2019, a horse with neurological disorder was diagnosed with West Nile virus (WNV) in Boa Viagem, a municipality in the state of Ceará, northeast Brazil. A multi-institutional task force coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health was deployed to the area for case investigation. A total of 513 biological samples from 78 humans, 157 domestic animals and 278 free-ranging wild birds, as well as 853 adult mosquitoes of 22 species were tested for WNV by highly specific serological and/or molecular tests. No active circulation of WNV was detected in vertebrates or mosquitoes by molecular...
Alsing-Johansson T, Pedersen A, Bergström K, Sternberg-Lewerin S, Penell J, Bergh A.Equine dentistry has developed immensely and human dental equipment, such as handpieces, are often used. Measures to avoid the spread of infectious microorganisms are important, but this is challenging since handpieces are difficult to decontaminate. Thus, it is necessary to develop effective IPC measures in equine dentistry. The aim of this study was to contribute to the evidence needed for future evidence-based guidelines on IPC by investigating hygiene in equine dentistry. Used handpieces and dummies (i.e., handpieces not used during dental procedure, reflecting environmental bacterial cont...
Gil LHVG, Magalhaes T, Santos BSAS, Oliveira LV, Oliveira-Filho EF, Cunha JLR, Fraiha ALS, Rocha BMM, Longo BC, Ecco R, Faria GC, Furtini R....Madariaga virus (MADV) is a member of the eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) complex that circulates in Central and South America. It is a zoonotic, mosquito-borne pathogen, belonging to the family . Disturbances in the natural transmission cycle of this virus result in outbreaks in equines and humans, leading to high case fatality in the former and acute febrile illness or neurological disease in the latter. Although a considerable amount of knowledge exists on the eco-epidemiology of North American EEEV strains, little is known about MADV. In Brazil, the most recent isolations of MADV ...
Silva Serra AC, Júnior EC, Cruz JF, Lobo PS, Júnior ET, Bandeira RS, Bezerra DA, Mascarenhas JD, Santos Guerra SF, Soares LS. To perform a molecular analysis of rotavirus A (RVA) G3P[6] strains detected in 2012 and 2017 in the Amazon region of Brazil. Eighteen RVA G3P[6] strains were collected from children aged under 10 years hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis, and partial sequencing of each segment genome was performed using Sanger sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all G3P[6] strains had a DS-1-like genotype constellation. Two strains had the highest nucleotide identities with equine-like G3P[6]/G3P[8] genotypes. Several amino acid alterations in VP4 and VP7 neutralizing epitopes of equine-l...
Ravichandran K, Anbazhagan S, Karthik K, Angappan M, Dhayananth B.Avian chlamydiosis is one of the important neglected diseases with critical zoonotic potential. Chlamydia psittaci, the causative agent, affects most categories of birds, livestock, companion animals, and humans. It has many obscured characters and epidemiological dimensions, which makes it unique among other bacterial agents. Recent reports on transmission from equine to humans alarmed the public health authorities, and it necessitates the importance of routine screening of this infectious disease. High prevalence of spill-over infection in equines was associated with reproductive losses. New...
Mahlobo SI, Zishiri OT.Ticks are medically important and significant vectors of diseases affecting livestock, humans, and companion animals than any other arthropod vectors. In the absence of information on the relationship of tick species and piroplasms parasites in Lesotho, the current study was aimed at detecting piroplasms parasites of economic importance from ticks of domestic animals. A total of 322 pooled tick DNA samples were subjected to PCR screening for the presence of piroplasms. The overall infection rate of piroplasms was 7% with Babesia bigemina at 3.4% (11/322), B. bovis 0.3% (1/322), B. ovis 2.8% (9...
Lee SA, Willeke K, Mainelis G, Adhikari A, Wang H, Reponen T, Grinshpun SA.Bioaerosol sampling is necessary to monitor and control human exposure to harmful airborne microorganisms. An important parameter affecting the collection of airborne microorganisms is the electrical charge on the microorganisms. Using a new design of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for bioaerosol sampling, the polarity and relative strength of the electrical charges on airborne microorganisms were determined in several laboratory and field environments by measuring the overall physical collection efficiency and the biological collection efficiency at specific precipitation voltages and po...
Balasuriya UB.Equine arteritis virus (EAV), the causative agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA), is a respiratory and reproductive disease that occurs throughout the world. EAV infection is highly species-specific and exclusively limited to members of the family Equidae, which includes horses, donkeys, mules, and zebras. EVA is an economically important disease and outbreaks could cause significant losses to the equine industry. The primary objective of this article is to summarize current understanding of EVA, specifically the disease, pathogenesis, epidemiology, host immune response, vaccination and treat...
Galuppi R, Piva S, Castagnetti C, Iacono E, Tanel S, Pallaver F, Fioravanti ML, Zanoni RG, Tampieri MP, Caffara M.The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence, pattern of spread and risk factors for the transmission of cryptosporidiosis in foals and mares hospitalized in a University Equine Perinatology Unit, where a new subtype family of Cryptosporidium horse genotype was described by Caffara et al. (2013). Mares (36) and foals (37) hospitalized during the 2012 foaling season were included. Multiple sampling from each animal was performed (a total of 305 stool samples were collected). One hundred and eleven environmental samples (gauze swabs) were also collected before and after the breeding season....
Timoney PJ.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) has given rise to international concern since it was first recognized as a novel venereal disease of equids in 1977 and the etiologic agent was identified as a previously undescribed bacterium, Taylorella equigenitalis. Horse industry concerns over CEM centered on the ease with which this bacterium could be disseminated, the significance of T. equigenitalis as a cause of short-term infertility in the mare, and the existence of the carrier state in the stallion and the mare. The first known outbreak of CEM in the United States was in Kentucky in 1978. The econom...
Zoonoses and public healthMarch 12, 2008
Volume 55, Issue 3 149-155 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01106.x
Vedovello Filho D, Jorge FA, Lonardoni MV, Teodoro U, Silveira TG.American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is an endemic disease in the north-west of Paraná state, Brazil, where it occurs in humans and dogs. Few studies have been undertaken on the occurrence of the disease in other domestic animals and horses. In this study we investigated the infection of horses by Leishmania in ACL-endemic rural areas. Direct agglutination test (DAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were employed. Fifty-five horses from rural areas in the municipalities of Doutor Camargo, Ourizona, São Jorge do Ivaí, Ivatuba and Santa Fé (Agua do O) were analysed. DAT-detected antibod...
Pusterla N, Chae JS, Kimsey RB, Berger Pusterla J, DeRock E, Dumler JS, Madigan JE.Most human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) studies carried out in horses use needle inoculation of infected leucocytes or cell cultures. This route of inoculation does not accurately reflect natural infection of the tick-borne agent. To investigate whether tick transmission influences the course of granulocytic ehrlichiosis in the horse model, experimental transmission through infected laboratory-reared Ixodes scapularis ticks was attempted into two healthy horses. One additional horse served as negative control and was exposed to uninfected ticks. Eleven days after exposure to nymphal or adul...
Traub-Dargatz JL, Salman MD, Jones RL.A study was designed to identify epidemiologic factors associated with the development and spread of salmonellae in horses in a veterinary teaching hospital, through a case-control study and a longitudinal follow-up prospective study. In the case-control study, 44 horses shedding salmonellae in feces were compared with 99 control horses not shedding salmonellae in feces; regarding breed, sex, age and initial diagnosis, none of the odds ratios for study factors was significant. The factors found to be associated with fecal shedding of salmonellae in the prospective study included diarrhea at th...
Schulman ML, May CE, Keys B, Guthrie AJ.Recent CEM outbreak reports reflect a novel epidemiologic manifestation with a markedly different risk association for transmission via artificial reproduction and subsequent to inadvertent importation of unapparent carrier stallions. Artificial breeding has an increased association with horizontal or fomite-associated transmission. Reported risk factors include inadequate biosecurity protocols at centralised breeding facilities associated with stallion management and methods of semen collection, processing and transport. Detection of carriers is based on traditional bacteriology from genital ...
Wittig MB, Wohlsein P, Hagen RM, Al Dahouk S, Tomaso H, Scholz HC, Nikolaou K, Wernery R, Wernery U, Kinne J, Elschner M, Neubauer H.Since 1990 the number of glanders outbreaks in race, military and pleasure horses in Asia and South America is steadily increasing. Glanders, which is eradicated in Western Europe, Australia and Northern America, is currently considered a re-emerging disease. Consequently, the disease may be introduced into glanders-free regions by subclinical carriers at any time. The causative agent of glanders, Burkholderia (B.) mallei, is highly contagious and leads to chronic disease in horses whereas in donkeys and mules the disease is acute and often fatal. Occurrence of the disease leads to internation...
Issel CJ, Foil LD.There is no credible evidence that the lentivirus that causes equine infectious anaemia (EIA) replicates in invertebrates. The virus persistently infects its equid hosts and is often present in blood in significant quantities. Blood-feeding arthropods thus have the potential to transfer the virus between hosts, especially if their feeding on the first host is interrupted and immediately continued on a second host. The general details and dynamics of mechanical transmission are included in this paper, as this agent presents an excellent model. Mechanical transmission can be effectively controll...
Muscat KE, Padalino B, Hartley CA, Ficorilli N, Celi P, Knight P, Raidal S, Gilkerson JR, Muscatello G.The risk of respiratory disease in the transported horse can increase as a consequence of immunosuppression and stress associated primarily with opportunistic bacterial proliferation and viral reactivation. This study examines the ecology of equid herpesviruses (EHV) in these horses, exploring reactivation and changes in infection and shedding associated with transport, and any potential contributions to transport-related respiratory disease. Twelve horses were subjected to an 8-h road-transport event. Antibodies to EHV-1 and EHV-4 were detected by ELISA in serum collected prior to, immediatel...
Burkett-Cadena ND, Gibson J, Lauth M, Stenn T, Acevedo C, Xue RD, McNelly J, Northey E, Hassan HK, Fulcher A, Bingham AM, van Olphen J, van Olphen A....Zoonotic mosquito-borne viruses, such as the West Nile virus (WNV) and eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), are major public health threats in the United States. Early detection of virus transmission and targeted vector management are critical to protect humans against these pathogens. Sentinel chickens and pool screening of mosquitoes, the most widely used methods of arbovirus early detection, have technical time-lags that compromise their early-detection value. The exploitation of sugar-feeding by trapped mosquitoes for arbovirus surveillance may represent a viable alternative to other ...
Chhabra S, Ranjan R, Uppal SK, Singla LD.This article communicates the first per-acute and fatal clinical report of transplacental transmission of Theileria equi from carrier mothers to foals from Punjab, India. Two cases of equine piroplasmosis due to T. equi were diagnosed in neonatal foals borne to Throughbred mares. High degree of parasitemia with annular and maltese cross shaped parasites in erythrocytes was seen in both cases. Blood cellular changes revealed leucopenia and neutropenia with mild degenerative left shift. Anaemia was macrocytic normochromic type. Intense yellow discoloration of mucous membranes indicated jaundice....
Ueno TE, Costa FB, Moraes-Filho J, Agostinho WC, Fernandes WR, Labruna MB.Rickettsia rickettsii is vectored by ticks, and some vertebrate hosts can be sources of infection to ticks during bacteremic periods. In Brazil, the main vector for R. rickettsii is the tick Amblyomma sculptum, a member of the A. cajennense complex. Horses, in turn, are one of the major hosts for A. sculptum. In this study, horses experimentally infected with R. rickettsii were assessed for clinical changes and their capability to transmit the infection to A. sculptum ticks. Four horses were infected with R. rickettsii through either intraperitoneal injection or infestation with R. rickettsii-...
Magalhães FJR, Ribeiro-Andrade M, Souza FM, Lima Filho CDF, Biondo AW, Vidotto O, Navarro IT, Mota RA.Little is known about toxoplasmosis in animals of the Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the total population of pet cats (n=348), dogs (n=320), pigs (n=27), equines (n=101), as well as a significant portion of the population of feral cats (n=247) of the Island by Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 71.26%, 54.74%, 48.75%, 51.85% and 22.7%, of the pet and feral cats, dogs, pigs and equines, respectively, demonstrating a high prevalence of T. gondii infection in the wild and ...
Van den Eede A, Martens A, Floré K, Denis O, Gasthuys F, Haesebrouck F, Van den Abeele A, Hermans K.Equine methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage entails a risk of both equine and zoonotic transmission and infection. In Europe, CC398, the livestock-associated (LA-)MRSA is highly prevalent in horses and veterinary personnel at equine clinics. The extent of the MRSA reservoir created by healthy horses from the general population and associated health hazard for their daily caretakers is, however, unknown. This study aimed at screening healthy horse-caretaker couples from a broad range of home farms. At five equine gatherings, 166 couples were selected for MRSA screening in...
Calisher CH, Sasso DR, Sather GE.During 1971, an epizootic of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) reached the United States. Laboratory tests were performed on a large number of sick, healthy, unvaccinated, and vaccinated horses. Neutralization (N) tests in cell cultures revealed that 153 of 193 (79.3%) equines outside the state of Texas and 175 of 204 (85.8%) within Texas (82.6% overall) had detectable N antibody to VEE virus a week or more after vaccination. Twenty-six of 40 (65%) non-Texas equines and 18 of 29 (62%) Texas equines which had no detectable antibody against VEE virus a week or more after vaccination had N ant...
Pusterla N, Leutenegger CM, Chae JS, Lutz H, Kimsey RB, Dumler JS, Madigan JE.This paper describes the kinetics of the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent in the blood of horses experimentally infected by intravenous inoculation with infected leukocytes and by infected ticks as evaluated by using a real-time quantitative PCR assay. The data obtained indicated differences in the period of incubation, duration of rickettsemia, and initial and maximal ehrlichial loads between the two routes of infection.
Båverud V.C difficile has emerged as an important cause of diarrheic disease in horses. C difficile diarrhea is usually diagnosed in mature horses, mostly when they are treated with antimicrobials and hospitalized. It is important for clinicians at veterinary hospitals to have knowledge about the organism and the infection. To prevent C difficile diarrhea, judicious use of antimicrobials is important, as is minimizing different stress factors at the animal hospital or clinic. Infected horses must be isolated. Routine examination for C difficile and toxin A or B is recommended in horses with antibiotic-a...
Akter R, Sansom FM, El-Hage CM, Gilkerson JR, Legione AR, Devlin JM. is primarily a pathogen of birds but can also cause disease in other species. Equine reproductive loss caused by has recently been identified in Australia where cases of human disease were also reported in individuals exposed to foetal membranes from an ill neonatal foal in New South Wales. The prevalence of in association with equine reproductive over time and in different regions of Australia is not known. This study was conducted to detect in equine abortion cases in Australia using archived samples spanning 25 years. We tested for in 600 equine abortion cases reported in Australia ...
Acke E, Midwinter AC, Lawrence K, Gordon SJ, Moore S, Rasiah I, Steward K, French N, Waller A.To estimate the prevalence of β-haemolytic Lancefield group C streptococci in healthy dogs, cats and horses; to determine if frequent contact with horses was associated with isolation of these species from dogs and cats; and to characterise recovered S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus isolates by multilocus sequence typing. Methods: Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 197 dogs and 72 cats, and nasopharyngeal swabs from 93 horses. Sampling was carried out at the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, on sheep and beef farms or on premises where horses were present. All animals were heal...
Trigo da Roza F, Couto N, Carneiro C, Cunha E, Rosa T, Magalhães M, Tavares L, Novais Â, Peixe L, Rossen JW, Lamas LP, Oliveira M.Multidrug-resistant (MDR) is considered a major global concern by the World Health Organization. Evidence is growing on the importance of circulation of MDR bacterial populations between animals and humans. Horses have been shown to carry commensal isolates of this bacterial species and can act as human MDR bacteria reservoirs. In this study, we characterized an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing sequence type (ST) 348 isolate from a horse, an ST reported for the first time in an animal, using next-generation sequencing. We compared it with six other MDR ST348 human isolates pr...
Sofizadeh A, Telmadarraiy Z, Rahnama A, Gorganli-Davaji A, Hosseini-Chegeni A.A survey on tick species composition was carried out in Golestan Province Iran during year 2010-2011.The aim was to determine tick species parasitizing domestic ruminants and their seasonal population dynamics. Methods: A total of 124 sheep, 92 goats, 84 cattle, 74 camels and 12 horses in several villages were inspected for tick infestation. The collected ticks preserved in 70% alcohol and then were identified. Results: The overall 1059 ticks (453 female, 606 male) were collected. The ticks occur on sheep, goats, cattle, camels and horses as 72.1%, 77.3%, 75.8%, 69.3%, and 50% respectively. Th...
Gruwell JA, Fogarty CL, Bennett SG, Challet GL, Vanderpool KS, Jozan M, Webb JP.In response to the 1984 St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) epidemic in the Los Angeles Basin of southern California (USA), an investigative program was initiated to evaluate the interactive components of the SLE virus transmission cycle. From 1987 through 1996 (10 yr), 52,589 birds were bled and their sera tested for SLE and western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus antibodies by the hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) test. Eighty-three percent of the birds tested were house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) (48.7%) and house sparrows (Passer domesticus) (34.6%); 1.1% of these birds were positive for...
Ward MP, Scheurmann JA.Cases of human and equine West Nile virus (WNV) disease reported in Texas in 2002 were analyzed to assess their temporal relationship. For each human case with a known residential location, the closest equine case (within a 5 km radius) was selected. A total of 80 human-equine case pairs were identified, 51 (64%) of which were located in urban areas. Dates-of-onset of human and equine cases were positively correlated (r(SP)=0.494, P<0.001). Although overall there was no significant (P=0.207) difference between the dates-of-onset of human and equine cases, in urban areas of Texas equine case...
Day JF, Stark LM.Sentinel chickens were maintained at field sites in 40 Florida counties for varying periods between 1978 and 1993. For each county, the total number of St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLE) or eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus seroconversions were divided by the number of chickens exposed to calculate a mean annual seroconversion rate. These rates were used to evaluate the annual and geographical distributions of these viruses within Florida. For SLE, the rates in counties that reported human SLE cases during a widespread epidemic in 1990 were compared with adjusted mean annual seroconversi...
Álvarez-Narváez S, Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Dailey C, Vázquez-Boland JA.Conjugation is one of the main mechanisms involved in the spread and maintenance of antibiotic resistance in bacterial populations. We recently showed that the emerging macrolide resistance in the soilborne equine and zoonotic pathogen is conferred by the (46) gene carried on the 87-kb conjugative plasmid pRErm46. Here, we investigated the conjugal transferability of pRErm46 to 14 representative bacteria likely encountered by in the environmental habitat. mating experiments demonstrated conjugation to different members of the genus as well as to and spp. at frequencies ranging from ∼10...
Sudia WD, McLean RG, Newhouse VF, Johnston JG, Miller DL, Trevino H, Bowen GS, Sather G.Epidemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis in North America in 1971: vertebrate field studies. Am J Epidemiol 101:36-50, 1975.-In June 1971, epidemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) invaded the lower Rio Grande Valley in south Texas. The Boca Chica area of Cameron County was selected as a study site to investigate vertebrate involvement in the natural cycle of epidemic VEE on the basis of considerable evidence of VEE virus activity there in equines, humans, and mosquito vectors. Only one VEE virus isolation was made from 4739 wild and domestic non-equine vertebrates, although numerous equine...
French NP, McCarthy HE, Diggle PJ, Proudman CJ.Equine grass sickness (EGS) is a largely fatal, pasture-associated dysautonomia. Although the aetiology of this disease is unknown, there is increasing evidence that Clostridium botulinum type C plays an important role in this condition. The disease is widespread in the United Kingdom, with the highest incidence believed to occur in Scotland. EGS also shows strong seasonal variation (most cases are reported between April and July). Data from histologically confirmed cases of EGS from England and Wales in 1999 and 2000 were collected from UK veterinary diagnostic centres. The data did not repre...
Barros AT, Foil LD.Two studies evaluated the potential use of spatial barriers to reduce the mechanical transmission of disease agents by tabanids in the Pantanal region of Brazil. Tabanids at stations separated by four different distances (5, 10, 25, and 50m) were marked. In the first study, tabanids were marked and allowed to feed until engorgement or natural interruption occurred and captured if they transferred to the other horse. A total of 2847 tabanids belonging to nine different species were marked. The percentage of tabanids that moved between horses was 10.5 at 5m, 6.8 at 10m, and 4.6 at 25m. In the se...
