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.
Carpenter TE, McBride MD, Hird DW.We examined the risk of importing and mistakenly releasing equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV)-infected horses into California. A computer simulation model was constructed to evaluate current and alternative quarantine station procedures; 150,000 iterations were performed to simulate 15 different scenarios of 10,000 horses imported into the state over a 14-year period. Simulation results showed that under current conditions of low EIAV prevalence in exporting countries, increasing the quarantine period would not decrease the number of EIAV-infected horses mistakenly released from quarantine....
Yin H, Lu W, Luo J.The importance of babesiosis in livestock in China is discussed and mainly focused on bovine and equine babesiosis. Babesiosis is still one of the most important diseases affecting livestock and has caused great economic loss. Nine species of Babesia have been recognized in livestock: B. bigemina, B. bovis, B. major, B. motasi, B. ovis, B. perroncitoi, B. trautmanni, B. equi (Theileria equi), B. caballi. The distribution of Babesia follows the distribution of the tick vectors. The main vectors of bovine babesiosis are the one-host tick Boophilus microplus and the three-host ticks Rhipicephalus...
Fernández AS, Larsen M, Nansen P, Grønvold J, Henriksen SA, Wolstrup J.A plot experiment was conducted to investigate the ability of the nematode-trapping fungus Duddingtonia flagrans to reduce the transmission of infective horse strongyle larvae from deposited dung onto surrounding herbage. At three different times during the summer 1995, three groups of horses, naturally infected with large and small strongyles, were fed different doses of D. flagrans spores, while a fourth group of animals served as non-fungal controls. Faeces from all four groups of horses were deposited as artificial dung pats on a parasite-free pasture. Every second week for 8 weeks after d...
Vaidyanathan R, Edman JD.To estimate human exposure to potential vectors of eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus, we compared collections of putative EEE virus vectors from human biting collections with collections from CDC, AB (American Biophysics), and New Jersey light traps and resting boxes in enzootic/epidemic foci of EEE virus in southeastern Massachusetts. Human biting collections caught significantly more host-seeking females than resting boxes or unbaited light traps (P < 0.05). Regression analysis of human biting collections to AB traps supplemented with CO2 could predict 60-70% of the actual human b...
Konkle DM, Nelson KM, Lunn DP.An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis occurred at a veterinary hospital, involving multiple species, including humans. The index case was an infected dairy calf that presented with diarrhea. Several other cases of cryptosporidial diarrhea subsequently developed during a 1-month period. The key features of this outbreak were the multiple species affected, the increased morbidity in immunocompromised neonates, and the failure of implemented control measures to contain the disease.
Barnard BJ.The entry of Culicoides species into stables was examined by comparing the numbers of midges caught with identical light-traps under different conditions. The comparison was made between collections made inside an empty stable, a regularly cleaned stable and a dirty stable and those made outside the stables in a sleeping space open on two sides. The work was first done in the presence of cattle and sheep in adjoining paddocks and then repeated in their absence. A positive correlation was found between the numbers of C. imicola females caught out of doors and inside a clean stable. Removal of t...
Tillotson K, Savage CJ, Salman MD, Gentry-Weeks CR, Rice D, Fedorka-Cray PJ, Hendrickson DA, Jones RL, Nelson W, Traub-Dargatz JL.During the past 11 years, there have been numerous reports of outbreaks of salmonellosis involving horses in veterinary teaching hospitals. Some of these outbreaks have been associated with Salmonella serotypes not commonly associated with infection of horses. Salmonella infantis is among the more common Salmonella serotypes isolated from human beings, and is an important pathogen in the broiler chicken industry. However, it was not commonly isolated from horses or cattle on a national basis between 1993 and 1995. In this report, we describe an outbreak of S infantis infection among large anim...
Medica DL, Sukhdeo MV.Infective larvae (L3) of Strongylus vulgaris have limited energy stores for host finding and for infection. For transmission to occur, the larvae must have sufficient energy to (a) migrate onto grass, where they are ingested by their equine host (host finding), and (b) penetrate into the host gut. This study is designed to test the hypothesis that L3 larvae of S. vulgaris partition their energy stores between locomotory activity (used in host finding) and infection activity (penetration). Chronic locomotory activity was stimulated by incubating S. vulgaris L3 larvae at a constant temperature (...
Hartmann FA, Trostle SS, Klohnen AA.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from a postoperative wound infection in a horse. Methicillin-resistant S aureus infections in animals have been reported. In human beings, MRSA is an important cause of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections. Infections caused by MRSA respond poorly to beta-lactam treatment, and resistance of MRSA to multiple antimicrobials, including aminoglycosides, macrolides, clindamycin, and tetracyclines, is common. Identification of MRSA by routine susceptibility testing may be difficult; therefore, techniques for MRSA detection should b...
Powers AM, Oberste MS, Brault AC, Rico-Hesse R, Schmura SM, Smith JF, Kang W, Sweeney WP, Weaver SC.Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) epidemics and equine epizootics occurred periodically in the Americas from the 1920s until the early 1970s, when the causative viruses, subtypes IAB and IC, were postulated to have become extinct. Recent outbreaks in Columbia and Venezuela have renewed interest in the source of epidemic/epizootic viruses and their mechanism of interepizootic maintenance. We performed phylogenetic analyses of VEE virus isolates spanning the entire temporal and geographic range of strains available, using 857-nucleotide reverse transcription-PCR products including the E3 and ...
Takahashi H, Nakaya T, Nakamura Y, Asahi S, Onishi Y, Ikebuchi K, Takahashi TA, Katoh T, Sekiguchi S, Takazawa M, Tanaka H, Ikuta K.It is believed that Borna disease virus (BDV), an etiological agent of progressive polioencephalomyelitis in horses and sheep, is closely associated with psychiatric disorders in humans since the prevalence of BDV is higher in psychiatric patients than in blood donors. We investigated whether or not BDVs in humans are derived from infected domestic animals, by characterizing the BDVs in blood donors and horses derived from the same region of Hokkaido island, Japan. The seroprevalences (2.6 to 14.8%) of BDV were significantly higher in the blood donors from four regions where most horse farms a...
Riley RT, Showker JL, Owens DL, Ross PF.Fumonisin B(1), B(2), and B(3) are inhibitors of ceramide synthase, a key enzyme in the pathway for de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis. Corn, naturally contaminated with either predominantly fumonisin B(1) or pure fumonisin B(1), has been shown to cause equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM). It has been hypothesized that fumonisin-induced disruption of sphingolipid metabolism is an early event in the development of ELEM. Recently, it was shown that Fusarium proliferatum corn culture diets containing predominantly fumonisin B(2), but not diets which were predominantly fumonisin B(3), at 75 ppm (0....
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Collins SS, Drudge JH, Granstrom DE.Data are presented on the last 3 years of a 7-year study (1989-1995) on transmission of natural infections of internal parasites in horse foals (n = 27) born in 1993, 1994, and 1995 on the same pasture on a farm in central Kentucky. The foals were in a closed breeding herd of horses. Research on the first 4 years (1989-1992) of the study was published earlier (Lyons et al., 1991, 1994). Thirty-five species of endoparasites were identified, including 24 species of small strongyles. Monthly, seasonal, and host-age transmission patterns were elucidated for the parasites. Comparison of data betwee...
Takai S.An overview of epidemiology of R. equi infection in foals is presented, emphasizing the importance of the virulence-associated antigens and plasmids as epidemiological markers. The monoclonal antibody-based colony blot test has been developed to identify rapidly and accurately virulent R. equi. Epidemiological studies conducted during the recent 5 years have revealed that: (1) avirulent R. equi are widespread in the feces of horses and their environment on every farm; (2) the feces of horses and the environment of the horse farms having endemic R. equi infections demonstrated heavy contaminati...
Glaser AL, Chirnside ED, Horzinek MC, de Vries AA.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is a small, enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus, in the family Arteriviridae , W.H.ich can infect both horses and donkeys. While the majority of EAV infections are asymptomatic, acutely infected animals may develop a wide range of clinical signs, including pyrexia, limb and ventral edema, depression, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis. The virus may cause abortion and has caused mortality in neonates. After natural EAV infection, most horses develop a solid, long-term immunity to the disease. Marzz and geldings eliminate the virus within 60 days, but 30 to 60% of acut...
Wilson WD.Myeloencephalopathy is an uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), but it can cause devastating losses during outbreaks on individual farms. Clinical signs of neurologic disease reflect a diffuse multifocal hemorrhagic myeloencephalopathy secondary to vasculitis and thrombosis. Sudden onset and early stabilization of signs, including ataxia, paresis, and urinary incontinence; involvement of multiple horses on the premises; and recent history of fever, abortion, or viral respiratory disease in the affected horse or herdmates are typical features, although there is considerable va...
Lord CC, Woolhouse ME, Mellor PS.A simulation model including two hosts (horses and donkeys) and one vector (Culicoides imicola) for African horse sickness in Spain is extended to consider vaccination strategies. If hosts were protected prior to virus introduction, elimination of simulated epidemics was related nonlinearly to the fraction protected. Protecting donkeys as well as horses increased the effectiveness of vaccination. Prevention of 50% of epidemics required 75% coverage of horses and donkeys or 90% coverage of horses only. Protection after the introduction of the virus was rarely successful in preventing outbreaks....
Rivas F, Diaz LA, Cardenas VM, Daza E, Bruzon L, Alcala A, De la Hoz O, Caceres FM, Aristizabal G, Martinez JW, Revelo D, De la Hoz F, Boshell J....In 1995, the first Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) outbreak in Colombia in 22 years caused an estimated 75,000 human cases, 3000 with neurologic complications and 300 fatal, in La Guajira State. Of the state's estimated 50,000 equines, 8% may have died. An epizootic IC virus, probably introduced from Venezuela, was rapidly amplified among unvaccinated equines. Record high rainfall, producing high densities of vector Aedes taeniorhynchus, led to extensive epidemic transmission (30% attack rate) in the four affected municipalities. Native Wayuu Indians, constituting 24% of the state's popul...
Watson ED.Outbreaks of contagious equine metritis in Britain during 1996 emphasised the importance of preventing the disease through full and widespread implementation of the Horserace Betting Levy Board's code of practice. The provision of satisfactory samples for testing represents an integral part of applying the code. Here, in an article commissioned by the British Equine Veterinary Association, Dr Elaine Watson describes the techniques involved.
Holman PJ, Hietala SK, Kayashima LR, Olson D, Waghela SD, Wagner GG.A horse with no prior clinical history of equine piroplasmosis tested negative for Babesia caballi and Babesia equi in the complement fixation test before importation into the United States from France. After 5 years in residence in the United States, the animal tested serologically positive for B. equi by the complement fixation test, the immunofluorescent antibody test, and Western blot analysis. The carrier status of the horse was confirmed by culture of B. equi parasites. In vitro culture offers an efficient and comparatively inexpensive method to determine the carrier status of horses sus...
Lány P, Pospísil Z, Zendulková D, Cíhal P, Jahn P.A mild outbreak of acute respiratory infection was reported in racing horses in the fall of 1995. Four studs were investigated for the sources and routes of infection. In five horses from two herds, virus isolates were obtained which, in preliminary typing experiments, were identified as the influenza A/equi 2 virus. The presence of this illness in all the examined herds was confirmed by a rise in specific antibody titres. The affected animals included both older vaccinated horses and young horses not yet vaccinated. Epidemiological studies suggested that the spread of infection occurred in si...
Newton JR, Wood JL, Dunn KA, DeBrauwere MN, Chanter N.During an outbreak of strangles on a farm with approximately 1500 horses, the spread of Streptococcus equi infection was monitored by repeated nasopharyngeal swabbing and culture. In order to control the infection and prevent new introductions of strangles on to the premises, a system of quarantine and swabbing of cases and all incoming animals was instituted. Long-term carriage of the organism was detected in four clinically healthy convalescent animals, and in two of 350 new ponies; it persisted for between seven and 39 months, but it was detected only intermittently by the culture of swabs ...
Glaser AL, de Vries AA, Rottier PJ, Horzinek MC, Colenbrander B.Sero-epidemiological surveys have revealed that equine arteritis virus (EAV) is prevalent in most European countries. The virus causes sporadic cases of respiratory disease and abortion in horses, the incidence of which has increased in recent years. Mares and geldings eliminate virus after acute infection, but 30% to 60% of stallions become persistently infected. In these animals, EAV is maintained within the reproductive tract and is shed continuously in the semen. Persistent infection with EAV in stallions has no negative consequences for fertility but mares inseminated with virus-contamina...
Tyler-McGowan CM, Hodgson JL, Hodgson DR.To determine the regional incidence and effectiveness of treatment of failure of passive transfer (FPT) in foals. Methods: A study of disease incidence. Methods: Eighty-eight foals and 57 mares from four studs in the practice area of the Rural Veterinary Centre were tested. Methods: Foals were tested for their serum IgG and total serum protein (TSP) concentration within the first 72 hours of life. Colostrum was collected from mares and specific gravity determined. FPT and partial failure of passive transfer (PFPT) of immunoglobulins was diagnosed when serum IgG concentrations were < 4 g/L and ...
Yoon J, Park T, Kim A, Park J, Park BJ, Ahn HS, Go HJ, Kim DH, Lee JB, Park SY, Song CS, Lee SW, Choi IS.Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) is one of the etiological agents of Theiler's disease, causing fulminant hepatitis; however, its transmission route and pathogenesis remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to determine EqPV-H shedding in oral/nasal/vaginal swabs or semen samples from horses living in Korea using nested polymerase chain reaction. We then used the data obtained to investigate various risk factors associated with EqPV-H including viral shedding, hepatopathological changes, and genetic diversity. Our data revealed occurrence of EqPV-H shedding in these animals (oral: 3/...
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...
MacKay RJ.A total of 378 serum samples from 240 hospitalized horses and 47 sera from healthy control horses were assayed for growth effects on actinomycin D-treated L929 cells. On average, patient and control sera stimulated cell growth; however, mean percentage of the relative growth index (RGI) of sera from clinical cases was significantly (P less than 0.001) lower than that of control sera. Approximately 35% of patient sera and 6% of control sera had tumor necrosis factor-like cytotoxic activity for L929 cells (ie, RGI less than 100%). Sera from horses with either peritoneal leakage of gastrointestin...
Dierckins MS, Sherman DM, Gendron-Fitzpatrick A.A presumptive diagnosis of paratuberculosis was made in a Sicilian ass on the basis of a history of chronic diarrhea and weight loss, pasture exposure to a heifer with paratuberculosis confirmed by bacterial culture of feces, postmortem identification of granulomatous inflammation of the intestine containing acid-fast organisms, the absence of acid-fast organisms in extraenteric tissues, and the absence of exposure to tuberculosis. The literature on paratuberculosis in equids is reviewed. The potential for cross-species transmission is emphasized. Justification for consideration of Mycobacteri...
Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, van Doorn DC, Holland W, van Herten J, Ploeger HW, Fink-Gremmels J.In dit artikel wordt alle regelgeving betreffende de receptplicht op een rijtje gezet, een kort overzicht gegeven van endoparasieten en hun bestrijding, en een leidraad gegeven van wat er van een 'redelijk bekwaam en redelijk handelend dierenarts' mag worden verwacht. De ecto-parasieten zijn in dit artikel buiten beschouwing gelaten, omdat daar-voor eigenlijk geen receptplichtige middelen beschikbaar zijn en dit onderwerp al uitgebreid is besproken in de 'Leidraad Infectieuze Aan-doeningen – Huid' (Tijdschr. Dier-geneeskd. 2008; 113: 388-392).
Dos Santos CEP, Loreto ES, Zanette RA, Santurio JM, Marques LC.Horse pythiosis is considered an endemic disease in the Brazilian Pantanal region, causing devastating health and economic losses. This study aimed to enhance the understanding of pythiosis epidemiology, map the distribution of horse body lesions, and investigate the correlation between these lesions and warm body surface areas, potentially implicating hematophagous vectors in the disease's transmission. A prospective study was conducted on equids in the Pantanal Mato-grossense and adjacent areas from 2012 to 2022, with 112 horses and three mules diagnosed with pythiosis. Clinical and epidemio...
Smarsh DN, Kenny LB, Spindler M, Poh KC, Machtinger ET.There is limited data on current knowledge of Pennsylvania horse caretakers on tick-borne diseases (TBDs), tick identification, and tick management practices. This study aimed to determine tick knowledge, concern, and management among Pennsylvania equine caretakers using an online survey. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA tests were used to analyze data. The survey received 894 responses (539 completed) from Pennsylvania equine owners and caretakers. The largest proportion of respondents cared for 3-5 horses (31%), followed by 2 horses (27%). Veterinarian-confirmed diagnosis rates of tw...
Houben RMAC, Newton JR, van Maanen C, Waller AS, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Heesterbeek JAP.Strangles, a disease caused by infection with Streptococccus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), is endemic worldwide and one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses. Recent work has improved our knowledge of key parameters of transmission dynamics, but important knowledge gaps remain. Our aim was to apply mathematical modelling of S. equi transmission dynamics to prioritise future research areas, and add precision to estimates of transmission parameters thereby improving understanding of S. equi epidemiology and quantifying the control effort required. A compartmental deter...
Barradas PF, Marques J, Tavares C, Brito NV, Mesquita JR.The Garrano is a semi-feral horse breed native to several mountains in the northern Iberian Peninsula. Despite being endangered, this unique breed of pony has managed to survive in the wild and continues to be selectively bred, highlighting their remarkable resilience and adaptability to harsh environments. Wildlife plays a critical role in the survival of tick vectors in their natural habitats and the transfer of tick-borne pathogens, as they can serve as reservoir hosts for many agents and amplifiers for these vectors. The semi-feral lifestyle of the Garrano horses makes them particularly vu...
Germann JA, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL, Spence KL.Disease outbreaks present a significant challenge to horse health and welfare and the economic stability of horse industries internationally. This is a particular concern in Ontario, Canada, where there have been frequent outbreaks of respiratory infectious diseases among horses. Despite these risks, there has been limited research on whether Ontario horse owners engage in biosecurity measures sufficient to mitigate risk of equine diseases, and whether current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic influence attitudes towards equine biosecurity practices. Objective: To explore Ontario horse owne...
White NA, Flynn K.The purpose of the study was to assess the challenges faced by state animal health officials (SAHOs) when managing equine disease outbreaks. Methods: A survey was conducted to assess SAHOs' collaboration with horse owners and practicing veterinarians to provide biosecurity and infection disease control. It was sent to 180 email addresses listed in the Equine Disease Communication Center website database. The responses in each category for each question were tabulated and reported as a percentage. Results: There were 72 survey responses from 45 states. The number of states responding suggested ...
Woo PCY, Mheiri FA, Cavalleri J, Joseph S, Tang JYM, Joseph M, Tsang CC, Lau SKP, Wernery U.Epizootic lymphangitis (EL) is a highly prevalent and contagious infectious disease affecting horses in many parts of Ethiopia caused by Histoplasma capsulatum sensu lato ('var. farciminosum'). In this study, 12 suspected isolates of H. capsulatum sensu lato or yeasts unidentified by conventional biochemical tests isolated from Ethiopian horses with EL were characterised by ITS sequencing. Six of the 12 isolates were identified to be members of H. capsulatum sensu lato and the other six were Pichia kudriavzevii (synonym: Candida krusei) (n = 3), Trichosporon asahii (n = 1), Geotrichum silv...
Bermukhametov Z, Suleimanova K, Tomaruk O, Baimenov B, Shevchenko P, Batyrbekov A, Mikniene Z, Onur Girişgin A, Rychshanova R.A total of 396 samples were taken from the hearts, oesophagi, and diaphragms of 132 horses slaughtered at slaughterhouses in 2023 for subsequent examination. Methods: The histological method revealed pathomorphological changes in the muscle tissue. The molecular method identified the pathogen species. Results: Histological examination revealed thick-walled cysts with internal septa and numerous bradyzoites, and mononuclear inflammatory cells with pericyst infiltrates. Microcyst samples were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Molecular genetic analysis allowed for the identification of 18 ...
Ringo RS, Choonnasard A, Okabayashi T, Saito A. can establish persistent infections in animals such as equids, pigs, nonhuman primates, rodents, and possums. Some can even cause overt and severe diseases such as Equine Arteritis in horses and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome in pigs, leading to huge economic losses. have evolved viral proteins to antagonize the host cell's innate immune responses by inhibiting type I interferon (IFN) signaling, assisting viral evasion and persistent infection. So far, the role of the glycoprotein 5 (GP5) protein in IFN signaling inhibition remains unclear. Here, we investigated the inhibito...
Lawrence KE, Gedye K, Carvalho L, Wang B, Fermin LM, Pomroy WE.To determine whether evidence for infection with (Ikeda) could be identified in samples of commercial red deer , horses, and working farm dogs in New Zealand. Unassigned: Blood samples were collected during October and November 2019 from a convenience sample of red deer (n = 57) at slaughter. Equine blood samples (n = 50) were convenience-sampled from those submitted to a veterinary pathology laboratory for routine testing in January 2020. Blood samples, collected for a previous study from a convenience sample of Huntaway dogs (n = 115) from rural regions throughout the North and ...
Martínez-Sáez L, Pala S, Marín-García PJ, Llobat L.Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic zoonoses and represents a significant health risk for humans, especially for immunodeficient patients. The main transmission route is by oral uptake of oocysts and consumption of undercooked meat of infected animals. Different species have been evaluated as possible reservoirs of the parasite, but few studies have been carried out to examine the role of horses in transmission of the disease. Given the proximity of these animals to humans and the widespread consumption of their meat in many countries, including the Mediterranean basin, it is imp...
Pearson EK, Guarino C, Cercone M, Divers T, Lambert J, García-López J, Johnson AL, Engiles JB, Marconi R, Smith J, Brown K, Pinn-Woodcock T.Evaluate the incidence of Borrelia burgdorferi in cases of equine nuchal bursitis (NB) and investigate the relationship between elevated serum outer surface protein A (OspA) antibodies and the molecular identification of B burgdorferi in bursal tissue or synovial fluid. Additionally, describe clinical cases and compare the histologic changes in NB with and without detection of B burgdorferi. Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter cohort study (2013 to 2022). Medical records from horses with a diagnosis of NB and B burgdorferi PCR testing on NB tissue or synovial fluid were reviewed. The...
Eskola K, Aimo-Koivisto E, Heikinheimo A, Mykkänen A, Hautajärvi T, Grönthal T.Extended-spectrum β-lactamase -producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) are important zoonotic pathogens that can cause serious clinical infections, also in horses. Preventing the spread of ESBL-E, especially in the equine hospital environment, is key to reducing the number of difficult-to-treat infections. Estimating the local prevalence of ESBL-E in horses is crucial to establish targeted infection control programs at equine hospitals. We conducted a prevalence and risk factor study in equine patients on admission to an equine teaching hospital in Finland through a rectal ESBL-E screening specim...
Tyrnenopoulou P, Tsilipounidaki K, Florou Z, Gkountinoudis CG, Tyropoli K, Starras A, Peleki C, Marneris D, Arseniou N, Lianou DT, Katsarou EI....The objectives of this study were (a) to detect zoonotic gastrointestinal pathogens in faecal samples of horses using the FilmArray GI Panel and (b) to identify variables potentially associated with their presence. Faecal samples collected from 224 horses obtained during a countrywide study in Greece were tested by means of the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel, which uses multiplex-PCR technology for the detection of 22 pathogens. Gastrointestinal pathogens were detected in the faecal samples obtained from 97 horses (43.3%). Zoonotic pathogens were detected more frequently in samp...
Ali YH, Mohieddeen TAG, Abdellatif MM, Ahmed BM, Saeed IK, Attaalfadeel HM, Ali AA.Rabies is endemic in Sudan with continuing outbreaks occurring annually, the most common animals affected are dogs, followed by goats and equids. This work focused on equid rabies, to elucidate the current situation of the disease through analysis of reports of equid rabies outbreaks in Sudan during 2010-2022 supported by laboratory confirmation of the disease. During the study period, 66 animals were affected during 35 equid rabies outbreaks. The highest incidences were found in Al Gezira (30.3%), followed by Darfur (24.2%) and Kordofan (15.2%). The highest incidence rate was observed during ...
Pooja , Thapa N, Rani R, Shanmugasundaram K, Jhandai P, Rakshita , Bhattacharya TK, Singha H.Immunological aspects of B. mallei infection were rarely studied in natural cases of equines. The present study was conducted to determine IgG, IgM, IgA and IgG (T) titre against recombinant Hcp1, TssA and TssB proteins and PilA-Hcp1-TssN-BipD and BpaB-BpaC- BMAA0553 chimeras and cytokine responses in glanders affected equine serum. Methods: The study was conducted on serum samples collected from 151 glanders positive equines which include horses (n = 134), mules (n = 16), and donkeys (n = 01). The IgM, IgG, IgA and IgG (T) titre were determined against recombinant antigens by indirect E...
Paulino PG, Amaral FB, de Oliveira RT, de Andrade SG, Rabello CA, Meirelles N, de Souza Santana M, Galdino KCP, Jacob JCF, Peckle M, Massard CL....Equine piroplasmosis, a tick-borne disease caused by hemoparasites of the Babesia and Theileria genera, has significant clinical and economic impacts worldwide. This study aims to characterize the heat shock protein 70 kDa (hsp70) gene sequences of Theileria equi from naturally infected horses across the five geographic regions in Brazil, and to analyze the phylogenetic relationships between T. equi and other parasites within the order Piroplasmida. Primers specific to T. equi were designed through in silico analysis of hsp70 gene sequences available in GenBank. Forty samples of equine whole ...
Ryu SH, Jang B, Kim BS, Park KT.This is the first report describing the isolation and genome sequence of Flavobacterium ceti (F. ceti IJFC025) from a draining submandibular lymph node abscess in a 6-year-old mixed-breed mare in Korea. Since F. ceti is not a usual infectious pathogen that causes equine health problems, this study presents the complete genome sequence of F. ceti isolated from a submandibular lymph node abscess sample in Jeju, South Korea, in 2022. The entire genome sequence of F. ceti IJFC025 consisted of a 3,144,426-bp chromosome with 35.6 % G + C content. Gene prediction revealed that this strain possesse...
Solbach V, Grabatin M, Zablotski Y, Fux R, Zerbe H, Witte TS.Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) caused by the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis (T. equigenitalis), is a venereal infection of equids which is of international concern to the equine breeding industry. A recent study showed a high prevalence of T. equigenitalis in Icelandic stallions when compared to stallions of other breeds also using for natural breeding. Consequently, the objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of T. equigenitalis in Icelandic mares and geldings and to determine factors associated with a T. equigenitalis-positive qPCR result. In total, 361 Icela...
Axt CW, Springer A, von Luckner J, Naucke TJ, Müller E, Strube C, Schäfer I.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is caused by (.) and (.) and is transmitted by hard ticks. Predominantly, the Mediterranean region is known as being endemic for both pathogens in Europe. However, autochthonous infections in central European countries such as Germany can no longer be ruled out due to individual case reports in horses without any stays abroad as well as the geographical expansion of the habitats of different tick species. The case reports presented underline the risk of infection for horses travelling to endemic areas and in horses imported from such areas to non-endemic countries...
Jung C, Gentil M, Müller E.The objective of the study was to investigate the age dependent occurrence of different infectious agents in foals with diarrhea. Methods: Fecal samples, which were submitted to a commercial laboratory for a PCR-profile "Foal Diarrhea Pathogens" from 01.01.2021 up to 31.12.2022 (n=144), were examined for Equine Coronavirus (ECoV), , (), toxin-encoding genes , , , and , toxin-encoding genes and , as well as Rotavirus A via PCR. Results: Pathogens could be detected in a high proportion (42.9%) of the samples. Rotavirus A was the most prevalent pathogen in the current study, followed by clos...
Sobhy NM, Refaai W, Kumar R, Bottros Youssef CR, Goyal SM.Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) commonly cause sarcoids in equines worldwide. Equine sarcoids (ESs) reduce the working ability of draft animals and produce untoward cosmetic changes in racing and dancing equine. In this study, nine horses and 16 donkeys with sarcoids were presented to Zagazig University Veterinary Clinic, Zagazig, Egypt. Of these, eight horses and six donkeys were found to be infected with BPV. On sequencing, all 14 viruses were found to be BPV1, which were distributed in two clades without specific differentiation among papillomaviruses (PVs) of donkeys, horses, and cattle. Co...
Kordowitzki P.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that, among humans, can cause a severe and often fatal illness. The zoonotic EEEV enzootic cycle involves a cycle of transmission between and avian hosts, frequently resulting in spillover to dead-end vertebrate hosts such as humans and horses. Interestingly, it has been described that the W132G mutation of the very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), the receptor of EEEV, significantly enhanced the VLDLR-mediated cell attachment of EEEV. The patient's metabolism plays a pivotal role in shaping the complex lan...
Nemoto M, Kawanishi N, Kambayashi Y, Bannai H, Yamanaka T, Tsujimura K.Equine influenza virus (EIV) can be transmitted by inhalation of aerosolized droplets, direct contact, and contaminated fomites. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports of the recovery of EIV from the air surrounding infected horses. Here, we evaluated whether EIV can be recovered from the air in the stalls of experimentally infected horses by using an air sampler. Furthermore, we examined whether rapid molecular test kits with reaction times of less than 30 min can detect EIV from air samples for potential field application. Two horses kept in individual stalls were experimentally i...
Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is the simplest described within the family, related to the human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1 and HIV-2). There is an important interplay between host cells and viruses. Viruses need to hijack cellular proteins for their viral cycle completion and some cellular proteins are antiviral agents interfering with viral replication. HIV cellular partners have been extensively studied and described, with a special attention to host proteins able to inhibit specific steps of the viral cycle, called restriction factors. Viruses develop countermeasures against ...
