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Topic:Epidemiology

Epidemiology in horses involves the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in equine populations. It encompasses the investigation of patterns, causes, and effects of diseases and health conditions within horse populations. This field of study aims to identify risk factors for disease and targets for preventive healthcare. Key components of equine epidemiology include disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and the study of disease dynamics within herds or regions. Research in this area often focuses on infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases, and the impact of environmental factors on equine health. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of epidemiology in horses, including disease prevalence, transmission pathways, and strategies for disease prevention and control.
First record of Megaselia scalaris (LOEW) (DIPTERA: PHORIDAE) infesting a spinose ear tick, Otobius megnini, colony in Sri Lanka.
Tropical biomedicine    December 1, 2015   Volume 32, Issue 4 791-795 
Diyes GCP, Karunaratne WAIP, Tomberlin JK, Rajakaruna RS.Megaselia scalaris (Loew) is a cosmopolitan polyphagous small fly with the ability of exploiting variety of ecological niches. Different life history stages act as detritivore, parasite, and parasitoid of wider spectrum of plant and animal matter under natural and laboratory conditions. Here, for the first time we present the opportunistic parasitism of M. scalaris on Otobius megnini, which act as a vector of Q fever and is capable of causing paralysis, toxic conditions, otoacariasis and otitis in humans and other animals. Tick samples from the ear canals of 14 thoroughbred horses were brought...
Comparison of Fecal Microbiota of Mongolian and Thoroughbred Horses by High-throughput Sequencing of the V4 Region of the 16S rRNA Gene.
Asian-Australasian journal of animal sciences    December 1, 2015   Volume 29, Issue 9 1345-1352 doi: 10.5713/ajas.15.0587
Zhao Y, Li B, Bai D, Huang J, Shiraigo W, Yang L, Zhao Q, Ren X, Wu J, Bao W, Dugarjaviin M.The hindgut of horses is an anaerobic fermentative chamber for a complex and dynamic microbial population, which plays a critical role in health and energy requirements. Research on the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses has not been reported until now as far as we know. Mongolian horse is a major local breed in China. We performed high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes V4 hypervariable regions from gut fecal material to characterize the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses and compare them to the microbiota in Thoroughbred horses. Fourteen Mongolian and 19 Thoroughbred horses were use...
Molecular detection of Anaplasma sp. and Ehrlichia sp. in ticks collected in domestical animals, Colombia.
Tropical biomedicine    December 1, 2015   Volume 32, Issue 4 726-735 
Miranda J, Mattar S.Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species are important tick-borne pathogens that cause disease in cattle, dogs, horses and humans; with little information available about these agents in Colombia. The aim of this study was to provide molecular evidence for the presence of Anaplasma sp. and Ehrlichia sp. species in ticks collected from horses, dogs and cattle in Cordoba, Colombia. In this study, 1.105 ticks were removed from 226 zebu cattle (Bos indicus), 87 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and 19 horses (Equus caballus), from different localities of Cordoba. Ticks were identified taxonomically and PCR ass...
Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibody in domestic horses in Japan.
Parasitology international    November 30, 2015   Volume 65, Issue 2 146-150 doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2015.11.006
Masatani T, Takashima Y, Takasu M, Matsuu A, Amaya T.The present study is the first report that investigated the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic horses in various prefectures of Japan and analyzed risk factors for seropositivity. We performed a latex agglutination test for riding/racing horses from 11 prefectures in Japan (783 samples) and 4 groups of Japanese native horses (254 samples). The total seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody in horses examined in this study was 4.24% (44/1037). As for riding/racing horses, we did not find a statistically different T. gondii seroprevalence between sampling prefectures. In ...
Association of vectors and environmental conditions during the emergence of Peruvian horse sickness orbivirus and Yunnan orbivirus in northern Peru.
Journal of vector ecology : journal of the Society for Vector Ecology    November 28, 2015   Volume 40, Issue 2 355-363 doi: 10.1111/jvec.12174
Méndez-López MR, Attoui H, Florin D, Calisher CH, Florian-Carrillo JC, Montero S.Since 1983, cases of diseased donkeys and horses with symptoms similar to those produced by alphaviruses were identified in two departments in northern Peru; however serological testing ruled out the presence of those viruses and attempts to isolate an agent were also unproductive. In 1997, also in northern Peru, two new orbiviruses were discovered, each recognized as a causative agent of neurological diseases in livestock and domestic animals and, at the same time, mosquitoes were found to be infected with these viruses. Peruvian horse sickness virus (PHSV) was isolated from pools of culicid ...
Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and livestock in the Netherlands: comparing host preference and attack rates on a Shetland pony, a dairy cow, and a sheep.
Journal of vector ecology : journal of the Society for Vector Ecology    November 28, 2015   Volume 40, Issue 2 308-317 doi: 10.1111/jvec.12169
Elbers AR, Meiswinkel R.Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) host preferences and attack rates were quantified in early summer at a dairy farm in the Netherlands using livestock tethered at pasture. Midges were aspirated hourly over seven consecutive hours (17:00-23:00) from a dairy cow, a Shetland pony, and a sheep and correspondingly yielded seventeen, thirteen, and nine species. Of the 14,181 midges obtained, approximately 95% belonged to the C. obsoletus complex, C. dewulfi, C. chiopterus, and C. punctatus that together include all proven or potential vectors for arboviral diseases in livestock in northwestern E...
Comparing the effect of modeled climatic variables on the distribution of African horse sickness in South Africa and Namibia.
Journal of vector ecology : journal of the Society for Vector Ecology    November 28, 2015   Volume 40, Issue 2 333-341 doi: 10.1111/jvec.12172
Liebenberg D, van Hamburg H, Piketh S, Burger R.Africa horse sickness (AHS) is a lethal disease of horses with a seasonal occurrence that is influenced by environmental conditions that favor the development of Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). This study compared and evaluated the relationship of various modeled climatic variables with the distribution and abundance of AHS in South Africa and Namibia. A comprehensive literature review of the historical AHS reported data collected from the Windhoek archives as well as annual reports from the Directorate of Veterinary services in Namibia were conducted. South African AHS reported ...
Diagnostic performance and application of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of Salmonella in fecal samples collected from hospitalized horses with or without signs of gastrointestinal tract disease.
Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)    November 27, 2015   Volume 208 28-32 doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.11.011
Ekiri AB, Long MT, Hernandez JA.The main objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of Salmonella in fecal samples collected from hospitalized horses with or without signs of gastrointestinal (GI) tract disease. The PCR assay used primers and a probe that targeted the invA gene of Salmonella. Assuming a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 96.6%, and a disease prevalence of 2%, 5%, and 10-15% in study horses, the PCR assay had a high (100%) negative predictive value, and a positive predictive value that ranged from 37% in horses ...
Zoonotic and emerging orbivirus infections.
Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics)    November 26, 2015   Volume 34, Issue 2 353-361 doi: 10.20506/rst.34.2.2362
Attoui H, Mohd Jaafar F.Many novel emerging orbiviruses have been isolated in the past 15 years. Important viruses include Peruvian horse sickness virus (PHSV) and Yunnan orbivirus (YUOV), pathogens of equids which were originally isolated almost simultaneously from 1997 to 1999 in the People's Republic of China, Australia and Peru. YUOV has also been isolated from cattle, sheep and a dog. The isolation of YUOVfrom a dog is not the first case of an orbivirus being isolated from a carnivore. Bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus were earlier detected in carnivores which fed on contaminated meat. PHSV and Y...
FDA surveying veterinarians on antiparasitic drug resistance.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association    November 26, 2015   Volume 247, Issue 6 585 
Cima G.No abstract available
Alphaviral equine encephalomyelitis (Eastern, Western and Venezuelan).
Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics)    November 26, 2015   Volume 34, Issue 2 491-501 doi: 10.20506/rst.34.2.2374
Aréchiga-Ceballos N, Aguilar-Setién A.Summary Alphaviral equine encephalomyelitis is a mosquito-borne infection that causes severe neurological disease and fatalities in horses and humans in the Americas. Consequently, the equine alphaviruses (Eastern, Western and Venezuelan) are of considerable concern worldwide and are notifiable to the World Organisation for Animal Health. In addition, these diseases are considered a potent potential biological weapon, emphasising the need to develop an effective vaccine. Alphaviral equine encephalomyelitis is caused by Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (EEEV), Western equine encephalomyel...
Equine infectious anaemia and mechanical transmission: man and the wee beasties.
Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics)    November 26, 2015   Volume 34, Issue 2 513-523 doi: 10.20506/rst.34.2.2376
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...
Japanese encephalitis.
Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics)    November 26, 2015   Volume 34, Issue 2 441-452 doi: 10.20506/rst.34.2.2370
Morita K, Nabeshima T, Buerano CC.Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an inflammation of the central nervous system in humans and animals, specifically horses and cattle. The disease, which can sometimes be fatal, is caused by the flavivirus Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), of which there are five genotypes (genotypes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). The transmission cycle of the virus involves pigs and wild birds as virus amplifiers and mosquitoes as vectors for transferring the virus between amplifying hosts and to dead- end hosts, i.e. humans, horses and cattle. In horses and cattle the disease is usually asymptomatic, but when clinical sign...
Isolation and Characterization of Madariaga Virus from a Horse in Paraíba State, Brazil.
Transboundary and emerging diseases    November 25, 2015   Volume 64, Issue 3 990-993 doi: 10.1111/tbed.12441
Silva MLCR, Auguste AJ, Terzian ACB, Vedovello D, Riet-Correa F, Macário VMK, Mourão MPG, Ullmann LS, Araújo JP, Weaver SC, Nogueira ML.Madariaga virus (MADV), the new species designation for the South American isolates of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), is genetically divergent and substantially different in ecology and pathogenesis from North American EEEV strains. We isolated and characterized a MADV isolate obtained from a horse in Brazil. Our results support previous phylogenetic studies showing there are three genetically distinct MADV lineages. The MADV isolate from Paraíba State belongs to the South American lineage III and is closely related to Peruvian, Colombian and Venezuelan isolates.
Complete Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strain E19, Isolated from a Horse in Chile.
Genome announcements    November 25, 2015   Volume 3, Issue 6 e01385-15 doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01385-15
Cavalcante AL, Dias LM, Alves JT, Veras AA, Guimarães LC, Rocha FS, Gala-García A, Retamal P, Ramos RT, Azevedo V, Silva A, Carneiro AR.Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is related to several diseases infecting horses and small ruminants, causing economic losses to agribusiness. Here, we present the genome sequence of C. pseudotuberculosis strain E19. The genome includes one circular chromosome 2,367,956 bp (52.1% G+C content), with 2,112 genes predicted, 12 rRNAs, and 48 tRNAs.
Complete Genome Sequences of Four African Horse Sickness Virus Strains from a Commercial Tetravalent Live Attenuated Vaccine.
Genome announcements    November 25, 2015   Volume 3, Issue 6 doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01375-15
Guthrie AJ, Coetzee P, Martin DP, Lourens CW, Venter EH, Weyer CT, Joone C, le Grange M, Harper CK, Howell PG, MacLachlan NJ.This is a report of the complete genome sequences of plaque-selected isolates of each of the four virus strains included in a South African commercial tetravalent African horse sickness attenuated live virus vaccine.
Prevalence factors associated with equine herpesvirus type 1 infection in equids with upper respiratory tract infection and/or acute onset of neurological signs from 2008 to 2014.
The Veterinary record    November 25, 2015   Volume 178, Issue 3 70 doi: 10.1136/vr.103424
Pusterla N, Mapes S, Akana N, Barnett C, MacKenzie C, Gaughan E, Craig B, Chappell D, Vaala W.The objective of the present case-control study was to determine prevalence factors associated with the detection of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in horses presented to veterinarians with clinical signs related to an upper respiratory tract infection and/or acute onset of neurological disease from March 2008 to December 2014. Nasal secretions and whole blood from 4228 equids with acute onset of fever, respiratory signs and/or neurological deficits were tested by qPCR for EHV-1. Categorical analyses were performed to determine the association between observations...
Can insecticide-treated netting provide protection for Equids from Culicoides biting midges in the United Kingdom?
Parasites & vectors    November 25, 2015   Volume 8 604 doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-1182-x
Baker T, Carpenter S, Gubbins S, Newton R, Lo Iacono G, Wood J, Harrup LE.Biting midges of the genus Culicoides Latreille, 1809 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) cause a significant biting nuisance to equines and are responsible for the biological transmission of African horse sickness virus (AHSV). While currently restricted in distribution to sub-Saharan Africa, AHSV has a history of emergence into southern Europe and causes one of the most lethal diseases of horses and other species of Equidae. In the event of an outbreak of AHSV, the use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) to screen equine accomodation is recommended by competent authorities including the Office Interna...
Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolated from neonatal foal samples submitted to a New Zealand veterinary pathology laboratory (2004 to 2013).
New Zealand veterinary journal    November 23, 2015   Volume 64, Issue 2 107-111 doi: 10.1080/00480169.2015.1109006
Toombs-Ruane LJ, Riley CB, Kendall AT, Hill KE, Benschop J, Rosanowski SM.To describe antimicrobial susceptibility, and identify antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in bacteria isolated from New Zealand foals. Methods: A database search was performed of submissions to a veterinary pathology laboratory between April 2004 and December 2013 for bacterial culture of samples from foals <3 weeks of age. Culture and susceptibility results were compiled with demographic information. Susceptibility results were as defined for the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test based on Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was defined as ...
Sindbis and Middelburg Old World Alphaviruses Associated with Neurologic Disease in Horses, South Africa.
Emerging infectious diseases    November 20, 2015   Volume 21, Issue 12 2225-2229 doi: 10.3201/eid2112.150132
van Niekerk S, Human S, Williams J, van Wilpe E, Pretorius M, Swanepoel R, Venter M.Old World alphaviruses were identified in 52 of 623 horses with febrile or neurologic disease in South Africa. Five of 8 Sindbis virus infections were mild; 2 of 3 fatal cases involved co-infections. Of 44 Middelburg virus infections, 28 caused neurologic disease; 12 were fatal. Middelburg virus likely has zoonotic potential.
Low Seroprevalence of Leishmania infantum and Toxoplasma gondii in the Horse Population in Israel.
Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)    November 18, 2015   Volume 15, Issue 12 726-731 doi: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1826
Aharonson-Raz K, Baneth G, Lopes AP, Brancal H, Schallig H, Cardoso L, Steinman A.A cross-sectional investigation was done on the seroprevalence of Leishmania infantum and Toxoplasma gondii infection among apparently healthy horses in Israel. This survey included 383 horses distributed in 22 farms throughout Israel during the years 2011-2013. Serum samples were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using the direct agglutination test (DAT) specific to Leishmania and by the modified agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of IgG antibodies to T. gondii. Low seroprevalences were detected for both L. infantum and T. gondii in the horse population in Is...
[Impact of Spinal Fractures in Horseback Riding].
Sportverletzung Sportschaden : Organ der Gesellschaft fur Orthopadisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin    November 17, 2015   Volume 29, Issue 4 231-235 doi: 10.1055/s-0041-106944
Schicho A, Einwag D, Eickhoff A, Richter PH, Riepl C.Injuries to the spinal cord are not only dreaded because of the high risks existing during the acute phase, but also because of their potential long-term sequelae. Horseback riding also poses a high risk of spinal injuries. We therefore evaluated the most frequent characteristics of accidents leading to long-term sequelae, the primary long-term discomfort resulting from such injuries caused by horseback riding accidents and the way injured persons changed their behaviour after the accidents. Methods: Our study included all cases of horseback riding injuries registered in the Department of Trau...
Estimation of infection of internal parasites in horses from different type of farms.
Annals of parasitology    November 17, 2015   Volume 61, Issue 3 189-192 doi: 10.17420/ap6103.06
Sokół R, Raś-Noryńska M, Michalczyk M, Raś A, Rapacz-Leonard A, Koziatek S.Studies were carried out in year 2014 during the pasture period (from April to October) in Warmia and Mazury Region. Fecal samples were taken from cold- and warmblood horses from individual and agrotouristic farms with the different housing, feeding and pasture- care practices. Total of 512 horses were examined (320 mares, 170 geldings and 22 stallions). In the group of 185 horses from individual farms, 119 animals (64.3%) were infected with gastro-intestinal parasites. Among the 372 horses from agrotouristic farms 169 (51.7%) were infected with parasites. Most of the animals expelled the eggs...
Detection of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in Blood from Equines from Four Indigenous Communities in Costa Rica.
Veterinary medicine international    November 16, 2015   Volume 2015 236278 doi: 10.1155/2015/236278
Posada-Guzmán MF, Dolz G, Romero-Zúñiga JJ, Jiménez-Rocha AE.A cross-sectional study was carried out in four indigenous communities of Costa Rica to detect presence and prevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi and to investigate factors associated with presence of these hemoparasites. General condition of horses (n = 285) was evaluated, and hematocrits and hemoglobin were determined from blood samples of 130 horses, which were also analyzed using blood smears, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA). The general condition of the horses (n = 285) in terms of their body and coat was between regular and poor, and h...
Deep sequencing of the uterine immune response to bacteria during the equine oestrous cycle.
BMC genomics    November 14, 2015   Volume 16 934 doi: 10.1186/s12864-015-2139-3
Marth CD, Young ND, Glenton LY, Noden DM, Browning GF, Krekeler N.The steroid hormone environment in healthy horses seems to have a significant impact on the efficiency of their uterine immune response. The objective of this study was to characterize the changes in gene expression in the equine endometrium in response to the introduction of bacterial pathogens and the influence of steroid hormone concentrations on this expression. Methods: Endometrial biopsies were collected from five horses before and 3 h after the inoculation of Escherichia coli once in oestrus (follicle >35 mm in diameter) and once in dioestrus (5 days after ovulation) and analysed usi...
Diagnostic application of recombinant equine merozoite surface antigen-1 in elisa for detection of Theileria equi specific antibodies.
The Japanese journal of veterinary research    November 14, 2015   Volume 63, Issue 3 129-137 
Kumar S, Rakha NK, Goyal L, Goel P, Kumar R, Kumar A, Kumar S.Theileria equi merozoite surface antigens have been an important candidate for development of diagnostics. We developed ELISA based on EMA-1 recombinant antigen, so as to widen our diagnostic confidence in detection of antibodies against T. equi in sero-surveillance studies. The 547 bp EMA-1 gene fragment encoding high hydrophilic antigenic region was expressed with glutathione-S-transferase tag in prokaryotic system and purified protein (43 kDa) was used for development of ELISA (EMA-1t/ELISA). The EMA-1t/ELISA clearly differentiated T. equi-infected from Babesia caballi-infected horse sera o...
Prevalence of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi in horses and associated risk factors in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Research in veterinary science    November 14, 2015   Volume 104 53-57 doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2015.11.009
Libardoni F, Machado G, Gressler LT, Kowalski AP, Diehl GN, dos Santos LC, Corbellini LG, de Vargas AC.The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of equine strangles and to identify associated risk factors for this disease through a cross-sectional study of nasal swabs. Nasal swabs (n=1010) from healthy equines (absence of nasal discharge, lymphadenopathy and cough) from 341 farms were plated on 5% blood agar; of these horses, 24 were identified as positive for Streptococcus equi through isolation, PCR and DNA sequencing. The estimated prevalence for individual animals was 2.3%, and for herds, it was 5.86%. Statistical analysis identified the following as associated risk factors: the ...
Intangible and Economic Impacts of Hendra Virus Prevention Strategies.
Zoonoses and public health    November 12, 2015   Volume 63, Issue 5 374-385 doi: 10.1111/zph.12238
Wilson SJ, Ward MP.Hendra virus (HeV), a potentially fatal zoonotic disease spread by flying foxes, to date has always infected humans via a spillover event from equine HeV infection. In a theoretical case study, we compared the impacts of two different HeV prevention strategies - vaccination and flying fox roost removal - using a recently developed framework that considers different stakeholder group perspectives. The perspectives of the four selected stakeholder groups regarding intangibles were inferred from public discussions and coverage in the media. For all stakeholder groups, the option to vaccinate hors...
Pregnancy-associated changes of serum biochemical values in Lipizzaner broodmares.
Acta veterinaria Hungarica    November 10, 2015   Volume 63, Issue 3 303-316 doi: 10.1556/004.2015.028
Vincze B, Kutasi O, Baska F, Szenci O.The aims of this study were to detect physiological changes in blood biochemical parameters throughout gestation, to compare the findings in nonpregnant and pregnant Lipizzaner mares in early-mid and late pregnancy, and to provide reference values for clinical chemistry parameters in this horse breed. A total of 136 venous blood samples were collected from 20 pregnant and 10 nonpregnant (control) asymptomatic Lipizzaner broodmares for biochemical analyses. Twelve parameters (albumin, total protein, urea, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate transaminase, glutamat...
Three new serotypes of Rhodococcus equi in Prescott’s serotyping system – Short communication.
Acta veterinaria Hungarica    November 10, 2015   Volume 63, Issue 3 265-270 doi: 10.1556/004.2015.024
Makrai L, Fodor L, Hajtós I, Varga J, Dénes B.Three new serotypes were found among Rhodococcus equi strains, which could not be assigned into any of the seven serotypes of Prescott's system. Fortythree R. equi strains out of 44 previously nontypable ones isolated in Hungary could be allocated into one of the three new serotypes using the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test. The three new suggested serotypes are serotype 8 (proposed reference strain: HNCMB-138003), serotype 9 (proposed reference strain: HNCMB-138004) and serotype 10 (proposed reference strain: HNCMB-138005). Hyperimmune sera produced in rabbits against the new serotypes a...