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.
Perglione CO, Gildea S, Rimondi A, Miño S, Vissani A, Carossino M, Cullinane A, Barrandeguy M.In 2012, equine influenza (EI) virus was confirmed as the cause of outbreaks of respiratory disease in horses throughout South America. In Uruguay and Argentina, hundreds of vaccinated thoroughbred horses in training and racing facilities were clinically affected. Objective: To characterise the EI viruses detected during the outbreak in Uruguay and Argentina. Methods: Virus was detected in nasopharyngeal swabs by a pan-reactive influenza type A real-time RT-PCR. The nucleotide sequence of the HA1 gene was determined and analysed phylogenetically using mega 5 software. Amino acid sequences alig...
Vyas R, Keller JJ, Honda K, Cooper KD, Gerstenblith MR.Animal-type melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma with heavily pigmented dermal epithelioid and spindled melanocytes. Its classification as a subtype of melanoma versus a borderline melanocytic tumor is debated. Objective: Our primary objective was to characterize the demographics, clinical presentation, histopathology, management, and outcomes of patients with animal-type melanoma. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the English-language literature on animal-type melanoma. Results: We identified 190 cases of animal-type melanoma. They occurred equally in men and wo...
Riley CB, Liddiard JR, Thompson K.Specific estimates of the risk of horse-related injury (HRI) to university students enrolled in veterinary and animal sciences have not been reported. This study aimed to determine the risk of student HRI during their university education, the nature and management of such injuries. A retrospective questionnaire solicited demographic information, data on students' equine experience prior to and during their educational programs, and on HRI during their program of study. Of 260 respondents, 22 (8.5%) reported HRI (27 incidents). Including concurrent injuries the most commonly injured body parts...
Field HE, Smith CS, de Jong CE, Melville D, Broos A, Kung N, Thompson J, Dechmann DK.Hendra virus causes sporadic fatal disease in horses and humans in eastern Australia. Pteropid bats (flying-foxes) are the natural host of the virus. The mode of flying-fox to horse transmission remains unclear, but oro-nasal contact with flying-fox urine, faeces or saliva is the most plausible. We used GPS data logger technology to explore the landscape utilisation of black flying-foxes and horses to gain new insight into equine exposure risk. Flying-fox foraging was repetitious, with individuals returning night after night to the same location. There was a preference for fragmented arboreal ...
Malik P, Singha H, Goyal SK, Khurana SK, Tripathi BN, Dutt A, Singh D, Sharma N, Jain S.Burkholderia mallei is the causative agent of glanders which is a highly contagious and fatal disease of equines. Considering the nature and severity of the disease in equines, and potential of transmission to human beings, glanders is recognised as a 'notifiable' disease in many countries. An increasing number of glanders outbreaks throughout the Asian continents, including India, have been noticed recently. In view of the recent re-emergence of the disease, the present study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of glanders among indigenous equines from different parts of India. Serum sa...
BMC research notesSeptember 24, 2015
Volume 8 471 doi: 10.1186/s13104-015-1441-0
Boukharta M, Azlmat S, Elharrak M, Ennaji MM.Three equine influenza viruses, A/equine/Nador/1/1997(H3N8), A/equine/Essaouira/2/2004(H3N8), and A/equine/Essaouira/3/2004(H3N8), were isolated from different Equidae during local respiratory disease outbreaks in Morocco in 1997 and 2004. Their non-structural (NS) genes were amplified and sequenced. Results: The results show high homology of NS nucleotide sequences of A/equine/Nador/1/1997 with European strains (i.e., A/equine/newmarket/2/93 and A/equine/Grobois/1/1998) and clustered into the European lineage. However, NS gene of A/equine/Essaouira/2/2004(H3N8) and A/equine/Essaouira/3/2004(H...
Nemoto M, Oue Y, Higuchi T, Kinoshita Y, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kondo T.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) is considered to be a diarrheic pathogen in foals. In central Kentucky in the United States, it has been shown that approximately 30 % of thoroughbred foals are infected with ECoV and thus it is considered widely prevalent. In contrast, the epidemiology of ECoV and its relationship to diarrhea in foals are poorly understood in Japan. We investigated ECoV in rectal swabs collected from thoroughbred foals in Japan. Results: We collected 337 rectal swabs from 307 diarrheic foals in the Hidaka district of Hokkaido, the largest thoroughbred horse breeding region in Japan, ...
Aharonson-Raz K, Steinman A, Kavkovsky A, Bumbarov V, Berlin D, Lichter-Peled A, Berke O, Klement E.It is claimed that the distribution of Culicoides-borne viruses is highly influenced by climate. Equine encephalosis virus (EEV) is a Culicoides-borne orbivirus which affects horses and was recently found to be endemic in Israel. To test whether climate is a crucial factor in the geographical distribution of EEV, we collected blood samples from horses in Israel during the years 2002, 2007 and 2010 and tested them for the abundance of antibodies to EEV. Samples were also collected in 2011 from horses that were seronegative to the virus in 2010, to determine the rate of infection with EEV. It wa...
Liu A, Zhang J, Zhao J, Zhao W, Wang R, Zhang L.Horses interact with humans in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits as well as in working activities. Cryptosporidium spp are one of the most important zoonotic pathogens causing diarrhea of humans and animals. The reports of Cryptosporidium in horses and the findings of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species/genotypes show a necessity to carry out molecular identification of Cryptosporidium in horses, especially in diarrheic ones. The aim of the present study was to understand Cryptosporidium infection and species/genotypes in diarrheic horses, and to trace...
Young JD, Gelbs JC, Zhu DS, Gallacher SE, Sutton KM, Blaine TA.Despite the common nature of orthopaedic injuries in equestrian sports, there is no published review to specifically characterize orthopaedic injuries in equestrian athletes. Objective: To characterize orthopaedic injury patterns in equine sports-related injuries and their treatment. Methods: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: This review was performed through a PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus query (from 1978 to June 2014) in the English literature using search terms "(equine-related OR equestrian-related OR horse-related OR equestrian OR equestrians) AND (injury OR injuries)." Only...
Sumbria D, Das Singla L, Sharma A.A cross-sectional study was conducted in Submountain undulating, Undulating plain, Western and Western plain agro-climatic zones of Punjab province, India, to determine the prevalence, agreement between diagnostic tests and associated related risk factors of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infection in equids (horses, donkey, mules). An overall prevalence of 14.14 and 0.0% of T. equi and B. caballi was recorded by multiplex polymerase chain reaction targeting 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) for both the parasites and 75 and 1.11% by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a representative...
Martin Giménez T, Aguirre Pascasio CN, de Blas Giral I.Andalusian horses have been proposed as a breed predisposed to equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) phenotype [1] because they are prone to exhibiting regional, generalised adiposity and tendency to laminitis [2]. Insulin dysregulation represents the main pathophysiological cause for all the features of EMS, however there are no epidemiological studies in this breed. Objective: To assess insulin dysregulation through insulin proxies in Andalusian horses with different levels of obesity. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: One hundred and sixty-four Andalusians (78 stallions and 86 mares, 2-15 ...
Lotstra RJ, van den Broek J, Power T, Marr CM, Wijnberg ID.Atrial fibrillation is a common equine arrhythmia. Quinidine alone, or with digoxin are common treatments. Studies on outcome in Warmblood populations in which duration of the AF is often unknown are limited. Objective: To identify the factors that are associated with the success of full treatment cardioversion with oral medication, and establish whether there are differences in these factors between institutions. Methods: Retrospective case series using patient records of Equine University Clinic of Utrecht University and Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket. Methods: Forty-nine horses treate...
Kalamanova A, Stringer AP, Freeman SL, Burford JH.Colic is a common reason for owners to seek veterinary treatment for their working equids in Morocco. There is no information available regarding cultural, religious or educational barriers to obtaining treatment or about the typical workload of these animals which may predispose them to colic. Objective: To characterise the typical workload and feeding regimens of working equids in Morocco; to characterise the ability of owners to recognise the clinical signs and causes of colic; and to identify specific barriers to the veterinary treatment of colic. Methods: Questionnaire-based survey. Metho...
Lotstra RJ, van den Broek J, Power T, Marr CM, Wijnberg ID.Atrial fibrillation is a common equine arrhythmia. Quinidine alone, or with digoxin are common treatments. Studies on outcome in Warmblood populations in which duration of the AF is often unknown are limited. Objective: To identify the factors that are associated with the success of full treatment cardioversion with oral medication, and establish whether there are differences in these factors between institutions. Methods: Retrospective case series using patient records of Equine University Clinic of Utrecht University and Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket. Methods: Forty-nine horses treate...
Johns I, McParland T, Mair T.Pleural effusion (PE) is reported to occur most commonly secondary to bacterial pneumonia or lung abscesses, with neoplastic effusions contributing the minority of cases. The majority of these reports originate from America and Australia, where long distance transport of horses, a recognised risk factor, appears to occur more frequently. Anecdotally, neoplastic PE is more commonly diagnosed in the UK. Objective: To describe the causes of PE in horses resident in the UK, and to identify potential markers that can help differentiate between infectious and neoplastic causes of PE. Methods: Retros...
Allen JL, Herbert G, Muscatello G, Gilkerson JR.Bronchopneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi is an important disease of young horses throughout the world. Although early diagnosis and treatment improves the prognosis, this also increases the amount of antimicrobial usage and therefore increases the likelihood of resistance developing. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of resistance to commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents of 97 virulent Rhodococcus equi isolates. Methods: Analysis of archived samples. Methods: Virulent Rhodococcus equi isolates were collected between 1991 and 2014 from clinically affected horses ...
Toombs-Ruane LJ, Riley CB, Rosanowski SM, Kendall AT, Benschop J.Decreased efficacy of veterinary antimicrobials and increased prevalence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) is of concern, but little is known of antimicrobial resistance encompassing the New Zealand (NZ) equine population. Recent concerns have arisen over the emergence of multi-resistant bacteria [1], especially on NZ stud farms where antibiotics are frequently used for respiratory disease without veterinary input [2]. Objective: To describe bacterial culture and antimicrobial sensitivity results from respiratory samples submitted of young horses (4 weeks to 3 years old). Methods: Retrospective s...
Hammersley E, Duz M, Marshall JF.Triamcinolone is commonly used in equine practice for the treatment of orthopaedic conditions. A serious potential adverse effect of triamcinolone is laminitis. However, evidence for the risk of laminitis associated with triamcinolone use is limited. Objective: To determine the risk of laminitis within 90 days of triamcinolone administration and compare with the risk of laminitis in a veterinary-attended horse population. Methods: Retrospective study of clinical records. Methods: Text mining and data extraction was performed using content analysis software (SimStat-WordStat v.6) on a database ...
Abdelgawad A, Hermes R, Damiani A, Lamglait B, Czirják GÁ, East M, Aschenborn O, Wenker C, Kasem S, Osterrieder N, Greenwood AD.Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) causes respiratory disorders and abortion in equids while EHV-1 regularly causes equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a stroke-like syndrome following endothelial cell infection in horses. Both EHV-1 and EHV-9 infections of non-definitive hosts often result in neuronal infection and high case fatality rates. Hence, EHV-1 and EHV-9 are somewhat unusual herpesviruses and lack strict host specificity, and the true extent of their host ranges have remained unclear. In order to determine the seroprevalence of EHV-1 and EHV-9, a sensitive and specific pepti...
Tirosh-Levy S, Steinman A, Carmeli Y, Klement E, Navon-Venezia S.Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS), and specifically Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization or infection have become a serious emerging condition in equine hospitals, with complex concerns regarding animals, personnel and public health. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for colonization by Staphylococci, MRS, and MRSA among horses in Israel. Nasal swabs were collected from horses at 17 riding stables (n=206), and from hospitalized horses admitted to a veterinary hospital (n=84). Species identification was performed by ...
Anastasi E, Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Hondalus MK, Willingham-Lane JM, MacArthur I, Cohen ND, Roberts MC, Vazquez-Boland JA.The objective of this study was to identify the molecular mechanism of macrolide resistance in the actinomycete Rhodococcus equi, a major equine pathogen and zoonotic agent causing opportunistic infections in people. Methods: Macrolide-resistant (n = 62) and macrolide-susceptible (n = 62) clinical isolates of R. equi from foals in the USA were studied. WGS of 18 macrolide-resistant and 6 macrolide-susceptible R. equi was performed. Representative sequences of all known macrolide resistance genes identified to date were used to search the genome assemblies for putative homologues. PCR w...
Rodriguez C, Taminiau B, Brévers B, Avesani V, Van Broeck J, Leroux A, Gallot M, Bruwier A, Amory H, Delmée M, Daube G.The equine faecal microbiota is very complex and remains largely unknown, while interspecies interactions have an important contribution to animal health. Clostridium difficile has been identified as an important cause of diarrhoea in horses. This study provides further information on the nature of the bacterial communities present in horses developing an episode of diarrhoea. The prevalence of C. difficile in hospitalised horses at the time of admission is also reported. Results: Bacterial diversity of the gut microbiota in diarrhoea is lower than that in non-diarrhoeic horses in terms of spe...
Sallé G, Cabaret J.In-depth knowledge of the use of anthelminthics in the field, especially by veterinarians, is required to design more sustainable parasite control strategies. Methods: An online survey was sent by e-mail to 940 equine veterinary practitioners to describe their equine practice, their awareness about parasites and the management strategies they apply. Results: Gastrointestinal parasites were generally considered (68%) as an issue of moderate importance. Drug efficacy failure was a minor or moderate issue for 47% and 48% of responders, respectively. Parasite management mostly relied on the use of...
Donoghue EM, Lyons ET, Bellaw JL, Nielsen MK.Parascaris spp. infects foals worldwide and may cause airway inflammation in addition to small intestinal impaction and rupture. It is observed that acquired immunity eliminates ascarid burdens beginning at about 6 months of age, and current evidence suggests that a single parasite generation propagates in each foal crop. The purpose of this study was to monitor natural parasitic infections in untreated mixed breed horse foals over the course of 0-300 days of age. Fecal samples were collected monthly from all foals born in 2014 (n=13), beginning July 2014 through February 2015. Fecal egg count...
Hamond C, Martins G, Bremont S, Medeiros MA, Bourhy P, Lilenbaum W.A strain of Leptospira kirschneri (serogroup Grippotyphosa) was cultured from urine of a mare post-abortion in Brazil and characterized by serogrouping, multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis, PGFE, and sequencing of genes rrs and secY. Strains of L. kirschneri have apparently never been recovered from horses in tropical area, only in Europe and USA. Knowledge of local epidemiology is important to interpret genetic profiles of leptospires circulating in an area.
Sokół R, Michalski MM.The presence of Hippobosca equina strongly influences the behaviour and health status of horses. The aim of the study was to analyse the invasion dynamics of the forest fly in Polish primitive horses (Equus caballus gmelini) in the Popielno Forest Reserve (northeastern Poland). Observations were carried out from May to September, every two weeks for two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) in five study groups: in 11-12-year-old mares with foals, 6-7-year-old leading stallions, 1.5-year-old fillies, 1.5-year-old colts and 9-10-year-old working geldings. Adult H. equina were counted in the preferr...
BMC research notesSeptember 2, 2015
Volume 8 400 doi: 10.1186/s13104-015-1357-8
Digafe RT, Kifelew LG, Mechesso AF.Rabies is a fatal animal disease of significant public health importance. Domestic dogs are the main reservoir and transmitter of this disease particularly in developing countries. Even though rabies is a highly fatal disease, it is a preventable disease. Community awareness about rabies is one of the key components for prevention. This study describes the knowledge, attitudes and practices of a rural community in Gondar Zuria District, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from March to June, 2013. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data through face to face...
Taktaz Hafshejani T, Nekoei S, Vazirian B, Doosti A, Khamesipour F, Anyanwu MU.This study was undertaken to investigate molecularly the occurrence of EHV-1 and EHV-4 infection among equine population in regions, Iran. Blood samples from 53 and 37 randomly selected horses settled in Isfahan and Shahrekord, Iran, respectively, were collected. Detection of EHV-1 and EHV-4 genes in the blood samples was done using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Out of 53 and 37 samples from Isfahan and Shahrekord, 4 (18.18%) and 3 (8.10%) were positive for PCR of EHV-1, respectively. Nine (16.98%) and 6 (16.21%) were positive for PCR of EHV-4, while 6 (11.32%) and 3 (8.10%) were positive f...
Molaei G, Armstrong PM, Abadam CF, Akaratovic KI, Kiser JP, Andreadis TG.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) causes a highly pathogenic mosquito-borne zoonosis that is responsible for sporadic outbreaks of severe illness in humans and equines in the eastern USA. Culiseta (Cs.) melanura is the primary vector of EEEV in most geographic regions but its feeding patterns on specific avian and mammalian hosts are largely unknown in the mid-Atlantic region. The objectives of our study were to: 1) identify avian hosts of Cs. melanura and evaluate their potential role in enzootic amplification of EEEV, 2) assess spatial and temporal patterns of virus activity during a ...
Finley A, Gohari IM, Parreira VR, Abrahams M, Staempfli HR, Prescott JF.NetF-producing Clostridium perfringens have recently been identified as a cause of necrotizing enteritis in neonatal foals, but little is known about its prevalence in clinically normal foals. Foals (n = 88) ranging in age from < 1 wk to 2 to 4 mo (median age 2 to 4 wk) on 8 horse-breeding farms in Ontario were examined on 1 or 2 occasions for the presence of C. perfringens. Of the foals that tested positive, 5 isolates (n = 675) were examined for the netF and enterotoxin (cpe) genes. Colonization by C. perfringens was most marked in foals < 1 wk of age [4.85 ± 2.70 log10 colony-forming...
Rathfelder FJ, Klever P, Nachtkamp J, Paar O.This article presents the examination of 78 accidents in horseback riding, referring to their origin and kind of injury. It was found that 76% of all injuries did not occur during the active phase of riding, but in the time just before and right after it. Children without any experience in horseback riding were most susceptible to injuries. Referring to lesions occurring before and after the active phase, the longer extremity was predominantly involved (40%); furthermore, the skull was injured in 18% and the hand in 14% of all lesions. During the active phase of horseback riding, skull injurie...
Oliveira FG, Cook RF, Naves JHF, Oliveira CHS, Diniz RS, Freitas FJC, Lima JM, Sakamoto SM, Leite RC, Issel CJ, Reis JKP.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Although the virus infects all members of the Equidae the vast majority of studies have been conducted in horses (Equus caballus) with comparatively little information available for other equid species. Brazil has one of the most abundant donkey (E. asinus) populations of any nation although the economic importance of these animals is declining as transportation becomes increasingly mechanized. As a result, considerable numbers of donkeys especially in the Northeast of the country have ...
Hardefeldt LY, Gilkerson JR, Billman-Jacobe H, Stevenson MA, Thursky K, Browning GF, Bailey KE.Antimicrobial resistance is a public health emergency, placing veterinary antimicrobial use under growing scrutiny. Antimicrobial stewardship, through appropriate use of antimicrobials, is a response to this threat. The need for antimicrobial stewardship in Australian veterinary practices has had limited investigation. A 2016 survey undertaken to investigate antimicrobial usage patterns by Australian veterinarians found that antimicrobial dose rates were varied and often inappropriate. Doses of procaine penicillin in horses and cattle were often low, with 68% and 90% of respondents, respective...
Muirhead TL, Wichtel JJ, Stryhn H, McClure JT.Serum selenium (Se), vitamin E, and resting thyroid hormone concentrations were measured in 201 horses in Prince Edward Island (PEI). Selenium concentrations were either marginal (0.0053 to 0.1200 ppm) or deficient (< 0.0053 ppm) in 79% of horses based on current reference ranges for Se in serum. Aged and young adult pleasure horses had a higher prevalence of inadequate Se concentrations compared to racehorses and broodmares (82% and 97% versus 45% and 72%, respectively). Overall, 13% of horses had inadequate (< 200 μg/dL) serum vitamin E concentrations; most of these were young pleasure hors...
Nielsen MK, Fritzen B, Duncan JL, Guillot J, Eysker M, Dorchies P, Laugier C, Beugnet F, Meana A, Lussot-Kervern I, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.Development of resistance of several important equine parasites to most of the available anthelmintic drug classes has led to a reconsideration of parasite control strategies in many equine establishments. Routine prophylactic treatments based on simple calendar-based schemes are no longer reliable and veterinary equine clinicians are increasingly seeking advice and guidance on more sustainable approaches to equine parasite control. Most techniques for the detection of equine helminth parasites are based on faecal analysis and very few tests have been developed as diagnostic tests for resistan...
Chiers K, Deschaght P, De Baere T, Dabrowski S, Kotlowski R, De Clercq D, Ducatelle R, Vaneechoutte M.Routine cultivation methods are able to distinguish between isolates of the Mycobacterium avium and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. However, molecular tools are needed to further identify the several subspecies in the M. avium complex, especially for the subspecies avium and silvaticum. A rapid technique using HhaI restriction digestion of a 349 bp amplification product of the 85B antigen (α-antigen) gene was used for the identification of M. avium subsp. silvaticum in a three-year-old gelding presenting with caseous, necrotizing, granulomatous lesions. The result was confirmed by seq...
Dinter Z, Klingeborn B.Six cases of paresis occurred in a Swedish stud with 48 mares and a stallion. Complement-fixation tests revealed a recent infection with EHV-1 in most horses of the stud. Serumneutralisation tests showed rapid antibody-titre increases during the course of the disease. This type of antibody response was interpreted as induced by reinfection or, possibly, recurrent infection. Two diseased mares were sacrificed. No virus could be isolated from their central nervous system (CNS), liver or spleen, but there is a presumptive evidence for the presence of an antigen specific to EHV-1 in the CNS and li...
Bollig ER, Granick JL, Webb TL, Ward C, Beaudoin AL.Antimicrobials are critical for medicine, but the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effectiveness of these valuable drugs. In USA, there are no national- or state-level programs or policies in place to track antibiotic use (AU) in dogs, cats, and horses, despite acknowledgement of this sector's importance to both the AMR problem and its solution. AU measurement is a key part of antibiotic stewardship and AMR prevention. This study aimed to fill existing gaps in the veterinary professions' knowledge of antibiotic prescribing in small animals and horses. To address this aim...
Ybañez AP, Ybañez RHD, Talle MG, Arreglo RMT, Geens MJC, Villas JGI, Villar SR, Laruga CL, Cao S, Moumouni FPA, Liu M, Igarashi I, Xuan X.Theileria equi and Babesia caballi are tick-borne protozoan parasites that can cause anemia in horses. In the Philippines, serological detection of these parasites has only been reported in the Northern area (Luzon). In this study, 105 horses from Cebu and Bohol, Philippines were tested using peripheral blood smear examination (PBSE), immunochromatographic test (ICT) strips, and PCR. Clinical history, presenting clinical signs and complete blood count were obtained. Results revealed that although all horses were negative using PBSE, 23 (21.9%) were positive (12 for T. equi, and 11 for B. cabal...
Barros SC, Ramos F, Fagulha T, Duarte M, Henriques AM, Waap H, Luís T, Costa T, Amador R, Quintans S, Fevereiro M.West Nile fever (WNF) is an emergent disease in Europe, under surveillance in the European Union. Following a 5-year period of apparent silence (autumn 2010 to summer 2015), West Nile virus (WNV) reemerged in the South of Portugal, in July 2015. Here we present data from the onset, geographic location within mainland Portugal, and outcome of clinical cases of WNV infection in horses in 2015 and 2016. During the transmission seasons of 2015 and 2016, twenty-seven horses, most symptomatic (n=20) were found positive to IgM, pr-E immunoglobulins and VNT, leading to the subsequent report to Animal ...
Baumann S, Gurtner C, Marti H, Borel N.Species of genus are important pathogens of animals, with a worldwide distribution and broad host range. Some species, such as , also pose a zoonotic disease risk. Abortion is one of the many diseases that has been associated with chlamydial infections in animals, with most attention focused on the economic impacts to sheep production. The role of chlamydia in equine abortions is unknown. Using the family-specific 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) real-time PCR, we tested 169 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded fetal membrane samples from 162 equine abortion cases collected between 2000 and 2018 in Swi...
Omar H, Hambidge M, Firmanes B, Shabandri AM, Wilsher S.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) presents a unique environment in which to breed horses with a non-physiological breeding season coupled with high temperatures and humidity for much of the year. This study aimed to describe bacterial isolates from the uteri of mares in the UAE and compare them to those reported elsewhere in the world. Bacterial antibiotic resistance was also analyzed to give a starting point for future monitoring. A total of 2,022 swabs taken over five breeding seasons from the endometrium (n = 1,350) or from uterine lavages (n = 672) were submitted for microbiological cultu...
Alvarez I, Gutierrez G, Vissani A, Rodriguez S, Barrandeguy M, Trono K.We developed and validated an agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID) test for the diagnosis of equine infectious anemia (EIA) using as antigen the p26 protein of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) produced in the Escherichia coli expression system. The developed rp26-AGID test showed an excellent diagnostic relative sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%) compared to a commercial AGID assay when 1855 field serum samples were analyzed. In addition, the rp26-AGID demonstrated to be a precise assay with excellent repeatability and reproducibility. In the analytical sensitivity trial, positive ...
Waller AS, Jolley KA.'Strangles', caused by infection with the bacterium Streptococcus equi, remains one of the most commonly diagnosed and important infectious diseases of horses world-wide. This review discusses the diagnosis and pathogenesis of strangles with particular attention to the significance of persistent infections in disease transmission and the rapid progress now being made towards the development of effective preventative vaccines. It is now possible combine recent sequence data from the N-terminal region of the SeM protein and reassign the SeM alleles using the on-line database http://pubmlst.org/s...
Swanberg JE, Clouser JM, Westneat SC, Marsh MW, Reed DB.Animal production is a dangerous industry and increasingly reliant on a Latino workforce. Within animal production, little is known about the risks or the occupational hazards of working on farms involved in various aspects of thoroughbred horse breeding. Extant research suggests that horse workers are at risk of musculoskeletal and respiratory symptoms, kicks, and other injuries. However, limited known research has examined the experiences of the industry's workers, including immigrant workers, despite their prominence and increased vulnerability. Using data collected from thoroughbred farm r...
Dor Z, Shnaiderman-Torban A, Kondratyeva K, Davidovich-Cohen M, Rokney A, Steinman A, Navon-Venezia S. is a major causative pathogen of human and animal gastroenteritis. Antibiotic resistant strains have emerged due to the production of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) posing a major health concern. With the increasing reports on ESBL-producing Enterobacterales that colonize companion animals, we aimed to investigate ESBL dissemination among ESBL-producing (ESBL-S) in hospitalized horses. We prospectively collected ESBL-S isolates from hospitalized horses in a Veterinary-Teaching Hospital during Dec 2015-Dec 2017. Selection criteria for ESBL-S were white colonies on CHROMagarESBL plate...
Schvartz G, Farnoushi Y, Berkowitz A, Edery N, Hahn S, Steinman A, Lublin A, Erster O.In this report we describe the molecular and pathological characteristics of West Nile virus (WNV) infection that occurred during the summer and fall of 2018 in avian species and equines. WNV is reported in Israel since the 1950s, with occasional outbreaks leading to significant morbidity and mortality in birds, high infection in horses and humans, and sporadic fatalities in humans. Methods: Animal and avian carcasses in a suitable condition were examined by post-mortem analysis. Tissue samples were examined for WNV by RT-qPCR and the viral load was quantified. Samples with sufficient material...
Sevá Ada P, Funada MR, Souza Sde O, Nava A, Richtzenhain LJ, Soares RM.The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of Cryptosporidium in domestic animals in rural properties surrounding rain forest fragments within the municipality of Teodoro Sampaio, southeastern Brazil. Conventional sucrose flotation method followed by molecular characterization of the parasites by sequencing PCR products amplified from SSU rRNA gene were used. Stool samples were collected from domestic animals raised as pets and livestock in all rural properties surrounding three forest fragments. Samples from cattle (197), equine (63), pigs (25), sheep (11), and dogs (28) were collecte...
Baldacchino F, Cadier J, Porciani A, Buatois B, Dormont L, Jay-Robert P.Urine volatiles from different ungulates (cows, horses and sheep) were tested as bait for tabanids in southeastern France using Nzi traps during the early summer of 2011. Tabanus bromius Linnaeus, 1758 and Atylotus quadrifarius (Loew, 1874) (both: Diptera: Tabanidae) were the most captured species, respectively representing 57% and 41% of all tabanids collected (all of which were female). Horse urine significantly increased catches of T. bromius (1.6-fold) and A. quadrifarius (3.5-fold), and sheep urine significantly increased catches of A. quadrifarius (2.5-fold). In parallel, an electroanten...
Lupo A, Haenni M, Saras E, Gradin J, Madec JY, Börjesson S.A predominance of the bla/IncHI1 plasmid combination in horses has been reported in Czech-Republic, Denmark, and The Netherlands. To clarify a possible specific plasmid epidemiology of bla in horses in a European perspective, a collection of 74 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli recovered from diseased horses in France and Sweden during the period 2009-2014 was investigated in respect of their genetic relatedness, plasmid content, and molecular features. Overall, 80% of E. coli isolates from diseased horses harbored bla on large IncHI1 plasmids with plasmid sequence ty...
Ohta C, Hoshi A, Goto H, Tsunoda N, Tagami M, Akita H.Epizootiological and virological studies were conducted on foal diarrhea occurring in 3 foal-raising locations in a light horse farm from March to July, 1987. At the first location, although 27 (75%) of 36 foals had developed diarrhea, the isolation rate of rotavirus (RV) was low (5/14 feces, 36%). Many of the foals had the disease as early as 23 days after birth. At the second and third locations, 21 (27%) of 78 foals and 41 (76%) of 54 foals were affected with diarrhea. Isolation rates of RV were 90% (20/22 feces) and 100% (26/26 feces), respectively. The diseased cases were observed through...
Mota MD, Abrahão AR, Oliveira HN.The aim of the present study was to investigate genetic parameters for racing time in Thoroughbred horses racing at distances between 1000 and 1600 m subdivided into 100-m intervals. The data provided by TURFETOTAL Ltda comprised races that occurred in the Gávea and Cidade Jardim race tracks over a period of 11 years (1992-2002) and consisted of 32,145 races and 238,890 time records. The variance components necessary to obtain the heritability and repeatability estimates of the traits studied were estimated with the MTDFREML program, and animal age at race (3 years old or younger, 4, 5 and ol...
Costantini D, Seeber PA, Soilemetzidou SE, Azab W, Bohner J, Buuveibaatar B, Czirják GÁ, East ML, Greunz EM, Kaczensky P, Lamglait B, Melzheimer J....Viruses may have a dramatic impact on the health of their animal hosts. The patho-physiological mechanisms underlying viral infections in animals are, however, not well understood. It is increasingly recognized that oxidative stress may be a major physiological cost of viral infections. Here we compare three blood-based markers of oxidative status in herpes positive and negative individuals of the domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus) and of both captive and free-ranging Mongolian khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus) and plains zebra (Equus quagga). Herpes positive free-ranging animals had signifi...
Kornaś S, Gawor J, Cabaret J, Molenda K, Skalska M, Nowosad B.The prevalence of infection with cyathosthomes of horses is high worldwide. Identification of species on infective larvae based on available morphological keys is not fully accurate and the aim of the present study was to provide a reliable identification key of cyathostomes infective larvae. At the abattoir, horse large intestines were examined and the cyathostomes females extracted and identified. The eggs from uteruses of identified cyathostomes females were used for breeding the infective larvae. Morphological parameters of Cyathostominae infective larvae, i.e. the length of the larvae wit...
Robinson CS, Timofte D, Singer ER, Rimmington L, Rubio-Martínez LM.Bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of septic synovial samples allows instigation of targeted antimicrobial therapy; however, bacterial culture takes more than 24 h and has low sensitivity. This study aimed to identify the most frequently cultured bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility profile from septic synovial samples in our referral equine hospital, to allow recommendations regarding appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy prior to culture results. Hospital records for all horses with synovial sepsis and a synovial sample submitted to the microbiology l...
Abbott Y, O'Mahony R, Leonard N, Quinn PJ, van der Reijden T, Dijkshoorn L, Fanning S.A complete gene cassette contained in a class 1 integron from a multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolate of Acinetobacter baumannii cultured from a horse was characterized by molecular methods. Methods: Template genomic DNA purified from the A. baumannii isolate was investigated by PCR. A gene cassette-associated amplicon was detected and completely characterized. Results: A 2.6 kbp DNA fragment containing four gene cassettes was amplified from the MDR A. baumannii isolate. Sequence analysis showed it was similar to sequences recently reported in Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens and an Esch...
Alford P, Geller S, Richrdson B, Slater M, Honnas C, Foreman J, Robinson J, Messer M, Roberts M, Goble D, Hood D, Chaffin M.Risk factors for equine laminitis were examined in a prospective case-control study of the 258 cases seen at six collaborating veterinary teaching hospitals over a 32-month period. Case-control pairs were matched on institution, clinician, and season of diagnosis. The 90% of case-control pairs (78 acute, 155 chronic) that had complete data for age, gender, and breed were used in separate conditional logistic-regression models for acute and chronic laminitis. There was an increase in risk for horses with acute laminitis from 5 to 7 years of age (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.3-16) and from 13 to 31 years of...
Fesseha H, Mathewos M, Kidanemariam F.Gastrointestinal helminth parasite infection is a major influencing factor against profitability of working equines all over the world. Objective: A study was conducted from October 2016 to May 2017 in and around Hosaena to determine the efficacy of benzimidazole (BZ) and avermectin (AVM) chemical groups against strongyle nematodes in working donkeys. Methods: A total of 230 donkeys from Hosaena, Soro, Anlemo, and Gombora were randomly allocated into 5 groups of 46 donkeys in each group. All groups, except group 1 (control), were treated with ivermectin 1%, ivertong 10%, fenbendazole, and Fena...
Weber MN, Mosena ACS, Baumbach LF, da Silva MS, Canova R, Dos Santos DRL, Budaszewski RDF, de Oliveira LV, Soane MM, Saraiva NB, Bellucco FT....Flaviviruses as West Nile virus (WNV), Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), Ilhéus virus (ILHV), and Rocio virus (ROCV) are previously reported in different Brazilian regions, but studies in Southern Brazil are still scarce. To improve the information regarding flaviviruses in Southern Brazil, horse serum samples were analyzed using RT-qPCR and a commercial ELISA-Ab against WNV followed by PRNT. All 1000 samples analyzed by real-time RT-PCR resulted negative. The 465 subsampled samples were analyzed by a commercial ELISA-Ab against WNV, and the 18.5% (86/465) positive samples were further a...
