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.
Zolzaya B, Selenge T, Narangarav T, Gantsetseg D, Erdenechimeg D, Zinsstag J, Schelling E.Mongolia implemented a brucellosis livestock mass vaccination campaign from 2000 to 2009. However, the number of human cases did not decline since 2004 and the current epidemiological situation in Mongolia was uncertain. The objective of this study was to estimate the representative seroprevalences of humans and livestock in two provinces in view of their comparison with officially reported data. A representative cross-sectional study using cluster sampling proportional to size in humans, sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, horses, camels and dogs was undertaken to assess the apparent seroprevalence i...
Akkutay AZ, Osterrieder N, Damiani A, Tischer BK, Borchers K, Alkan F.Equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2) and EHV-5 are members of the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae. The viruses are detected in horses with upper respiratory tract disease and are associated with low performance in racehorses. The aim of the current study was to use nested PCR to investigate the epidemiology of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in Arabian horse populations from breeding farms located in three different cities (Eskişehir, Malatya, and Bursa) in Turkey, using a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) with a TaqMan® minor-groove-binder (MGB) probe to detect EHV-5. Screening of blood and ocular and nasal swab...
Paßlack N, Mainzer B, Lahrssen-Wiederholt M, Schafft H, Palavinskas R, Breithaupt A, Neumann K, Zentek J.The concentrations of specific elements in the equine liver and kidneys are of practical relevance since horses are not only food-producing animals, but also partially serve as an indicator for the environmental pollution, as the basic feed includes plants like grass, grain and fruits. In this study, the concentrations of strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), antimony (Sb), selenium (Se) and lead (Pb) were measured in the liver, renal cortex and renal medulla of 21 horses (8 male; 13 female; aged between 5 months-28 years), using indu...
Escalona EE, Okell CN, Archer DC.Crib-biting and windsucking (CBWS) behaviour in horses has been associated with increased risk of colic in general, recurrence of colic and specific forms of colic. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of colic within a population of horses that display CBWS behaviour and to identify risk factors for colic. Methods: Owners/carers of horses in the general UK equine population that display CBWS behaviour were invited to participate in a questionnaire-based survey about the management and health of these horses. Data were obtained for a number of variables considered to ...
Casseb Ado R, Nunes MR, Rodrigues SG, Travassos da Rosa ES, Casseb LM, Casseb SM, da Silva SP, Rodrigues ED, Vasconcelos PF.The Amazon as a whole is the largest reservoir of arboviruses worldwide, while the Brazilian Amazon hosts the largest variety of arboviruses isolated to date. In this study, the results of an indirect sandwich IgG ELISA, standardized for 19 arbovirustypes circulating among horses in Brazilian Amazon, were compared to results of the hemagglutination inhibition test. A screening test assessed the conditional probability distribution and a Pearson linear correlation test determined the correlation strength among the absorbance values recorded for viruses from the same family. Results: Sensitivity...
Damiani AM, de Vries M, Reimers G, Winkler S, Osterrieder N.A particularly severe equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) abortion outbreak occurred at a breeding farm in northern Germany. Sixteen of 25 pregnant mares that had received regular vaccination using an inactivated vaccine aborted and two gave birth to weak non-viable foals in a span of three months, with 89% of cases occurring within 40 days after the initial abortion case. Virological examinations revealed the presence of EHV-1 in all cases of abortion and serological follow-up in mares confirmed recent infection. Molecular studies identified a neuropathogenic variant (Pol/ORF30 A2254 to G2254) ...
Michlik KM, Biazik AK, Henklewski RZ, Szmigielska MA, Nicpoń JM, Pasławska U.Quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) are congenital heart defects and have been described in both human and veterinary medical literature. Methods: A 5-year-old half-bred bay stallion was referred for surgical castration. Cardiac murmurs were heard on the presurgical clinical examination and the cardiac examination revealed subcutaneous oedema, tachycardia with a precodrial thrill and a grade 5/6 pansystolic murmur, which was heard on auscultation of the right and left side of the chest. Examination of the B-mode echocardiograms revealed the presence of a QAV (on...
Balasuriya UB, Lee PY, Tiwari A, Skillman A, Nam B, Chambers TM, Tsai YL, Ma LJ, Yang PC, Chang HF, Wang HT.Equine influenza (EI) is an acute, highly contagious viral respiratory disease of equids. Currently, equine influenza virus (EIV) subtype H3N8 continues to be the most important respiratory pathogen of horses in many countries around the world. The need to achieve a rapid diagnosis and to implement effective quarantine and movement restrictions is critical in controlling the spread of EIV. In this study, a novel, inexpensive and user-friendly assay based on an insulated isothermal RT-PCR (iiRT-PCR) method on the POCKIT™, a field-deployable device, was described and validated for point-of-nee...
Vairo S, Saey V, Bombardi C, Ducatelle R, Nauwynck H.In the last two decades, outbreaks of equine viral arteritis (EVA) have been reported in Europe, but little is known about these European isolates of equine arteritis virus (EAV). EAV European strain (08P178, EU-1 clade) isolated from one of these recent outbreaks is able to cause clinical signs on experimental infection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the microscopical lesions induced by this isolate after experimental infection of ponies. Animals were killed at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days post infection (dpi). At 3 dpi, lesions were essentially restricted to the respiratory tract a...
Guo PF, Chen TT, Tsaihong JC, Ho GD, Cheng PC, Tseng YC, Peng SY.Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium. A total of 436 horse fecal samples were collected from 19 farms, and acid-fast staining method was used for primary screening. Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in 161 samples, among which 33 positive sample were selected for nested PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing of 18 S rDNA, showing 31 samples to be bovine C. parvum and 2 C. felis. The methods employed in this study should be useful as tools to identify cryptosporidiosis genotypes and species of livestock.
Ewers C, Stamm I, Pfeifer Y, Wieler LH, Kopp PA, Schønning K, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Scheufen S, Stolle I, Günther S, Bethe A.To investigate the clinical relevance and molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella species in animals. Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibilities and presence of ESBLs were examined among Klebsiella spp. (n = 1519) from clinical samples (>1200 senders from Germany and other European countries) mainly from companion animals and horses from October 2008 to March 2010. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and PFGE were performed including human isolates for comparative purposes. Results: The overall ESBL rate was 8% for Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pne...
Morsy AT, Saleh MS, Morsy TA.A zoonosis is an animal disease that is transmissible to humans. Humans are usually an accidental host that acquires disease through close contact with an infected animal, who may or may not be symptomatic. Children are at highest risk for infection because they are more likely to have close contact with pets. Pets are responsible for transmission of an extensive array of bacterial, fungal, and parasitic zoonotic pathogens. The route of transmission can be through the saliva (e.g., bites or contaminated scratches), feces, respiratory secretions, direct contact, or by the animal acting as a veh...
Cauchard J, Soldan A, Madeline A, Johnson P, Büscher P, Petry S.To evaluate the reproducibility of routine serological methods to detect Trypanosoma equiperdum antibodies in equine sera, two inter-laboratory ring trials were organized involving 22 European and 4 non-European reference laboratories for dourine. The serological methods were the complement fixation test (CFT; 25 laboratories) and the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT; 4 laboratories). Three of the laboratories applied both these methods. The sample panels were composed of sera that were negative, positive or suspected for dourine. Of the negative sera, one was from a donkey naturally i...
Qingling M, Guanglei W, Jun Q, Xinquan Z, Tianli L, Xuemei S, Jinsheng Z, Huisheng W, Kuojun C, Chuangfu C.Hydatid worms, hosted by humans and animals, impose serious human health risk and cause significant livestock production loss. To better understand the disease infection status in Xinjiang, China, we investigated the disease epidemics in 4 livestock animals, i.e., cattle, sheep (both sheep and goat), camels, and horses, slaughtered at the abattoirs in Urumqi, Yining, Tacheng, and Altay areas. The results showed that the animals were infected at different rates, in the order of sheep (9.8%), cattle (8.4%), camels (6.8%), and horses (4.3%). The infection rates were found to be different between ...
Thomson PC, Hayek AR, Jones B, Evans DL, McGreevy PD.Significant proportions of horses leave the Australian Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing industries, which has ramifications for both the economic sustainability and the public perception of racing. The aim of this study was to quantify potential horse wastage, describe the destinations of exiting horses and identify risk factors for horses going to these destinations. Methods: Questionnaires were sent to 1258 selected Thoroughbred and 981 Standardbred trainers, with response rates of 30% and 32%, respectively. The survey investigated the role of various risk factors for wastage, including ...
Smith C, Skelly C, Kung N, Roberts B, Field H.Hendra virus causes sporadic but typically fatal infection in horses and humans in eastern Australia. Fruit-bats of the genus Pteropus (commonly known as flying-foxes) are the natural host of the virus, and the putative source of infection in horses; infected horses are the source of human infection. Effective treatment is lacking in both horses and humans, and notwithstanding the recent availability of a vaccine for horses, exposure risk mitigation remains an important infection control strategy. This study sought to inform risk mitigation by identifying spatial and environmental risk factors...
Velie BD, Raadsma HW, Wade CM, Knight PK, Hamilton NA.Post exercise epistaxis, the manifestation of a severe form of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH), has been observed in many equine racing populations. Although multiple analyses have suggested that non-genetic factors may lead to the development of this condition, relatively little consensus has been reached regarding its genetic aetiology. The objective of this study was to provide insight into both genetic and non-genetic factors that may contribute to the expression of epistaxis in the Australian Thoroughbred racing population. Racing records and reported epistaxis occurrences w...
Sumbria D, Singla LD, Sharma A, Moudgil AD, Bal MS.The detection of Trypanosoma evansi in blood is intricate, primarily in chronic stage of infection, as the parasitaemia is often low and fluctuating. The climatic conditions of the target area of Punjab (a province of India with a total of 34,000 horses and ponies used for sports and transport) are conducive for the parasite propagation. The objective of present investigation was to assess the prevalence of T. evansi in central and western Punjab by PCR and card agglutination test (CATT/T. evansi) in relation to clinico-haematobiochemical alterations and risk factors associated with latent try...
Guo X, Izume S, Okada A, Ohya K, Kimura T, Fukushi H.A strain of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) was isolated from zebra. This strain, called "zebra-borne EHV-1", was also isolated from an onager and a gazelle in zoological gardens in U.S.A. The full genome sequences of the 3 strains were determined. They shared 99% identities with each other, while they shared 98% and 95% identities with the horse derived EHV-1 and equine herpesvirus type 9, respectively. Sequence data indicated that the EHV-1 isolated from a polar bear in Germany is one of the zebra-borne EHV-1 and not a recombinant virus. These results indicated that zebra-borne EHV-1 is a ...
Mair TS, Sherlock CE, Boden LA.Few studies have evaluated cortisol concentrations in horses with colic. In humans with septic shock, high cortisol levels are associated with an increased risk of death. The objectives of this study were to compare the serum total cortisol concentrations (STCCs) in horses with colic to those without colic, and to assess whether the STCC relates to the pathological nature or outcome of the disease. STCCs were determined at presentation in horses with colic and in systemically healthy 'control' horses. Horses with colic were grouped based on clinical and clinico-pathological parameters at admis...
Liu H, Yan J, Wang Y, Yan Q, Zhao L, Yan R, He H.Moraxella bovoculi was isolated and identified in ocular fluid samples collected from 9 racehorses with infectious keratoconjunctivitis in China in 2013. All 9 M. bovoculi isolates were hemolytic, Gram-negative diplococci that were phenylalanine deaminase positive. The sequence of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene of the isolates matched the 16S rDNA sequence of M. bovoculi. Amplification of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region followed by AfaI digestion produced a 600-base pair product, a result characteristic of M. bovoculi isolates. The phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rDNA sequence c...
Balasuriya UB, Zhang J, Go YY, MacLachlan NJ.The advent of recombinant DNA technology, development of infectious cDNA clones of RNA viruses, and reverse genetic technologies have revolutionized how viruses are studied. Genetic manipulation of full-length cDNA clones has become an especially important and widely used tool to study the biology, pathogenesis, and virulence determinants of both positive and negative stranded RNA viruses. The first full-length infectious cDNA clone of equine arteritis virus (EAV) was developed in 1996 and was also the first full-length infectious cDNA clone constructed from a member of the order Nidovirales. ...
Balasuriya UB.The primary goals of this chapter are to discuss common viral RNA isolation and purification methods that are routinely used by various diagnostic laboratories, to highlight the advantages and drawbacks of each method, and to identify the most suitable and reliable method to increase the sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR assays for the detection of equine influenza virus (EIV) in clinical specimens. Our experiences and review of literature show that magnetic bead-based nucleic extraction methods (manual and automatic) work well for isolation and purification of EIV RNA from nasal swab spec...
Chambers TM, Reedy SE.Equine influenza viruses are cultured in embryonated hen eggs, or in mammalian cells, generally Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, using methods much the same as for other influenza A viruses. Mutations associated with host adaptation occur in both eggs and MDCK cells, but the latter show greater heterogeneity and eggs are the generally preferred host. Both equine-1 H7N7 and equine-2 H3N8 viruses replicate efficiently in 11-day-old eggs, but we find that equine-1 viruses kill the embryos whereas equine-2 viruses do not.
Balasuriya UB.Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious disease of horses caused by the equine influenza virus (EIV) H3N8 subtype. EI is the most important respiratory virus infection of horses and can disrupt major equestrian events and cause significant economic losses to the equine industry worldwide. Influenza H3N8 virus spreads rapidly in susceptible horses and can result in very high morbidity within 24-48 h after exposure to the virus. Therefore, rapid and accurate diagnosis of EI is critical for implementation of prevention and control measures to avoid the spread of EIV and to reduce the economi...
Chambers TM, Reedy SE.In horses, presumptive diagnosis of equine influenza is commonly made on the basis of clinical signs. This alone is insufficient for confirmation of equine influenza, because other equine infectious respiratory diseases can in some degree have similar clinical presentations. Surveillance and control of equine influenza also necessitate detection of subclinical cases. Effective diagnosis of equine influenza virus infection is critically dependent on obtaining adequate specimens of virus-containing respiratory secretions for testing. These specimens are also valuable as sources for isolation of ...
Van Den Wollenberg L, Vandendriessche V, van Maanen K, Counotte GHM.Straightforward testing procedures to enable the diagnosis of insulin dysregulation (ID) in horses that are suitable for use in daily veterinary practice are needed because of the risk that ID could result in laminitis. In our study (that included 90 horses), we compared the proportion of horses classified as ID-positive, ID-suspect, and ID-not diagnosed according to the basal insulin concentration (BIC) with the proportion of horses classified as ID-positive or ID-negative according to a practical and feasible version of an oral sugar test (OST). Furthermore, BIC, basal glucose concentration,...
Swanberg JE, Clouser JM, Gan W, Mannino DM, Flunker JC.Latino workers are likely exposed to a variety of respiratory hazards in the horse barn, yet the potential impact of these exposures on respiratory health has not been investigated. Methods: Using a community-based sample of 225 Latino horse farmworkers we investigated the prevalence of upper and lower respiratory symptoms and occupational characteristics associated with them. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with respiratory symptomology. Results: Upper respiratory symptoms prevalence ranged from 24% to 45%. Half of workers reported lower respiratory s...
Aklilu N, Batten C, Gelaye E, Jenberie S, Ayelet G, Wilson A, Belay A, Asfaw Y, Oura C, Maan S, Bachanek-Bankowska K, Mertens PP.African horse sickness (AHS) is associated with high morbidity and mortality in equids, especially horses. A retrospective analysis was carried out concerning 737 AHS outbreaks that occurred during 2007-2010 in Ethiopia. A total of ten outbreaks were investigated in the study period. All four forms of the disease (pulmonary, cardiac, horse sickness fever and the combined form) were observed, with the cardiac form being the most prevalent. Multiple African horse sickness virus serotypes (AHSV-2, AHSV-4, AHSV-6, AHSV-8 and AHSV-9) were detected by molecular methods (type-specific real-time RT-PC...
Hain-Saunders NMR, Knight DR, Bruce M, Riley TV.Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile presents a significant health risk to humans and animals. The complexity of the bacterial-host interaction affecting pathogenesis and disease development creates an ongoing challenge for epidemiological studies, control strategies and prevention planning. The recent emergence of human disease caused by strains of C. difficile found in animals adds to mounting evidence that C. difficile infection (CDI) may be a zoonosis. In equine populations, C. difficile is a known cause of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal inflammation, with considerable mortality and morb...
Sundstrom KD, Lineberry MW, Grant AN, Duncan KT, Ientile MM, Little SE.Ticks are common on horses, but recent publications characterizing equine tick infestations in North America are lacking. Methods: To further understand attachment site preferences of common ticks of horses, and to document the seasonality of equine tick infestation in northeastern Oklahoma, horses from eight farms were evaluated twice a month over a 1-year period. Each horse was systematically inspected beginning at the head and moving caudally to the tail. Attachment sites of ticks were recorded and all ticks collected were identified to species and stage. Results: Horses (26 males and 62 fe...
Cole JR, Hall RF, Gosser HS, Hendricks JB, Pursell AR, Senne DA, Pearson JE, Gipson CA.A group of 14 pregnant mares was exposed via contact to 4 mares bred to stallions infected with equine viral arteritis virus. There was a demonstrable febrile response in each donor mare and in 12 of the pregnant mares. All 18 mares became seropositive after exposure. Equine viral arteritis virus was isolated from the nasopharynx of 5 pregnant mares, but not from the donor mares. Ten of the pregnant mares aborted, and virus was isolated from fetal specimens or placenta of 8.
Liccardi G, Emenius G, Merritt AS, Salzillo A, D'Amato M, D'Amato G.Most studies on the sensitization to horse allergens in populations without professional exposure have been carried out in geographical areas where the rate of horse ownership is high and horse riding is popular. Very few studies have been carried out in populations living in large urban areas. This gap in the literature probably reflects the widespread view that prevalence of horse-related allergy is low in urban populations because the latter are not regularly exposed to horses. On the contrary, we suggest that urban areas constitute a model useful to study potential modalities of exposure a...
Esparza J.Mystery surrounds the extent to which horsepox virus may have contributed to the vaccinia virus used to eradicate smallpox. With few documented cases of horsepox in recent years it may never be solved, says José Esparza, who seeks to raise awareness of the potential historical and scientific importance of identifying new cases.
Lynden J, Ogden J, Hollands T.Emerging research highlights how, due to demographic changes in horse owner populations in Western societies, complex owner-horse relationships are leading to inappropriate horse care, including overnutrition, which in turn can lead to laminitis. Farriers, due to their regular visits, may be in a position to support owners in dealing with this problem. Objective: This study explored whether UK farriers have a role in working with horse owners to support horse welfare and prevent laminitis. Methods: Grounded theory analysis, a qualitative methodology. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were co...
Museux K, Arcari G, Rodrigo G, Hennart M, Badell E, Toubiana J, Brisse S.Corynebacteria of the diphtheriae species complex (CdSC) can cause diphtheria in humans and have been reported from companion animals. We aimed to describe animal infection cases caused by CdSC isolates. A total of 18,308 animals (dogs, cats, horses, and small mammals) with rhinitis, dermatitis, nonhealing wounds, and otitis were sampled in metropolitan France (August 2019 to August 2021). Data on symptoms, age, breed, and the administrative region of origin were collected. Cultured bacteria were analyzed for tox gene presence, production of the diphtheria toxin, and antimicrobial susceptibili...
Hooper PT, Williamson MM.The most important clinical and pathological manifestation of Hendra virus infection in horses and humans is that of severe interstitial pneumonia caused by viral infection of small blood vessels. The virus is also capable of causing nervous disease. Hendra virus is not contagious in horses and is spread by close contact with body fluids, such as froth from infected lungs. Diagnosis should be based on the laboratory examination of blood, lung, kidney, spleen, and, if nervous signs are present, also of the brain. Evidence of infection with the more recently identified and related Nipah virus wa...
Holroyd K, Dixon JJ, Mair T, Bolas N, Bolt DM, David F, Weller R.Foot conformation in the horse is commonly thought to be associated with lameness but scientific evidence is scarce although it has been shown in biomechanical studies that foot conformation does influence the forces acting on the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and the navicular bone (NB). The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between foot conformation and different types of lesion within the foot in lame horses. It was hypothesised that certain conformation parameters differ significantly between different types of foot lesions. Conformation parameters were measured on m...
Renshaw RW, Wise AG, Maes RK, Dubovi EJ.A polyomavirus was isolated from the eyes of horses, and the sequence was determined. A nearly identical VP1 sequence was amplified from the kidney of another animal. We report the complete genome sequence of the first polyomavirus to be isolated from a horse. Analysis shows it to be most closely related overall to human and nonhuman primate polyomaviruses.
Gomes FA, Jansen AM, Machado RZ, Jesus Pena HF, Fumagalli MJ, Silva A, Alves BF, Roque ALR, Moraes Figueiredo LT.Arboviruses and protozoans can cause neurologic disorders in horses. In Brazilian Amazon, several horses presenting signs compatible with disorders caused by these infectious agents have been observed. To contribute to the knowledge of this epidemiological picture, we sought to construct a serological diagnostic panel for neurotrophic infectious agents in local horses. A total of 213 blood samples from horses were collected from 29 farms in three municipalities. Samples were evaluated and considered positive when they met the following criteria: titers ≥ 1:80 with the indirect fluorescent an...
Hoffman AM, Staempfli HR, Prescott JF, Viel L.A double-blind randomized clinical trial was undertaken to determine the value of parenterally administered Streptococcus equi M-protein vaccine in foals during an epizootic of strangles. Weaned mixed-breed foals (n = 664) housed on 2 adjacent feed-lots (A and B) arrived over a 5-day period, 2 weeks before primary vaccination. Foals in lot B (n = 114) were randomly administered vaccine (n = 59) or saline solution (placebo; n = 55) on 3 occasions at biweekly intervals. Foals in lot A (n = 450) were given 1 dose of vaccine (n = 225) or placebo. The following clinical observations were scored bli...
Guo PF, Chen TT, Tsaihong JC, Ho GD, Cheng PC, Tseng YC, Peng SY.Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium. A total of 436 horse fecal samples were collected from 19 farms, and acid-fast staining method was used for primary screening. Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in 161 samples, among which 33 positive sample were selected for nested PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing of 18 S rDNA, showing 31 samples to be bovine C. parvum and 2 C. felis. The methods employed in this study should be useful as tools to identify cryptosporidiosis genotypes and species of livestock.
Val-Calvo J, Darcy J, Gibbons J, Creighton A, Egan C, Buckley T, Schmalenberger A, Fogarty U, Scortti M, Vázquez-Boland JA.A multidrug-resistant clone of the animal and human pathogen Rhodococcus equi, MDR-RE 2287, has been circulating among equine farms in the United States since the 2000s. We report the detection of MDR-RE 2287 outside the United States. Our finding highlights the risk for MDR-RE spreading internationally with horse movements.
Peterson AE, Davis MF, Awantang G, Limbago B, Fosheim GE, Silbergeld EK.Animals on farms may be a potential reservoir and environmental source of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Expanded surveillance methods for animal-associated MRSA are needed. To develop an environmental sampling method and to determine the correlation between animal and environmental MRSA positivity in the farm setting, we sampled horses, cattle, and their local environments at several farms in the mid-Atlantic United States. We obtained nasal swabs from 13 racehorses at first visit, and 11 racehorses at the same farm eight weeks later. We also sampled 26 pleasure horses an...
Liu GH, Li JY, Zhu XQ.Setaria digitata is a filarial parasite that causes fatal cerebrospinal nematodiasis in goats, horses and sheep, resulting in substantial economic losses to livestock farmers. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of S. digitata from China was determined, characterized and compared with that of S. digitata from Sri Lanka. The identity of the mt genomes was 98.3% between S. digitata from China and Sri Lanka, and the complete mt genome sequence of S. digitata from China was slightly shorter (25 bp) than that from Sri Lanka. For the 12 protein genes, this comparison reveal...
Budiono NG, Satrija F, Ridwan Y, Handharyani E, Murtini S.Schistosomiasis is endemic in Indonesia and is found in three remote areas in Central Sulawesi Province. Non-human mammals serve as reservoir hosts, meaning the disease is zoonotic. The previous schistosomiasis studies in animals from the Lindu Subdistrict did not determine which domestic animal species can serve as the primary source of transmission. No animals have been treated in Indonesia to control the disease; therefore, the parasite's life cycle is not blocked entirely. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and identify the risk factors associated with, infection in animals, and...
Tsachev I, Baymakova M, Pantchev N.Lyme borreliosis, granulocytic anaplasmosis and monocytic ehrlichiosis are well studied in humans and dogs. In horses, these diseases are not widely investigated and limited information is available about their occurrence. The purpose of this study was to present the first ELISA-based report on the seroprevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi in horses from Northern Bulgaria. A total of 192 horses were investigated from three regions in Northern Bulgaria (Northwestern, North-Central and Northeastern Bulgaria). All equine sera were tested for A. phagocyto...
Balendra G, Turner M, McCrory P, Halley W.To provide a breakdown of injury incidence from amateur jump racing (also known as point to point racing) in Great Britain and Ireland during 1993-2006 and to compare the injury epidemiology with professional horse racing in Great Britain, Ireland and France. Methods: Retrospective review. Methods: Great Britain and Ireland. Methods: Amateur jockeys. Methods: Injury rates. Results: Injury data suggest that point to point racing is more dangerous from an injury point of view than professional jump racing, which has previously been shown to be more dangerous than flat racing. Amateur jockeys hav...
Camino E, Schmid S, Weber F, Pozo P, de Juan L, König M, Cruz-Lopez F.Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and louping-ill virus (LIV) are two closely related zoonotic flaviviruses leading to neurological diseases and belonging to the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) serocomplex. Both viruses are transmitted by the same ixodid tick vector, Ixodes ricinus. Due to global warming affecting vector biology and pathogen transmission, the viruses pose an emerging threat for public health in Europe and Asia. These flaviviruses share some hosts, like sheep, goats and humans, although the main hosts for LIV and TBEV are sheep and small rodents, respectively. Whereas LIV has ...
Spence KL, O'Sullivan TL, Poljak Z, Greer AL.Horses are a highly mobile population, with many travelling locally, nationally, and internationally to participate in shows and sporting events. However, the nature and extent of these movements, as well as the potential impact they may have on disease introduction and spread, is not well documented. The objective of this study was to characterise the movement network of a sample of horses in Ontario, Canada, over a 7-month equestrian season. Horse owners (n = 141) documented their travel patterns with their horse(s) (n = 330) by completing monthly online questionnaires between May and Novemb...
Aleman M, Shapiro K, Sisó S, Williams DC, Rejmanek D, Aguilar B, Conrad PA.Recent reports of Sarcocystis fayeri-induced toxicity in people consuming horse meat warrant investigation on the prevalence and molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. infection in horses. Sarcocysts in skeletal muscle of horses have been commonly regarded as an incidental finding. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of sarcocysts in skeletal muscle of horses with neuromuscular disease. Our findings indicated that S. fayeri infection was common in young mature horses with neuromuscular disease and could be associated with myopathic and neurogenic processes. The number of in...
Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Walmsley EA, Whitton RC.Little is known about the types of surfaces used during training of Thoroughbred racehorses or methods of exercise used in addition to ridden track-work. Our aims were to (1) describe the types of surfaces used in the training of Thoroughbred racehorses and to (2) identify alternative approaches used to exercise horses in addition to, or in place of, ridden overground track-work. Information regarding surface and alternative exercise methods was collected as part of an in-person survey of training practices of 66 registered Thoroughbred trainers in Victoria, Australia. Sand and synthetic surfa...
Went HA, Scare JA, Steuer AE, Nielsen MK.Recommendations for control of equine strongylid parasites are based on regular determination of fecal egg counts to identify high strongylid shedders and to evaluate treatment efficacy. The McMaster technique has long been used as the standard egg counting technique in equine veterinary practice in most parts of the world, but recent work has found the Mini-FLOTAC technique to perform with significantly better accuracy and precision. The Mini-FLOTAC system comes with a homogenizing device, termed the Fill-FLOTAC, and it has been hypothesized that this device might have a significant impact on...
Begg AP, Johnston KG, Hutchins DR, Edwards DJ.A survey of 2 horse populations was done to detect the number of asymptomatic faecal excretors of Salmonella sp. 1201 faecal samples from 250 horses hospitalised at the University of Sydney were cultured. Three serotypes, S. typhimurium (4 horses), S. anatum (2) and S. tennessee (1) were isolated from 7 horses (2.8%). None was detected in 75 mares similarly examined at a thoroughbred stud farm. In retrospect, S. typhimurium was also the most common (70%) of the 19 serotypes recovered from 171 horses with clinical salmonellosis seen at Camden, 1969 to 1986. Forty cases occurring since 1983 were...
Fu ZF, Robinson AJ, Horner GW, Dickinson LG, Grimmett JB, Marshall RB.The epizootiology of equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2) infection was investigated in Thoroughbred foals on a stud farm which in previous years had suffered economic loss due to respiratory disease. Sixteen pairs of foals and their dams were selected for this study and all of the foals became infected with EHV-2 by two to four months of age. These animals responded serologically to the virus infection as detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). EHV-2 infection persisted in these foals for two to six months with constant or intermittent virus recovery. This persistent infection ...
Crispe EJ, Lester GD, Secombe CJ, Perera DI.Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is commonly implicated as a cause of poor athletic performance but there is limited and conflicting evidence for this association. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if EIPH, based on endoscopic examination after racing, is associated with a variety of novel and established performance parameters. Methods: Prospective, observational cross-sectional study. Methods: Thoroughbred racehorses competing between 2012 and 2015 were examined on-course no earlier than 30 min after racing. Examinations were recorded and graded blindly by experi...
