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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.
Associations of health status and conformation with longevity and lifetime competition performance in young Swedish Warmblood riding horses: 8,238 cases (1983-2005). To determine associations of health status and conformation with competition longevity and lifetime performance in young Swedish Warmblood riding horses. Methods: Cohort study and genetic analysis. Methods: 8,238 horses. Methods: Horses were examined for health, conformation, and performance from 1983 to 2005, when they were 4 to 5 years old, and competition results from 1983 to 2012 were evaluated. Associations between conformation, health, and talent scores of young horses and longevity (years in competition) and lifetime performance were analyzed. Odds ratios of competing later in life amon...
Prospective study of the association between exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage and long-term performance in Thoroughbred racehorses. Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is associated with impaired short-term race performance but consequences to long-term race performance of Thoroughbred racehorses are unknown. Knowledge of effects of EIPH on performance over a prolonged time would inform the need for management and treatment of this disorder. Objective: To determine the relationship between EIPH detected on a single occasion and long-term athletic performance in Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Prospective, longitudinal, observational epidemiological study conducted from 2003 to 2012. Methods: Seven hundred and f...
Diagnosis of subclinical equine theileriosis in center of Iran using parasitological and molecular methods. A total of 105 blood samples from healthy horses from different stables in Yazd province, center of Iran, were examined for the presence of Theileria equi infection using parasitological and molecular methods. Out of the 105 samples, the parasitological method detected T. equi infection in 5 (4.76%) cases while the PCR method gave 24 (22.86%) positive results. Age, gender and breed were not determined as risk factors for T. equi infection in this study. Since blood samples were taken from healthy animals, this implies that 22.86% of horses had subclinical theileriosis in the current study. In ...
Management and horse-level risk factors for recurrent colic in the UK general equine practice population. Recurrent colic occurs frequently in the general horse population but little evidence exists about what factors place horses at greater risk of recurrent colic. Objective: To quantify time-varying and non time-varying risk factors for recurrent colic among horses attended by first-opinion veterinary surgeons in northwest England. Methods: Nested case-control study. Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted on data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study of 127 horses recruited subsequent to an episode of medical colic. Data were collected on management and recurrent colic episode...
Successful control of winter pyrexias caused by equine herpesvirus type 1 in Japanese training centers by achieving high vaccination coverage. Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is a major cause of winter pyrexia in racehorses in two training centers (Ritto and Miho) in Japan. Until the epizootic period of 2008-2009, a vaccination program using a killed EHV-1 vaccine targeted only susceptible 3-year-old horses with low antibody levels to EHV-1 antigens. However, because the protective effect was not satisfactory, in 2009-2010 the vaccination program was altered to target all 3-year-old horses. To evaluate the vaccine's efficacy, we investigated the number of horses with pyrexia due to EHV-1 or equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) infecti...
Molecular identification of the agent of Q fever – Coxiella burnetii – in domestic animals in State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over the last recent years, the number of Q fever cases have has increased throughout the world. An epidemiological investigation was performed in the area in which the first molecular documentation of Q fever in Brazil was previously reported. Methods: Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and PCR of Coxiella burnetii targeting the htpAB gene were performed in samples from 14 dogs (blood); 1 cat (blood); 10 goats (blood, milk, vaginal swab and anal swab); 3 sheep (blood); and 2 horses (blood). Results: Two dogs, two sheep and five goats were seroreactive. DNA was amplified from 6 milk and 2...
Eastern equine encephalitis cases among horses in Brazil between 2005 and 2009. Eastern equine encephalitis is a viral zoonosis that exhibits complex distribution and epidemiology, and greater importance should be given to this disease by the public-health authorities. In Brazil, although eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) has been identified in vectors and antibodies are sometimes detected in horses and humans, there have been no records of equine encephalitis in horses caused by this virus during the last 24 years. This study describes eighteen cases of eastern equine encephalomyelitis that occurred in six Brazilian states between 2005 and 2009. Viral RNA was iden...
Genetics of upper and lower airway diseases in the horse. Genetic predispositions for guttural pouch tympany, recurrent laryngeal neuropathy and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) are well documented. There is also evidence that exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage and infectious diseases of the respiratory tract in horses have a genetic component. The clinical expression of equine respiratory diseases with a genetic basis results from complex interactions between the environment and the genetic make-up of each individual horse. The genetic effects are likely to be due to variations in several genes, i.e. they are polygenic. It is therefore unlikel...
Prevalence and species of ticks on horses in central Oklahoma. Ticks are common on horses, but there is a dearth of contemporary data on infestation prevalence, predominant species, and tick-borne disease agents important in this host. To determine the species of ticks most common on horses and the prevalence of equine exposure to and infection with tick-borne disease agents, ticks and blood samples were collected from 73 horses during May, June, and July of 2010. Adult ticks were identified to species, and antibodies to Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Borrelia burgdorferi were identified using indirect fluorescence antibody assay, a commercial point-...
Serum antibodies and DNA indicate a high prevalence of equine papillomavirus 2 (EcPV2) among horses in Switzerland. The DNA of equine papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) is consistently found in equine papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas, indicating a causal association of EcPV2 in the pathogenesis of these tumours; however, little is known about the prevalence of this virus. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the geno- and seroprevalence of EcPV2 in clinically healthy horses in Switzerland. Methods: Fifty horses presented to the equine department of the university clinic, displaying no skin or mucous membrane lesions or severe signs of other diseases, were sampled. Methods: Cytobrush samples ...
Prevalence of exertional rhabdomyolysis in endurance horses in the Pacific Northwestern United States. Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is a reported syndrome in competing endurance horses; however, the prevalence and cause of ER in this population have not been defined. Objective: To determine the prevalence of ER in a sample of endurance racing horses and investigate factors, including relevant genetic defects, contributing to the occurrence of rhabdomyolysis in this group. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Riders of 101 horses participating in one of four 50-mile (80.5 km) distance races completed a comprehensive questionnaire regarding the medical history, management and perform...
Breed predisposition and heritability of atrial fibrillation in the Standardbred horse: a retrospective case-control study. To assess evidence for genetic contributions to atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Standardbred horse. Methods: Equine referrals to the Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre (OVCHSC) for 1985-2009, and age and gait matched breed registry controls. Methods: Breeds presenting ≥ 5 times annually were tabulated (admission year and diagnosis; total 40,039; AF 396; no AF 39,643), and breed and year effects examined. Heritability and inbreeding coefficients were determined for Standardbred AF cases and racing contemporaries, and odds ratios for AF were calculated for frequently occurring s...
Effects of sub-zero storage temperatures on endoparasites in canine and equine feces. Fecal samples from wild and domestic carnivores are routinely frozen for three days at -80°C to kill eggs of Echinococcus spp., following recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). This is done to decrease the risk of zoonotic infection with these pathogenic cestodes. In addition, it is often necessary to freeze fecal samples collected for research prior to batch processing by a limited number of personnel, especially large numbers of samples or those collected in remote locations. The effect of freezing on the recovery of endopara...
Complete Genome Sequences of Noncoding Regions of Korean Equine H3N8 Influenza Virus. We analyzed the complete genome sequence containing the 3' and 5' noncoding regions (NCRs) of the Korean H3N8 equine influenza virus (EIV), which will provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis, transmission, and evolution of EIV.
Vaccination of horses with a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara virus (MVA) expressing African horse sickness (AHS) virus major capsid protein VP2 provides complete clinical protection against challenge. African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is an arthropod-borne pathogen that infects all species of equidae and causes high mortality in horses. Previously, a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus expressing the protein VP2 of AHSV serotype 4 was shown to induce virus neutralising antibodies in horses and protected interferon alpha receptor gene knock-out mice (IFNAR -/-) against virulent AHSV challenge. This study builds on the previous work, examining the protective efficacy of MVA-VP2 vaccination in the natural host of AHSV infection. A study group of 4 horses was vaccinated twice wit...
Carriage and acquisition rates of Clostridium difficile in hospitalized horses, including molecular characterization, multilocus sequence typing and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates. Clostridium difficile has been identified as a significant agent of diarrhoea and enterocolitis in both foals and adult horses. Hospitalization, antibiotic therapy or changes in diet may contribute to the development of C. difficile infection. Horses admitted to a care unit are therefore at greater risk of being colonized. The aim of this study was to investigate the carriage of C. difficile in hospitalized horses and the possible influence of some risk factors in colonization. During a seven-month period, faecal samples and data relating the clinical history of horses admitted to a veterinary...
Serological response of foals to polyvalent and monovalent live-attenuated African horse sickness virus vaccines. African horse sickness (AHS) is typically a highly fatal disease in susceptible horses and vaccination is currently used to prevent the occurrence of disease in endemic areas. Similarly, vaccination has been central to the control of incursions of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) into previously unaffected areas and will likely play a significant role in any future incursions. Horses in the AHSV-infected area in South Africa are vaccinated annually with a live-attenuated (modified-live virus [MLV]) vaccine, which includes a cocktail of serotypes 1, 3, 4 (bottle 1) and 2, 6-8 (bottle 2) deli...
Epidemiology and reproductive outcomes of EHV-1 abortion epizootics in unvaccinated Thoroughbred mares in South Africa. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is one of the most common causes of infectious abortion in mares. Analysing the demography of outbreaks and detailing subsequent reproductive performance of affected mares will assist in the management of future (threatened) epizootics. Objective: To examine the epidemiology and reproductive outcomes of 2 EHV-1 abortion epizootics with very different patterns of morbidity. Methods: Epidemiological and reproductive data were analysed retrospectively following abortion epizootics associated with EHV-1, but initiated via different routes, among unvaccinated mares on 2...
Viraemic frequencies and seroprevalence of non-primate hepacivirus and equine pegiviruses in horses and other mammalian species. Non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV), equine pegivirus (EPgV) and Theiler's disease associated virus (TDAV) are newly discovered members of two genera in the Flaviviridae family, Hepacivirus and Pegivirus respectively, that include human hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human pegivirus (HPgV). To investigate their epidemiology, persistence and clinical features of infection, large cohorts of horses and other mammalian species were screened for NPHV, EPgV and TDAV viraemia and for past exposure through serological assays for NPHV and EPgV-specific antibodies. NPHV antibodies were detected in 43% of 328 ho...
Serological survey for antibody to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in horses in the USA. Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular microsporidian parasite that can result in clinical and subclinical infection in many species. In the present study, a serological survey was conducted using samples from 105 horses in the state of New Jersey; 49 of the samples were obtained from clinically abnormal animals. Five or 4.8% of 105 serum samples were found to demonstrate reactivity by ELISA with titers of 1:64 to 1:1,024. One of the samples was obtained from a clinically normal horse. Clinical signs and diagnoses from the other animals included lameness, colic, osteochondritis ...
Equine intradermal test threshold concentrations for house dust mite and storage mite allergens and identification of stable acari fauna. House dust mite (HDM) and storage mite (SM) stable fauna and their associated equine intradermal test (IDT) threshold concentrations (TCs) for the midwestern region of the USA are unknown. Objective: To determine IDT TCs and serum IgE concentrations for two HDM and three SM species in clinically normal horses over two seasons, and to identify the mite taxa and habitats in a stable. Methods: Thirty-eight clinically normal horses. Methods: Threshold concentrations for HDMs and SMs were determined using IDT subjective measurements and a statistical model. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was ...
Expression of p53, Ki67, EcPV2- and EcPV3 DNA, and viral genes in relation to metastasis and outcome in equine penile and preputial squamous cell carcinoma. Equine penile and preputial squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a potentially lethal disease of which little is known regarding the relationship between tumour characteristics and prognosis. Objective: To assess the relationship between tumour differentiation grade (tumour subtype), presence of papillomaviruses, expression of viral genes (E2, E6, L1), nuclear proteins p53 and Ki67 and metastasis in equine penile and preputial SCC and to assess the relationship of tumour subtype, presence of papillomavirus type 2, p53 and Ki67 with survival. Methods: Retrospective case-control study using archived...
Development of a peptide ELISA for the diagnosis of Equine arteritis virus. A peptide-based indirect ELISA was developed to detect antibodies against Equine arteritis virus (EAV). Two peptides for epitope C of protein GP5 and fragment E of protein M were designed, synthesized, purified and used as antigens either alone or combined. Ninety-two serum samples obtained from the 2010 Equine viral arteritis outbreak, analyzed previously by virus neutralization, were evaluated by the ELISA here developed. The best resolution was obtained using peptide GP5. The analysis of the inter- and intraplate variability showed that the assay was robust. The results allow concluding tha...
Coprologically diagnosing Anoplocephala perfoliata in the presence of A. magna. Current copro-diagnostic tests for Anoplocephala perfoliata show high variation in their sensitivity and given the morphological similarity of Anoplocephala spp. eggs, this could be related to the presence of Anoplocephala magna alone or co-existing with A. perfoliata. In the present study, coprology was significantly more sensitive (p<0.01) at detecting A. magna than A. perfoliata. This difference was independent of the parasite burden and was greater when testing was limited to horses with mature or gravid tapeworms. A. magna infection was strongly linked to young horses (≤ 2 years). Th...
Efficacy of a non-updated, Matrix-C-based equine influenza subunit-tetanus vaccine following Florida sublineage clade 2 challenge. Assessing the ability of current equine influenza vaccines to provide cross-protection against emerging strains is important. Horses not vaccinated previously and seronegative for equine influenza based on haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay were assigned at random to vaccinated (n=7) or non-vaccinated (control, n=5) groups. Vaccination was performed twice four weeks apart with a 1 ml influenza subunit (A/eq/Prague/1/56, A/eq/Newmarket/1/93, A/eq/Newmarket/2/93), tetanus toxoid vaccine with Matrix-C adjuvant (EquilisPrequenza Te). All the horses were challenged individually by aerosol wi...
Comparison of the sensitivity of coprological methods in detecting Anoplocephala perfoliata invasions. The autopsy of 487 slaughter horses revealed the presence of Anoplocephala perfoliata in 36 animals. The invasions varied in the intensity (3 to 2,069 tapeworms) and in the level of tapeworms' proglottid maturity. Twenty nine horses were found to contain tapeworms with gravid proglottid. Fecal samples collected from the rectum were tested using following techniques: flotation with solution-saturated NaCl, decantation, McMaster's, and modified sedimentation-flotation methods (50 g feces samples, flotation solution-saturated NaCl and sucrose, specific gravity 1.25 g/ml). The number of A. perfoli...
Epizootiological investigation of the most important infectious equine diseases in Greece. During the period 2001 to 2008, a total of 7,872 equine sera were tested at the Centre of Veterinary Institutes of Athens. Antibodies against seven infectious diseases of equids were determined: equine infectious anaemia (EIA), African horse sickness (AHS), equine viral arteritis (EVA), West Nile encephalitis (WNE), glanders, piroplasmosis and dourine. Tests for the four viral diseases found 4.5% seropositivity for EIA, 0% for AHS, 3.3% for EVA and 4% for WNE. All sera tested for glanders antibodies were negative. Tests for piroplasmosis detected antibodies against T. equi and B. caballi in 12...
