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.
Santos TM, Santos HA, Massard CL.The aim of this study was to demonstrate, through nested PCR (nPCR) method, the occurrence of congenital babesiosis in two foals born of carrier mares. All mares were positive for T. equi based in visualization of intraerytrocytic parasites in blood smears, in indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and nPCR reactions. Just one mare was nPCR-positive for B. caballi. After the birth, all foals presented nPCR-positive for T. equi, while just one foal presented nPCR-positive for B. caballi. The present study prove the occurrence of congenital babesiosis in new-born foals, however, new studies a...
Golynski AA, Fernandes KR, Baldani CD, Golynski AL, Madeiro AS, Machado RZ, Botteon Pde T, Massard CL.This research was performed to study the prevalence of antibodies against Babesia equi in horses of the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul state, using ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFA). The total sera sample was 380, this number was considered as statistically representative of the population, as determined by mathematical model. The prevalence of B. equi was 31.6% and 35.8% by ELISA and IFA, respectively. The concordance between the assays was 0.87 (indices kappa), which is considered an optimal result. The results did not show any significant statistical difference...
De Almeida JC, Augusto Mde M, Da Silva TG, De Toledo PS, De Souza DF, Antunes J, Molento MB.The objective of this work was to determine the quantitative prevalence of Anoplocephala sp. in thoroughbred horses raised in São José dos Pinhais, PR using the modified centrifugal-flotation technique. Repeatability values for the eggs per gram (EPG) were evaluated at 28-day intervals. The coproparasitological tests were made in 28 one-year old animals, 25 two-year old animals and 28 mares during the 2007 period of January 31st and June 15th. In the comparison of EPG, all mares presented low values than the foals (P = 0.04). The prevalence results indicated 50, 18 and 40% Anoplocephala sp. ...
Davis EG, Zhang Y, Tuttle J, Hankins K, Wilkerson M.West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus capable of causing encephalitic disease in horses. Unvaccinated horses are at risk for developing WNV disease in endemic geographic regions. Effective vaccination reduces disease frequency and diminishes disease severity in vaccinated individuals that become infected with WNV. Recent data indicate CD4+ lymphocytes are required for effective protection against disease; in particular, cross talk between CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes must be functional. The objective of this project was to investigate immune responses in horses throughou...
Sebastian MM, Bernard WV, Riddle TW, Latimer CR, Fitzgerald TD, Harrison LR.An epidemic of early fetal loss (EFL), late fetal loss (LFL), fibrinous pericarditis, and unilateral uveitis which occurred during the spring of 2001, are together now known as the mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS). A similar epidemic with less intensity was reported during the same period of time from southern Ohio, West Virginia, and Tennessee. The same syndrome with lesser intensity recurred in 2002. The estimated economic loss from the syndrome in 2001 and 2002 together was approximately $500 million. Both EFL and LFL were characterized by the absence of specific clinical signs in abo...
Fortier G, Pronost S, Miszczak F, Fortier C, Léon A, Richard E, Van Erck E, Thiry E, Lekeux P.During a case control study undertaken in 2006-2007, a screening and consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to evaluate the potential role of equid herpesviruses (EHV) in several occurrences of respiratory disorders in 661 horses. Of 785 bronchoalveolar or tracheal lavage fluid samples submitted for analysis, 20 were positive for EHV-5 DNA by sequential analysis of the consensus PCR product. Nineteen of those samples were confirmed using a specific EHV-5 PCR. No particular changes in cytological profile could be associated with the detection of EHV-5 in contrast to suggestions...
Arroyo LG, Hayes MA, Delay J, Rao C, Duncan B, Viel L.Calcification of large arteries has been sporadically reported in horses. The pathogenesis is still unknown, but recent studies in humans suggest that this is a regulated biomineralizing process. This study surveyed the prevalence, distribution, and severity of vascular calcification in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses. Histopathologic, ultrastructural imaging, and energy dispersive X-ray elemental analyses were used to examine the lesions. Calcification of the tunica media, predominantly the pulmonary artery, was found in 82% of horses (83/101). Young adult horses (mean [SD] age in ye...
Epp T, Waldner C, Corrigan R, Curry P.West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses was first reported in Canada in 2001 and in the province of Saskatchewan in 2002. This paper outlines the surveillance results of WNV in Saskatchewan horses from 2003 to 2005 and describes the usefulness of its inclusion in an integrated surveillance program in Saskatchewan. The number of human and horse cases was highest in 2003, the epidemic year and then substantially lower in 2004 and 2005. Horses provided additive information about WNV activity in rural areas with low human population, however, this required willingness and active participation by...
Magnarelli LA, Bushmich SL, Anderson JF, Ledizet M, Koski RA.A polyvalent ELISA and plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) were used to measure serum antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) in horses naturally exposed to or vaccinated against this flavivirus in Connecticut and New York State, USA. Relying on a PRNT as a 'gold standard', the main objective was to validate a modified ELISA containing a recombinant WNV envelope protein antigen. It was also important to assess specificity by testing sera from horses that had other, undiagnosed illnesses. Sera for the latter study were obtained from 43 privately owned horses during 1995-1996. Analyses by ...
Infection with Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common parasitic infections of human being and other warm-blooded animals. It has been found worldwide from Alaska to Australia. Public health organizations repeatedly encourage the collection of accurate data about T. gondii in animals and humans due to its medical importance as a major source of parasitic zoonosis. For these reasons, epidemiological updates on toxoplasmosis in livestock are strongly advised also to plan control strategies. In the present paper, seroprevalence data on T. gondii that have been recorded in livestock from diffe...
The Journal of traumaAugust 13, 2008
Volume 65, Issue 2 447-460 doi: 10.1097/TA.0b013e31817dac43
Loder RT.It was the purpose of this study to review equestrian-related injuries using a large nation wide database and analyze predictors of significant injury. Methods: The National Electronic Surveillance System database was queried for equestrian injuries from 2002 to 2004. The presence of a fracture, dislocation, traumatic brain injury, musculoskeletal injury, orthopedic injury, and spinal injury, as well as injury mechanism, geographical location, and emergency room disposition were noted. Bivariate, cosinor seasonal, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. p < 0.01 was considere...
Kiss K, Swatek P, Lénárt I, Mayr J, Schmidt B, Pintér A, Höllwarth ME.The purpose of the present study was to investigate factors affecting the nature, characteristics, severity and outcome of horseback and horse care injuries in paediatric patients and to create guidelines for injury prevention. Methods: Detailed clinical records of 265 children sustained horse-riding related injuries have been analysed. Questionnaires were mailed to provide follow-up information for patients who have been treated in either Department of Paediatric Surgery in Pécs, Hungary, or Department of Paediatric Surgery in Graz, Austria between 1999 and 2003. Those 112 children (42%) who...
Young R, Taylor JE, Kurioka A, Becker M, Louis EJ, Rudenko G.African trypanosomes (including Trypanosoma brucei) are unicellular parasites which multiply in the mammalian bloodstream. T. brucei has about twenty telomeric bloodstream form Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) expression sites (BESs), of which one is expressed at a time in a mutually exclusive fashion. BESs are polycistronic transcription units, containing a variety of families of expression site associated genes (ESAGs) in addition to the telomeric VSG. These polymorphic ESAG families are thought to play a role in parasite-host adaptation, and it has been proposed that ESAG diversity might ...
Hyera JM, Baipoledi EK.A retrospective serological survey of African horse sickness (AHS) in Botswana covering a 10-year period (1995-2004) is reported. The survey involved horses showing clinical symptoms of the disease; the horses had not been vaccinated against AHS. Over the period surveyed, serological evidence suggestive of infection with AHS virus (AHSV) was found in 99 clinical cases out of which 41.4% (41/99) cases were found during the 1st half (1995-1999) and 58.6 % (58/99) cases were found in the 2nd half of the survey period (2000-2004). These serological findings are discussed in relation to AHSV seroty...
Perkins GA, Goodman LB, Dubovi EJ, Kim SG, Osterrieder N.Early identification of inhalation-transmitted equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infections has been facilitated by the availability of a number of real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) tests. A direct comparison between nasal swab qPCR and traditional virus isolation (VI) requires a method for normalizing the qPCR samples and controlling for PCR inhibitors present in some clinical samples. Objective: To quantify EHV-1 shedding in viral swabs using an internal control and to compare fast qPCR to VI for the detection of EHV-1 in nasal swabs from horses. Methods: Fifteen horses experimentally infect...
McCue ME, Valberg SJ, Lucio M, Mickelson JR.A missense mutation in the GYS1 gene was recently described in horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). Objective: The first objective was to determine the prevalence of the GYS1 mutation in horses with PSSM from diverse breeds. The second objective was to determine if the prevalence of the GYS1 mutation differed between horses diagnosed with PSSM based on grade 1 (typically amylase-sensitive) or grade 2 (typically amylase-resistant) polysaccharide. Methods: Eight hundred and thirty-one PSSM horses from 36 breeds. Methods: Horses with PSSM diagnosed by histopathology of skeletal mus...
Dede S, Değer Y, Değer S, Tanritanir P.We have determined the plasma concentrations of copper, zinc, copper/zinc ratio, and carbonic anhydrase activity in horses infected with Babesia equi. The study was conducted in 14 horses with the disease and 10 healthy animals that served as controls. The infection was confirmed by the clinical manifestations of the disease and by Giemsa staining of thin blood smears showing the parasites inside red blood cells. The horses with piroplasmosis had lower plasma levels of zinc, elevated copper, and increased activity of carbonic anhydrase. Consequently, the copper/zinc ratio was also higher than ...
von Teichman BF, Smit TK.The polyvalent African Horsesickness (AHS) attenuated live vaccine (ALV) produced by Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) Ltd., South Africa, has been associated with some safety concerns and alleged cases of vaccine failure or vaccine-induced disease. The risk of reassortment and reversion to virulence is a common concern associated with the use of ALVs, and a phenomenon reported for viruses with segmented RNA genomes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not reassortment of AHS vaccine strains could result in reassortants and reversion to virulence and therefore cause AHS...
Kriegshäuser G, Cullinane A, Kuechler E, Skern T.Equine rhinitis B virus 1 (ERBV1), genus Erbovirus, family Picornaviridae, is a pathogen of horses which causes clinical and subclinical infection of the upper respiratory tract in horses. The virus is widespread in European horse populations and the current standard method for the detection of antibody against ERBV1 is by virus neutralisation (VN). VN tests, however, are labour-intensive and time-consuming, require tissue culture facilities, and generally do not provide same-day results. In this study, a protocol for the high-level expression and purification of recombinant virion protein 1 (...
Marti E, Gerber V, Wilson AD, Lavoie JP, Horohov D, Crameri R, Lunn DP, Antczak D, Björnsdóttir S, Björnsdóttir TS, Cunningham F, Dérer M....Allergic diseases occur in most mammals, although some species such as humans, dogs and horses seem to be more prone to develop allergies than others. In horses, insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), an allergic dermatitis caused by bites of midges, and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), a hyperreactivity to stable born dust and allergens, are the two most prevalent allergic diseases. Allergic diseases involve the interaction of three major factors: (i) genetic constitution, (ii) exposure to allergens, and (iii) a dysregulation of the immune response determined by (i) and (ii). However, other e...
Davis LE, Beckham JD, Tyler KL.Arboviruses continue to be a major cause of encephalitis in North America, and West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease is now the dominant cause of encephalitis. Transmission to humans of North American arboviruses occurs by infected mosquitoes or ticks. Most infections are asymptomatic or produce a flulike illness. Rapid serum or cerebrospinal fluid IgM antibody capture ELISA assays are available to diagnosis the acute infection for all North American arboviruses. Unfortunately, no antiviral drugs are approved for the treatment of arbovirus infection and current therapy is supportive.
Zimmerman KL, Crisman MV.This article is presented with two main goals: (1) to provide equine clinicians with a resource for identifying types of serum tests available and (2) to outline briefly the necessary sample type, assay principle, and relative strengths and weakness of the various methods. Specific etiologies are presented and grouped by clinical diagnosis categories, along with brief comments concerning each disorder and its relevant diagnostic assays. This organization provides an abstracted list of infectious disorders commonly considered for the various clinical presentations and a summary of available ser...
van den Boom R, Ducro B, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.An Internet-based questionnaire among horse owners was carried out to identify factors affecting the incidence of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBHI) among horses in the Netherlands. Information was obtained for 794 horses of various breeds, but the breed distribution was not representative for the Dutch horse population. Of the horses for which information was available, 56% suffered from IBH and 44% did not. The most common clinical symptoms were pruritus, scaling, and hair loss, occurring mainly at the base of the tail and along the mane. Breed, age, region (and local habitat), stabling, ty...
Egenvall A, Penell J, Bonnett BN, Blix J, Pringle J.Colic is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in horses. In Sweden, an insurance database with diagnostic medical information is maintained on >30% of the nation's horse population. Objective: The objective was to describe the occurrence of colic, defined by costly veterinary care and life claims, in horses at 1 insurance company during 1997-2002. HORSES: All horses (<21 years of age) with complete insurance for veterinary care and life during the period 1997-2002 were included. Methods: Colic was defined as conditions where the main clinical sign was abdominal pain and the prob...
Gamble HR, Gajadhar AA, Solomon MB.Twelve horses were infected with various doses of Trichinella spiralis and then tested for infection using direct (artificial digestion) and indirect (enzyme immunoassay) methods. Horses became infected in a dose-dependent manner. Larvae accumulated preferentially in the tongue, followed by the masseter, neck, supraspinatus, trapezius, and diaphragm. At lower infection levels, the tongue harbored several times more parasites than were found in other tissues. The sensitivity of artificial digestion methods for detecting infections was directly related to sample size. One-gram samples were not r...
Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Proudman CJ, Morgan KL, Wood JL, French NP.We identified risk factors associated with falling during steeplechase racing. We used retrospective data from all steeplechase runs on UK racecourses during 1999: 10,866 starts with 647 horse falls. The relationship between continuous variables and falling was assessed using generalised additive models (GAMs). Polynomial fits then were included in a multilevel, multivariable logistic-regression model. The number of runners had a linear, positive association with the risk of falling. The distance of the race had a non-linear relationship with the risk of falling; the risk steadily increased in...
Kondo T, Fukunaga Y, Sekiguchi K, Sugiura T, Imagawa H.To examine antibodies against equine arteritis virus (EAV), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using purified virus antigen was developed. The results of ELISA were compared with those of serum neutralization (SN) tests. The ELISA absorbance values and the SN titers in sera collected weekly from EAV-infected horses showed a similar pattern. The ELISA could detect antibody to EAV in horses experimentally infected with not only a homologous virus strain, which was used as the ELISA antigen, but also a heterologous strain. Using the ELISA, serum samples collected in 1996 from racehorses...
Jackson K, Kelty E, Tennant M.Peripheral dental caries is defined as macroscopic destruction of the calcified dental tissues and can cause considerable dental pathology and pain. It appears to occur at a high prevalence in Western Australian horses. At present, risk factors for the condition are poorly understood, making treatment and prevention difficult. Objective: To assess the prevalence of and potential risk factors for peripheral caries in Western Australian horses. Methods: Cross-sectional, epidemiological study. Methods: A survey of 500 Western Australian horses was administered in two sections. The first section w...
Rushton J, Tichy A, Brem G, Druml T, Nell B.There are no studies on the ophthalmic health status in the Lipizzaner breed. Objective: To perform an ophthalmological survey in a closed herd in 3 housing systems. Methods: All horses at the Federal Stud Piber, Heldenberg and the Spanish Riding School Vienna were subjected to ophthalmological examination. Findings were documented and correlated with factors such as age, gender, location and housing situation. The interrelation of abnormalities of different regions was determined by calculating accuracy. Pedigree analysis of horses affected by cataract was performed. Results: A total of 267 h...
Magnarelli LA, Anderson JF.In a retrospective study, indirect fluorescent-antibody staining methods were used to detect immunoglobulins to Ehrlichia canis and Ehrlichia risticii in canine and equine sera that had originally been analyzed for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. Analyses of 60 dog serum specimens collected in Connecticut and New York State during 1986 revealed antibodies to E. canis in 7 (11.7%) specimens; titration endpoints ranged from 1:40 to 1:320. Three of these dogs had anemia. Of the 187 equine serum specimens obtained in Connecticut during 1985 and analyzed by indirect fluorescent-antibody stainin...
Mota SL, Dos Santos LO, Vidaletti MR, Rodrigues RO, Coppola MM, Mayer FQ.Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern that must be addressed from a one health perspective. Horses are companion animals and their contact with humans facilitates exchange of resistant bacteria. This study aimed to evaluate AMR of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CoPS), including Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from healthy Crioulo horses. Swab samples from nostrils (n = 214) and skin (n = 107) of 107 horses from Porto Alegre, South Brazil, were used for CoPS isolation. The isolates were evaluated for AMR and a multivariate logistic regression was applied to identify the ris...
Buono F, Veronesi F, Pacifico L, Roncoroni C, Napoli E, Zanzani SA, Mariani U, Neola B, Sgroi G, Piantedosi D, Nielsen MK, Veneziano V.Donkeys have been used as working animals for transport and farm activities worldwide. Recently, in European countries, there has been an increasing interest in donkeys due to their use as pets, onotherapy or milk production. During 2014-2016, a countrywide survey was conducted to determine prevalence and risk factors of principal helminth infections in 1775 donkeys in 77 Italian farms. A questionnaire on management and parasite control practices was filled out for each farm. Faecal samples were examined using a modified McMaster technique, a centrifugation/flotation method and a sedimentation...
Frankel HL, Haskell R, Digiacomo JC, Rotondo M.A 3-year chart survey and questionnaire was conducted of equestrian-injured patients at a regional trauma center to determine patterns and consequences of injury and rate of recidivism. Ninety-two patients (95 encounters) were treated; most were young (mean age, 27 +/- 11 years) women (84%) riders sustaining falls (80%). Most injuries were orthopedic (47%); 19 per cent of patients required hospital admission. There was one death. Helmet use was documented in only 34 per cent. Eighty-one per cent of patients responded to a follow-up telephone survey; 36 per cent recounted additional accidents (...
Martínez-López B, Perez AM, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM.The identification of premises that may play an important role in the introduction or spread of animal diseases is fundamental to the development of risk-based surveillance and control programs. A combination of geo-statistical and cluster analysis methods was used to identify geographical areas and periods of time at highest risk for introduction of the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) into the Castile and Leon (CyL) region of Spain. Risk was estimated based on the predicted premises-specific abundance of Culicoides spp., a vector for AHSV, and on the frequency of equine introductions from...
Yamanaka T, Nemoto M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Kondo T, Matsumura T, Gildea S, Cullinane A.Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious disease caused by viruses of the H3N8 subtype. The rapid diagnosis of EI is essential to reduce the disease spread. Many rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests for diagnosing human influenza are available, but their ability to diagnose EI has not been systematically evaluated. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the performance of 22 RAD tests in the diagnosis of EI. Methods: The 22 RAD tests were performed on fivefold serial dilutions of EI virus to determine their detection limits. The four most sensitive RAD tests (ImmunoAce Flu, BD Flu ...
Valcek A, Sismova P, Nesporova K, Overballe-Petersen S, Bitar I, Jamborova I, Kant A, Hrabak J, Wagenaar JA, Madec JY, Damborg P, van Duijkeren E....The relatedness of the equine-associated ST1250 and its single- and double-locus variants (ST1250-SLV/DLV), obtained from horses in Europe, was studied by comparative genome analysis. A total of 54 isolates of ST1250 and ST1250-SLV/DLV from healthy and hospitalized horses across Europe [Czech Republic (n=23), the Netherlands (n=18), Germany (n=9), Denmark (n=3) and France (n=1)] from 2008-2017 were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. An additional 25 draft genome assemblies of ST1250 and ST1250-SLV/DLV were obtained from the public databases. The isolates were compared for genomic feature...
Elata A, Mossaad E, Satti R, Matar N, Ohari Y, Xuan X, Inoue N, Suganuma K.In Sudan, donkeys are important animals, providing transportation and income possibilities. However, the prevalence of parasites in donkeys in Sudan has not been thoroughly characterized. Accordingly, in this study, we aimed to detect selected hemoprotozoan parasites in donkeys in West Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan, wherein people depend mainly on donkeys for their daily life. In total, 198 blood samples collected from donkeys in a local market in West Omdurman, were screened using serological and molecular diagnostic techniques. Serologically, 52 (26.3%), 56 (28.3%), and 19 (9.6%) samples w...
Davis EG, Zhang Y, Tuttle J, Hankins K, Wilkerson M.West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus capable of causing encephalitic disease in horses. Unvaccinated horses are at risk for developing WNV disease in endemic geographic regions. Effective vaccination reduces disease frequency and diminishes disease severity in vaccinated individuals that become infected with WNV. Recent data indicate CD4+ lymphocytes are required for effective protection against disease; in particular, cross talk between CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes must be functional. The objective of this project was to investigate immune responses in horses throughou...
Malekinejad H, Fink-Gremmels J.Molds and mycotoxins are contaminants of animal feed causing spoilage and clinical intoxication. Animal exposure to mycotoxins reflects diet composition with major differences occurring between animals kept predominantly of pastures, i.e. ruminants and horses, and those consuming formulated feed like pigs and poultry. Mixed feeds are composed of several ingredients, often sourced from different continents. Subsequently, practitioners may confront endemic diseases and signs of toxin exposure related to toxins imported accidentally with contaminated feed materials from other countries and contin...
Ruohoniemi M, Tulamo RM, Hackzell M.Of 462 Finnhorses (age 1-20 years) evaluated and graded (scale 0-5) radiographically for ossification of the collateral cartilages of the 3rd phalanx of the front feet, 22.9% were totally free from sidebones (Grade 0), and 49.1% had minimal or mild ossification (Grade 1 or 2) at the base of 1 or more of the cartilages. Moderate ossification (Grade 3) was present in 10.2% of the horses, whereas ossification was advanced (Grade 4) or extensive (Grade 5) in 17.8%. In most horses > 1 cartilage was affected and 7.6% of the horses had separate centres of ossification in 1 or more of the cartilages. ...
Issel CJ, Adams WV, Foil LD.Progeny of a band of horses, positive by the agar-gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for equine infectious anemia (EIA) antibody, were observed through their weaning over a 4-year period. Sentinels (AGID test-negative) were allowed to mingle with EIA-infected mares and their foals in pasture situations in an area with high populations of potential vectors. Of 27 adult sentinels, 8 (30%) seroconverted in annual rates ranging from 0% to 75%. In contrast, only 2 of 31 (6%) foals weaned became infected. Difference in infection rates between adult sentinels and foals was significant (chi 2, P less tha...
Beyer MJ, Freestone JF, Reimer JM, Bernard WV, Rueve ER.Five thoroughbred foals (4 fillies and 1 colt), all in good to excellent body condition, ranging in age from 4 days to 5 weeks at the time of onset of signs, were presented to 2 Kentucky equine hospitals from 1992 through 1996. All 5 foals presented with tachycardia, hyperhidrosis, diarrhea or a recent history of diarrhea, and muscle rigidity or stiff gait. Four of the 5 foals presented for recumbency, seizure-like activity with opisthotonos, or pronounced extensor muscle rigidity. All 5 foals were hypocalcemic. All foals either died or had euthanasia performed. None responded to oral calcium ...
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...
Clarke AF.This paper reviews the environmental and host factors which interact to affect the incidence and severity of episodes of respiratory disease in stabled horses. The folly of accepting housing criteria and management practices for the horse, based on direct extrapolations from intensive housing of meat producing animals, is discussed. The factors which affect air hygiene and physical environment of stables are considered in terms of short-term athletic performance and long-term welfare.
Elshafie EI, Sani RA, Hassan L, Sharma R, Bashir A, Abubakar IA.A cross-sectional study was designed to assess the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Trypanosoma evansi infection among horses, using a total of 527 blood samples obtained from eight states in Peninsular Malaysia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on risk factors associated with T. evansi seroprevalence. The overall seroprevalence detected by card agglutination test for T. evansi (CATT/T. evansi) was 13.90% (73/527, CI: 11.2-17.1%). Female and exogenous horses showed a higher risk in association with the disease seroprevalence compared to other groups. The major...
Stiller L, Depczynski J, Fragar L, Franklin R.Child injury on farms is a significant public health problem. This article describes the evidence and consultation base for development of a national strategy for child safety on farms in Australia. Methods: A data profile describing farm child injury was compiled, with evidence for the effectiveness of solutions being defined and the strength of recommendations determined. Representative working groups played a key role in assessing the evidence and advising on the best ways to communicate prevention messages within the farming community. Results: The main risks identified were drowning; farm...
Colles CM.In a survey of 95 control horses and 16 horses with navicular disease, the incidence of erosions and discoloration of the flexor cartilage of the navicular bone was no different between the control horses and those with navicular disease. All cases of navicular disease showed thrombosis of the distal navicular nutrient arteries and this could be related to a change to a rounded or flask shape of the distal nutrient foramen of the navicular bone. Erosions and discoloration of the navicular bone are therefore of no significance in navicular disease. Previously described lines of treatment are of...
Schemann K, Toribio JA, Taylor MR, Ward MP, Dhand NK.To evaluate the level of biosecurity training among Australian equine veterinarians and to assess their perceptions of biosecurity and infectious disease risk and their opinions about the management of the 2007 equine influenza (EI) outbreak. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A survey was conducted among equine veterinarians attending the 2010 annual conference of the Equine Veterinarians Australia (EVA) in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected using a self-completed questionnaire and analysed using Fisher's exact tests to assess veterinarians' levels of biosecurity training, ...
Brewer K, Shults TF, Machin J, Kudrimoti S, Eisenberg RL, Hartman P, Wang C, Fenger C, Beaumier P, Tobin T.Three low concentration methamphetamine "positive" tests were linked to use of a methamphetamine-contaminated trailer to transport the affected horses. This incident establishes methamphetamine as a human-use substance that can inadvertently enter the environment of racing horses, resulting in urinary methamphetamine "positives;" an interim regulatory cut-off of 15 ng/mL for methamphetamine in post-race urine is proposed. Trois tests «positifs» de faibles concentrations de méthamphétamine ont été associés à l’utilisation d’une remorque contaminée par les méthamphétamines qui é...
Pitzer JB, Kaufman PE, Hogsette JA, Geden CJ, Tenbroeck SH.Beginning in November 2007 and continuing until December 2009, weekly stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), surveillance was conducted at four equine facilities near Ocala, FL, by using alsynite sticky traps for adults and by searching immature developmental sites for pupae. Adult stable fly trap captures were highly variable throughout the year, ranging from 0 to 1,400 flies per trap per farm. The greatest adult stable fly activity was observed during the spring months of March and April, with weekly three-trap means of 121 and 136 flies per farm, respectively. The importance of cultural cont...
McCluskey BJ, Mumford EL.Physical trauma, dietary factors, certain toxins, immune mediated disorders, and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection are known causes of stomatitis in horses. There is evidence that some outbreaks of equine stomatitis are caused by as yet unidentified infectious agents. It remains to be determined whether stomatitis is an emerging equine infectious disease, or if the increase in reported cases is simply the result of greater public awareness as a consequence of widespread outbreaks of VSV in the southwestern United States in recent years. Focused laboratory and epidemiological studies a...
Amer MM, Desouky AY, Helmy NM, Abdou AM, Sorour SS.Strongylid and non-strongylid nematodes are one of the most important parasites infecting equines. The traditional method to identify these nematodes is through coproscopy and fecal culture. Because of the scarcity of data published in Egypt discussing the morphometric features of infective 3 larvae of these nematodes, this study aims to provide a morphometric key for L3 of common strongylid and non-strongylid nematodes infecting Egyptian equines. For this reason, we cultured fecal samples containing GINs eggs and 3 larval stages were identified based on their morphology (i.e., shape and numbe...
Doxey DL, Gilmour JS, Milne EM.A retrospective survey was made of premises in eastern Scotland on which at least two cases of grass sickness had occurred between 1970 and 1987. For comparison, a further survey of 49 equine establishments, on which no grass sickness had been recorded, was conducted from 1986 to 1988. The results indicated that younger animals are more susceptible, especially those in good physical condition grazing full-time in the spring or early summer. Movement to new grazing increases the risk of grass sickness and identifiable stress may contribute. The nature of the establishment governed the animals' ...
Mair TS, Lane JG.Case records are reviewed of 51 adult horses in which a diagnosis of pneumonia, pulmonary abscess or pleuritis had been made. Forty-five horses were afflicted with pneumonia and/or pulmonary abscesses; in 11 of these the infection was primary, whereas in 34 it was secondary to another disease process (inhalation of food or saliva, thoracic trauma, generalised infection, airway disease, neoplasia or thromboembolism). Of the 11 horses with primary pulmonary infections, 10 appeared to be associated with a previous episode of stress; this took the form of long distance travel in eight cases. There...
