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.
Adam E.Emma Adam of the Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky in the USA provides an update on rotaviruses, particularly the group B equine rotavirus identified in 2021.
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a neurological disease caused by Sarcocystis neurona. Immunofluorescence antibody tests (IFATs) have been widely used to identify exposure of horses to S. neurona in Brazil. Here we used IFAT to search for IgG antibodies against Sarcocystis falcatula-like (Dal-CG23) and S. neurona (SN138) in sera from 342 horses sampled in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul state (Midwestern), and São Paulo, São Paulo state (Southeastern), Brazil. The 1:25 cutoff value was chosen to maximize sensitivity of the test. IgG antibodies against S. neurona were detected in ...
Weese JS, Saab M, Moore A, Cai H, McClure JT.To compare PCR and culture results for the detection of subspecies . Respiratory tract samples (N = 158) from horses being tested for Bacterial culture was carried out on samples from which was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. was isolated from 12 (7.6%) samples: 4/9 (44%) samples when the PCR cycle threshold (C) was ≤ 30, 7/30 (23%) when the C was 30.1 to 35, and 1/119 (0.8%) when the C was 35.1 to 40. The highest C sample from a sample that yielded a positive culture was 36.9. The optimal Youden's J value was at a C of 34.2, the same value as determined by number needed to misdi...
Kinoshita Y, Yamanaka T, Kodaira K, Niwa H, Uchida-Fujii E, Ueno T.A two-dose revaccination against tetanus is recommended for horses over 2 years old in Japan with no history of vaccination in the previous year. Here, the need for two-dose revaccination was evaluated in terms of antibody titers for each vaccine type, namely monovalent or multivalent. There was no difference in antibody titers between one- and two-dose regimens for up to 1 year, except at 8 weeks with the multivalent vaccine, and all horses had sufficient antibody titers for 1 year of tetanus prophylaxis. These results suggest that one-dose revaccination, regardless of the vaccine type, is as...
Gillen A, Catherine Archer D.Epidemiologic studies are essential for the generation of evidence-based, preventive health care strategies. This includes ways to minimize colic risk and assist informed decision making concerning diagnosis, treatment, and likely outcomes. It is important to consider that colic is not a simple "disease" but is a syndrome of abdominal pain that encompasses multiple different disease processes, and which is multifactorial in nature. This review focuses on prevention and diagnosis of colic, including specific forms of colic, communications with owners/carers concerning colic risk and management,...
Hassanien RT, Hussein HA, Abdelmegeed HK, Abdelwahed DA, Khattab OM, Ali MH, Habashi AR, Ibraheem EM, Shahein MA, Abohatab EM.Due to climatic changes, arthropod-borne viruses have become a global health concern. In Egypt, West Nile virus (WNV) was initially detected in humans in 1950 and then in 1951, 1954, 1968, and 1989. Although WNV infection has been recorded in numerous Middle Eastern countries, its prevalence among the equine population in Egypt is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the current situation of vector-borne WNV in Egypt, estimate its seroprevalence, and assess the associated risk factors. Unassigned: We screened 1100 sera samples and nasal swabs from the same equids, 156 mosquito pools, and 3...
Durando MM, Slack J, Birks E, Belcher C, Kohn C.Injuries and sudden death during the cross-country (XC) phase of eventing have raised interest in the frequency and types of cardiac arrhythmias occurring in these equine athletes. Objective: To characterise the frequency and types of rhythm disturbances and examine possible risk factors for premature depolarisations (PDs) occurring during the XC phase of United States Eventing Association (USEA) and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI)-sanctioned events. Methods: Prospective, cross-sectional study. Methods: Continuous electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings were obtained from horses prior...
Ikechukwu CK, Qin K, Zhang H, Pan J, Zhang W.Papillomaviruses can be of great medical importance as they infect humans and animals such as Equus species, other livestock and pets. They are responsible for several papillomas and benign tumours in their host. Objective: To describe a novel equid papillomavirus detected in oral swab samples collected from donkeys (Equus asinus) found on the Northwest plateau of China. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Swab samples collected from the oral mucosa of 32 donkeys in the Gansu Province of China, were subjected to viral metagenomic analysis to detect the presence of Papillomavirus. After de novo ...
Nadruz V, Beard LA, Delph-Miller KM, Larson RL, Bai J, Chengappa MM.Prevention of spread of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) after an outbreak is best accomplished by endoscopic lavage of the guttural pouch, with samples tested by culture and real time, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Disinfection of endoscopes must eliminate bacteria and DNA to avoid false diagnosis of carrier horses of S. equi. Objective: Compare failure rates of disinfection of endoscopes contaminated with S. equi using 2 disinfectants (accelerated hydrogen peroxide [AHP] or ortho-phthalaldehyde [OPA]). The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference bet...
Roe H, Macpherson M, Denagamage T, Hopper S, Woodie B, Embertson R.Mare and foal survival are increased with prompt dystocia management. Data regarding mortality outcomes in mares and foals, when mares are recumbent at admission for dystocia resolution, are scarce. Objective: To evaluate recumbency at hospital admission as a risk factor for survival of mares and foals following dystocia management. Subsequent mare fertility was also evaluated. Methods: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Data were obtained from medical records at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital of mares with dystocia between 1995 and 2018. Mare signalment, ambulation status, survival data and foal...
Schwarz ER, Long MT.West Nile virus (WNV) neuroinvasive disease threatens the health and well-being of horses and humans worldwide. Disease in horses and humans is remarkably similar. The occurrence of WNV disease in these mammalian hosts has geographic overlap with shared macroscale and microscale drivers of risk. Importantly, intrahost virus dynamics, the evolution of the antibody response, and clinicopathology are similar. The goal of this review is to provide a comparison of WNV infection in humans and horses and to identify similarities that can be exploited to enhance surveillance methods for the early dete...
Pusterla N, Kalscheur M, Peters D, Bidwell L, Holtz S, Barnum S, Lawton K, Morrissey M, Schumacher S.Little information is presently available regarding the frequency of the silent shedders of respiratory viruses in healthy sport horses and their impact on environmental contamination. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the detection frequency of selected respiratory pathogens in nasal secretions and environmental stall samples of sport horses attending a multi-week equestrian event during the summer months. Six out of fifteen tents were randomly selected for the study with approximately 20 horse/stall pairs being sampled on a weekly basis. Following weekly collection for a to...
Buono F, Veneziano V, Veronesi F, Molento MB.In June 2022, at the XXXII Conference of the Italian Society of Parasitology, the parallels of the main endoparasitic infections of horses and donkeys were discussed. Although these 2 species are genetically different, they can be challenged by a similar range of parasites (i.e. small and large strongyles, and spp.). Although equids can demonstrate some level of resilience to parasites, they have quite distinct helminth biodiversity, distribution and intensity among different geographical locations and breeds. Heavily infected donkeys may show fewer clinical signs than horses. Although parasi...
sub. (SEZ) is described as a commensal bacterium of several animal species, including humans. Growing evidence supports the potential role of SEZ in the onset and progression of severe clinical manifestations of diseases in horses and other animals. In the present communication, we describe the diagnostic procedure applied to characterize the streptococcal infections caused by a novel SEZ sequence type (ST525) in donkeys raised on a farm in Abruzzo, Italy. The diagnostic process began with anamnesis and anatomopathological analysis, which revealed a severe bacterial suppurative bronchopneumo...
Zakia LS, Arroyo LG, Gomez DE, Boerlin P, Surette MG, Lillie BN.Equine enterotyphlocolitis is an inflammatory process of the intestinal tract of horses that is associated with multiple etiologic agents and risk factors. Most clinical cases do not have an etiologic diagnosis. We describe here the pathogens detected and the histologic lesions found in horses with enterotyphlocolitis in Ontario that were submitted for postmortem examination, 2007-2019. We reviewed the medical records of 208 horses that fulfilled inclusion criteria. Cultures were positive in 67 of 208 (32%) equids for Clostridium perfringens, in 16 of 208 (8%) for Clostridioides difficile, and...
Kozytska T, Bassiouny M, Chechet O, Ordynska D, Galante D, Neubauer H, Wareth G.Anthrax is an acute infectious zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis that mostly affects grazing livestock and wildlife. Furthermore, B. anthracis is considered one of the most important biological agents of bioterrorism that could also be potentially misused in biological weapons. The distribution of anthrax in domestic animals and wildlife in Europe with a particular focus on Ukraine as a country of war was analyzed. Between 2005 and 2022, 267 anthrax cases were registered at the World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH) in animals in Europe, including 251 cases in domestic animals ...
Sloan PB, White B, Santschi EM.Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) is common in the femoropatellar joint in Thoroughbred yearlings for sale at auction and there is no consensus on the effect on racing outcomes. Objective: Describe femoropatellar OCD in juvenile Thoroughbreds and compare the racing performance of affected Thoroughbred horses to siblings and unaffected horses from the same sale. Methods: Retrospective case-control study of juvenile horses born 2010-2016. Methods: Radiographic reports from 27 Thoroughbred auctions of weanling (5-11 months of age) and yearling (12-22 months of age) horses were reviewed to ident...
Mendes Junior AAV, Filgueira CPB, Miranda LFC, de Almeida AB, Cantanhêde LM, Fagundes A, Pereira SA, Menezes RC, Cupolillo E.Epidemiological data related to leishmaniases or Leishmania infection in horses are scarce. However, studies carried out in different regions in the world showed equids parasitised by Leishmania braziliensis, L. infantum and L. martiniquensis. Objective: Identify the Leishmania species causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in a mare, living in Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil), and search the presence of Leishmania viruses in the isolated parasite. Methods: Isoenzymes and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting ITSrDNA region followed by sequencing were conducted for typing the isolated parasite. A se...
Mouncey R, Arango-Sabogal JC, de Mestre AM, Verheyen KL.Up-to-date estimates of early-life morbidity and mortality in Thoroughbreds are lacking. Methods: A birth cohort was established on Thoroughbred stud farms across the UK and Ireland. All veterinary interventions for disease or injury between birth and 18 months of age or leaving the study were recorded. Multilevel Poisson regression models with farm and foal as random effects were fitted to estimate incidence rates. Results: Data were available for 3328 foal-months at risk for 275 foals on seven farms. The overall rates of disease and injury requiring veterinary intervention and mortality were...
Anderson C, Baha H, Boghdeh N, Barrera M, Alem F, Narayanan A.Zoonotic pathogens that are vector-transmitted have and continue to contribute to several emerging infections globally. In recent years, spillover events of such zoonotic pathogens have increased in frequency as a result of direct contact with livestock, wildlife, and urbanization, forcing animals from their natural habitats. Equines serve as reservoir hosts for vector-transmitted zoonotic viruses that are also capable of infecting humans and causing disease. From a One Health perspective, equine viruses, therefore, pose major concerns for periodic outbreaks globally. Several equine viruses ha...
Carminatti A, Chitolina MB, Ribeiro AB, Forest M, Collet SG, Prestes AM, Camillo G.To facilitate exploration of the immense range of gastrointestinal parasites in horses and the impact of parasitism on equine health, the present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence and risk factors associated with these infections in horses reared in different management systems in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Samples were collected from 208 horses: 91 from extensive, 64 from semi-extensive, and 53 from intensive rearing systems. The identified helminths included those of the Strongylida order (80.29%), Parascaris equorum (3.36%), Oxyuris equi (4.33%), and Anoplocephala spp. (1.92%...
Oheida AH, Shalgum AA, Alrtib AM, Booker AO, Ben-Naser KM, Davies HMS.Carpal conformation is an important factor in relation to joint soundness. The equine carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) was reported to have variations in its three palmaromedial articulations. Lacking one or more of these articulations has not been radiographically evaluated in Thoroughbred (TB) and Standardbred (SB) racehorses. The study aimed to identify the prevalence of the variation in the palmaromedial articulation of the carpometacarpal joint (PM-CMCJ) in TB and SB horses. Additionally, to detect the probability of having each of the three articulations within and between the breeds. Finall...
Brito G, Damián JP, Suárez G, Ruprechter G, Trigo P.RHU is the oldest endurance sport in Uruguay. However, despite 80 years of racing, there are no studies to characterize this type of competition, explore rates and causes of death, and identify the associated risk factors. The aim was to characterize the Raid Hipico Uruguayo (RHU) competencies according to the distance (short (SR, 60 km) vs. long (LR, 80-115 km)), the causes of deaths, and the associated risk factors. The study population comprised horses ( = 16,856) that participated in RHU rides from 2007 to 2018. LR were more frequent than SR ( < 0.001). The average speed of winners was ...
Riley CB, Padalino B, Rogers CW, Thompson KR.There is an increased understanding of shared human-animal risk in terms of "one welfare", whereby when animals are at risk, so are people, so preventing injury to one species may also prevent injury to the other. Because transport-related injuries to horses are common, the authors considered this paradigm to study road equine transport-related injuries to humans in New Zealand. The aim was to determine their frequency and associated factors by distributing a survey to horse industry participants through industry organisations asking about their horse activities, road transport experiences, an...
Flash ML, Shrestha K, Stevenson MA, Gilkerson JR.The social licence of the Australian thoroughbred (TB) industry relies on the general public's perception of how they manage the animal in their care. Methods: This study examines the horse, race and activity records for the 37,704 horses racing and training in Australia from 1 August 2017 to 31 July 2018. Three-quarters (75%, n = 28,184) of TBs started in one of the 180, 933 race starts that occurred during the 2017-2018 Australian racing season. Results: Horses participating in the 2017-2018 Australian racing season had a median age of 4 years, with geldings more likely to be aged 5 ye...
Ratzlaff FR, Osmari V, da Silva D, de Paula Vasconcellos JS, Pötter L, Fernandes FD, de Mello Filho JA, de Avila Botton S, Vogel FSF, Sangioni LA.Leishmaniasis is a zoonosis caused by protozoan species of the genus Leishmania. It generates different clinical manifestations in humans and animals, and it infects multiple hosts. Leishmania parasites are transmitted by sandfly vectors. The main objective of this systematic review was to identify the host, or reservoir animal species, of Leishmania spp., with the exception of domestic dogs, that were recorded in Brazil. This review included identification of diagnostic methods, and the species of protozoan circulating in the country. For this purpose, a literature search was conducted across...
Ciosek J, Kimes A, Vinardell T, Miller DC, Antczak DF, Brooks S.Valued for their temperament, beauty, athletic ability, and exhibition in the show ring, Arabian horses are an important component of the horse industry. Juvenile idiopathic epilepsy (JIE), a seizure disorder, is most often reported in Arabian foals from birth to 6 months of age. Affected foals exhibit tonic-clonic seizures lasting as long as 5 min and risking secondary complications like temporary blindness and disorientation. Some foals outgrow this condition, while others die or suffer lifelong complications if not treated. Previous work suggested a strong genetic component to JIE and propo...
Trock SC, Meade BJ, Glaser AL, Ostlund EN, Lanciotti RS, Cropp BC, Kulasekera V, Kramer LD, Komar N.West Nile (WN) virus was identified in the Western Hemisphere in 1999. Along with human encephalitis cases, 20 equine cases of WN virus were detected in 1999 and 23 equine cases in 2000 in New York. During both years, the equine cases occurred after human cases in New York had been identified.
Kumar B, Manuja A, Gulati BR, Virmani N, Tripathi BN.Zoonotic diseases are the infectious diseases that can be transmitted to human beings and vice versa from animals either directly or indirectly. These diseases can be caused by a range of organisms including bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Viral diseases are highly infectious and capable of causing pandemics as evidenced by outbreaks of diseases like Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, West Nile, SARS-Corona, Nipah, Hendra, Avian influenza and Swine influenza. Unassigned: Many viruses affecting equines are also important human pathogens. Diseases like Eastern equine encephalitis (...
Pybus OG, Thézé J.Just 5 years ago the hepatitis C virus (HCV) - a major cause of liver disease infecting >3% of people worldwide - was the sole confirmed member of the Hepacivirus genus. Since then, genetically-diverse hepaciviruses have been isolated from bats, dogs, cows, horses, primates and rodents. Here we review current information on the hepaciviruses and speculate on the zoonotic origins of the viruses in humans, horses and dogs. Recent and direct cross-species transmission from horses to dogs appears plausible, but the zoonotic origins of HCV in humans remain opaque. Mechanical transmission by biting ...
Loroño-Pino MA, Blitvich BJ, Farfán-Ale JA, Puerto FI, Blanco JM, Marlenee NL, Rosado-Paredes EP, García-Rejón JE, Gubler DJ, Calisher CH....Serum samples were obtained from 252 horses in the State of Yucatan, Mexico, from July to October 2002. Antibodies to West Nile virus were detected by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in three (1.2%) horses and confirmed by plaque reduction neutralization test. We report the first West Nile virus activity in the State of Yucatan.
Sykes BW, Bowen M, Habershon-Butcher JL, Green M, Hallowell GD.To date, risk factors for equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) have not been described in Thoroughbred racehorses. Objective: To determine management factors associated with EGGD, identify clinical signs in affected horses, and compare these to equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). Methods: The study was carried out on 109 Thoroughbred racehorses from 8 training yards (3 in the United Kingdom and 5 in Australia). Methods: Gastroscopic examination alongside a questionnaire regarding management, feeding, exercise, and health. Results: Management factors and clinical signs were different for...
García-Bocanegra I, Arenas-Montes A, Hernández E, Adaszek L, Carbonero A, Almería S, Jaén-Téllez JA, Gutiérrez-Palomino P, Arenas A.A cross-sectional study was carried out on equids (horses, mules and donkeys) in Andalusia, Southern Spain, to assess the level of exposure to equine piroplasmosis and to investigate risk factors associated with these infections. At least one animal seropositive for Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi was detected in 222/380 (58.4%) herds sampled by competitive inhibition ELISAs. The seroprevalences for B. caballi and T. equi were 13.2% and 56.1%, respectively; there was serological evidence of co-circulation of both piroplasms in 10.8% of herds. Antibodies against equine piroplasms were det...
Weiss M, Steck F, Kaderli R, Horzinek MC.After inoculation into 2 foals, Berne virus induced neutralizing antibody, but did not cause clinical symptoms. In a horizontal study of seropositive mares and their offspring, a decline of maternal antibodies and a sudden synchronous seroconversion in all foals were observed, again without clinical symptoms. The virus is widespread in the Swiss horse population and has been so during the last decade; rises in antibody titers were noted in 9% of paired sera sampled at random. Positive reactions were also obtained in serum neutralization tests and ELISA using small numbers of horse sera from Ge...
Maddox TW, Clegg PD, Williams NJ, Pinchbeck GL.Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to the continued successful use of antimicrobial agents for the treatment of bacterial infections. While the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from man has been studied extensively, less work has been undertaken in companion animals, particularly horses. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been identified as a cause of infections, with a low prevalence of nasal carriage by horses in the community but higher for hospitalised horses. Molecular characterisation has shown methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus...
Walther B, Klein KS, Barton AK, Semmler T, Huber C, Wolf SA, Tedin K, Merle R, Mitrach F, Guenther S, Lübke-Becker A, Gehlen H.Pathogens frequently associated with multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotypes, including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from horses admitted to horse clinics, pose a risk for animal patients and personnel in horse clinics. To estimate current rates of colonization, a total of 341 equine patients were screened for carriage of zoonotic indicator pathogens at hospital admission. Horses showing clinical signs associated with colic (n = 233) or open wounds (n = 108) were selected for microbiological examination of nost...
Aréchiga-Ceballos N, Aguilar-Setién A.Summary Alphaviral equine encephalomyelitis is a mosquito-borne infection that causes severe neurological disease and fatalities in horses and humans in the Americas. Consequently, the equine alphaviruses (Eastern, Western and Venezuelan) are of considerable concern worldwide and are notifiable to the World Organisation for Animal Health. In addition, these diseases are considered a potent potential biological weapon, emphasising the need to develop an effective vaccine. Alphaviral equine encephalomyelitis is caused by Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (EEEV), Western equine encephalomyel...
Padalino B, Hall E, Raidal S, Celi P, Knight P, Jeffcott L, Muscatello G.Equine transportation is associated with a variety of serious health disorders causing economic losses. However; statistics on horse transport are limited and epidemiological data on transport related diseases are available only for horses transported to abattoirs for slaughter. This study analysed reports of transport related health problems identified by drivers and horse owners for 180 journeys of an Australian horse transport company transporting horses between Perth and Sydney (~4000 km) in 2013-2015. Records showed that 97.2% (1604/1650) of the horses arrived at their destination with no...
Avella CS, Ely ER, Verheyen KL, Price JS, Wood JL, Smith RK.It is important to ascertain the prevalence of superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injuries and to improve methods of predicting injury in National Hunt (NH) racehorses. Objective: To establish: 1) the prevalence of SDFT tendinopathy in NH horses; 2) whether routine ultrasonography can be used to predict SDFT injuries; 3) whether previous tendinopathy predisposes to reinjury; 4) a normal range for the SDFT cross-sectional area (CSA); and 5) the effects of gender, age, background (ex-flat or ex-store), limb, training and rest periods on SDFT CSA. Methods: Routine ultrasound assessment of t...
In 2001, West Nile virus (WNV) activity was reported from 359 counties in 27 states and the District of Columbia (DC) to ArboNET, a web-based, surveillance data network maintained by 54 state and local public health agencies and CDC. This activity represented a marked increase from 2000, when WNV activity was reported from 138 counties in 12 states and DC. This report summarizes surveillance data for 2001, which indicate that 66 human illnesses were reported from 10 states and that widespread WNV activity in birds, horses, and mosquitoes extended into the midwestern United States and several s...
Cortinovis C, Caloni F.Alkaloids, nitrogen-containing secondary plant metabolites, are of major interest to veterinary toxicology because of their occurrence in plant species commonly involved in animal poisoning. Based on epidemiological data, the poisoning of cattle and horses by alkaloid-containing plants is a relatively common occurrence in Europe. Poisoning may occur when the plants contaminate hay or silage or when forage alternatives are unavailable. Cattle and horses are particularly at risk of poisoning by Colchicum autumnale (meadow saffron), Conium maculatum (poison hemlock), Datura stramonium (jimson wee...
Ander M, Meiswinkel R, Chirico J.The outbreak of bluetongue (BT) in northern Europe 2006 initiated the monitoring of vectors, biting midges of the genus Culicoides in Sweden. In order to determine the diversity, distribution and seasonal dynamics of Culicoides, weekly collections were made during 2008 and during March-December 2009 using the Ondestepoort Veterinary Institute black light trap. Twenty sampling sites were selected in 12 provinces. In total of 30,704 Culicoides were collected in 2008 and 32,252 in 2009. The most abundant species were the potential vectors of BTV Culicoides obsoletus/C. scoticus that comprised of ...
Hemida MG, Chu DKW, Perera RAPM, Ko RLW, So RTY, Ng BCY, Chan SMS, Chu S, Alnaeem AA, Alhammadi MA, Webby RJ, Poon LLM, Balasuriya UBR, Peiris M.Equine coronaviruses (ECoV) are the only coronavirus known to infect horses. So far, data on ECoV infection in horses remain limited to the USA, France and Japan and its geographic distribution is not well understood. We carried out RT-PCR on 306 nasal and 315 rectal swabs and tested 243 sera for antibodies to detect coronavirus infections in apparently healthy horses in Saudi Arabia and Oman. We document evidence of infection with ECoV and HKU23 coronavirus by RT-PCR. There was no conclusive evidence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in horses. Serological data suggest...
Cerri D, Ebani VV, Fratini F, Pinzauti P, Andreani E.Serological data on leptospira infection were reported and discussed. From 1995 to 2001, the blood serum samples of 9885 domestic and wild animals and humans, living in Northern and Central Italy, were examined by the macroagglutination test (MAT) employing bratislava, ballum, canicola, grippotyphosa, icterohaemorrhagiae, pomona, hardjo and tarassovi serovars as antigens. Considering sera with > or = 1:400 antibody titers as positive, 674 (6.81%) animals scored positive. Sheep, horses, pigs and dogs gave the highest number of positive responses, particularly against the serovar bratislava and,...
Di Sabatino D, Bruno R, Sauro F, Danzetta ML, Cito F, Iannetti S, Narcisi V, De Massis F, Calistri P.West Nile virus (WNV) transmission has been confirmed in the last four years in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin. An increasing concern towards West Nile disease (WND) has been observed due to the high number of human and animal cases reported in these areas confirming the importance of this zoonosis. A new epidemiological scenario is currently emerging: although new introductions of the virus from abroad are always possible, confirming the epidemiological role played by migratory birds, the infection endemisation in some European territories today is a reality supported by the constant r...
Ebani VV, Bertelloni F, Pinzauti P, Cerri D.The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in healthy horses living in 7 provinces of central Italy. In the period 2007-2009, sera from 386 horses were tested by microagglutination test (MAT) to detect antibodies to Leptospira spp., employing the following serovars as antigens: Bratislava, Ballum, Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa, Hardjo, Pomona, Tarassovi. 3 animals were positive for the serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae, 2 to Bratislava, and 1 to Pomona, for a total 1.5% seroprevalence. All sera were examined by immu...
Yondon M, Heil GL, Burks JP, Zayat B, Waltzek TB, Jamiyan BO, McKenzie PP, Krueger WS, Friary JA, Gray GC.Equine influenza virus (EIV) epizootics affect 2.1 million Mongolian horses approximately every 10 years and critically impact economy and nomadic livelihood of Mongolia. Objective: An active surveillance program was established in 2011 to monitor influenza viruses circulating among Mongolian horses. Methods: Nasal swabs were collected from horses in free-ranging horse herds in Töv, Khentii, and Dundgovi aimags (provinces) from January to September 2011. Real-time reversetranscriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) was used to determine the presence of influenza A virus. Influenza A-posi...
Kulikov E, Kropinski AM, Golomidova A, Lingohr E, Govorun V, Serebryakova M, Prokhorov N, Letarova M, Manykin A, Strotskaya A, Letarov A.Lytic coliphage vB_EcoP_G7C and several other highly related isolates were obtained repeatedly from the samples of horse feces held in the same stable thus representing a component of the normal indigenous intestinal communities in this population of animals. The genome of G7C consists of 71,759 bp with terminal repeats of about 1160 bp, yielding approximately 73 kbp packed DNA size. Seventy-eight potential open reading frames, most of them unique to N4-like viruses, were identified and annotated. The overall layout of functional gene groups was close to that of the original N4 phage, with som...
Richt JA, Pfeuffer I, Christ M, Frese K, Bechter K, Herzog S.The geographic distribution and host range of Borna disease (BD), a fatal neurologic disease of horses and sheep, are larger than previously thought. The etiologic agent, Borna disease virus (BDV), has been identified as an enveloped nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus with unique properties of replication. Data indicate a high degree of genetic stability of BDV in its natural host, the horse. Studies in the Lewis rat have shown that BDV replication does not directly influence vital functions; rather, the disease is caused by a virus-induced T-cell mediated immune reaction. Because antibodi...
Kern A, Perreten V.To determine the antibiotic resistance and fingerprint profiles of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) from animal infections among different practices and examine the history of antibiotic treatment. Methods: Isolates were identified by mass spectrometry and tested for antimicrobial resistance by broth dilution, microarrays and sequence analysis of the topoisomerases. Diversity was assessed by PFGE, icaA PCR and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec), arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) and multilocus sequence typing. Clinical records were examined re...
Bigler WJ, Lassing EB, Buff EE, Prather EC, Beck EC, Hoff GL.Research and surveillance programs relating to the circulation of eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus in Florida between 1955 and 1974 are summarized. All available data suggest that EEE virus is 1) endemic in many Florida fresh water swamps and waterways, 2) active in a continuous cycle throughout the year with a peak between May and August, and 3) circulating in Culiseta melanura. It has been isolated also from eight other mosquito species.
Giannitti F, Diab S, Mete A, Stanton JB, Fielding L, Crossley B, Sverlow K, Fish S, Mapes S, Scott L, Pusterla N.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) is a Betacoronavirus recently associated clinically and epidemiologically with emerging outbreaks of pyrogenic, enteric, and/or neurologic disease in horses in the United States, Japan, and Europe. We describe the pathologic, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and molecular findings in 2 horses and 1 donkey that succumbed to natural infection with ECoV. One horse and the donkey (case Nos. 1, 3) had severe diffuse necrotizing enteritis with marked villous attenuation, epithelial cell necrosis at the tips of the villi, neutrophilic and fibrinous extravasation into th...
Seltenhammer MH, Simhofer H, Scherzer S, Zechner R, Curik I, Sölkner J, Brandt SM, Jansen B, Pehamberger H, Eisenmenger E.Equine melanomas occur most commonly in grey horses at age 5 years or more. Generally, benign and malignant melanomas are distinguished by microscopy, but a more distinct classification would be helpful. Objective: The objectives of this study were to gain further evidence concerning the occurrence of melanotic tumours, and to evaluate the impact of heredity on melanoma development. Methods: A clinical study was conducted on a defined population of 296 grey horses of Lipizzaner breed. Individuals were classified according to their stage of disease using a 0-5 scale. Heritability was estimated ...
