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.
Bhide M, Yilmaz Z, Golcu E, Torun S, Mikula I.The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in a population of Turkish dogs and horses, as well as to compare the sensitivity of novel flow-cytometry-based borreliacidal antibody test (BAT) with ELISA assay. Serum samples collected from 400 dogs and 300 horses were tested with enzyme-linked protein A/G assay (ELPAGA), using Borrelia whole cell antigens. ELPAGA test showed 93 dogs (23.2%) and 18 horses (6%) serologically positive for anti-Borrelia antibodies. In parallel testing of sera with BAT, we found 27.75% positive dogs and 6.33% positi...
Stefanciková A, Adaszek Ł, Pet'ko B, Winiarczyk S, Dudinák V.In the course of epizootological research on Lyme borreliosis in animals, the serological evidence of this zoonosis in horses and cattle from different voivodships of Poland was screened. We also discussed some diagnostic problems of Lyme borreliosis resulting from, in addition to other factors, genetic and geographical heterogeneity isolates B. burgdorferi s.l. used as antigens. Using ELISA from 395 sera of horses the total mean seroprevalence for anti-Borrelia IgG antibodies 25.6% was observed. In the respective years, significant differences in the mean seroprevalence were not recorded. In ...
Lee KH, Steenberg LJ.Horseback riding is a common recreational activity that can cause injuries to both mounted and dismounted participants. This study examines the patterns of equine-related maxillofacial fractures presenting in a tertiary referral centre. Patients presenting over an 11-year period from 1996 to 2006 with equine-related maxillofacial fractures were identified through the trauma database. The extent of the injuries, surgical treatment and follow-up details were documented. 45 patients were identified, with an increasing incidence over the study period. 69% were male and 31% female. 31% of patients ...
Sevinc F, Maden M, Kumas C, Sevinc M, Ekici OD.Blood and serum samples were taken from 481 horses, from a stud farm or a racecourse, and tested by microscopic examination of blood smears and cELISA for Theileria equi (T. equi) and Babesia caballi (B. caballi) infections. At the time of sampling, animals were also examined for tick infestations and clinical disease, which were not observed in any of the sampled horses. During the microscopic examination of thin blood smears, parasites were detected in the three horses from the racecourse. Overall seroprevalence of infection was detected as 18.50% (89 of 481 horses) by cELISA, with T. equi b...
Solismaa M, Laaksonen S, Nylund M, Pitkänen E, Airakorpi R, Oksanen A.In autumn 2006, Finnish meat inspection data revealed lesions in tendons, muscles and ligaments of bovine hind legs leading to partial condemnation of carcasses. In gross pathological examination at Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Oulu (now Fish and Wildlife Health) Research Unit, Onchocerca sp. (Filarioidea; Onchocercidae) nematodes were detected in lesions. Due to this, a pilot study was made in order to find out what filarioid nematodes do occur in cattle, horses and sheep in Finland. Methods: Ventral skin biopsies from 209 dairy cattle and 42 horses, as well as blood samples from 209 ...
Barbic L, Madic J, Turk N, Daly J.In April 2004 an outbreak of equine influenza occurred at the Zagreb hippodrome, Croatia. Clinical respiratory disease of the same intensity was recorded in vaccinated and non-vaccinated horses. The equine influenza vaccine used in Croatia at the time of the outbreak contained the strains A/equine/Miami/63 (H3N8), A/equine/Fontainebleau/79 (H3N8) and A/equine/Prague/56 (H7N7). At the same time, the usual strains in vaccines used in Europe were, in accordance with the recommendation of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Expert Surveillance Panel on equine influenza, A/equine/Newmark...
Drummond R.This research article focuses on the monitoring of West Nile Virus (WNV) in horses, highlighting the importance of reporting any suspected WNV infection case to a local Animal Health office. […]
Moyaert H, Haesebrouck F, Dewulf J, Ducatelle R, Pasmans F.Faecal samples of sixty-six 3-day- to 6-month-old foals were screened for Helicobacter equorum DNA by means of a PCR amplifying a 1074 bp fragment of the 23S rRNA gene with primers specific for this enterohepatic Helicobacter species. H. equorum DNA was demonstrated in faeces from 28.6% of the less than 1-month-old foals, while 67.8% of foals from 1 to 6 months of age tested positive. In a previous study, H. equorum was demonstrated in faeces of 0.8-7.9% of adult horses. These results indicate that the prevalence of H. equorum in horses differs with the age of the investigated horse population...
Traversa D, Kuzmina T, Kharchenko VA, Iorio R, Klei TR, Otranto D.This study investigated the genetic variability within Cylicocyclus nassatus (Nematoda, Strongylida, Cyathostominae) collected from different domestic and wild hosts (i.e. horse, donkey, Przewalskii horse, tarpan and Turkmen kulan) and localities in Europe and/or USA. The ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene were PCR-amplified and sequences characterized from seventy individual parasitic specimens. While ITS2 displayed 0-0.6% variation rate among all individual adult specimens of C. nassatus examined, 22 different seque...
Wild TF.Paramyxoviruses have been implicated in both animal and human infections. Some viruses, such as Morbilliviruses are responsible for large-scale epidemics. However, there are limited observations of these viruses crossing the host species barrier in nature. In 1994, in Australia a fatal infection in horses and humans was identified to be caused by a new Paramyxovirus, Hendra virus (HeV), and in 1998 in Malaysia, a closely related virus, Nipah virus (NiV) was responsible for fatal infections in pigs and humans. These two viruses were sufficiently different from previously described Paramyxovirus...
Laha R, Sasmal NK.Diagnosis of Trypanosoma evansi infection in a horse stable of Eastern Region of India on the basis of examination of Giemsa stained blood smears have been done. A high percentage (12.74%) of horses of this stable was found suffering from T evansi infection. This high prevalence of T evansi in horses, in this area could be considered as an alarming situation which has never been explored previously in horses of Eastern Region of India. After a period of 2 months and 18 days of treatment with quinapyramine sulphate and quinapyramine chloride, reinfection with T evansi in treated horses of this ...
Grinberg A, Learmonth J, Kwan E, Pomroy W, Lopez Villalobos N, Gibson I, Widmer G.Cryptosporidium isolates from diarrheic foals in New Zealand (n = 9) were identified as C. parvum, subtyped at two polymorphic loci, and compared with human (n = 45) and bovine (n = 8) isolates. Foal C. parvum isolates were genetically diverse, markedly similar to human and bovine isolates, and carried GP60 IIaA18G3R1 alleles, indicating a zoonotic potential.
Quiambao BP, Dytioco HZ, Dizon RM, Crisostomo ME, Laot TM, Teuwen DE.Recommended treatment for severe rabies exposure in unvaccinated individuals includes wound cleaning, administration of rabies immunoglobulins (RIG), and rabies vaccination. We conducted a survey of rabies treatment outcomes in the Philippines. Methods: This was a case series involving 7,660 patients (4 months to 98 years of age) given purified equine RIG (pERIG) at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (Muntinlupa, Philippines) from July 2003 to August 2004 following Category II or III exposures. Data on local and systemic adverse reactions (AR) within 28 days and biting animal status ...
Holyoak GR, Balasuriya UB, Broaddus CC, Timoney PJ.Recently, there has been increased interest in equine viral arteritis (EVA) among veterinarians and horse owners. Outbreaks of the disease were identified initially in New Mexico, USA in 2006, and in the Normandy region of France in the summer of 2007. Both occurrences were associated with AI of cool-shipped semen. Each was linked to respiratory illness, neonatal death, abortion, development of carrier stallions, and cancellation of equestrian events. In light of the increased interest, this paper will present a brief case history, followed by a review addressing common concerns regarding EVA,...
Scocco P, Pedini V.This study was performed to identify the equine respiratory tract areas which express the specific receptor for equine influenza virus; findings may be useful to provide new ways to treat the infectious disease. The present work aims to visualize in situ the presence of sialoderivatives in the horse respiratory tract in order to localize sialoderivatives acting as influenza virus receptors. To this purpose, nasal mucosae, trachea, bronchus and lung parenchyma were removed from 8 mature horses of both sexes. We performed sialic acid characterization by means of mild and strong periodate oxidati...
Mele M, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Brehm W, Rieder S, Marti E, Straub R, Gerber V.Many of the important diseases of sport and pleasure horses are thought to have a genetic component. The majority of these diseases, however, are multifactorial and are influenced not only by genetics, but also by environmental factors. In this review some of the most important multifactorial diseases are described and the current evidence for a genetic background is discussed.
Archer DC, Pinchbeck GL, French NP, Proudman CJ.Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is a common cause of small intestinal strangulation in the horse and its epidemiology requires further investigation. Objective: To identify horse- and management-level risk factors for EFE and to explore reasons for the apparent seasonality of this condition. Objective: Horses exhibiting certain behaviours and those exposed to particular management practices that vary seasonally are at increased risk of EFE. Methods: A prospective unmatched, multicentre case-control study was conducted over 24 months in the UK. Data on 77 cases and 216 control horses were obt...
Ueti MW, Palmer GH, Scoles GA, Kappmeyer LS, Knowles DP.Tick-borne pathogens may be transmitted intrastadially and transstadially within a single vector generation as well as vertically between generations. Understanding the mode and relative efficiency of this transmission is required for infection control. In this study, we established that adult male Rhipicephalus microplus ticks efficiently acquire the protozoal pathogen Babesia equi during acute and persistent infections and transmit it intrastadially to naïve horses. Although the level of parasitemia during acquisition feeding affected the efficiency of the initial tick infection, infected t...
Han X, Quan Y, Gao X, Xiang W, Zhou J.To elucidate the role of N-glycosylation in fetal donkey dermal cell (FDD)-attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), we constructed an N-glycosylation reverse-mutation molecular clone, pLGN191N236N246. This viral molecular clone was derived from the infectious clone pLGFD3-8 by site-directed mutagenesis. This clone was used to transfect fetal donkey dermal (FDD) cells. Infectious characteristics of transfectants were monitored by RT-PCR, indirect immune fluorescence and reverse transcriptase activity assay. After three passages in FDD cells, viral replications in the supernatant of cel...
Bergero D, Nery J.The concept 'liver disease' includes several pathological conditions affecting liver's functions. It can either consist of a temporary impaired functioning of the liver and/or it can progress to its failure. The purpose of this review is to update the knowledge on hepatobiliary diseases and in particular on equine hyperlipaemia. Hepatobiliary disease's aetiology, clinical signs, diagnosis and nutritional management are thus described in the first part of the review the second part being devoted to hyperlypaemia's lipid metabolism, epidemiology, clinical signs, post-mortem observations and nutr...
Brandt S, Haralambus R, Schoster A, Kirnbauer R, Stanek C.Bovine papillomaviruses of types 1 and 2 (BPV-1 and -2) chiefly contribute to equine sarcoid pathogenesis. However, the mode of virus transmission and the presence of latent infections are largely unknown. This study established a PCR protocol allowing detection of <or=10 copies of the BPV-1/-2 genes E5 and L1. Subsequent screening of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) DNA derived from horses with and without BPV-1/2-induced skin lesions demonstrated the exclusive presence of E5, but not L1, in PBMCs of BPV-1/2-infected equines. To validate this result, a blind PCR was performed from ...
Chermette R, Ferreiro L, Guillot J.Dermatophytoses are one of the most frequent skin diseases of pets and livestock. Contagiousness among animal communities, high cost of treatment, difficulty of control measures, and the public health consequences of animal ringworm explain their great importance. A wide variety of dermatophytes have been isolated from animals, but a few zoophilic species are responsible for the majority of the cases, viz. Microsporum canis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton equinum and Trichophyton verrucosum, as also the geophilic species Microsporum gypseum. According to the host and the fungal spec...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Ionita M, Collins SS.Horse foals on five farms in Central Kentucky were used in field studies in 2007 evaluating activity of paste formulations of four compounds (fenbendazole-FBZ, ivermectin-IVM, oxibendazole-OBZ, and pyrantel pamoate-PRT) against internal parasites with emphasis on ascarids (Parascaris equorum). It has been well established the last few years that there is widespread resistance of P. equorum to ivermectin. The main purpose of the present research was to obtain current data on ascaridicidal activity of FBZ, OBZ, and PRT; also, to acquire further information on ascarid resistance to ivermectin. Ad...
Finno CJ, Spier SJ, Valberg SJ.The recent development of equine genome maps by the equine genome community and the complete sequencing of the horse genome performed at the Broad Institute have accelerated the pace of genetic discovery. This review focuses on genetic diseases in the horse for which a mutation is currently known, including hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, severe combined immunodeficiency, overo lethal white syndrome, junctional epidermolysis bullosa, glycogen branching enzyme deficiency, malignant hyperthermia, hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia, and polysaccharide storage myopathy. Emphasis is placed...
Agüero M, Gómez-Tejedor C, Angeles Cubillo M, Rubio C, Romero E, Jiménez-Clavero A.African horse sickness is an arthropod-borne disease of the equine included in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) list with important economic consequences for horse trade. The disease is caused by African horse sickness virus (AHSV; family Reoviridae, genus Orbivirus), which is transmitted by Culicoides midges. It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, spreading occasionally outside this area where the occurrence of Culicoides vectors allows virus transmission. Currently, only conventional (gel-based) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocols are available for ...
Coleman MC, Blodgett GP, Bevevino KE, Ivanek R, Cummings KJ, Carter GK, Cohen ND.The occurrence of Rhodococcus equi at farms varies, with disease occurring endemically at some farms, but only sporadically, or not at all at other farms. Only some foals residing on endemic farms develop clinical signs of disease. Limited evidence is available regarding foal-level risk factors for the development of R. equi pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to identify foal-level risk factors associated with the development of R. equi pneumonia among foals at a large breeding farm in Texas with a recurrent problem of R. equi pneumonia. A retrospective cohort study was conducted usin...
Hockenhull J, Bell C, White J, Rogers S.In the UK, March 2020 was a time of great uncertainty as COVID-19 became increasingly widespread. The government responded by making suggestions about how people could reduce the risk of spread on 16 March, moved swiftly into closing schools on the 18 March before announcing a mandatory lockdown on the 23rd March. This was a challenging time for UK equestrians who had to balance maintaining their equine's routine and daily care alongside the increasing biosecurity measures. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to UK equestrians via social media over two days (28 and 29 March 2020) to bette...
Guevara L, Abdelgawad A, Onzere C, Greenwood AD, Davidson Z, Bishop R, Mutinda M.Equid herpesviruses types 1 (EHV-1) and 9 (EHV-9) are unusual among herpesviruses in that they lack strong host specificity, and the full extent of their host range remains unclear. The virus establishes latency for long periods and can be reactivated and shed, resulting in clinical disease in susceptible species. A sensitive and specific peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to study the seroprevalence of both viruses in a broad range of species among both wild and captive populations. We used this assay to study the seroprevalences of EHV-1 and EHV-9 in a natural popu...
Hathcock TL, Schumacher J, Wright JC, Stringfellow J.Feces collected from 40 horses with diarrhea and 34 horses without diarrhea were examined to determine if an association existed between isolation of Aeromonas spp. and diarrhea. Samples were also examined for Salmonella spp., and identification of viruses and parasite ova. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Aeromonas spp. were isolated from the feces of 34 control horses. Aeromonas spp. were isolated from feces of 22 of 40 (55%) horses with diarrhea. Salmonella spp. were isolated from feces of 8 (20%) horses, and of these, 5 (12.5%) were also positive for Aeromonas spp. Twenty-nine isolates of Aerom...
Purnama MTE, Hendrawan D, Wicaksono AP, Fikri F, Purnomo A, Chhetri S. Horses are herd animals that have been domesticated in the last century. In several countries, an overview of risk factors and clinical evaluation in horses with colic has not been well-described. This study aimed to evaluate risk factors and hematological profiles in horses associated with colic in Gresik, East Java, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was performed during April - October 2019. A total of 115 horses were diagnosed based on physical examination, clinical symptoms, and rectal examination. A questionnaire was asked to the horse-owners to analyze the risk factors while the clin...
Boyen F, Smet A, Hermans K, Butaye P, Martens A, Martel A, Haesebrouck F.The use of β-lactam antibiotics results in the selection of bacteria showing resistance toward this class of antibiotics. The review focuses on the increasing importance of methicillin resistant staphylococci and broad-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in horses. Diagnostic protocols that optimize accurate identification of these bacteria from both clinical samples and samples obtained from putative carrier animals are described. In addition, the opportunities and pitfalls for preventive and curative measures are discussed.
The Journal of infectionMarch 25, 1999
Volume 38, Issue 1 22-23 doi: 10.1016/s0163-4453(99)90023-3
McCormack JG, Allworth AM, Selvey LA, Selleck PW.Determination of potential infectivity of a new paramyxovirus equine morbillivirus (EMV) from horses to humans and humans to humans as a result of two outbreaks in Queensland which involved 23 horses and three humans. Methods: Seroepidemiological testing using neutralizing and immunofluorescing antibodies on people with variable levels of exposure to infected horses and humans. Results: All serological testing on a total of 298 individual contacts was negative. Conclusions: While the three human cases of EMV were probably infected as a result of very close contact with horses, these data sugge...
Outammassine A, Zouhair S, Loqman S.Rift Valley Fever (RVF) and West Nile virus (WNV) are two important emerging Arboviruses transmitted by Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, typically Ae. caspius, Ae. detritus and Cx. pipiens in temperate regions. In Morocco, several outbreaks of WNV (1996, 2003 and 2010), affecting horses mostly, have been reported in north-western regions resulting in the death of 55 horses and one person cumulatively. Serological evidence of WNV local circulation, performed one year after the latest outbreak, revealed WNV neutralizing bodies in 59 out of 499 tested participants (El Rhaffouli et al., 2012). The coun...
Airaksinen S, Heiskanen ML, Heinonen-Tanski H, Laitinen J, Laitinen S, Linnainmaa M, Rautiala S.Respiratory exposure to organic dust induces chronic pulmonary diseases both in farmers and horses. The aim of this study was to examine the variation of dustiness and hygiene quality of peat moss bedding. Materials studied were weakly decomposed sphagnum peat (A), weakly decomposed sphagnum peat warmed up in storage (> 30 degrees C) (B) and two more decomposed few-flowered sedge peats (C and D). The geometric mean of mesophilic fungi, thermotolerant fungi and thermophilic actinomycetes were determined from the material. Samples of inhalable dust and endotoxins were collected with IOM samplers...
Ripolles M, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Perdomo-González DI, Azor P, Valera M.Ewe Neck is a relatively common morphological defect in Pura Raza Español (PRE) horses and other Baroque type horse breeds, which adversely affects the breeding industry; (1) objectives: to establish the within-breed prevalence, possible associated factors, and heritability of Ewe Neck in PRE horses; (2) methods: the database included evaluations of 35,267 PRE horses. The Ewe Neck defect, 16 morphological traits, and 4 body indices were recorded. A Bayesian genetic animal model included the following systematic effects: sex, age, coat color, geographical area of the stud, and birth stud size ...
Adams RJ, Mathys DA, Mollenkopf DF, Whittle A, Daniels JB, Wittum TE.The emergence of bacterial resistance to carbapenem antibiotics is an urgent public health threat. Carbapenem drugs are a last resort treatment option for life-threatening infections. The frequent use of broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat hospitalized patients provides significant selection pressure favoring the emergence and dissemination of resistant organisms, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). CREs have been reported in animal populations, but only rarely in horses. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of CRE in the environment of a referral equine specialty...
Black WD, Hartley CA, Ficorilli NP, Studdert MJ.Equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV), genus Erbovirus, family Picornaviridae occurs as two serotypes, ERBV1 and ERBV2. An ERBV-specific nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that amplified a product within the 3D(pol) and 3' non-translated region of the viral genome was developed. The RT-PCR detected all 24 available ERBV1 isolates and one available ERBV2 isolate. The limit of detection for the prototype strain ERBV1.1436/71 was 0.1 50% tissue culture infectious doses. The RT-PCR was used to detect viral RNA in six of 17 nasopharyngeal swab samples from horses that had clin...
Fenger CK, Granstrom DE, Langemeier JL, Gajadhar A, Cothran G, Tramontin RR, Stamper S, Dubey JP.Sarcocystis neurona is a coccidial parasite that causes a neurologic disease of horses in North and South America. The natural host species are not known and classification is based on ultrastructural analysis. The small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSURNA) gene of S. neurona was amplified using polymerase chain reaction techniques and sequenced by Sanger sequencing reactions. The sequence was compared with partial sequences of S. muris, S. gigantea, S. tenella, S. cruzi, S. arieticanis, S. capracanis, Toxoplasma gondii, Eimeria tenella, and Cryptosporidium parvum. Alignments of available sites for ...
Bonilla-Aldana DK, Castaño-Betancourt KJ, Ortega-Martínez JM, Ulloque-Badaracco JR, Hernandez-Bustamante EA, Benites-Zapata VA, Rodriguez-Morales AJ.In a broad sense, are a group of microorganisms that can be transmitted mechanically or biologically to animals and humans. Rickettsioses are associated with hematic manifestations. Its prevalence in humans, dogs and other animals has been widely explored, but not in equine species. To determine the prevalence of infection in horses. A systematic review of the literature was carried out in five databases for the proportion of horses infected with , defined by molecular and immunological techniques. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to calculate the pooled prevalence ...
Anwaar F, Ijaz M, Rasheed H, Shah SFA, Haider SAR, Sabir MJ.The purpose of the current study was to investigate the nasal colonization and drug resistance profile of Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) in donkeys (n =63), mules (n = 42), and horses (n = 98). MRSA and VRSA were confirmed based on phenotypic and molecular methods, followed by phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, the association of various animal and management-based risk factors with S. aureus colonization was also evaluated. The presence of nuc gene on polymerase chain reaction showed an overall prevalence of 42.86%...
Kolm-Stark G, Wagner R.Icelandic horses in Austria are commonly affected by an allergic inflammatory skin disease recurring during the summer seasons, which shares characteristic features with Culicoides hypersensitivity. However, the causative agents have not yet been identified. Therefore, intradermal skin testing (IDST) with a standardised extract of Culicoides variipennis and 21 other allergens relevant within Austria was performed in 81 Icelandic horses. All horses included into the study were treated regularly with ivermectin and had no history of administration of anti-inflammatory drugs. Forty-three of these...
Ball MC, Dewberry TD, Freeman PG, Kemsley PD, Poe I.Between 2006 and 2012, there were 11 horses diagnosed with Hendra virus (HeV) on 9 independent premises in New South Wales (NSW). We defined a case of HeV as premises where one or more horses were confirmed to be infected with HeV by PCR. All the cases occurred in the north-eastern region of NSW. In 8 of the 9 cases, infection occurred within 2 months over the winter of 2011. With no exception, the affected horses were kept at pasture on properties visited by flying foxes. Of the 11 horses testing positive for HeV, 5 had an association with a fence, with the horses dead or dying on a fence l...
Mucha V, Hollý J, Varečková E, Kostolanský F.Avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) are able to overcome the interspecies barrier and adapt to the new non-avian host. The process of adaptation requires the adaptive changes of IAV genome resulting in amino acid substitutions. The aim of this work was the description of amino acid substitutions in avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) occurring during their adaptation to equine host. Today, viruses of the equine influenza H3N8 subtype, first isolated in 1963, represent a single genetic lineage of IAV causing a respiratory disease in horses. We compared the amino acid sequences of the conserve...
Meagher DM, Bromberek JL, Meagher DT, Gardner IA, Puchalski SM, Stover SM.To estimate the prevalence of radiographic abnormalities (lesions) in Thoroughbred racehorses at 2-year-old in-training sales and determine whether these lesions and 1-furlong presale workout times were associated with subsequent racing performance. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: 953 Thoroughbreds. Methods: Repository radiographs of carpal, metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal (fetlock), stifle, and tarsal (hock) joints were examined. Horses with lesions were classified by lesion type and location. Race performance variables were compared between horses with and without l...
Johnson AL, Johnstone LK, Stefanovski D.The accuracy of the Lyme multiplex assay for the diagnosis of neuroborreliosis in horses is unknown. Objective: To describe Lyme multiplex results in horses with a postmortem diagnosis of neuroborreliosis. The hypothesis was that paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) results and a CSF : serum ratio would allow differentiation of horses with neuroborreliosis from those with other neurologic diseases. Methods: Ninety horses that had neurologic examinations, serum and CSF Lyme multiplex analyses, and postmortem examination of the nervous system performed. Methods: Retrospective study. Data...
Zhao Y, Zhu Y, Liu B, Mi J, Li N, Zhao W, Wu R, Holyoak GR, Li J, Liu D, Zeng S, Wang Y.Endometritis is a common reproductive disease in equine animals. No investigation about the bacterial characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of donkeys with endometritis has thus far been reported. Objective: To determine the common uterine bacterial isolates from donkeys with endometritis and to evaluate their susceptibility to antimicrobials used for the treatment thereof. Methods: Retrospective case-series. Methods: Medical records at an equine clinical diagnostic center were retrospectively reviewed to identify submissions from donkeys with bacterial endometritis between ...
Griffiths NJ, Walton JR, Edwards GB.Equine anterior enteritis is an acute syndrome with unknown aetiology, although salmonellosis and infection with Clostridium perfringens have both been suggested as potential causes. The main aim of this preliminary study was to compare the prevalence of toxigenic types of C. perfringens in clinically healthy horses and in horses with anterior enteritis. From horses admitted with colic at Phillip Leverhulme Large Animal Hospital in 1995-1996, samples of gastric reflux, small intestinal contents and faeces were taken for isolation of C. perfringens. Five of those horses were admitted as anterio...
Cutler TJ, MacKay RJ, Ginn PE, Greiner EC, Porter R, Yowell CA, Dame JB.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating neurologic disease of the horse. The causative agent. Sarcocystis neurona, has been suggested to be synonymous with Sarcocystis falcatula, implying a role for birds as intermediate hosts. To test this hypothesis, opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were fed muscles containing S. falcatula sarcocysts from naturally infected brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Ten horses were tested extensively to ensure no previous exposure to S. neurona and were quarantined for 14 days, and then 5 of the horses were each administered 10(6) S. falcatula...
Li L, Lu Z, Han O.From 1975 to 1989, a total of 73 strains of P. pseudomallei was isolated from the water samples and the pathological samples of human and domestic animals in 13 counties and cities located different latitude from four provinces Qiong, Yue, Gui and Xiang in China. Serological investigation demonstrated that the geographical distribution of the organism had a significant correlation with the positive rate of antibodies against P. pseudomallei and the native foci of the organisms distributed over the southern subtropical zone and the edge of tropical zone in Qiong, Yue and Gui. In endemic areas, ...
Morens DM, Taubenberger JK.Influenza A viruses are globally enzootic in swine populations. Swine influenza has been recognised only since 1918, but an anecdotal report suggests that a swine-influenza epizootic might have occurred in England in 1892, at the same time as an explosive epidemic (or pandemic recurrence) of human influenza. This outbreak suggests that the ecobiological association between human and swine influenza could extend to before 1918. By contrast with the recent documentation of swine influenza, influenza in horses has been well documented for hundreds of years, and was often linked temporally and geo...
Bade D, Portis E, Keane C, Hallberg J, Bryson L, Sweeney M, Boner P.In vitro activity of ceftiofur and six other antimicrobial agents was evaluated against 79 Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus isolates collected from horses with respiratory disease in Europe during 2007 and 2008. In addition, the in vitro activity of ceftiofur and other antimicrobial drugs was assessed against 59 S. equi subsp zooepidemicus and 49 S. equi subsp equi isolates collected by veterinary diagnostic laboratories in Europe from 2002 to 2006. The lowest concentration of ceftiofur that inhibited the growth of 90% of the isolates (MIC90) was 0.12 microg/ml, with the Clinical Laborat...
Payette F, Charlebois A, Fairbrother JH, Beauchamp G, Leclere M.Nicoletella semolina was identified in the airways of horses and its low prevalence could be because of its difficult differentiation from other Pasteurellaceae. Objective: To develop a molecular method for the identification of N. semolina and to evaluate its prevalence in the mouth and the airways of healthy and severe asthmatic horses. Methods: Six healthy and 6 severely asthmatic horses in phase I, 10 severely asthmatic horses in phase II, and 10 healthy horses in phase III. Methods: Cohort (phases I and II) and cross-sectional (phase III) studies. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction pr...
Lee KH, Steenberg LJ.Horseback riding is a common recreational activity that can cause injuries to both mounted and dismounted participants. This study examines the patterns of equine-related maxillofacial fractures presenting in a tertiary referral centre. Patients presenting over an 11-year period from 1996 to 2006 with equine-related maxillofacial fractures were identified through the trauma database. The extent of the injuries, surgical treatment and follow-up details were documented. 45 patients were identified, with an increasing incidence over the study period. 69% were male and 31% female. 31% of patients ...
Baraúna RA, Ramos RTJ, Veras AAO, de Sá PHCG, Guimarães LC, das Graças DA, Carneiro AR, Edman JM, Spier SJ, Azevedo V, Silva A.The genomes of four strains (MB11, MB14, MB30, and MB66) of the species Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi were sequenced on the Ion Torrent PGM platform, completely assembled, and their gene content and structure were analyzed. The strains were isolated from horses with distinct signs of infection, including ulcerative lymphangitis, external abscesses on the chest, or internal abscesses on the liver, kidneys, and lungs. The average size of the genomes was 2.3 Mbp, with 2169 (Strain MB11) to 2235 (Strain MB14) predicted coding sequences (CDSs). An optical map of the MB11 strain gen...
Singh BR, Singh VP, Agarwal M, Sharma G, Chandra M.Haemolysin patterns of 175 strains of different Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovars isolated from different animal sources and places were determined using 11 different blood agar media made with either non-washed horse/sheep erythrocytes or with washed erythrocytes of cattle, sheep, horse, goat, rabbit, guinea pig, and human A, O and B blood groups. Study on 47 strains belonging to 10 serovars of Salmonella from buffalo meat (buffen), 42 strains of 11 serovars from goat meat (chevon): 16 strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi B and 25 of S. enterica serovar Paratyphi B ...
