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.
Votion DM, Linden A, Saegerman C, Engels P, Erpicum M, Thiry E, Delguste C, Rouxhet S, Demoulin V, Navet R, Sluse F, Serteyn D, van Galen G, Amory H.The emergent nature of atypical myopathy or atypical myoglobinuria (AM) necessitates precise description of its clinical and epidemiologic features. Objective: To define key features of AM to help practitioners recognize the disease and to advise owners to take preventive measures. Methods: Belgian cases of AM confirmed by histology (CC horses; n = 57) from autumn 2000 to spring 2005 were included in the study. Co-grazing horses (Co-G horses; n = 77) that remained free of any abnormal clinical signs constituted a control group. Methods: History, environmental characteristics, clinical signs, a...
Abbott JB, Mellor DJ, Barrett EJ, Proudman CJ, Love S.The serological changes in two groups of horses known to be harbouring Anoplocephala perfoliata were studied; 12 were treated with 1.5 mg/kg praziquantel and 200 microg/kg ivermectin, and 14 were treated with 200 microg/kg ivermectin. Serological and faecal analyses were carried out on each animal at intervals for 758 days. The titres of antibodies specific for A perfoliata decreased from the day of treatment to day 28 in both groups, and continued to decrease in the group treated with praziquantel and ivermectin, with the first significant decrease from the other group at day 121. From day 15...
Nielsen CF, Reisen WK, Armijos MV, Maclachlan NJ, Scott TW.Although horse cases frequently are reported during West Nile virus (WNV) outbreaks, few investigations have focused on the epidemiology of this transmission. From April to October 2003 to 2005, mosquito abundance and infection were monitored 3 days per week at an equine research facility at the University of California, Davis. Thirty-two nonvaccinated horses enrolled as controls in a vaccine study were bled monthly, and their serum was tested for evidence of WNV infection by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). In 2004, one positive Culex pipiens pool was associated with a single hors...
Aalbaek B, Ostergaard S, Buhl R, Jensen HE, Christensen H, Bisgaard M.Microbiological and pathological data from a case of equine valvular endocarditis are reported. Limited information is available on the pathogenic potential of equine Actinobacillus species as several strains originate from apparently healthy horses. After the establishment of two subspecies within this species, this seems to be the first report of an etiological association between A. equuli subsp. equuli and equine endocarditis. Furthermore, new information on some phenotypical characteristics of this subspecies is reported, compared to previous findings.
Traversa D, Fichi G, Campigli M, Rondolotti A, Iorio R, Proudman CJ, Pellegrini D, Perrucci S.Anoplocephala perfoliata (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea), the commonest intestinal tapeworm of horses, can cause colic, intussusceptions, ileal impactions and intestinal perforations. Common diagnostic techniques for A. perfoliata infection, i.e. coprology and serology, show inherent limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity and new approaches are thus required. Hence, the present study compared the reliability of coprological, serological (i.e. ELISA) and molecular (i.e. nested PCR) methods in detecting A. perfoliata infection in naturally infected horses and in horses treated with a comb...
Varcasia A, Garippa G, Pipia AP, Scala A, Brianti E, Giannetto S, Battelli G, Poglayen G, Micagni G.Between March 2003 and February 2007, the livers and the lungs of 2,231 horses from various Italian regions were examined for cystic echinococcosis presence at the time of slaughter. Hydatid cysts were found in six horses, namely four from Sardinia, one from Sicily, and one from Tuscany. The location, number, morphology, and fertility of the cysts found were determined. DNA was extracted from the germinal layers and protoscoleces of the fertile cysts and polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were performed in order to strain type DNA isolates for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogen...
Bell SA, Pusterla N, Balasuriya UB, Mapes SM, Nyberg NL, MacLachlan NJ.Equids are commonly infected by herpesviruses, but isolation of herpesviruses from mules has apparently not been previously reported. Furthermore, the genomic relationships among the various equid herpesviruses are poorly characterized. We describe the isolation and preliminary characterization of a mule gammaherpesvirus tentatively identified as asinine herpesvirus-2 (AHV-2; also designated equid herpesvirus-7 (EHV-7)) from the nasal secretions (NS) of a healthy mule in northern California. The virus was initially identified by transmission electron microscopic examination of lysates of cell ...
Bailey SR, Habershon-Butcher JL, Ransom KJ, Elliott J, Menzies-Gow NJ.To determine the metabolic phenotype of a group of laminitis-prone ponies when at pasture in summer, compared with when at pasture in winter. Methods: 40 ponies of various breeds predisposed to recurrent pasture-associated laminitis and 40 unaffected control ponies. Methods: Body condition score and size of the crest of the neck were assessed, blood samples obtained, and blood pressure measured by use of an indirect oscillometric technique, while ponies were kept on winter pasture (last week of November or beginning of December) and again on summer pasture (June). Serum insulin concentration a...
Rogers CW, Firth EC, McIlwraith CW, Barneveld A, Goodship AE, Kawcak CE, Smith RK, van Weeren PR.No data exist on the intensity of exercise required or on possible harmful effects of increasing exercise in foals over the natural level when free at pasture. Objective: To investigate whether an increase in workload over free pasture exercise in the period from directly after birth to the start of training is tolerated by Thoroughbred (TB) foals without increasing injury rate or producing other undesired side effects. Methods: Thirty-three TB foals were allocated to one of 2 exercise groups directly after birth. One group (PASTEX) was raised on pasture and the other (CONDEX) kept under ident...
Venter GJ, Paweska JT.Previously reported virus recovery rates from Culicoides (Avaritia) imicola Kieffer and Culicoides (Avaritia) bolitinos Meiswinkel (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) orally infected with vaccine strain of African horse sickness virus serotype 7 (AHSV-7) were compared with results obtained from concurrently conducted oral infections with five recent AHSV-7 isolates from naturally infected horses from various localities in South Africa. Culicoides were fed sheep bloods spiked with 10(7.6) TCID(50)/mL of a live-attenuated vaccine strain AHSV-7, and with five field isolates in which virus titre in the blo...
Rogers CW, Firth EC, McIlwraith CW, Barneveld A, Goodship AE, Kawcak CE, Smith RK, van Weeren PR.No data exist on the effects of conditioning exercise at foal age on workload and subsequent clinical injury rate during their 2- and 3-year-old racing careers. Objective: To investigate the effects of subjecting TB foals to conditioning exercise prior to the start of race training on: the workload required to reach a level of fitness sufficient to compete; and the prevalence of orthopaedic injury during the first 2 seasons of their racing careers. Methods: Twenty 18-month-old TBs, 12 subjected to conditioning exercise at foal age (CONDEX) and 8 exercised spontaneously at pasture only (PASTEX)...
Horta MC, Labruna MB, Pinter A, Linardi PM, Schumaker TT.This study investigated rickettsial infection in animals, humans, ticks, and fleas collected in five areas of the state of São Paulo. Eight flea species (Adoratopsylla antiquorum antiquorum, Ctenocephalides felis felis, Polygenis atopus, Polygenis rimatus, Polygenis roberti roberti, Polygenis tripus, Rhopalopsyllus lugubris, and Rhopalopsyllus lutzi lutzi), and five tick species (Amblyomma aureolatum, Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma dubitatum, Ixodes loricatus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus) were collected from dogs, cats, and opossums. Rickettsia felis was the only rickettsia found infecting ...
Allen GP, Bolin DC, Bryant U, Carter CN, Giles RC, Harrison LR, Hong CB, Jackson CB, Poonacha K, Wharton R, Williams NM.An emerging problem of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection in horses in the USA is a high-mortality myeloencephalopathy that commonly occurs where large numbers of horses are stabled. EHV-1 isolates recovered from recent neurological outbreaks represent a mutant virus strain that possesses enhanced neuropathogenicity. A central question of EHV-1 myeloencephalopathy is the latency carriage rate for these mutants of EHV-1 in USA horse populations. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of neuropathogenic strains of EHV-1 as latent infections in the Thoroughbred broodmare population of central ...
Mattil-Fritz S, Scharner D, Piuko K, Thönes N, Gissmann L, Müller H, Müller M.Equine sarcoids are fibrosarcoma-like skin tumours with a prevalence of approximately 1-2 %. Strong evidence exists for a causative role of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) type 1 or type 2 in the development of sarcoids. No effective treatment of equine sarcoid is available and after surgical excision relapse of the tumours is very frequent. We developed chimeric virus-like particles (CVLPs) of BPV 1 L1-E7 for the immunotherapy of equine sarcoid. In a phase I clinical trial 12 horses suffering from equine sarcoid with an average number of more than 22 tumours per animal were vaccinated in a dose-e...
Hahn CN, Matiasek K, Syrja P, Jokinen TS, Macintyre N, Tulamo RM.A neurological disorder characterised by pelvic limb metatarsophalangeal joint extensor paresis has been observed in numerous horses in Scandinavia for the last decade. Very little has been formally reported and there have been no detailed assessments of the neurological signs or neuropathological lesions. Objective: To describe the epidemiological and pathological features of an outbreak of 'Scandinavian knuckling syndrome' in a riding stable in southern Finland. Methods: Clinical neurological examination of 4 cases and neuropathological assessment of tissues of one case were performed. Resul...
Du Toit N, Gallagher J, Burden FA, Dixon PM.Dental disorders have recently been recognised as having major clinical and welfare implications in donkeys. However, no investigation appears to have examined the association of dental disorders with managemental factors and any intercurrent illness. Objective: To determine the association of dental disorders observed in a post mortem study with age group, body condition score, time since last dental treatment, feeding and the illness that necessitated euthanasia or caused death. Methods: A prospective study documented the type and prevalence of dental disorders in 349 mainly aged donkeys (me...
Hunt LM, Valberg SJ, Steffenhagen K, McCue ME.There are few detailed reports describing muscular disorders in Warmblood horses. Objective: To determine the types of muscular disorders that occur in Warmblood horses, along with presenting clinical signs, associated risk factors and response to diet and exercise recommendations, and to compare these characteristics between horses diagnosed with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), those diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder other than PSSM (non-PSSM) and control horses. Methods: Subject details, muscle biopsy diagnosis and clinical history were compiled for Warmblood horses identified ...
Knubben JM, Furst A, Gygax L, Staﾬher M.Studies on the prevalence and predisposing factors of bite and kick injuries in horses have not been reported in a population-based data sample. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of bite and kick injuries in horses and associated risk factors in a representative sample of horses in Switzerland. Methods: A questionnaire on the incidence of disease and injury, which included the frequency of bite and kick injuries and their association with breed, housing, use and feeding regime, was sent to 2559 horse owners randomly selected throughout Switzerland. Results: The data of 2912 horses with ...
Herholz C, Füssel AE, Timoney P, Schwermer H, Bruckner L, Leadon D.The past 10-20 years have seen exponential growth in the volume of trade in horses and equine germplasm; and the extent of global horse movements has increased significantly in the last 4 years. In preparing for the transport of elite Olympic horses to Hong Kong in 2008, it will be very important to be as fully informed as possible of the disease situation in both the exporting and importing country, import and re-entry requirements, as well as having a vaccination strategy to protect against particular diseases. In this context the review describes the equine vector-borne disease situation in...
Ramzan PH, Parkin TD, Shepherd MC.There has been much research directed at potential causative agents and the epidemiology of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), but few reports of the clinical progression and outcome. Objective: To define clinical features of LRTD in racehorses, including association with age and average duration of disease, through the analysis of endoscopic data. Methods: A retrospective analysis of records from a single training yard of endoscopic examinations undertaken over a 2-year period was performed. Horses were subjected to regular endoscopic examination for a variety of reasons, and all horses ...
Hornok S, Genchi C, Bazzocchi C, Fok E, Farkas R.Peripheral blood samples were collected randomly from 195 horses in various parts of Hungary, and the presence of microfilariae was evaluated by the Knott technique. On the basis of morphological identification 18 of the horses (9.2 per cent) were infected with Setaria equina, and the infection was confirmed in 10 animals by pcr and sequencing. The level of microfilaraemia was between 1 and 1138 larvae in 2 ml of blood. There was no correlation between the time of sampling or the sex of the animals (stallions versus mares) and the prevalence of infection, but the prevalence decreased with age....
Cohen ND, Mackay RJ, Toby E, Andrews FM, Barr BS, Beech J, Bernard WV, Clark CK, Divers TJ, Furr MO, Kohn CW, Levy M, Reed SM, Seahorn TL, Slovis NM.To identify risk factors for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) among horses examined at 11 equine referral hospitals. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: 183 horses with EPM, 297 horses with neurologic disease other than EPM (neurologic controls), and 168 horses with non-neurologic diseases (non-neurologic controls) examined at 11 equine referral hospitals in the United States. Methods: A study data form was completed for all horses. Data were compared between the case group and each of the control groups by means of bivariate and multivariate polytomous logistic regression. Results: ...
Diesterbeck U, Distl O.Navicular disease or podotrochlosis has long been known to cause forelimb lameness in horses. It had been proposed that the development of podotrochlosis has similarities to the human osteoarthritis (OA) complex. Alterations of the navicular bone can be made visible early in life only on the basis of radiographs. Reports on the prevalences of navicular disease indicate that radiological alterations in the navicular bone are present in different warmblood populations at frequencies of between 14.9% and 87.6%. Genetic factors play an important role in the development of the radiological signs. E...
Long MT, Gibbs EP, Mellencamp MW, Zhang S, Barnett DC, Seino KK, Beachboard SE, Humphrey PP.West Nile virus (WNV) infection is endemic and able to cause disease in naive hosts. It is necessary therefore to evaluate the safety of new vaccines. Objective: To establish: 1) the safety of a modified live Flavivirus/West Nile virus (WN-FV) chimera by administration of an overdose and testing for shed of vaccine virus and spread to uninoculated sentinel horses; 2) that this vaccine did not become pathogenic once passaged in horses; and 3) vaccine safety under field conditions. Methods: There were 3 protocols: 1) In the overdose/shed and spread study, horses were vaccinated with a 100x immun...
Kjaer LN, Lungholt MM, Nielsen MK, Olsen SN, Maddox-Hyttel C.Increased knowledge is needed to assist in the interpretation of presently available diagnostic techniques for infection by the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata in horses. Objective: The suggested cut-off level of an A. perfoliata specific ELISA may not adequately reflect the actual infection level. Hence, faecal egg counts may be a more useful diagnostic test for individual horses than previously reported. Methods: Eighty-four horses admitted for slaughter at a Danish abattoir were examined for the presence of A. perfoliata. The number of tapeworms, their stage of development and gross patho...
Long MT, Gibbs EP, Mellencamp MW, Bowen RA, Seino KK, Zhang S, Beachboard SE, Humphrey PP.West Nile virus (WNF) is a Flavivirus responsible for a life-threatening neurological disease in man and horses. Development of improved vaccines against Flavivirus infections is therefore important. Objective: To establish that a single immunogenicity dose of live Flavivirus chimera (WN-FV) vaccine protects horses from the disease and it induces a protective immune response, and to determine the duration of the protective immunity. Methods: Clinical signs were compared between vaccinated (VACC) and control (CTRL) horses after an intrathecal WNV challenge given at 10 or 28 days, or 12 months p...
Matthews JB, McArthur C, Robinson A, Jackson F.Cyathostomins are the primary parasitic pathogens of equids. For over 40 years, these nematodes have been controlled using broad spectrum anthelmintics. Three classes of anthelmintic are currently available for this use but, unfortunately, resistance to each of these has now been recorded in cyathostomin populations. As part of an optimal strategy to control cyathostomin infections in the field, it will be important to identify drug-resistant worms at as early a stage as possible. This objective needs to be supported by methodologies that will allow the accurate comparison of anthelmintic resi...
Bhagwan J, Kumar A, Kumar R, Goyal L, Goel P, Kumar S.A sizeable Indian equine population is considered to be pre-immune carrier of Theileria equi infection. In this study we confirmed the presence of T. equi specific DNA in Hyalomma anatolicum ticks which were infested on sero-positive horses. Fifty two Indigenous horses were randomly selected from endemic areas and their blood and tick samples were collected. Tick salivary glands and blood samples were processed for separation of DNA and serum, respectively. Serum samples were analyzed by EMA-2ELISA and nine horses were found positive for T. equi specific antibodies. Species-specific primers we...
Mimoun L, Steinman A, Kliachko Y, Tirosh-Levy S, Schvartz G, Blinder E, Baneth G, Mazuz ML.Equine Neospora infection has been linked to neurological disorders and infertility in horses. This study looked into the risk factors for infection and the exposure to Neospora spp. in horses. The study was performed in two independent populations in Israel. The first consisted of apparently healthy horses, and the second consisted of mares examined during pregnancy and after parturition. Sera samples collected from horses and mares were tested for Neospora exposure by the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The study revealed seroprevalence of 24% in apparently healthy horses and 66.4...
Salinas-Mélendez JA, Galván de la Garza S, Riojas-Valdés VM, Wong González A, Avalos-Ramírez R.The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in horses from the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Blood serum was obtained from a total of 100 horses residing at different counties in the area. From each animal data was obtained on age, sex, county of residence, presence of ectoparasites and clinical signs. All sera samples were analyzed by indirect immunofluoresence and the sera that resulted positive to this test was analyzed by Western blot. The serological test yielded 34 positive sera at 1:64 dilution, and from them 6 we...
English AW.The anterior mesenteric arteries of 138 horses slaughtered in southern Queensland were examined for the presence of S. vulgaris larvae. Seasonal differences were noted in the size of arterial populations of this parasite, with higher mean monthly numbers of worms per horse occurring in winter. There was an equally high incidence of severe verminous arteritis during the winter months of June, July and August, compared to arteries examined during the warmer months, when there were smaller numbers of larvae. It was concluded that more infective larvae were available on pasture during the warmer m...
Davies Morel MC, Gunnarsson V.Very limited information is available on the breeding performance of Icelandic stallions, let alone the effect that management practices may have had on such performance. As an extensively kept, largely genetically isolated breed of horse it provides a good model for the study of factors that affect reproductive performance without the additional complication of selective breeding, infectious infertility and breed effect. A survey was conducted using 27 Icelandic stallions covering 1590 mares within the normal Icelandic breeding system (May to September). During the season, stallions cover mar...
Boyle AG, Smith MA, Boston RC, Stefanovski D.OBJECTIVE To develop a risk prediction model for factors associated with an SeM-specific antibody titer ≥ 3,200 in horses after naturally occurring outbreaks of Streptococcus equi subsp equi infection and to validate this model. DESIGN Case-control study. ANIMALS 245 horses: 57 horses involved in strangles outbreaks (case horses) and 188 healthy horses (control horses). PROCEDURES Serum samples were obtained from the 57 cases over a 27.5-month period after the start of outbreaks; serum samples were obtained once from the 188 controls. A Bayesian mixed-effects logistic regression model was us...
Grobbel M, Lübke-Becker A, Alesík E, Schwarz S, Wallmann J, Werckenthin C, Wieler LH.A total of 120 isolates of Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp. collected from horses and small animals (dogs and cats) were screened for their susceptibility to 24 different antimicrobial agents. Klebsiella spp. were included from infections of the genital tract (GT) of horses (36 isolates) and the urinary/genital tract (UGT) from dogs and cats (17 isolates), while Proteus spp. were from small animal (dogs and cats) infections of the UGT (37 strains) and the skin (incl. ear/mouth) (30 isolates). In Klebsiella spp. resistance appeared most frequently to ampicillin (53-67%), sulfamethoxazole (19-29...
Lees VW, Gale SP.Sera from horses in Alberta, submitted to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for routine testing for equine infectious anemia from January 1987 to June 1989, were tested for antibody against 13 serovars of pathogenic Leptospira spp., using the microscopic agglutination test. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of serum titers to those serovars in horses in Alberta, and to analyze the associated risk factors. Descriptive statistics were compiled and logistic regressions were computed. Titers to L. interrogans serovars icterohaemorrhagiae, bratislava, copenhageni, and autumn...
Skalka B.The occurrence of equi-factor antibodies in sera of mares and their foals was studied on two horse breeding farms, one of which (Farm A) had a positive and the other (farm B) a negative history of R. equi infection of foals. The equi-factor neutralization (EFN) and the reverse Elek-Ouchterlony (REO) precipitation were used as assays. On Farm A, 25 mares positive in both tests (EFN+ REO+) and 25 mares negative in both tests (EFN- REO-) was chosen. On Farm B, a group of 25 EFN- REO+ mares and a group of 25 EFN- REO- mares were studied. The first serum samplings in mares were 1 week ante partum a...
Blunden AS, Mackintosh ME.A series of 31 thoroughbreds and 18 non-thoroughbreds was examined post mortem to assess what bacteria might be present in the lower respiratory tract, and to assess their significance by correlating the bacteriological findings with histological changes in the lung. The distal trachea and seven representative lung sites were swabbed in each case. Sixty-six per cent of the sites were sterile with remaining sites producing scanty growths of mainly coagulase negative Staphylococcus spp., E. coli, Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Anaerobes, mainly Clostridium perfringens, Bacteroides fragilis a...
Morris DD, Moore JN, Ward S.A study, at a university in south eastern USA, aimed to determine whether age, sex, breed, management and history differed in colic cases. A detailed history was obtained for 229 horses between January 1987 and June 1988. Causes for colic determined by clinical examination, exploratory laparotomy and/or necropsy included: gastric rupture (GR, 6); ileal impaction (II, 17); small intestinal strangulating obstruction (SIO, 22); proximal enteritis (PE, 16); transient small intestinal distension (TSID, 18); large colon displacement (LCD, 52); large colon impaction (LCI, 34); colitis (8); small colo...
Duquesne F, Merlin A, Pérez-Cobo I, Sedlák K, Melzer F, Overesch G, Fretin D, Iwaniak W, Breuil MF, Wernery U, Hicks J, Agüero-García M....The accurate identification of Taylorella equigenitalis strains is essential to improve worldwide prevention and control strategies for contagious equine metritis (CEM). This study compared 367 worldwide equine strains using multilocus sequence typing according to the geographical origin, isolation year and equine breed. The strains were divided into 49 sequence types (STs), including 10 described for the first time. Three major and three minor clonal complexes (CCs), and 11 singletons, were identified. The genetic heterogeneity was low (0.13 STs/strain) despite the wide diversity of geographi...
Trope GD, Ghasem-Zadeh A, Anderson GA, Mackie EJ, Whitton RC.High-resolution 3D imaging may improve the prediction and/or early identification of condylar fractures of the distal metacarpus/tarsus and reduce the frequency of breakdown injury in racehorses. Objective: To test the hypotheses that horses suffering condylar fractures have higher bone volume fraction (BV/TV) of the distal metacarpal epiphysis, greater subchondral bone thickness at the fracture site and higher second moment of inertia in the metacarpal midshaft as identified with high-resolution 3D imaging. Methods: Cross-sectional study using cadaver material. Methods: Thoroughbreds that die...
Kuz'mina TA.Species composition and structure of the strongylid community was studies on helminthological material collected from 162 domestic horses from 11 regions of Ukraine by the in vivo method. Animals were treated with anthelmintic drug "Univerm" (0.2% aversectin C, Russia). Faecal samples (200 g each) were collected from every horse at 24, 36, 48 and 60 hours after treatment; all nematodes expelled (90.851 specimens) were collected and identified. Thirty-three strongylid species from 12 genera (8 species of subfamily Strongylinae and 25--of Cyathostominae) were found in domestic horses in Ukraine....
Scott SD, Kinsley R, Temperton N, Daly JM.Pseudotyped viruses (PVs) produced by co-transfecting cells with plasmids expressing lentiviral core proteins and viral envelope proteins are potentially powerful tools for studying various aspects of equine influenza virus (EIV) biology. The aim of this study was to optimise production of equine influenza PVs. Co-transfection of the HAT protease to activate the haemagglutinin (HA) yielded a higher titre PV than TMPRSS2 with the HA from A/equine/Richmond/1/2007 (H3N8), whereas for A/equine/Newmarket/79 (H3N8), both proteases resulted in equivalent titres. TMPRSS4 was ineffective with the HA of...
Hifumi T, Tanaka T, Hernandez EP, Akioka K, Yamada K, Imamura Y, Hatai H, Miyoshi N.Histopathological and genetic examinations were conducted on grayish-white solid hepatic nodules in 150 horses imported from Canada, in order to investigate larval Echinococcus multilocularis infection. Ten of the 150 horses (6.7%) were diagnosed with alveolar hydatid disease. The sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b genes obtained from all 10 polymerase chain reaction positive samples had 99 to 100% identity with the European haplotype E1 of E. multilocularis. Therefore, we concluded that the infections likely originated in Canada. Relation entre les nodules hépatiques solides blanc-g...
Bell IG, Drury-Klein C.To analyse horse event and horse movement registration data collected between September 2007 and December 2008 during the outbreak of equine influenza in New South Wales, Australia. Results: A total of 9356 events were registered, involving 504,382 horses and 242,952 riders. Registered horse movements totalled 224,084, involving 349,327 horses (excluding mobs) travelling 34.4 million km with an average of 154 km per journey. The number of recorded events and movements were low while movement controls were most stringent, then increased from December 2007 as restrictions were eased, to peak in ...
Smyth JD.The genetics of speciation in the genus Echinococcus are briefly discussed. As the organism is a hermaphrodite and multiplies asexually in the larval stage, the genetic mechanism for the ready production of new strains is inherent in the life-cycle. Some biological, biochemical and nutritional differences between the horse and sheep strains are examined. The sheep strain may be grown to sexual maturity, in vitro, in a diphasic system; the horse strain fails to grow in such a system. Differences have also been demonstrated between the soluble proteins of the two strains. The sheep strain is inf...
Schvartz G, Epp T, Burgess HJ, Chilton NB, Lohmann KL.To investigate the agreement between available serologic tests for the detection of antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi, 50 serum samples from horses of unknown clinical status and at low risk for infection were tested. In addition to a point-of-care enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (pocELISA), the evaluated tests included 2 indirect fluorescent antibody tests (IFATs) for antibodies against A. phagocytophilum and an IFAT, an ELISA confirmed with Western blot, and the Lyme multiplex assay for antibodies against B. burgdorferi. For each pair-wise comparison bet...
Thompson CH, Yager JA, Van Rensburg IB.To determine whether the virus responsible for human molluscum contagiosum (MCV) is the causal agent of a similar disease in horses, in situ hybridisations using cloned fragments of human MCV DNA labelled with digoxigenin were carried out on formalin-fixed biopsy sections of lesions from two horses with molluscum contagiosum-like skin lesions. In both instances there was evidence of specific hybridisation of the labelled probe to target DNA in the sections under high stringency conditions, identified by the development of a deep blue-purple stain in the cytoplasm of cells in the stratum spinos...
Schmidtmann ET, Lloyd JE, Bobian RJ, Kumar R, Waggoner JW, Tabachinick WJ, Legg D.The blood feeding of mosquitoes and black flies from Hereford cattle and ponies treated with commercial formulations of permethrin was evaluated using an animal enclosure trap sample system that allowed comparison of insect blood-feeding levels between treated and nontreated animals. Blood feeding of both Aedes dorsalis Meigen and A. melanimon Dyar from heifers treated with pour-on concentrate and whole body spray treatments was reduced significantly by 79-88% at 4 d posttreatment, with apparent but not significant reductions of 61-68% at 11 d posttreatment. Simulium bivittatum Malloch and S. ...
Allen SE, Verheyen KLP, O'Neill DG, Brodbelt DC.Judicious antimicrobial use (AMU) is important for preserving therapeutic effectiveness. Large-scale studies of antimicrobial prescribing can provide clinical benchmarks and help identify opportunities for improved stewardship. Objective: To describe systemic AMU in UK equine practice and identify factors associated with systemic and Category B (third and fourth generation cephalosporins, quinolones and polymixins) AMU. Methods: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Anonymised electronic patient records (EPRs) for all equids attended by 39 UK veterinary practices between 1 January and 31 December 201...
Busechian S, Turini L, Sgorbini M, Pieramati C, Pisello L, Orvieto S, Rueca F.Obesity and overconditioning are becoming more prevalent in horses, and are influencing the animal's health, activity, and reproductive efficiency. Body condition score (BCS) and cresty neck score (CNS) have been correlated with the development of various diseases. Many of the papers in the literature evaluate the prevalence of obesity and overconditioning in horse populations considering BCS given by owners. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the owners' estimation of the degree of equine obesity or overconditioning by comparing BCS and CNS provided by each owner and a boar...
Boyle A.Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (strangles) is a highly contagious upper respiratory infection in horses. The infection is transmitted by inhalation or direct contact with mucopurulent discharge from an infective animal, resulting in fever, depression, and submandibular and retropharyngeal lymph node enlargement that can lead to respiratory distress. Complications include purpura hemorrhagica and metastatic abscessation. Control of outbreaks requires strict isolation protocols and hygiene measures. Detection of carriers is essential for preventing disease recurrence on a farm.
Anderson JL, Sloss BL, Meece JK.Several studies have shown that Blastomyces dermatitidis, the etiologic agent of blastomycosis, is a genetically diverse pathogen. Blastomycosis is a significant health issue in humans and other mammals. Veterinary and human isolates matched with epidemiological case data from the same geographic area and time period were used to determine: (i) if differences in genetic diversity and structure exist between clinical veterinary and human isolates of B. dermatitidis and (ii) if comparable epidemiologic features differ among veterinary and human blastomycosis cases. Results: Genetic typing of 301...
Kerber CE, Ferreira F, Pereira MC.The importance of equine piroplasmosis control in endemic countries has increased in recent years and plays an important role to maintain the international market open to the horse industry. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the occurrence of equine piroplasmosis (Babesia equi or Theileria equi and Babesia caballi) in Brazil--a country where the disease occurs endemically--in different climatic conditions, and to evaluate the results of a strategy for tick control in order to decrease infection rates. Blood samples were taken from 720 horses on 28 farms from different regions and su...
Ueno TEH, Cutolo AA, Martins TF, Moraes-Filho J, Azevedo SS, Labruna MB.The aim of this study was to investigate rickettsial infection in equids, opossums and ticks in the municipality of Monte Mor, a place where a Brazilian spotted fever case occurred in 2005. In addition, characteristics possibly associated with seropositivity in horses were analyzed. Serum samples from horses, mules and opossums (Didelphis albiventris) were subjected to indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) against Rickettsia rickettsii. The ticks collected from the animals were identified and Amblyomma sculptum ticks from the equids were tested using PCR for Rickettsia spp. Anti-R. rickettsi...
Mahalingam-Dhingra A, Bedenice D, Mazan MR.Hemosiderophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) are commonly ascribed to exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). Little information exists regarding the presence of these cells in horses that perform light or no work and that are referred for respiratory problems. Objective: Evaluate the presence of hemosiderophages in BALF of horses suspected of respiratory disease without history of or risk factors for EIPH and determine predictors of hemosiderophages in BALF in this population. Methods: Observational retrospective cross-sectional study using STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting...
Levi O, Waner T, Baneth G, Keysary A, Bruchim Y, Silverman J, Harrus S.The presence of reacting antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum has previously been demonstrated in Israel, both in humans and the golden jackal (Canis aureus syriacus). This study was undertaken to determine the seroprevalence of A. phagocytophilum antibodies in two additional potential hosts, domestic dogs and horses in order to investigate the possibility of exposure to the organism in Israel. Of 195 dogs tested, 9% were seroreactive with A. phagocytophilum antigen and 30% were seroreactive to Ehrlichia canis. Twenty-nine percent of the dogs seropositive for E. canis were also reactive to ...
