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Topic:Epidemiology
Epidemiology in horses involves the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in equine populations. It encompasses the investigation of patterns, causes, and effects of diseases and health conditions within horse populations. This field of study aims to identify risk factors for disease and targets for preventive healthcare. Key components of equine epidemiology include disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and the study of disease dynamics within herds or regions. Research in this area often focuses on infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases, and the impact of environmental factors on equine health. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of epidemiology in horses, including disease prevalence, transmission pathways, and strategies for disease prevention and control.
Vesicular stomatitis. Vesicular stomatitis is an infrequent yet important vesicular disease of cattle, horses, and swine. Periodic outbreaks of this disease in the United States have caused economic losses in cattle herds because of decreased production, movement restrictions, and trade embargoes. Vesicular stomatitis causes clinical signs indistinguishable from those of foot-and-mouth disease. It is of utmost importance that appropriate samples are collected from clinical cases of vesicular disease in cattle and swine so a rapid laboratory diagnosis can be made.
Cecal rupture by Anoplocephala perfoliata infection in a thoroughbred horse in Seoul Race Park, South Korea. A 7-year-old Thoroughbred horse was admitted to the Equine Hospital, Korea Racing Association with signs of colic. Based on the size of impactions, the clinical signs, the results of abdominal paracentesis and medical treatment, the prognosis was poor. The horse died 3 hours later following hopeless discharge. At necropsy, the caecum and large colon were fully filled with fecal contents and there was a rupture (10 cm in dia) in the latero- ventral caecum. The mucosa of the ileo-caecal and caeco- colic valves appeared to the hyperemic, edematous and ulcerous. There were many tapeworms in the af...
Findings in cerebrospinal fluids of horses infected with West Nile virus: 30 cases (2001). To evaluate CSF in horses with confirmed West Nile virus encephalomyelitis. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 30 horses. Methods: Results of CSF analyses from horses with acute neurologic signs attributed to West Nile virus infection that was confirmed by immunoglobulin M antibody capture ELISA were reviewed and analyzed. Results: Among 30 CSF samples, findings in 8 (27%) were within reference ranges and in 22 (73%) were abnormal. Among the 22 abnormal samples, mononuclear pleocytosis was found in 16 (73%) and high protein concentration with nucleated cell count within reference range was...
Stable and long-lasting immune response in horses after DNA vaccination against equine arteritis virus. Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of the equine viral arteritis. It is a small RNA virus with a linear, non-segmented plus RNA genome. EAV is a member of the Arteriviridae family that includes porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRSSV), simian haemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) and lactate dehydrogenase virus (LDV). The viral transmission is via respiratory and reproductive routes. Clinical signs in horses vary, and severe infection can lead to abortions in pregnant mares or neonatal foal death. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of the imm...
Evidence of an association between inflammatory airway disease and EIPH in young Thoroughbreds during training. In an epidemiological study of risk factors for exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) in young Thoroughbreds in the UK, in which 148 horses contributed 1614 horse-months of data, there were 64 (4%) episodes of endoscopically visible tracheal bleeding and 824 (51%) episodes of increased quantities of haemosiderophages in tracheal washes. There were increases in prevalence and risk of EIPH by both definitions with age from or = 4 years, season of sampling from winter (Nov-Jan) to autumn (Aug-Oct) and several different measures of airway inflammation, including tracheal mucus, neutrophil...
EIPH: postrace endoscopic evaluation of Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds. The incidence and severity of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) in the 2 most commonly raced horse breeds, Thoroughbreds (TB) and Standardbreds (STD), were studied, with particular interest in the possible influence of frusemide (F) and/or the breed (or running gait) on EIPH. The appearance of blood within the trachea was semi-quantified using a published 5-point system, with zero assigned when no blood was observed, and numbers 1-4 assigned with increasing amounts of blood. Considering each endoscopic examination as a separate event, approximately 75% of the postrace endoscopic ex...
Distribution of mecA-harboring staphylococci in healthy mares. The prevalence of staphylococci that harbor the mecA gene responsible for methicillin resistance was examined in healthy breeding mares. Staphylococci often cause diseases of horses such as metritis, keratitis, and abscess. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci would make antibiotic treatments ineffective, so it may be significant to know the distribution of mecA-harboring staphylococci in mares. Isolation of mecA-harboring staphylococci was achieved from nares and pasterns of 100 mares in Hokkaido, Japan. From 13% of the mares, mecA-harboring staphylococci, including 15 isolates of Staphylococc...
Associations between age or sex and prevalence of gastric ulceration in Standardbred racehorses in training. To determine associations between age, sex, or medical treatment and prevalence and severity of gastric ulceration in Standardbred racehorses in training. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 224 Standardbred racehorses in training. Methods: Gastroscopy was performed on each horse, and mucosal ulceration was graded from 0 (normal mucosa, no lesions) to 3 (extensive, often coalescing, lesions with areas of deep ulceration). Associations between age, sex, or treatment and prevalence and severity of ulcers were evaluated. Results: Prevalence of gastric ulceration was 87%. Although there was l...
Risk factors and sources of variation in horse falls in steeplechase racing in the UK. We identified risk factors associated with falling during steeplechase racing. We used retrospective data from all steeplechase runs on UK racecourses during 1999: 10,866 starts with 647 horse falls. The relationship between continuous variables and falling was assessed using generalised additive models (GAMs). Polynomial fits then were included in a multilevel, multivariable logistic-regression model. The number of runners had a linear, positive association with the risk of falling. The distance of the race had a non-linear relationship with the risk of falling; the risk steadily increased in...
Cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse in southern Germany caused by Leishmania infantum. This report describes a case of cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse in southern Germany. Diagnosis is based on histopathology, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The protozoan was identified as Leishmania infantum via PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism. The horse did not show specific Leishmania antibodies. The lesions healed completely within 6 months without any specific treatment. Since neither the infected horse nor its dam had ever left their rural area, autochthonous infection in Germany cannot be excluded. Factors possibly influencing the epidemiological situatio...
A survey of helminth control practices in equine establishments in Ireland. We report the results of a survey to assess the attitudes of horse owners and managers of equine businesses in Ireland to the control of helminth parasites, and the extent to which veterinary practitioners are involved in providing advice on parasite control of horses. Replies to our questionnaire indicated that there is a high level of awareness on the need for helminth control, typically leading to several doses of anthelmintic being administered to each animal every year. While a majority of respondents (61%) were concerned about the issue of anthelmintic resistance, only a few were of the ...
Use of sentinel herds to study the epidemiology of vesicular stomatitis in the state of colorado. Approximately 20 sentinel premises in Colorado were visited quarterly during a 3-year prospective study to investigate the persistence of VS viruses in horses. A survey to assess management practices, health events, animal movements and environmental data was completed at each visit. Collection of serum samples and oral swabs along with a clinical examination of sentinel horses were performed at each visit. Serum samples were tested by 2 or more of 4 available serological tests. The data collected for two years (August 1998 to August 2000) are reported here. During this period there was seroco...
Collateral cartilage ossification of the distal phalanx in the Brazilian Jumper horse. Collateral cartilage ossification of the distal phalanx in the Brazilian Jumper horse is a common finding. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the degree of ossification of the collateral cartilages of the distal phalanx in Brazilian Jumper horses. In an analysis of 652 collateral cartilages from the front feet of 163 horses, 93% of these cartilages had collateral cartilage ossification (P < 0.005), and 7% of these cartilages did not have any type of ossification. In ossified cartilages, 86.4% had ossification beginning from the base, and 6.6% had a separate cente...
Fluoride concentrations in thoroughbred horses in India. Fluoride possesses both essential and toxic potentials. A cross-sectional study recorded the fluoride concentrations in sera of thoroughbred horses 5y of age from 4 localities in India. A total of 628 serum samples of were analyzed for fluoride content using ion selective potentiometry. The mean serum fluoride was estimated as 0.018 +/- 0.002, 0.096 +/- 0.004, 0.16 +/- 0.008 and 0.32 +/- 0.02 ppm in horses from the eastern, central. western and southern parts of the country respectively. Although there were significant difference in fluoride concentration among horses from different zones, all...
Reclassification of equine isolates previously reported as Actinobacillus equuli, variants of A. equuli, Actinobacillus suis or Bisgaard taxon 11 and proposal of A. equuli subsp. equuli subsp. nov. and A. equuli subsp. haemolyticus subsp. nov. Members of Bisgaard taxon 11 have been isolated from horses. These bacteria are of importance in the veterinary clinic and also to the medical profession, since they may be isolated from infected wounds of humans bitten by horses. Six strains from different continents were identified as taxon 11, with 16S rRNA similarities between 98.0 and 99.7%. A single isolate that represented the so-called (+)L-arabinose-positive Actinobacillus equuli isolated from a diseased foal showed 99.9% 16S rRNA similarity to the type strain of A. equuli. DNA-DNA hybridizations showed that (+)L-arabinose-positive st...
Factors associated with development of ileal impaction in horses with surgical colic: 78 cases (1986-2000). Deal impaction is prevalent in the south-eastern USA, where feeding of Coastal Bermuda hay has been implicated as a risk factor. Alternatively, infection with the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata has been identified as a risk factor for ileal impaction in the UK. We hypothesised that feeding Coastal Bermuda hay and failure to administer routinely an anthelmintic with efficacy against tapeworms would place horses at risk of developing ileal impaction in the USA. Seventy-eight horses, with surgically confirmed ileal impaction and 100 horses admitted for colic that did not have an ileal impactio...
Equine surgical colic: risk factors for postoperative complications. The reason for undertaking this study was that postoperative complications of colic surgery lead to patient discomfort, prolonged hospitalisation and increased cost. Potential risk factors for the 6 most common postoperative complications (jugular thrombosis, ileus, re-laparotomy, wound suppuration, incisional herniation and colic) were evaluated using multivariable models. Jugular thrombosis was associated significantly with heart rate greater than 60 beats/min and with increased packed cell volume (PCV) at admission. The risk of postoperative ileus also increased with increasing PCV at admis...
Case control study to identify risk factors for simple colonic obstruction and distension colic in horses. A case control study was performed to identify risk factors for colic caused by simple colonic obstruction and distension (SCOD) in the horse. Case horses were recruited from 2 veterinary school clinics. Control horses were population based and matched by time of year. A number of risk factors were considered in the following areas: general carer and premises information; exercise information; husbandry information (housing- and pasture-related); feeding information; breeding information; behavioural information; travel information; preventive medicine information and previous medical informat...
Long-term survival of equine surgical colic cases. Part 1: patterns of mortality and morbidity. Postoperative complications and mortality can occur many weeks or months after colic surgery. We are interested in the long-term outcome of these cases. This study documents patterns of mortality and morbidity among 341 horses that recovered from colic surgery March 1998-August 2000. The progress of each horse was rigorously followed by periodic telephone and postal questionnaires. Event time data were recorded for each animal and a total of 321 horse years of survival, together with death from all causes, colic-related death and various postoperative complications. Postoperative survival (of ...
In vitro isolation of equine piroplasms derived from Cape Mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) in South Africa. Twenty blood samples of zebras (Equus zebra zebra) from the Karoo National Park and the Bontebok National Park in South Africa, all seropositive for Theileria equi, were subjected to in vitro culture to identify carrier animals and to isolate the parasites. Sixteen animals had a detectable parasitaemia in Giemsa-stained blood smears examined before culture initiation, the remaining four animals were identified as T. equi carriers by in vitro culture. Cultures were initiated either in an oxygen-reduced gas mixture or in a 5% CO2-in-air atmosphere. Out of the 20 blood samples, 12 cultures of T. ...
Factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours in young horses: findings of a four year prospective epidemiological study. Stereotypies are invariant and repetitive behaviour patterns that seemingly have no function, which tend to develop in captive animals faced with insoluble problems and may be indicative of reduced welfare. A 4 year prospective study of the factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours (abnormal behaviour) in a population of 225 young Thoroughbred and part-Thoroughbred horses was conducted between 1995 and 1999. Abnormal behaviour affected 34.7% of the population. Multivariable analysis showed that foals of low- or middle-ranking mares were less likely to develop...
Evaluation of 5 serologic assays to detect Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals. To determine the sensitivity and specificity of 5 serologic assays used to diagnose Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals and to determine whether any of the assays could be used to identify affected foals prior to the onset of clinical signs or to differentiate between affected and unaffected foals when clinical signs first become apparent. Methods: Nested case-control study. Methods: 26 foals. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from all foals at 2, 4, and 6 or 7 weeks of age. Additional samples were obtained from affected foals at the time of diagnosis of R equi pneumonia and from age-matche...
Neutralizing antibodies against vesicular stomatitis viruses (serotypes New Jersey and Indiana) in horses in Costa Rica. Serum samples were collected from domestic horses in 4 different regions of Costa Rica to detect antibodies against vesicular stomatitis viruses, serotypes New Jersey (VSV-NJ) and Indiana (VSV-IN). A total of 214 samples were tested by the virus neutralization test. The sampling regions were identified as low North Pacific dry area (1), low Middle Atlantic humid area (2), low South Pacific humid area (3), and the highlands (4). In region 1, 97.1% of horses were positive for VSV-NJ and 16.5% were positive for VSV-IN. The mean antibody titer and its standard deviation after logarithmic transform...
Differences in pulmonary functional indices derived from the single-breath diagram for CO2 (SBD-CO2) in horses related to age, sex and usage. Although pulmonary function tests have been used to evaluate horses with clinically normal lungs and those with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), comprehensive studies of equine respiratory function, considering factors such as sex, age and usage are not available. Studies on the influence of these factors on pulmonary function in healthy horses are required for interpretation of measurements made in those with respiratory disease. The study was performed with 63 warmblood horses and the status of their pulmonary health was evaluated by clinical examination. The functional aspect of pulmonar...
Molecular epidemiology of VapA-positive Rhodococcus equi in thoroughbred horses in Kagoshima, Japan. The prevalence of virulent R. equi having 15- to 17-kDa antigens (VapA) in fecal isolates from 13 thoroughbred foals and their dams on 5 farms in Kagoshima, Japan, and the plasmid profiles of VapA-positive isolates by restriction fragment digestion patterns were investigated to compare the genotypic variation among virulence plasmids of R. equi isolates from Japan. In total, 218 (24.6%) of 886 isolates from the feces of the 13 foals and 13 (12.5%) of 104 isolates from the feces of their dams demonstrated VapA-positive R. equi. Plasmid DNA preparations of 231 virulent isolates from foals and da...
Detection of equine Babesia spp. gene fragments in Dermacentor nuttalli Olenev 1929 infesting mongolian horses, and their amplification in egg and larval progenies. Babesia equi (EMA-1) and Babesia caballi (BC48) gene fragments were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in blood samples, and partially fed-females and egg and larval progenies of Dermacentor nuttalli, collected from horses in Altanbulag, Tuv Province, Mongolia. While Babesia parasite DNA was detected in some horse blood samples during the first PCR, all positive cases in partially fed-female ticks, eggs and larvae were confirmed by nested PCR. Present study reinforces earlier similar findings in unfed D. nuttalli ticks collected from an open space vegetation in Bayanonjuul, Tuv Prov...
Selection of recently isolated colicinogenic Escherichia coli strains inhibitory to Escherichia coli O157:H7. Escherichia coli strains were screened for their ability to inhibit E. coli O157:H7. An initial evaluation of 18 strains carrying previously characterized colicins determined that only colicin E7 inhibited all of the E. coli O157:H7 strains tested. A total of 540 strains that had recently been isolated from humans and nine different animal species (cats, cattle, chickens, deer, dogs, ducks, horses, pigs, and sheep) were tested by a flip-plating technique. Approximately 38% of these strains were found to inhibit noncolicinogenic E. coli K12 strains. The percentage of potentially colicinogenic E...
Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the SzP gene of Streptococcus zooepidemicus isolated from the respiratory tract of horses. To develop polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis for molecular typing of strains of Streptococcus zooepidemicus and to use the new typing method to analyze a collection of isolates from the respiratory tract of Thoroughbreds. Methods: 10 strains of S zooepidemicus, 65 isolates from the respiratory tract of 9 yearlings following long distance transportation, and 89 isolates from tracheal aspirates of 20 foals with pneumonia. Methods: Phenotypic variations in the SzP protein were detected by western immunoblot analysis. Using PCR-RFLP analysis, ge...
