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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.
Derivation and characterization of a live attenuated equine influenza vaccine virus. To develop and characterize a cold-adapted live attenuated equine-2 influenza virus effective as an intranasal vaccine. Methods: 8 ponies approximately 18 months of age. Methods: A wild-type equine-2 virus, A/Equine/Kentucky/1/91 (H3N8), was serially passaged in embryonated chicken eggs at temperatures gradually reduced in a stepwise manner from 34 C to 30 C to 28 C to 26 C. At different passages, infected allantoic fluids were tested for the ability of progeny virus to replicate in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells at 34 C and 39.5 C. Virus clones that replicated at 26 C in eggs and at 3...
Borna disease: virus-induced neurobehavioral disease pathogenesis. Studies of the pathogenesis of neurobehavioral diseases following Borna disease virus infections have been increasing rapidly over the past ten years. Recent major advances have included a report of vertical transmission of the virus in its natural host, the horse, and a report of isolation of a novel variant, No/98, in that same species. In rats infected neonatally with the Borna disease virus that lack blood-borne inflammation in the brain, evidence of an "endogenous" brain inflammatory response is abundant, with elevated expression of cytokine and chemokine mRNA. Infection in these rats is ...
Dispersion of horse allergen in the ambient air, detected with sandwich ELISA. The objective was to establish an ELISA to detect horse allergen in ambient air and settled dust. Methods: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced against extracts of horse antigen. Two mAbs were selected and used in a sandwich ELISA. By the aid of portable pumps, air samples were collected in one stable and in the ambient air surrounding this stable. Furthermore, settled dust was collected by wiping spots with pieces of fabric, at sites within 500 m of the stable. Results: Extracts of horsehair could be extensively diluted and still be positive. Extracts of cat and dog allergen failed to b...
Immunodiagnosis of Trichinella infection in the horse. From 1998 to 2000, 5,267 horse sera were collected from several Trichinella regions in Romania. Sera were initially screened in laboratories in Romania, Serbia and Italy with an ELISA and a Western blot (Wb) using an excretory/secretory (ES) antigen and several conjugates (protein A, protein G, and sheep or goat anti-horse). Differences in serology results were obtained among the different conjugates and also between ELISA and Wb. Depending on the test used, specific antibodies were found at a prevalence rate of 3-6% of horses. Serum samples classified as positive were tested again by ELISA us...
Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for distinguishing Taylorella equigenitalis from Taylorella equigenitalis-like organisms. It is difficult to distinguish isolates of Taylorella equigenitalis, the cause of contagious equine metritis, from a T. equigenitalis-like organism isolated from asymptomatic donkeys and horses. Although T. equigenitalis is responsible for a severe, contagious disease of the reproductive tract of equids, the T. equigenitalis-like organism, although contagious, does not appear to produce disease. Because of the economic consequences of correctly distinguishing isolates of these 2 microorganisms, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay was developed that will distinguish isolates of T. equ...
Validation of a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosing Babesia equi infections of Moroccan origin and its use in determining the seroprevalence of B. equi in Morocco. A highly specific and sensitive competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of specific antibody to Babesia equi in serum from equids was validated for use in Morocco. The assay is based on the specific inhibition of binding of a monoclonal antibody to a conserved epitope within a recombinant parasite peptide by serum from infected animals. The assay was compared to an established indirect immunofluorescence assay, with a concordance of 91%. The assay was used to determine seroprevalence for B. equi infections in donkeys and horses throughout Morocco. A total of 578 sera (163 h...
A cross-sectional study of colic in horses on thoroughbred training premises in the British Isles in 1997. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of colic in horses in Thoroughbred training premises in 1997 in the British Isles. The seasonal pattern and outcome of colic episodes were also investigated, together with any association between premises level variables and colic. Data were collected by a postal questionnaire. The results showed a colic incidence density of 7.19/100 horse years (s.e. 0.42) and a cumulative incidence of colic of 5.80% (s.e. 0.30). Premises were grouped according to whether they had more Flat than National Hunt horses (Flat premises) or more National Hunt than...
Endoscopic findings of the gastric antrum and pylorus in horses: 162 cases (1996-2000). Medical records and endoscopy images were examined for 209 horses that had gastroscopic examinations performed with a 2.5- or 3-m-long endoscope by one of the authors (MJM) during a 4-year period (1996-2000). The antrum and pylorus were viewed in 162 horses, and the duodenum was viewed in 94 horses. Of these 162 horses, the gastric squamous mucosa was seen in 157 horses and 50% or more of the glandular mucosa of the body of the stomach was seen in 156 horses. Erosions or ulcers were seen in the gastric squamous mucosa in 91 (58%) horses. Erosions or ulcers were seen in the glandular mucosa of ...
Pathologic and immunohistochemical findings in naturally occuring West Nile virus infection in horses. The pathologic and peroxidase immunohistochemical features of West Nile flavivirus (WNV) infection were compared in four horses from the northeastern United States and six horses from central Italy. In all 10 animals, there were mild to severe polioencephalomyelitis with small T lymphocyte and lesser macrophage perivascular infiltrate, multifocal glial nodules, neutrophils, and occasional neuronophagia. Perivascular hemorrhages, also noted macroscopically in two animals, were observed in 50% of the horses. In the four American horses, lesions extended from the basal nuclei through the brain st...
A prospective study of the roles of clostridium difficile and enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in equine diarrhoea. Faecal samples from adult horses and from foals with diarrhoea or with normal faeces were evaluated for the presence of Clostridium difficile, C. difficile toxins, C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) and C. perfringens spore counts. Clostridium difficile was isolated from 7/55 horses (12.7%) and 11/31 foals (35.5%) with colitis, but from 1/255 normal adults (0.4%) and 0/47 normal foals (P<0.001). Clostridium difficile toxins A and/or B were detected in 12/55 diarrhoeic adults (21.8%) and 5/30 diarrhoeic foals (16.7%) but in only 1/83 adults (1.2%) and 0/21 foals with normal faeces (P<0.001 and P<...
A polymerase chain reaction for detection of equine herpesvirus-1 in routine diagnostic submissions of tissues from aborted foetuses. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is the causative agent of abortion, perinatal foal mortality, neurological and acute respiratory diseases in horses. Conventional laboratory diagnosis involving viral isolation from aborted foetuses is laborious and lengthy and requires processing of samples within 24 h of collection, which is problematic for samples that come from long distances. The aim of this study was to develop a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay useful in Argentina to detect DNA sequences of EHV-1 in different tissues from aborted equine foetuses with variable quality of preservation and...
Clinical and virological evaluation of the efficacy of an inactivated EHV1 and EHV4 whole virus vaccine (Duvaxyn EHV1,4). Vaccination/challenge experiments in foals and pregnant mares. Pregnant mares and young foals were vaccinated with Duvaxyn EHV1,4, an inactivated and adjuvanted vaccine containing both the EHV-1 and 4 antigens. SN and CF antibody titres were induced two weeks after first vaccination. Antibody levels were boosted after second vaccination, however they never reached the levels induced after virus challenge. Young foals were challenged with virulent EHV-1 and EHV-4 field viruses. Pregnant mares were challenged with the highly abortigenic EHV-1 strain Ab4. Vaccinated animals showed a clear reduction in clinical signs and virus excretion compared to unvaccinat...
[Prevalence of the Salmonella plasmid virulence gene “spvD” in Salmonella strains from animals]. Strains of Salmonella isolated from animals in Germany (n = 878) were analysed for the presence of the spvD gene ("Salmonella plasmid virulence gene D") by DNA-DNA hybridization. The spvD gene was only detected in strains of serovars Typhimurium (93.3%), Enteritidis (97.1%), and Dublin (100%) as well as in two rough strains of Salmonella enterica. Salmonella isolates from mammals carried the gene more frequently (cattle 94.0%, horses 92.6%, pigs 73.7%) than those from birds (33.3%) or reptiles (4.5%). Due to its high prevalence in epidemiologically relevant salmonellae, the virulence factor sp...
Comparison of two methods for presurgical disinfection of the equine hoof. To determine for equine hooves the normal resident aerobic bacterial population and the efficacy of 2 methods of disinfection. Study Design-Measurement of total bacterial, gram-positive bacterial, and gram-negative bacterial surface populations from the frog, sole, and hoof wall after each step of 2 different preoperative surgical disinfection techniques. Methods: Six adult horses. Methods: Hoof wall, sole, and frog samples were collected for quantitative bacteriology before, during, and after 2 multistep antiseptic preparation techniques: Method A-6-minute scrub with povidone-iodine soap, fol...
Borna disease virus-specific circulating immune complexes, antigenemia, and free antibodies–the key marker triplet determining infection and prevailing in severe mood disorders. Borna disease virus (BDV), a unique genetically highly conserved RNA virus (Bornaviridae; Mononegavirales), preferentially targets neurons of limbic structures causing behavioral abnormalities in animals. Markers and virus in patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia have raised worldwide interest. A persistent infection was suggestive from follow-up studies, but inconstant detectability weakened a possible linkage.This study for the first time discloses that detection gaps are caused by BDV-specific circulating immune complexes (CIC), and their interplay with free antibodies and pla...
Estimate of the national incidence of and operation-level risk factors for colic among horses in the United States, spring 1998 to spring 1999. To estimate the national incidence of, operation-level risk factors for, and annual economic impact of colic among horses in the United States during 1998 and 1999. Methods: Epidemiologic survey. Methods: 21,820 horses on 1,026 horse operations in 28 states. Methods: Horses were monitored for colic for 1 year, and results were recorded in a log that was collected quarterly. Operation-level data were collected via 4 on-site personal interviews. Associations between colic and independent variables adjusted for size of operation were determined. Results: Annual national incidence of colic in the ...
Age distributions of horses with strangulation of the small intestine by a lipoma or in the epiploic foramen: 46 cases (1994-2000). To test the hypothesis that strangulation of the small intestine by a lipoma or in the epiploic foramen is more common in older horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 46 horses. Methods: Ages of horses with strangulation of the small intestine by a lipoma (n = 29) or in the epiploic foramen (17) were compared with ages of 79 horses with miscellaneous small intestinal lesions. Effects of increasing age on risk of the diseases of interest were examined by use of logistic regression and a 1-sided trend test for binomial proportions. Results: Mean age of the horses with strangulation in th...
Comparison of the value of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, random amplified polymorphic DNA and amplified rDNA restriction analysis for subtyping Taylorella equigenitalis. Eight strains of Taylorella equigenitalis were identified by a polymerase chain reaction using a primer pair specific to the 16S rDNA of T equigenitalis. These eight strains were chosen because they had previously been shown to represent eight distinct genotypes by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis after separate digestion of the genomic DNA with ApaI or NotI. The eight strains could be classified into six or seven types by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis using different kinds of primers. Amplified rDNA restriction analysis after separate digestion with five restriction enzym...
Lack of antibodies to porcine circovirus type 2 virus in beef and dairy cattle and horses in western Canada. Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is a recently recognized agent that is consistently associated with postweaning multisystemic wasting disease in swine. There are conflicting data concerning the ability of this virus to infect and cause disease in other species. To determine if normal cattle, cattle affected with various illnesses, and normal horses in endemic areas of PCV2 infection in swine have had PCV2 infections, 100 randomly selected bovine sera, 100 equine sera, and 100 colostrum samples from clinically normal dairy cattle were examined for the presence of antibodies to porcine circovir...
Detection of antibodies to the nonstructural protein (NS1) of influenza A virus allows distinction between vaccinated and infected horses. Antibodies to the nonstructural protein (NS1) of A/equine/Miami/1/63 (H3N8) influenza virus were detected exclusively in the sera of mice experimentally infected with A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2) and horses infected with A/equine/Kentucky/1/81 (H3N8) or A/equine/La Plata/1/93 (H3N8), but not in those of the animals immunized with the inactivated viruses, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a recombinant NS1 as antigen. The results indicate that the present method is useful for serological diagnosis to distinguish horses infected with equine H3 influenza viruses from those immunized with ...
Prevalence and clinical implications of anthelmintic resistance in cyathostomes of horses. To determine the prevalence and clinical implications of anthelmintic resistance in cyathostomes of horses. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 80 horses on 10 farms in a 5-county region of northeast Georgia. Methods: On each farm, horses were stratified in descending order according to pretreatment fecal egg count (FEC), blocked into groups of 4, and then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups: no treatment (controls), and treatment with pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole, or ivermectin. Fecal samples were collected 24 hours prior to treatment and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after treatment for dete...
[Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis in the Netherlands? An overview]. Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) was diagnosed in a Dutch Warmblood gelding a few months after its export to the United States. The horse came back and was treated here. Additionally, an overview of the disease complex 'EPM' is given. Mode of infection, diagnosis of disease and its differential diagnoses, and general therapeutic options are presented. Although EPM due to infection with Sarcocystis neurona in Europe seems restricted to those horses that return or are imported from North America, the possibility of future cases of EPM caused by an infection with Neospora spp. is briefly ...
Bacterial isolates from blood and their susceptibility patterns in critically ill foals: 543 cases (1991-1998). To assess microorganisms isolated from blood specimens obtained from critically ill neonatal foals and to evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 543 neonatal foals. Methods: Medical records of foals that were < 1 month old and were admitted to a referral neonatal intensive care unit were reviewed for results of bacteriologic culture of blood and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Results: At least 1 microorganism was isolated from 155 of 543 (28.5%) foals. Escherichia coli was the most commonly isolated bacterium. A single gram-posit...
Cadmium accumulation and distribution in slaughtered horse kidneys from the Argentine central region. In this paper we report the results of surveys conducted in Argentina between 1997 and 1998 to know the Cd concentrations in kidney from horses of different age, sex, and origin. Cd in renal cortex and medulla was positively correlated, and higher concentrations in the cortex were found. No significant differences between values from left and right kidneys of the same animal were found. An increase in Cd levels with age of animals were observed, and no sex incidence was verified in renal Cd composition. No detectable residues were found in the fetuses tested. Levels observed in Argentine equin...
