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.
Evans TJ, Miller MA, Ganjam VK, Niswender KD, Ellersieck MR, Krause WJ, Youngquist RS.To develop an objective, quantifiable assay for endometrial periglandular fibrosis (EPF) and correlate assay results with histologic and ultrastructural changes in equine endometrial biopsy specimens. Methods: Endometrial biopsy specimens from 70 mares from 3 to 27 years old in estrus. Methods: In a double-blinded study design, endometrial biopsy specimens were graded histologically (modified Kenney classification) for EPF and inflammation. Endometrial periglandular collagen volume fraction (%EPCVF) was determined by light microscopic image analysis of picrosirius red-stained sections. Specime...
Lichtenfels JR, Kharchenko VA, Krecek RC, Gibbons LM.The results of an international collaborative effort to prepare a recommended list of scientific names for the small strongyles (Nematoda: Strongyloidea: Cyathostominea) of horses, donkeys and zebras are reported. Fifty-one valid species are recognized in 13 genera, including Cyathostomum, Coronocyclus, Cylicodontophorus, Cylicocyclus, Cylicostephanus, Skrjabinodentus, Tridentoinfundibulum, Petrovinema, Poteriostomum, Parapoteriostomum, Hsiungia, Cylindropharynx and Caballonema. In addition, 42 other species level names are listed as synonyms of the 51 recognized species or as species inquiren...
Anderson RC, Linder KE, Peregrine AS.Although the original description given by Stefanski (1954) was satisfactory, Anderson & Bemrick (1965), in describing H. deletrix (= Micronema deletrix), claimed Stefanski's description was "inadequate" and the species a "species inquirenda". Thus, infections in horses and humans have been assigned to H. deletrix. We believe the species reported in horses and humans is H. gingivalis and that H. deletrix is its synonym. H. gingivalis is separated herein from forms found free-living. The genital tract in the advanced fourth stage of H. gingivalis is didelphic and amphidelphic and terminal e...
Maury W, Oaks JL, Bradley S.Previous cell infectivity studies have demonstrated that the lentivirus equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infects tissue macrophages in vivo and in vitro. In addition, some strains of EIAV replicate to high titer in vitro in equine fibroblasts and fibroblast cell lines. Here we report a new cell type, macrovascular endothelial cells, that is infectible with EIAV. We tested the ability of EIAV to infect purified endothelial cells isolated from equine umbilical cords and renal arteries. Infectivity was detected by cell supernatant reverse transcriptase positivity, EIAV antigen positivity wit...
Iniguez P, Zientara S, Marault M, Machin IB, Hannant D, Cruciere C.A random hexapeptide fusion-phage library was screened to isolate phages that bind to antibodies present in horse sera positive for equine arteritis virus (EAV). Analysis of the peptide sequences displayed by isolated phages identified seven groups. 25% of the isolated phages used as antigens in an ELISA test were specifically recognised by a pool of sera which was positive for EAV in virus neutralisation test (VN). Five of these, when used as antigen in ELISA, detected greater than 50% of sera (n = 30) containing antibodies to EAV as detected by VN. When these five phages were pooled together...
Brown CM, Timoney PJ.An outbreak of disease, characterized by depression, anorexia, fever, limb oedema and lymphocytopenia, occurred on a farm for thoroughbreds in India in 1990. Twenty-six of the 88 horses on the farm were affected, predominantly adults. Signs were present in affected horses for 7-10 days, and the outbreak lasted 21 days. Seven of the 26 affected horses were tested for exposure to Getah virus using paired serum samples, acute and convalescent. Four of the 7 horses seroconverted to Getah virus, and the other three showed a 4-fold or greater rise in titre. The clinical and laboratory findings were ...
Holly EA, Bracci PM, Mueller BA, Preston-Martin S.Nineteen counties from San Francisco and Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington were the United States sites for a large population-based case-control study of childhood brain tumors (CBTs), sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. CBT patients who were 1 year and were first on a farm when they were < 6 months of age also had increased risk for CBTs (OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 1.2-13). A somewhat increased risk for CBTs was found for children of mothers who ever had worked on livestock farms compared with mothers who never had worked on a farm (OR = 7.4, 95% CI = 0.86-64, based on five...
Ravary B, Fecteau G, Higgins R, Paré J, Lavoie JP.Bacteriologic detection of Salmonella spp. from feces of animals admitted to Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal, in Saint-Hyacinthe was carried out during a 1-year period to estimate the prevalence of bovine and equine salmonellosis. Prevalence at the time of hospitalization was quite low: 1.4% in cattle and 1.7% in horses. Incidence was 15.1 cases/100 animal/year in cattle and 38.7 cases/100 animal/year in horses. Serotype typhimurium was the most prevalent in both species. In cattle, cases were evenly distributed over the year. In hors...
Agneessens J, Engelen S, Debever P, Vercruysse J.Over a period of one year, from December 1995 to November 1996, larvae of Gasterophilus intestinalis were found in 193 horse stomachs (58%) of 330 that were examined in two Belgian slaughter houses. When August is excluded, 62% of the stomachs had bot larvae. No other Gasterophilus species were identified. The monthly prevalence ranged from 9% in August to 75% in November and December. The mean intensity of bot larvae varied from 8 in August to 29 in March, and the majority of the horses (67%) harboured less than 50 larvae. Prevalences and intensities were not affected by age, but mares were m...
Horstmann T, Heitkamp HC, Mayer F, Hermann M, Küsswetter HW, Dickhuth H.The objective of this study was to compile knowledge of athletic injuries and complaint patterns related specifically to equestrian acrobatics (e.a.). A 20-page standardized questionnaire was sent to 114 e.a. participants. The mean age of the participants in e.a. groups was 15 +/- 3 years, that of independent participants 21 +/- 3 years. A total of 489 injuries was reported, mainly to muscles and tendons (35%), skin (33%) and joints and ligaments (25%). Bone injuries (6%) and head injuries (2%) were infrequent. Analysis of the localization showed that the head-face-neck region was involved in ...
Chang YF, Novosel V, Dubovi E, Wong SJ, Chu FK, Chang CF, Del Piero F, Shin S, Lein DH.Human blood collected from two patients from Westchester County, New York with human granulocytic ehrlichia (HGE) infection was inoculated into two ponies. Inoculated ponies developed clinical signs similar to a previous report (Madigan et al., 1995). Histopathological changes involved follicular hyperplasia of lymphoid tissues. HGE DNA was detected by PCR in muscle, fascia, peritoneum, and adrenal gland after the ponies produced a high level of antibodies to HGE. We suggest that HGE may reside in poorly vascularized connective tissues, where the antibodies may have some difficulties to penetr...
Feder HM, Nelson RS, Cartter ML, Sadre I.A survey was performed to identify people who were exposed to a rabid pony and determine whether or not they received rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). Sixty-one visitors who came in contact with the rabid pony were identified. These visitors heard about the rabid pony via the news media. Forty-five visitors were exposed during the 2 weeks before the pony died. Thirty-two of these 45 visitors received PEP. Thirty-one visitors had or may have had saliva contact to an open wound or mucosa and all 31 received PEP. Fourteen visitors had no saliva contact to a wound or mucosa and one received ...
Holman PJ, Becu T, Bakos E, Polledo G, Cruz D, Wagner GG.Babesia equi, a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis, was isolated from horses in the Chaco Province of Argentina, a known piroplasmosis endemic region. Fifteen B. equi field isolates were acquired by culture from 23 actively working horses from 2 ranches. The horses appeared healthy with no clinical signs or histories indicative of equine piroplasmosis. All 23 horses had B. equi-specific antibody activity by the indirect fluorescent antibody test and 18 were also complement fixation test positive for B. equi. Equine erythrocytes were prepared for parasite culture using a microcentrifuge tu...
Lendal S, Larsen MM, Bjørn H, Craven J, Chriél M, Olsen SN.A questionnaire survey to obtain information on endoparasite control practices and management on 68 Danish horse farms was undertaken in 1995. The study revealed that foals, young horses and adults were on average, annually treated 4.3, 4.0 and 3.7 times, respectively. The most commonly used drug from 1993-1995 was ivermectin. On average 2.4 different drugs were used annually. The most used method of weight estimation was eye measure: for foals by 78%, for youngsters by 81% and adults by 82% of the herd owners. The most commonly used weight in the dosing of anthelmintics was individual weights...
Craven J, Bjørn H, Henriksen SA, Nansen P, Larsen M, Lendal S.This study reports on the prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in strongyles of horses in Denmark. Of 5 methods used for the calculation of faecal egg count reduction (FECR) the method recommended by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, for the detection of resistance in sheep was the most sensitive procedure for detecting resistance. Using this method benzimidazole resistance was detected on 33 of 42 farms (79%) examined. Pyrantel was tested on 15 farms and FECR tests indicate resistance on 3 (30%) farms. On 2 farms on which resistance to pyrantel was detecte...
Mumford EL, Traub-Dargatz JL, Salman MD, Collins JK, Getzy DM, Carman J.To develop a system to monitor and detect acute infections of the upper respiratory tract (i.e., nares, nasopharynx, and pharynx) in horses and to assess the association among specific viral infections, risk factors, and clinical signs of disease. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 151 horses with clinical signs of acute infectious upper respiratory tract disease (IURD) from 56 premises in Colorado. Methods: Health management data, blood samples, and nasal or nasopharyngeal swab samples were obtained for 151 horses with clinical signs of acute IURD. Of these horses, 112 had an additional blo...
Galosi CM, Norimine J, Echeverría MG, Oliva GA, Nosetto EO, Etcheverrigaray ME, Tohya Y, Mikami T.The genomes of 10 equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) strains isolated in Argentina from 1979 to 1991, and a Japanese HH1 reference strain were compared by restriction endonuclease analysis. Two restriction enzymes, BamHI and BglII, were used and analysis of the electropherotypes did not show significant differences among isolates obtained from horses with different clinical signs. This suggests that the EHV-1 isolates studied, which circulated in Argentina for more than 10 years, belong to a single genotype.
Wood JL, Milne EM, Doxey DL.A case-control study was performed to investigate the epidemiology of grass sickness in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 1995. Data were collected by means of postal questionnaire when cases of grass sickness were identified. Sets of three questionnaires were posted to owners of, or veterinary surgeons attending, cases of grass sickness, with a request to provide information on the case, on one healthy animal on the same premises as the case and on another healthy animal on other premises. Controls were matched to cases by date of onset. After univariate analyses, the probability of grass sickn...
Doherr MG, Carpenter TE, Hanson KM, Wilson WD, Gardner IA.A case-control study was designed using equine medical records from the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) and data derived through a mailed survey. The objective was to evaluate the associations between horse demographics, horse-management factors, and equine Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in California. Horses admitted to the VMTH between July 1 1992 and June 30 1994 served as the study base for case identification and simple random sampling of 800 controls. A questionnaire was mailed to the owners of all horses enrolled in the study to collect data on demogra...
Doherr MG, Carpenter TE, Wilson WD, Gardner IA.The objective of this study is to describe the design, application and validity of a self-administered (mailed) questionnaire to collect data on potential risk factors for Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in California horses. Horses admitted to the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) between 1 July 1992 and 30 June 1994 served as the study base for case identification and simple random sampling of 800 control horses. A questionnaire was mailed to owners of the study horses, followed by a reminder postcard and a second copy of a questionnaire. Data were collected o...
Barlough JE, Reubel GH, Madigan JE, Vredevoe LK, Miller PE, Rikihisa Y.Ehrlichia DNA was identified by nested PCR in operculate snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) collected from stream water in a northern California pasture in which Potomac horse fever (PHF) is enzootic. Sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA from a suite of genes (the 16S rRNA, groESL heat shock operon, 51-kDa major antigen genes) indicated that the source organism closely resembled Ehrlichia risticii, the causative agent of PHF. The minimum percentage of Juga spp. harboring the organism in the population studied was 3.5% (2 of 57 snails). No ehrlichia DNA was found in tissues of 123 lymnaeid, physid, a...
MacLachlan NJ, Balasuriya UB, Hedges JF, Schweidler TM, McCollum WH, Timoney PJ, Hullinger PJ, Patton JF.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of equine viral arteritis, an apparently emerging disease of equids. In this study, the antibody response of horses to the structural proteins of EAV was evaluated using gradient-purified EAV virions and baculovirus-expressed recombinant EAV structural proteins (G(L), G(S), M, N) as antigens in a Western immunoblotting assay. Thirty-three sera from horses that previously had been naturally or experimentally infected with EAV were evaluated, including samples from mares, geldings, and both persistently and nonpersistently infected stallions. S...
Bernoco D, Bailey E.Severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) of horses is an autosomal, recessive hereditary disease occurring among Arabian horses. The genetic defect responsible for this disease was recently identified as a 5-basepair deletion in the gene encoding DNA-protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs). Horses with one copy of the gene appear normal, while horses with two copies of the gene manifest the disease. The present report describes a PCR-based test for detection of the gene defect and the results from testing 250 randomly selected Arabian horses. The frequency of SCID gene carriers was ...
Paterson DL, Murray PK, McCormack JG.Twenty-three horses and three humans in Queensland, Australia, were infected with a novel member of the Paramyxoviridae family of viruses in two geographically distinct outbreaks. Two of the humans died-one died of rapid-onset respiratory illness, and the other died of encephalitis. The third infected human developed an influenza-like illness and made a complete recovery. All infected humans had close contact with sick horses. Since the two outbreaks occurred at sites 1,000 km apart and no known contact between the two groups of humans and horses occurred, extensive testing of animals and bird...
Dahl E.During a 2-year period all Casualty Department data charts with the diagnosis "animal bite" were reviewed as part of internal quality control. Of 1,051 recorded episodes, 503 (48%) were women and 147 (14%) children under 16 years of age. 951 (90%) wounds were treated without closure. Half of the patients were not given antibiotics on the first visit, whereas one third were given penicillin. Tetanus status had been evaluated on 1,015 (97%) charts. Most bites were caused by dogs (76%), cats (17%), and horses (2%). Children were the victims of 118 (15%) dog bites, eight (4%) cat bites, and ten (5...
Biswas B, Vemulapalli R, Dutta SK.Ehrlichia risticii, the causative agent of Potomac horse fever, has recently been isolated from many vaccinated horses with typical clinical signs of the disease. The heterogeneity of the E. risticii isolates obtained from the vaccinated horses necessitates the identification of the molecular basis of strain variations to elucidate the vaccine failure and to aid in the development of an efficient vaccine against this disease. As an attempt, two major cross-reacting surface antigen genes of 50- and 85-kDa antigens, present separately in strains 25-D (isolated in 1984) and 90-12 (isolated in 199...
Blackall PJ, Christensen JP, Bisgaard M.The objective of this work was to examine the diversity within Australian isolates of Actinobacillus equuli and related organisms by the genotypic method of ribotyping. Methods: Ribotyping, performed using the enzyme HaeIII, was used to examine the diversity in 12 field isolates of A equuli (five being capable of fermenting L-arabinose), one field isolate of Pasteurella caballi and two unclassifiable field isolates. Isolates were obtained from Australian horses, except for three isolates of A equuli (one L-arabinose positive and two L-arabinose negative) which were obtained from horses and a p...
Andersen UV, Haakansson IT, Roust T, Rhod M, Baptiste KE, Nielsen MK.Strongyle and trichostrongyle parasites are ubiquitous nematodes of grazing livestock. Several molecular diagnostic tests are based upon measuring and quantifying DNA obtained from parasite eggs. It is well known that such eggs undergo development during storage, but it remains unknown to which extent developmental stages can affect the variation of diagnostic test results. This study investigated the influence of developmental stages of strongyle eggs on the variation real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. Mixed species strongyle eggs were obtained from the faeces of a naturally i...
Müller I, Khanakah G, Kundi M, Stanek G.Grazing animals are continuously exposed to tick bites. Consequently, one may expect that horses will become infected with the various pathogens carried by ticks including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Whether horses may develop clinical disease due to this pathogen is controversially discussed. We were interested to learn about the infection of horses with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato within one season by studying the dynamics of the humoral immune response in paired blood samples. The majority of horses examined were Lipizzaner from the stud farm in Piber/Steiermark, and from the Spani...
Collobert-Laugier C, Hoste H, Sevin C, Chartier C, Dorchies P.From December 1998 to March 2000, caecum and ascendant colon of 42 horses naturally infected with cyathostomes were collected during routine necropsy or from a local slaughterhouse. Changes in the numbers of mucosal and submucosal mast cells (MMC and SMMC), intraepithelial, mucosal and submucosal eosinophils (IE, ME and SME) in the large intestine were investigated by histochemical techniques in relation to the worm burdens. The effect of age was examined in three subgroups: 6-24-month-old horses (group 1), 2-10-year-old horses (group 2) and horses more than 10 years of age (group 3). No globu...
Zheng J, Guo JG, Wang XF, Zhu HQ.To study the relationship between the livestock trade and schistosomiasis transmission and to provide an evidence for making a strategy of schistosomiasis control in mountainous areas. Methods: A retrospective survey and analysis was conducted to investigate the prevalence of schistosomiasis in both humans and livestock (cattle, horses, mules, donkeys and pigs), and the number and migration of livestock in Weishan County, Yunnan Province in 1980-1991. Results: A positive correlation was found between the infection rate of residents and the numbers of livestock migration (R = 0.9151, P < 0.0...
Wang Y, Zhang LP, Li J, Li DD, Zhang Q, Li C.The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in horses imported into Shanghai port. Between 2018 and 2019, 344 horse sera samples were collected and tested for B. caballi and T. equi, using commercially available kits. Only one B. caballi seropositive sample was detected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a B. caballi seropositive in imported horses at Shanghai port, which reflects the importance of monitoring piroplasmosis seroprevalence in imported horses.
Karamalla ST, Gubran AI, Adam IA, Abdalla TM, Sinada RO, Haroun EM, Aradaib IE.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is an infectious non contagious insect-transmitted double-stranded (ds) RNA orbivirus of the family Reoviridae. AHSV causes an often fatal hemorrhagic infection with high mortality among selected breeds of Arabian horses. This study was conducted to avail some information with regard to the prevalence and associated risk factors of AHSV among ecotype breeds of horses in central Sudan. Methods: Sera were collected from 320 horses, which were selected randomly from four localities and employed in the study. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELI...
Talbot AM, Rodrigues M, Maddox TW.Mineralisation of the longitudinal odontoid ligament has recently been identified in three horses undergoing computed tomographic (CT) examination, but published studies describing the clinical relevance of this finding are currently lacking. The objective of this retrospective, analytical, cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship of this image finding to primary presenting complaint, age, breed, use and sex of the patient, and determine any association to the clinical signs of head shaking, neck pain or restricted range of neck motion. Computed tomographic images of 96 horses...
Pinna A, Martins G, Souza G, Lilenbaum W.The aim of this study was to demonstrate that seroreactivity against Leptospira is significantly associated to the reproductive efficiency of recipient mares of an embryo transfer (ET) programme. A serosurvey was conducted from August 2007 to March 2009 in five herds from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with high rates of reproductive failure, as early embryonic death (>12%), abortion (>12%) and perinatal death. Detailed information about the losses was obtained from practitioner. A total of 338 recipient mares were tested by microscopic agglutination test, and 226 (66.9%) were seroreactive, mainly ag...
Pal M.A total of 257 samples (from 51 cattle, 43 buffalo, 32 goats, 25 dogs, 23 horses, 14 fowl, 9 camels, 7 rabbits, 5 donkeys, 4 antelopes, 3 pigs, 2 monkeys, 1 bear and 38 humans, all with cutaneous disorders) were examined for the presence of Dermatophilus congolensis using standard microbiological techniques. Dermatophilus was identified in 14 specimens (5.45%) both by direct microscopy and by cultural isolation of the pathogen from cutaneous specimens. The infection was recorded in 2 humans, 6 cattle, 3 buffalo, 1 goat, 1 horse and 1 antelope. A history of trauma to the skin was evident in 6 o...
Dieckhöfer R.Borna Disease Virus (BDV) is a unique RNA virus, whose organs of manifestation are the brain and blood of animals as well as humans. The infection disrupts certain cell functions, but does not damage the cell structure. The infection with BDV can exist without associated clinical symptoms. Furthermore the majority of natural BDV-infections occur unnoticed without causing symptoms particularly those in connection with only a slight BDV-infection. BDV-infected horses can be detected by an extremely practicable ELISA based on blood samples and developed by the Berlin Working Group under guidance ...
Duarte PC, Conrad PA, Wilson WD, Ferraro GL, Packham AE, Bowers-Lepore J, Carpenter TE, Gardner IA.To estimate risk of exposure and age at first exposure to Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi and time to maternal antibody decay in foals. Methods: 484 Thoroughbred and Warmblood foals from 4 farms in California. Methods: Serum was collected before and after colostrum ingestion and at 3-month intervals thereafter. Samples were tested by use of the indirect fluorescent antibody test; cutoff titers were > or = 40 and > or = 160 for S neurona and N hughesi, respectively. Results: Risk of exposure to S neurona and N hughesi during the study were 8.2% and 3.1%, respectively. Annual rate...
Loublier C, Cerri S, Gryspeerdt A, Amory H, Bauwens C, Cesarini C.Lawsonia intracellularis (LI) is an obligate intracellular gram-negative rod causing equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). Occasional cases of EPE have been reported in foals living in Belgium, but the seroprevalence of equine LI in this country is unknown. The target population included clinically healthy adult horses, whose blood samples were collected and analyzed for specific IgG antibodies against LI using a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. The results were expressed as percentage of inhibition (PI). Samples that had a PI <20% were judged as negative, those between 20 an...
Tranquille CA, Walker VA, Hernlund E, Egenvall A, Roepstorff L, Peterson ML, Murray RC.A recent epidemiological study identified various aspects of arena surfaces and arena surface maintenance that were related to risk of injury in horses and that arena maintenance is important in reducing injury risk. However, there has been little research into how properties of arena surfaces change with harrowing. This study aimed to compare the properties of different arena surface types pre- and post-harrowing. The Orono Biomechanical Surface Tester fitted with accelerometers and a single- and a three-axis load cell was used to test 11 arenas with two different surfaces types, sand with ru...
Sajid M, Ahmad MU, Khan MA, Anjum MA, Mushtaq MH.The present study was an attempt to elucidate the seroprevalence of equine influenza virus (H3N8) in two geographically distinct regions of Pakistan where vaccination is not routinely practiced. Methods: A total number of 315 animals of family Equidae were included in the survey. Blood samples and nasal swabs were collected from the same animal and analyzed through ELISA and Hemagglutination Inhibition. Results: The seroprevalence for EIV was 10 and 8.39 in districts under study. Out of 29 ELISA positive sera, 7 (24.1 %) showed antibodies against H1 and 22 (75.9 %) showed against H3 of influen...
Hitchens PL, Ryan K, Koch SI, Scollay MC, Peterson ML.Jockey injuries in North American racing are not well understood. The types and severity of injuries as well as exposure need to be better characterized in order to reduce risk. We consider existing data sources and the opportunity to combine this data with a new data collection effort to better understand and potentially reduce risk to riders. Using a two-phase approach, data appears to be available which would allow useful information on jockey injuries that could inform efforts for risk reduction quickly and with modest resources. Initial successes can help to develop support for a more com...
Bird J, Herd RP.The ability of two species of nematophagous fungi, Arthrobotrys oligospora and Arthrobotrys flagrans (syn. Trichothecium flagrans, Duddingtonia flagrans), to control the development of infective larvae in feces from naturally infected horses was assessed in vitro. The horses were from a farm where it had been previously established that cyathostomes accounted for 100% of the strongyle egg output. The feces from these naturally infected horses were mixed with spores of each fungal species at four concentrations: 0 (control), 1, 10, and 100 spores per egg. Five replicates for each group were inc...
Schemann K, Gillespie JA, Toribio JA, Ward MP, Dhand NK.Rapid, evidence-based decision-making is critical during a disease outbreak response; however, compliance by stakeholders is necessary to ensure that such decisions are effective - especially if the response depends on voluntary action. This mixed method study evaluated technical policy decision-making processes during the 2007 outbreak of equine influenza in Australia by identifying and analysing the stakeholder network involved and the factors driving policy decision-making. The study started with a review of the outbreak literature and published policy documents. This identified six policy ...
Sellers RF, Maarouf AR.Cases of western equine encephalitis in horses in 1987 in western USA and Manitoba, Canada were examined by backward trajectory analysis of winds. Culex tarsalis mosquitoes infected with western equine encephalitis virus could have been carried on southerly winds from Texas and Oklahoma to northern USA and from there to Manitoba. The presence of the Polar front over North Dakota and Minnesota at the end of July would have led to the landing of Cx. tarsalis in Montana and Wisconsin and prevented further carriage into Manitoba. Temperatures in southern Texas during the winter months (average dai...
Velineni S, Breathnach CC, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus (Sz) is a tonsillar commensal of healthy horses but with potential to opportunistically invade the lower respiratory tract. Sz is genetically variable and recombinogenic based on analysis of gene sequences including szp, szm and MLST data. Although a variety of serovars of the protective SzP are commonly harbored in the tonsils of the same horse, lower respiratory infections usually involve a single clone. Nevertheless, isolation of specific clones from epizootics of respiratory disease has been recently reported in horses and dogs in N. America, Europe and Asia. In...
Sherman J, Mitchell WR, Martin SW, Thorsen J, Ingram DG.The outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infections in horses at Standardbred racetracks were investigated over a three year period. The most serious epidemics of respiratory disease occurred in the winter and spring seasons. Both influenza viruses and equine herpesvirus 1 were shown to be present in the horse population. The herpesvirus was associated with respiratory disease particularly in the winter but the equine influenza viruses apparently were responsible for the major epidemics of respiratory disease at these tracks. Younger horses, two or three years of age, were particularly suscept...
van Duijkeren E, van Klingeren B, Vulto AG, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Breukink HJ, van Miert AS.The in vitro activity of trimethoprim (TMP) and 9 sulfonamides and their combinations in 6 concentration ratios was tested against 62 Salmonella strains isolated from horses over a 3-year period in the Netherlands, using the agar-dilution method. Most of the isolates were S typhimurium strains (n = 52); the others were S heidelberg (n = 3), S hadar (n = 2), S thompson (n = 2), S enteritidis (n = 1), S infantis (n = 1), and S derby (n = 1). The minimal TMP concentration at which 50% of the Salmonella strains were inhibited (MIC50) was 0.12 micrograms/ml. Sulfachlorpyridazine (SCP; MIC50, 16 mic...
Rossi TM, Milwid RM, Moore A, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL.Infectious respiratory disease is a common cause of morbidity among racehorses. Quantification of contact patterns in training facilities could help inform disease prevention strategies. The study objectives were to: i) describe the contact network among horses, locations, and humans at a Standardbred horse training facility in Ontario; ii) describe the characteristics of highly influential individuals; and iii) investigate how management changes alter the network metrics and discuss the potential implications for disease transmission. Proximity loggers detected contacts among horses, staff, a...
Mahlobo-Shwabede SIC, Zishiri OT, Thekisoe OMM, Bakkes D, Bohloa L, Molomo M, Makalo MJR, Mahloane GR, Mtshali MS.A total of 3311 tick specimens were randomly collected from domestic animals including cattle, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, and dogs from Lesotho districts namely, Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing and Thaba Tseka. Tick species were identified morphologically and verified by amplification and sequencing of the CO1 and 18S rRNA genes. Nine species were identified under different genera namely, Haemaphysalis elliptica 0.1% (n = 2), Hyalomma rufipes 2.6% (n = 87), Hy. truncatum 1.2% (n = 41), Otobius megnini 13.6% (n = 451), Rh...
Sato W, Sukmawinata E, Uemura R, Kanda T, Kusano K, Kambayashi Y, Sato T, Ishikawa Y, Toya R, Sueyoshi M.In this study, we investigated the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolated from healthy Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses in Japan. A total of 212 fecal samples were individually collected from TB racehorses from March 2017 to August 2018 at Japan Racing Association training centers. E. coli was isolated by using selective agar media, deoxycholate-hydrogen sulfide-lactose (DHL) and eosin methylene blue (EMB). A total of 417 E. coli isolates were examined against 10 antimicrobial agents by using the broth microdilution method. The 417 E. coli isolates were phylo...
Black P, Douglas I, Field H.Hendra virus was first described in 1994 in Australia, causally associated with a cluster of fatal equine and human cases at a thoroughbred racing stable in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the identification of pteropid bats (flying-foxes) as the natural host of the virus, and it is timely to reflect on a pivotal meeting of an eclectic group of scientists in that process. They included animal and public health experts, environmental scientists, veterinary and horse industry representatives, and wildlife experts. The task was to review and prioritise ...
da Costa Pimenta J, Saavedra MJ, da Silva GJ, Cotovio M.Many emergent pathogenic agents are cross-transmitted from animals to humans. Horses are considered as potential reservoirs of commensal, zoonotic, and multidrug-resistant bacteria. Equine bites could lead to infections caused by these agents, considering equine species as a public health concern. The more it is known about the equine oral microbiota the best secondary problems created by their commensal flora can be controlled. There are very few reports of , a zoonotic and opportunistic bacterium, both in human and veterinary medicine. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the Gram-negativ...
Hifumi T, Akioka K, Tanaka T, Miyoshi N.Alveolar echinococcosis, which is caused by a larval-stage infection of Echinococcus multilocularis, is a zoonosis with public health importance. Recently, alveolar echinococcosis in slaughtered horses has been reported in Japan and Poland. In terms of public health, a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic method is essential for early detection during meat inspection. In this study, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed and validated to target the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cob) gene of E. multilocularis. Forty-one hepatic solid nodules obtained from each h...
Scott CJ, de Mestre AM, Verheyen KL, Arango-Sabogal JC.The overall aim of this work was to identify the potential impact of misclassification errors associated with routine screening and diagnostic testing for endometritis in mares. Using Bayesian latent class models (BLCM), specific objectives were to: 1) estimate the diagnostic accuracy of cytology and culture of endometrial swab samples to detect endometritis in mares; 2) assess the impact of different cytology thresholds on test accuracy and misclassification costs; and 3) assess the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of a diagnostic strategy including both tests interpreted in series and p...
Yang YJ, Cho GJ.A total of 384 Thoroughbred mares were investigated to determine and evaluate the features of early embryonic death at nine equine farms on Jeju Island, South Korea, from 2001 to 2003. Overall, 771 matings for 384 mares resulted in 376 pregnancies 15 days after ovulation. Subsequently, 12.2% (46/376) of these early conceptuses were lost within 45 days after ovulation. Furthermore, about three quarters of the 46 embryonic deaths occurred between 16 and 25 days after ovulation. The incidence of embryonic death was highest in the barren (17.2%), more than 15 years old (15.4%), and more than 10 pa...
Samad L, Tavanaeimanesh H, Mehr Azin H, Moadab SH, Vajhi AR.A horse's well-being is directly related to the management of its dental health. A good knowledge of the epidemiology and aetiology of dental disorders could help the owners and clinicians to prevent not only dental problems but also severe gastrointestinal diseases. In this study we report the prevalence of dental disorders in horses in Iran. We examined 317 horses randomly in eight provinces in Iran and 21 diseases were characterized in the examined horses. The observed diseases were compared among different breeds, genders and ages of the examined horses. The factor of age among the other t...
