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.
Bailey GD, Love DN.Two hundred and seventy bacterial isolates were obtained from the pharyngeal tonsillar surface of 12 normal horses and 98 obligatory anaerobic bacteria were characterised. Of these, 57 isolates belonging to 7 genera (Peptostreptococcus (1); Eubacterium (9); Clostridium (6); Veillonella (6); Megasphera (1); Bacteroides (28); Fusobacterium (6)) were identified, and 16 of these were identified to species level (P. anaerobius (1); E. fossor (9); C. villosum (1); B. fragilis (1); B. tectum (2); B. heparinolyticus (2)). Three hundred and twenty isolates were obtained from 23 samples from horses with...
Kimman TG, Binkhorst GJ, van den Ingh TS, Pol JM, Gielkens AL, Roelvink ME.Aujeszky's disease virus was isolated from the brain of a horse which had shown severe neurological signs, including excessive sweating, muscle tremors and periods of mania. Pathological examination revealed a non-suppurative meningoencephalitis. The virus was propagated in cell culture and inoculated into the conjunctiva and nostrils of two ponies. The ponies developed fever seven days after inoculation and subsequently started to behave abnormally, showing severe neurological signs on the ninth day after inoculation. One pony became excited and the other was depressed. One pony died on the n...
Kölbl S, Schuller W, Pabst J.944 serum samples of horses, collected in 1988 and 1989, were examined for the occurrence of antibodies against equine arteritis virus by a microneutralizations test. In 10.9% of all sera reactors could be found. The distribution of seropositive horses varied from 4.6% (Salzburg) to 15.7% (Lower Austria). From Tyrol and Vorarlberg no samples could be obtained. It was not possible, to correlate clinical symptoms (infertility, respiratory symptoms, fever and edema) with the infection. It is assumed, that the disease appears in Austria only in a clinical inapparent form.
Baldwin JL, Cooper WL, Vanderwall DK, Erb HN.Serum samples for determination of IgG concentration were obtained between postpartum hours 18 and 48 from 132 Standardbred foals. Results of the IgG assay were not known to farm personnel. None of the foals was given plasma IV for treatment of hypogammaglobulinemia. Foal health records were examined retrospectively to determine prevalence of infectious-type illness (foal treatment days [FTD]), prevalence of life-threatening infectious illness (foal treatment days-serious condition [FTD-SC]), and number of diseases (NOD) per foal. Values for FTD, FTD-SC, and NOD per foal were compiled for the ...
Grabner A, Fischer A.In a retrospective study of 38 horses with Borna encephalitis which were clinically and histopathologically examined in the "I. Medizinische Tierklinik" in Munich between 1977 and 1990, the epidemiology, the clinical symptomatic and the diagnostic procedures available are presented. Indirect immunofluorescence showed antibodies in the serum of 12 out of 29 cases (41%) and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 17 out of 28 cases (61%). The evaluation of 23 cases in which indirect immunofluorescence of serum and CSF, and also the post mortem virological and histopathological examination of the bra...
van der Kolk JH, Bernadina WE, Visser IJ.A four year old Dutch warmblooded mare was born and raised in the province of North-Brabant, the Netherlands. On May 16, 1989, she showed signs of colic, anorexia, depression, ileus, severe dehydration and leukopenia. When the mare collapsed, euthanasia was carried out. Acute colitis and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in macrophages were observed at autopsy. When an indirect immunofluorescence assay was performed, the Ehrlichia risticii titre of the serum was found to be 1:640.
Dugan SJ, Curtis CR, Roberts SM, Severin GA.Proportional hospital accession ratios for equine ocular/adnexal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were determined for 14 colleges of veterinary medicine participating in the Veterinary Medical Data Program between January 1978 and December 1986. Comparison of the ratios with their respective geographical, physical data has shown an increased prevalence of SCC with an increase in longitude, altitude, or mean annual solar radiation. In contrast, prevalence of SCC increased with a decrease in latitude. Between January 1978 and December 1988, 147 horses with ocular/adnexal SCC were admitted to the Co...
Bagy MM, Abdel-Mallek AY.Nine thermophilic genera and 17 species in addition to one variety of Aspergillus flavus, Malbranchea pulchella and Humicola grisea were collected from hair samples in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at 45 degrees C. Fifty-one hair specimens of rabbit, sheep, camel and horse were examined for the presence of thermophilic fungi. The most frequent species were Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Thermoascus aurantiacus and Malbranchea pulchella var. sulfurea. In low frequency, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus quadrilineatus, Paecilomyces variotii, Paecilomyces aerugineus, Mucor pusillus and Rhizopus s...
Razumov IA, Agapov EV, Pereboev AV, Protopopova EV, Lebedeva SD, Loktev VB.A comparative study of the antigenic structure of virulent strains and attenuated vaccine strains of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus (VEEV) by means of monoclonal antibodies has made it possible to investigate the antigenic structure of the envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, and to specify their role in the development of antiviral immunity. On the E1 glycoprotein there are five nonoverlapping antigenic sites consisting of eight epitopes that are recognized by monoclonal antibodies; six sites consisting of twenty epitopes were found on the E2 glycoprotein. The monoclonal antibodies ag...
Bowling AT, Williams MJ.Two additional specificities (Dq and Dr) were assigned to the D system of horse red cell alloantigens following discussion of the 1989 ISAG Horse Comparison Test (HCT) results. Family and population data support 25 phenogroups defined by the enhanced battery of 17 D system factors.
Bjørn H, Sommer C, Schougård H, Henriksen SA, Nansen P.This study was undertaken to establish whether anthelmintic resistance was present in nematode parasites of horses in Denmark. Sixteen horse farms were selected for faecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests to measure the efficacy of the anthelmintic used. Resistance to benzimidazole anthelmintics was found on 13 of the 16 farms, with FECR values ranging from 80.0% to -101.3%. On the remaining 3 farms FECR was 100.0%, 99.3% and 97.2%. Results of a questionnaire study on anthelmintic usage, parasite control measures and management practices showed that horses in this study were treated on average...
Lucas Z, Raeside JI, Betteridge KJ.Field observations of 400 totally unmanaged feral horses on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, were complemented by oestrogen determinations in faecal samples from 154 identified females over a 4-year period (454 mare-years). Of mares that were sampled throughout the year and subsequently produced foals, 92.1% exhibited elevated faecal oestrogens between 15 October and 30 March. The results confirm that faecal oestrogens are a useful indicator of pregnancy after approximately 120 days gestation. Distribution of foaling resembled that seen in other feral populations, with 95% of births occurring from A...
Brocard P, Pfister K.Between March 1988 and December 1989, 198 gastrointestinal tracts from slaughtered horses from different areas of Switzerland have been analysed for the presence and the frequency of Gasterophilus spp. During the same period--always between July and November--200 horses from selected areas of Western Switzerland have been checked for the presence of eggs and their subsequent developmental stages in order to investigate further clinical and biological aspects of this infection. The evaluation has been performed according to origin, age, sex, colour of the horse and seasonal pattern of the cases...
Hierholzer JC, Stone YO, Broderson JR.Reference equine antisera to all 47 serotypes of human adenoviruses presently described have been prepared and evaluated by reciprocal neutralization and hemagglutination-inhibition tests. All tests were carried to endpoint dilutions a minimum of five times in each direction to give accurate values for homologous and heterologous antibody titers. Significant cross-reactions in the horse antisera were compared to similar data obtained from rabbit antisera. Using this analysis, major antigenic relationships exist among types 12-18-31 of subgenus A, types 7-11-14 and 34-35 of subgenus B, types 8-...
Angelos JA, Marti E, Lazary S, Carmichael LE.The DNA from equine sarcoid samples from New York State and Switzerland was isolated and probed with bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) to determine if BPV genomes were present. Twelve of 13 sarcoids from New York State and 17/20 sarcoids from Switzerland contained DNA that hybridized to the BPV-1 probe. Restriction enzyme analysis of the positive samples demonstrated restriction fragment profiles characteristic of BPV-1 in 22 sarcoids and restriction fragment profiles characteristic of bovine papillomavirus type 2 (BPV-2) in 7 sarcoids. In addition, three tissues histologically diagnosed as...
Uhlinger C.A herd of 15 mature riding horses with a history of anorexia, weight loss, and lethargy was examined. The animals had been fed a 50/50 mixture of commercial sweet feed and corn screenings contaminated with a heavy growth of Fusarium moniliforme. Thirteen of the horses had one or more neurologic signs. The most characteristic signs were profound depression and mild ataxia. Over the 19-day course of the epizootic, the horses had increasing severe neurologic deficits, including unilateral blindness and delirium. Despite the clinical appearance of dehydration, 12 horses had low PCV (16 to 27%), he...
Cope SE, Catts EP.Parahost behavior of adult Gasterophilus intestinalis (DeGeer) was observed during the summers of 1978 and 1979 near pastured horses on two farms near Newark, Del. Adult fly occurrence, although sparse in early summer, indicated a gradual increase, with three surges in emergence. In the laboratory, males lived 1-3 d and females 1-2 d. In the field, marked flies were not seen on days following their release. Adult behavior indicated an urgency in mating and oviposition dictated by a short life span. Male flight patterns were characterized by in-flight searches for females and intraspecific conf...
Prescott JF.Recent isolations of Rhodococcus equi from cavitatory pulmonary disease in patients with AIDS have aroused interest among medical microbiologists in this unusual organism. Earlier isolations from humans had also been in immunosuppressed patients following hemolymphatic tumors or renal transplantation. This organism has been recognized for many years as a cause of a serious pyogranulomatous pneumonia of young foals and is occasionally isolated from granulomatous lesions in several other species, in some cases following immunosuppression. The last decade has seen many advances in understanding o...
Dittmer H.Injuries are relatively rare in horse riding compared to other sports, but when they occur they are rather severe and dangerous: about 40% of the injured suffer from fractures, for instance and only 15% from sprains. About 20% have to be admitted to the hospital. Roughly 30% of the injuries involve the arm and 7.5%-10% the spine. The head is injured in 20%, the brain in 8% and the lower extremity in only about 20%. That means that the majority of injuries involve the upper half of the body. One quarter of all lethal sport injuries are caused by horse riding.
O'Rourke KI, Besola ML, McGuire TC.Proviral sequences in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 3 horses with acute equine infectious anemia virus were monitored using the polymerase chain reaction. Provirus was detected during the initial viremic episode in each horse and during each of 3 relapsing viremic cycles, although the appearance of provirus lagged behind the onset of viremia. Following each viremic episode, provirus levels in the peripheral monocytes decreased to less than 1 copy in 5 x 10(6) cells.
Huntington PJ, Forman AJ, Ellis PM.This paper reports the first isolation of equine arteritis virus (EAV) in Australia and serological evidence of exposure to EAV in Australian horses. Twelve Standardbred stallions imported from North America were found to shed EAV in semen. One hundred and seven stallions were tested for serum antibodies to EAV and 73% of Standardbred stallions tested were seropositive as compared to 8% of Thoroughbred stallions. Serum antibody was detected in 71% of Standardbred mares, 6% of Standardbred racehorses and 1% of Thoroughbred mares and racehorses. Examination of stored serums demonstrated that EAV...
Jorm LR.A questionnaire survey of 179 horse studs in New South Wales was conducted to estimate the incidence of strangles during 1985 to 1988, to identify risk factors for strangles outbreaks and to assess the effect of strangles vaccination. Forty-nine of the studs (27.4%) had at least one strangles outbreak during this period and 62 studs (34.6%) had at least one case of strangles. The average incidence of strangles was 2.1 cases per 100 horses per year. The risk of strangles increased progressively with the total horse population and rose markedly when more than 100 mares had been served in the 198...
Payne RC, Sukanto IP, Graydon R, Saroso H, Jusuf SH.During an outbreak of trypanosomiasis in cattle, buffalo and horses on the island of Madura, a survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of Trypanosoma evansi in the region. Blood samples were collected from 130 cattle and 147 buffalo in 5 villages, whole blood was examined for trypanosomes by the microhaematocrit (MHCT) method and serum samples were subjected to an enzyme linked immuno absorbent assay to detect T. evansi antibodies. T. evansi was detected by MHCT in 50% of the buffalo examined and 13% of the cattle, while antibodies were detected in 47% of the buffalo and 30% of the ca...
Alexander CS, Keller H.Over 130 cases of equine periodic ophthalmia (p.o.), which were treated as in-patients at the Equine Clinic of the Free University of Berlin in the last 35 years, were examined statistically in relation to the age and gender of the animals involved as well as to the development of the illness and the season in which it arose. As regards aetiology, the extraction of 71 affected Trotters was investigated. Antibodies to toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis and intestinal parasites were found only in some of the patients. Younger animals, aged between one and four years, and male animals (63.6%) were pred...
Friedhoff KT, Tenter AM, Müller I.The geographical distribution of Babesia equi and Babesia caballi and their tick vectors is discussed. Control of infections with these protozoa is hampered by the lack of a suitable antiprotozoal drug and a reliable serological test. No vaccine is available. Ehrlichia risticii (the causal agent of Potomac horse fever) and E. equi are rickettsial parasites which are difficult to control. Little is known of their geographical distribution and vectors. Early diagnosis is required for tetracycline therapy to be effective and there is a need for a rapid test to provide an early diagnosis.
Rikihisa Y, Reed SM, Sams RA, Gordon JC, Pretzman CI.In August 1986, an extensive serosurvey for prevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies against Ehrlichia risticii, the causative agent of equine monocytic ehrlichiosis (EME), was performed at 2 Ohio racetracks, River Downs (RD) and Beulah Park (BP). Of 840 horses at RD and 574 at BP, 13 and 20%, respectively, were IgG antibody-positive (by indirect fluorescent antibody test results), with antibody titer ranging from 1:20 to 1:10,240. The titer observed at highest frequency at both racetracks was 1:80. A higher proportion of horses was ill at RD (operating during the summer months) than at BP (winter...
Harris PA.An outbreak of muscle stiffness and poor performance among 59 thoroughbreds at a Newmarket flat racing yard was investigated between the beginning of May and the end of June 1986. Over a third of the horses showed signs of muscular stiffness, and 38 had, at one or more of the sampling times, creatine kinase (CK) activities above 200 iu/litre and, or, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities above 300 iu/litre when they were sampled six to eight hours after exercise. The following season, at a similar time and stage of training, only four of 39 horses sampled had CK activities between 200 an...
De Paolis L, De Ciucis CG, Peletto S, Cappelli K, Mecocci S, Nervo T, Guardone L, Crescio MI, Pietrucci D, Fruscione F, Gabbianelli F, Turco S....Papillomavirus (PV) infections may be related to anogenital lesions and cancer development in humans and several other animal species. To date, 11 different PVs have been reported in horses. Among them, a newly described PV named Papillomavirus Type9 (EcPV9) was thus far only reported in the semen of a stallion with penile lesions in Australia. This study reports for the first time the presence of EcPV9 in asymptomatic Italian horses. From July 2020 to January 2022, genital brush samples were collected from 209 horses with no apparent signs of neoplastic disease and no PV-associated lesions, ...
Traub-Dargatz J, Kopral C, Wagner B.This study is the first report estimating, on a national basis, the use of various biosecurity practices, singly and in combination, on U.S. equine operations. Use of biosecurity practices is described for operations by risk level, based on reported exposure of resident horses to outside horses during the previous 12 months. In addition, the association between use of various biosecurity practices and use of antibiotics to treat infectious disease in both adult equids and foals is reported. The comparison of these study findings with previously reported data in the literature is limited by the...
Wassall DA, Gregory RJ, Phipps LP.The detection of antibodies against Trypanosoma equiperdum in 689 equid sera was compared by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the complement fixation test (CFT) and an indirect immunofluorescent test (IIF). CFT was the least sensitive technique, susceptible to anti-complementary factors and the most technically demanding. IIF was more sensitive, but was only suitable for testing limited numbers of samples. In this study, ELISA was the most sensitive test, the least labour intensive and lends itself to a considerable degree of automation. It is suggested that ELISA would be relatively...
Cullinane A, Garvey M, Walsh C, Gibbons J, Creighton A.The association between poor performance and respiratory disease in Thoroughbred racehorses that do not have a structural abnormality of the respiratory tract, is often based on anecdotal evidence. The objective of this scoping review was to examine the scientific evidence for such associations. Publications were selected based on a search of three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and CAB Direct), in English and without date restriction, followed by a screening process to exclude non-relevant papers, duplicates, and reviews. This process identified 996 publications of which 20 were analysed using th...
de Souto EPF, Kommers GD, Souza AP, Miranda Neto EG, Assis DM, Riet-Correa F, Galiza GJN, Dantas AFM.Pythiosis is an endemic disease in northeastern Brazil and we now report the epidemiological, clinical and pathological findings in a retrospective study of naturally occurring cases in domestic animals. From January 1985 to December 2020, the Laboratory of Animal Pathology of the Federal University of Campina Grande examined 13,542 tissue samples from necropsies and biopsies. Among these samples, 306 were diagnosed as pythiosis: 195 cases in horses, 75 in sheep, 19 in dogs, six in mules, four in cattle, three in cats, two in goats, one in a donkey and one in an ostrich. Affected equids had le...
Madelin TM, Clarke AF, Mair TS.Sera from 54 two- to three-year-old Thoroughbred horses from an English racing stable were examined for precipitins to antigen extracts prepared from 18 species of moulds (fungi and thermophilic actinomycetes) isolated from the same stable. Twenty-seven horses exhibited serum precipitins to one or more antigens; sixteen of the mould antigens elicited positive reactions in sera from one or more horses. Significantly more precipitins occurred in sera of those horses stabled in a barn than among those stabled in individual boxes. This indicated a possible association between type of housing, leve...
Sabbagh M, Danvy S, Ricard A.Genetic parameters and environmental factors were estimated for foaling ease (FE) and stillbirths (SBs) in four breeds of draft horses based on 11 229, 38 877, 35 764 and 13 274 FE and SB scores recorded between 1998 and 2010 for Ardennais (A), Breton (B), Comtois (C) and Percheron (P), respectively. Incidences for the three FE categories were: easy or without help 91.0% (A) to 95.4% (B), difficult 3.4% (B) to 7.1% (A) and intervention of a veterinarian 1.1% (B) to 1.9% (A). The frequency of SB ranged between 5.4% (B) and 9.4% (A). A multiple-trait threshold animal model was used that included...
Cianci J, Boyle AG, Stefanovski D, Biddle AS.Anecdotal accounts correlate equine colic onset to changing weather conditions; however, atmospheric effects on colic have not been studied extensively. We hypothesized that changes in barometric pressure would increase the likelihood of a colic diagnosis compared with other noncolic sick events. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to look for associations between colic diagnosis and barometric pressure. The University of Pennsylvania Field Service electronic medical records were searched by identifiable examination type via billing procedure codes collecting 3,108 emergent and...
Lowis TC, Hyland JH.This project surveys the reproductive performance of 154 foaling Thoroughbred mares on a commercial stud in southern Victoria. Of these, 96 were served on foal heat (FHS) and 58 were served at a subsequent prostaglandin-induced oestrus (PGS). The PGS group of mares performed more favourably in all aspects except the foaling-to-conception interval where there was a 9.4 day advantage to the FHS group. The first service conception rate in the FHS group was 47.9% compared with 55.2% in PGS mares. Second heat period conception rates were 46% vs 57.7% for FHS and PGS mares, respectively. Overall con...
Atwill ER, Mohammed HO, Dubovi E, Lopez J.A retrospective study was designed to determine the distribution of equine monocytic ehrlichiosis among the equine population in New York state, and to identify factors associated with risk of disease. Serum samples submitted to the diagnostic laboratory of the university during the period from January 1985 through December 1986 were examined for antibodies to Ehrlichia risticii, using the indirect fluorescent antibody technique. Factors evaluated included geographic origin and date of submission of the sample, and age, breed, and sex of the horse. Logistic regression analysis was used to iden...
Olaleye OD, Omilabu SA, Baba SS, Fagbami AH.Sera from horses and pigs obtained from Lagos and Ibadan respectively were examined for haemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) antibodies to two strains each of H3N2 and H1N1 subtypes of influenza A virus. More horse sera had HI antibodies to the H3N2 than the H1N1 strains while pig sera reacted almost equally with strains of both subtypes. All the horse sera had HI antibodies to the two strains of H3N2 subtype (A/Mississippi/1/85 and A/Leningrad/360/86), while 87% and 14% of the horses examined were positive to A/Taiwan/1/86 and A/Chile/1/83. On the other hand HI antibody prevalence to the two sub...
Reemers S, van Bommel S, Cao Q, Sutton D, van de Zande S.Equine influenza virus (EIV) is a major cause of respiratory disease in horses. Vaccination is an effective tool for infection control. Although various EIV vaccines are widely available, major outbreaks occurred in Europe in 2018 involving a new EIV H3N8 FC1 strain. In France, it was reported that both unvaccinated and vaccinated horses were affected despite >80% vaccination coverage and most horses being vaccinated with a vaccine expressing FC1 antigen. This study assessed whether vaccine type, next to antigenic difference between vaccine and field strain, plays a role. Horses were vaccin...
Mita H, Tamura N, Fukuda K, Kuroda T, Kuwano A, Sato F.We aimed to investigate the recent incidence of carpal fractures and the risk factors for recurrent ipsilateral fractures after arthroscopic removal of clinically active unilateral carpal chip fracture fragments in Thoroughbred racehorses. The findings for horses managed under the Japan Racing Association that developed carpal bone fractures between 2014 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The proportion of cases that developed a recurrent carpal fracture in the originally affected joint was calculated, and the risk factors for recurrent fractures were analysed. In total, 2858 carpal fract...
Blazyczek I, Hamann H, Ohnesorge B, Deegen E, Distl O.The objective of the present study was to analyse the importance of the influences of the sex, inbreeding coefficient and the additive genetic contribution to the occurrence of guttural pouch tympany in Arabian foals. Horses affected by guttural pouch tympany were ascertained in the Clinic for Horses, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. The data comprised 27 Arabian purebred foals with guttural pouch tympany. Of these 27 animals 22 were patients of the Clinic for Horses between 1994 and 2001 and 5 Arabian foals were sampled on the studs. Information on the pedigrees of these patients allow...
Archambault D, Laganière G, St-Laurent G.The genetic variation in equine arteritis virus (EAV) nonstructural (NS) protein-encoding open reading frames (ORF) 3 and 4 genes was investigated. Nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences from seven different EAV isolates (one European, one American and five Canadian isolates) and the Arvac vaccine strain were compared with those of the Bucyrus reference strain. ORF 3 nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities amongst these isolates (including the Arvac vaccine strain) and the Bucyrus reference strain ranged from 85.6 to 98.8%, and 85.3 to 98.2%, respectively, whereas ORF 4 nucleotide a...
O'Connor S, Hitchens PL, Bolwell C, Annan R, McGoldrick A, Fortington LV.Jockey injuries are common in professional horse-racing and can result in life-threatening or career-ending outcomes. Robust injury data are essential to understand the circumstances of injury occurrence and ultimately identify prevention opportunities. This study aimed to identify jockey injury surveillance practices of international horse-racing authorities (HRAs) and the specific data items collected and reported by each HRA. A cross-sectional survey of representatives (e.g. Chief Medical Officer) from international HRAs was conducted. An online and paper questionnaire was designed comprise...
Yan J, Sun D, Jiang Z, Zhou L, Gao X.Infundibular caries (IC) affects donkeys of all ages and causes pain, difficulty in mastication and weight loss. The study aimed to determine the epidemiology of IC in donkeys and examine the potential risk factors associated with the disease development. A total of 2118 donkeys in Inner Mongolia were sampled. The first section of the survey was performed by veterinarians and included the oral health of the donkeys. A survey on the donkey's signalment, diet, and husbandry was also conducted. The risk factors associated with IC were assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Uni...
Frosth S, Morris ERA, Wilson H, Frykberg L, Jacobsson K, Parkhill J, Flock JI, Wood T, Guss B, Aanensen DM, Boyle AG, Riihimäki M, Cohen ND....Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S equi) is the cause of Strangles, one of the most prevalent diseases of horses worldwide. Variation within the immunodominant SeM protein has been documented, but a new eight-component fusion protein vaccine, Strangvac, does not contain live S equi or SeM and conservation of the antigens it contains have not been reported. Objective: To define the diversity of the eight Strangvac antigens across a diverse S equi population. Methods: Genomic description. Methods: Antigen sequences from the genomes of 759 S equi isolates from 19 countries, recovered between 1...
Della-Porta AJ.There has been concern that the present nomenclature system for the members of the Reoviridae family, and particularly the Orbivirus genus, does not represent the actual relationships exhibited between the members. In order to follow the conventions established by the International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), it is tentatively proposed that the present Reoviridae genera be upgraded in status to the following sub-families: reovirinae, orbivirinae, Fijivirinae, cypovirinae, rotavirinae, coltivirinae and phytoreovirinae. Below the sub-family level, divisions of genus (equivalent...
Jacob RJ, Price R, Allen GP.Equine herpesvirus type 3 (EHV-3) DNA, isolated from purified virions of the large-plaque strain, was digested with the restriction endonucleases XbaI, Bg/II, EcoRI, and HindIII. Several lines of evidence indicated that the DNA extracted from purified virions was composed of long (L) and short (S) components and was present as two isomeric forms, P and IS. The evidence included: (i) after electrophoresis on agarose gels, the summed molecular weights of the digestion products exceeded that expected from intact, unit size DNA; (ii) quantitative measurements of radioactivity (molar ratios) indica...
Kokotovic B, Angen Ø, Bisgaard M.Genetic diversity detected by analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) of 54 Actinobacillus lignieresii isolates from different hosts and geographic localities is described. On the basis of variances in AFLP profiles, the strains were grouped in two major clusters; one comprising strains isolated from horses and infected wounds of humans bitten by horses and another consisting of strains isolated from bovine and ovine hosts. The present data indicate a comparatively higher degree of genetic diversity among strains isolated from equine hosts and confirm the existence of a sep...
El-Hage C, Hartley C, Savage C, Watson J, Gilkerson J, Paillot R.During Australia's first and only outbreak of equine influenza (EI), which was restricted to two northeastern states, horses were strategically vaccinated with a recombinant canarypox-vectored vaccine (rCP-EIV; ProteqFlu™, Merial P/L). The vaccine encoded for haemagglutinin (HA) belonging to two equine influenza viruses (EIVs), including an American and Eurasian lineage subtype that predated the EIV responsible for the outbreak (A/equine/Sydney/07). Racehorses in Victoria (a southern state that remained free of EI) were vaccinated prophylactically. Although the vaccine encoded for (HA) belon...
Dawson K.Sourcing of horses naturally infected with parasites such as Anoplocephala perfoliata and Gasterophilus intestinalis for antiparasitic efficacy slaughter studies is often difficult, expensive, and usually excessive numbers of animals must be slaughtered before significant data can be obtained. To overcome this problem a "Modified Critical Treatment Method" was developed. This method does not require the horses to be sacrificed, but relies on the collection and processing of all faecal material containing expelled parasites from test animals. Efficacy is assessed by comparing, in the same horse...
Laidoudi Y, Rousset E, Dessimoulie AS, Prigent M, Raptopoulo A, Huteau Q, Chabbert E, Navarro C, Fournier PE, Davoust B., also known as the causal agent of Q fever, is a zoonotic pathogen infecting humans and several animal species. Here, we investigated the epidemiological context of from an area in the Hérault department in southern France, using the One Health paradigm. In total, 13 human cases of Q fever were diagnosed over the last three years in an area comprising four villages. Serological and molecular investigations conducted on the representative animal population, as well as wind data, indicated that some of the recent cases are likely to have originated from a sheepfold, which revealed bacterial c...
Hu Z, Zhu C, Chang H, Guo W, Liu D, Xiang W, Wang X.The objective of this study was to develop a novel EvaGreen (EG) based real-time PCR technique for the simultaneous detection of Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and Equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) genomes from equine nasal swabs. Viral genomes were identified based on their specific melting temperatures (T m), which are 88.0 and 84.4 °C for EHV-1 and EHV-4, respectively. The detection limitation of this method was 50 copies/μl or 0.15 pg/μl for EHV-1 and 5 copies/μl or 2.5 fg/μl for EHV-4. This assay was 50-1,000 times more sensitive than the SYBR Green (SG)-based assay using the same primer...
Kahn SK, Cywes-Bentley C, Blodgett GP, Canaday NM, Turner-Garcia CE, Vinacur M, Cortez-Ramirez SC, Sutter PJ, Meyer SC, Bordin AI, Vlock DR, Pier GB....The efficacy of transfusion with hyperimmune plasma (HIP) for preventing pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi remains ill-defined. Quarter Horse foals at 2 large breeding farms were randomly assigned to be transfused with 2 L of HIP from adult donors hyperimmunized either with R. equi (RE HIP) or a conjugate vaccine eliciting antibody to the surface polysaccharide β-1→6-poly-N-acetyl glucosamine (PNAG HIP) within 24 hours of birth. Antibody activities against PNAG and the rhodococcal virulence-associated protein A (VapA), and to deposition of complement component 1q (C՛1q) onto PNAG were d...
Aquino Gde V, Maluta RP, de Ávila FA.The aim of this work was to establish the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (MRS) in the animals and staff of a teaching and research farm. Samples of dairy cattle (36), beef cattle (26), sheep (19), horses (21), pigs (23), goats (23) and humans (13) were collected and screened for the presence of MRS. The detection of mecA gene was performed by PCR to determine the resistance of the samples to methicillin. Antimicrobial-resistance testing to penicillin, meropenem, ceftriaxone, cephalothin, oxacillin, levofloxacin, enrofloxacin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, clind...
Coultous R, Gotić J, McCann M, Sutton D, Beck R, Shiels B.The apicomplexan haemoparasite Theileria equi, a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis, is an established pathogen of significant welfare and economic concern within the Croatian equine population. A previous large surveillance study of T. equi has identified two distinct parasite populations, one in the north and one in the south, geographically separated by the Dinaric Alps, which traverse the country. This study aimed to further investigate the genetic diversity within these two populations, focussing on allelic variability of the equi merozoite antigen gene, ema-1. Methods: Following nes...
Steinman A, Sutton GA, Elad D.Rhodococcus equi is an important pathogen in young horses. In recent years it has been increasingly recognized as an opportunistic infectious agent in patients with immune deficiency. The increase in recognized cases may be related to the increased prevalence of AIDS. However, more cases may have been recognized lately due to increased awareness of the pathogenicity of this bacterium. Based on medical reports, there appears to be an association between Rhodococcus equi infections and exposure to animals, horses in particular. During the past year, 2 cases of rhodococcus pneumonia were diagnose...
Wilson RT.Equines are minor species in Tanzania's array of domestic livestock. Attempts to use them for transport by early explorers from the mid-nineteenth century usually failed. Donkeys were used extensively as pack animals to complement human porters by both British and German forces in the First World War, but their advantages were often outweighed by slow progress and competition with troops and porters for water, and they died in huge numbers. The British had regular cavalry troops in their campaign and mules found limited use as individual mounts for officers. In modern times, there are very few...
