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.
Mojsiejczuk L, Whitlock F, Chen H, Magill C, Aranday-Cortes E, Bone J, Tong L, Da Silva Filipe A, Bryant N, Newton JR, Chambers TM, Reedy SE....Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are prime examples of emerging viruses in humans and animals. IAV circulation in domestic animals poses a pandemic risk as it provides new opportunities for zoonotic infections. The recent emergence of H5N1 IAV in cows and subsequent spread over multiple states within the USA, together with reports of spillover infections in humans, cats and mice highlight this issue. The horse is a domestic animal in which an avian-origin IAV lineage has been circulating for >60 years. In 2018/19, a Florida Clade 1 (FC1) virus triggered one of the largest epizootics recorded in the ...
Suvanto MT, Truong Nguyen PT, Vauhkonen H, Olander V, Joensuu R, Culverwell CL, Kaansalo K, Hepojoki J, Vapalahti O, Korhonen EM, Smura T, Huhtamo E.The genus (, ) comprises several globally important vector-borne animal viruses, such as borne bluetongue virus, African horse sickness virus and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). Orbiviruses that are associated with mosquitoes are a diverse group including established mosquito-borne animal pathogens such as the Peruvian horse sickness virus and phylogenetically related less well-characterized viruses isolated mostly from mammals. Although reported from various geographic regions, these viruses have not previously been detected in northern Europe. Using next-generation sequencing a...
Firdausy LW, Fikri F, Wicaksono AP, Çalışkan H, Purnama MTE.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a lentiviral disease affecting members of the Equidae family, with global distribution and significant implications for animal health and biosecurity. Despite numerous individual reports, a comprehensive synthesis of its global prevalence and risk factors remains lacking. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the global prevalence of EIA, identify diagnostic trends, and evaluate factors associated with heterogeneity across studies. Unassigned: A systematic search was conducted in six major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web ...
Turcotte GK, O'Sullivan TL, Spence KL, Winder CB, Greer AL.Horses may travel for a variety of reasons, leading to potential exposure to pathogens. Typically, these movements are bidirectional with horses returning to their home facility, therefore also risking pathogen exposure to resident horses at home facilities. The Canadian National Farm and Facility Level Biosecurity Standard for the Equine Sector was designed to outline best practices for managing biosecurity at equestrian facilities, however, there is a gap between the implementation of these recommendations and the day-to-day operations of equestrian facilities. This study aimed to explore th...
Abbas I, Ahmed F, Muqaddas H, Alberti A, Varcasia A, Sedda L.Climate change can cause spatio-temporal shifts in the epidemiology of various vector borne pathogens, especially in vulnerable areas such as the Mediterranean Basin (MB). Among these pathogens, the West Nile virus (WNV) became endemic in the region. This systematic review and meta-analysis study summarizes WNV epidemiology, molecular characteristics, and surveillance in various MB countries, relying on data and scientific articles on WNV published during 2010-2023. The number of published articles varied across the three MB subregions: Southern Europe (n = 153), North Africa (n = 33), and...
Al-Rammahi HM, Mohsen RK, Othman RM.West Nile virus (WNV) circulates between birds and mosquitoes, with horses and humans as incidental dead-end hosts. Despite documented cases in neighboring countries and human cases in southern Iraq, no previous studies have investigated WNV in Iraqi horses. Unassigned: To determine the seroprevalence of WNV in horses from three southern Iraqi governorates (Thi-Qar, Misan, and Basrah) between March and June 2024. Unassigned: Blood samples were collected from 236 horses regardless of age, sex, or health status. Serum samples were analyzed using commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent...
Granella MCS, Mendes RP, da Silva Casa M, Ribeiro GSN, Sangioni LA, Vogel FSF, Braünig P, Ferian PE, Salbego FZ, Schwarz DGG, Fonteque JH.Protozoan Neospora spp. is known to negatively affect horses reared in rural and urban environments, being studied for causing abortion, neonatal mortality and central nervous system disorders in horses. This study aimed to verify the occurrence of anti-Neospora spp. antibodies in horses bred in rural and urban areas from southern Brazil and the risk factors associated with infection. The study consisted of 400 horses, which 241 were bred in rural areas and 159 in urban areas. The detection of serum anti-Neospora spp. antibodies was determined using Immunofluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT). The...
O'Connor A, Totton SC, Hernandez M, Meyers E, Meyers K, Abreu HM, Spofford N, Morrison J.Barriers to accessing veterinary care can be challenging for companion-animal caregivers and may lead to preventable health conditions or even death of pets. Objective: We conducted a scoping review to: 1) catalog the definitions of access to veterinary care (A2VC) used by researchers, 2) identify risk factors for and consequences of A2VC, and 3) map the risk factors onto dimensions of access to care (affordability, availability, accessibility, accommodation, acceptability). Methods: Primary research on companion animals not involved in commercial enterprises (e.g., horse racing) examining con...
Araújo IRDS, de Brito EL, de Melo UP, Mariz ALB, Cavalheiro MT, Ferreira C, de Morais LF, de Souza RF.This study aimed to evaluate the use of antimicrobials in horses, focusing on administration practices, adherence to veterinary prescriptions, and the impact on the development of antimicrobial resistance. The research was based on a questionnaire completed by 220 horse owners in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The data collected covered aspects including antibiotic use, prescription sources, the performance of culture and susceptibility tests, and the disposal of veterinary drug waste. The results indicated that 98.63% of horse owners administered antibiotics mainly to treat respira...
Carvalho KS, de Barros CSL, Mendonça FS, Machado M, Riet-Correa F.In Brazil, CNS diseases in equids were little known until the 1980s. Since then, several diagnostic laboratories have been operating in different universities, initially in the South and Southeast regions and, later, in the Central-West, Northeast and North regions. However, the knowledge accumulated from the diagnoses of nervous system diseases of equids made at these institutions over the years has not been reviewed comprehensively, and many papers are published in Portuguese. Here, we review 18 diseases that occur in the nervous system of equids in Brazil, including some critical infectious...
Ochigbo GO, Ahn S, Belhumeur KA, Poissant J, Rosa BV.Unmanaged feral horses, naïve to dewormers, offer a unique opportunity to study natural communities of equine parasites. These communities may include parasites that are rare in managed populations, and these may be transmitted to domestic horses in areas where there is contact between feral and domestic equine populations. There have been only a few studies of gastrointestinal parasite populations in horses, and very few from North American equine populations. This study aimed to gain insights into parasite biology through identification of the strongyle parasite species infecting feral hors...
Silva VVD, Leite DPSBM, Gonçalves LMT, Pinto GOA, Oliveira PRF, Mota RA.Rabies is a lethal zoonosis caused by the rabies virus (RABV), primarily transmitted by the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus). Brazil, home to the largest equine population in South America, faces ongoing challenges with equine rabies, which impacts both the economy and public health. This study aimed to identify spatial and temporal patterns of rabies in equines in Brazil between 2006 and 2023. Data from the Zoosanitary Information System (SIZ) of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply (MAPA) were used. The incidence risk (IR) was calculated for each region and...
Firdausy LW, Fikri F, Wicaksono AP, Çalışkan H, Purnama MTE.Trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease with significant implications for animal health and rural livelihoods in Indonesia. Despite surveillance efforts, comprehensive national-level estimates of its prevalence in domesticated animals remain lacking. This study aimed to synthesize the pooled prevalence of trypanosomiasis across Indonesian provinces, identify contributing factors, and assess trends over time using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Unassigned: A systematic search was conducted in seven electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Cochrane...
Kuhn KG, Shelton K, Sanchez G, Zamor R, Bohanan K, Nichols M, Morris L, Robert J, Austin A, Dart B, Bolding B, Maytubby P, Vogel J, Stevenson B.West Nile Virus (WNV) is the most widespread and frequently reported mosquito-borne disease in the US, with a high risk of outbreaks. Accurate surveillance of WNV is complicated by many mild or asymptomatic infections, resulting in human cases being under-reported and disease distribution and transmission not being well understood. In this study, we investigated how wastewater surveillance can be used for monitoring WNV in Oklahoma. We analyzed samples collected from wastewater treatment facilities in 16 counties during July 1 to September 31, 2023, for the presence of WNV genetic material and...
Franco JJ, Gonzálvez M, Cano-Terriza D, Barbero-Moyano J, Jose-Cunilleras E, Alguacil E, García J, García-Bocanegra I.Equine viral arteritis is a notifiable infectious disease with sanitary and economic implications at a global scale. A cross-sectional serosurvey was performed to determine the exposure of equids to the Alphaarterivirus equid [Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV)] in three regions in western Europe. Serum samples from 1425 equids (1196 horses, 104 donkeys, and 125 mules/hinnies) from Catalonia (northeastern Spain), Andalusia (southern Spain) and southeastern United Kingdom (UK) were collected during the period 2011-2023. The overall EAV seroprevalence in EAV-unvaccinated equids was 9.7 % (138/1425; 9...
Elmahallawy EK, Hassan MF, Cano-Terriza D, Albalawi NO, Fajardo T, Gouda AA, Atiba A, Hendawy A, Villena I, Barakat AM, Alzaylaee H, Almería S....Toxoplasmosis, caused by the intracellular protozoan (), continues to be a widespread parasitic zoonotic disease globally. The seroepidemiology of infection in Egyptian equids, particularly donkeys, remains insufficiently explored. The present study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of in equines from Northern Egypt. Unassigned: A total of 360 serum samples from two equine species (157 horses and 203 donkeys) were obtained during 2023. The Modified Agglutination Test (MAT, cut-off of 1:25) was used to screen for the anti- antibodies. The study also analyzed potential risk factors th...
Cameron-Whytock HA, O'Brien D, Lewis V, Parkin T, Bennet ED.To date, industry and research outputs that have aimed to improve safety in equestrian eventing have tended to focus on identifying risk factors for horse falls during cross-country, which have been identified as the greatest risk of injury and fatality for riders. There is an absence of research that investigates fatalities of horses within the sport of eventing. Objective: To use a combination of media reports and eventing federation databases to describe and document equine fatalities in equestrian eventing, including their context, location and a basic pathology. Methods: Descriptive study...
Punyadarsaniya D, Taesuji M, Rattanamas K, Ruenphet S.Standard serological tests post-vaccination, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), complement fixation, and virus neutralization, are crucial for monitoring African horse sickness (AHS). However, the availability of commercial test kits such as blocking ELISA varies by regions; while they are commonly used in Africa and Europe, their limited availability and high cost in Thailand present significant challenges. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate an alternative approach using an in-house indirect ELISA based on cell-based monovalent and polyvalent strains of live attenuated AH...
Cito F, Di Francesco CE, Averaimo D, Chiaverini A, Alessiani A, Di Domenico M, Cresci M, Rulli M, Cantelmi MC, Di Bernardo MD, Giammarino A.... subsp. (SEZ) is a major problem in equine veterinary medicine. Typically, a commensal in horses, SEZ can cause severe disease including respiratory infections, septicaemia and reproductive tract infections under certain conditions. Recent evidence suggests that humans can also develop severe disease infection through direct contact with infected animals or the consumption of contaminated unpasteurised milk and milk products. This study investigates SEZ strains isolated from nasal swabs of equidae in central Italy in 2023 to describe the epidemiology and genomic characteristics of circulating...
Thieulent CJ, Carossino M, Reis JKPD, Vissani MA, Barrandeguy ME, Valle-Casuso JC, Balasuriya UBR.Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV), the causative agent of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), presents a significant threat to equine populations worldwide. While local EIAV prevalence has been estimated in several studies, no global prevalence has been determined. Thus, this study aimed to review the literature on EIAV prevalence in the 21st century. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, SciELO.org, African Journals Online, and NZresearch.org, yielding 105 articles published between January 1st, 2000, and December 31st, 2024 (spanni...
Szacawa E, Kozieł N, Brzezińska S, Augustynowicz-Kopeć E, Weiner M, Szulowski K, Krajewska-Wędzina M. is one of the most dangerous pathogens of both animals and humans. Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a disease caused by mycobacteria belonging to the complex (MTBC), which spreads mainly among domestic cattle but also to mammals other than cattle. The transmission of MTBC between different species requires research and epidemiological investigations to control its spread. When multiple species are a reservoir of infection, it poses a significant public health and veterinary concern. In this study, the diagnosis of alpaca, cattle, horses, dogs, a sheep and a cat from one farm suspected of bovine ...
Pinho APVB, Ferreira F, Fuck JJ, de Oliveira JP, Dias RA, Grisi-Filho JHH, Heinemann MB, Telles EO, Amaku M, Ferreira Neto JS.Considering that control strategies for Equine Infectious Anemia, based on the serological diagnosis of equids and the removal of positive animals, may not be optimal for developing countries with an absolute predominance of grade working animals, this study aimed to address this issue based on the epidemiological situation of the disease in Pará, a state in the Brazilian Amazon. Pará was divided into five regions, and within each region a pre-established number of farms were randomly selected. Within each farm, a pre-set number of animals were randomly selected and submitted to Agar Gel Imm...
Mizani A, Taherkhani P, Kia Lashaki E, Hosseini SA, Basirpour B, Dodangeh S.Giardia duodenalis as a common zoonotic parasite is a public health problem infecting humans and a wide range of animals, including horses. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the global pooled prevalence of Giardia infection in horses. Literature searches were conducted using databases including Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science and ProQuest to December 2023. A random-effect model was performed to calculate the pooled prevalence and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) according to the degree of heterogeneity in the included studies. Of 2661 ar...
Rajapakse S, Fernando N, Dreyfus A, Smith C, Rodrigo C.Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial infection that is prevalent across all continents and is caused by pathogenic spirochaetes of the genus Leptospira. Although infection can be asymptomatic, symptomatic disease can vary in severity from mild to severe illness, the latter characterized by icterus and/or multi-organ dysfunction and potentially death. An estimated one million cases of leptospirosis occur globally each year, resulting in ~60,000 deaths. The pathogenesis of severe leptospirosis is poorly understood but is believed to involve an interplay between genetic predisposition, pathogen ...
Pádua GT, Tavares MA, de Lima NJ, Paula WVF, Dos Santos GC, Neves LC, Bittencourt RBM, Paludo RLDR, Cardoso ERN, da Silva BBF, Pádua BR....This study sought to investigate the presence of anti- spp. antibodies in georeferenced serum samples from equids across all regions of the state of Goiás, while also presenting variables that indicate risk factors for the circulation of rickettsiae, and evaluating the presence of rickettsial DNA in ticks collected from equids and the surrounding environment in the municipalities of Uruaçu and Porangatu, located in the northern region of the state. A total of 1156 equid serum samples provided by the Goiás Agricultural Defense Agency (Agrodefesa) were analyzed for antibodies against 4 antig...
Lundmark Hedman F, Ewerlöf IR, Frössling J, Berg C.The presence of a trustworthy and effective animal welfare control system is important both for animal welfare and for public and consumer trust. The inspectors' main task, regardless of whether they are official inspectors or private auditors, is to check for and enforce compliance with any relevant regulations. The aim of this study was to investigate how official animal welfare inspectors and private animal welfare auditors in Sweden perceive their inspection work and to explore any differences in the perception of being an inspector between these two groups. An electronic questionnaire was...
Vasconcelos de Sousa AL, Riet-Correa F, Botelho de Castro M, Machado M.We reviewed the history, epidemiology, clinical signs, pathology, pathogenesis, treatment, control, and prophylaxis of Sorghum poisoning in livestock. Economic losses in the livestock industry associated with sorghum have been reported since the 19th century. Hyperacute/acute poisoning associated with cyanide (HCN) or nitrate/nitrite frequently occurs in ruminants that consume high quantities of growth and regrowth sorghum after drought, followed by rainfall, respectively. Chronic cystitis-ataxia syndrome primarily affects horses after weeks of grazing on sorghum pastures, while congenital art...
Chevalier N, Migné CV, Mariteragi-Helle T, Dumarest M, De Mas M, Chevrier M, Queré E, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Lupo C, Bigeard C, Touzet T, Leblond A....The circulation of West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV), and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was investigated in south-western France during the first six months of 2023, following the emergence of WNV in equids in Gironde, a département in south-western France, in 2022. Blood samples were collected from 494 horses located in the Gironde département and divided into three zones: the Confluence zone, the Intermediate zone and the Arcachon Basin. Samples were tested for WNV-, USUV- and TBEV-specific antibodies. An overall seroprevalence of 14% (95% CI [11-18%]) for orthoflavivirus an...
Tulloch JSP, Schofield I, Jackson R, Whiting M.The veterinary industry has some of the highest rates of non-fatal work-related injuries, yet safety culture remains unexplored. Utilising a survey distributed to all UK employees of a consolidated group of veterinary practices, this study aimed to describe the prevalence of work-related injuries in equine, production animal, and mixed veterinary practices, and to understand the behaviours of injured persons. There were 144 respondents. Over 90 % of clinicians experienced injury during their careers, versus a third of non-clinical staff. Injuries to equine veterinarians were predominately ki...
Furmanski M, Murcia PR.The ecological factors that led to the 1918 influenza pandemic remain unknown. We hypothesize that horses acted as intermediate hosts spreading a prepandemic avian-origin virus before 1918. This is supported by reports describing a large epizootic of unusually severe equine influenza beginning in 1915. Furthermore, the high horse demand during World War I resulted in one of the biggest equine mobilizations in North America between 1914 and 1918. This extensive movement of horses provided abundant opportunities for virus reassortment between prepandemic avian and human influenza viruses. Archiv...
Labruna MB, Kasai N, Ferreira F, Faccini JL, Gennari SM.Natural tick infestations were assessed every 14 days on horses over a 2-year period. Amblyomma cajennense adult ticks were counted individually, without detachment from the horses. Larvae and nymphs of A. cajennense were collected using a rubber scraper that scratched engorged immature ticks from the host. Adult females of Anocentor nitens larger than 4mm length were counted on the horses. Blood samples were also obtained from the horses every 14 days and macroclimatic data were obtained for the study period. Infestations of A. cajennense demonstrated distinct peaks of activity for each of th...
Scheel TK, Kapoor A, Nishiuchi E, Brock KV, Yu Y, Andrus L, Gu M, Renshaw RW, Dubovi EJ, McDonough SP, Van de Walle GR, Lipkin WI, Divers TJ....Nonprimate hepacivirus (NPHV) is the closest known relative of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and its study could enrich our understanding of HCV evolution, immunity, and pathogenesis. High seropositivity is found in horses worldwide with ∼ 3% viremic. NPHV natural history and molecular virology remain largely unexplored, however. Here, we show that NPHV, like HCV, can cause persistent infection for over a decade, with high titers and negative strand RNA in the liver. NPHV is a near-universal contaminant of commercial horse sera for cell culture. The complete NPHV 3'-UTR was determined and consists...
Grieder FB, Vogel SN.To investigate the role of type I interferon (IFN) and its regulatory transacting proteins, interferon regulatory factors (IRF-1 and IRF-2), in early protection against infection with virulent Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE), we utilized mice with targeted mutations in the IFN-alpha/beta receptor, IRF-1, or IRF-2 genes. IFN-alpha/beta-receptor knockout mice are highly susceptible to peripheral infection with virulent or attenuated VEE, resulting in their death within 24 and 48 h, respectively. Treatment of normal macrophages with anti-IFN-alpha/beta antibody prior to and during infe...
Müller N, Welle M, Lobsiger L, Stoffel MH, Boghenbor KK, Hilbe M, Gottstein B, Frey CF, Geyer C, von Bomhard W.The present report describes a novel etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses that, at least for some cases, sporadically appeared as autochthonous infections in geographically distant regions of Germany and Switzerland. The infection was initially diagnosed upon clinical and immunohistological findings. Subsequent comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ssrRNA classified the respective isolates as neither Old World nor New World Leishmania species. However, four isolates subjected to molecular analyses all exhibit...
Rossdale PD, Hopes R, Digby NJ, offord K.An epidemiological study of wastage among racehorses was conducted in 1982 and 1983 among six stables, five of which were in Newmarket. The basis of the survey was the inability of horses to take part in cantering exercise as a result of injury or disease. The greatest number of days lost to training was caused by lameness (67.6 per cent) and respiratory problems (20.5 per cent). Conditions of the foot (19 pe cent), muscle (18 per cent), carpus (14 per cent), fetlock joints (14 per cent), tendons (10 per cent) and sore shins (9 per cent) were the major reasons for training days being lost in 1...
Chambers G, Ellsmore VA, O'Brien PM, Reid SWJ, Love S, Campo MS, Nasir L.The equine sarcoid, a locally aggressive, fibroblastic skin tumour, is the most common dermatological neoplasm reported in horses; there is no consistently effective therapy. It is widely accepted that bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 are associated with the pathogenesis of sarcoid disease. Most sarcoids appear to contain detectable viral DNA and RNA and are also known to express the BPV types 1 and 2 major transforming protein, E5, but appear not to produce infectious virions. While the mode of transmission of infection has not been elucidated, viral gene expression, in particular of...
Zoonoses and public healthJuly 22, 2008
Volume 55, Issue 6 291-298 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01136.x
Zhang W, Shen Q, Mou J, Gong G, Yang Z, Cui L, Zhu J, Ju G, Hua X.Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen of which several species of animal were reported as reservoirs. Antibodies to HEV and HEV RNA have been detected in some Chinese population and swine groups but few other domestic animals. In this study, to investigate the HEV prevalence, we tested sera from 788 pigs, 100 cows, 50 goats, 49 horses, 101 pet dogs, 105 chickens, 47 duck and 45 pigeons in eastern China for anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG). We also tested 50% of the swine sera, all of sera from the other domestic animals and 13 Shanghai human sera which were positive for anti-HEV immuno...
Lyons S, Kapoor A, Sharp C, Schneider BS, Wolfe ND, Culshaw G, Corcoran B, McGorum BC, Simmonds P.Although the origin of hepatitis C virus infections in humans remains undetermined, a close homolog of this virus, termed canine hepacivirus (CHV) and found in respiratory secretions of dogs, provides evidence for a wider distribution of hepaciviruses in mammals. We determined frequencies of active infection among dogs and other mammals in the United Kingdom. Samples from dogs (46 respiratory, 99 plasma, 45 autopsy samples) were CHV negative by PCR. Screening of 362 samples from cats, horses, donkeys, rodents, and pigs identified 3 (2%) positive samples from 142 horses. These samples were gene...
Giguère S, Cohen ND, Chaffin MK, Slovis NM, Hondalus MK, Hines SA, Prescott JF.Rhodococcus equi, a gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen, is one of the most common causes of pneumonia in foals. Although R. equi can be cultured from the environment of virtually all horse farms, the clinical disease in foals is endemic at some farms, sporadic at others, and unrecognized at many. On farms where the disease is endemic, costs associated with morbidity and mortality attributable to R. equi may be very high. The purpose of this consensus statement is to provide recommendations regarding the diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of infections caused by R. equi...
Lobsiger L, Müller N, Schweizer T, Frey CF, Wiederkehr D, Zumkehr B, Gottstein B.The present case report describes a novel etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis that appears for the first time in a cow. A similar agent had recently been described as causing autochthonous infections in horses of Germany and Switzerland. The infection in the cow was initially diagnosed upon clinical and immunohistological findings. Subsequent comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ssrRNA classified the respective isolate as neither Old World nor New World Leishmania species, but yielded complete identity of the analyse...
Murray RC, Walters JM, Snart H, Dyson SJ, Parkin TD.The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of illness and lameness at different anatomical sites in registered United Kingdom dressage horses and to identify risk factors for lameness. A questionnaire was sent to all 11,363 registered members of British Dressage in 2005, with one questionnaire assigned per horse. Four multivariable logistic regression models were developed for each section of the questionnaire. A final mixed effects logistic regression model was developed which combined the results from all prior models. Owners reported that 33% of horses had been lame at some time d...
Horta MC, Labruna MB, Pinter A, Linardi PM, Schumaker TT.This study investigated rickettsial infection in animals, humans, ticks, and fleas collected in five areas of the state of São Paulo. Eight flea species (Adoratopsylla antiquorum antiquorum, Ctenocephalides felis felis, Polygenis atopus, Polygenis rimatus, Polygenis roberti roberti, Polygenis tripus, Rhopalopsyllus lugubris, and Rhopalopsyllus lutzi lutzi), and five tick species (Amblyomma aureolatum, Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma dubitatum, Ixodes loricatus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus) were collected from dogs, cats, and opossums. Rickettsia felis was the only rickettsia found infecting ...
Jongejan F, Ringenier M, Putting M, Berger L, Burgers S, Kortekaas R, Lenssen J, van Roessel M, Wijnveld M, Madder M.Autochthonous populations of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in the Netherlands were discovered after fatal cases of babesiosis occurred in resident dogs in 2004. The presence of D. reticulatus in the Netherlands has also linked with the emergence of piroplasmosis in the resident horse population. The aim of this study was to put together results of continued surveillance of field sites and hosts for this tick in the Netherlands and also in Belgium and determine their infection status for Babesia and Theileria species. Methods: Ticks were collected from the vegetation at 11 locations between 201...
Morgan M.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasing worldwide. Occasionally, animals are colonized or infected incidentally with human strains. Recently, however, new strains of MRSA emerging from within the animal kingdom, particularly in pigs, are causing human infection. MRSA has been reported in species as diverse as companion animals, horses and pigs, through to chinchillas, bats and parrots. In contrast, whereas strains of community-associated MRSA, the majority of which carry genes encoding Panton-Valentine leucocidin, are spreading rapidly in human populations, only sporad...
Cantile C, Di Guardo G, Eleni C, Arispici M.West Nile (WN) virus infection is a mosquito-borne flavivirosis endemic in Africa and Asia. Clinical disease is usually rare and mild and only in a few cases the infection causes encephalomyelitis in horses, fever and meningoencephalitis in man. We report here the clinical and pathological findings in an epidemic of the disease involving 14 horses from Tuscany, Italy. All cases were observed from August to October 1998. Affected horses showed ataxia, weakness paresis of the hindlimbs and, in 6 cases, there was paraparesis progressing to tetraplegia and recumbency within 2 to 9 days. Eight anim...
Bhoora R, Franssen L, Oosthuizen MC, Guthrie AJ, Zweygarth E, Penzhorn BL, Jongejan F, Collins NE.A molecular epidemiological survey of the protozoal parasites that cause equine piroplasmosis was conducted using samples collected from horses and zebra from different geographical locations in South Africa. A total of 488 samples were tested for the presence of Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi using the reverse line blot hybridization assay. Ten percent of the samples hybridized to the Theileria/Babesia genus-specific probe and not to the B. caballi or T. equi species-specific probes, suggesting the presence of a novel species or genotype. The small subunit of rRNA gene (18S; approximat...
Rodriguez C, Taminiau B, Brévers B, Avesani V, Van Broeck J, Leroux A, Gallot M, Bruwier A, Amory H, Delmée M, Daube G.The equine faecal microbiota is very complex and remains largely unknown, while interspecies interactions have an important contribution to animal health. Clostridium difficile has been identified as an important cause of diarrhoea in horses. This study provides further information on the nature of the bacterial communities present in horses developing an episode of diarrhoea. The prevalence of C. difficile in hospitalised horses at the time of admission is also reported. Results: Bacterial diversity of the gut microbiota in diarrhoea is lower than that in non-diarrhoeic horses in terms of spe...
Hassan HK, Cupp EW, Hill GE, Katholi CR, Klingler K, Unnasch TR.An important variable in the amplification and escape from the enzootic cycle of the arboviral encephalitides is the degree of contact between avian hosts and mosquito vectors. To analyze this interaction in detail, blood-fed mosquitoes that were confirmed vectors of eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus were collected in 2002 from an enzootic site in central Alabama during the time this virus was actively transmitted. Avian-derived blood meals were identified to the species level of the host, and the proportion derived from each species was compared with the overall composition of the ...
Malkinson M, Banet C.Surveys on wild birds conducted during the last two decades in Europe, notably Poland and the Czech Republic, to determine their infection rate with WN virus have revealed endemic foci of infection. Some species of seropositive birds were nonmigrators while others were hatchlings of migrating species. Persistently infected avian reservoirs are potential sources of viruses for mosquitoes that multiply in the temperate European zone in hot, wet summers. In the past, evidence for geographical circulation of WN viruses was based on antigenic analysis of strains from different countries while more ...
Corbin LJ, Blott SC, Swinburne JE, Vaudin M, Bishop SC, Woolliams JA.Many genomic methodologies rely on the presence and extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between markers and genetic variants underlying traits of interest, but the extent of LD in the horse has yet to be comprehensively characterized. In this study, we evaluate the extent and decay of LD in a sample of 817 Thoroughbreds. Horses were genotyped for over 50,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers across the genome, with 34,848 autosomal SNPs used in the final analysis. Linkage disequilibrium, as measured by the squared correlation coefficient (r(2)), was found to be relatively high bet...
Brault AC, Powers AM, Chavez CL, Lopez RN, Cachón MF, Gutierrez LF, Kang W, Tesh RB, Shope RE, Weaver SC.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), the sole species in the EEE antigenic complex, is divided into North and South American antigenic varieties based on hemagglutination inhibition tests. Here we describe serologic and phylogenetic analyses of representatives of these varieties, spanning the entire temporal and geographic range available. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed additional genetic diversity within the South American variety; 3 major South/Central American lineages were identified including one represented by a single isolate from eastern Brazil, and 2 lin...
Brosnahan MM, Paradis MR.To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of a population of geriatric horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 467 horses that were > or = 20 years of age. Methods: Medical records of 539 geriatric horses that were evaluated at a university large animal hospital between 1989 and 1999 were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, reason for evaluation, specific diagnoses, surgical procedures, inpatient or outpatient care, duration of hospitalization, and outcome. Results: 467 horses met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Horses that were > or = 20 years of age c...
Oladunni FS, Horohov DW, Chambers TM.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of the most important and prevalent viral pathogens of horses and a major threat to the equine industry throughout most of the world. EHV-1 primarily causes respiratory disease but viral spread to distant organs enables the development of more severe sequelae; abortion and neurologic disease. The virus can also undergo latency during which viral genes are minimally expressed, and reactivate to produce lytic infection at any time. Recently, there has been a trend of increasing numbers of outbreaks of a devastating form of EHV-1, equine herpesviral myeloenceph...
Richter PJ, Kimsey RB, Madigan JE, Barlough JE, Dumler JS, Brooks DL.Ehrlichia equi, a rickettsia described from horses in California 30 yr ago, causes equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis throughout the Americas and possibly Europe. Here, we report experimental transmission of E. equi from infected to susceptible horses through bites of western blacklegged ticks, Ixodes pacificus (Cooley & Kohls). In preliminary field studies, only I. pacificus consistently infested horses and vegetation at 3 locations with contemporary cases of equine ehrlichosis, and in particular, I. pacificus was the only species found attached to all of the infected horses. Exposure to bites ...
Durand B, Haskouri H, Lowenski S, Vachiery N, Beck C, Lecollinet S.A serosurvey of 349 military working horses and 231 military working dogs was conducted in ten sites in Morocco in 2012. This survey revealed a high level of exposure of these animals to flaviviruses: seroprevalence rates of 60% in horses and of 62% in dogs were observed using a competitive West Nile virus (WNV) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Seroneutralization test results showed that the majority of cELISA-positive results were due to exposure to WNV. Further assays conducted in vaccinated horses with a DIVA (Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals) test indicated that ...
Devriese LA, Ieven M, Goossens H, Vandamme P, Pot B, Hommez J, Haesebrouck F.Enterococcus faecium strains with vanA-mediated glycopeptide resistance were isolated by enrichment culture from the intestines and feces of several animal species, mainly horses and dogs (8% positive), chickens (7% positive), and pigs (6% positive). Other vanA-positive enterococcal strains were identified as E. durans in gallinaceous birds, E. faecalis in a horse, and E. gallinarum in a pheasant. Samples from pigeons, cage birds, and ruminants were negative. It was concluded that vancomycin resistance is widespread among isolates from farm and pet animals.
Kapoor A, Simmonds P, Cullen JM, Scheel TK, Medina JL, Giannitti F, Nishiuchi E, Brock KV, Burbelo PD, Rice CM, Lipkin WI.The recent identification of nonprimate hepaciviruses in dogs and then in horses prompted us to look for pegiviruses (GB virus-like viruses) in these species. Although none were detected in canines, we found widespread natural infection of horses by a novel pegivirus. Unique genomic features and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the tentatively named equine pegivirus (EPgV) represents a novel species within the Pegivirus genus. We also determined that EPgV causes persistent viremia whereas its clinical significance is undetermined.
Cullinane A, Newton JR.To date, equine influenza outbreaks have been reported all over the world with the exception of a small number of island nations including New Zealand and Iceland. Influenza is endemic in Europe and North America and is considered to be of potentially major economic significance to the equine industry worldwide. The importation of subclinically infected vaccinated horses, and inadequate quarantine procedures have resulted in several major outbreaks in susceptible populations for example, in Australia (2007) when more than 76,000 horses on over 10,000 properties were reported as infected. This ...
Alhassan A, Pumidonming W, Okamura M, Hirata H, Battsetseg B, Fujisaki K, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I.With the aim of developing more simple diagnostic alternatives, a differential single-round and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was designed for the simultaneous detection of Babesia caballi and Babesia equi, by targeting 18S ribosomal RNA genes. The multiplex PCR amplified DNA fragments of 540 and 392 bp from B. caballi and B. equi, respectively, in one reaction. The PCR method evaluated on 39 blood samples collected from domestic horses in Mongolia yielded similar results to those obtained from confirmative PCR methods that had been established earlier. Thus, the single-roun...
