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.
Elzahaby D, Mirra A, Levionnois OL, Spadavecchia C.Inhalational anaesthetic agents are routinely used in veterinary anaesthesia practices, yet their consumption contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact. We conducted a 55-day observational study at a veterinary teaching hospital in Switzerland, monitoring isoflurane and sevoflurane consumption across small, equine and farm animal clinics and analysed the resulting environmental impact. Results revealed that in total, 9.36 L of isoflurane and 1.27 L of sevoflurane were used to anaesthetise 409 animals across 1,489 h. Consumption rates varied among species...
White NA, Flynn K.The purpose of the study was to assess the challenges faced by state animal health officials (SAHOs) when managing equine disease outbreaks. Methods: A survey was conducted to assess SAHOs' collaboration with horse owners and practicing veterinarians to provide biosecurity and infection disease control. It was sent to 180 email addresses listed in the Equine Disease Communication Center website database. The responses in each category for each question were tabulated and reported as a percentage. Results: There were 72 survey responses from 45 states. The number of states responding suggested ...
Fairbanks EL, Daly JM, Tildesley MJ.Most mathematical models that assess the vectorial capacity of disease-transmitting insects typically focus on the influence of climatic factors to predict variations across different times and locations, or examine the impact of vector control interventions to forecast their potential effectiveness. We combine features of existing models to develop a novel model for vectorial capacity that considers both climate and vector control. This model considers how vector control tools affect vectors at each stage of their feeding cycle, and incorporates host availability and preference. Applying this...
Kabir A, Lamichhane B, Habib T, Adams A, El-Sheikh Ali H, Slovis NM, Troedsson MHT, Helmy YA.The equine industry holds substantial economic importance not only in the USA but worldwide. The occurrence of various infectious bacterial diseases in horses can lead to severe health issues, economic losses, and restrictions on horse movement and trade. Effective management and control of these diseases are therefore crucial for the growth and sustainability of the equine industry. While antibiotics constitute the primary treatment strategy for any bacterial infections in horses, developing resistance to clinically important antibiotics poses significant challenges to equine health and welfa...
Stasiak K, Dunowska M, Rola J.Equine rhinitis A (ERAV) and B (ERBV) viruses are respiratory pathogens with worldwide distribution. The current study aimed to determine the frequency of infection of ERAV and ERBV among horses and foals at Polish national studs, and to determine genetic variability within the viruses obtained. Virus-specific quantitative RT-PCR assays targeting a 5' untranslated region were used to screen nasal swabs collected from 621 horses at 16 national horse studs from throughout Poland, including 553 healthy horses and 68 horses with respiratory disease. A partial DNA polymerase gene was amplified and ...
Shams F, Jokar M, Abdous A, Mohammadi P, Abbassioun A, Seuberlich T, Rahmanian V.Neospora spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are two closely related protozoan parasites that are widely distributed throughout the world. Horses can act as intermediate hosts for both parasites and can acquire disease. Blood samples were taken from 487 clinically healthy horses from 17 different mechanized stables in Tehran, the capital of Iran, during September and November of 2022. IFAT and ELISA were employed to detect antibodies directed against Neospora spp. and T. gondii. The anti-N. caninum antibodies were detected in 52 of the horses (10.67%) based on IFAT and in 86 of the 487 horses (17.65%) ...
Lacante SA, Jiang C, Mustamir AA, Mizuno T, Bi X, Syafruddin D, Tokoro M., a human intestinal protozoan parasite of the diplomonad group, has been overlooked because of its commensal features; therefore, molecular studies on this parasite are limited. To address this gap, we designed a molecular screening protocol using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing targeting the 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA gene and applied this screening method to the molecular epidemiological analysis of spp. in humans and various livestock. We validated our methodology using stool samples collected from 215 humans and 270 animal hosts (buffaloes, pigs, dogs, goats, hors...
Kapusniak A, Nath L, Hebart M, Franklin S.Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important cause of exercise-associated fatalities in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine deaths share similarities with fatalities in human athletes that result from inherited cardiac disease. Whilst genetic causes have been postulated in horses, these have not been confirmed and heritability of SCD has not previously been estimated in Thoroughbred racehorses. Objective: To determine the heritability of SCD in a sample population of Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: Steward and post-mortem reports of Thoroughbred racehorse...
An Q, Li Y, Sun Z, Gao X, Wang H.Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a vector-borne persistent viral infection in equine animals. The EIA is characterized by recurrent fever, thrombocytopenia, depression, anemia, rapid weight loss, and lower body edema. Control of EIA is achieved through the elimination or isolation of infected animals, resulting in significant economic losses. In recent years, many countries in Europe have experienced outbreaks of EIA, which could potentially develop into a new wave of epidemic and pose a significant threat to the healthy development of the equine industry. This study utilized spatiotemporal a...
Elghryani N, Lawlor A, McOwan T, de Waal T.Over the preceding decades, the widespread dependence on anthelmintic drugs for managing nematodes in grazing equids has given rise to resistance against commonly used anthelmintics in various countries. This study explores the prevalence of anthelmintic resistance across 44 horse farms in Ireland. Anthelmintic efficacy was evaluated through fecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests employing the mini-FLOTAC technique. Resistance to benzimidazoles was identified in 12 out of 14 farms (FECR range: 0.00% to 86.2%). Ivermectin resistance was observed on two farms, one with an FECR of 80.70% and anot...
Germann JA, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL, Spence KL.Disease outbreaks present a significant challenge to horse health and welfare and the economic stability of horse industries internationally. This is a particular concern in Ontario, Canada, where there have been frequent outbreaks of respiratory infectious diseases among horses. Despite these risks, there has been limited research on whether Ontario horse owners engage in biosecurity measures sufficient to mitigate risk of equine diseases, and whether current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic influence attitudes towards equine biosecurity practices. Objective: To explore Ontario horse owne...
Busechian S, Bindi F, Orvieto S, Zappulla F, Marchesi MC, Nisi I, Rueca F.Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) and Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD) are two terms used to indicate the presence of lesions of the squamous and glandular mucosa of the stomach. Prevalences, pathophysiology, and risk factors are different, and the latter have been investigated in different populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of ESGD and EGGD in a cohort of pleasure, breeding, and retired horses in Italy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate such a diverse population of animals and the first one that inc...
Merridale-Punter MS, Wiethoelter AK, El-Hage CM, Patrick C, Hitchens PL.Despite several millions of working equids worldwide, there are few published studies regarding the epidemiology of their health and welfare. Data collected by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the working equid sphere therefore have important epidemiological value and could be used towards animal health surveillance. The aim of this study was to identify common clinical findings and mortality patterns of working equids in low- and middle-income countries and investigate their epidemiology using data collected from an international NGO. A retrospective analysis was conducted t...
Ramos-Vázquez JR, Sánchez-Montes S, Esparza-González SC, Romero-Salas D, Pardio-Sedas V, Estrada-Coates AT, Alva-Trujillo M, Ballados-González GG....Leptospirosis is an infectious disease with a worldwide distribution, which represents a major challenge in animal production across developing countries, mainly in tropical areas. Horses are particularly susceptible to the disease, presenting manifestations ranging from subclinical to the development of uveitis that compromises the visual health of the animals. In recent years, serological studies have been carried out in equid populations from America, demonstrating high exposure. For this reason, the aim of this study was to demonstrate microbiologically and molecularly the presence of the ...
Houben RMAC, Newton JR, van Maanen C, Waller AS, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Heesterbeek JAP.Strangles, a disease caused by infection with Streptococccus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), is endemic worldwide and one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses. Recent work has improved our knowledge of key parameters of transmission dynamics, but important knowledge gaps remain. Our aim was to apply mathematical modelling of S. equi transmission dynamics to prioritise future research areas, and add precision to estimates of transmission parameters thereby improving understanding of S. equi epidemiology and quantifying the control effort required. A compartmental deter...
Zhang Y, Liu J, Zhang K, Wang A, Sailikebieke D, Zhang Z, Ao T, Yan L, Zhang D, Li K, Huang H.Reintroduction represents an effective strategy for the conservation of endangered wildlife, yet it might inadvertently impact the native ecosystems. This investigation assesses the impact of reintroducing endangered Przewalski's horses into the desert grassland ecosystem of the Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR), particularly its effect on the spatial distribution of ticks. In a 25 km core area of Przewalski's horse distribution, we set up 441 tick sampling sites across diverse habitats, including water sources, donkey trails, and grasslands, recording horse feces and characteristics to analyze t...
Mekata H, Yamada K, Umeki K, Yamamoto M, Ochi A, Umekita K, Kobayashi I, Hirai T, Okabayashi T.Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a fatal zoonosis caused by ticks in East Asia. As SFTS virus (SFTSV) is maintained between wildlife and ticks, seroepidemiological studies in wildlife are important to understand the behavior of SFTSV in the environment. Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, is an SFTS-endemic area, and approximately 100 feral horses, called Misaki horses (Equus caballus), inhabit Cape Toi in Miyazaki Prefecture. While these animals are managed in a wild-like manner, their ages are ascertainable due to individual identification. In the present study, we conducted a s...
Smarsh DN, Kenny LB, Spindler M, Poh KC, Machtinger ET.There is limited data on current knowledge of Pennsylvania horse caretakers on tick-borne diseases (TBDs), tick identification, and tick management practices. This study aimed to determine tick knowledge, concern, and management among Pennsylvania equine caretakers using an online survey. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA tests were used to analyze data. The survey received 894 responses (539 completed) from Pennsylvania equine owners and caretakers. The largest proportion of respondents cared for 3-5 horses (31%), followed by 2 horses (27%). Veterinarian-confirmed diagnosis rates of tw...
Fikri F, Hendrawan D, Wicaksono AP, Purnomo A, Khairani S, Chhetri S, Purnama MTE, Çalışkan H.Colic is the primary problem affecting equestrian care worldwide. The primary cause of colic is digestive diseases; however, they can also affect organs from different systems in the abdominal region. In addition to a prior history of the disease and its treatment, risk factors may be assessed to determine the etiology of the disease in horses without or with a history of colic. This study aimed to present a summary of the incidence, risk factors, and medical procedures for colic in horses. Unassigned: Based on owner reports, 223 horses in Tuban, Indonesia, suspected of having colic were inves...
Akbari H, Basaki M, Imani Baran A, Akbarzadeh Z.Anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease with worldwide distribution, impacts ruminants, equines, carnivores, and humans. This study aimed to investigate Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses from Ardabil province and Anaplasma ovis in small ruminants from East Azerbaijan province using the Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of 100 healthy horses in the Ardabil province and 156 healthy sheep and goats (116 sheep and 40 goats) in the East Azerbaijan province during the spring and summer seasons of 2016 in northwest Iran. The collected blood sam...
Carvelli A, Nardini R, Carnio A, Ricci I, Rosone F, Sala M, Simeoni S, Maccarone D, Scicluna MT.Equine infectious anaemia (EIA) is a life-long viral infection affecting equids, transmitted mechanically by biting flies and iatrogenic means. Despite its global distribution, active surveillance is limited, with passive clinical surveillance or control of specific equine sectors prevailing. In Italy, a national surveillance plan in horse, donkey, and mule populations has been established and includes mandatory passive and active surveillance through annual serological tests. During 2007-2010, the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test served as both screening and confirmatory tests. Since 2011...
Byrne O, Gangotia D, Crowley J, Zintl A, Kiser L, Boxall O, McSweeney D, O'Neill F, Dunne S, Lamb BR, Walshe N, Mulcahy G.Cyathostomins are globally important equine parasites, responsible for both chronic and acute pathogenic effects. The occurrence of mixed infections with numerous cyathostomin species hinders our understanding of parasite epidemiology, host-parasite dynamics, and species pathogenicity. There have been few studies of cyathostomin species occurring in horses in Ireland, where temperate climatic conditions with year-round rainfall provide suitable conditions for infection of grazing animals with bursate nematodes. Here, we amplified and sequenced the ITS-2 region of adult worms harvested at post-...
Pelzel-McCluskey AM.Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a vector-borne livestock disease caused by either VS New Jersey virus or VS Indiana virus. The disease circulates endemically in northern South America, Central America, and Mexico and only occasionally causes outbreaks in the United States. During the past 20 years, VS outbreaks in the southwestern and Rocky Mountain regions occurred periodically with incursion years followed by virus overwintering and subsequent expansion outbreak years. Regulatory response by animal health officials prevents spread from lesioned animals and manages trade impacts. Recent US outb...
Otgonsuren D, Amgalanbaatar T, Narantsatsral S, Enkhtaivan B, Munkhgerel D, Zoljargal M, Davkharbayar B, Myagmarsuren P, Battur B, Battsetseg B....Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses. Because of its impact on horse industry, control of this disease is crucial for endemic countries. The control of equine piroplasmosis may be influenced by the genotypic diversity of T. equi and B. caballi. Mongolia, a country with a thriving livestock industry, is endemic for T. equi and B. caballi. However, nationwide epidemiological surveys have not been conducted to determine the current status of infections and genetic diversity of these two parasite species. Therefore, the objective of th...
Tinkler SH, Villa L, Manfredi MT, Walshe N, Jahns H.This is the first report of Besnoitia bennetti in donkeys in Ireland. B. bennetti, an apicomplexan protozoan parasite specific to equids, is an emerging pathogen in Europe. This parasite forms chronic intracytoplasmic cysts in cells of the mesenchymal lineage, mainly fibroblasts, in the skin, sclera and mucosa. Clinical signs in affected equine hosts vary from mild to severe debilitating disease. Little is known of the phylogeny, epidemiology or transmission of B. bennetti infection in donkeys, mules or horses. Methods: Two cases of besnoitiosis in donkeys are presented. Both donkeys were born...
Neville EK, Hicks H, Neville CC.Horses are used for many recreational and occupational activities. They are large, strong, temperamental, and unpredictable animals and people involved with them are at risk for injuries, from minor abrasions to severe injuries that may lead to death. This review reports on horse trauma in relation to the characteristics of injured equestrians, characteristics of horse trauma, and clinical outcomes. Methods: A literature search was conducted from health-related electronic databases to identify studies from 2018 to 2023. The search returned 115 relevant full-text articles but after screening an...
Asghari A, Yousefi A, Mohammadi MR, Badali R, Shamsi L, Köseoğlu AE, Abbaszadeh A, Shams M, Mohammadi-Ghalehbin B.A total of 500 fecal samples were collected from Equus animals in six different cities (Ardabil, Namin, Nir, Meshginshahr, Germi, and Khalkhal) of Ardabil Province, northwestern Iran, with 200 samples from horses, 200 from donkeys, and 100 from mules. Of the horse samples, 100 were from racing horses under special monitoring and care, while the remaining 100 were from non-racing horses, including those used for herding or in rural areas. All fecal samples were examined for the presence of Blastocystis sp. using PCR amplification of the SSU rRNA gene's barcode region after DNA extraction. The m...
Dos Santos CEP, Loreto ES, Zanette RA, Santurio JM, Marques LC.Horse pythiosis is considered an endemic disease in the Brazilian Pantanal region, causing devastating health and economic losses. This study aimed to enhance the understanding of pythiosis epidemiology, map the distribution of horse body lesions, and investigate the correlation between these lesions and warm body surface areas, potentially implicating hematophagous vectors in the disease's transmission. A prospective study was conducted on equids in the Pantanal Mato-grossense and adjacent areas from 2012 to 2022, with 112 horses and three mules diagnosed with pythiosis. Clinical and epidemio...
Bartsch S, Bauer B, Wiemann A, Clausen PH, Steuber S.Host feeding patterns of engorged sibling species of the Culicoides obsoletus and Culicoides pulicaris groups captured during three nights on two selected farms maintaining either cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs (Seedorf, Brandenburg) or cattle, sheep, moufflons, and red and fallow deer (Paulinenaue, Brandenburg) were determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification using conserved primers and sets of species-specific primers derived from vertebrates mitochondrial cytochrome b. Out of a total of 177 blood meals analysed, 115 (65%) tested positive for a blood meal from vertebrates. 63.5% (...
Field HE.Hendra virus causes acute and highly fatal infection in horses and humans. Pteropid bats (flying-foxes) are the natural host of the virus, with age and species being risk factors for infection. Urine is the primary route of excretion in flying-foxes, with viral RNA more frequently detected in Pteropus alecto and P. conspicillatus than other species. Infection prevalence in flying-foxes can vary between and within years, with a winter peak of excretion occurring in some regions. Vertical transmission and recrudescing infection has been reported in flying-foxes, but horizontal transmission is ev...
Julliand V, Grimm P.In the early 1990s, the equine hindgut microbial ecosystem looked like a "black box." Its vital role in hydrolyzing and fermenting fiber, thus providing energy to the host, was recognized. Although there was a critical lack of information on the hindgut microbes, their role in preventing intestinal diseases was suggested. Traditionally, the microbes of the horse hindgut were studied using culture-dependent techniques. More recently, culture-independent methods have been used and provided further insight. This review presents the history and updated knowledge regarding the microbes that live in...
Morens DM, Taubenberger JK.To understand human influenza in a historical context of viral circulation in avian species, mammals, and in the environment. Methods: Historical review. Methods: Global events in a variety of circumstances over more than 3,000 years time. Methods: Comprehensive review of the historical literature including all major publications on pandemic and panzootic influenza. Methods: Influenza pandemics, panzootics, major epidemics and epizootics, and instances of interspecies transmission of influenza A. Results: Extensive documentation of human and animal influenza over many centuries suggests that i...
Cuny C, Strommenger B, Witte W, Stanek C.During 2006 and 2007 small clusters of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in horses were recorded in different clinical departments of a veterinary university. The infections were caused by different MRSA clones (ST1, ST254, and ST398). In the same time, nasal colonization of veterinarians, veterinary personnel, and students was observed indicating transmission to humans.
Browning GF, Fitzgerald TA, Chalmers RM, Snodgrass DR.Equine rotavirus FI23 was shown to be prototypic of a novel G serotype, provisionally G14, by cross-neutralization and VP7 sequence determination. Although distinct, there are as few as six differing amino acid residues (92, 94, 96, 146, 147, and 221) in the VP7 antigenic regions of FI23 and G3 rotaviruses.
Rico-Hesse R, Weaver SC, de Siger J, Medina G, Salas RA.One of the most important questions in arbovirology concerns the origin of epidemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) viruses; these viruses caused periodic, extensive epidemics/epizootics in the Americas from 1938-1973 (reaching the United States in 1971) but had recently been presumed extinct. We have documented the 1992 emergence of a new epidemic/epizootic VEE virus in Venezuela. Phylogenetic analysis of strains isolated during two outbreaks indicated that the new epidemic/epizootic virus(es) evolved recently from an enzootic VEE virus in northern South America. These results suggest co...
Powers AM, Oberste MS, Brault AC, Rico-Hesse R, Schmura SM, Smith JF, Kang W, Sweeney WP, Weaver SC.Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) epidemics and equine epizootics occurred periodically in the Americas from the 1920s until the early 1970s, when the causative viruses, subtypes IAB and IC, were postulated to have become extinct. Recent outbreaks in Columbia and Venezuela have renewed interest in the source of epidemic/epizootic viruses and their mechanism of interepizootic maintenance. We performed phylogenetic analyses of VEE virus isolates spanning the entire temporal and geographic range of strains available, using 857-nucleotide reverse transcription-PCR products including the E3 and ...
Båverud V, Gustafsson A, Franklin A, Aspán A, Gunnarsson A.Clostridium difficile has been associated with acute colitis in mature horses. Objective: To survey C. difficile colonisation of the alimentary tract with age, occurrence of diarrhoea and history of antibiotic therapy; and to study the occurrence and survival of C. difficile in the environment and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated strains. Methods: A total of 777 horses of different breeds, age and sex were studied. Further, 598 soil samples and 434 indoor surface samples were examined. Antimicrobial susceptibility of 52 strains was investigated by Etest for 10 antibiotics. Results: In ...
Browning GF, Chalmers RM, Fitzgerald TA, Snodgrass DR.A group A rotavirus designated L338 was isolated from the faeces of a diarrhoeic foal and was compared to 11 standard G serotype strains of group A rotaviruses by cross-neutralization. It was clearly distinct from serotypes G1 to G11 and thus representative of a novel rotavirus G serotype tentatively designated G13. The nucleic acid sequence of the virion protein 7 (VP7) coding region was determined and the deduced amino acid sequence compared to published sequences. Within VP7 regions A and B, L338 was clearly distinct from serotypes G1 to G12 (excluding G7 which has not been sequenced), but ...
Van den Eede A, Martens A, Lipinska U, Struelens M, Deplano A, Denis O, Haesebrouck F, Gasthuys F, Hermans K.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections do occur in equine patients. Little is known, however, about their origin and the general equine MRSA colonization status. In West European horses in particular, neither the colonization rate nor the present strains or their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns are known. In the present study, a sample of 110 (Belgian, French, Dutch and Luxemburg) horses presented at a Belgian equine clinic was screened for nasal MRSA carriage. An indirect culturing protocol using a 0.001% colistin and nalidixic acid containing broth was compared t...
Brüssow H, Brüssow L.Contemporary medical reports from Britain and Germany on patients suffering from a pandemic infection between 1889 and 1891, which was historically referred to as the Russian flu, share a number of characteristics with COVID-19. Most notable are aspects of multisystem affections comprising respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms including loss of taste and smell perception; a protracted recovery resembling long covid and pathology observations of thrombosis in multiple organs, inflammation and rheumatic affections. As in COVID-19 and unlike in influenza, mortality was seen in e...
McLean RG, Ubico SR, Bourne D, Komar N.WN virus is one of the most ubiquitous arboviruses occurring over a broad geographical range and in a wide diversity of vertebrate host and vector species. The virus appears to be maintained in endemic foci on the African continent and is transported annually to temperate climates to the north in Europe and to the south in South Africa. Reports of clinical disease due to natural WN virus infection in wild or domestic animals were much less common than reports of infection (virus isolation or antibody detection). Until recently, records of morbidity and mortality in wild birds were confined to ...
Nemoto M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Kobayashi M, Kikuchi T, Yamanaka T, Kondo T.An outbreak of Getah virus infection occurred among racehorses in Japan during September and October 2014. Of 49 febrile horses tested by reverse transcription PCR, 25 were positive for Getah virus. Viruses detected in 2014 were phylogenetically different from the virus isolated in Japan in 1978.
Blitvich BJ, Bowen RA, Marlenee NL, Hall RA, Bunning ML, Beaty BJ.We evaluated the ability of epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to detect West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies in domestic mammals. Sera were collected from experimentally infected horses, cats, and pigs at regular intervals and screened in ELISAs and plaque reduction neutralization tests. The diagnostic efficacies of these techniques were similar.
McGowan TW, Pinchbeck GP, McGowan CM.Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is an ageing-related neurodegenerative disorder. The prevalence and risk factors for PPID using seasonally adjusted basal adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations in aged horses have not been previously reported. Objective: To determine the prevalence, risk factors and clinical signs predictive for PPID in a population of horses aged ≥ 15 years in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Owner-reported data was obtained using a postal questionnaire distributed to an equestrian group. A subgroup of surveyed owners were visited and a veterina...
Tinker MK, White NA, Lessard P, Thatcher CD, Pelzer KD, Davis B, Carmel DK.A prospective study of one year was conducted on 31 horse farms to obtain population based estimates of incidence, morbidity and mortality rates of equine colic. Farms with greater than 20 horses were enrolled by randomly selecting horse owners from 2 adjacent counties of Virginia and Maryland. Descriptive information for 1427 horses was collected at the initiation of the study and updated at 3 month intervals. Time on the farm during the study was tabulated for each horse. When colic was reported by the owner, investigators visited the farm to obtain information about the colic. The crude inc...
Vannella KM, Moore BB.Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains exactly that. The disease originates from an unknown cause, and little is known about the mechanisms of pathogenesis. While the disease is likely multi-factorial, evidence is accumulating to implicate viruses as co-factors (either as initiating or exacerbating agents) of fibrotic lung disease. This review summarizes the available clinical and experimental observations that form the basis for the hypothesis that viral infections may augment fibrotic responses. We review the data suggesting a link between hepatitis C virus, adenovirus, human cytomegalo...
Burn CC, Dennison TL, Whay HR.Over 85% of equids live in developing countries, where they are usually used for work. We aimed to identify environmental factors associated with potential welfare problems in working equids, helping target welfare interventions towards the most vulnerable animals. Over 5 years, non-invasive behavioural and physical data were collected from 5481 donkeys, 4504 horses, and 858 mules across nine developing countries. Hoof and limb problems were over 90% prevalent, and 85% of equids were thin. Older, thinner animals had the most problems, and species differences in susceptibility were found. Equid...
Hitchens PL, Morrice-West AV, Stevenson MA, Whitton RC.Studies of racehorse injury or fatality in various countries have identified common, and in some cases conflicting, risk factors. We conducted a systematic search of the relevant literature published from 1990 to 2017. Peer-reviewed articles were included if they reported the incidence of fatal or catastrophic musculoskeletal injury (CMI) in Thoroughbred flat races (n=21) or risk factors for CMI (n=65). Pooled effect sizes were estimated using the random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model. The pooled incidence of CMI was 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.90, 1.44) per 1000 race starts. Almost 300 f...
Janvilisri T, Scaria J, Thompson AD, Nicholson A, Limbago BM, Arroyo LG, Songer JG, Gröhn YT, Chang YF.Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive, spore-forming enteric anaerobe which can infect humans and a wide variety of animal species. Recently, the incidence and severity of human C. difficile infection has markedly increased. In this study, we evaluated the genomic content of 73 C. difficile strains isolated from humans, horses, cattle, and pigs by comparative genomic hybridization with microarrays containing coding sequences from C. difficile strains 630 and QCD-32g58. The sequenced genome of C. difficile strain 630 was used as a reference to define a candidate core genome of C. difficile a...
Huang ZY, de Boer WF, van Langevelde F, Olson V, Blackburn TM, Prins HH.Hosts species for multi-host pathogens show considerable variation in the species' reservoir competence, which is usually used to measure species' potential to maintain and transmit these pathogens. Although accumulating research has proposed a trade-off between life-history strategies and immune defences, only a few studies extended this to host species' reservoir competence. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we studied the relationships between some species' life-history traits and reservoir competence in three emerging infectious vector-borne disease systems, namely Lyme disease, W...
Payne SL, Fang FD, Liu CP, Dhruva BR, Rwambo P, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.The extent and nature of genomic variation among nine antigenically distinct EIAV isolates recovered during sequential clinical episodes from two experimentally infected ponies were examined by restriction fragment analysis and nucleotide sequencing. Only minor variations in restriction enzyme patterns were observed among the viral genomes. In contrast, env gene sequences of four isolates from one pony revealed numerous clustered base substitutions. Divergence in env gene nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences between pairs of virus isolates ranged from 0.62 to 3.4% env gene mutation rate...
Hatam-Nahavandi K, Ahmadpour E, Carmena D, Spotin A, Bangoura B, Xiao L.Cryptosporidium spp. are causative agents of gastrointestinal diseases in a wide variety of vertebrate hosts. Mortality resulting from the disease is low in livestock, although severe cryptosporidiosis has been associated with fatality in young animals. Methods: The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to review the prevalence and molecular data on Cryptosporidium infections in selected terrestrial domestic and wild ungulates of the families Bovidae (bison, buffalo, cattle, goat, impala, mouflon sheep, sheep, yak), Cervidae (red deer, roe deer, white-tailed deer), Camelidae (al...
Webb K, Jolley KA, Mitchell Z, Robinson C, Newton JR, Maiden MCJ, Waller A.The zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) is commonly found harmlessly colonizing the equine nasopharynx. Occasionally, strains can invade host tissues or cross species barriers, and S. zooepidemicus is associated with numerous different diseases in a variety of hosts, including inflammatory airway disease and abortion in horses, pneumonia in dogs and meningitis in humans. A biovar of S. zooepidemicus, Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, is the causative agent of strangles, one of the most important infections of horses worldwide. We report here the developme...
Laatamna AE, Wagnerová P, Sak B, Květoňová D, Xiao L, Rost M, McEvoy J, Saadi AR, Aissi M, Kváč M.A total of 219 and 124 individual fecal samples of horses and donkeys, respectively, were screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp., Encephalitozoon spp., and Enterocytozoon bieneusi DNA by genus-specific nested PCR. Isolates were genotyped by sequence analysis of SSU rRNA, GP60, TRAP-C1, COWP, and HSP70 loci in Cryptosporidium, and the ITS region in microsporidia. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected on 3/18 horse farms and 1/15 farms where donkeys were kept. Overall, five (2.3%) horse and two (1.6%) donkey specimens were PCR positive for Cryptosporidium. Genotyping at SSU and GP60 loci ...
Ramseyer A, Gaillard C, Burger D, Straub R, Jost U, Boog C, Marti E, Gerber V.Environment and genetics influence the manifestation of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), but the associations of specific factors with mild, moderate, and severe clinical signs are unknown. Objective: We hypothesized that sire, feed, bedding, time outdoors, sex, and age are associated with clinical manifestations of mild, moderate, and severe lower airway disease. Methods: Direct offspring of 2 RAO-affected Warmblood stallions (F1S1, n = 172; F1S2, n = 135); maternal half-siblings of F1S1 (mHSS1, n = 66); and an age-matched, randomly chosen control group (CG, n = 33). Methods: A standardize...
