Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Epidemiology
Epidemiology in horses involves the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in equine populations. It encompasses the investigation of patterns, causes, and effects of diseases and health conditions within horse populations. This field of study aims to identify risk factors for disease and targets for preventive healthcare. Key components of equine epidemiology include disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and the study of disease dynamics within herds or regions. Research in this area often focuses on infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases, and the impact of environmental factors on equine health. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of epidemiology in horses, including disease prevalence, transmission pathways, and strategies for disease prevention and control.
Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. L. Ixodid ticks infesting horses and donkeys. The aim of the study was to determine the species spectrum of ixodid ticks that infest horses and donkeys in South Africa and to identify those species that act as vectors of disease to domestic livestock. Ticks were collected opportunistically from 391 horses countrywide by their owners or grooms, or by veterinary students and staff at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Ticks were also collected from 76 donkeys in Limpopo Province, 2 in Gauteng Province and 1 in North West province. All the ticks were identified by means of a stereoscopic microscope. Horses were infest...
Long-term follow-up of Norwegian horses affected with acquired equine polyneuropathy. Acquired equine polyneuropathy (AEP), a neurological disease clinically characterised by knuckling of metatarsophalangeal joints, has been described in numerous Nordic horses during the last 20 years. Although clinical recovery has been reported, large-scale data on long-term follow-up of survivors have been lacking. Objective: To describe long-term survival of AEP affected horses registered in Norway, with a focus on athletic performance and possible residual clinical signs connected to the disease. Methods: A retrospective cohort study. Methods: The study includes 143 horses recorded with A...
Equine infectious anemia prevalence in feral donkeys from Northeast Brazil. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Although the virus infects all members of the Equidae the vast majority of studies have been conducted in horses (Equus caballus) with comparatively little information available for other equid species. Brazil has one of the most abundant donkey (E. asinus) populations of any nation although the economic importance of these animals is declining as transportation becomes increasingly mechanized. As a result, considerable numbers of donkeys especially in the Northeast of the country have ...
Cross-sectional study of the prevalence of and risk factors for hoof disorders in horses in The Netherlands. Information is scarce on the prevalence of hoof disorders in horses. In this study, we examined the prevalence of and risk factors for hoof disorders in a population of horses in The Netherlands. In a group of 942 randomly selected horses, hoof health was scored during regular foot trimming (one horse/farm). Hooves were assessed for the occurrence of one of 12 hoof disorders by a group of 21 certified farriers in two periods i.e. winter and summer of 2015. The mean age of the group of horses was 11.2±5.6years. They were mainly used for recreation (28.2%), dressage (26.8%), other disciplines (...
Proteomic, toxicological and immunogenic characterization of Mexican west-coast rattlesnake (Crotalus basiliscus) venom and its immunological relatedness with the venom of Central American rattlesnake (Crotalus simus). The venom of the Mexican west-coast rattlesnake (Crotalus basiliscus) was characterized for its protein composition, toxicological profile and immunogenic properties. This venom is composed of 68% Zn2+-dependent metalloproteinases (SVMPs), 14% phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), 11% serine proteinases, 4% SVMPs-inhibitor tripeptides (SVMP-ITs), 2% bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs), 0.6% cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), and 0.2% l-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs). SVMPs present in the venom are responsible for azocasein hydrolysis and hemorrhagic activity, but their contribution to the lethal...
An outbreak of psittacosis at a veterinary school demonstrating a novel source of infection. In November 2014, New South Wales Health was notified of a cluster of respiratory illness in a veterinary school. Active case finding identified another case at a local equine stud. All cases had exposure to the equine fetal membranes of Mare A. This tissue subsequently tested positive for Chlamydia psittaci using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We conducted a cohort study of the university and stud farm staff to determine risk factors for disease. Nine people were exposed to the fetal membranes of Mare A. Of these, five cases of psittacosis were identified. Two required hosp...
Strongyle egg reappearance period after moxidectin treatment and its relationship with management factors in UK equine populations. Parasitic nematodes, particularly cyathostomins, are ubiquitous in grazing horses world-wide. Considerable burdens of cyathostomin larvae can encyst in the large intestinal wall. The most recommended treatment against these pathogenic stages is moxidectin. Information is required on how effective moxidectin is against cyathostomin populations in different regions. The objectives here were to determine the efficacy of moxidectin treatment and estimate the strongyle egg reappearance period (ERP) after treatment in several equine populations, to confirm the type of strongyle nematodes present and...
Encysted cyathostomin larvae in foals – progression of stages and the effect of seasonality. Cyathostomins (small strongyles) are ubiquitous in grazing horses and are known pathogens as cause of larval cyathostominosis. As part of their life cycle, cyathostomin larvae invade the mucosal walls of the large intestines and undergo encystment. Newly ingested third stage larvae are known to undergo arrested development and this can lead to an accumulation of encysted burdens over the course of a grazing season. It is believed that the host immune system plays a significant role in triggering this arrestment. Little is known about the development and progression of larval stages in foals th...
Difficulties experienced by veterinarians when communicating about emerging zoonotic risks with animal owners: the case of Hendra virus. Communication skills are essential for veterinarians who need to discuss animal health related matters with their clients. When dealing with an emerging zoonosis, such as Hendra virus (HeV), veterinarians also have a legal responsibility to inform their clients about the associated risks to human health. Here we report on part of a mixed methods study that examined the preparedness of, and difficulties experienced by, veterinarians communicating about HeV-related risks with their clients. Methods: Phase 1 was an exploratory, qualitative study that consisted of a series of face-to-face, semi-st...
The association between exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage and race-day performance in Thoroughbred racehorses. Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is commonly implicated as a cause of poor athletic performance but there is limited and conflicting evidence for this association. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if EIPH, based on endoscopic examination after racing, is associated with a variety of novel and established performance parameters. Methods: Prospective, observational cross-sectional study. Methods: Thoroughbred racehorses competing between 2012 and 2015 were examined on-course no earlier than 30 min after racing. Examinations were recorded and graded blindly by experi...
Aging and Veterinary Care of Cats, Dogs, and Horses through the Records of Three University Veterinary Hospitals. The present article examines over 63,000 medical records belonging to the Veterinary Hospitals of the Universities of Bologna, Torino, and Padova, all in Northern Italy, and relative to dogs (approximately 50,000), cats (approximately 12,000), and companion horses (slightly less than 1,000). The animals of the three species were divided into age classes and categorized per sex into males, females, and neutered individuals. The mean age at visit and the effects of age classes and category (analyzed ANOVA) are presented and discussed. The data indicate that many animals are presented to the hos...
Pedigree analysis of the Turkish Arab horse population: structure, inbreeding and genetic variability. The aim of this study was to evaluate genetic variability in the Turkish Arab horse population using pedigree information. This study is the first detailed pedigree analysis of the breed in Turkey. Pedigree data were collected from the National Studbook. The pedigree data for 23 668 horses, born between 1904 and 2014, were used in the analysis. From this data set, a reference population (RP) of 14 838 animals symbolising the last generation was defined. Demographic parameters, the inbreeding level (F), the average relatedness (AR), the effective population size (N e), the effective number of f...
Fallen stock data: An essential source of information for quantitative knowledge of equine mortality in France. Quantitative information about equine mortality is relatively scarce, yet it could be of great value for epidemiological purposes. In France, data from rendering plants are centralised in the Fallen Stock Data Interchange database (FSDI), managed by the French Ministry of Agriculture, while individual equine data are centralised in the French equine census database, SIRE, managed by the French horse and riding institute (IFCE). Objective: To evaluate whether the combined use of the FSDI and SIRE databases can provide representative and accurate quantitative information on mortality for the Fre...
The effect of dual-hemisphere breeding on stallion fertility. Breeding records were analyzed from 24 Thoroughbred stallions that were subjected to dual-hemisphere breeding (DH), including novice (first-year; NOV; n = 11) and experienced (EXP; n = 13) stallions. Fertility variables included seasonal pregnancy rate, pregnancy rate per cycle, and first-cycle pregnancy rate. In addition, values for book size, total number of covers, distribution of mare type (maiden, foaling, and barren) within a stallion's book, cycles per mare, and mare age were examined. Some data were also categorized by mare type (maiden-M, foaling-F, and barren-B). Five separate an...
Genetic parameters of insect bite hypersensitivity in the Old Grey Kladruber horse. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic parameters of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in the Old Grey Kladruber horse, an original Czech warmblood horse breed. Insect bite hypersensitivity is a recurrent allergic skin disease affecting horses worldwide. Its etiology is multifactorial. The defect is genetically controlled, and the starting impulse is a bite by midges of the spp. and less frequently spp. Knowledge about the associated genes is limited. Horses were kept by the National Stud in Kladruby (1,146 measurements) and by 10 private breeders (63 measurements). The horses ...
Evolution and Divergence of H3N8 Equine Influenza Viruses Circulating in the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2015. Equine influenza viruses (EIV) are a major cause of acute respiratory disease in horses worldwide and occasionally also affect vaccinated animals. Like other influenza A viruses, they undergo antigenic drift, highlighting the importance of both surveillance and virus characterisation in order for vaccine strains to be kept up to date. The aim of the work reported here was to monitor the genetic and antigenic changes occurring in EIV circulating in the UK from 2013 to 2015 and to identify any evidence of vaccine breakdown in the field. Virus isolation, reverse transcription polymerase chain rea...
Molecular survey in relation to risk factors and haemato-biochemical alteration in Theileria equi infection of equines in Punjab Province, India. Equine piroplasmosis caused by Theileria equi, an apicomplexan intracellular haemoprotozoan parasite effects equids throughout the world. Current investigation is the first detailed epidemiological survey report based on conventional (blood smear) and primary polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of T. equi on 464 equids (426 horses and 38 donkeys/mules) in Punjab province of India. PCR targeting 18S rRNA gene of T. equi produced high fidelity 709bp amplification products with 100% concordance with blood films. The prevalence of infection was proportional (P≤0.01) to temperature ...
Update of inactivated equine influenza vaccine strain in Japan. Japan established a vaccine selection system, in which a committee evaluates veterinary influenza vaccines to determine if the vaccine should be updated. In 2013, it was concluded that the present equine influenza vaccine strains did not have to be updated, but clade 2 (Fc2) viruses of the Florida sublineage should be included. We collected three Fc2 viruses as candidates and conducted comparative tests. Results indicated that A/equine/Carlow/2011 (H3N8) is not suitable, because of its unstable antigenic characteristics. A comparison between A/equine/Richmond/1/2007 (H3N8) (Richmond/07) and A/...
The efficacy of Ivermectin against strongyles in yearlings on Thoroughbred breeding farms in New Zealand. Against a global background of increasing anthelmintic resistance in parasites and a domestic over-reliance on anthelmintics to control gastrointestinal parasites, little is currently known about the resistance status of equine parasites in New Zealand. The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of ivermectin in yearling Thoroughbreds. Data were collected from six stud farms from November 2014 to January 2015. Yearlings were selected based on not being treated with anthelmintics for a minimum of six weeks previously and on having a preliminary screening strongyle faecal egg cou...
Preliminary study of ectoparasites of horses in the western highlands of Cameroon. To evaluate the prevalence of infestation of ectoparasites of horses, a total of 894 horses (367 males and 527 females), aged 1-7 years old were examined. Horses were groomed for collection of ectoparasites. Out of the horses examined, 164 came from Fundong, 80 from Acha, 30 from Fongo-Tongo, 30 from Fokoue and 17 from Dschang, all of which were infested with ectoparasites. Five hundred and seventy-three (573) horses came from Banso and 99.48% were infested by ectoparasites. From the results obtained, three species of hard ticks ( and ) and one species of biting lice () were identified. (66%...
First identification and phylogenetic analysis of equine hepacivirus in Korea. Non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV) corresponds a group of isolates recently characterized in horses and dogs that present similar genomic organization and are closely related to hepatitis C virus. Since canine hapacivirus, NPHV identified in dogs, was first discovered in dogs in the United States, equine hepacivirus (EqHV, NPHV identified in horses) has been identified in horses in several countries. However, no epidemiological studies have investigated EqHV in horses in Korea. In this study, a total of 74 (n=74) serum samples collected from horses in four regions of Korea were tested for EqHV RNA...
Efficacy of two extra-label anthelmintic formulations against equine strongyles in Cuba. Equine cyathostomin parasites are ubiquitous in grazing horses and have been shown to cause severe inflammatory disease in the large intestine of horses. Decades of intensive anthelmintic therapy have led to widespread anthelmintic resistance in cyathostomins across the world. In Cuba, no anthelmintic products are formulated and sold for equine usage and little is known about anthelmintic efficacy of ruminant and swine formulations used. A strongyle fecal egg count reduction test was used to assess the efficacy of a liquid formulation of ivermectin labelled for use in swine, ruminants and carn...
African Horse Sickness Virus: History, Transmission, and Current Status. African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is a lethal arbovirus of equids that is transmitted between hosts primarily by biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). AHSV affects draft, thoroughbred, and companion horses and donkeys in Africa, Asia, and Europe. In this review, we examine the impact of AHSV critically and discuss entomological studies that have been conducted to improve understanding of its epidemiology and control. The transmission of AHSV remains a major research focus and we critically review studies that have implicated both Culicoides and other blood-feeding...
Genomic analysis of four strains of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis bv. Equi isolated from horses showing distinct signs of infection. The genomes of four strains (MB11, MB14, MB30, and MB66) of the species Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi were sequenced on the Ion Torrent PGM platform, completely assembled, and their gene content and structure were analyzed. The strains were isolated from horses with distinct signs of infection, including ulcerative lymphangitis, external abscesses on the chest, or internal abscesses on the liver, kidneys, and lungs. The average size of the genomes was 2.3 Mbp, with 2169 (Strain MB11) to 2235 (Strain MB14) predicted coding sequences (CDSs). An optical map of the MB11 strain gen...
A brief and critical review on hydrofluorosis in diverse species of domestic animals in India. India is one of the fluoride-endemic countries where the maximum numbers of ground or drinking water sources are naturally fluoridated. In India, a total of 23, out of 36 states and union territories have drinking water contaminated with fluoride in varying concentration. In the present scenario, especially in rural India, besides the surface waters (perennial ponds, dams, rivers, etc.), bore wells and hand pumps are the principal drinking water sources for domestic animals such as cattle (Bos taurus), water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus), horses (Equus c...
Structural Protein VP2 of African Horse Sickness Virus Is Not Essential for Virus Replication In Vitro. The Reoviridae family consists of nonenveloped multilayered viruses with a double-stranded RNA genome consisting of 9 to 12 genome segments. The Orbivirus genus of the Reoviridae family contains African horse sickness virus (AHSV), bluetongue virus, and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, which cause notifiable diseases and are spread by biting Culicoides species. Here, we used reverse genetics for AHSV to study the role of outer capsid protein VP2, encoded by genome segment 2 (Seg-2). Expansion of a previously found deletion in Seg-2 indicates that structural protein VP2 of AHSV is not essen...
Equine viral arteritis in breeding and sport horses in central Spain. Equine viral arteritis (EVA) may have a high economic impact on breeding stud farms due to the occurrence of EVA-associated abortion outbreaks and the ability of the virus to persist in carrier stallions. While the consequences of EVA in premises with sport horses are usually less severe, the first confirmed outbreak of EVA in Spain occurred in a riding club in Barcelona, but no data on the seroprevalence of EVA in sport horses have been reported in Spain. Given the importance of both Spanish Purebred (SP) breeding horses and sport horses for Spain's equine industry, the aim of this study was ...
Isolation of equine herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3) from equine coital exanthema of two stallions and sero-epidemiology of EHV-3 infection in Japan. In the spring of 2015, two stallions reared in Farms A and B in Hokkaido in Japan showed symptoms of equine coital exanthema. Equine herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3) was isolated from penis swab samples of both stallions, and the isolates from each stallion in Farms A and B were designated as SS-1 and YS-1 strains, respectively. BamHI restriction profiles of SS-1 and Japanese reference strain Iwate-1 were indistinguishable, but the BamHI-A fragment of YS-1 was larger than those of SS-1 and Iwate-1 by 1.9 kbp because of the lack of two BamHI sites. Nucleotide sequence analyses of glycoprotein G (gG), gB, ...
