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Topic:Infection
Infections in horses encompass a range of diseases caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. These infections can affect different systems within the horse, such as the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and integumentary systems, leading to a variety of clinical signs depending on the pathogen and the severity of the infection. Common infectious diseases in horses include equine influenza, strangles, and equine herpesvirus. Diagnosis often involves clinical examination, laboratory testing, and sometimes imaging, to identify the causative agent and assess the extent of the disease. Treatment strategies may include antimicrobial therapy, supportive care, and preventive measures such as vaccination and biosecurity practices. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases in equine populations.
Detection of antibodies to the nonstructural protein (NS1) of influenza A virus allows distinction between vaccinated and infected horses. Antibodies to the nonstructural protein (NS1) of A/equine/Miami/1/63 (H3N8) influenza virus were detected exclusively in the sera of mice experimentally infected with A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2) and horses infected with A/equine/Kentucky/1/81 (H3N8) or A/equine/La Plata/1/93 (H3N8), but not in those of the animals immunized with the inactivated viruses, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a recombinant NS1 as antigen. The results indicate that the present method is useful for serological diagnosis to distinguish horses infected with equine H3 influenza viruses from those immunized with ...
Polymorphism identification within 50 equine gene-specific sequence tagged sites. The continued discovery of polymorphisms in the equine genome will be important for future studies using genomic screens and fine mapping for the identification of disease genes. Segments of 50 equine genes were examined for variability in 10 different horse breeds using a pool-and-sequence method. We identified 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 9380 bp of sequenced exon, and 25 SNPs, six microsatellites, and one insertion/deletion in 16961 bp of sequenced intron. Of all genes studied 52% contained at least one polymorphism, and polymorphisms were found at an overall rate of 1/613 b...
Prevalence and clinical implications of anthelmintic resistance in cyathostomes of horses. To determine the prevalence and clinical implications of anthelmintic resistance in cyathostomes of horses. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 80 horses on 10 farms in a 5-county region of northeast Georgia. Methods: On each farm, horses were stratified in descending order according to pretreatment fecal egg count (FEC), blocked into groups of 4, and then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups: no treatment (controls), and treatment with pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole, or ivermectin. Fecal samples were collected 24 hours prior to treatment and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after treatment for dete...
Characterisation of Rhodococcus equi strains isolated from foals and from immunocompromised human patients. The cultural, morphological, biochemical, serological characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility of 25 Rhodococcus equi strains isolated from lungs and lung abscesses of pneumonic foals and 5 R. equi strains isolated from immuno-compromised human patients were examined. All R. equi strains showed common cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics both with conventional tests and on the basis of their enzyme profile. The R. equi strains examined were resistant to penicillins with the exception of ampicillin, to sulphamethazine and several strains also to sulphamethoxazole-trimeth...
Rose bengal positive epithelial microerosions as a manifestation of equine keratomycosis. Purpose To describe the clinical appearance of corneal epithelial cell microerosions associated with keratomycosis in the horse. METHODS: Retrospective clinical study. RESULTS: Multifocal, punctate, superficial corneal opacities with positive rose bengal retention were noted in six horses with presumed 'viral keratitis'. Faint fluorescein staining was also present in three cases. Equine herpesvirus tissue culture inoculation was negative for a cytopathic effect in three cases. Aspergillus (n = 3), Curvularia (n = 1), and an unidentified fungus (n = 1) were cultured in five horses, and hyphae f...
Posterior lamellar keratoplasty for treatment of deep stromal absesses in nine horses. OBJECTIVE: To describe and evaluate the use of posterior lamellar keratoplasty as a surgical treatment for deep corneal stromal abscesses in horses. Animals studied Nine horses of various breeds and ages that presented with corneal stromal abscesses located in the posterior one-third of the cornea. Procedure Retrospective medical record study. RESULTS: Nine horses had deep corneal stromal abscesses that were treated with posterior lamellar keratoplasty. Median patient age was 3 years. Six patients were females and three were geldings. Medical therapy alone had been attempted prior to surgery i...
Ulcerative keratitis caused by beta-hemolytic Streptococcus equi in 11 horses. Purpose To describe 11 clinical cases of ulcerative keratitis in horses associated with beta-hemolytic Streptococcus equi in Florida, USA. METHODS: Retrospective clinical study (1996-99). RESULTS: Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus equi was cultured from 11 horses with deep ulcers, descemetoceles or iris prolapse (n = 8), a suture abscess found with a penetrating keratoplasty for a stromal abscess (n = 1), and ulceration that developed following keratectomy/irradiation for corneal squamous cell carcinoma (n = 2). Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus was found in 10 eyes and sub...
[Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis in the Netherlands? An overview]. Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) was diagnosed in a Dutch Warmblood gelding a few months after its export to the United States. The horse came back and was treated here. Additionally, an overview of the disease complex 'EPM' is given. Mode of infection, diagnosis of disease and its differential diagnoses, and general therapeutic options are presented. Although EPM due to infection with Sarcocystis neurona in Europe seems restricted to those horses that return or are imported from North America, the possibility of future cases of EPM caused by an infection with Neospora spp. is briefly ...
Bacterial isolates from blood and their susceptibility patterns in critically ill foals: 543 cases (1991-1998). To assess microorganisms isolated from blood specimens obtained from critically ill neonatal foals and to evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 543 neonatal foals. Methods: Medical records of foals that were < 1 month old and were admitted to a referral neonatal intensive care unit were reviewed for results of bacteriologic culture of blood and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Results: At least 1 microorganism was isolated from 155 of 543 (28.5%) foals. Escherichia coli was the most commonly isolated bacterium. A single gram-posit...
Scedosporium prolificans infection associated with arthritis and osteomyelitis in a horse. Scedosporium prolificans was associated with arthritis and degenerative osteomyelitis in a 6-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse. The horse was suspected to have an inflammatory lesion of the interosseous tendon, but treatment had resulted in only a minimal response. Shortly after diagnostic arthrocentesis of the left metacarpophalangeal joint was performed, the joint became severely swollen, and radiography of the area revealed lysis of the distal end of the third metacarpal bone, the proximal sesamoid bones, and the proximal end of the proximal phalanx. The horse did not respond to treatment and...
Application of Sartwell’s model (lognormal distribution of incubation periods) to age at onset and age at death of foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia as evidence of perinatal infection. The distributions of the incubation periods for infectious and neoplastic diseases originating from point-source exposures, and for genetic diseases, follow a lognormal distribution (Sartwell's model). Conversely, incubation periods in propagated outbreaks and diseases with strong environmental components do not follow a lognormal distribution. In this study Sartwell's model was applied to the age at onset and age at death of foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia. The age at onset of clinical signs and age at death were compiled for 107 foals that had been diagnosed with R. equi pneumonia at b...
Streptococcal meningitis resulting from contact with an infected horse. We report a case of group C streptococcal meningitis in a woman with a history of close animal contact as well as head trauma as a result of a kick by a horse. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures grew Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus, as did a throat culture taken from the colt that had kicked her 2 weeks prior to admission.
Transmission of endoparasites in horse foals born on the same pasture on a farm in central Kentucky (1996-1999). Research carried out during the last 4 years (1996-1999) of an 11-year study of the prevalence of internal parasites naturally transmitted to horse foals born on the same pasture on a farm in central Kentucky is presented here. Horses in this herd were not treated with any antiparasitic compound for over 20 years except for a replacement stallion in 1994. A total of 22 species, including 12 species of small strongyles, were recovered in the 4-year period. Transmission patterns of all species (n=35) of endoparasites recovered are compared for the 11-year study. Some of the changes were an incre...
Application of fluorescent in situ hybridization for specific diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in foals and pigs. Fluorescent in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and Grocott's methenamine-silver nitrate staining were compared as diagnostic methods for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in formalin-fixed lung tissue from foals and pigs. An oligonucleotide probe targeting 18S ribosomal RNA of P. carinii was designed for in situ hybridization, and a commercially available monoclonal antibody was used for immunohistochemistry. Samples from six foals and 10 pigs with P. carinii pneumonia, as verified by Grocott's methenamine-silver nitrate staining, were examined concurrently with samples from seven anima...
Immunity to Rhodococcus equi: antigen-specific recall responses in the lungs of adult horses. Rhodococcal pneumonia is an important disease of young horses that is not seen in immunocompetent adults. Since all foals are normally exposed to Rhodococcus equi in their environment, we hypothesized that most develop protective immune responses. Furthermore, these antigen-specific responses were hypothesized to operate throughout adult life to prevent rhodococcal pneumonia. A better understanding of the mechanisms of immune clearance in adult horses would help define the requirements for an effective vaccine in foals. Adult horses were challenged with virulent R. equi by intrabronchial inocu...
PCR detection of bovine papilloma virus DNA in superficial swabs and scrapings from equine sarcoids. The purpose of this study was to examine if bovine papilloma virus (BPV) DNA can be detected in superficial swabs or scrapings from equine sarcoids. Samples were obtained from 92 sarcoids and 20 non-sarcoidal control lesions. The polymerase chain reaction technique was used with a first primer set to check whether DNA extraction was successful, and with a second primer set specific for BPV-DNA. DNA isolation was successful in 88% of the swabs and 93% of the scrapings. All control lesions were negative for BPV-DNA.
A long-term study of 277 cases of equine sinonasal disease. Part 2: treatments and results of treatments. The treatments of 277 horses with equine sinonasal disease (1984-1996), described by Tremaine and Dixon (2001), are reported here. Long-term (median duration 24 months) outcomes of treatment of the more common disorders were good, with 92% of horses with sinonasal mycosis, 84% with primary sinusitis, 82% with sinus cysts, 78% with dental sinusitis and 75% with sinonasal trauma reported to have complete remission of clinical signs. However, only 33% of horses with progressive ethmoidal haematoma (PEH) and 12% with sinonasal neoplasia reported long term remission of clinical signs.
A case-control study of respiratory disease in Thoroughbred racehorses in Sydney, Australia. In order to investigate the role of infectious agents in the aetiology of lower respiratory tract disease in Thoroughbred racehorses, a matched case-control study was conducted. Cases were identified by the presence of coughing, and were compared to a control population matched on time of sample collection and location within the same training establishment. Tracheal wash samples were collected from 100 cases and 148 controls. Case horses were more likely than controls to have endoscopic and cytological evidence of airway inflammation. There was no significant association between serological e...
Preliminary evaluation of diagnostic tests using horses experimentally infected with trypanosoma evansi. Seven surra negative horses were intravenously inoculated with 3 x 10(6)Trypanosoma evansi parasites derived from a camel. One horse was maintained as an uninfected negative control. Three antigen and three antibody detection tests were evaluated for diagnosis of infection in horses. The microhaematocrit centrifugation test (MHCT) was the most sensitive, first detecting parasites between one and three days (x 2.4) post infection (p.i.). The antigen (ag)-ELISA detected antigen between three and ten days (x 6.6) p.i. The latex agglutination test (LAT) first gave positive results on day 3 (x 3.0)...
Phylogenetic characterisation of the G(L) sequences of equine arteritis virus isolated from semen of asymptomatic stallions and fatal cases of equine viral arteritis in Denmark. The study describes for the first time the phylogenetic relationship between equine arteritis virus (EAV) isolated from asymptomatic virus-shedding stallions and fatal cases of equine viral arteritis (EVA) in an European country. EAV was isolated from three dead foals and an aborted foetus during three different outbreaks of EVA. From these fatalities, the complete open reading frame 5, encoding the EAV G(L) protein, was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and subjected to nucleotide sequence analysis. Furthermore, DNA sequences were obtained from virus isolated from s...
Intranasal immunogenicity of a Deltacya Deltacrp-pabA mutant of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium for the horse. The aim of this study was to investigate the intranasal immunogenicity for the horse of a Deltacya Deltacrp-pabA mutant (MGN-707) of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. typhimurium). MGN-707 caused no sign of disease, was not detected in feces and a single administration induced strong Salmonella-specific serum and nasal mucosal antibody responses. All ponies had made strong salmonella specific serum IgGa, IgGb, IgA and IgM antibody responses by day 25 after the first immunization. IgM responses to salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were short lived whereas salmonella specific serum ...
Bovine papillomavirus DNA in neoplastic and nonneoplastic tissues obtained from horses with and without sarcoids in the western United States. To determine the incidence of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) type 1 or 2 in sarcoids and other samples of cutaneous tissues collected from horses in the western United States. Methods: 55 horses with sarcoids and 12 horses without sarcoids. Methods: Tissue samples (tumor and normal skin from horses with sarcoids and normal skin, papillomas, and nonsarcoid cutaneous neoplasms from horses without sarcoids) were collected. Tissue samples were analyzed for BPV-1 or -2 DNA, using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism. The PCR products from 7 sarcoid-affected ho...
Detection of horses infected naturally with equine infectious anemia virus by nested polymerase chain reaction. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying a region of the gag gene of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) was developed for the rapid and direct detection of proviral DNA from the peripheral blood of naturally infected horses and was compared with the Coggins test. DNA prepared from white blood cells of 122 field horses from 15 stables with reported cases of EIAV and one seronegative stable were analysed. Amplifications of expected size fragments were obtained by nested PCR for 88 horses using two different sets of primers targeting the gag region. The specificity of the amplified ...
Use of canaliculorhinostomy for repair of nasolacrimal duct obstruction in a horse. Obstruction of the nasolacrimal outflow pathway in horses is not uncommon. Causes of obstruction include foreign bodies, trauma, and congenital abnormalities. Placement of a nasolacrimal retention stylette may prove challenging.
Verminous arteritis in a 3-month-old thoroughbred foal. Strongylus vulgaris migration and cranial mesenteric arterial thrombus formation resulted in fatal colic in a 3-month-old Thoroughbred foal. Vascular damage associated with S. vulgaris occurs early in the course of infection and, despite widespread use of broad-spectrum anthelmintics, appropriate management is still essential to minimize exposure of young animals to this parasite.
Development of an immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of equine and swine IgM antibodies to vesicular stomatitis virus. An immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MC-ELISA) was developed for the detection of primary infection of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in equine and swine sera. The test was based on the use of biotinylated sheep antibodies against equine or swine IgM molecules bound to a streptavidin-coated ELISA plate. The captured IgM antibodies were detected by application of antigens prepared from the New Jersey and the Indiana VSV serotypes (VSV-NJ and VSV-IN, respectively) and mouse polyclonal antibodies against VSV-NJ and VSV-IN. The MC-ELISA was compared to a competiti...
Detection of antibodies to Babesia equi in horses by a latex agglutination test using recombinant EMA-1. A latex agglutination test (LAT) using recombinant equi merozoite antigen 1 (EMA-1) for the detection of antibodies to Babesia equi was developed. The LAT was able to differentiate very clearly between sera from B. equi-infected horses and sera from Babesia caballi-infected horses or from normal horses. The LAT results were identical to those of a previously developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results indicate that LAT using recombinant EMA-1 might be very useful as a routine screening method for the diagnosis of B. equi infection.
Treatment of sepsis in the small tarsal joints of 11 horses with gentamicin-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate beads. Gentamicin-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate beads were used to treat infective arthritis in the small tarsal joints of 11 severely lame horses. Under general anaesthesia, between five and 10 beads were placed into a 7 to 8 mm tract drilled across the affected joint and, in all except one horse, they were left in place for 14 days. Two of the horses were euthanased for reasons other than persistent tarsal joint sepsis, but the other nine survived and seven of them returned to their previous level of athletic performance.
