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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.
Antimicrobial resistance and the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes in Escherichia coli isolated from the environment of horse riding centers. The aim of the study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile and the occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes and to analyze the genetic diversity of Escherichia coli strains isolated from the environment of horse riding centers. The study was conducted using E. coli strains isolated from the air, manure, and horse nostril swabs in three horse riding centers differing in the system of horse keeping-stable (OJK Pegaz and KJK Szary) and free-range (SKH Nielepice). Resistance to antibiotics was determined using the disk-diffusion method, and the PCR technique was employe...
Development of a tick-borne pathogen QPCR panel for detection of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Lyme disease Borrelia in animals. Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Lyme disease associated Borrelia spp. are the most common tick-borne pathogens reported to infect human beings worldwide and other animals, such as dogs and horses. In the present study, we developed a broad-coverage SYBR Green QPCR panel consisting of four individual assays for the detection and partial differentiation of the aforementioned pathogens. All assays were optimized to the same thermocycling condition and had a detection limit of 10 copies per reaction. The assays remained sensitive when used to test canine and equine blood DNA s...
Isolation of naturally infecting Leishmania infantum from canine samples in Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle medium prepared with defibrinated blood from different animal species. The most commonly used culture medium for the in vitro isolation of Leishmania spp. from canine biological samples is biphasic Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle (NNN) medium, whose solid phase is prepared using rabbit blood. Leishmania infantum parasites from natural infections are highly sensitive and demanding for growth in axenic conditions when firstly obtained from the dog's body. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether NNN medium (NNN-test) prepared with chicken blood (NNN-C), ox blood (NNN-O), horse blood (NNN-H) or sheep blood (NNN-S) was viable for the isolation of parasites from natur...
In vitro comparison of acyclovir, ganciclovir and cidofovir against equid alphaherpesvirus 3 and evaluation of their efficacy against six field isolates. Equid alphaherpesvirus 3 (EHV3) is the etiological agent of equine coital exanthema (ECE), which is a venereal, highly contagious disease, characterized by the formation of papules, vesicles, pustules and ulcers on the external genitalia of mares and stallions. EHV3 remains in a latent state after a successful infection and there are latently infected animals in which the virus is reactivated and generally re-excreted subclinically. There are no available vaccines for this condition and prevention is based on the clinical examination of mares prior to mating, which allows to segregate those sh...
Sequential bacterial sampling of the midline incision in horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy. There is limited information about bacterial isolates that are present on the equine midline incision during and following exploratory laparotomy. Objective: To investigate the bacterial species cultured from the ventral midline pre-, intra- and post- laparotomy, whether particular bacterial isolates are associated with the development of surgical site infections (SSIs) and to report the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of these isolates. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods: The ventral midline of 31 horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy was sampled for bacterial culture at set ti...
Coagulation parameters following equine herpesvirus type 1 infection in horses. Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is the cause of respiratory disease, abortion storms, and outbreaks of herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). Infection of the spinal cord is characterised by multifocal regions of virally infected vascular endothelium, associated with vasculitis, thrombosis and haemorrhage that result in ischaemia and organ dysfunction. However, the mechanism of thrombosis in affected horses is unknown. Objective: To evaluate tissue factor (TF) procoagulant activity and thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) levels in horses following infection with EHV-1. Methods: In vitro and ...
An epizootic of Chlamydia psittaci equine reproductive loss associated with suspected spillover from native Australian parrots. Chlamydia psittaci is an avian pathogen capable of spill-over infections to humans. A parrot C. psittaci strain was recently detected in an equine reproductive loss case associated with a subsequent cluster of human C. psittaci infections. In this study, we screened for C. psittaci in cases of equine reproductive loss reported in regional New South Wales, Australia during the 2016 foaling season. C. psittaci specific-PCR screening of foetal and placental tissue samples from cases of equine abortion (n = 161) and foals with compromised health status (n = 38) revealed C. psittaci positiv...
Novel findings from a beta coronavirus outbreak on an American Miniature Horse breeding farm in upstate New York. This case report describes an outbreak and novel findings associated with a beta coronavirus (BCoV) infection that occurred on an American Miniature Horse (AMH) breeding farm in upstate New York, in January and February of 2013. Twenty-nine AMH and one donkey were present on the farm when the outbreak occurred. One 10-year-old Quarter Horse mare, stabled at a separate location and owned by an employee of the farm, also tested positive. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of BCoV was performed at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) at Cornell on all faecal samples. ...
Barley produced Culicoides allergens are suitable for monitoring the immune response of horses immunized with E. coli expressed allergens. Insect bite hypersensitivity is an allergic dermatitis of horses caused by bites of Culicoides midges. Sufficient amount of pure, endotoxin-free allergens is a prerequisite for development and monitoring of preventive and therapeutic allergen immunotherapy. Aims of the study were to compare the Culicoides nubeculosus (Cul n) allergens Cul n 3 and Cul n 4, produced in transgenic barley grains with the corresponding E. coli or insect cells expressed proteins for measuring antibody and cytokine responses. Allergen-specific IgG responses were measured by ELISA in sera from twelve horses not expose...
Salivary alpha-amylase activity and cortisol in horses with acute abdominal disease: a pilot study. The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), considered a non-invasive biomarker for sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, and salivary cortisol as possible pain-induced stress biomarker, in horses with acute abdominal disease. Therefore, a prospective observational study was performed in which both biomarkers were analyzed in a group of horses with acute abdomen syndrome, and compared with a group of healthy control horses by an unpaired Student's t-test. In addition, the possible relationship between both biomarkers, the score in Equine Acute Abdominal Pain scal...
A study of the environmental survival of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi. Streptococcus equi represents a common hazard to equids worldwide. Environmental contamination with bacteria shed from an infected horse may represent a significant source of contagion and further knowledge of ex vivo bacterial survival under different conditions is important for disinfection and isolation protocols. Objective: To determine the potential duration of survival and vigour of growth of S. equi inoculated onto surfaces relevant to equine veterinary practice and stabling in summer and winter. Methods: Repeat sampling of environmental inocula of S. equi. Methods: Cultures of S. equi ...
Postoperative complications in equine elective, clean orthopaedic surgery with/without antibiotic prophylaxis. Retrospective analysis of postoperative complications in equines after clean, orthopaedic surgical procedures in order to detect differences between animals treated with antibiotics and horses without receiving these drugs. Methods: Details on 652 patients, surgical procedures and surgery-associated complications were compiled from horses being operated between June 2011 and January 2015. Antibiotic-receiving patients (n = 259) were tested for differences in complication rates and characteristics to controls (n = 393). Results: The total complication rate was 39.1 %. Increased swelling was obs...
The in vitro effect of Ferula asafoetida and Allium sativum extracts on Strongylus spp. The high incidence of equine gastrointestinal worms and their increased resistance against anthelmintics has encouraged research into the effectiveness of rational phytotherapy. This study investigates the in vitro anti-parasitic effects of extracts of Ferula asafoetida and Allium sativum, two native plants that are widespread in Iran on Strongylus spp. larvae. Faecal samples were collected from horses, examined by routine parasitology methods and positive samples were used for future examination. After incubation, the third-stage larvae were harvested by the Baermann technique. A hydroalcohol...
Human and Equine Infection with Alphaviruses and Flaviviruses in Panamá during 2010: A Cross-Sectional Study of Household Contacts during an Encephalitis Outbreak. Members of the genera (family ) and (family ) are important zoonotic human and equine etiologic agents of neurologic diseases in the New World. In 2010, an outbreak of Madariaga virus (MADV; formerly eastern equine encephalitis virus) and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) infections was reported in eastern Panamá. We further characterized the epidemiology of the outbreak by studying household contacts of confirmed human cases and of equine cases with neurological disease signs. Serum samples were screened using a hemagglutination inhibition test, and human results were confirmed u...
Risk factors associated with clinical signs of vesicular stomatitis and seroconversion without clinical disease in Colorado horses during the 2014 outbreak. Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is caused by a contagious rhabdovirus that affects horses, cattle, and swine. Clinical signs of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection in pigs and cattle are indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a foreign animal disease and reportable disease in the United States (Rodriguez et al., 2000). A VS epidemic occurred in the Rocky Mountain region in 2014-15. A study was conducted in Colorado to evaluate horse- and management-level factors associated with VS. For a horse to be considered a clinical VS horse, there were two requirements. First, clinical VS ...
Equine strongyle communities are constrained by horse sex and species dipersal-fecundity trade-off. Equine strongyles are a major health issue. Large strongyles can cause death of horses while cyathostomins (small strongyles) have shown increased resistance to anthelmintics worldwide. Description of strongyle communities have accumulated but little is known about the diversity of these communities and underpinning environmental factors. Strongyles were recovered after ivermectin treatment from 48 horses located in six premises in Poland. Correlation between previously published species fecundity and the observed relative abundance and prevalence were estimated. Significance of horse sex was ...
In vivo confocal microscopy characteristics of equine epithelial and subepithelial nonulcerative keratomycosis. To describe the in vivo confocal microscopy features of horses with epithelial and subepithelial nonulcerative keratomycosis. Methods: Four horses with a clinical diagnosis of epithelial or subepithelial keratomycosis. Methods: Horses were examined on one or more occasions by in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy of the cornea. Confocal microscopic examination characteristics were correlated with clinical, cytological, and histopathological findings for the horses. Results: All horses had an irregular corneal epithelial surface during slit-lamp biomicroscopy examination. Epithelial or s...
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a Clydesdale gelding. A 7-year-old Clydesdale gelding was referred with a history of progressive lethargy and ventral oedema. The horse developed diarrhoea after treatment with antibiotics by the referring veterinarian. History, clinical signs, imaging and laboratory findings were consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy complicated by antibiotic-associated colitis. Progression of clinical signs prompted euthanasia and the antemortem diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was confirmed at postmortem examination. Conclusions: Primary HCM is reported as rare in horses, but specific descriptions are lacking. The ...
Comparison of the efficacy of various concentrations and combinations of serum, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline, and N-acetylcysteine for inhibition of collagenase activity in an in vitro corneal degradation model. OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of various concentrations and combinations of serum, EDTA, 3 tetracyclines, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for collagenase inhibition in an in vitro corneal degradation model. SAMPLE Grossly normal corneas from recently euthanized dogs and horses and fresh serum from healthy dogs and horses. PROCEDURES Serum was pooled by species for in vitro use. For each species, sections of cornea were dried, weighed, and incubated with clostridial collagenase (800 U/mL) in 5 mL of a 5mM calcium chloride-saline (0.9% NaCl) incubation solution and 500 μL of 1 of 19 treatments (...
Antimicrobial labelling in Australia: a threat to antimicrobial stewardship? Antimicrobial resistance is a public health emergency, placing veterinary antimicrobial use under growing scrutiny. Antimicrobial stewardship, through appropriate use of antimicrobials, is a response to this threat. The need for antimicrobial stewardship in Australian veterinary practices has had limited investigation. A 2016 survey undertaken to investigate antimicrobial usage patterns by Australian veterinarians found that antimicrobial dose rates were varied and often inappropriate. Doses of procaine penicillin in horses and cattle were often low, with 68% and 90% of respondents, respective...
Towards European harmonisation of contagious equine metritis diagnosis through interlaboratory trials. The performance of culture and PCR methods routinely used to diagnose contagious equine metritis (CEM) was evaluated and compared by two interlaboratory trials involving a total of 24 European laboratories, including 22 National Reference Laboratories for CEM. Samples were swab specimens artificially contaminated with bacteria present in the genital tract of Equidae, some with and some without Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative agent of CEM, and T asinigenitalis, responsible for possible misidentification as T equigenitalis Throughout both interlaboratory trials, PCR performed better in t...
Comparison of 3 corneal cytology collection methods for evaluating equine ulcerative keratitis: Cytobrush, kimura platinum spatula, and handle edge of scalpel blade. To compare corneal cytology samples from three common sampling techniques: cytobrush (CB), Kimura platinum spatula (KS), and the handle edge of a scalpel blade (SB). Methods: Equine patients presenting to the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine with ulcerative keratitis were included. Following diagnosis of corneal ulcer and sampling for microbial culture, two cytology samples per technique were collected with sterile CB, KS, and SB in a randomized order. Cytologic evaluation was performed by two observers masked to collection method. Objective measures of sample cellularity, ...
Salpingopharyngeal fistula as a treatment for guttural pouch mycosis in seven horses. Guttural pouch mycosis (GPM) is a cause of nasal discharge, dysphagia and fatal haemorrhage in the horse. Objective: To report the complications and success of salpingopharyngeal fistulation in horses with GPM. We hypothesised that creating a direct static opening into the guttural pouch from the pharynx would cause a regression of fungal plaques due to a change in the guttural pouch environment and that this treatment would result in resolution of infection prior to secondary complications. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: The medical records of all horses diagnosed with GPM that ...
Unraveling cryptic epizootiology of equid trypanosomosis in Punjab state of India by parasitological and sero-molecular techniques. To unravel equid trypanosomosis caused by Trypanosoma evansi in Punjab state of India, a cross sectional study was designed by utilizing parasitological and sero-molecular tools with objective to assess the prevalence of T. evansi in association with various risk factors in all agroclimatic zones of Punjab state of India. Parasitological Romanowksy stained thin blood smears (RSTBS) to detect patent infection, molecular techniques polymerase chain reaction I (PCR I; TBR 1/2 primers; targeting minichromosomal satellite DNA of T. evansi), polymerase chain reaction II (PCR II; TR 3/4 primers; targ...
A review of Eimeria infections in horses and other equids. There is considerable confusion concerning validity of Eimeria species in equids, and endogenous developmental stages and pathogenicity of equid Eimeria. This paper summarizes worldwide information on history, structure, life cycle, pathogenicity, prevalence, epidemiology, and diagnosis of Eimeria infections in equids. The following conclusions were drawn. Although three species of Eimeria; E. solipedum, E. uninugulata, and E. leuckarti were named from horses, only E. leuckarti is a valid species infecting equids, including horses, donkeys and zebra. We consider E. solipedum, E. uninugulata an...
Association of neutrophil morphology with bacterial isolates in equine tracheal wash samples. Tracheal wash sample neutrophilia is common in lower airway inflammation of various causes; however, relevance of cytomorphological features to culture of bacterial pathogens has not been established. Objective: To investigate whether the presence of nondegenerate or degenerate neutrophils in tracheal washes is associated with culture of bacteria and, if so, whether this is influenced by age or temporal factors. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Tracheal wash samples submitted to Rossdales LLP from 1/1/2013 to 31/7/2015 were evaluated using set criteria. Neutrophilia and degenerate neut...
Cortical Neurons Derived from Equine Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Are Susceptible to Neurotropic Flavivirus Infection and Replication: An In Vitro Model for Equine Neuropathic Diseases. Horses are susceptible to a number of neurotropic viruses, including West Nile virus (WNV), which is a pathogen of global significance in both horses and humans. However, there are no in vitro models with which to study infectious neuropathic diseases in the horse. In an effort to redress this, we have generated neurons from equine induced pluripotent stem cells (equiPSCs) that express a range of cortical neuron-specific markers, in addition to the membrane-bound ligand ephrin B3, which plays an important role in axon guidance as well as functioning as the receptor through which henipaviruses,...
A survey on parasite control in sport horses of Argentina and other regional countries. Strategies for parasite control have undergone major changes in recent years, especially in Europe and the United States, replacing traditional approaches by schemes based on surveillance and selective therapy. A first step in helminth control planning is to understand and demonstrate how horse owners or trainers currently control nematodes. The aim of this study was to collect information, through a survey, about important aspects of routine anthelmintic strategies in sport horses in Argentina and other regional countries. A total of 100 surveys were sent. Sixty nine were responded, 53% of th...
High genetic diversity of extended-spectrum β-lactamases producing Escherichia coli in feces of horses. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), especially those of the CTX-M type, represent a major public health problem throughout the world. Although the carriage of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (EPE) in feces of horses is now well recognized, little is known about the diversity of EPE after treatment of horses with antibiotics. We undertook this study to assess and follow the diversity of EP Escherichia coli isolated from horses after antibiotic treatment for an infection. Fecal samples from two horses treated and two that were untreated were tested for the presence of EPE on different d...
The challenges posed by equine arboviruses. Equine populations worldwide are at increasing risk of infection by viruses transmitted by biting arthropods, including mosquitoes, biting midges (Culicoides), sandflies and ticks. These include the flaviviruses (Japanese encephalitis, West Nile and Murray Valley encephalitis), alphaviruses (eastern, western and Venezuelan encephalitis) and the orbiviruses (African horse sickness and equine encephalosis). This review provides an overview of the challenges faced in the surveillance, prevention and control of the major equine arboviruses, particularly in the context of these viruses emerging in ...
