Infectious diseases in horses encompass a range of illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. These diseases can affect various systems within the equine body, leading to symptoms that range from mild discomfort to severe systemic illness. Common infectious diseases in horses include equine influenza, strangles, equine herpesvirus, and West Nile virus. These diseases can be transmitted through direct contact with infected animals, contaminated surfaces, or vectors such as insects. Understanding the mechanisms of transmission, pathogenesis, and immune response is essential for effective prevention and control. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and management of infectious diseases in horses.
Lyons S, Kapoor A, Schneider BS, Wolfe ND, Culshaw G, Corcoran B, Durham AE, Burden F, McGorum BC, Simmonds P.Non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV), equine pegivirus (EPgV) and Theiler's disease associated virus (TDAV) are newly discovered members of two genera in the Flaviviridae family, Hepacivirus and Pegivirus respectively, that include human hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human pegivirus (HPgV). To investigate their epidemiology, persistence and clinical features of infection, large cohorts of horses and other mammalian species were screened for NPHV, EPgV and TDAV viraemia and for past exposure through serological assays for NPHV and EPgV-specific antibodies. NPHV antibodies were detected in 43% of 328 ho...
Cray C, Perritt E, Hughes C, Belgrave RL.Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular microsporidian parasite that can result in clinical and subclinical infection in many species. In the present study, a serological survey was conducted using samples from 105 horses in the state of New Jersey; 49 of the samples were obtained from clinically abnormal animals. Five or 4.8% of 105 serum samples were found to demonstrate reactivity by ELISA with titers of 1:64 to 1:1,024. One of the samples was obtained from a clinically normal horse. Clinical signs and diagnoses from the other animals included lameness, colic, osteochondritis ...
Metz GE, Lorenzón EN, Serena MS, Corva SG, Panei CJ, Díaz S, Cilli EM, Echeverría MG.A peptide-based indirect ELISA was developed to detect antibodies against Equine arteritis virus (EAV). Two peptides for epitope C of protein GP5 and fragment E of protein M were designed, synthesized, purified and used as antigens either alone or combined. Ninety-two serum samples obtained from the 2010 Equine viral arteritis outbreak, analyzed previously by virus neutralization, were evaluated by the ELISA here developed. The best resolution was obtained using peptide GP5. The analysis of the inter- and intraplate variability showed that the assay was robust. The results allow concluding tha...
Pouwels HG, Van de Zande SM, Horspool LJ, Hoeijmakers MJ.Assessing the ability of current equine influenza vaccines to provide cross-protection against emerging strains is important. Horses not vaccinated previously and seronegative for equine influenza based on haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay were assigned at random to vaccinated (n=7) or non-vaccinated (control, n=5) groups. Vaccination was performed twice four weeks apart with a 1 ml influenza subunit (A/eq/Prague/1/56, A/eq/Newmarket/1/93, A/eq/Newmarket/2/93), tetanus toxoid vaccine with Matrix-C adjuvant (EquilisPrequenza Te). All the horses were challenged individually by aerosol wi...
Tomczuk K, Kostro K, Szczepaniak KO, Grzybek M, Studzińska M, Demkowska-Kutrzepa M, Roczeń-Karczmarz M.The autopsy of 487 slaughter horses revealed the presence of Anoplocephala perfoliata in 36 animals. The invasions varied in the intensity (3 to 2,069 tapeworms) and in the level of tapeworms' proglottid maturity. Twenty nine horses were found to contain tapeworms with gravid proglottid. Fecal samples collected from the rectum were tested using following techniques: flotation with solution-saturated NaCl, decantation, McMaster's, and modified sedimentation-flotation methods (50 g feces samples, flotation solution-saturated NaCl and sucrose, specific gravity 1.25 g/ml). The number of A. perfoli...
Mangana-Vougiouka O, Boutsini S, Ntousi D, Patakakis M, Orfanou E, Zafiropoulou K, Dilaveris D, Panagiotatos D, Nomikou K.During the period 2001 to 2008, a total of 7,872 equine sera were tested at the Centre of Veterinary Institutes of Athens. Antibodies against seven infectious diseases of equids were determined: equine infectious anaemia (EIA), African horse sickness (AHS), equine viral arteritis (EVA), West Nile encephalitis (WNE), glanders, piroplasmosis and dourine. Tests for the four viral diseases found 4.5% seropositivity for EIA, 0% for AHS, 3.3% for EVA and 4% for WNE. All sera tested for glanders antibodies were negative. Tests for piroplasmosis detected antibodies against T. equi and B. caballi in 12...
Matsuo K, Kamai R, Uetsu H, Goto H, Takashima Y, Nagamune K.The presence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in livestock and poultry was investigated by latex agglutination tests; samples that agglutinated at dilutions of 1:64 or higher were regarded as positive. Sera were collected from fattening beef cattle (102 Japanese black, 105 crossbreeds and 114 castrated Holstein), culled dairy cattle (101 Holstein), 100 horses, 115 fattening pigs and 235 chickens (163 free-range and 72 broilers) at abattoirs in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, from August 2012 to August 2013. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 7.3% (31/422) in cattle, 5.2% (8/155) in pigs, but not ...
Preziuso S, Pinho MD, Attili AR, Melo-Cristino J, Acke E, Midwinter AC, Cuteri V, Ramirez M.Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) can be severely pathogenic in humans and is increasingly isolated from horses with respiratory, reproductive or other diseases, although it is often considered a commensal bacterium. Here a PCR protocol is described for identifying SDSE recovered from humans. A multiplex PCR targeting the 16S rRNA and the streptokinase precursor gene has been optimized for differentiating between SDSE strains isolated from humans and those isolated from horses. Previously, the sequence of the streptokinase precursor gene of SDSE recovered from horses has bee...
Kelen PV, Downs JA, Unnasch T, Stark L.A GIS-based risk index model was developed to quantify EEEV transmission risk to horses in the State of Florida. EEEV is a highly pathogenic arbovirus that is endemic along the east coast of the United States, and it is generally fatal to both horses and humans. The model evaluates EEEV transmission risk at individual raster cells in map on a continuous scale of 0 to 1. The risk index is derived based on local habitat features and the composition and configuration of surrounding land cover types associated with EEEV transmission. The model was verified and validated using the locations of docu...
Geurden T, van Doorn D, Claerebout E, Kooyman F, De Keersmaecker S, Vercruysse J, Besognet B, Vanimisetti B, di Regalbono AF, Beraldo P, Di Cesare A....The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of an oral treatment with ivermectin (IVM) or moxidectin (MOX) against gastro-intestinal strongyles in naturally infected horses by performing a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and by monitoring the egg reappearance period (ERP) after treatment. Therefore, a field efficacy study with a randomised complete block design for each study site was conducted, with the individual animal as the experimental unit. At least 10 study sites in Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands were selected and animals were allocated to one of the two...
Karamendin K, Kydyrmanov A, Kasymbekov Y, Khan E, Daulbayeva K, Asanova S, Zhumatov K, Seidalina A, Sayatov M, Fereidouni SR.Equine influenza (EI) continues to be an important respiratory pathogen of horses worldwide. Since 2007 several outbreaks of EI have occurred in Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, western Mongolia, India and western China. Phylogenetic analysis showed that two H3N8 equine influenza virus (EIV) isolates from Kazakhstan, A/equine/Almaty/26/2007 and A/equine/South Kazakhstan/236/12, were related to Florida sublineage 2, with high similarity to EIVs circulating in the same period in neighbouring countries. New outbreaks of EI during 2011 and 2012 in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian c...
Ludu Oslobanu EL, Mihu-Pintilie A, Anită D, Anita A, Lecollinet S, Savuta G.The presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in humans has been known in Romania since the 1950s; the 1996 epidemics emphasized the reemergence potential of WNV in Romania. Serological surveys made on susceptible species, known as good sentinels or reservoir hosts, e.g., horses, wild and domestic birds were undertaken from 2006-2011. Our results corroborated incidence data in human patients and other recent seroprevalence studies in animals, and should partially clarify the emergence of WNV in the eastern rural territories of Romania. It also highlighted risk zones for endemic WNV infection in Romani...
Veronesi F, Passamonti F, Moretti A, Morganti G, Vardi DM, Laus F, Marenzoni ML, Spaterna A, Coletti M, Fioretti DP.The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a commercially available rapid enzyme-linked immonosorbent assay, the Snap® 4Dx test, in the detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum antibodies in horses. Two hundred apparently healthy horses (asymptomatic) and 244 animals showing clinical symptoms (symptomatic), were tested for A. phagocytophilum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using both the Snap® 4Dx kit and an indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT), with the latter serving as a comparative test. Horses belonging to the symptomatic group were also tested for evidence of active...
Layman QD, Rezabek GB, Ramachandran A, Love BC, Confer AW.Several Actinobacillus spp. are common commensal bacteria of the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract, and reproductive tract of horses and can cause disease in both foals and adults. The current retrospective study was designed to review Actinobacillus spp. isolated from clinical samples or necropsies of 99 horses during 1999-2011. The cases consisted of 43 foals (2 years of age), 2 aborted fetuses, and 11 with unspecified ages. Clinical history, signs, bacterial species isolated, and associated lesions were documented. Actinobacillus spp. were isolated 111 times. The most common isolates were...
Prochno HC, Scorsin LM, De Melo FR, Baldani CD, Falbo MK, de Aquino LC, Lemos KR.The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Theileria equi in horses from central western region of Paraná state, Brazil. The presence of antibodies IgG against T. equi was determined in serum samples obtained from 400 team roping horses of the district of Guarapuava by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results showed that 242 (61%) animals were positive which demonstrates that equine piroplasmosis is widespread and therefore it might be a contributing factor for the irregular performance among athletes horses in the region studied. No association regarding age an...
Ball MC, Dewberry TD, Freeman PG, Kemsley PD, Poe I.Between 2006 and 2012, there were 11 horses diagnosed with Hendra virus (HeV) on 9 independent premises in New South Wales (NSW). We defined a case of HeV as premises where one or more horses were confirmed to be infected with HeV by PCR. All the cases occurred in the north-eastern region of NSW. In 8 of the 9 cases, infection occurred within 2 months over the winter of 2011. With no exception, the affected horses were kept at pasture on properties visited by flying foxes. Of the 11 horses testing positive for HeV, 5 had an association with a fence, with the horses dead or dying on a fence l...
Sampieri F, Allen AL, Alcorn J, Clark CR, Vannucci FA, Pusterla N, Mapes SM, Ball KR, Dowling PM, Thompson J, Bernstein LR, Gebhart CJ, Hamilton DL.Antimicrobial efficacy against Lawsonia intracellularis is difficult to evaluate in vitro, thus, the effects of gallium maltolate's (GaM) were investigated in a rabbit model for equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). Juvenile (5-6-week-old) does were infected with 3.0 × 10(8) L. intracellularis/rabbit and allocated into three groups (n = 8). One week postinfection, one group was treated with GaM, 50 mg/kg; one, with doxycycline, 5 mg/kg; and one with a sham-treatment (control). Feces and blood were collected daily and weekly, respectively, to verify presence of L. intracellularis fec...
Tabynov K, Kydyrbayev Zh, Ryskeldinova Sh, Assanzhanova N, Sansyzbay A.We previously created a live vaccine against equine influenza based the new reassortant cold-adapted (Ca) strain A/HK/Otar/6:2/2010. The live vaccine contains surface proteins (HA, NA) from the wild-type virus A/equine/Otar/764/2007 (Н3N8; American Lineage Florida Clade 2), and internal proteins (PB2, PB1, PA, NP, M, NS) from the attenuated Ca donor virus A/Hong Kong/1/68/162/35CA (H3N2). To determine the safety and duration of the protective immune responses, 90 yearlings were intranasally vaccinated in single mode, double mode at an interval of 42 days (10(7.0) EID50/animal for both vaccina...
Baldacchino F, Desquesnes M, Mihok S, Foil LD, Duvallet G, Jittapalapong S.Tabanids are nuisance pests for people and livestock because of their painful and irritating bite, persistent biting behavior, and blood ingestion. About 4400 tabanid species have been described; they are seasonally present in all kinds of landscapes, latitudes, and altitudes. High populations have a significant economic impact on outdoor activities, tourism, and livestock production. Tabanids are also vectors of animal disease agents, including viruses, bacteria and parasites. However, tabanids have received little attention in comparison with other hematophagous Diptera. Here, we highlight t...
Nieri-Bastos FA, Lopes MG, Cançado PH, Rossa GA, Faccini JL, Gennari SM, Labruna MB.Adult ticks of the species Amblyomma parvum were collected from the vegetation in the Pantanal biome (state of Mato Grosso do Sul) and from horses in the Cerrado biome (state of Piauí) in Brazil. The ticks were individually tested for rickettsial infection via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting three rickettsial genes, gltA, ompA and ompB. Overall, 63.5% (40/63) and 66.7% (2/3) of A. parvum ticks from Pantanal and Cerrado, respectively, contained rickettsial DNA, which were all confirmed by DNA sequencing to be 100% identical to the corresponding fragments of the gltA, ompA and ompB ge...
Azab W, Harman R, Miller D, Tallmadge R, Frampton AR, Antczak DF, Osterrieder N.Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) was shown to use an unusual receptor for cellular entry - MHC-I molecules. Here, we demonstrated that the closely related EHV, EHV-4, also uses this strategy for cellular invasion, both in equine cells in culture and in the heterologous, non-permissive murine mastocytoma cell line (P815) after stable transfection with horse MHC-I genes. Using a panel of P815 cell lines transfected with individual horse MHC-I genes, we provided support for the hypothesis that EHV-1 and EHV-4 target classical polymorphic MHC-I molecules as viral entry receptors. All known equine ...
Farias LD, Azevedo Mda S, Trost ME, De La Côrte FD, Irigoyen LF, de Vargas AC.The objective of this study was to describe the first report involving a case of equine acute myonecrosis caused by C. novyi type A with an emphasis on clinical signs, the pathological and bacteriological analysis, and molecular identification of the microorganisms as the key of the definitive diagnosis.
Dürrwald R, Kolodziejek J, Weissenböck H, Nowotny N.Borna disease (BD) is a sporadic neurologic disease of horses and sheep caused by mammalian Borna disease virus (BDV). Its unique epidemiological features include: limited occurrence in certain endemic regions of central Europe, yearly varying disease peaks, and a seasonal pattern with higher disease frequencies in spring and a disease nadir in autumn. It is most probably not directly transmitted between horses and sheep. All these features led to the assumption that an indigenous virus reservoir of BDV other than horses and sheep may exist. The search for such a reservoir had been unsuccessfu...
Britz E, Spier SJ, Kass PH, Edman JM, Foley JE.Equine infection with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis can manifest in several forms, including external or internal abscesses. The objective of this study was to phenotype clinical isolates of C. pseudotuberculosis and to investigate the relationship between lesion location and extent of lesions in the animals from which they were collected. One hundred and seventy-one C. pseudotuberculosis biovar equi isolates were collected from horses presenting to the University of California Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and two other sources in the period between September 1996 and December 201...
Pusterla N, Tamez-Trevino E, White A, Vangeem J, Packham A, Conrad PA, Kass P.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis is a commonly diagnosed neurological disease of horses in North America and is caused by infection with Sarcocystis neurona or Neospora hughesi. The aim of this study was to compare prevalence factors among horses seropositive or seronegative to N. hughesi and/or S. neurona. A total of 3123 submissions were included in the study, with horses originating from 49 States. Thirty-eight animals from 21 States tested seropositive for N. hughesi only, 840 horses from 40 States were seropositive for S. neurona only, 25 horses from 14 States were seropositive for both...
Bingham J, Payne J, Harper J, Frazer L, Eastwood S, Wilson S, Lowther S, Lunt R, Warner S, Carr M, Hall RA, Durr PA.West Nile virus (WNV; family Flaviviridae; genus Flavivirus) group members are an important cause of viral meningoencephalitis in some areas of the world. They exhibit marked variation in pathogenicity, with some viral lineages (such as those from North America) causing high prevalence of severe neurological disease, whilst others (such as Australian Kunjin virus) rarely cause disease. The aim of this study was to characterize WNV disease in a mouse model and to elucidate the pathogenetic features that distinguish disease variation. Tenfold dilutions of five WNV strains (New York 1999, MRM16 a...
Pinna A, Martins G, Hamond C, Medeiros MA, de Souza GN, Lilenbaum W.The objective was to investigate potential differences between two Leptospira serovars, host-adapted (Bratislava) and incidental (Copenhageni), in causing reproductive disorders in mares. From August 2009 to March 2011, 608 adult recipient mares from eight studs located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were screened for leptospirosis. These mares were 3-8 years of age, of various breeds, and were managed in a semiextensive system (embryo transfer centres). According to the reproductive history of these mares, the studs were categorised as Group A (357 mares: high prevalence of reprodu...
Deshiere A, Berthet N, Lecouturier F, Gaudaire D, Hans A.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is responsible of acute disease episodes characterized by fever, anemia, thrombocytopenia and anorexia in equids. The high mutation rate in EIAV genome limited the number of full genome sequences availability. In the present study, we used the SureSelect target enrichment system with Illumina Next Generation Sequencing to characterize the proviral DNA of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) from asymptomatic horses. This approach allows a direct sequencing of the EIAV whole genome without cloning or amplification steps and we could obtain for the first ti...
Pusterla N, Lutz H, Braun U.Four clinically healthy horses which were negative for antibodies to Ehrlichia phagocytophila, the agent of bovine ehrlichiosis, were infected experimentally with E phagocytophila-containing bovine leucocytes, administered intravenously. The horses were examined daily for four weeks, and blood samples were collected daily for cytological, haematological and biochemical examination and for a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). An indirect immunofluorescence test was used to determine when the horses seroconverted and the duration of positive titres. There were no abnormal clinical, haematol...
Praskova I, Bezdekova B, Zeman P, Jahn P.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the aetiological agent of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA). The aim of this survey was to assess the prevalence of anti-A. phagocytophilum antibodies in the horse population of the Czech Republic (CZ) and to investigate possible links between seropositivity and the geographic origin, age, and/or sex of the tested horses. Antibodies against A. phagocytophilum were screened using an indirect fluorescent antibody method (IFA). Serum samples from 96 healthy horses from 8 localities (7 within the CZ and one control upland/tick-free locality in Ukraine) were examin...
Cargnelutti JF, Olinda RG, Maia LA, de Aguiar GM, Neto EG, Simões SV, de Lima TG, Dantas AF, Weiblen R, Flores EF, Riet-Correa F.The current article describes outbreaks of vesicular stomatitis (VS) in horses and cattle in Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte states, northeastern Brazil, between June and August 2013. The reported cases affected 15-20 horses and 6 cattle distributed over 6 small farms in 4 municipalities, but additional data indicated the involvement of a large number of animals on several farms. The disease was characterized by blisters; eruptive lesions in coronary bands, lips, mouth, and muzzle; salivation; claudication and loss of condition. Swollen lower limbs and lips, and ulcerated and erosive areas in ...
Blutke A, Hamel D, Hüttner M, Gehlen H, Romig T, Pfister K, Hermanns W.In Europe, cystic echinococcosis is rare in horses and is mostly diagnosed at slaughter or postmortem examination. Equine cystic echinococcosis can be caused by various Echinococcus taxa, but only Echinococcus equinus (the "horse strain") is known to produce fertile cysts. In Europe, E. equinus appears to be endemic in Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, and Italy and has sporadically been reported in Belgium and Switzerland. The present report describes the first case of a molecularly confirmed E. equinus infection in a horse foaled and raised in Germany. The 19-year-old mare was presented for exa...
Ficorilli N, Studdert MJ, Crabb BS.The nucleotide sequence of the glycoprotein G (gG) homologue of asinine herpesvirus 3 (AHV3), a respiratory alphaherpesvirus of donkeys, was determined. The AHV3 gG gene consists of 1233 base pairs (bp) and codes for a predicted protein of 411 amino acids. This is identical in size to the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV1) gG gene and 6 amino acids longer than the equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV4) gG gene. The predicted amino acid sequence of AHV3 gG has characteristics of a class 1 membrane protein. The amino acid sequence of AHV3 gG shows 92% and 60% identity to EHV1 gG and EHV4 gG respectively. Two regi...
Prouillac C.Antibiotic resistance has become a major concern for not only human health, but also for animal health. To preserve the efficacy of antibiotics, it has become essential to establish measures to regulate the prescription of antibiotics to ensure their prudent use. In France, these measures have been translated into regulations for animal health since 2015, with the publication of three important regulatory texts. The results obtained on a national scale in terms of reducing the use of antibiotics have been satisfactory. The aim of our study was to evaluate the differences related to the prescri...
Mani RJ, Thachil AJ, Ramachandran A.Accurate and timely identification of infectious etiologies is of great significance in veterinary microbiology, especially for critical diseases such as strangles, a highly contagious disease of horses caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. We evaluated a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) platform for use in species- and subspecies-level identification of S. equi isolates from horses and compared it with an automated biochemical system. We used 25 clinical isolates each of S. equi subsp. equi and S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus. Using ...
Ketter-Ratzon D, Tirosh-Levy S, Nachum-Biala Y, Saar T, Qura'n L, Zivotofsky D, Abdeen Z, Baneth G, Steinman A.Equine theileriosis caused by Theileria equi is endemic in the Middle East, where it causes a severe disease as well as widespread subclinical infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of T. equi genotypes in Israel and the neighboring Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Blood samples from 355 horses from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan were tested for the prevalence of T. equi DNA. Two hundred and fourteen (60%) were found positive for T. equi infection by PCR. Of those, the 18S rRNA (1458bp) and the EMA-1 (745bp) genes of T. equi were sequenced from 15 horse s...
Rosin-Arbesfeld R, Rivlin M, Noiman S, Mashiah P, Yaniv A, Miki T, Tronick SR, Gazit A.Three cDNA clones representing structurally distinct transcripts were isolated from a cDNA library prepared from cells infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) by using a probe representing the S3 open reading frame, which is thought to encode Rev. One species, designated p2/2, contained four exons and was identical to a previously described polycistronic mRNA that encodes Tat. This transcript was predicted to also direct the synthesis of a truncated form of the transmembrane protein and a putative Rev protein whose N-terminal 29 amino acids, derived from env, are linked to S3 seque...
Baguelin M, Newton JR, Demiris N, Daly J, Mumford JA, Wood JL.We present a metapopulation model of the spread of equine influenza among thoroughbred horses parametrized with data from a 2003 outbreak in Newmarket, UK. The number of horses initially susceptible is derived from a threshold theorem and a published statistical model. Two simulated likelihood-based methods are used to find the within- and between-yard transmissions using both exponential and empirical latent and infectious periods. We demonstrate that the 2003 outbreak was largely locally driven and use the parametrized model to address important questions of control. The chance of a large ep...
Tulsiani SM, Graham GC, Moore PR, Jansen CC, Van Den Hurk AF, Moore FA, Simmons RJ, Craig SB.Hendra virus (HeV) was first isolated in 1994, from a disease outbreak involving at least 21 horses and two humans in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra, Australia. The affected horses and humans all developed a severe but unidentified respiratory disease that resulted in the deaths of one of the human cases and the deaths or putting down of 14 of the horses. The virus, isolated by culture from a horse and the kidney of the fatal human case, was initially characterised as a new member of the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. Comparative sequence analysis of part of the matrix prote...
Timoney JF, Suther P, Velineni S, Artiushin SC.Resistance to phagocytosis is a crucial virulence property of Streptococcus equi (Streptococcus equi subsp. equi; Se), the cause of equine strangles. The contribution and interdependence of capsule and SeM to killing in equine blood and neutrophils were investigated in naturally occurring strains of Se. Strains CF32, SF463 were capsule and SeM positive, strains Lex90, Lex93 were capsule negative and SeM positive and strains Se19, Se1-8 were capsule positive and SeM deficient. Phagocytosis and killing of Se19, Se1-8, Lex90 and Lex93 in equine blood and by neutrophils suspended in serum were sig...
Tijjani AO, Junaidu AU, Salihu MD, Farouq AA, Faleke OO, Adamu SG, Musa HI, Hambali IU.A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted to determine seroprevalence and risk factors influencing the presence of Brucella antibodies in donkeys of Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria. The study aimed at providing baseline information that may be used in planning a control policy against equine brucellosis. Blood samples were collected from 601 donkeys, comprised of 374 males and 227 females from the six agricultural zones of the state between March 2013 and September 2014. The sera obtained were tested for Brucella antibodies using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and competitive enz...
Reyna-Bello A, García FA, Rivera M, Sansó B, Aso PM.The standardization of ELISA for the detection of anti-Trypanosoma evansi antibodies in naturally and experimentally infected horses is described. Bayesian analysis was used to establish the cutoff between positive and negative sera. In order to determine the assessment of the ELISA test, the results obtained were compared with those from an IFA. A relative sensibility of 98.39%, a specificity of 95.12% and a predictive value of 96.83% were determined. The standardized technique was used to evaluate the antibody production against trypanosome in an experimentally infected equine, in which the ...
Matthee S, Krecek RC, McGeoch MA.The intestinal helminth communities of 8 horses, 12 donkeys, 21 Hartmann's mountain zebras, and 44 Burchell's zebras were compared using the original data from 6 studies in South Africa and Namibia. Necropsy and worm recovery techniques were comparable between the studies. Sixty helminth species (58 nematode, 1 cestode, and 1 trematode species) were recorded. There were significant differences in the helminth community structures of the 4 Equus species. The helminth communities of the 2 closely related zebra subspecies were most similar, and they jointly shared 7 helminth species with donkeys ...
Turan N, Yildirim F, Altan E, Sennazli G, Gurel A, Diallo I, Yilmaz H.The aim of the present study was to investigate abortion storms that occurred in the Marmara region of Turkey in 2008-2009 using a real-time PCR. Two aborted foetuses were necropsied and histo-pathological findings reported herein. Ten lungs, 3 brains and one nasal swab from 10 aborted foetuses, 6 nasal swabs and 3 vaginal swabs from aborting mares were included in this study. EHV-1 was isolated from the lung, liver and brain of 1 aborted foetus. EHV-1 DNA was detected in the lungs, livers and spleens of 2 necropsied foetuses and in 3 lungs from 10 foetuses submitted for diagnosis. A brain fro...
Hansson I, Johansson KE, Persson M, Riihimäki M.Nicoletella semolina, a member of the family Pasteurellaceae, can be isolated from the airways of horses with respiratory disorders. However, its role as a potential or opportunistic pathogen is not clear nor is its presence as part of the normal flora. We therefore investigated the presence and bacterial load of N. semolina in healthy and diseased horses. Samples from a healthy control group were compared with samples from the routine analysis of horses with a clinical history of respiratory disorders. A total of 1770 nose swabs and 1132 tracheal aspirate samples were analysed and subjected t...
Saleem S, Ijaz M, Farooqi SH, Rashid MI, Khan A, Masud A, Aqib AI, Hussain K, Mehmood K, Zhang H.Anaplasma phagocytophilum (A. phagocytophilum) is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) disease in equines. This pathogen has zoonotic potential, which makes it very important to be detected and controlled as early as possible. This study was aimed to assess the molecular prevalence, associated risk factors of EGA along with its effects on various hematological parameters. This study revealed an overall 10.67% prevalence in equine. Horses showed highest prevalence followed by mules and donkeys presenting 11.86, 10.53 and 9.43% prevalence, respec...
Burk SV, Dangoudoubiyam S, Brewster-Barnes T, Bryant UK, Howe DK, Carter CN, Vanzant ES, Harmon RJ, Kazacos KR, Rossano MG.Currently, diagnosis of Parascaris equorum infection in equids is limited to patent infections. The goals of this study were to culture P. equorum larvae in vitro and identify excretory-secretory (ES) products for prepatent diagnostic testing. Parascaris equorum L2/L3 larvae were hatched and cultured for up to 3 weeks for ES product collection. Fifth stage (L5) P. equorum were also cultured for ES product collection. Examination of ES fractions by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and silver stain revealed L2/L3 products ranging from 12-94 kDa and L5 products...
Thomas SK, Lilley CE, Latchman DS, Coffin RS.Herpes simplex virus (HSV) has often been suggested for development as a vector, particularly for the nervous system. Considerable evidence has shown that for use of HSV as a vector, immediate-early (IE) gene expression must be minimized or abolished, otherwise such vectors are likely to be highly cytotoxic. Mutations of vmw65 which abolish IE promoter transactivating activity may also be included to reduce IE gene expression generally. However, when vmw65 mutations are combined with an IE gene deletion, such viruses are hard to propagate, even on cells which otherwise complement the IE gene d...
Pusterla N, Hussey SB, Mapes S, Leutenegger CM, Madigan JE, Ferraro GL, Wilson WD, Lunn DP.The objective of the current study was to compare the performance of 4 methods to quantify Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in nasal secretions from experimentally and naturally infected horses. Nasal secretions were collected on the challenge day and daily thereafter for 13 days from 4 experimentally infected horses. Additional nasal swabs were collected from 30 horses with clinical signs consistent with natural EHV-1 infection. Absolute quantitation of EHV-1 target molecules was performed using standard curves for EHV-1 and equine glyceraldehyde-3-phos...
Guimarães-Ladeira CV, Palhares MS, Oliveira JS, Ramirez MA, Guedes RM.Proliferative enteropathy, caused by the intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis, has been described in horses in Australia, the USA, Canada and European countries but has not been reported in Latin America. The prevalence of the disease in horses worldwide is unknown. Objective: To evaluate the presence of subclinical L. intracellularis infection in horses in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: A longitudinal study using serology and PCR for detecting antibodies (IgG) and shedding of L. intracellularis in faecal samples, respectively, was conducted using a total of 223 horses...
Quintero Vélez JC, Aguirre-Acevedo DC, Rodas JD, Arboleda M, Troyo A, Vega Aguilar F, Osorio Quintero L, Rojas Arbeláez C.Most of the studies related to rickettsial infection in Colombia are cross-sectional because of the challenge in conducting prospective studies on infectious disease that may have a difficult diagnosis. Although cross-sectional studies are essential to detect people exposed to rickettsiae, they are not suited to demonstrate the recent circulation of this pathogen in areas at risk of transmission. To characterize the epidemiology of incident cases of Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsial infection in humans and equines from rural areas of Urabá region in Colombia where outbreaks of rickettsiae...
Masatani T, Takashima Y, Takasu M, Matsuu A, Amaya T.The present study is the first report that investigated the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic horses in various prefectures of Japan and analyzed risk factors for seropositivity. We performed a latex agglutination test for riding/racing horses from 11 prefectures in Japan (783 samples) and 4 groups of Japanese native horses (254 samples). The total seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody in horses examined in this study was 4.24% (44/1037). As for riding/racing horses, we did not find a statistically different T. gondii seroprevalence between sampling prefectures. In ...
Waller AS.Strangles, caused by the host adapted Lancefield group C bacterium Streptococcus equi sub-species equi (S. equi), is one of the oldest recognised infectious diseases of horses and continues to cause significant welfare and economic cost throughout the world. The ability of S. equi to establish sub-clinical persistent infections primarily in the guttural pouches of convalescent horses has been instrumental to its success. However, the implementation of simple control measures that permit the identification and treatment of persistently infected carriers can prevent further outbreaks of disease ...
Cymerys J, Dzieciatkowski T, Słońska A, Bierla J, Tucholska A, Chmielewska A, Golke A, Bańbura MW.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infections cause significant economic losses for equine industries worldwide as a result of abortion, respiratory illness, and neurologic disease in all breeds of horses. The occurrence of abortions caused by EHV-1 has repeatedly been confirmed in Poland, but neurological manifestations of the infection have not been described yet. Also it is unknown how the infection of neurons with non-neuropathogenic strains is regulated. To further understand the virus-neuron interaction we studied two strains of EHV-1 in murine primary neuron cell cultures. Both strains were i...
Passamonti F, Vardi DM, Stefanetti V, Marenzoni ML, Prato S, Cévese P, Coletti M, Pepe M, Casagrande Proietti P, Olea-Popelka F.Early diagnosis and prevention of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals represent important goals for equine clinicians. Recent protocols for diagnosis and treatment of Rhodococcosis in foals typically rely on a multimodal approach based on sonographic evidence suggestive of pyogranulomas, sonographic abscess scores and laboratory findings including plasma fibrinogen concentrations, blood biochemistry testing and platelet and leukocyte counts. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of weekly testing of serum amyloid A (SAA) and plasma fibrinogen concentrations in foals to achieve early ...
Magdesian KG, Dujowich M, Madigan JE, Hansen LM, Hirsh DC, Jang SS.To determine molecular characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility, and toxigenicity of Clostridium difficile isolates from horses in an intensive care unit and evaluate associations among severity of clinical disease with specific strains of C difficile. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 130 horses. Methods: Feces were collected from horses admitted for acute gastrointestinal tract disease with loose feces and submitted for microbial culture and immunoassay for toxin production. Polymerase chain reaction assays were performed on isolates for toxins A and B genes and strain identification...
Prescott JF, Ogilvie TH, Markham RJ.A lymphocyte stimulation test using antigens of Corynebacterium equi was used to compare the response of peripheral blood lymphocytes from foals with C equi pneumonia with those of clinically normal foals and adult horses. The test clearly distinguished infected foals from normal foals when tested in animals less than or equal to 2 months old. After the 2nd month, stimulation response from individual normal foals sometimes exceed those from infected foals, but mean stimulation response to C equi antigens was significantly (P less than 0.025) greater in 3- to 5-month-old infected foals when com...
