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Topic:Infectious Disease
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.
Sequence heterogeneity in the equi merozoite antigen gene (ema-1) of Theileria equi and development of an ema-1-specific TaqMan MGB assay for the detection of T. equi. Although a quantitative real-time PCR assay (qPCR) assay for the detection of Theileria equi has been developed and evaluated, it is possible that additional, as yet undetected 18S rRNA gene sequence variants may exist. A qPCR assay targeting a different gene, used in conjunction with the T. equi 18S rRNA qPCR assay, could assist in the detection of all T. equi genotypes in field samples. A T. equi ema-1-specific qPCR (Ueti et al., 2003) was tested on 107 South African field samples, 90 of which tested positive for T. equi antibody using the immuno-fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The qPCR as...
Identification of cellular proteins interacting with equine infectious anemia virus S2 protein. The macrophage-tropic lentivirus, equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), encodes the small auxiliary protein S2 from a short open reading frame that overlaps the amino terminus of env EIAV S2 is dispensable for virus replication in cultured cells but is required for disease production. S2 is approximately 7 kDa and has no overall amino acid sequence homology to other cellular or viral proteins. Therefore it is likely that S2 plays a role as an adaptor protein. To further investigate S2 function we performed a yeast-2-hybrid screen to identify cellular proteins that interact with EIAV S2. The s...
Are macrocyclic lactones useful drugs for the treatment of Parascaris equorum infections in foals? A study was carried out to assess the field efficacy of moxidectin (MOX) against Parascaris equorum in foals. A total of 70 foals from 2 Italian thoroughbred (Farms 1 and 2) stud farms and one trotter stud farm (Farm 3), aged 3-5 months and with faecal egg counts (FEC) f>or=300 eggs per gram (EPG) were included in the study. On each farm, foals were divided into 2 groups (of 10, 8 and 10 foals, respectively) and treated with either moxidectin (MOX, 400 mcg/kg b.w.) or ivermectin (IVM, 200 mcg/kg b.w.) on day 0 and examined for faecal count reduction (FECR) on day 14. Five, 4 and 5 foals, re...
Haemotrophic Mycoplasma infection in horses. Haemotrophic mycoplasmas (HM) are parasites on the surface of red blood cells and known to infect a wide range of animals. However, there are no previous evidences of HM infections in horses. In this study HM were detected for the first time in the blood of two horses suffering from poor performance, apathy, weight loss, and anaemia. Using a HM specific PCR assay and subsequent sequencing the infective agents isolated from the blood of said horses were confirmed as closely related to the HM species Mycoplasma haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos'.
West Nile virus circulation in Emilia-Romagna, Italy: the integrated surveillance system 2009. Following a large West Nile virus (WNV) epidemic in northeastern Italy in 2008, human and animal surveillance activities were implemented in Emilia Romagna. Human surveillance was performed by serology or genome detection on blood and cerebrospinal fluid for all suspected cases suffering from acute meningoencephalitis in the regional territory. Animal surveillance consisted of passive and active surveillance of horses and active surveillance of wild birds and mosquitoes. Between 15 June and 31 October 2009, nine of 78 possible cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease were confirmed (three fata...
Mycobacterium ulcerans infections in two horses in south-eastern Australia. Two horses were diagnosed as having Mycobacterium ulcerans infections. The first was a 21-year-old Quarterhorse-cross mare living in Mallacoota (a coastal town near the border of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia) that presented with lichenification, hair-loss and oedema on a fetlock, which subsequently ulcerated, as well as a non-healing ulcer on the wither. The second horse was a 32 year-old Standardbred gelding from Nicholson, near Bairnsdale, Victoria, that had an ulcerated lesion on its caudal thigh. Histologically, there were characteristic changes seen with M. ulcerans infections ...
Severe anthrax outbreaks in Italy in 2004: considerations on factors involved in the spread of infection. Anthrax is a disease of humans and animals caused by the encapsulated, spore-forming Bacillus anthracis. In Italy, anthrax is normally a sporadic disease. During the summer 2004, anthrax broke out in the Basilicata, in southern Italy, a region with a low prevalence of anthrax in which vaccination had been suspended since 1998. The disease involved several animals in few weeks and in a large area. Over 41 days, 81 cattle died, as well as 15 sheep, 9 goats, 11 horses and 8 deer. The Multiple-locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeats Analysis (MLVA) showed that all the 53 isolates belonged to the Clus...
An investigation into the suitability of a commercial real-time PCR assay to screen for Taylorella equigenitalis in routine prebreeding equine genital swabs. Standard bacteriological methods for identifying Taylorella equigenitalis in cervical smears are time consuming. Therefore, a more rapid real-time PCR assay was evaluated for its suitability in screening swabs. Objective: To compare the results of a commercially available real-time PCR assay with routine microbiological culture for the identification of T. equigenitalis, the causative organism of contagious equine metritis, in equine genital swab samples, under 'field trial' conditions. Methods: Routine prebreeding genital swabs (n=2072) collected from Thoroughbred mares and stallions during 2...
Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in sport horses from Qazvin, Iran. In the present study, the prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in sport horses of Qazvin was examined using modified agglutination test (MAT). On 52 horse sera totally examined for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies, 37 horses (71.2%) were seropositive by MAT. Results of the present study showed a high rate of Toxoplasma infection in horses in Qazvin area. More comprehensive study on equine toxoplasmosis is recommended.
A cross-sectional survey of biosecurity practices on Thoroughbred stud farms in New Zealand. To examine the on-farm biosecurity practices of a group of commercial Thoroughbred stud farms in the North Island of New Zealand, in the absence of an exotic disease outbreak. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of biosecurity practices was conducted during the 2006/2007 Thoroughbred breeding season, and consisted of data from commercial Thoroughbred farms in the North Island of New Zealand standing a stallion. Data were collected on-farm by a single interviewer, using 17 open, closed and multiple-choice questions examining general farm/operation size and features, general animal health and bios...
Isolation rates of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in dogs, cats and horses in Ireland. A retrospective analysis and prospective surveillance study were conducted to determine isolation rates of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in dogs, cats and horses in Ireland. Clinical samples that had been submitted to University College Dublin (UCD) for routine microbiological examination over a four-year period (2003 to 2006) were analysed in the retrospective analysis, which included clinical samples from 3866 animals. In the prospective surveillance study, samples from healthy animals presenting for elective surgery as well as from animals with a clinical presentation su...
Neuropathogenic and non-neuropathogenic variants of equine herpesvirus 1 in France. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a common pathogen of the horse which may induce mild respiratory distress, abortion, neonatal death and neurological disease. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the EHV-1 DNA polymerase (ORF30 A(2254) to G(2254)) has been associated with clinical signs of Equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The aim of this work was to analyze the ORF30 genomic region among a panel of EHV-1 DNA extract in order to estimate the prevalence of the EHV-1 neuropathogenic genotype in France. Samples coming from cases associated with EHM, horses with respiratory symptoms and abort...
Cell entry of the aphthovirus equine rhinitis A virus is dependent on endosome acidification. Equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) is genetically closely related to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), and both are now classified within the genus Aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae. For disease security reasons, FMDV can be handled only in high-containment facilities, but these constraints do not apply to ERAV, making it an attractive alternative for the study of aphthovirus biology. Here, we show, using immunofluorescence, pharmacological agents, and dominant negative inhibitors, that ERAV entry occurs (as for FMDV) via clathrin-mediated endocytosis and acidification of early endosomes...
In vitro predatory activity of nematophagous fungi and after passing through gastrointestinal tract of equine on infective larvae of Strongyloides westeri. Three isolates of predator fungi Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001), Monacrosporium thaumasium (NF34), and Arthrobotrys robusta (I-31) were assessed in in vitro test regarding the capacity of prey infective larvae (L(3)) Strongyloides westeri. Compared to control, without fungus, there was a significant decrease (P 0.01) in vitro test. Linear regression coefficients of treated and control groups were -0.21 for control, -0.32 for D. flagrans, -0.34 for M. thaumasium, and -0.22 for A. robusta. In the following, isolates AC001 and NF34 were assessed in vivo regarding the capacity of supporting the pa...
Validation of a commercial enzyme immunoassay for detection of Clostridium difficile toxins in feces of horses with acute diarrhea. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a recognized cause of colitis in the horse. Identification of its toxins is important for management of individual cases and for prevention of transmission and zoonosis. In humans, CDI diagnosis is performed with enzyme immunoassays, none of which have been validated for horses. Objective: (1) Establish which test for CDI diagnosis was more frequently used by diagnostic laboratories, (2) determine the identified test's performance, sensitivity, and specificity, and (3) validate its use in diarrheic horses. Methods: Samples were obtained from 72 horses p...
Bacterial infections in horses: a retrospective study at the University Equine Clinic of Bern. Bacterial infections present a major challenge in equine medicine. Therapy should be based on bacteriological diagnosis to successfully minimize the increasing number of infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. The present study is a retrospective analysis of bacteriological results from purulent infections in horses admitted at the University Equine Clinic of Bern from 2004 to 2008. From 378 samples analyzed, 557 isolates were identified, of which Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus and coliforms were the most common. Special attention was paid to infectio...
Identification and differentiation of Taylorella equigenitalis and Taylorella asinigenitalis by lipopolysaccharide O-antigen serology using monoclonal antibodies. Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) from Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative agent of contagious equine metritis, and T. asinigenitalis were compared by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Lipopolysaccharide profiles of 11 T. equigenitalis strains were similar, but different from the profiles of 3 T. asinigenitalis strains, and the profiles of 2 T. asinigenitalis strains were similar to each other. The serological specificities of the LPSs from these 14 strains were examined by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) ...
Efficacy of Cymelarsan and Diminasan against Trypanosoma equiperdum infections in mice and horses. Trypanocidal sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of Diminazene diaceturate (Diminasan) and Bis (aminoethylthio) 4-melaminophenylarsine dihydrochloride (Cymelarsan) against Trypanosoma equiperdum (isolated from two mares with chronic cases of dourine) 713/943 and 834/940 Dodola strains in experimentally infected mice and horses. Diminasan at doses from 3.5 mg/kg to 28 mg/kg and Cymelarsan at doses of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg body weight failed to cure any of the mice, indicating a clear dose dependent relationship in the mean time of relapse observed in mice. Indeed, mice ...
Influenza virus transmission from horses to dogs, Australia. During the 2007 equine influenza outbreak in Australia, respiratory disease in dogs in close contact with infected horses was noted; influenza (H3N8) virus infection was confirmed. Nucleotide sequence of the virus from dogs was identical to that from horses. No evidence of dog-to-dog transmission or virus persistence in dogs was found.
Immunochromatographic lateral flow test for detection of antibodies to Equine infectious anemia virus. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a simple immunochromatographic lateral flow (ICLF) test for specific detection of Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) antibodies in equine sera. Viral recombinant p26 capsid protein (rp26) was used as the capture protein in the test line and as the detector reagent conjugated to colloidal gold. The performance of rp26-ICLF was evaluated, and the results obtained were compared with a commercially available agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test used as a standard of comparison according to international guidelines. The values obtained for co...
Media attention and public perceptions of cancer and eastern equine encephalitis. Previous research has found that members of the public have a skewed sense of health risk. The purpose of this research was to investigate how mass media use influences perceptions of threat from cancer and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Investigators performed a media content analysis of 253 health-related articles from 11 Massachusetts newspapers, then used logistic regression to analyze responses to a health communication survey of 613 Massachusetts adults. A greater proportion of cancer articles compared to those about EEE mentioned progress in combating the disease (61.0% vs. 16.2%, P...
Opposite effects of two different strains of equine herpesvirus 1 infection on cytoskeleton composition in equine dermal ED and African green monkey kidney Vero cell lines: application of scanning cytometry and confocal-microscopy-based image analysis in a quantitative study. Viruses can reorganize the cytoskeleton and restructure the host cell transport machinery. During infection viruses use different cellular cues and signals to enlist the cytoskeleton for their mission. However, each virus specifically affects the cytoskeleton structure. Thus, the aim of our study was to investigate the cytoskeletal changes in homologous equine dermal (ED) and heterologous Vero cell lines infected with either equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) strain Rac-H or Jan-E. We found that Rac-H strain disrupted actin fibers and reduced F-actin level in ED cells, whereas the virus did not infl...
Efficacy of a whole inactivated EI vaccine against a recent EIV outbreak isolate and comparative detection of virus shedding. An outbreak of H3N8 Equine Influenza virus (EIV) that occurred in vaccinated horses in Japan was caused by a genetically divergent EIV isolate of the Florida clade 1 sub-lineage. This virus subsequently entered Australia where it infected thousands of immunologically naïve horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of a non-updated whole inactivated equine influenza (EI) vaccine to protect if used in the face of an outbreak induced by a virus similar to the ones circulating in Japan and Australia in 2007. Seven naïve Welsh mountain ponies were immunised twice with the co...
Development and optimisation of a duplex real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR assay targeting the VP7 and NS2 genes of African horse sickness virus. Nucleotide sequences of 52 South African isolates of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) collected during 2004-2005 and including viruses of all nine AHSV serotypes, were used to design and develop a duplex real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) assay targeting the VP7 (S8) and NS2 (S9) genes of AHSV. The assay was optimized for detection of AHSV in fresh and frozen blood of naturally infected horses. Assay performance was enhanced using random hexamers rather than gene-specific primers for RT, and with denaturation of double-stranded RNA in the presence of random hexamers. ...
