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.
Egenvall A, Penell JC, Bonnett BN, Olson P, Pringle J.The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of the database maintained by the Swedish insurance company Agria for providing mortality statistics on Swedish horses. Mortality statistics (incidence rates and survival) were calculated, both crudely and stratified by sex, age, breed, breed group and diagnosis, for the horses with complete life insurance, which covers most health problems. The total mortality was 415 (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 399 to 432) deaths per 10,000 horse-years at risk, and the diagnostic mortality, including only deaths with an assigned diagnos...
Cardoso LD, Freitas RN, Mafra CL, Neves CV, Figueira FC, Labruna MB, Gennari SM, Walker DH, Galvão MA.The present study was intended to characterize Rickettsia spp. circulating in arthropod vectors in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil, by PCR and to investigate the presence of antibodies against the spotted fever Rickettsiae group (SFRG) in dogs and horses. 2,610 arthropods were collected and taxonomically identified. DNA samples obtained from these vectors were submitted to PCR and cycle-sequenced. Ctenocephalides and Amblyomma cajennense showed sequences presenting 100.0% homology with R. felis. A sequence obtained from Rhipicephalus sanguineus showed 99.0% homology with R. felis, and a sequen...
Lu J, Guo Z, Pan X, Wang G, Zhang D, Li Y, Tan B, Ouyang L, Yu X.Avian influenza virus H5N1 has demonstrated considerable pandemic potential. Currently, no effective vaccines for H5N1 infection are available, so passive immunotherapy may be an alternative strategy. To investigate the possible therapeutic effect of antibody against highly pathogenic H5N1 virus on a mammal host, we prepared specific equine anti-H5N1 IgGs from horses vaccinated with inactivated H5N1 virus, and then obtained the F(ab')2 fragments by pepsin digestion of IgGs. Methods: The horses were vaccinated with inactivated H5N1 vaccine to prepare anti-H5N1 IgGs. The F(ab')2 fragments were p...
Komar N, Clark GG.West Nile virus (Flavivirus: Flaviviridae; WNV) has spread rapidly throughout the Caribbean Basin since its initial detection there in 2001. This report summarizes our current knowledge of WNV transmission in tropical America. Methods: We reviewed the published literature and consulted with key public health officials to obtain unpublished data. Results: West Nile virus infections first appeared in human residents of the Cayman Islands and the Florida Keys in 2001, and in apparently healthy Jamaican birds sampled early in 2002. Serologic evidence of WNV infection in 2002 was detected in horses...
Slater JD, Lunn DP, Horohov DW, Antczak DF, Babiuk L, Breathnach C, Chang YW, Davis-Poynter N, Edington N, Ellis S, Foote C, Goehring L, Kohn CW....Amongst the infectious diseases that threaten equine health, herpesviral infections remain a world wide cause of serious morbidity and mortality. Equine herpesvirus-1 infection is the most important pathogen, causing an array of disorders including epidemic respiratory disease abortion, neonatal foal death, myeloencephalopathy and chorioretinopathy. Despite intense scientific investigation, extensive use of vaccination, and established codes of practice for control of disease outbreaks, infection and disease remain common. While equine herpesvirus-1 infection remains a daunting challenge for i...
Scott P, Witonsky S, Robertson J, Daft B.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), caused by Sarcocystis neurona infection in the central nervous system (CNS), affects up to 1% of all horses during their lifetimes. Neither the protective immune response nor the immunopathology associated with the disease is well understood. To begin to clarify the pathogenesis of the disease, immunohistochemical staining for B and T lymphocytes was performed on spinal cord sections obtained from 17 horses, all of which were all positive for S. neurona based on immunohistochemical staining. Fifteen of the 17 horses included in the study were killed du...
Peregrine AS, McEwen B, Bienzle D, Koch TG, Weese JS.From 1991 to 2003, 24 cases of larval cyathostominosis were diagnosed at postmortem in equids, 15 (63%) from 2001 to 2003. Cases occurred from September to May, the majority from October to December. Median age was 12 mo. Diarrhea, colic, and weight loss were common clinical signs. Hypoalbuminemia and microcytosis were consistent findings. Cyathostominose larvaire chez des chevaux en Ontario: une maladie émergente? De 1991 à 2003, 24 cas de cyathostominose larvaire ont été diagnostiqués à l’examen post mortem chez des équidés dont 15 (63 %) entre 2001 et 2003. Les cas étaient rappor...
Daly JM, Whitwell KE, Miller J, Dowd G, Cardwell JM, Smith KC.Equine influenza is usually a transient and self-limiting disease. However, during an outbreak of equine influenza in the UK in 2003 there were reports of unusually severe clinical signs among unvaccinated animals. Two influenza-infected horses developed neurological signs, and one was subjected to euthanasia. Post-mortem examination of the brain revealed viral-type non-suppurative encephalitis, and influenza virus antigen was demonstrated by immunolabelling of sections of nasal mucosa. A syndrome known as influenza-associated encephalopathy has been described in man. Although not proved, the ...
Gall Y, Pfister K.According to the results of a questionnaire on equine Lyme borreliosis addressing veterinarians in Germany, the existence of the disease was confirmed by more than half of the 118 participants. Practitioners who regarded Borrelia burgdorferi as a pathogen of horses seemed to be more sensitized in terms of the number of annually diagnosed cases as well as the frequency of occurrence of tick infestation with equine patients or prophylactic treatments against ectoparasites by horse owners. Chronically poor performance and diverse orthopaedic problems were the clinical symptoms most often leading ...
Butler CM, Westermann CM, Koeman JP, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Over the last ten years a fatal syndrome associated with immunodeficiency and severe anaemia has been reported in young Fell pony foals in the UK. Affected foals are usually normal at birth but from the age of 2-4 weeks they progressively lose condition and become severely anaemic. Signs of immunodeficiency become apparent at around 3-4 weeks of age. Morbidity is low but mortality is 100% despite intensive treatment. Affected foals die or are euthanized usually before they reach the age of 3 months. A single autosomal recessive gene is suggested to be on the basis of the syndrome. Recently, af...
Lindsay DS, Mitchell SM, Yang J, Dubey JP, Gogal RM, Witonsky SG.Horses are considered accidental hosts for Sarcocystis neurona and they often develop severe neurological disease when infected with this parasite. Schizont stages develop in the central nervous system (CNS) and cause the neurological lesions associated with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. The present study was done to examine the ability of S. neurona merozoites to penetrate and develop in equine peripheral blood leukocytes. These infected host cells might serve as a possible transport mechanism into the CNS. S. neurona merozoites penetrated equine leukocytes within 5 min of co-culture. I...
Jakubek EB, Lundén A, Uggla A.Sera from 414 Swedish horses were investigated for the presence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora sp. by the T. gondii direct agglutination test (DAT), and an Neospora caninum iscom-ELISA. Five sera (1%) had a titre >1:40 in DAT, but when analysed by immunoblotting against T. gondii antigens only two of them were positive, giving a seroprevalence of 0.5%. Since the Neospora iscom ELISA had not been validated for equine sera it was used for an initial screening, and all sera with an optical density exceeding 0.200 absorbance units were selected for further investigation by immu...
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...
Boswinkel M, Neyens IJ, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.A 5-year old Tinker gelding was referred to the Department of Equine Sciences with a left eye uveitis and fever. At presentation the horse showed a mild lethargy, fever and decreased vision of the left eye. Rectal examination revealed an enlarged left kidney, with a hard and an irregular surface. The cranial mesentery artery had an enlarged and irregular aspect. Blood analysis showed anaemia, leucocytosis, increased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine and a hyperproteinemia. Urine analysis repeatedly showed a marked proteinuria and an increased gammaGT/creatinine ratio. The amount of abdominal ...
Paillot R, Hannant D, Kydd JH, Daly JM.Equine influenza virus is a leading cause of respiratory disease in the horse. Equine influenza vaccines containing inactivated virus were first developed in the 1960s. Despite their intensive use, equine influenza outbreaks still continue to occur and therefore new strategies of vaccination are necessary to improve vaccine efficacy. Numerous methods of vaccination have been evaluated and commercialised in the horse, the most recent being the cold-adapted influenza virus and poxvirus-based vaccines. As a large animal model, the horse is also a useful species in which to evaluate the potential ...
Foote CE, Love DN, Gilkerson JR, Wellington JE, Whalley JM.A silent cycle of equine herpesvirus 1 infection was described following epidemiological studies of unvaccinated mares and foals on a Hunter Valley stud farm. Following the introduction of routine vaccination with an inactivated whole virus equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) vaccine in 1997, a subsequent study identified excretion of EHV-1 and EHV-4 in nasal swab samples tested by PCR from vaccinated mares and their unweaned, unvaccinated foals. The current sero-epidemiological investigation of vaccinated mares and their young foals found serological evidence of EHV-...
Uilenberg G.The history of the genus Babesia is briefly outlined. The classical differences with the main other genus of non-pigment-forming hemoparasites, Theileria, are the absence of extra-erythrocytic multiplication (schizogony) in Babesia and the cycle in the vector tick, which includes transovarial transmission in Babesia but only transstadial transmission in Theileria. Also, the multiplication in the red cell of Babesia, by budding, most often results in two daughter cells (merozoites), while that of Theileria gives four merozoites, often as a Maltese cross. In particular this means that what is st...
Thompson JM, Whitmore AC, Konopka JL, Collier ML, Richmond EM, Davis NL, Staats HF, Johnston RE.Vaccination represents the most effective control measure in the fight against infectious diseases. Local mucosal immune responses are critical for protection from, and resolution of, infection by numerous mucosal pathogens. Antigen processing across mucosal surfaces is the natural route by which mucosal immunity is generated, as peripheral antigen delivery typically fails to induce mucosal immune responses. However, we demonstrate in this article that mucosal immune responses are evident at multiple mucosal surfaces after parenteral delivery of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon pa...
Liang H, He X, Shen RX, Shen T, Tong X, Ma Y, Xiang WH, Zhang XY, Shao YM.The Chinese equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) donkey-leukocyte attenuated vaccine (DLV) provides a unique natural model system to study the attenuation mechanism and immunological control of lentivirus replication. Critical consensus mutations were identified between virulent Chinese EIAV strains and vaccine strains. Based on a full-length infectious clone of EIAV vaccine strain pLGFD3, two molecular clones, mFD5-4-7 and mFD7-2-11, were successfully constructed, in which 4 and 6 critical consensus mutations in the env gene of the vaccine strain were point-mutated to the wild-type sequence,...
Pusterla N, Madigan JE, Leutenegger CM.The focus of rapid diagnosis of infectious disease of horses in the last decade has shifted from the conventional laboratory techniques of antigen detection, microscopy, and culture to molecular diagnosis of infectious agents. Equine practitioners must be able to interpret the use, limitations, and results of molecular diagnostic techniques, as they are increasingly integrated into routine microbiology laboratory protocols. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the best-known and most successfully implemented diagnostic molecular technology to date. It can detect slow-growing, difficult-to-cultiv...
Stefancíková A, Derdáková M, Stepánová G, Pet'ko B, Szestáková E, Skardová I, Cisláková L.Geographically different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto Ir 105, B. burgdorferi s.s. + B. afzelii V 123, B. garinii Ir 112 - isolates from eastern Slovakia, B. garinii K24 - isolate from western Slovakia and B. burgdorferi s.s. B 31 - American strain) were compared as antigens for serological study of Lyme borreliosis by IgG ELISA on a group of horses from eastern Slovakia. In a set of 101 horse serum samples, positivity with the use of Ir 105 strain was 53 (52.4%), with V 123 51 (51.49%), with Ir 112 48 (47.5%), with K 24 47 (46.5%) and with B 31 only ...
Wang X, Kikuchi T, Rikihisa Y.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligatory intracellular bacterium that causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis. The polymorphic 44-kDa major outer membrane proteins of A. phagocytophilum are dominant antigens recognized by patients and infected animals. However, the ability of anti-P44 antibody to neutralize the infection has been unclear due to a mixture of P44 proteins with diverse hypervariable region amino acid sequences expressed by a given bacterial population and lack of epitope-defined antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 5C11 and 3E65 are directed to different domains of P44 prote...
Baptiste KE, Williams K, Willams NJ, Wattret A, Clegg PD, Dawson S, Corkill JE, O'Neill T, Hart CA.We determined the molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant staphylococci from animals and staff at a small animal and equine hospital. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) identical to human EMRSA-15 was found in dogs and hospital staff. In contrast, 5 distinct MRSA strains were isolated from horses but not from hospital staff.
Navarro JC, Medina G, Vasquez C, Coffey LL, Wang E, Suárez A, Biord H, Salas M, Weaver SC.Five years after the apparent end of the major 1995 Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) epizootic/epidemic, focal outbreaks of equine encephalitis occurred in Carabobo and Barinas States of western Venezuela. Virus isolates from horses in each location were nearly identical in sequence to 1995 isolates, which suggests natural persistence of subtype IC VEE virus (VEEV) strains in a genetically stable mode. Serologic evidence indicated that additional outbreaks occurred in Barinas State in 2003. Field studies identified known Culex (Melanoconion) spp. vectors and reservoir hosts of enzootic VEE...
Cuny C, Kuemmerle J, Stanek C, Willey B, Strommenger B, Witte W.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has become an emerging public health problem worldwide, no longer only associated with healthcare-associated infections. With the exception of some recent reports concerning infections in cats, dogs and horses, infections with MRSA in companion animals have been infrequently reported. Here we submit findings for MRSA infections in horses in a central European university hospital.
Arora S, Sharma S, Goel SK, Singh US.Implementation of the recommended post-exposure prophylaxis by vaccination and specific immunoglobulin therapy for rabies is largely hampered by its high cost and inadequate production. Therefore, the development and availability of an economic preparation of rabies immunoglobulin is a high priority for India, where rabies is a major cause of death. We studied the efficacy of four different adjuvants in raising antibodies to rabies antigen in older, discarded equines. Methods: Eleven equines, 23-26 years old, were divided into 4 groups to receive four different adjuvants in small amounts (1-2 ...
Pusterla N, Sanchez-Migallon Guzman D, Vannucci FA, Mapes S, White A, DiFrancesco M, Gebhart C.The aim of this study was to investigate whether feces from rabbits experimentally infected with Lawsonia intracellularis were infectious to foals. Two rabbits were infected with L. intracellularis, while two rabbits served as controls. Eight foals received daily feces from either the infected or the control rabbits. All rabbits and foals were monitored daily for clinical signs for the entire study period (21days for rabbits, 42days for foals). Feces and blood were collected for the PCR detection of L. intracellularis and serologic analysis, respectively. None of the infected rabbits or foals ...
Hurley MJ, Riggs CM, Cogger N, Rosanowski SM.A 2 year prospective study was performed between February 2011 and January 2013 to determine the incidence and risk factors for shipping fever (SF) in horses transported by air to Hong Kong (HK). Using a questionnaire, data were collected from professional flying grooms regarding the journey to HK and horses in the shipment. Horses were monitored in quarantine for 2 weeks after arrival in HK, and clinical signs of SF recorded. Poisson and logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for SF at the horse and shipment levels. The study analysed data from 869 horses on 81 flights ...
Ahdy AM, Ahmed BM, Elgamal MA, Shaalan M, Farag IM, Mahfouz ER, Darwish HR, Sayed-Ahmed MZ, Shalaby MA, El-Sanousi AA.Equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is an important virus causing pathological disorders in horses. This highly contagious pathogen causes persistent outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infection, ocular affections, abortion, and neurological disorders with high mortality in Arabian horses in Egypt. The quick and accurate diagnosis is important to broaden our understanding about EHV-1 in the field, and to implicate stronger preventive, and control measures. Sixty-six Arabian horses from Cairo and Giza governorates were sampled from respiratory, abortigenic and neurological outbreaks over a perio...
Tazumi A, Maeda Y, Buckley T, Millar B, Goldsmith C, Dooley J, Elborn J, Matsuda M, Moore J.Clinical isolates (n = 63) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa obtained from various sites in 63 horses were compared using ERIC2 RAPD PCR to determine their genetic relatedness. Resulting banding patterns (n = 24 genotypes) showed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity amongst all isolates examined, indicating a relative non-clonal relationship between isolates from these patients, employing this genotyping technique. This study characterised 63 clinical isolates into 24 distinct genotypes, with the largest cluster (genotype E) accounting for 10/63 (15.9%) of the isolates. ERIC2 RAPD PCR proved to be a...
Kirisawa R, Toishi Y, Hashimoto H, Tsunoda N.An equine foamy virus (EFV) was isolated for the first time in Japan from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a broodmare that showed wobbler syndrome after surgery for intestinal volvulus and the isolate was designated as EFVeca_LM. Complete nucleotide sequences of EFVeca_LM were determined. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the long terminal repeat (LTR) region, and genes revealed that EFVeca_LM and the EFV reference strain had 97.2% to 99.1% identities. For a sero-epidemiological survey, indirect immunofluorescent antibody tests were carried out using EFVeca_LM-infected cells as an antige...
Rodríguez-Bertos A, Corchero J, Castaño M, Peña L, Luzón M, Gómez-Bautista M, Meana A.The pathological alterations caused by Anoplocephala perfoliata in the ileocaecal junction of 28 equids slaughtered in an abattoir in Madrid (Central Spain) are described. The lesions were scored in grades based on the intensity of the damage and were related to the tapeworm number observed. The first grade (grade I) of alterations consisted of a slight enteritis associated with focal erosions observed in 43% of parasitized animals with low parasitic burden (1-26 tapeworms). The second grade (grade II) was a focal pseudomembranous enteritis, present in the ileocaecal junctions of 36% infected ...
Goodrich LR.Much has been learned in the past decade about osteomyelitis. The inhibitory mechanisms of the "biofilm slime" layer that is formed by bacterial extracapsular exopolysaccharides and binds to bone, joints, and implants are now better understood than in the past. The surface colonization of bacteria that occurs within these biofilms is a biologic phenomenon that is somewhat unique to orthopedic infections. This survival strategy of bacteria is effective, and it is important for veterinarians who treat osteomyelitis to be aware of current diagnostic and therapeutic treatment modalities. The pract...
Sillerud CL, Bey RF, Ball M, Bistner SI.After the observation of 2 horses with uveitis on a horse farm in the Minnesota River valley, 100 horses from this geographic area were given ophthalmologic examinations and were evaluated serologically for leptospirosis. A statistically significant (P less than 0.001) association was observed between the finding of antibodies against Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona and uveitis.
Dao S, Abdillahi AM, Bougoudogo F, Toure K, Simbe C.The district of Bamako is the political and economical capital city of Mali with 1,800,000 inhabitants. The goal of the present retrospective study was to determine the frequency of animal bites, human and animal rabies on the one hand and to determine the frequency and the nature of mad animals on the other hand from January 2000 to December 2003 (4 years). To achieve this goal, we have analysed registers and documents related to rabies in the department of prevention and fight against diseases, the central veterinary laboratory, and also at the lazaret clinic involved in caring for human rab...
Fairbanks EL, Brennan ML, Mertens PPC, Tildesley MJ, Daly JM.African horse sickness (AHS) is a vector-borne disease transmitted by Culicoides spp., endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. There have been many examples of historic and recent outbreaks in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. However, not much is known about infection dynamics and outbreak potential in these naive populations. In order to better inform a previously published ordinary differential equation model, we performed a systematic literature search to identify studies documenting experimental infection of naive (control) equids in vaccination trials. Data on the time until the onset of viraemia...
Swardson CJ, Kociba GJ, Perryman LE.Direct effects of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) on hematopoiesis in vitro were studied. Bone marrow mononuclear cells from clinically normal horses were incubated with 100 TCID50 of EIAV/10(7) cells. These cells were cultured to assay for colonies derived from erythroid progenitors, granulocyte/monocyte progenitors, and fibroblastic progenitors. The EIAV had a selective suppressive effect on the erythroid progenitors. Colony-forming units-erythroid were suppressed to 80% of that for medium controls (P = 0.011). Burst-forming units-erythroid were suppressed to 70% of that for medium con...
Riddin MA, Venter GJ, Labuschagne K, Villet MH.African horse sickness (AHS), a disease of equids caused by the AHS virus, is of major concern in South Africa. With mortality reaching up to 95% in susceptible horses and the apparent reoccurrence of cases in regions deemed non-endemic, most particularly the Eastern Cape, epidemiological research into factors contributing to the increase in the range of this economically important virus became imperative. The vectors, Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), are considered unable to proliferate during the unfavourable climatic conditions experienced in winter in the province, although the annua...
Liu J, Zhang Z, Bai A, Sha Y, Ma L, Qin S, Chen F, Qin S, Wu J.Feline parvovirus (FPV), a type of parvovirus prevalent worldwide, can cause foetal death and acute enteritis in adult cats with severe leukopenia, and yet there are no effective drugs to prevent or treat FPV. Here, the immune effects of two FPV vaccines on horses were compared. IgG was extracted from FPV-immunized horse sera. Equine F(ab') fragments were obtained from pepsin-digested IgG and then purified by protein-G column chromatography. The results showed that the inactivated FPV oil vaccine was more effective than the inactivated FPV propolis vaccine in helping healthy horses to produce ...
Pitel PH, Lindsay DS, Caure S, Romand S, Pronost S, Gargala G, Mitchell SM, Hary C, Thulliez P, Fortier G, Ballet JJ.Sarcocystis neurona is considered a leading cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a common infectious neurological disease in horses in the Americas. EPM-like cases associated with S. neurona peptide reactive antibodies in Western blots were recently described in Normandy, France. In this report, antibodies reacting with S. neurona merozoites were detected using an agglutination assay at titers ranging from 50 to 500 in sera from 18/50 healthy horses from two farms with a previous EPM-like case. Higher values were found in older animals. Four out of six horses which traveled or st...
van den Ingh TS, Binkhorst GJ, Kimman TG, Vreeswijk J, Pol JM, van Oirschot JT.A horse with neurological signs and severe meningoencephalitis caused by Aujeszky's disease is described. The diagnosis was established by immunohistochemistry, DNA-in situ hybridization and serological tests. Aujeszky's disease virus antigen and Aujeszky's disease viral DNA were detected in neurons of the cerebrum. In the serum of the horse antibodies against Aujeszky's disease virus were detected in a virus neutralization test, in a blocking ELISA which specifically detects antibodies against the glycoprotein I (Ig) of the virus, in an indirect double sandwich ELISA and with colloidal gold i...
Lyskova P, Hubka V, Petricakova A, Dobias R, Cmokova A, Kolarik M.Trichophyton bullosum is a zoophilic dermatophyte from the Arthroderma benhamiae complex with a poorly known distribution. In this study, we report a case of dermatophytosis caused by T. bullosum in a 6-year-old male horse who had a skin lesion located in a saddle area. The infection spread rapidly to the upper chest and to both sides of the trunk. The dermatophyte was isolated in culture and identified by sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS rDNA). To date, this is the first verified case of animal infection due to T. bullosum in Europe following the 2012 report o...
Gussmann K, Czech C, Hermann M, Schaarschmidt-Kiener D, von Loewenich FD.A 22-year old mare from Switzerland was admitted to an equine clinic in May 2011. She presented with fever, lethargy, icteric mucous membranes, reduced alertness, an unsteady gait and ataxia. An Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection was confirmed by blood smear and PCR. The mare was treated with oxytetracylin and recovered rapidly, but she still suffered from a slight atactic gait disturbance at 3 weeks post infection. Eine 22 Jahre alte Stute aus der Schweiz wurde im Mai 2011 in eine Pferdeklinik aufgenommen. Die klinischen Symptome bestanden in Fieber, Abgeschlagenheit, ikterischen Schleimhäu...
Niazmand MH, Hirai T, Ito S, Habibi WA, Noori J, Hasheme R, Yamaguchi R.We performed postmortem examinations on seven Misaki feral horses () and evaluated Misaki feral horses, Japanese wild boars (), domestic pigs (), and wild Japanese macaques () from 2015 to 2017 in Cape Toi, Kushima, Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan, for antibodies against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). infection with severe arterial lesions and hemomelasma ilei was present in all necropsied horses. We frequently found intestinal ulcers, perihepatitis filamentosa, and poor body condition. We recorded degenerative arthropathy in metacarpophalangeal joints in two cases and a fracture of t...
Ottley ML, Dallemagne C, Moorhouse DE.Investigations were conducted on the taxonomy, distribution in the carcase, pathology and transmission of Onchocerca spp. in equids from Queensland and the Northern Territory. Examination of small groups of horses and ponies revealed high infection rates with O. cervicalis, while lesser numbers were infected with O. gutturosa. O. reticulata was not found. Neither of the Australian species is likely to be of economic importance to the horsemeat industry. The findings support the belief that O. cervicalis is a pre-disposing factor in the aetiology of equine nuchal disease, most commonly seen cli...
Hildebrandt M.The advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) landscape is entirely different from classical drug development. Academia has been the major source of ATMP development, and academic hospitals act as trial sites for the clinical testing of ATMPs, including early academic-led trials as well as industry-sponsored trials that pursue the full developmental pathway to market authorization. The recent breakthrough developments in some ATMPs, such as genetically engineered immune cells, have confronted academic hospitals with a substantial amount of public demand, competitive pressure, and costs. At t...
Starik E, Ginter A, Coppe P.A monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against the equine arteritis virus (EAV) nucleocapsid (N) protein was used for indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using viral antigen from different sources. The same mAb was labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate for direct immunofluorescence tests (DIFTs). The N-specific mAb appeared to be suitable for the detection in both ELISA and DIFT of different EAV strains and field isolates from semen and tissue samples after passage in lines of RK-13, Vero and fetal equine kidney cells. The ELISA described is an easy and fast method which can ...
Welsh CE, Parkin TDH, Marshall JF.As antimicrobial resistant bacterial strains continue to emerge and spread in human and animal populations, understanding prescription practices is key in benchmarking current performance and setting goals. Antimicrobial prescription (AP) in companion veterinary species is widespread, but is neither monitored nor restricted in the USA and Canada. The veterinary use of certain antimicrobial classes is discouraged in some countries, in the hope of preserving efficacy for serious human infections. Objective: The aim of this study was to ascertain the rate of prescription of a number of 'reserved'...
Bhagwan J, Kumar A, Kumar R, Goyal L, Goel P, Kumar S.A sizeable Indian equine population is considered to be pre-immune carrier of Theileria equi infection. In this study we confirmed the presence of T. equi specific DNA in Hyalomma anatolicum ticks which were infested on sero-positive horses. Fifty two Indigenous horses were randomly selected from endemic areas and their blood and tick samples were collected. Tick salivary glands and blood samples were processed for separation of DNA and serum, respectively. Serum samples were analyzed by EMA-2ELISA and nine horses were found positive for T. equi specific antibodies. Species-specific primers we...
Mimoun L, Steinman A, Kliachko Y, Tirosh-Levy S, Schvartz G, Blinder E, Baneth G, Mazuz ML.Equine Neospora infection has been linked to neurological disorders and infertility in horses. This study looked into the risk factors for infection and the exposure to Neospora spp. in horses. The study was performed in two independent populations in Israel. The first consisted of apparently healthy horses, and the second consisted of mares examined during pregnancy and after parturition. Sera samples collected from horses and mares were tested for Neospora exposure by the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The study revealed seroprevalence of 24% in apparently healthy horses and 66.4...
Salinas-Mélendez JA, Galván de la Garza S, Riojas-Valdés VM, Wong González A, Avalos-Ramírez R.The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in horses from the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Blood serum was obtained from a total of 100 horses residing at different counties in the area. From each animal data was obtained on age, sex, county of residence, presence of ectoparasites and clinical signs. All sera samples were analyzed by indirect immunofluoresence and the sera that resulted positive to this test was analyzed by Western blot. The serological test yielded 34 positive sera at 1:64 dilution, and from them 6 we...
English AW.The anterior mesenteric arteries of 138 horses slaughtered in southern Queensland were examined for the presence of S. vulgaris larvae. Seasonal differences were noted in the size of arterial populations of this parasite, with higher mean monthly numbers of worms per horse occurring in winter. There was an equally high incidence of severe verminous arteritis during the winter months of June, July and August, compared to arteries examined during the warmer months, when there were smaller numbers of larvae. It was concluded that more infective larvae were available on pasture during the warmer m...
Boyle AG, Smith MA, Boston RC, Stefanovski D.OBJECTIVE To develop a risk prediction model for factors associated with an SeM-specific antibody titer ≥ 3,200 in horses after naturally occurring outbreaks of Streptococcus equi subsp equi infection and to validate this model. DESIGN Case-control study. ANIMALS 245 horses: 57 horses involved in strangles outbreaks (case horses) and 188 healthy horses (control horses). PROCEDURES Serum samples were obtained from the 57 cases over a 27.5-month period after the start of outbreaks; serum samples were obtained once from the 188 controls. A Bayesian mixed-effects logistic regression model was us...
Heinrich A, Riethmüller D, Gloger M, Schusser GF, Giese M, Ulbert S.Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) belongs to the Arteriviridae and causes viral arteritis in horses. In an attempt to develop novel and save therapies against the infection it was tested whether EAV is susceptible to RNA interference (RNAi) in an equine in vitro system. Horse cells were transfected with chemically synthesized small interfering RNA oligonucleotides (siRNAs) and challenged with EAV. Application of these siRNAs led to a significant protection of the cells, and virus titers decreased drastically. siRNAs derived from DNA plasmids expressing small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) were also effectiv...
Craigo JK, Ezzelarab C, Cook SJ, Chong L, Horohov D, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.Lentiviral envelope (Env) antigenic variation and associated immune evasion present major obstacles to vaccine development. The concept that Env is a critical determinant for vaccine efficacy is well accepted, however defined correlates of protection associated with Env variation have yet to be determined. We reported an attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine study that directly examined the effect of lentiviral Env sequence variation on vaccine efficacy. The study identified a significant, inverse, linear correlation between vaccine efficacy and increasing divergence of the ...
Lees VW, Gale SP.Sera from horses in Alberta, submitted to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for routine testing for equine infectious anemia from January 1987 to June 1989, were tested for antibody against 13 serovars of pathogenic Leptospira spp., using the microscopic agglutination test. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of serum titers to those serovars in horses in Alberta, and to analyze the associated risk factors. Descriptive statistics were compiled and logistic regressions were computed. Titers to L. interrogans serovars icterohaemorrhagiae, bratislava, copenhageni, and autumn...
