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.
Liefman CE.Successful active immunisation of horses against tetanus is dependent on a number of factors of which the toxoid preparation used, its method of application and the ability of the individual horse to respond are fundamental. Two immunisation schedules using an aluminium-based toxoid preparation were examined and the protection determined by monitoring the level of antitoxin afforded by each schedule. The results obtained demonstrated that 2 doses of this toxoid are necessary to ensure 12 months protection in all horses. These results are discussed in relation to the factors involved in active ...
Roberts MC, O'Boyle DA.Over a 3-year period, 1178 faecal samples were cultured from 462 horses admitted to the equine clinic of the University of Queensland; 185 samples were positive for salmonella yielding 213 isolations consisting of 21 serotypes. S. anatum was the predominant serotype isolated (54%) followed by S. ohio (11.27%) and S. typhimurium (9.4%). One hundred and ten horses (23.81%) were positive on one or more occasion, and 42 (9.09%) on more than one occasion. S. anatum was the most common serotype isolated (71.43%) from the main drains in the stable block (33.57% positive samples). The prevalence of sa...
Tatarov G, Khristov S, Martinov S, Gergov P, Khristova V.Attempts were made to produce inactivated vaccines against horse Herpes virus 1, using various inactivating agents and adjuvants, Best results were obtained with vaccine No 3 (glutaraldehide inactivator and "CTC" adjuvant). Used were two strains of the virus (St. Karaja and Varna). isolated in this country in cell cultures of a sucking pig kidney. Vaccine No 3 showed good immunogenic properties. Its application resulted in the full cease of abortions and respiratory diseases on the base of infection with the horse Herpes virus 1. The vaccination protects newborn colts from rhinopneumonitis if ...
Ladds PW, Thomas AD, Pott B.A case of acute meningoencephalomyelitis caused by infection with Pseudomonas pseudomallei is described. Clinically there was inability to stand, opisthotonus, facial paralysis and nystagmus, rapidly progressing to violent struggling. Gross examination revealed malacia and haemorrhage in the medulla oblongata and adjacent spinal cord. Microscopically there were disseminated focal neutrophilic accumulations in affected areas, perivascular cuffing with mononuclear cells and lymphocytes and marked oedema. Intracellular bacteria were identified in sections stained by the Giemsa method.
Caporale VP, Biancifiori F, Frescura F, Di Matteo A, Nannini D, Urbani G.Comparative tests such as FAT, ELISA, RIA, IEO and CF in the diagnosis of dourine in the horse have proved a satisfactory concordance ratio of the ELISA with CF, which seems to be the most reliable test. Discrepancies have been observed as to the other tests which appear less sensitive than CF test.
Grădinaru DA, Stirbu C, Păltineanu D, Mironescu D, Manolescu N.The Wyoming strain of equine infectious anemia virus was adapted to cell cultures by 7 passages in horse leukocytes and 14 passages in fetal equine dermal and kidney cells. The virus was made evident by electron microscopy and immunodiffusion tests with antigens prepared from culture fluids.
Tainturier D, Picavet DP, Badin De Montjoye T, Guaguere J, Tailliar S, Dabernat HJ, Ferney J.Serological response of pony mares to contagious equine metritis is studied comparing three techniques: slow agglutination, complement fixation and indirect immunofluorescence. Sera were taken from pony mares vaccinated with a heat inactivated suspension of Haemophilus equigenitalis, from experimentally-infected pony mares and from healthy horses. All three reactions detected antibodies in vaccinated and infected animals. The highest titers are observed with vaccinated mares. Titers are low in infected animals. Antibodies detected by indirect immunofluorescence appeared sooner and persisted lo...
Gilmour JS, Brown R, Johnson P.In an attempt to compare the equine grass sickness as reported in Europe with that described in the Republic of Colombia, sera from horses experiencing grass sickness in Scotland were used in neutralisation tests with Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin. The sera, from acute and chronic cases of the disease, failed to neutralise either crude or partially-purified enterotoxin. Neither were precipitin lines formed when the sera were treated against the toxin in immunoelectrophoresis. These results suggest that grass sickness in Europe and the equine disease in Colombia have a different ae...
Sugimoto C, Isayama Y, Kashiwazaki M, Mitani K.The minimal inhibitory concentrations of 31 antimicrobial agents were determined for 99 isolates of Haemophilus equigenitalis by the agar dilution method. All the isolates showed good susceptibility to 26 antimicrobial agents tests, minimal inhibitory concentrations of which were less than 3.13 micrograms/ml for more than 90% of the isolates. Of these agents, 4 macrolides (erythromycin, oleandomycin, kitasamycin, tylosin), 3 tetracyclines (tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline), 1 peptide (colistin), 1 penicillin (ampicillin) and 1 pleuromutilin (tiamulin) were the most active agent...
Sentsui H, Kono Y.Six strains of equine infectious anemia (EIA) virus propagated in equine leukocyte cultures were found to agglutinate horse erythrocytes. Concentrated virus material containing about 20 units of complement fixation (CF) titer showed hemagglutinating (HA) titers ranging from 4 to 8 units. The HA activity remained stable after ether treatment and was reduced by trypsin, formaldehyde and KIO4. Cesium chloride equilibrium density gradient centrifugation revealed two populations of hemagglutinin, one in the density range of 1.15-1.16 g/ml coinciding with a peak of CF antigen and the other at round ...
ter Laak EA.The properties of the bacterium, symptoms, post-mortem findings, diagnosis, therapy, control, prevention and epizootiology of contagious equine metritis 1977 (CEM) are reviewed. This disease was previously diagnosed in most of the countries surrounding the Netherlands, but has not been reported so far in the Netherlands. On the analogy of the serum adopted in other countries, a code of practice was developed to prevent and control this disease when it is diagnosed.
Benton CV, Brown BL, Harshman JS, Gilden RV.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) was successfully inoculated onto cell cultures of canine and feline origin, resulting in chronic infections in these cultures. Infection of equine cell cultures, which were the previous sole in vitro source demonstrated for virus production, was also performed for comparative purposes. Determination of the nature of the virus produced in the heterologous as well as the equine cells was accomplished in several ways. SDS-PAGE of purified virus from the different cell lines indicated very similar protein composition. Immunological identity was observed in gel...
Dutta SK, Myrup A, Bumgardner MK.Six pony foals, experimentally infected with equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), were studied for their lymphocyte responses to EHV-1 and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulations. Lymphocyte blastic transformation in the presence of EHV-1 appeared as early as 2 days after the foals were inoculated, reached a peak in 7 to 10 days, and subsequently decreased. In contrast, the lymphocyte blastic transformation in the presence of PHA increased sharply, reaching a peak in 2 to 3 days, and then decreased to its lowest level in 10 days after which it returned to its near preinoculation level. As for the mecha...
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...
Anthony ND.The clinical signs of horses infected with equine influenza in two Queensland locations, Morgan Park Recreational Grounds at Warwick, and the western region of Brisbane, are described and compared. Clinical signs were observed to be more severe, and treatment more intensive, in horses in stressful settings.
Weremowicz S, Parzych R, Malicki K.Summary
The outbreak of equine influenza in Poland in 1980 was caused by an equine influenza virus antigenically related to the strain A/equine/Miami/63/Heq2, Neq2. This was confirmed by isolation of six strains of influenza virus from horses suffering from the acute form of the disease. About 45 % and 69 % of positive results were obtained in the HI test performed with sera taken from convalescent and affected animals, respectively. A relatively high level of antibodies against newly isolated equine influenza virus strains was found in 50 % of serum samples taken from the grooms. A relativ...