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.
Neuvonen E, Estola T.A serological survey on the occurrence of group-specific chlamydial antibodies in random sera of Finnish sheep, cattle and horses was performed. The whole material consisted of 1347 serum samples, including 432 ovine, 454 bovine and 461 equine sera. The sera were sent to the laboratory for various serological tests during 1968–1972. Of the ovine sera 9.5%, bovine 12.8 % and equine 7.1 % showed a titer ≥ 1:16 in the complement fixation test. No definite geographic differences could be found in the distribution of the herds which showed positive results. The ubiquity of chlamydial infections...
Plummer G, Goodheart CR, Studdert MJ.Equine herpesviruses with a deoxyribonucleic acid density of 1.716 to 1.717 g/cm(3) were compared with one another by the plaque-reduction test and by the rate of development of cytopathic effect as indicated by plaque size in rabbit kidney cultures. Of the 19 isolates studied, the 9 which had already been tentatively labeled equine abortion viruses were serologically similar to one another; each of them grew more quickly than did any of the other 10 isolates although the mean plaque sizes formed a series of gradations with no clear hiatus which would permit the unequivocal delineation of the ...
Banks KL, Henson JB.A defect in lymphocyte function could be responsible for persistent infection by the equine infectious anemia virus. The number of lymphocytes bearing surface immunoglobulin, as detected by immunofluorescence, and lymphocyte response to mitogens were the same in uninfected and equine infectious anemia-infected animals. A defect in T or B lymphocyte numbers or ability to respond to stimuli was not detected in this chronic virus disease.
Blancquaert AB, Colgan SP, Bruyninckx WJ.To identify the influence of technical factors on the in vitro motility of equine neutrophils towards streptococcus culture supernatant in an under-agarose assay, we studied the changes in eight cell migration parameters. The distances the phagocytes travelled by directed, random and spontaneous migration increased with incubation time, cell concentration and the gelatin and serum contents of the migration plates. The contribution of chemotaxis to the phagocyte migrations, however, decreased simultaneously. The directed and random, though not the spontaneous, migrations of the phagocytes incre...
Rosendal S, Blackwell TE, Lumsden JH, Physick-Sheard PW, Viel L, Watson S, Woods P.Mycoplasma felis has been isolated from horses with pleuritis, and limited research indicates that mycoplasma pleuritis can be reproduced in horses. The serodiagnostic potential of the indirect hemagglutination and the metabolism-inhibition tests was evaluated by testing 177 horses for antibodies to M felis. Seven horses with M felis pleuritis developed antibodies, and 6 horses with sterile or bacterial pleuritis had high titers suggesting a previous M felis infection. Six horses with pleuritis (one sterile and five bacterial) had low or no titers to M felis. Only one of 30 horses with conditi...
Kaji Y, Taniyama H, Matsukawa K, Okada H, Tsunoda S, Tagami M, Akita H.Nodular hepatic lesions caused by larval Echinococcus multilocularis were found in a four-year-old female thoroughbred race horse born and raised in Hokkaido. Before detection of the infection, the infected animal was transported around Honshu for racing. The present disclosure of hydatidosis in a race horse raises concern over the potential danger of spreading the infection throughout Japan by horses possibly infected in Hokkaido.
