The topic of Public Health and horses encompasses the study of interactions between equine populations and human health systems. It involves examining the transmission of zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that can be transferred between animals and humans, as well as the role of horses in the epidemiology of such diseases. This field also considers the impact of equine-related activities on public health, including injuries and environmental effects. Research in this area often explores preventive measures, management strategies, and policies to mitigate health risks associated with horses. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the intersection of equine and public health, focusing on disease transmission, risk assessment, and health management strategies.
Whitlock F, Grewar J, Newton R.The epidemiology of equine influenza (EI) in the United Kingdom has not been systematically described since the 2019 epidemic. Objective: To summarise UK EI surveillance (2020-2024), quantify outbreak seasonality and assess movement-related sources. Methods: Retrospective observational analysis of national surveillance and horse importation data. Methods: Epidemiological data for laboratory-confirmed EI cases in the United Kingdom were collated. Outbreaks (EI-infected premises) were defined as one or more laboratory-confirmed cases on the same premises within a 4-week period. Monthly outbreak ...
Loy J, Sornalingam K, Cawley A, Scrivener C, Keledjian J, Noble GK.Altrenogest is a synthetic progestogen widely used in equine reproductive management. Adverse effects to altrenogest have been reported in people with cutaneous exposure reported as the highest exposure pathway. Despite these reports, there has been no quantitative research to determine the capacity for altrenogest to be absorbed through skin. This study aimed to determine if cutaneous application of oral altrenogest results in systemic absorption in mares and to evaluate the influence of application site. A randomized, two-period, two-treatment crossover study was undertaken in eight mares. M...
Dundjerovic I, Sneddon LU.Animal welfare concerns both the physical and mental wellbeing of animals so the assessment of animals kept in captivity, for example zoos, is important and necessary both legally and ethically. Good welfare is especially vital when breeding endangered species as stress impairs reproductive investment. As zoos often have high numbers of visitors, it is important to know if humans and the associated noise might influence the animals' welfare. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of visitors and activities offered to the visitors caused a stress response in horses housed...
Burns JJ, MacMillan KM.The Standardbred racing industry plays an important role in the North American economy and is expected to continue operating and growing. However, public perception is often unfavorable, with increasing concern about the health and welfare of Standardbred racehorses. Despite this, limited research has examined Standardbred well-being. To address this gap, a survey of equine trainers on Prince Edward Island (PEI) was conducted to evaluate key health and welfare issues during racing careers. Results showed that over one quarter of respondents had at least one horse displaying stereotypic behavio...
Markowitz JS.Equibase (EQB) race charts provide the official record of North American Thoroughbred races and often document catastrophic injury, euthanasia, or equine-ambulance transport. Because chart documentation and regulatory classification differ, fatalities occurring > 72 hours after a race fall outside international regulatory definitions applied by the Equine Injury Database (EID) and may not appear in EID aggregates. EQB charts confirm horse identity, race participation, finishing status, and last recorded start. Horseracing Wrongs (HRW), an advocacy group, publishes horse-level fatality data tha...
Badr C, Handous M, Nsiri J, ElBehi I, Arbi M, Maaroufi A, Bennour MA, Ben Osman R, Dachraoui K, Abbes M, Mahmoudi A, Khosrof I, Abrougui S, Lachheb J....West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropod borne virus, the most widely distributed of the encephalitic Orthoflaviviruses. It can cause severe neurological symptoms in both humans and horses. It poses an emerging threat to both public and animal health. In this study, we retrospectively screened 25 suspected WNV samples collected from 2018 to 2023. Methods: A total number of 25 samples (brain tissue and blood) were collected from clinically affected horses and those already deceased across several locations in Tunisia. All samples were tested for the presence of WNV NS2A gene using qRT-PCR. Eleven ...
Olakojo TA, Akinniyi OO, Dansu EO, Adeoye AO, Adah O, Nwufoh OC, Adeoye BO, Oridupa OA, Saba AB.Dexamethasone is a common drug used in equine medicine, but when administered inappropriately, it can lead to serious health complications. There is a dearth of data on horse caregivers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding dexamethasone use in Nigeria. Understanding current dexamethasone usage patterns is necessary for developing educational interventions which will then improve equine welfare. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of horse caregivers regarding dexamethasone use in Ibadan, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst a tot...
subsp. (SEZ) is a bacterium that primarily affects horses but can also infect other animals and humans. In 2021-2022, two SEZ outbreaks occurred in Abruzzo, Italy: one in humans linked to unpasteurized cheese (37 cases) and another in donkeys (4 deaths). These events led researchers to investigate SEZ in horses, donkeys, and a mule in the regions of Abruzzo and Molise, focusing on antibiotic resistance and genetic traits. A total of 490 nasal and genital swabs were collected from equids and analyzed for SEZ presence, with 61 positive samples. Isolated strains underwent antimicrobial suscepti...
Whitlock F, Newton R, King S, Ionescu AM, Higgins S.With the geographical distribution of West Nile virus expanding, there is growing concern about the potential for an incursion to the UK. Here, Fleur Whitlock, Richard Newton, Simon King, Andra-Maria Ionescu and Sara Higgins provide a timely reminder of key aspects of the virus' biology.
Boije Af Gennäs K, Jungmalm J.Although horse riding is hazardous and injuries are common, young riders regularly engage in horse-related activities. To our knowledge, there have been no syntheses on youth horse-related injuries published during the past decade that employ a multi- and interdisciplinary research agenda (M-IDR) and that incorporate both quantitative and qualitative methods. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to (1) review studies on horse-related injuries among children and adolescents and (2) identify methodological and paradigmatic trends according to M-IDR. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for System...
Hardefeldt L, Thomas K, Page S, Norris J, Browning G, El Hage C, Stewart A, Gilkerson J, Muscatello G, Verwilghen D, van Galen G, Bauquier J....The growing problem of antimicrobial resistance also affects equine veterinarians with increasing frequency. Antimicrobial stewardship and responsible prescribing are essential for a future in which effective antimicrobials are available, as it is unlikely that new antimicrobials will become available for use in horses. While antimicrobials are commonly used to treat equine infections, complications with therapy are also relatively common. Antimicrobial-associated diarrhoea, immune-mediated diseases, and nephrotoxicity have been reported as sequelae of antimicrobial therapy in equine practice....
Vitale V, Bindi F, Bertelloni F, Sala G, Cingottini D, Bonelli F, Sgorbini M.Bacterial contamination of intravenous catheters in hospitalized horses may pose risks for both patient care and public health due to potential antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic transmission. This prospective clinical study aimed to evaluate the incidence of catheter contamination in equine patients admitted to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 2020 and 2021. All horses requiring intravenous catheterization were included, and data were collected on patient signalment, clinical status, duration of catheterization, treatments, and outcomes. Two catheter types were used: 5 cm polytetrafl...
Ye T, Li XM, Tan WX, Wang CL, Jiang J, Zhao Q.Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by T. gondii, a widely distributed obligate intracellular parasite. It has received widespread attention because it can infect a large number of domestic and wild animals, thereby posing a threat to public health and the economy on a global scale. Among them, equine animals are critical intermediate hosts. However, studies on T. gondii infection in equine animals are currently not systematic on a global scale. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: This study searched for relevant studies in six signi...
Loder RT, Walker AL, Blakemore LC.IntroductionAmputations and avulsion injuries due to horse-associated activity are rare, yet they can result in significant impairment. The purpose of this study was to further investigate such injuries using a national emergency department database.MethodsThe US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was used to identify horse-associated amputation and avulsion injuries occurring between 2000-2023. Demographic data of age, sex, and injury details were collected.ResultsThere were 34,091 emergency department visits for equine-associated injuries, with 120 (0.35%) due to amputati...
Ganbaatar O, Ganzorig S, Tseren-Ochir EO, Suzuki Y, Takai S.In 2024, 90 soil samples and 11 fecal samples were collected from nine Mongolian provinces. Using NANAT selective agar, R. equi was successfully isolated from 23 soil samples (25.6%) across five provinces and from three fecal samples (27.3%) collected in two provinces. A total of 122 isolates were identified as R. equi via choE-targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequently screened for virulence-associated genes (vapA, vapB, and vapN) by PCR. Of these, 17 isolates tested positive for the vapA gene, while the remaining 105 isolates were negative for both vapB and vapN. Plasmid prof...
Żmudzki J, Ostrowska M, Arent Z, Frant M, Kochanowski M, Nowak A, Zębek S, Kalinowski D, Podgórska K.Leptospirosis in horses is associated with various clinical signs, potentially leading to fatal outcomes. Additionally, the disease may pose a zoonotic risk to individuals involved in handling infected animals. Implementing a serological monitoring programme in the equine population is one of the key tools used to reduce the risk of transmission of Leptospira infections to humans. Objective: To provide new insights into the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in domestic horses in Poland. Methods: Serological monitoring program. Methods: Data were collected from serological surveys of horse serum ...
Symoens A, Gauthier ML, Paillette L, Allano M, Lavoie JP, Leclère M.This study aimed to document antimicrobial resistance patterns of bacteria frequently isolated at a referral equine hospital between 2020 and 2022 and to compare these results to those of studies carried out in previous decades at the same reference center. Unassigned: Using the Kirby-Bauer method, 340 tests were completed on bacterial isolates and compared to 233, 255, and 396 tests carried out in 1986 to 1988, 1996 to 1998, and 2007 to 2013, respectively. Data were analyzed with tests for trends, followed by pairwise Fisher tests and Bonferroni corrections. Unassigned: Increasing resistanc...
Imandar M, Javadi A, Abdollahpour G, Mahale PRS, Qanbari A, Mirzaalimohammadi M, Taherkhani E, Olfatifar M, Nikkhahi F, Eslahi AV, Badri M.Leptospirosis, a global zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., poses significant health risks to both animals and humans. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of antibodies against Leptospira interrogans serovars in stabled horses in Qazvin province, Northwest Iran. From January 2023 to April 2024, a total of 83 blood samples were collected from asymptomatic horses using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Results indicated a seroprevalence of 40.96% (95% CI: 31-52), with notable variations among regions: 38.89% (95% CI: 27-52) in Qazvin, 38.46% (95% CI: 18-64) i...
Smith R, Perkins E, Pinchbeck G, Ireland J.Poor pain management in horses is a welfare concern. The 'diagnosis' of pain cannot be separated from the broader set of interactions through which it emerges. The interactions that take place during veterinary consultations shape the ways in which, or whether, pain management is discussed. Objective: To understand owners' and veterinarians' decision making in relation to chronic pain and its management. Methods: Qualitative ethnographic study. Methods: Data were collected from four veterinary practices in Great Britain between May 2023 and April 2024. Around 200 h of ethnographic observatio...
Silva VVD, Leite DPSBM, Gonçalves LMT, Oliveira PRF, Junior JWP, Mota RA.Glanders, caused by Burkholderia mallei, is a zoonotic disease with profound socioeconomic and public health implications, affecting equines and humans. This study investigated glanders cases in Brazil from 2006 to 2023 to identify persistent clusters and analyze temporal trends, providing a foundation for the formulation of effective control policies. Official data were obtained from the National Animal Health Information System (SIZ) and Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), encompassing case notifications and equine population statistics by state and year. The incidence ri...
Haase L, Winter J, Grummt S, Sedlmayr M, Sedlmayr B.Many people seek health-related information online, not only for themselves but also on behalf of others who cannot articulate their symptoms. This proxy information-seeking behavior is particularly relevant for animal owners, who must interpret their animals' symptoms without direct verbal feedback. While online health information-seeking in the context of one's own health is well-studied, the specific challenges of searching by proxy, especially for animal health information, remain largely unexplored. Unassigned: This study aimed to determine the specific information needs and search behavi...
Ghielmetti G, Stevens MJA, Schmitt S, Kittl S, Cernela N, Biggel M, Schulthess B, Keller PM, Schrenzel J, Stephan R.Rhodococcus equi is an intracellular bacterial pathogen that can cause infections in various hosts, including humans and animals. Host-associated virulence plasmids have been identified as key contributors to the pathogenicity of R. equi and potentially play a role in determining the host tropism of the bacteria. The investigation of additional clinical and environmental isolates is likely to provide novel insights into the population structure, infection pathways, and drug resistance of this important pathogen. We combined whole-genome sequencing and antimicrobial-susceptibility testing of 37...
Douglas M, Williams J, Randle H.Recent research has highlighted the detrimental impact of an ill-fitting saddle on equine health, welfare and performance. A correctly fitting saddle may not fit if positioned incorrectly. Objective: This study assessed riders' ability to visually evaluate saddle position and examine factors that influenced accuracy of assessment. Methods: Survey participants were provided with photographs of a series of saddles on horses obtained from the lateral aspect of the left side of the horse. Saddles were either correctly positioned (n = 5), too far forward (n = 5) or too far back (n = 2). This was in...
McGlennon AA, Verheyen KL, Newton JR, van Tonder A, Wilson H, Parkhill J, de Brauwere N, Frosth S, Waller AS.Strangles (Streptococcus equi infection) remains endemic in the UK, with ~300 laboratory diagnoses annually. Sub-clinically infected long-term carriers are considered a key driver of endemicity. Analysing genomes of circulating strains could provide valuable transmission insights of this pathogen. Objective: To determine the population structure and diversity of UK S. equi isolates and to model transmission using epidemiological and whole genome sequencing data. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional epidemiological and genomic surveillance. Methods: A dated phylogenetic tree derived from 511â...
Dachraoui K, Ben Osman R, Ben Slama S, Sayadi A, Maachach Y, Trifi M, Labidi I, Lachheb J, Badr C, Larbi I, Zhioua E.A total of 20 horses belonging to the Pasteur Institute of Tunis used for the production of therapeutic serum antiscorpion venom were tested for the presence of antibodies anti-West Nile virus (WNV) during the 2023 outbreak of West Nile disease that affected humans and horses in Tunisia. Of the 20 samples tested in November 2023 by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA), five were positive, leading to a seroprevalence of 25%. Since the number of horses is not substantial, all samples were tested also by virus microneutralization test (MNT) using the Tunisian strain of WNV lineage 1 isolate...
Saraiva MMS, Rodrigues HLS, Benevides VP, de Leon CMCG, Santos SCL, Stipp DT, Givisiez PEN, Vieira RFC, Oliveira CJB. () is a major cause of opportunistic infections in humans and animals, leading to severe systemic diseases. The rise of MDR strains associated with animal carriage poses significant health challenges, underscoring the need to investigate animal-derived . Objective: This study examined the genotypic relatedness and phenotypic profiles of antimicrobial resistance in . , previously sampled from nostril swabs of healthy horses from two geographically distant Brazilian states (Northeast and South), separated by over 3700 km. The study also sought to confirm the presence of methicillin-resistant (M...
Martins ALM, Estevam LGTM, Freire MA, Lima ACVMDR, de Oliveira FCB, Dutra-Rêgo F, Carvalho GML, Ribeiro VM, Paz GF.Equine leishmaniasis is a widespread disease in Brazil, mainly caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, with occasional cases involving Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. This study reports a mixed infection in a 6-year-old mare from rural Itabirito, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The mare exhibited nodular cutaneous lesions on all limbs but had no other health issues. Skin and bone marrow samples were collected and analyzed using parasitological and molecular methods targeting the hsp70 gene and ITS1 region. Both L. (V.) braziliensis and L. (L.) infantum were identified, confirming a mixed infectio...
Murray K, Selleck P, Hooper P, Hyatt A, Gould A, Gleeson L, Westbury H, Hiley L, Selvey L, Rodwell B.A morbillivirus has been isolated and added to an increasing list of emerging viral diseases. This virus caused an outbreak of fatal respiratory disease in horses and humans. Genetic analyses show it to be only distantly related to the classic morbilliviruses rinderpest, measles, and canine distemper. When seen by electron microscopy, viruses had 10- and 18-nanometer surface projections that gave them a "double-fringed" appearance. The virus induced syncytia that developed in the endothelium of blood vessels, particularly the lungs.
Gelderblom WC, Jaskiewicz K, Marasas WF, Thiel PG, Horak RM, Vleggaar R, Kriek NP.Cultures on corn of Fusarium moniliforme MRC 826 are known to cause leukoencephalomalacia in horses and to be toxic and hepatocarcinogenic in rats. Culture material of this F. moniliforme isolate has also been shown to exhibit cancer-promoting activity in a short-term cancer initiation-promotion bioassay with diethylnitrosamine-initiated rats and the induction of gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase-positive (GGT+) foci as an endpoint after 4 weeks of promotion. This bioassay was used as a monitoring system to isolate cancer-promoting compounds from cultures of F. moniliforme MRC 826. Culture materia...
Equine rabies is a sporadic but highly fatal zoonotic disease. The disease persists in wildlife populations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other parts of the world. It remains a threat to all domestic species, including the horse. This article reports recent advances in the molecular virology of the rabies virus and its pathogenesis, and it also reviews the history, clinical signs, diagnostic tests, vaccination protocols, and postexposure management recommendations for the equine species.
Davis BS, Chang GJ, Cropp B, Roehrig JT, Martin DA, Mitchell CJ, Bowen R, Bunning ML.Introduction of West Nile (WN) virus into the United States in 1999 created major human and animal health concerns. Currently, no human or veterinary vaccine is available to prevent WN viral infection, and mosquito control is the only practical strategy to combat the spread of disease. Starting with a previously designed eukaryotic expression vector, we constructed a recombinant plasmid (pCBWN) that expressed the WN virus prM and E proteins. A single intramuscular injection of pCBWN DNA induced protective immunity, preventing WN virus infection in mice and horses. Recombinant plasmid-transform...
Gilbert M, Nicolas G, Cinardi G, Van Boeckel TP, Vanwambeke SO, Wint GRW, Robinson TP.Global data sets on the geographic distribution of livestock are essential for diverse applications in agricultural socio-economics, food security, environmental impact assessment and epidemiology. We present a new version of the Gridded Livestock of the World (GLW 3) database, reflecting the most recently compiled and harmonized subnational livestock distribution data for 2010. GLW 3 provides global population densities of cattle, buffaloes, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks in each land pixel at a spatial resolution of 0.083333 decimal degrees (approximately 10 km at the equat...
Prescott JF.Recent isolations of Rhodococcus equi from cavitatory pulmonary disease in patients with AIDS have aroused interest among medical microbiologists in this unusual organism. Earlier isolations from humans had also been in immunosuppressed patients following hemolymphatic tumors or renal transplantation. This organism has been recognized for many years as a cause of a serious pyogranulomatous pneumonia of young foals and is occasionally isolated from granulomatous lesions in several other species, in some cases following immunosuppression. The last decade has seen many advances in understanding o...
Plowright RK, Foley P, Field HE, Dobson AP, Foley JE, Eby P, Daszak P.Anthropogenic environmental change is often implicated in the emergence of new zoonoses from wildlife; however, there is little mechanistic understanding of these causal links. Here, we examine the transmission dynamics of an emerging zoonotic paramyxovirus, Hendra virus (HeV), in its endemic host, Australian Pteropus bats (fruit bats or flying foxes). HeV is a biosecurity level 4 (BSL-4) pathogen, with a high case-fatality rate in humans and horses. With models parametrized from field and laboratory data, we explore a set of probable contributory mechanisms that explain the spatial and tempor...
Witte W, Strommenger B, Stanek C, Cuny C.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus of clonal lineage ST398 that exhibits related spa types and contains SCCmec elements of types IVa or V has been isolated from colonized and infected humans and companion animals (e.g., dog, pig, horse) in Germany and Austria. Of particular concern is the association of these cases with cases of nosocomial ventilator-associated pneumonia.
De Briyne N, Atkinson J, Pokludová L, Borriello SP.The Heads of Medicines Agencies and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe undertook a survey to gain an insight into European prescribing of antibiotics for animals, in particular to highlight the diseases for which antibiotics are most commonly said to be prescribed and which different classes, including human critically important antibiotics (CIAs). The survey was completed by 3004 practitioners from 25 European countries. Many older antibiotics (eg, penicillins, tetracyclines) are cited most frequently as the prescribed classes to treat the main food producing species. The frequency of ...
Dubey JP, Desmonts G.SEROLOGICAL and parasitological surveys indicate that Toxoplasma gondii infection is widely prevalent in horses (Riemann et a! 1975). To study the pathogenesis of orally-induced toxoplasmosis, 13 equids aged between Aix months and 13 years (nine ponies, three horses and one mule) were each inoculated orally with 10,000 oocysts of the GT-I strain of TRondii. The equids were killed 33 to 476 days after inoculation and their tissues were bioassaycd for T gondit (Dubey 1985). Details of inoculation, housing, clinical response and parasitological and histological findings were previously reported (...
Li VL, He Y, Contrepois K, Liu H, Kim JT, Wiggenhorn AL, Tanzo JT, Tung AS, Lyu X, Zushin PH, Jansen RS, Michael B, Loh KY, Yang AC, Carl CS....Exercise confers protection against obesity, type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases1-5. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that mediate the metabolic benefits of physical activity remain unclear6. Here we show that exercise stimulates the production of N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe), a blood-borne signalling metabolite that suppresses feeding and obesity. The biosynthesis of Lac-Phe from lactate and phenylalanine occurs in CNDP2+ cells, including macrophages, monocytes and other immune and epithelial cells localized to diverse organs. In diet-induced obese mice,...
Selvey LA, Wells RM, McCormack JG, Ansford AJ, Murray K, Rogers RJ, Lavercombe PS, Selleck P, Sheridan JW.To describe the clinical and epidemiological features of an outbreak of a viral infection affecting humans and horses. Methods: Stables in Hendra, a suburb of Brisbane. Methods: Affected horses and humans, and at-risk human contacts. Results: A pregnant mare died two days after arrival from a paddock elsewhere in Brisbane. Eight to 11 days later, illness (depression, anorexia, fever, dyspnoea, ataxia, tachycardia, tachypnoea and nasal discharge) was reported among 17 other horses from the same or an adjoining stable. Fourteen horses died or were put down. Five and six days after the index mare...
Ching PK, de los Reyes VC, Sucaldito MN, Tayag E, Columna-Vingno AB, Malbas FF, Bolo GC, Sejvar JJ, Eagles D, Playford G, Dueger E, Kaku Y....During 2014, henipavirus infection caused severe illness among humans and horses in southern Philippines; fatality rates among humans were high. Horse-to-human and human-to-human transmission occurred. The most likely source of horse infection was fruit bats. Ongoing surveillance is needed for rapid diagnosis, risk factor investigation, control measure implementation, and further virus characterization.
Zeller HG, Schuffenecker I.West Nile (WN) virus is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus. It is widely distributed in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and southern Europe and was recently introduced to North America. Birds are involved in the cycle of transmission as amplifying hosts. Humans and horses are considered accidental dead-end hosts. WN fever was initially considered a minor arbovirosis, usually inducing a nonsymptomatic or a mild flu-like illness in humans, but some cases of encephalitis associated with fatalities were reported in Israel in the 1950s. After two silent decades, several human and equine outbreaks of ...
Pawelek KA, Huynh GT, Quinlivan M, Cullinane A, Rong L, Perelson AS.Influenza virus infection remains a public health problem worldwide. The mechanisms underlying viral control during an uncomplicated influenza virus infection are not fully understood. Here, we developed a mathematical model including both innate and adaptive immune responses to study the within-host dynamics of equine influenza virus infection in horses. By comparing modeling predictions with both interferon and viral kinetic data, we examined the relative roles of target cell availability, and innate and adaptive immune responses in controlling the virus. Our results show that the rapid and ...
Desquesnes M, Holzmuller P, Lai DH, Dargantes A, Lun ZR, Jittaplapong S.Trypanosoma evansi, the agent of "surra," is a salivarian trypanosome, originating from Africa. It is thought to derive from Trypanosoma brucei by deletion of the maxicircle kinetoplastic DNA (genetic material required for cyclical development in tsetse flies). It is mostly mechanically transmitted by tabanids and stomoxes, initially to camels, in sub-Saharan area. The disease spread from North Africa towards the Middle East, Turkey, India, up to 53° North in Russia, across all South-East Asia, down to Indonesia and the Philippines, and it was also introduced by the conquistadores into Latin ...
Woldehiwet Z.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the recently designated name replacing three species of granulocytic bacteria, Ehrlichia phagocytophila, Ehrlichia equi and the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, after the recent reorganization of the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in the order Rickettsiales. Tick-borne fever (TBF), which is caused by the prototype of A. phagocytophilum, was first described in 1932 in Scotland. A similar disease caused by a related granulocytic agent was first described in horses in the USA in 1969; this was followed by the description of two distinct granulocy...
Calisher CH.Of more than 500 arboviruses recognized worldwide, 5 were first isolated in Canada and 58 were first isolated in the United States. Six of these viruses are human pathogens: western equine encephalitis (WEE) and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) viruses (family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus), St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) and Powassan (POW) viruses (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus), LaCrosse (LAC) virus (Bunyaviridae, Bunyavirus), and Colorado tick fever (CTF) virus (Reoviridae, Coltivirus). Their scientific histories, geographic distributions, virology, epidemiology, vectors, vertebrate hosts, transm...
Weaver SC, Salas R, Rico-Hesse R, Ludwig GV, Oberste MS, Boshell J, Tesh RB.Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus has caused periodic epidemics among human beings and equines in Latin America from the 1920s to the early 1970s. The first major outbreak since 1973 occurred in Venezuela and Colombia during 1995, and involved an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 people. We report an epidemiological and virological investigation of this epidemic. Methods: Virus isolates were made in cell culture from human serum, human throat swabs, and brain tissue from aborted and stillborn human fetuses, as well as from horse brain tissue and pooled mosquito collections. Human sera ...
Marasas WF.This article describes the events leading to the discovery of the fumonisins in South Africa in 1988 and highlights the first 10 years (1988-1998) of fumonisin research. The predominant fungus isolated from moldy corn implicated in a field outbreak of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) in South Africa in 1970 was Fusarium verticillioides (F. moniliforme). This fungus was also prevalent in moldy home-grown corn consumed by people in high-incidence areas of esophageal cancer (EC) in the Transkei region of South Africa. Culture material on corn of F. verticillioides strain MRC 826, which was iso...
O'Sullivan JD, Allworth AM, Paterson DL, Snow TM, Boots R, Gleeson LJ, Gould AR, Hyatt AD, Bradfield J.In September, 1994, an outbreak of severe respiratory disease affected 18 horses, their trainer, and a stablehand in Queensland, Australia. Fourteen horses and one human being died. A novel virus was isolated from those affected and named equine morbillivirus (EMV). We report a case of encephalitis caused by this virus. Results: A 35-year-old man from Queensland had a brief aseptic meningitic illness in August, 1994, shortly after caring for two horses that died from EMV infection and then assisting at their necropsies. He then suffered severe encephalitis 13 months later, characterised by unc...
Sangioni LA, Horta MC, Vianna MC, Gennari SM, Soares RM, Galvão MA, Schumaker TT, Ferreira F, Vidotto O, Labruna MB.We compared the rickettsial infection status of Amblyomma cajennense ticks, humans, dogs, and horses in both Brazilian spotted fever (BSF)-endemic and -nonendemic areas in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Most of the horses and few dogs from BSF-endemic areas had serologic titers against Rickettsia rickettsii antigens. In contrast, no dogs or horses from BSF-nonendemic areas had serologic titers against R. rickettsii antigens, although they were continually exposed to A. cajennense ticks. All human serum samples and ticks from both areas were negative by serologic assay and polymerase chain rea...
Mansfield KL, Hernández-Triana LM, Banyard AC, Fooks AR, Johnson N.Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a significant cause of neurological disease in humans throughout Asia causing an estimated 70,000 human cases each year with approximately 10,000 fatalities. The virus contains a positive sense RNA genome within a host-derived membrane and is classified within the family Flaviviridae. Like many flaviviruses, it is transmitted by mosquitoes, particularly those of the genus Culex in a natural cycle involving birds and some livestock species. Spill-over into domestic animals results in a spectrum of disease ranging from asymptomatic infection in some species t...
Whitlock GC, Estes DM, Torres AG.Burkholderia mallei, the etiologic agent of the disease known as glanders, is primarily a disease affecting horses and is transmitted to humans by direct contact with infected animals. The use of B. mallei as a biological weapon has been reported and currently, there is no vaccine available for either humans or animals. Despite the history and highly infective nature of B. mallei, as well as its potential use as a bio-weapon, B. mallei research to understand the pathogenesis and the host responses to infection remains limited. Therefore, this minireview will focus on current efforts to elucida...
Habarugira G, Suen WW, Hobson-Peters J, Hall RA, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H.West Nile virus (WNV) is an important zoonotic flavivirus responsible for mild fever to severe, lethal neuroinvasive disease in humans, horses, birds, and other wildlife species. Since its discovery, WNV has caused multiple human and animal disease outbreaks in all continents, except Antarctica. Infections are associated with economic losses, mainly due to the cost of treatment of infected patients, control programmes, and loss of animals and animal products. The pathogenesis of WNV has been extensively investigated in natural hosts as well as in several animal models, including rodents, lagom...
Wang LF, Yu M, Hansson E, Pritchard LI, Shiell B, Michalski WP, Eaton BT.An outbreak of acute respiratory disease in Hendra, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia, in September 1994 resulted in the deaths of 14 racing horses and a horse trainer. The causative agent was a new member of the family Paramyxoviridae. The virus was originally called Equine morbillivirus but was renamed Hendra virus (HeV) when molecular characterization highlighted differences between it and members of the genus Morbillivirus. Less than 5 years later, the closely related Nipah virus (NiV) emerged in Malaysia, spread rapidly through the pig population, and caused the deaths of over 100 people. W...
Nagase N, Sasaki A, Yamashita K, Shimizu A, Wakita Y, Kitai S, Kawano J.From April 1999 to December 2000, a survey was made on the distribution of Staphylococcus species on the skin of 7 kinds of animals and humans. Staphylococci were isolated from 12 (100%) of 12 pigs, 17 (89.5%) of 19 horses, 30 (100%) of 30 cows, 73 (90.1%) of 81 chickens, 10 (40%) of 25 dogs, 23 (76.7%) of 30 laboratory mice, 20 (52.6%) of 38 pigeons, and 80 (88.9%) of 90 human beings. The predominant staphylococci isolated from a variety of animal species were novobiocin-resistant species, S. xylosus and S. sciuri regardless of the animal host species. The novobiocin-resistant species includi...
