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.
Weese JS, Archambault M, Willey BM, Hearn P, Kreiswirth BN, Said-Salim B, McGeer A, Likhoshvay Y, Prescott JF, Low DE.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection was identified in 2 horses treated at a veterinary hospital in 2000, prompting a study of colonization rates of horses and associated persons. Seventy-nine horses and 27 persons colonized or infected with MRSA were identified from October 2000 to November 2002; most isolations occurred in a 3-month period in 2002. Twenty-seven (34%) of the equine isolates were from the veterinary hospital, while 41 (51%) were from 1 thoroughbred farm in Ontario. Seventeen (63%) of 27 human isolates were from the veterinary hospital, and 8 (30%) were ...
Thomas DR, Chalmers RM, Crook B, Stagg S, Thomas HV, Lewis G, Salmon RL, Caul EO, Morgan KL, Coleman TJ, Morgan-Capner P, Sillist M, Kench SM....Borna disease is an infectious neurological disease of horses, sheep and possibly other animals. A role for Borna disease virus (BDV) in human neurological and psychiatric illness has been proposed, but this hypothesis remains controversial. Objective: To investigate the epidemiology of BDV in UK farming communities. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: We measured the seroprevalence of BDV in the PHLS Farm Cohort, a representative sample of those employed in agriculture in the UK, and investigated the clinical significance of our findings by comparing the prevalence of symptoms of ne...
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...
Schuffenecker I, Peyrefitte CN, el Harrak M, Murri S, Leblond A, Zeller HG.West Nile virus (WNV) reemerged in Morocco in September 2003, causing an equine outbreak. A WNV strain isolated from a brain biopsy was completely sequenced. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, Moroccan WNV strains isolated during the 1996 and 2003 outbreaks were closely related to other strains responsible for equine outbreaks in the western Mediterranean basin.
Weese JS, Rousseau J, Traub-Dargatz JL, Willey BM, McGeer AJ, Low DE.To evaluate the prevalence of nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in horses and horse personnel. Methods: Prospective prevalence study. Methods: 972 horses and 107 personnel from equine farms in Ontario, Canada and New York state. Methods: Nasal swab specimens were collected from horses and humans on farms with (targeted surveillance) and without (nontargeted surveillance) a history of MRSA colonization or infection in horses during the preceding year. Selective culture for MRSA was performed. Isolates were typed via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and ...
Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM.African horse sickness (AHS) is an infectious but no-contagious viral disease of equidae with high mortality in horses. The disease is caused by an arthropod-borne double-stranded RNA virus within the genus Orbivirus of the family Reoviridae transmitted by at least two species of Culicoides. Nine different serotypes have been described. The nine serotypes of AHS have been described in eastern and southern Africa. Only AHS serotypes 9 and 4 have been found in West Africa from where they occasionally spread into countries surrounding the Mediterranean. Examples of outbreaks that have occurred ou...
Ward MP, Brady TH, Couëtil LL, Liljebjelke K, Maurer JJ, Wu CC.An outbreak of salmonellosis in a population of hospitalized horses resulted in the closure of a teaching hospital for a period of 10 weeks. Fecal samples were collected from suspected cases and cultured for Salmonella. Salmonella isolates were characterized using antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and phage typing. Thirty-three cases of infection by a multidrug-resistant strain of S. typhimurium were detected. The index case was admitted on 26 August 1999. Fifteen (45%) cases occurred between April and June 2000. PFGE results suggested that this stra...
Davidson AH, Traub-Dargatz JL, Rodeheaver RM, Ostlund EN, Pedersen DD, Moorhead RG, Stricklin JB, Dewell RD, Roach SD, Long RE, Albers SJ, Callan RJ....To compare neutralizing antibody response between horses vaccinated against West Nile virus (WNV) and horses that survived naturally occurring infection. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study. Methods: 187 horses vaccinated with a killed WNV vaccine and 37 horses with confirmed clinical WNV infection. Methods: Serum was collected from vaccinated horses prior to and 4 to 6 weeks after completion of an initial vaccination series (2 doses) and 5 to 7 months later. Serum was collected from affected horses 4 to 6 weeks after laboratory diagnosis of infection and 5 to 7 months after the first...
Glaser A.Before the introduction of the West Nile virus (WNV) into the United States of America (USA) in 1999, conditions in North America were ideal for an arboviral epidemic. Such factors as the large, susceptible and non-immune animal and human populations, the presence of competent vectors, increasing international travel and commerce, existing methods for rapid dissemination and an ill-prepared animal and public health infrastructure all combined to create the essential elements for a severe animal and public health crisis--the 'perfect microbial storm'. The introduction of WNV into New York City ...
van der Heide R, Koopmans MP, Shekary N, Houwers DJ, van Duynhoven YT, van der Poel WH.To gain more insight into interspecies transmission of rotavirus group A, human and animal fecal samples were collected between 1997 and 2001 in The Netherlands. A total of 110 human stool samples were successfully P and G genotyped by reverse transcriptase PCR. All strains belonged to the main human rotavirus genotypes G1 to G4, G9, [P4], [P6], [P8], and [P9]. [P8]G1 was predominant, and 5.5% belonged to the G9 genotype. Eleven percent of all P[8] genotypes could be genotyped only by a recently published modified primer. Rotavirus-positive fecal samples from 28 calf herds were genotyped by DN...
Arroyo LG, Kruth SA, Willey BM, Staempfli HR, Low DE, Weese JS.Molecular typing of Clostridium difficile isolates from animals and humans may be useful for evaluation of the possibility for interspecies transmission. The objective of this study was to evaluate C. difficile isolates from domestic animals and humans using PCR ribotyping. Isolates were also tested using PCR for the presence of genes encoding toxins A and B. One hundred and thirty-three isolates of C. difficile from dogs (n = 92), horses (n = 21) and humans (n = 20), plus one each from a cat and a calf, were evaluated. Overall, 23 ribotypes were identified. Of these, nine were identified from...
Estrada-Franco JG, Navarro-Lopez R, Freier JE, Cordova D, Clements T, Moncayo A, Kang W, Gomez-Hernandez C, Rodriguez-Dominguez G, Ludwig GV....Equine epizootics of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) occurred in the southern Mexican states of Chiapas in 1993 and Oaxaca in 1996. To assess the impact of continuing circulation of VEE virus (VEEV) on human and animal populations, serologic and viral isolation studies were conducted in 2000 to 2001 in Chiapas State. Human serosurveys and risk analyses indicated that long-term endemic transmission of VEEV occurred among villages with seroprevalence levels of 18% to 75% and that medical personnel had a high risk for VEEV exposure. Seroprevalence in wild animals suggested cotton rats as pos...
van der Meulen KM, Pensaert MB, Nauwynck HJ.West Nile virus (WNV), an arthropod-borne virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae, had been recognized in Africa, Asia and the south of Europe for many decades. Only recently, it has been associated with an increasing number of outbreaks of encephalitis in humans and equines as well as an increasing number of infections in vertebrates of a wide variety of species. In this article, the data available on the incidence of WNV in vertebrates are reviewed. Moreover, the role of vertebrates in the transmission of WNV, the control of WNV infections in veterinary medicine as well as future perspect...
Vest DJ, Cohen ND, Berezowski CJ, Morehead JP, Blodgett GP, Blanchard TL.To determine whether administration of killed West Nile virus vaccine was associated with pregnancy loss among broodmares. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: 595 mares. Methods: Records of pregnant mares with known vaccination history from 4 farms were reviewed. Information obtained from 595 mares included mare's identification; farm; age; breed; reproductive status; last breeding date; date last known pregnant; vaccination date; age of conceptus at vaccination; vaccination during the early embryonic, early fetal, and late fetal periods; and whether an early embryonic death (EED), e...
Mands V, Kline DL, Blackwell A.Examples of the commercial trap Mosquito Magnet Pro (MMP emitting attractant 1-octen-3-ol in carbon dioxide 500 mL/min generated from propane fuel), were run 24 h/day on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, during June-August 2001 and evaluated for catching Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). From 30 days trapping, the catch averaged 2626 +/- 1358 Culicoides females/trap/day (mean +/- SE, range 558 +/- 139 to 6088 +/- 3597, for five sets of six consecutive nights), predominantly the pest Culicoides impunctatus Goetghebuer (68% overall), plus C. vexans (Staeger) > C. delta Edwards &g...
Paweska JT, Venter GJ.Field-collected Culicoides species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) were fed on horse blood-virus mixtures containing one of the six serotypes of equine encephalosis virus (EEV1 to EEV6). The virus mean titres in the bloodmeals varied between 6.1 and 7.0 log10TCID50/mL. Of 19 Culicoides species assayed after 10 days extrinsic incubation at 23.5 degrees C, five yielded the challenge virus, namely Culicoides (Avaritia) imicola Kieffer (EEV1-6), C. (A.) bolitinos Meiswinkel (EEV1, 2, 4, 6), C. (Meijerehelea) leucostictus Kiefer (EEV1, 2), C. (Culicoides) magnus Colaço (EEV1) and C. (Hoffmania) zuluens...
Johnson PJ.Certain management practices tend to promote the development of obesity (metabolic syndrome) in mature horses as they enter their teenage years. These management practices include the provision of starch-rich (high glycemic index) and fat-supplemented rations to healthy horses that are relatively inactive. Some horse breeds and ponies appear to be genetically predisposed to metabolic syndrome. The accretion of intra-abdominal adiposity by equids is associated with the development of insulin insensitivity (hyperinsulinemia), glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insidious-onset l...
Levkutová M, Hípiková V, Faitelzon S, Benath G, Paulík S, Levkut M.Infection with the intracellular microsporidium Encephalitozoon cuniculi can cause a serious disease--encephalitozoonosis in various animals and people. Several species of mammals, including the horse, were seem to be potential sources of encephalitozoonosis for animal as well as human hosts. The disease diagnosis is based on clinical signs, pathological findings, and the detection of E. cuniculi or circulating antibodies directed against the parasite. This study investigates the seroconversion to E. cuniculi in horses admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Hebrew University of Je...
Boldbaatar D, Xuan X, Battsetseg B, Igarashi I, Battur B, Batsukh Z, Bayambaa B, Fujisaki K.The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the occurrence of equine piroplasmosis in Mongolia, a country in which the disease occurs epidemically in different climatic conditions. Antibodies to Babesia equi and B. caballi were determined in serum samples of 254 pastured horses in different locations of Mongolia using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with recombinant antigens. One hundred and eighty-five (72.8%) and 102 (40.1%) of all serum samples were positive for B. equi and B. caballi infections, respectively. In addition, 78 (30.7%) samples were positive for both B. equi and B. cabal...
Morris BA, Sadana A.A fractal analysis is presented for the detection of pathogens such as Franscisela tularensis, Yersinia pestis (the bacterium that causes plague), Bacillus anthracis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus, Vavcinia virus, and Escherichia coli using a cellular analysis and notification of antigens risks and yields (CANARY) biosensor [T.H. Rider, M.S. Petrovic, F.E. Nargi, J.D Harper, E.D. Schwoebel, R.H. Mathews, D.J. Blanchard, L.T Bortolin, A.M. Young, J. Chen, M.A. Hollis, A cell-based sensor for rapid identification of pathogens, Science 301 (2003, 11 July) 213-215, T.H. Rider, M.S. Pe...
Obregón AM, Fernández C, Rodríguez I, Balbis Y, Martínez B, Rodríguez J.To assess the sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, and stability of five latex agglutination systems for detecting antibodies against leptospira in human and animal sera, by using the Leptospira serotypes that are most widely prevalent in Cuba. Methods: We performed an analytic and descriptive study with 706 human sera (65 tested positive for antibodies against leptospira with microagglutination (MAT) and hemagglutination (HA) techniques; 156 sera that tested negative with MAT and HA); 485 sera from 424 patients who had clinical or epidemiologic signs of leptospirosis; and 29 animal sera...
Miller RL, Webster JK, Mariger SC.The purposes of this study were to identify the source and frequency of agricultural injuries in Utah, and determine an injury rate for common agricultural activities. Previous studies conducted in Utah examined injury rates by utilizing emergency room logs. This study collected data directly from the source, farmers and ranchers in Utah, and included all modes of treatment. A random sample of Utah Farm Bureau members were mailed questionnaires to assess the number of injuries occurring during the past three years, the mode of treatment for the most recent injury, and the percentage of time sp...
Oxford JS, Lambkin R, Sefton A, Daniels R, Elliot A, Brown R, Gill D.The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 was a cataclysmic outbreak of infection wherein over 50 million people died worldwide within 18 months. The question of the origin is important because most influenza surveillance at present is focussed on S.E. Asia. Two later pandemic viruses in 1957 and 1968 arose in this region. However we present evidence that early outbreaks of a new disease with rapid onset and spreadability, high mortality in young soldiers in the British base camp at Etaples in Northern France in the winter of 1917 is, at least to date, the most likely focus of origin of the pa...
Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Proudman CJ, Morgan KL, French NP.Equine fatalities during racing continue to be a major welfare concern and falls at fences are responsible for a proportion of all equine fatalities recorded on racecourses. Objective: To identify and quantify risk factors for horse falls in National Hunt (NH) racing and to report the frequency of falling and falling-associated fatalities. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 2879 horse starts in hurdle and steeplechase races on 6 UK racecourses. Any horse that suffered a fall at a steeplechase or hurdle fence during the race was defined as a case. Data were obtained by intervi...
Cole FL, Mellor DJ, Hodgson DR, Reid SW.The proportion of the horses, of both sexes and of different ages, breeds and levels of activity, owned by a stratified random sample of Australian owners, which had suffered one or more episodes of exertional rhabdomyolysis during the previous 12 months was determined. The proportion in the general population was 1.9 per cent, and horses which exercised were significantly more likely to have experienced the condition than horses which did not. There were significant differences between the sexes and between certain breeds and activity groups in the proportions of horses affected.
Ribeiro MG, Seki I, Yasuoka K, Kakuda T, Sasaki Y, Tsubaki S, Takai S.We investigated the prevalence of virulent Rhodococcus equi in clinical isolates from 41 foals (19 sporadic and seven endemic cases) in Brazil between 1991 and 2003. Of the 41 virulent isolates, six contained an 85-kb type I plasmid, 33 contained an 87-kb type I plasmid, both of which have been found in isolates from the Americas, and the remaining two contained a new variant, which did not display the EcoRI, EcoT22I and BamHI digestion patterns of the 11 representative plasmids already reported (85-kb types I-IV; 87-kb types I and II; 90-kb types I-V). We tentatively designated the new varian...
Rosanowski SM, Carpenter TE, Adamson D, Rogers CW, Pearce P, Burns M, Cogger N.Equine influenza (EI) is an infectious respiratory disease of horses that has never been reported in New Zealand (NZ). However, the 2007 EI outbreak in Australia, previously EI free, spurred the NZ government and stakeholders into evaluating alternative EI control strategies in order to economically justify any future decision to eradicate or manage EI. To build on the policy debate, this paper presents an epinomic (epidemiologic and economic) modelling approach to evaluate alternative control strategies. An epidemiologic model to determine how alternative EI control strategies influence the d...
Dey S, Dwivedi SK.A cross sectional study recorded the Lead (Pb) concentrations in blood from 288 horses in urban areas. Mean blood Pb concentration was estimated as 0.47 +/- 0.02 and 0.55 +/- 0.02 ppm in horses for industrial and highway-adjacent localities respectively. Mean blood Pb in horses from rural areas was 0.38 +/- 0.03 ppm. The mean Pb in forage samples from these horses was 36.96 +/- 6.23, 52.08 +/- 9.86 and 11.72 +/- 1.34 ppm in industrial, highway-adjacent and rural localities respectively. No overt signs of Pb toxicosis were seen in these animals
Dittmer H.Injuries are relatively rare in horse riding compared to other sports, but when they occur they are rather severe and dangerous: about 40% of the injured suffer from fractures, for instance and only 15% from sprains. About 20% have to be admitted to the hospital. Roughly 30% of the injuries involve the arm and 7.5%-10% the spine. The head is injured in 20%, the brain in 8% and the lower extremity in only about 20%. That means that the majority of injuries involve the upper half of the body. One quarter of all lethal sport injuries are caused by horse riding.
Sebastian MM, Stewart I, Williams NM, Poonacha KB, Sells SF, Vickers ML, Harrison LR.Pathological, entomological and avian investigations were conducted during the summer of 2002, in a horse farm that had four cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses. All the four horses had encephalitis and WNV infection was confirmed by RT-PCR and in situ hybridization procedure. Forty-seven per cent of house sparrows that resided on the farm were tested positive for WNV infection. Mosquitoes (98%Culex pipiens) collected by trapping at the farm, during this period were positive for WNV. The meteorological data for year 2002 were compared to previous 16 years. The precipitation and ...
Kuehn R, Kaczensky P, Lkhagvasuren D, Pietsch S, Walzer C.Recent studies suggest that Asiatic wild asses (Equus hemionus) are being increasingly poached in a commercial fashion. Part of the meat is believed to reach the meat markets in the capital Ulaanbaatar. To test this hypothesis, we collected 500 meat samples between February and May 2006. To differentiate between domestic horse (Equus caballus) and wild ass meat, we developed a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We amplified and sequenced a cytochrome b fragment (335 bp) and carried out a multialignment of the generated sequences ...
Molini U, Zaccaria G, Kandiwa E, Mushonga B, Khaiseb S, Ntahonshikira C, Chiwome B, Baines I, Madzingira O, Savini G, D'Alterio N.African horse sickness (AHS) is a non-contagious viral disease of horses and other equids caused by an arbovirus belonging to the Reoviridae family and genus Orbivirus. AHS is an endemic disease that is responsible for the death of a high number of horses every year in Namibia. At present, there is no information on the prevalence and distribution of AHS virus (AHSV) serotypes in the different regions of Namibia. Therefore, this survey aimed to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the AHSV seroprevalence in Namibian donkeys. Methods: A total of 260 blood samples (20 samples for each region...
The aim of the study was to analyse the fitness level of young horse riders before and after 12 weeks of training restrictions instituted due to the COVID-19 emergency. Anthropometrical measure assessment and an eight-items fitness test battery were administered to 61 puberal and adolescent female amateur horse riders. Subjects were evaluated within 3 weeks before (pre-tests) the period of training restrictions and on the first day of normal training after it (post-tests). Post-test results showed significant increases in body weight (Z: −1.732; p value: 0.001; ES: −0.157) and BMI (F: 9.91...
Lefebvre D, Lips D, Odberg FO, Giffroy JM.Routinely performed painful procedures are of increasing interest and, in 2001 (Royal Order, May 17), Belgium prohibited docking in several vertebrates including horses. In 2004, opponents to this decision submitted a Bill (Doc51 0969/001) to Parliament, intending to obtain derogation for Belgian draught horses, which were traditionally docked. The Animal Welfare Council of Belgium, an official body advising the Minister of Public Health, was asked to evaluate this complex question, including biological, ethical and socio-economic aspects, on the basis of the available peer-reviewed studies. I...
Donahue JM, Timoney PJ, Carleton CL, Marteniuk JV, Sells SF, Meade BJ.This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of Taylorella asinigenitalis in a subset of the donkey population of Michigan and in other equids on farms on which the organism was identified. Other aims were to further characterize the carrier state in terms of persistence and preferred sites of colonization of T. asinigenitalis in the male donkey as well as determine the genotype of any isolates of the organism. Initial testing of 43 donkeys and 1 mule turned up 4 (9.3%) donkeys culture positive for T. asinigenitalis. The 4 culture-positive donkeys resided on 2 farms accommodating a ...
Tirosh-Levy S, Gürbilek SE, Tel OY, Keskin O, Steinman A.Rhodococcus equi is a common cause of pneumonia in foals and has extensive clinical, economic and possibly zoonotic consequences. This bacterium survives well in the environment and may be considered as normal flora of adult horses. Certain strains of this bacterium are extremely virulent in foals, and early identification and intervention is crucial for prognosis. Rhodococcus equi is endemic in many parts of the world and occasionally isolated in Israel. This study was designed to evaluate R. equi seroprevalence in adult horses in Israel to indirectly indicate the potential level of exposure ...
Waraksa E, Wójtowicz-Zawadka M, Kwiatkowska D, Jarek A, Małkowska A, Wrzesień R, Namieśnik J.A novel assay for the simultaneous determination of ibuprofen (IBU) and its four probable metabolites, 1-hydroxyibuprofen (1-OH IBU), 2-hydroxyibuprofen (2-OH IBU), 3-hydroxyibuprofen (3-OH IBU) and carboxyibuprofen (CBX IBU) in equine urine samples with the application of Gas Chromatography-Electron Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) has been developed and elaborated. The new approach for sample preparation including minimizing matrix effects by the application of weak cation exchange solid-phase extraction together with strong cation exchange solid-phase extraction has been applied. The...
Plata-Hipólito CB, Cedillo-Rosales S, Obregón-Macías N, Hernández-Luna CE, Rodríguez-Padilla C, Tamez-Guerra RS, Contreras-Cordero JF.Despite the uncontrolled distribution of the Influenza A virus through wild birds, the detection of canine influenza virus and equine influenza virus in Mexico was absent until now. Recently, outbreaks of equine and canine influenza have been reported around the world; the virus spreads quickly among animals and there is potential for zoonotic transmission. Methods: Amplification of the Influenza A virus matrix gene from necropsies, nasal and conjunctival swabs from trash service horses and pets/stray dogs was performed through RT-PCR. The seroprevalence was carried out through Sandwich enzyme...
Müntener CR, Bruckner L, Gassner B, Stürer A, Demuth DC, Althaus FR, Zwahlen R.We received 190 reports of suspected adverse events (SARs) following the use of veterinary drugs for the year 2006: 118 declarations for veterinary drugs and 72 declarations following the application of immunolgical medicinal products. Most of the 118 declarations relate to the use of antiparasitic drugs (48%) and every second declaration to drug use in dogs. Other drug classes concerned were, in decreasing order, antiinfectives (20%) and drugs used off-label (12%; other target species or other indication). For the vaccines, most of the reactions occurred in dogs (62%) followed by horses (11%)...
Atock MA, Williams RB.In the large majority of cases and circumstances, horses benefit from their association with man. However, abuse of horses can occur, due to neglect or through the pressures of competition. The welfare of all animals, including competition horses, has become increasingly topical over the past ten years. Equestrian sport is coming under closer public scrutiny due to reports of apparent abuse. The bodies responsible for regulating these sports strenuously endeavour to protect the welfare of horses which compete under their rules and regulations. The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI: Int...
Piva S, Caffara M, Pasquali F, Castagnetti C, Iacono E, Massella E, Zanoni RG, Galuppi R.The presence of Cryptosporidium in institutions such as veterinary teaching hospitals, where students and staff are in frequent contact with animals, could represent a serious public health risk. In this study the detection and quantification of the Cryptosporidium oocysts present on the environmental surfaces of an Equine Perinatology Unit (EPU) were investigated. During 3 foaling seasons 175 samples obtained by swabbing an area of the floor and walls of boxes and utility rooms of EPU with sterile gauze, in 3 different moments. Samples were collected at the end of foaling season (July), after...
Estola T, Neuvonen E.In 1974, a very extensive influenza/A/equi 2 epidemic broke out in the Finnish horse population. To study the efficacy of influenza vaccinations a questionnaire was sent after the epidemic to all Finnish veterinarians. The answer material was selected to contain only stables which had had clinically typical cases. The material consisted 234 unvaccinated and 629 vaccinated horses. In the latter group 466 horses were vaccinated adequately. The results of the study showed that of the unvaccinated horses 212 (91%) and of the adequately vaccinated horses only 42 (9.4%) contracted clinically typical...
Lopes KFC, Delai RM, Fazoli KGZ, Rey LMR, Lopes-Mori FMR, Benitez ADN, Borges Neto A, Bernardes JC, Caldart ET, Mitsuka-Breganó R, Navarro IT....The presence of DNA and anti- spp. antibodies in the serum of 112 healthy horses was investigated by evaluating the physical examination, from a rural society located in the north central region of Paraná. The antigens of , , and were used to perform the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, where it was possible to detect the reaction in 27.67% of the samples. These were also subjected to the real-time quantitative PCR, which confirmed the presence of spp. DNA in 67.34% of the tested samples. The results show that the tested animals were previously exposed to the protozoan. Thus, the...
Han SW, Cho YK, Rim JM, Kang JG, Choi KS, Chae JS. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging zoonotic tick-borne disease in East Asia caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). It is to investigate the presence of SFTSV RNA and antibodies in horses from a slaughterhouse and equestrian centers in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A prevalence study of SFTSV-specific RNA and antibodies was designed from 889 horses in the ROK. Serum samples were collected from horses at a slaughterhouse and equestrian centers from 2018 to 2020. To detect the presence of SFTSV, RNA was extracted from the serum samples, and a nested reverse transcriptio...
Sahu A, Dhanze H, Singh V, Mehta D, Gupta M, Singh M, Vinod VK, Gulati BR.Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a re-emerging mosquito borne disease, for which equines are most susceptible amongst all animals. Detection of specific immunoglobulin 'M' (IgM) is considered as an ideal way to diagnose recent JE virus infection in equines due to low virus load and short-term viremia. The present study was undertaken to develop a sensitive and specific recombinant NS1 protein based indirect IgM-ELISA and IgM capture (MAC) ELISA to diagnose recent infection of JEV in equines. Indirect IgM ELISA was standardized with relative diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 88.5%...
Vesonder R, Haliburton J, Golinski P.Feed samples of corn, pelleted feed, and oats associated with equine leucoencephalomalacia (ELEM) were obtained from North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, and Oklahoma. These samples contained a high colony density of Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon which ranged from 64 to 87% of the total fungi. Fifty-nine F. moniliforme strains were isolated. Isolates of F. moniliforme in feed samples from Illinois, Indiana, and Oklahoma were cultured on corn. The fermented corn, mixed with regular feed and fed to one-day-old ducklings, effected a high mortality coefficient (average 55%). Methanol extracts of corn...
Jensen T, Washino RK.Daily survivorship, duration of the gonotrophic cycle, absolute abundance and season-long relative abundance were estimated for Aedes melanimon in the Sacramento Valley of California in 1987 and 1988 using mark-release-recapture (MRR) techniques and by monitoring changes in the abundance and parity rate of the native population. One objective of these studies was to determine the extent to which A. melanimon was biologically capable of serving as a horizontal arbovirus vector. Daily survivorship was estimated to be 0.90 and 0.84 in MRR studies conducted in September 1987 and August 1988, 0.89 ...
Magori K, Park AW.The emergence and spread of mutant pathogens that evade the effects of prophylactic interventions, including vaccines, threatens our ability to control infectious diseases globally. Imperfect vaccines (e.g. those used against influenza), while not providing life-long immunity, confer protection by reducing a range of pathogen life-history characteristics; conversely, mutant pathogens can gain an advantage by restoring the same range of traits in vaccinated hosts. Using an SEIR model motivated by equine influenza, we investigate the evolutionary consequences of alternative types of imperfect va...
Hartmann FA, West SE.Phenotypic and molecular techniques, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing, plasmid analysis, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were used to characterize 15 isolates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella anatum cultured during a 16 mo period from horses and a veterinary clinic environment. The isolates were resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents and could be placed into 4 groups based on their antimicrobial resistance patterns. The isolates contained multiple plasmids ranging in size from 2 to > 100 kb that could be grouped into 3 different plasmid profile patterns;...
Borisevich IV, Chemikova NK, Markov VI, Krasnianskiy VP, Borisevich SV, Rozhdestvenskiy EV.The aim of this work was to estimate the efficacy and safety of single intramuscular introduction of specific heterologous immunoglobulin as prophylactic drug against Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Materials and methods. The specific heterologous immunoglobulin was introduced as a special prophylactic drug to 28 patients in epidemic situations, after skin hurt with infectious materials or contact with infectious blood. Clinico-laboratory observation was performed in 24 subjects after single intramuscular introduction of heterologous immunoglobulin Ebola. The samples of blood serum were investigated ...
de Boer GF, Osterhaus AD, van Oirschot JT, Wemmenhove R.The prevalence of antibodies to various viruses was investigated in a series of serum samples collected from horses in the Netherlands between 1963 and 1966 and from 1972 onwards. Neutralizing antibodies to equine rhinopneumonitis virus, equine arteritis virus and to equine rhinovirus types 1 and 2 were detected in respectively 76%, 14%, 66% and 59% of the equine serum samples tested. The observed incidence of serum samples positive to equine adenovirus in the complement fixation test was 39%. Precipitating antibodies to equine infectious anaemia virus were detected only in serum samples from ...
Lazar A, Epstein E, Lustig S, Barnea A, Silberstein L, Reuveny S.Peptic cleavage of horse plasma IgG is a common procedure for the preparation of F(ab)(2) products for human use, such as antivenin and antitoxin. The removal of the Fc fragment from the IgG molecule by enzymatic cleavage at low pH, ensures fewer side-effects of the F(ab)(2) product for passive immunotherapy compared with the whole IgG molecule. Since the starting material may be contaminated by zoonotic horse viruses, it is necessary to demonstrate the removal or inactivation of possible viral contaminants. Guidelines for performing such studies were published by the Commission for Plasma-Der...
Pathak A, Gulati BR, Maan S, Mor S, Kumar D, Soman R, Punia S, Chaudhary D, Khurana SK.Rotaviruses are the most common viral agents associated with foal diarrhea. Between 2014 and 2017, the annual prevalence of rotavirus in diarrheic foals ranged between 18 and 28% in Haryana (India). Whole-genome sequencing of two equine rotavirus A (ERVA) isolates (RVA/Horse-wt/IND/ERV4/2017 and RVA/Horse-wt/IND/ERV6/2017) was carried out to determine the genotypic constellations (GCs) of ERVAs. The GCs of both the isolates were G3-P[3]-I8-R3-C3-M3-A9-N3-T3-E3-H6, a unique combination reported for ERVAs so far. Both the isolates carried VP6 of genotype I8, previously unreported from equines. U...
Miller SM.Endoscopy of thoroughbred (TB) yearlings at public auctions is common in South Africa. Laryngeal function (LF) is a common concern of buyers of young TBs. Cancellation of sale because of LF abnormalities is a concern for both the vendor and the buyer, with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) being a common cause of sale cancellation. The aim of this descriptive study was to determine the prevalence of RLN at South African premier TB yearling sales. This study was designed as a retrospective descriptive analysis of upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopic examinations to determine RLN grade, p...
Meny P, Iglesias T, Menéndez C, Quintero J, Ríos C, Ashfield N, Ferreira O, Mosca V, De Brun L, Ortiz G, De Vries I, Varela G, Schelotto F.To investigate seroprevalence of anti-Leptospira antibodies in equines and associated workers in Uruguay, 891 equine and 150 human sera were drawn; 212 equine urine samples were also taken for culture. Environmental conditions and equine raising or managing practices were recorded in all 72 visited establishments; epidemiological information was obtained from each worker. Microscopic agglutination technique (MAT) was performed with 10 Leptospira strains for equines and 18 for human sera, that were also studied with IgM indirect immunofluorescence (IgM-IIF). Equine titres ≥100 were considered...
Ross SE, Duz M, Rendle DI.Antimicrobial stewardship within the veterinary profession is recognised by governing and professional bodies as being important; the attitudes and behaviour of veterinary surgeons merit investigation. Objective: To investigate levels of protected antimicrobial use and accuracy of antimicrobial dosing in a common clinical scenario in equine practice. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Antimicrobial use was evaluated retrospectively in 113 cases subsequently referred to a single referral hospital for the treatment of limb wounds over a 20-month period. Antimicrobial classification (f...
