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.
Frees KE.The goal of wound cleansing and care is the control or removal of tissue infection to allow healing in the most functional, cosmetic, fastest, and least expensive manner possible. This is accomplished through the removal of debris and necrotic tissue while reducing the bacterial load via careful use of mechanical techniques and cleaning agents, accepting that some level of tissue trauma will result. Keep in mind that the benefit of a clean wound must be weighed against the trauma inflicted in the process of cleansing. Veterinary health care professionals should take steps to reduce hospital-ac...
Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Boerlin P, Prescott JF.NetF-producing type A Clostridium perfringens, a pathotype of C. perfringens, causes necrotizing enteritis in neonatal foals and necrotizing and hemorrhagic enteritis in dogs. Recent core genome multilocus sequence typing study revealed that netF+ C. perfringens strains belong to two distinct clonal populations (clonal complexes I and II). There are no reports on susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs of isolates from this pathotype. The susceptibility to 13 different antimicrobial drugs of 49 netF+ strains recovered from foals or dogs with necrotizing enteritis in Canada, the United States, an...
Escherichia coli F17 isolated from horse feces was studied in respect to the O antigen (O polysaccharide) structure and genetics. The lipopolysaccharide was isolated by phenol-water extraction of bacterial cells and cleaved by mild acid hydrolysis to yield the O polysaccharide, which was studied by sugar analysis and selective solvolysis with CFCOH along with one- and two-dimensional H and C NMR spectroscopy. The O polysaccharide was found to have a branched pentasaccharide repeat (O-unit) containing one residue each of d-galactose, d-mannose, l-rhamnose, d-glucuronic acid, and N-acetyl-d-gluc...
Cappelli A, Capone A, Valzano M, Bozic J, Preziuso S, Mensah P, Varotto Boccazzi I, Rinaldi L, Favia G, Ricci I.Tick-borne diseases are an increasing problem for the community. Ticks harbor a complex microbial population acquired while feeding on a variety of animals. Profiling the bacterial population by 16S rDNA amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis enables detection of the broad spectrum of bacteria that settles in the ticks. This study identified known and unknown tick-infecting bacteria in samples from Italy. Seven adult ticks from different hosts and origins were analyzed: two ticks from dogs (Lombardia), two ticks from bovines (Lazio), and three ticks from humans (Marche). ...
Coultous RM, Phipps P, Dalley C, Lewis J, Hammond TA, Shiels BR, Weir W, Sutton DGM.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) has historically been of minor concern to UK equine practitioners, primarily due to a lack of competent tick vectors. However, increased detection of EP tick vector species in the UK has been reported recently. EP screening is not currently required for equine importation, and when combined with recent relaxations in movement regulations, there is an increased risk regarding disease incursion and establishment into the UK. This study evaluated the prevalence of EP by both serology and PCR among 1242 UK equine samples submitted for EP screening between February and Dec...
Rückert C, Emmerich I, Hertzsch R, Vervuert I.Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are secondary plant metabolites with hepatotoxic effect in humans and several animal species. In recent studies, foods such as herbal teas and honey have been found to be contaminated with pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify and assess pyrrolizidine alkaloids in compound feeds manufactured for horses and containing either alfalfa or a blend of herbs. Methods: Forty-eight feed products for horses were included in the study. The feedstuffs were analysed for 28 selected pyrrolizidine alkaloids by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry...
Gelaw AK, Nthaba P, Matle I.Retrospective laboratory-based surveillance was conducted on Salmonella serotypes isolated from various animal species from 2007 to 2014 at the Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, South Africa. During the surveillance period, 1229 salmonellae isolations were recorded. Around 108 different serotypes were recovered from nine different food and non-food animal host species. The three most common serotypes were Salmonella entericasubspecies enterica serotype Heidelberg (n = 200), Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype Enteritidis (n = 17...
Hemida MG, Perera RAPM, Chu DKW, Ko RLW, Alnaeem AA, Peiris M.West Nile virus (WNV) is an important emerging zoonotic arbovirus giving rise to clinical syndromes of varying severity in humans and horses. Culex mosquitoes are the main vector. Although WNV has been reported in many countries in the Middle East and Asia, little is known about its prevalence in equine populations in the Arabian Peninsula. We have carried out a serological study on 200 horses to assess WNV infection in the Eastern and Central regions of Saudi Arabia in 2013-2015. Sera were tested for the presence of WNV antibodies in parallel using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent ass...
Wellcome open researchNovember 5, 2018
Volume 3 58 doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14587.2
Loan HT, Yen LM, Kestelyn E, Hao NV, Thanh TT, Dung NTP, Turner HC, Geskus RB, Wolbers M, Tan LV, Van Doorn HR, Day NP, Wyncoll D, Hien TT....Despite long-standing availability of an effective vaccine, tetanus remains a significant problem in many countries. Outcome depends on access to mechanical ventilation and intensive care facilities and in settings where these are limited, mortality remains high. Administration of tetanus antitoxin by the intramuscular route is recommended treatment for tetanus, but as the tetanus toxin acts within the central nervous system, it has been suggested that intrathecal administration of antitoxin may be beneficial. Previous studies have indicated benefit, but with the exception of one small trial n...
Torsteinsdottir S, Scheidegger S, Baselgia S, Jonsdottir S, Svansson V, Björnsdottir S, Marti E.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an IgE-mediated dermatitis caused by bites of Culicoides spp., which occurs frequently in horses imported from Iceland to continental Europe. IBH does not occur in Iceland because Culicoides species that bite horses are not present. However, Simulium vittatum (S. vittatum) are found in Iceland. In Europe, blood basophils from IBH-affected horses release significantly more sulfidoleukotrienes (sLT) than those from healthy controls after in vitro stimulation with Culicoides nubeculosus (C. nubeculosus) and S. vittatum. Aims of the study were: (I) using the s...
Silva ASG, Matos ACD, da Cunha MACR, Rehfeld IS, Galinari GCF, Marcelino SAC, Saraiva LHG, Martins NRDS, Maranhão RPA, Lobato ZIP, Pierezan F....Mosquito-borne arboviruses are a major public health concern worldwide and are responsible for emerging and re-emerging diseases. Taken together, the arboviruses have a strong impact on public health and are the most common causes of equine encephalitis. In-depth diagnostic investigation of equine viral encephalitis is of utmost importance for the epidemiological surveillance and control of this disease. Regarding neurological disorders in equids, in April-May 2018, at least 12 cases of equid mortality with acute neurological signs were reported in six farms from Espirito Santo state, Brazil. ...
Shi MW, Zhang NA, Shi CP, Liu CJ, Luo ZH, Wang DY, Guo AY, Chen ZX.Many animal species present sex differences. Sex-associated genes (SAGs), which have female-biased or male-biased expression, have major influences on the remarkable sex differences in important traits such as growth, reproduction, disease resistance and behaviors. However, the SAGs resulting in the vast majority of phenotypic sex differences are still unknown. To provide a useful resource for the functional study of SAGs, we manually curated public RNA-seq datasets with paired female and male biological replicates from the same condition and systematically re-analyzed the datasets using stand...
Quintero Vélez JC, Aguirre-Acevedo DC, Rodas JD, Arboleda M, Troyo A, Vega Aguilar F, Osorio Quintero L, Rojas Arbeláez C.Most of the studies related to rickettsial infection in Colombia are cross-sectional because of the challenge in conducting prospective studies on infectious disease that may have a difficult diagnosis. Although cross-sectional studies are essential to detect people exposed to rickettsiae, they are not suited to demonstrate the recent circulation of this pathogen in areas at risk of transmission. To characterize the epidemiology of incident cases of Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsial infection in humans and equines from rural areas of Urabá region in Colombia where outbreaks of rickettsiae...
Harnek J, James SK, Lagerqvist B.Covered stents are mostly used for coronary perforations with a high risk of early adverse events; however, their long-term outcome is unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate the short- and long-term outcome of patients treated with covered stents compared to all other stented patients. Results: The Swedish national registries from 2005-2017 disclosed 265 patients who had received 366 covered stents. Their outcomes were compared to all other stented patients (197,948) who had received 320,784 stents. Compared to regular stents, covered stents showed significant differences (p<0.001)...
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...
O'Connor S, Warrington G, Mb AM, Cullen S.Point-to-point racing may place jockeys at risk of serious injuries due to the high incidence of falls as previously reported. Despite many advances in health and safety strategies, the incidence of falls and injuries in point-to-point racing has not been reported since 2006. Objective: To provide a longitudinal analysis of the fall and injury incidence in point-to-point horse racing jockeys in Ireland from 2007 to 2015 and compare these findings with the previous literature. Methods: Descriptive epidemiologic study. Methods: All injuries that occurred due to a fall at every official point-to-...
Trimble AC, Blevins CA, Beard LA, Deforno AR, Davis EG.Leptospirosis is a worldwide veterinary and public health concern, and well recognized infectious disease of horses. Seroprevalence rates vary with geography, but many studies have confirmed a high exposure rate. The correlation between seropositivity and shedding status has not been made in horses, however. The aims of this study were to use semi-nested PCR on urine from apparently healthy horses to determine period prevalence of leptospiral shedding and to correlate these findings with MAT results to establish associations with client based survey data regarding horse management and environm...
Elghandour MMMY, Adegbeye MJ, Barbabosa-Pilego A, Perez NR, Hernández SR, Zaragoza-Bastida A, Salem AZM.Greenhouses gas emission mitigation is a very important aspect of earth sustainability with greenhouse gasses reduction, a focus of agricultural and petrochemical industries. Methane is produced in nonruminant herbivores such as horses because they undergo hindgut fermentation. Although equine produce less methane than ruminant, increasing population of horses might increase their contribution to the present 1.2 to 1.7 Tg, estimate. Diet, feeding frequency, season, genome, and protozoa population influence methane production equine. In population, Methanomicrobiales, Methanosarcinales, Methan...
Walther B, Klein KS, Barton AK, Semmler T, Huber C, Merle R, Tedin K, Mitrach F, Lübke-Becker A, Gehlen H.Continuing introduction of multi-drug resistant, zoonotic pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in horse clinics challenges the biosafety of employees and animal patients. This study was aimed to determine the occurrence of mobile genetic elements facilitating survival in the early stages of invasive infection in different host species, including humans and horses, in MRSA carried by equine patients admitted to a large horse clinic. A total of 341 equine patients were investigated for carriage of MRSA by hygiene screening directly at hospital admission. MRSA were...
Songsri J, Kinoshita Y, Kwanhian W, Wisessombat S, Tangpong J, Rahman-Khan MS, Tuanyok A.The monoclonal antibody-based latex agglutination tests targeting a high molecular weight exopolysaccharide antigen of Burkholderia pseudomallei are commercially available. The tests are primarily used in routine diagnosis of melioidosis in major hospitals in Thailand and some endemic countries. Being a rapid test, this technique was employed as a presumptive test to identify colonies of B. pseudomallei among many others grown from soil specimens collected from southern Thailand. Cross-reactivity of these tests with other soil bacteria was a concern since it complicated the identification of B...
Tirosh-Levy S, Gottlieb Y, Apanaskevich DA, Mumcuoglu KY, Steinman A.Ticks are important ectoparasites of horses that can affect animal welfare and vector several infectious, including zoonotic, diseases. In order to investigate the species distribution, epidemiology and seasonal dynamics of ticks infesting horses in Israel, 3267 ticks were collected from 396 horses in 24 farms across the country from July 2014 to June 2015. Results: Ticks were found on 50% of the farms and on 25% of the horses, with Hyalomma being the most prevalent genus (70% of ticks). Pasture was the most prominent risk factor for tick infestation (99% of ticks, P < 0.001), and is repres...
Krüger L, Hohberg M, Lehmann W, Dresing K.Horse riding is a popular sport, which bears the risk of serious injuries. This study aims to assess whether individual factors influence the risk to sustain major injuries. Methods: Retrospective data were collected from all equine-related accidents at a German Level I Trauma Centre between 2004 and 2014. Logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for major injures. Results: 770 patients were included (87.9% females). Falling off the horse (67.7%) and being kicked by the horse (16.5%) were the two main injury mechanisms. Men and individuals of higher age showed higher odds for ...
Myers K, Mohammed F, Rickard JW, Meyer DE, Spaulding AD.This paper presents the results of an investigation to determine perceptions, awareness, and knowledge of the unwanted horse population in Illinois from the viewpoint of horse owners, non-horse owners, and equine industry stakeholders. A questionnaire included items that pertained to knowledge of current legislation, equine background, current methods of controlling the unwanted horse population, and methods that respondents believe would reduce the unwanted horse population in Illinois. Results indicated that 58% of horse owners viewed horses as companion animals. Respondents perceived financ...
Matherne ME, Cockerill K, Zhou Y, Bellamkonda M, Hu DL.The swinging of a mammal's tail has long been thought to deter biting insects, which, in cows, can drain up to 0.3 liters of blood per day. How effective is a mammal's tail at repelling insects? In this combined experimental and theoretical study, we filmed horses, zebras, elephants, giraffes and dogs swinging their tails. The tail swings at triple the frequency of a gravity-driven pendulum, and requires 27 times more power input. Tails can also be used like a whip to directly strike at insects. This whip-like effect requires substantial torques from the base of the tail on the order of 10-1...
Singh S, Dohre SK, Kamthan A, Pal V, Karothia BS, Singha HS, Kumar S.Glanders is a contagious and highly fatal disease of equines with zoonotic potential. It is caused by a Gram-negative, nonmotile bacterium Burkholderia mallei. Complement fixation test (CFT) is one of the most commonly used tests for diagnosis of glanders; however, it has some limitations. A recombinant-truncated Burkholderia intracellular motility A (BimA) protein-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) was previously reported by us for glanders diagnosis, which has been re-optimized in this study using a panel of glanders positive (n = 75) and glanders negative (n = 227...
Aksular M, Calvo-Pinilla E, Marín-López A, Ortego J, Chambers AC, King LA, Castillo-Olivares J.African horse sickness is a severe, often fatal, arboviral disease of equids. The control of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) in endemic countries is based currently on the use of live attenuated vaccines despite some biosafety concerns derived from its biological properties. Thus, experimental vaccination platforms have been developed over the years in order to avoid the biosafety concerns associated with the use of attenuated vaccines. Various studies showed that baculovirus-expressed AHSV-VP2 or modified Vaccinia Ankara virus expressing AHSV-VP2 (MVA-VP2) induced virus neutralising antib...
Certoma A, Lunt RA, Vosloo W, Smith I, Colling A, Williams DT, Tran T, Blacksell SD.Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is closely related to the classical rabies virus and has been associated with three human fatalities and two equine fatalities in Australia. ABLV infection in humans causes encephalomyelitis, resulting in fatal disease, but has no effective therapy. The virus is maintained in enzootic circulation within fruit bats ( spp.) and at least one insectivorous bat variety ( ). Most frequently, laboratory testing is conducted on pteropodid bat brains, either following a potential human exposure through bites, scratches and other direct contacts with bats, or as opportun...
Bezerra CS, Cargnelutti JF, Sauthier JT, Weiblen R, Flores EF, Alves CJ, Clementino IJ, Santos CSAB, Azevedo SS.The aim of this survey was to estimate the apparent herd-level and animal-level prevalences, as well as to identify risk factors and spatial clustering of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) positive herds in the state of Paraíba, semiarid of Brazil. The state was divided into three sampling strata: Sertão, Borborema and Zona da Mata/Agreste. For each sampling stratum, herd-level and animal-level prevalences were estimated by a two-stage sampling survey. First, a pre-established number of herds (primary sampling units) were randomly selected; second, within each herd, a pre-established number o...
Bazzano M, Laghi L, Zhu C, Magi GE, Serri E, Spaterna A, Tesei B, Laus F.The present work characterized the metabolomic profile of tracheal wash (TW) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in healthy horses and horses with respiratory disease. Six asthma-affected horses (group A) and six healthy controls (group H) underwent clinical, endoscopic and cytologic examinations of upper airways to confirm the active phase of asthma. TW and EBC samples were collected from each animal and investigated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR) metabolomic analysis. A total of ten out of 38 metabolites found in the TW were significantly different between the groups (p < ...
Zarghooni K, Hub L, Bredow J, Yagdiran A, Hackenberg RK, Scheyerer M, Westermann L, Eysel P, Siewe J.Equestrian vaulting is a sport, particularly popular among children and adolescents, in which gymnastic and dance routines are performed on horseback. Current data regarding injuries and thus, the risks of this sport, is meager and based only on retrospective studies. Methods: In the current prospective study, 233 active members of a vaulting club were questioned monthly from November 2014 until October 2015. In addition to general information (training, competitions), the questionnaire collected the number of competitions, the competitive class, the discipline (single, team, Pas-de-Deux), and...
Käsbohrer A, Schönberg A.The prevalence of B. burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme Borreliosis in humans, was determined in domestic animals living in Berlin. 189 dogs, 29 cats, 224 horses and 194 cows were investigated. Using the indirect immunofluorescence test (IFT) 5.8% of the dogs and 24.5% of the cows investigated showed a positive reaction at titres of 1:128 or higher. Horses and cats gave negative results. ELISA was more sensitive than IFT. 10.1% of the dogs, 16.1% of the horses and 66% of the local cows showed positive reaction. Domestic animals seem to be in contact with B. burgdorferi and can be a reser...
Martin GA, Yanez-Arenas C, Roberts BJ, Chen C, Plowright RK, Webb RJ, Skerratt LF.Hendra virus is a paramyxovirus of Australian flying fox bats. It was first detected in August 1994, after the death of 20 horses and one human. Since then it has occurred regularly within a portion of the geographical distribution of all Australian flying fox (fruit bat) species. There is, however, little understanding about which species are most likely responsible for spillover, or why spillover does not occur in other areas occupied by reservoir and spillover hosts. Using ecological niche models of the four flying fox species we were able to identify which species are most likely linked to...
Little SV, Hillhouse AE, Lawhon SD, Bryan LK.While Staphylococcus aureus is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in equids (horses, donkeys, and mules), few studies have performed whole-genome sequencing to fully categorize large collections of equine isolates. Such sequencing allows for a comprehensive analysis of the genetic lineage and relationships of isolates, as well as the virulence genes present in each, which can be important for understanding the epidemiology of strains and their range of infections. Seventy-two clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates from equids were collected at the Texas A&M University Veterin...
Millerick-May ML, Karmaus W, Derksen FJ, Berthold B, Robinson NE.Particle mapping within stalls has demonstrated a relationship between particulate concentrations and visible accumulations of tracheal mucus. However, measurement of breathing zone particulate concentrations, which is the most accurate way to measure exposure, has not been performed to determine the relationship between exposures and accumulations of tracheal mucus sufficient to affect performance. Objective: To compare breathing zone particulate exposures between horses with tracheal mucus scores (MS) previously demonstrated to affect performance (MS≥2) and those without (MS = 0) visible t...
Higgins R, Cayouette P, Hoquet F, De LaSalle F.During a period of 30 months, from January 1977 to June 1979, Leptospira agglutinins were detected in 355 (6%) of 5841 bovine sera, 52 (10.1%) of 511 porcine sera, one (5%) of 20 equine sera and one (12.5%) of eight canine sera. Bovine, porcine and equine sera reacted predominantly with L. pomona. Reactors to L. hardjo/sejroe, L. icterohaemorrhagiae and L. grippotyphosa were also detected in cattle. One porcine serum reacted with L. grippotyphosa and one canine serum with L. icterohaemorrhagiae. Al the sera originated from suspected cases of leptospirosis.
Piscator M.Cadmium exposure, metabolism, and effects are described especially in relation to dietary intakes. Data on dietary intakes in several countries have been complied from studies using the duplicate diet method or fecal analysis. These two methods seem to give more accurate data than estimates based on cadmium concentrations in food classes and food consumption (composite method). The present data on absorption and retention of ingested cadmium indicate that normally less than 5% is ingested, but absorption may increase in women who have iron deficiency. Earlier estimates of the critical concentr...
Paterson DL, Murray PK, McCormack JG.Twenty-three horses and three humans in Queensland, Australia, were infected with a novel member of the Paramyxoviridae family of viruses in two geographically distinct outbreaks. Two of the humans died-one died of rapid-onset respiratory illness, and the other died of encephalitis. The third infected human developed an influenza-like illness and made a complete recovery. All infected humans had close contact with sick horses. Since the two outbreaks occurred at sites 1,000 km apart and no known contact between the two groups of humans and horses occurred, extensive testing of animals and bird...
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...
Sevá ADP, Pena HFJ, Nava A, Sousa AO, Holsback L, Soares RM.Morro do Diabo State Park (MDSP) is a significant remnant of the Atlantic Rain Forest in Brazil and is surrounded by rural properties. In that area, wild and domestic animals and humans are in close contact, which facilitates the two-way flow of infectious diseases among them. We assessed endoparasites in domestic livestock from all rural properties surrounding MDSP. There were sampled 197 cattle, 37 horses, 11 sheep, 25 swine, 21 dogs, one cat and 62 groups of chickens from 10 large private properties and 75 rural settlements. Eimeria spp. was present in almost all hosts, excepted in horses, ...
McGlennon A, Waller A, Verheyen K, Slater J, Grewar J, Aanensen D, Newton R.Previously national surveillance data for monitoring strangles (Streptococcus equi infection) in UK horses was limited. Improved awareness and knowledge of positive diagnoses would permit the optimisation of biosecurity protocols, decreasing the prevalence of strangles. Methods: Seven UK laboratories reported positive strangles diagnoses between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019 based on identifying Streptococcus equi via agent detection assays from field-based practitioner-submitted samples. Associated clinical history and animal signalment were collected where provided, and descriptive ana...
Khurelbaatar N, Krueger WS, Heil GL, Darmaa B, Ulziimaa D, Tserennorov D, Baterdene A, Anderson BD, Gray GC.In recent years, Mongolia has experienced recurrent epizootics of equine influenza virus (EIV) among its 2·1 million horses and multiple incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus via migrating birds. No human EIV or HPAI infections have been reported. In 2009, 439 adults in Mongolia were enrolled in a population-based study of zoonotic influenza transmission. Enrollment sera were examined for serological evidence of infection with nine avian, three human, and one equine influenza virus strains. Seroreactivity was sparse among participants suggesting little human risk of zoo...
Issel CJ, Cook RF, Mealey RH, Horohov DW.In the absence of an effective vaccine, the success of the test and removal approach for the control of equine infectious anemia (EIA) cannot be overstated, at least in those areas where testing has been traditionally routine. This article addresses 4 main aspects: what has been learned about EIA virus, host control of its replication, and inapparent carriers; international status regarding the control of EIA; diagnostic and laboratory investigation; and reducing the spread of blood-borne infections by veterinarians. An attempt is made to put these issues into practical contemporary perspectiv...
Robb LL, Hartman DA, Rice L, deMaria J, Bergren NA, Borland EM, Kading RC.Western equine encephalitis (WEE) was once prevalent and routinely isolated from mosquitoes in Colorado; however, isolations of Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) have not been reported from mosquito pools since the early 1990s. The objective of the present study was to test pools of Culex tarsalis (Coquillett) mosquitoes sampled from Weld County, CO, in 2016 for evidence of WEEV infection. Over 7,000 mosquitoes were tested, but none were positive for WEEV RNA. These data indicate that WEEV either was not circulating enzootically in Northern Colorado, was very rare, and would require muc...
Bell KS, Philp JC, Christofi N, Aw DW.Two regions in the gene coding for 16S rRNA in Rhodococcus equi were selected as species-specific primer sequences for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR using these primers was tested against 10 strains of R. equi (including the type strain) and gave positive results for all but was negative for all other tested species of Rhodococcus; representatives of the most closely related genera and a number of other bacterial species. This method could therefore be used to identify this species which can infect the lungs or other organs of horses, pigs, humans and other animals.
Carvelli A, Nielsen SS, Paillot R, Broglia A, Kohnle L.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) can affect the entire equine sector in EU, and the large outbreak reported in 2021 in Spain drew attention to the needs of the European Commission for scientific advice for the assessment of EHV-1 infection within the framework of Animal Health Law. EHV-1 is considered endemic in the EU; its main risk is linked to the characteristic of producing latent life-long infections. These can reactivate producing clinical disease, which can include respiratory, abortive and possibly fatal neurological forms. From the epidemiological and genomic viewpoint, there are no speci...
Webster AJ, Clarke AF, Madelin TM, Wathes CM.The concentration of fungal spores, the main constituents of respirable dust in stables, is determined by rates of release from fodder and bedding and rate of clearance, principally by ventilation. This paper outlines the principles that govern the application of natural ventilation to the control of air hygiene in barns and individual boxes for horses. When release rates are low, ventilation rates over four air changes per hour are satisfactory. Ventilation was satisfactory in individual boxes but usually unsatisfactory in barns and specific recommendations are made for improvement. Prelimina...
Alanazi AD, Alyousif MS.The aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in horses used for sporting purposes in the Province of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In total, 266 serum samples from clinically healthy horses were analyzed for anti- T. gondii antibodies using the Sabin-Feldman dye test. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 84 (31.6%) horses, with specific titers of 1∶16 (78 with a prevalence of 29.3%), 1∶64 (4 with a prevalence of 1.5%), and 1∶256 (2 with a prevalence of 0.8%). The number of seropositive horses in Shaqra (43.7%) was considerably higher than in other region...
Na W, Yeom M, Yuk H, Moon H, Kang B, Song D.This study provides information regarding vaccine research and the epidemiology of influenza virus in neglected hosts (horses and dogs). Equine influenza virus (EIV) causes a highly contagious disease in horses and other equids, and outbreaks have occurred worldwide. EIV has resulted in costly damage to the horse industry and has the ability of cross the host species barrier from horses to dogs. Canine influenza is a virus of equine or avian origin and infects companion animals that live in close contact with humans; this results in possible exposure to the seasonal epizootic influenza virus. ...
Spence KL, O'Sullivan TL, Poljak Z, Greer AL.Identifying the contact structure within a population of horses attending a competition is an important element towards understanding the potential for the spread of equine pathogens as the horses subsequently travel from location to location. However, there is limited information in Ontario, Canada to quantify contact patterns of horses. The objective of this study was to describe the network of potential contacts associated with an equestrian show to determine how this network structure may influence potential disease transmission. Results: This was a descriptive study of horses attending an...
Mallardo K, Nizza S, Fiorito F, Pagnini U, De Martino L.To investigate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) which is a potencial risk factor of transmission between animals and humans in different types of horses (harness racing-horses, breeding mares and riding-horses) and to compare the antimicrobial resistance of the isolates. Methods: A total of 191 healthy horses, housed at different locations of the Campania Region (Italy), were included in the study. Nasal swab samples were collected from each nostril of the horses. The mecA gene was detected by a nested PCR technique. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested for each isol...
Donahue JM, Smith BJ, Poonacha KB, Donahoe JK, Rigsby CL.In this study, the prevalence of leptospira-induced abortions/stillbirths for the past 3 foaling seasons (1991-1993) was determined, and fetal tissues and/or the mare's urine from positive cases were cultured in an attempt to isolate and identify the leptospira serovars responsible for the abortions. The sensitivity and specificity of the primary diagnostic tests, the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), used for the diagnosis of leptospirosis were also determined. For the 3 years, 74 (3.3%) of 2,264 abortion/stillborn submissions were diagnosed as lept...
Tsachev I, Pantchev N, Marutsov P, Petrov V, Gundasheva D, Baymakova M.Lyme Borreliosis and granulocytic anaplasmosis are less extensively studied in horses than in dogs and humans. Equine ehrlichiosis is not known in Europe and is in the initial stage of investigation in South, Central, and North America. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of these infections in Bulgaria. A total of 155 horses were investigated from five regions in Southeastern Bulgaria. Horses were tested for Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Ehrlichia spp. antibodies by a commercial rapid ELISA test. B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum antibodies wer...
Faverjon C, Vial F, Andersson MG, Lecollinet S, Leblond A.West Nile virus (WNV) is a growing public health concern in Europe and there is a need to develop more efficient early detection systems. Nervous signs in horses are considered to be an early indicator of WNV and, using them in a syndromic surveillance system, might be relevant. In our study, we assessed whether or not data collected by the passive French surveillance system for the surveillance of equine diseases can be used routinely for the detection of WNV. We tested several pre-processing methods and detection algorithms based on regression. We evaluated system performances using simulate...
Löwen Levy Chalhoub F, Maia de Queiroz-Júnior E, Holanda Duarte B, Eielson Pinheiro de Sá M, Cerqueira Lima P, Carneiro de Oliveira A....In June 2019, a horse with neurological disorder was diagnosed with West Nile virus (WNV) in Boa Viagem, a municipality in the state of Ceará, northeast Brazil. A multi-institutional task force coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health was deployed to the area for case investigation. A total of 513 biological samples from 78 humans, 157 domestic animals and 278 free-ranging wild birds, as well as 853 adult mosquitoes of 22 species were tested for WNV by highly specific serological and/or molecular tests. No active circulation of WNV was detected in vertebrates or mosquitoes by molecular...
Paillot R, Marcillaud Pitel C, D'Ablon X, Pronost S.To date, vaccination is one of the most efficient methods of prevention against equine infectious diseases. The vaccinology session, which was organised during the annual meeting of the French Equine Veterinarians Association (AVEF) at Reims (France) in 2016, aimed to approach three subjects of importance for the equine industry. Vaccination against three major equine diseases were used as examples: equine influenza (equine influenza virus), rhinopneumonitis (equine herpes virus 1/4), and tetanus ( neuro-toxin). (1) Emergency vaccination: while it has been very successful to reduce the impact ...
Deluca TH, Patterson Iv WA , Freimund WA, Cole DN./ Various types of recreational traffic impact hiking trails uniquely and cause different levels of trail degradation; however, trail head restrictions are applied similarly across all types of packstock. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative physical impact of hikers, llamas, and horses on recreational trails. Horse, llama, and hiker traffic were applied to 56 separate plots on an existing trail at Lubrecht Experimental Forest in western Montana. The traffic was applied to plots at intensities of 250 and 1000 passes along with a no-traffic control under both prewetted and dry t...
Palmer JE, Whitlock RH, Benson CE.Equine ehrlichial colitis (Potomac horse fever), a newly identified colitis of the horse, was first recognized in Maryland. In this report, we document occurrence of the disease in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Idaho, and Connecticut. Enzootic areas were recognized by a characteristic pattern. Frequently there was a seasonal pattern and high prevalence of sporadic colitis in unstressed horses. The attack rate per farm generally was low. Horses on pasture, as well as those stabled, were affected. Clinical signs varied from fever and depression to severe diarrhea and laminitis. Occas...
Molla AM, Fentahun T, Jemberu WT.Epizootic lymphangitis (EL) is a chronic, contagious, fungal disease of equids. The disease is highly prevalent in cart pulling equines of Ethiopia affecting the livelihood of the cart owning households and welfare of the cart animals. This study estimated the economic impacts of EL and assessed cart owners' knowledge and practices related to the disease in northwest Ethiopia. A multistage cluster sampling approach was implemented to select cart animal owners for the study. A total of 274 cart animal owners were interviewed to collect data for the study. The average annual economic loss per ca...
Tadich TA, Stuardo Escobar LH.In the past, the use of animals for transport and traction has been of economic importance all over the world, and this is still the case in certain areas of the world today, especially in rural and peri-urban areas of developing and transition countries. In Chile, for example, thousands of families rely on draught animal power as a fundamental source of income. This provides an opportunity to generate scientific information to increase understanding of the relationship between human well-being and that of domestic animals. Minimising the risks associated with poor draught animal welfare shoul...
Legg KA, Cochrane DJ, Bolwell CF, Gee EK, Rogers CW.To determine the incidence of, and risk factors for, race-day jockey falls occurring in Thoroughbred flat and jumps (hurdle and steeplechase) racing. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Incidence rates for race-day jockey falls over 14 racing seasons in New Zealand (n=421,596 race-day starts) were calculated per 1000 rides. Univariable and multivariable analyses of jockey, horse and race level risk factors were conducted with Poisson regression in a generalized linear mixed model. Results: Most races (97%, n=407,948 race starts) were flat racing with 10 races/race-day, whilst most ju...
