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.
Narankhajid M, Yeruult C, Gurbadam A, Battsetseg J, Aberle SW, Bayartogtokh B, Joachim A, Duscher GG.Ticks are cosmopolitan vectors of numerous diseases, and detection of various pathogens in ticks can help to assess their distribution. In the current study, 528 adult ticks were collected from grazing animals or the ground in ten different Mongolian provinces. Dermacentor nuttalli constituted 76.1% of them and was found in all ecozones except the eastern desert. Dermacentor marginatus (8.3%), Dermacentor silvarum (1.1%) and Ixodes persulcatus (3.0%) were found in the northern forest areas and Hyalomma asiaticum (11.4%) only in the southern (semi-)desert. Of these, 359 ticks were subjected to ...
Abhishek , Kumar B, Anjay , Mishra AK, Prakash C, Priyadarshini A, Rawat M.Salmonella Abortusequi causes important clinical diseases in horses possibly leading to abortion. In the present investigation, the protective efficacy of both plain and aluminum hydroxide gel adjuvanted phage lysate was evaluated in guinea pig model. Broad host range bacteriophage P-SAE-2, was characterized and used for generation of lysates. Three different lysate batches, produced through separate cycles and characterized, were pooled together for immunization study. Plain and adjuvanted phage lysate preparations elicited both humoral and cellmediated immunity. The adjuvanted lysate at a do...
Kumar B, Manuja A, Gulati BR, Virmani N, Tripathi BN.Zoonotic diseases are the infectious diseases that can be transmitted to human beings and vice versa from animals either directly or indirectly. These diseases can be caused by a range of organisms including bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Viral diseases are highly infectious and capable of causing pandemics as evidenced by outbreaks of diseases like Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, West Nile, SARS-Corona, Nipah, Hendra, Avian influenza and Swine influenza. Unassigned: Many viruses affecting equines are also important human pathogens. Diseases like Eastern equine encephalitis (...
Hemida MG, Alhammadi M, Daleb A, Alnaeem A.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is one of the most devastating viral diseases of the family Equidae. Infection with AHSV threatens not only the Saudi equine industry but also the equine industry worldwide. This is due to the high morbidity and mortality rates among the infected population of up to 100%. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) lists AHSV among its notifiable diseases; this requires Member Countries to monitor the situation with regard to AHSV very carefully in order to avoid the spread of the virus. The OIE also suggests the systematic monitoring of AHSV in the equin...
Lee W, Ko BJ, Sim YE, Suh S, Yoon D, Kim S.Urine was most commonly used biological sample in drug test. To create a false-negative test result, some drug abusers were reported to submit animal urine instead of their own. So, the purpose of this study was to compare and differentiate human from animal urine (Rat 370, Pig 12, Horse 10, Cat 8, Dog 13, Cow 10, Monkey 10) samples through the uses of quantitative 1H-NMR and to find biomarkers that can be used for the discrimination of human urine from animal urine. The 1H-NMR spectroscopy was employed and metabolomic analysis with multivariate statistics was carried out. Human urine samples ...
Scare JA, Steuer AE, Gravatte HS, Kálmán C, Ramires L, Dias de Castro LL, Norris JK, Miller F, Camargo F, Lawyer A, De Pedro P, Jolly B, Nielsen MK.Anthelmintic resistance among cyathostomin parasites is a wide-spread problem. The parasite control guidelines written by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) encourages the preservation of anthelmintic efficacy by reducing treatment frequency, using targeted deworming, and implementing environmental management practices. While there is knowledge regarding parasite management practices of affluent horse farms in the United States, surveys rarely explore the rural and underserved regions. The purpose of this study was to observe the management practices of horse farms in rura...
Seeber PA, Quintard B, Sicks F, Dehnhard M, Greenwood AD, Franz M.Equine Herpesviruses (EHV) are common and often latent pathogens of equids which can cause fatalities when transmitted to non-equids. Stress and elevated glucocorticoids have been associated with EHV reactivation in domestic horses, but little is known about the correlation between stress and viral reactivation in wild equids. We investigated the effect of an environmental stressor (social group restructuring following a translocation event) on EHV reactivation in captive Grévy's zebras (). A mare was translocated by road transport from Zoo Mulhouse, France, to join a resident group of three ...
Dilai M, Piro M, Fougerolle S, El Harrak M, Mahir W, El Mourid R, Legrand L, Paillot R, Fassi Fihri O.In order to evaluate the vaccination status against equine influenza (EI) in Moroccan racehorses, a serological investigation was carried out on 509 racehorses using three serological tests: an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), the Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) test and the Single Radial Haemolysis (SRH) assay. The serological analysis showed 56% of seropositivity by ELISA, 67% by HI and 89.4% by SRH (with 69.9% above the clinical protection threshold). Using the Kappa test, the SRH and HI assays showed a strong agreement, the SRH and ELISA assays had a moderate agreement and the H...
Kennedy CA, Walsh C, Karczmarczyk M, O'Brien S, Akasheh N, Quirke M, Farrell-Ward S, Buckley T, Fogherty U, Kavanagh K, Parker CT, Sweeney T....Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) possess the ability to cause extraintestinal infections such as urinary tract infections, neonatal meningitis and sepsis. While information is readily available describing pathogenic E. coli populations in food-producing animals, studies in companion/sports animals such as horses are limited. In addition, many antimicrobial agents used in the treatment of equine infections are also utilised in human medicine, potentially contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance determinants among pathogenic strains. The aim of this study was to phenotypical...
Karamalla ST, Gubran AI, Adam IA, Abdalla TM, Sinada RO, Haroun EM, Aradaib IE.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is an infectious non contagious insect-transmitted double-stranded (ds) RNA orbivirus of the family Reoviridae. AHSV causes an often fatal hemorrhagic infection with high mortality among selected breeds of Arabian horses. This study was conducted to avail some information with regard to the prevalence and associated risk factors of AHSV among ecotype breeds of horses in central Sudan. Methods: Sera were collected from 320 horses, which were selected randomly from four localities and employed in the study. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELI...
Nugraha AB, Cahyaningsih U, Amrozi A, Ridwan Y, Agungpriyono S, Taher DM, Guswanto A, Gantuya S, Tayebwa DS, Tuvshintulga B, Sivakumar T, Yokoyama N....Equine piroplasmosis is an economically significant disease caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, which are tick-borne hemoprotozoan parasites. Infections with these parasite species had never been reported in horses in Indonesia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of T. equi and B. caballi in horses reared in parts of Western Java, Indonesia. Blood samples were collected randomly from 235 horses in four different districts (Bandung, Depok, Tangerang, and Bogor) in Western Java, Indonesia. Thin blood smears prepared from the sampled animals were stained by G...
DuBois C, Hambly Odame H, Haley DB, Merkies K.The diversity of sectors that comprise the equine industry makes reaching a consensus regarding welfare issues a challenge. To allow for productive discussion, equine professionals (n = 34) chosen to represent the diverse specializations from across Canada were surveyed using the Delphi technique-a survey technique employing multiple, iterative "rounds" to consolidate viewpoints-to gather and consolidate information regarding areas of welfare concern in the Canadian equine industry. Only participants who completed the prior round could participate in subsequent rounds. In the first round, resp...
Zhang XX, Ren WX, Hou G, Liu Q, Yu TQ, Zhao Q, Ni HB.Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoon Toxoplasma gondii that can infect almost all warm-blooded hosts including horses and humans. Horse meat is one of the most important meat products for human consumption. However, data on seroprevalence of T. gondii in horses intended for human consumption in Northern China is scarce. Thus, a total of 614 serum samples were collected from Jilin Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) between 2015 and 2017, and were detected the seroprevalence for T. gondii by indirect hemagglutination assay test. In the prevalence study, the overall seroprev...
Díaz-Sánchez AA, Pires MS, Estrada CY, Cañizares EV, Del Castillo Domínguez SL, Cabezas-Cruz A, Rivero EL, da Fonseca AH, Massard CL....Equine piroplasmosis is a disease of Equidae, including horses, donkeys, mules, and zebras, caused by either Theileria equi or Babesia caballi. This disease represents a serious problem for the horse industry and its control is critical for the international trade of horses. The objective of the present study was to detect B. caballi and T. equi infections in horses reared in western Cuba. Blood samples from 100 horses were tested for the presence of piroplasms by using Giemsa-stained blood smears and nested PCR (nPCR) assays targeting merozoite antigen genes of B. caballi (bc48) and T. equi (...
Spence KL, O'Sullivan TL, Poljak Z, Greer AL.The objective of this study was to describe the demographics and movement patterns of a sample of horses in Ontario, Canada. A convenience sample of 222 owners completed an initial questionnaire to provide demographic information for 570 horses. These horses were enrolled in a longitudinal study to document their movements from May to November 2015 using a monthly questionnaire. The median age of the participating horses was 11 years (IQR: 8 to 16 years). The primary discipline of participating horses included competitive disciplines (63.3%), leisure (33.3%), and racing (3.2%). During the 7-mo...
Huber L, Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Hanafi A, Ryan C.Rhodococcus equi, a soil saprophyte, is a common cause of pneumonia in foals and a frequent opportunistic pathogen in immunosuppressed people. Because it is widespread in the environment, R. equi can be detected in the feces of most horses. However, the exact timing and rate of shedding relative to infection is unknown. The objectives of this study were to quantify shedding of R. equi in mares and foals after experimental infection of foals with 2 different inocula and to determine the effect of composting on concentrations of R. equi in contaminated bedding. Foals were infected intratracheall...
Elhaig MM, Sallam NH.In Egypt, although the Trypanosoma evansi has been reported frequently among domestic animals, there is no published data on T. evansi in horses. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and characterization of T. evansi in three governorates by examining blood samples from 40 local camels, 35 imported camels, 25 horses and 10 donkeys by PCR targeting the sequences of TBR and RoTat 1.2VSG. The overall prevalence of T. evansi was 54.5% and 21.8% by TBR PCR and RoTat 1.2VSG PCR, respectively. The TBR PCR detected T. evansi in 60% and 71.4%, respectively, of local and imported camels ...
Slobodchikova MN, Vasilyeva VT, Ivanov RV, Lebedeva UM.In the diet of the population of Yakutia, the meat of 6-month-old and local herd horses is especially valued for its high nutritive value, excellent taste and dietary properties. In addition to meat, a number of other slaughter products, such as by-products, intestinal raw materials, internal fat, blood, etc., can be received during primary processing. Many of them are not fully used. The relevance of this work is to study the possibilities of waste-free use of the Yakut horse products. Biochemical investigation of the composition of the secondary products of slaughter (fat, blood, by-products...
Dybicz M, Perkowski K, Baltaza W, Padzik M, Sędzikowska A, Chomicz L.The protozoan is considered to be a human specific flagellate of the oral cavity, found in humans with poor oral hygiene and advanced periodontal disease. Morphological variability and great similarity between species occurring in humans and animals, complicate the specific identification of trichomonads, using microscopic examination and other standard parasitological techniques. Objective: The aim of the study was to search for and identify in domesticated animals using molecular methods. The obtained data were assessed in terms of potential effects of a spread of the species deriving from...
Nielsen MK, Branan MA, Wiedenheft AM, Digianantonio R, Scare JA, Bellaw JL, Garber LP, Kopral CA, Phillippi-Taylor AM, Traub-Dargatz JL.Equine strongyle parasites are ubiquitous in grazing equids across the world. Anthelmintic resistance is widely developed in cyathostomin populations, but very few surveys have evaluated anthelmintic efficacy in equine populations in the United States, and most of these are over 15 years old. The present study was carried out as part of the National Animal Health Monitoring Systems (NAHMS) Equine 2015-2016 study. The aims were to investigate anthelmintic treatment efficacy by means of the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and identify parameters associated with decreased efficacy. Data we...
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...
González Medina S, Hyde C, Lovera I, Piercy RJ.Hypoglycin A (HGA) toxicity, following ingestion of material from certain plants, is linked to an acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency known as atypical myopathy, a commonly fatal form of equine rhabdomyolysis seen worldwide. Whilst some plants are known to contain this toxin, little is known about its function or the mechanisms that lead to varied HGA concentrations between plants. Consequently, reliable tools to detect this amino acid in plant samples are needed. Analytical methods for HGA detection have previously been validated for the food industry, however, these technique...
Becher AM, van Doorn DC, Pfister K, Kaplan RM, Reist M, Nielsen MK.Experts recommend a change in the control of equine parasites across the world in order to adopt a surveillance-based approach utilizing parasite faecal egg counts (FEC). Several European countries have implemented prescription-only restrictions of anthelmintic usage by law, which is in stark contrast to US, where all anthelmintic products continue to be available over the counter. This study aimed to describe and compare equine parasite control strategies employed in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, US, and Denmark. An invitation to participate in an online questionnaire survey was publishe...
Gummow B, Tan R, Joice RK, Burgess G, Picard J.To investigate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of alphaviruses (Ross River virus (RRV), Barmah Forest virus (BFV) and Whataroa virus (WHAV)) in northern Queensland horses. Methods: A cross-sectional study of alphavirus antibodies in horses (n = 287) from 147 properties in northern Queensland from September 2013 to June 2014 was conducted. Owners of sampled horses were interviewed on potential risk factors. Data were analysed for associations using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Antibody titres for RRV were demonstrated in samples from 134 properties (91%; 95% co...
Elelu N.Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) caused by the bacteria Borrelia, is poorly documented in veterinary medicine. Given the widespread presence of the soft tick vectors - Ornithodoros and the recently discovered hard tick vectors, as well as their close association with animal hosts, it is highly likely that infection occurs, but is rarely reported to be of veterinary importance. Sporadic reports of canine infection, some being fatal through to probable cause of abortion in horses have been published. Some of these pathogens exist in regions where there are limited diagnostic facilities, hence, ...
Guardabassi L, Apley M, Olsen JE, Toutain PL, Weese S.Optimization of antimicrobial treatment is a cornerstone in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Various national and international authorities and professional veterinary and farming associations have released generic guidelines on prudent antimicrobial use in animals. However, these generic guidelines need to be translated into a set of animal species- and disease-specific practice recommendations. This article focuses on prevention of antimicrobial resistance and its complex relationship with treatment efficacy, highlighting key situations where the current antimicrobial drug product...
Villa L, Gazzonis AL, Álvarez-García G, Diezma-Díaz C, Zanzani SA, Manfredi MT.Among Apicomplexa protozoa infecting equids, Besnoitia spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp. represent important issues from a sanitary and zootechnical viewpoint. However, only scarce epidemiological data are available on the spread of the infections in horses and donkeys in Europe. Therefore, a serosurvey was planned to estimate the prevalence of these Sarcocystidae species in Italian equids. Serum samples from 268 horses and 18 donkeys raised in Italy were collected and serologically analyzed to detect anti-Besnoitia spp., anti-T. gondii and anti-Neospora spp. antibodies: an approach ba...
Duggan JM, Coates DM, Ulaeto DO.Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus is an important human and veterinary pathogen of Central and South America. The virus can cause widespread epidemics, affecting hundreds of thousands of horses, and thousands of humans. Detection of the virus early in infection and in mosquito populations may allow epidemics to be predicted such that suitable prophylaxis, such as vaccination, can be used to reduce disease severity and transmission. The sensitivity and specificity of current immunoassays, based on conventional monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, needs to be improved for the diag...
Songsermsakul P, Böhm J, Aurich C, Zentek J, Razzazi-Fazeli E.Concentration profile of zearalenone (ZON) and its metabolites in plasma, urine and faeces samples of horses fed with Fusarium toxin-contaminated oats is described. In plasma, β-zearalenol (β-ZOL) was detected at high levels on day 10 of the study (3.21-6.24 μg/l). β-Zearalenol and α-zearalenol were the major metabolites in urine. Zearalenone, α-ZOL and β-ZOL were predominantly found in faeces. Zearalanone could also be detected in urine (1.34-5.79 μg/l) and faeces (1 μg/kg). The degree of glucuronidation was established in all sample types, approximately 100% in urine and plasm...
Camino E, Buendia A, Dorrego A, Pozo P, de Juan L, Dominguez L, Cruz-Lopez F.Theileria equi and Babesia caballi cause equine piroplasmosis (EP), one of the most important tick-borne diseases of horses due to its high negative impact to the equine industry. Although infections with these parasites have been reported for decades in Spain, epidemiological studies have only been carried out in certain regions. Objective: To determine the (sero)prevalence of these parasites in asymptomatic horses nationwide in Spain and to identify potential individual and environmental factors associated with seropositivity to EP. Methods: Sample size was calculated according to the horses...
de Oliveira PB, Harvey TV, Fehlberg HF, Rocha JM, Martins TF, da Acosta ICL, Labruna MB, Faccini JLH, Albuquerque GR.Tick-borne spotted fever in Brazil is known to be caused by two agents, Rickettsia rickettsii and Rickettsia parkeri. Nothing was known about these agents in one area of the Atlantic rainforest biome of Bahia state, where during March to June 2016, 356 rural dogs and 69 horses were sampled and their sera were processed through indirect immunofluorescence assay against antigens of R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, Rickettsia amblyommatis and Rickettsia bellii. Ticks collected from these dogs and horses were molecularly tested for the presence of rickettsial DNA. Overall, 16.4% (58/356) dogs and 24.6% ...
Obesity has become a serious health problem with frequent occurrence both in human and animal populations. It is estimated that it may affect over 85% of the human population and 70-80% of horses and cows by 2030. Fat cow syndrome (FCS) is a combination of metabolic, digestive, infectious, and reproductive disorders that affects obese periparturient dairy cows, and occurs most frequently in loose-housing systems, where periparturient and dry cows are fed and managed in one group disregarding the lactation stages. Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) was named after human metabolic syndrome (MetS) a...
Maeda Y, Hanada M, Oikawa MA.This report describes the descriptive epidemiology of racing fractures that occurred from the 1980s to 2000s on racetracks of the Japan Racing Association (JRA). The incidence of racehorse fractures during flat racing was approximately 1-2%. Fractures occurring during a race are more likely to occur in a forelimb. Fractures mostly occur at the third and fourth corners of oval tracks and on the home stretch. They also occur more frequently at the time of changing the leading limb. Comparison of the incidence of racing fracture between before and after reconstruction of the geometrical configura...
Lang J, Simanjuntak GH, Soerjosembodo S, Koesharyono C.WHO's reference protocol for post-exposure rabies vaccination advises five intramuscular injections on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 30; in addition, rabies immunoglobulins (RIG) must be given to serious cases of exposure (grade III severity). Some studies indicate that these immunoglobulins suppress the immunogenicity of rabies vaccine when administered according to an alternative protocol of four injections (2-1-1) on days 0, 7, and 21, which was therefore not recommended for grade III exposures. To test this effect, we conducted a multicentre study in Indonesia using three groups of subjects. One g...
Lawton KOY, Arthur RM, Moeller BC, Barnum S, Pusterla N.More and more studies are reporting on the natural transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between humans with COVID-19 and their companion animals (dogs and cats). While horses are apparently susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection based on the homology between the human and the equine ACE-2 receptor, no clinical or subclinical infection has yet been reported in the equine species. To investigate the possible clinical role of SARS-CoV-2 in equids, nasal secretions from 667 horses with acute onset of fever and respiratory signs were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 by qPCR. The samples were collected from...
Hildreth SW, Beaty BJ, Maxfield HK, Gilfillan RF, Rosenau BJ.Enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) and Highlands J (HJ) virus antigens were compared in a retrospective study with standard virus isolation procedures (VIP) for detection of alpha virus-infected mosquito pools. The original VIP was a plaque assay in chick embryo cell culture, and was performed in the years from 1979 to 1981. Using the original VIP as the reference standard, the sensitivity rate of the EIA was 0.7674 and the false negative rate was 0.2326. However, when the storage age and the initial virus titer of the sample were considered, the sensitivity ...
Parreira DR, Jansen AM, Abreu UG, Macedo GC, Silva AR, Mazur C, Andrade GB, Herrera HM.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) and Trypanossoma evansi are endemic in Brazilian Pantanal Biome, an important area for livestock production. In this sense, we evaluated the epidemiological single and co-infection effects of T. evansi and EIAV in naturally infected horses in the southern Pantanal wetland by serological tests and hematological assays. Both higher seroprevalence and heath poor condition of the sampled animals were associated with differences in horse management between farms. We found that the negative animals for both infectious agents (NN) represented the major group in F...
Mumford EL, Traub-Dargatz JL, Carman J, Callan RJ, Collins JK, Goltz KL, Romm SR, Tarr SF, Salman MD.Horses vaccinated against common agents of infectious upper respiratory disease (IURD) may not have detectable serum antibody and may not be protected from clinical disease. Objective: The objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the serological response of horses to vaccination against influenza virus (H3N8 and H7N7) and equine herpesviruses (EHV) in a field setting and 2) evaluate associations among vaccination status, serum antibody concentrations, and occurrences of IURD in monitored horses. Methods: In this study, horses on 6 Colorado premises were vaccinated parenterally against i...
Nasci RS, Berry RL, Restifo RA, Parsons MA, Smith GC, Martin DA.During August and September of 1991, an epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus in horses occurred in Wayne and Holmes countries, OH. This was the first recorded epizootic of EEE virus in the state. Twelve horses were confirmed positive for EEE virus through virus isolation or seroconversion, and seven additional horses with compatible symptoms were in close spatial and temporal proximity to the confirmed cases and were presumed to have died from EEE virus. The outbreak was centered around the Killbuck Wildlife Area, a 2,147-ha tract maintained by the state, half of which consists...
Hesselmar B, Aberg B, Eriksson B, Aberg N.In this 5-year follow-up study we compared the prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, eczema, and sensitization, in relation to several background factors, in two Swedish regions (Göteborg and Kiruna). In Göteborg, a city on the southwest coast, the climate is mild and humid. Kiruna is a town north of the Arctic Circle. Questionnaire replies and results of interviews were collected from all 412 7-8-year-old children of a population-based sample (203 in Göteborg and 209 in Kiruna); in addition, 192 children from Göteborg and 205 from Kiruna were skin-prick tested for sensitization to c...
Li X, Buzzard P, Chen Y, Jiang X.Alleviating human-carnivore conflict is central to large carnivore conservation and is often of economic importance, where people coexist with carnivores. In this article, we report on the patterns of predation and economic losses from wild carnivores preying on livestock in three villages of northern Baima Xueshan Nature Reserve, northwest Yunnan during a 2-year period between January 2010 and December 2011. We analyzed claims from 149 households that 258 head of livestock were predated. Wolves (Canis lupus) were responsible for 79.1 % of livestock predation; Asiatic black bears (Selenarctos ...
Ueeck BA, Dierks EJ, Homer LD, Potter B.Studies of trauma patients have described patterns of injuries sustained from unfortunate encounters with large animals. However, the patterns of maxillofacial injuries have yet to be reported. The goal of this investigation was to describe and report on maxillofacial injuries that are associated with interaction with horses. Methods: Charts were selected from the trauma registry by E-code at a level 1 trauma center in Portland, OR. A retrospective review was performed on charts collected from the previous 5 years (1998-2002). Data were collected according to patient, pattern of injuries, and ...
Becher AM, Mahling M, Nielsen MK, Pfister K.For 9 consecutive months (March-November 2008), faecal samples were collected monthly from 129 horses residing within 40 km of Salzburg, Austria. Samples were analysed quantitatively using a modified McMaster egg counting technique. Whenever a faecal egg count (FEC) result exceeded 250 eggs per gram (EPG), the horse was treated with pyrantel, ivermectin or moxidectin. In 52 of 129 horses (40.3%), no strongyle eggs were ever detected over the course of 9 months. In 39 horses (30.2%), strongyle eggs were detected in at least 1 sample, but the egg count never exceeded 250 EPG. The remaining 38 (2...
Saastamoinen M, Särkijärvi S, Hyyppä S.Stable air quality and the choice of bedding material are an important health issue both in horses and people working or visiting horse stables. Risks of impaired respiratory health are those that can especially be avoided by improving air quality in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly important in cold climate conditions; where horses are kept most of the day and year indoors throughout their life. This study examined the effect of two bedding materials; wood shavings and peat; on stable air quality and health of horses. Ammonia and dust levels were also measured to ass...
Papachristos A, Edwards E, Dowrick A, Gosling C.Despite a number of injury prevention campaigns and interventions, horse riding continues to be a dangerous activity, resulting in more accidents per hour than motorcycling, skiing and football. Injuries are often serious, with one in four patients requiring admission to hospital. This study aims to describe the severity of equestrian-related injuries (ERIs) using both clinical parameters and patient-reported outcomes. Methods: A retrospective study of all patients aged ≥18 years admitted to The Alfred Hospital between January 2003 and January 2008 with an ERI was performed. Specific clinica...
Howell PG, Nurton JP, Nel D, Lourens CW, Guthrie AJ.Cohorts of yearlings were sampled over a period of 6 years in a retrospective serological survey to establish the annual prevalence of serotype specific antibody to equine encephalosis virus on Thoroughbred stud farms distributed within defined geographical regions of South Africa. Seasonal seroprevalence varied between 3.6% and 34.7%, revealing both single and multiple serotype infections in an individual yearling. During the course of this study serotypes 1 and 6 were most frequently and extensively identified while the remaining serotypes 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 were all identified as sporadic and...
Fall M, Fall AG, Seck MT, Bouyer J, Diarra M, Balenghien T, Garros C, Bakhoum MT, Faye O, Baldet T, Gimonneau G.Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are important vectors of arboviruses in Africa. Culicoides oxystoma has been recently recorded in the Niayes region of Senegal (West Africa) and its high abundance on horses suggests a potential implication in the transmission of the African horse sickness virus in this region. This species is also suspected to transmit bluetongue virus to imported breeds of sheep. Little information is available on the biology and ecology of Culicoides in Africa. Therefore, understanding the circadian host-seeking activity of this putative vector is of prima...
Ribeiro MJ, Rosa MH, Bruhn FR, Garcia Ade M, Rocha CM, Guimarães AM.The present study used the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) to determine the seroprevalence of Sarcocystis neurona, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp., and evaluated the variables associated with these infections among 506 apparently healthy horses, reared in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This study was conducted between April 2012 and October 2013. Among the horses, the true prevalence of S. neurona was 26% (95% CI: 22.0-30.4%), T. gondii 19.9% (95% CI: 15.5-24.8%) and Neospora spp. 23.9% (95% CI: 19.9-28.1%); and among the farms, 88.3% (95% CI: 74.4-91.6%), 71.6% ...
Rudman R, Keiper RR.The summer body condition of 47 adult feral ponies on Assateague Island (off the coast of Maryland, USA) was assessed in June 1988 using a visual body condition scoring system. Winter body condition for 36 of the ponies was assessed in February and March, 1989. The ponies were categorised by gender, reproductive status and location on the island, and body condition scores of the ponies in each category were then compared by statistical analyses. No significant seasonal differences were found in the body conditions of the ponies. However, body condition of stallions was better than that of mare...
Hamond C, Pinna A, Martins G, Lilenbaum W.Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance and has a worldwide distribution. This infection displays clear seasonal nature in some regions of the tropics, where the rainy season is marked by high temperatures. Household and wild animals carry leptospires and contribute to their dissemination in nature. Transmission mainly occurs by contact with water contaminated with the urine of infected animals, and consequently, it is quite widespread especially in times of rain, since many areas are subject to flooding and have poor sanitation. Serological tests demonstrate that Leptospira s...
BMC public healthFebruary 20, 2014
Volume 14 182 doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-182
Sawford K, Dhand NK, Toribio JA, Taylor MR.After the 2011 cluster of Hendra virus cases in horses in Australia, public health targeted education initiatives at people in the equine industry to reduce human exposure to potentially infected horses. 'Horse owners and Hendra Virus: A Longitudinal cohort study To Evaluate Risk' aims to enhance public health measures through improved understanding of Hendra virus risk perception and risk mitigation strategies among horse owners and horse care providers. This paper describes the stakeholder consultation that was undertaken to ensure the cohort study outcomes were relevant to diverse groups wh...
Elfman L, Brannstrom J, Smedje G.Integrating horse stables with built-up areas may lead to conflicts. Dispersion of horse allergen may become a health risk for allergic people. The aim was to measure the dispersion of horse allergen around a stable, considering wind speed and direction and vegetation. The disturbance of staff at a workplace nearby a stable was investigated. Methods: Air sampling was performed around a stable (32 horses) at distances of 50-500 m in all directions. Sampling was done with a pump and an IOM sampler. Samples were collected at 50 points during all seasons. Horse allergen levels were determined usin...
Kumar K, Arshad SS, Selvarajah GT, Abu J, Toung OP, Abba Y, Yasmin AR, Bande F, Sharma R, Ong BL.Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). It causes encephalitis in human and horses, and may lead to reproductive failure in sows. The first human encephalitis case in Malaya (now Malaysia) was reported during World War II in a British prison in 1942. Later, encephalitis was observed among race horses in Singapore. In 1951, the first JEV was isolated from the brain of an encephalitis patient. The true storyline of JE exposure among humans and animals has not been documented in Malaysia. In some places such as Sarawak, JEV ha...
Yang N, Mu MY, Yuan GM, Zhang GX, Li HK, He JB.Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic pathogen infecting humans and almost all warm-blooded animals. The most common sources of human infection are ingestion of tissue cysts in raw or undercooked meat. However, limited information is available about T. gondii infection in horses and donkeys in China. In the present study, we report the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in horses and donkeys in Liaoning province, northeastern China. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 711 and 738 slaughtered horses and donkeys, respectively, in 13 regions of Liaoning province. The modified agglu...
Wharton T, Whitworth J, Macauley E, Malone M.The objective of this study was to test effectiveness and feasibility of equine-facilitated cognitive processing therapy (EF-CPT), a manualized adaptation of the cognitive processing therapy model for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) championed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in which equine-facilitated activities are integrated into face-to-face sessions. Methods: Twenty-seven veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD participated (M = 51; 78% male) in a pretest-posttest design. Veterans were seen by a single psychologist for 12 sessions of individual EF-CPT. Instruments incl...
Gopalakrishnan M, Yadav P, Mathur R, Midha N, Garg MK.Snakebite envenoming is a serious and life-threatening but neglected problem in the tropics. The focus in the Indian subcontinent is usually on the Indian cobra (Naja naja), common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Russell's viper (Daboia russelii), and Indian saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus). The Indian polyvalent antivenom contains hyperimmunized horse antibodies against only these 4 species. However, regional intraspecific variations are important in viper envenomings, leading to marked differences in clinical presentation and response to the available polyvalent antivenom. Echis carinatus soch...
Acosta-Jamett G, Cleaveland S, Cunningham AA, Bronsvoort BM, Craig PS.Cyst echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most important zoonosis in Chile, where studies have focussed mainly in moist southern regions. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in livestock and humans in the semiarid Coquimbo region in north-central Chile. A review of all surgical cases of CE in humans reported in the Elqui, Limarí and Choapa provinces in Coquimbo region for the period comprising 1995-2006 was obtained. In addition, a retrospective study of CE covering condemnation records from slaughterhouses of these provinces from the same pe...
