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.
da Silva VV, de Sá Barreto Maia Leite DP, de Crasto Souza Carvalho Reis J, de Almeida Braz BM, Junior JWP, de Almeida JC, Mota RA.This study identifies high-risk areas for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in Brazil and analyzes the temporal trend of the disease across regions and Federative Units over an 18-year period (2006-2023), using data from the National Animal Health Information System (SIZ). During the analyzed period, 111,826 cases of EIA were reported in Brazil, with a predominance in the Northeast (39.75 %), Central-West (27.56 %), and North (20.95 %) regions. The state of Mato Grosso recorded the highest number of cases (17.02 %), while Sergipe had the lowest (0.36 %). In the incidence risk analysis, the s...
Marchi S, Amodeo D, Peccetti B, De Palma I, Messina G, Montomoli E, Trombetta CM.Influenza D virus (IDV) is a novel influenza virus, first isolated from swine with influenza-like symptoms in the USA in 2011. To date, IDV circulation has been reported in various animal species such as cattle, pigs, horses with the ability to expand its range of hosts. UV radiation has been widely used for the disinfection of various sources such as water, air, and surfaces, especially in places at greater risk of contamination by viruses and bacteria, such as hospitals and health facilities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential virucidal effect of a violet-blue light against ...
Fonseca-RodrÃguez O, Pailler-GarcÃa L, Urban A, Cáceres G, Napp S, Busquets N.West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropod-borne virus primarily transmitted by Culex mosquitoes, among birds, but occasionally infecting humans and equids. Understanding environmental factors on the disease occurrence is crucial for planning effective prevention and control strategies. Our study estimates the short-term effects of ambient temperature, relative humidity and precipitation on weekly cases of WNV in equids in Spain, using a space-time stratified case-crossover design. Because WNV transmission occurs sometime after the weather conditions become favorable for the vector, we aimed to est...
Bain ME, Alsop EJ, Knox CA, Tweedie MA, Knottenbelt DC.Mycobacterium ulcerans infection in horses is under-reported. Objective: To document the successful multimodal treatment of M. ulcerans and highlight the need for further investigation due to the zoonotic nature of M. ulcerans with its related potential public health concerns. Methods: Case report CASE DESCRIPTION: A 14-year-old gelding in the Southeastern region of Australia was diagnosed with M. ulcerans infection, initially presenting as a non-healing wound of the right flank progressing to extensive necrotic ulceration. Ziehl-Neelsen and Wade-Fite stained incisional biopsies revealed large...
RodrÃguez-Valencia V, Olive MM, Le Goff G, Faisse M, Bourel M, L'Ambert G, Vollot B, Tolsá-GarcÃa MJ, Paupy C, Roiz D.The spread of the West Nile (WNV) and Usutu (USUV) flaviviruses in Europe in recent decades highlights the urgent need to understand the transmission networks of these pathogens as a basis for effective decision-making. These viruses are part of a complex disease cycle that involves birds as principal hosts and humans and horses as dead-end hosts. Our study aims to uncover the intricate relationships between the main mosquito vector of these viruses, Culex pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae) and its feeding preferences based on the forage ratio among several host species, primarily birds in a lan...
do Carmo TA, Fonseca JDS, Braga FR, Paz-Silva A, de Soutello RVG, de Araújo JV.Equine farming faces growing challenges with helminthoses, aggravated by the indiscriminate use of anthelmintics without technical criteria. This practice favors resistance to these drugs, generates residues in animal products, compromises food safety and human health, and, when excreted in large quantities, negatively impacts environmental health by affecting invertebrates and fecal microorganisms. This highlights the importance of the One Health approach. A promising alternative is biological control with nematophagous or helminthophagous fungi such as , , , , and . Due to their different m...
Martins AS, Romanowski TNA, Campos JS, Vieira RC, Silva TA, Borsanelli AC.Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of Brucella genus, which affects domestic and wild animals and humans. In horses, the infection can be caused by Brucella canis, Brucella suis or Brucella abortus, through the ingestion of contaminated food, contact of bacteria with skin wounds or through the respiratory tract, manifesting with signs such as fistulous withers and reduced performance. The present study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Brucella abortus infection in equids in the state of Goiás. Sampling was carried out on 299 farms across 132 municipalities, with a total of 89...
Oztas T, Akar M, Virkanen J, Beier C, Goericke-Pesch S, Peltoniemi O, Kareskoski M, Björkman S.Heavy metal contamination poses significant environmental and health risks to both humans and animals. This study investigates the concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in blood, hair, and semen samples collected from 16 breeding stallions in Western Finland to assess whether concentrations in hair and serum samples represent concentrations in semen. The analysis was conducted using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) system. Results showed that hair samples exhibited the highest concentrations of heavy metals, particularly Pb and As, while semen show...
is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide in young humans and animals. In 2023-2024, a relatively high rotavirus detection rate (34.5%) was detected in children with diarrhea in Caracas. All rotavirus strains were typed as P[8], using a multiplex RT-PCR assay, while the G-type was not identified. This unusual pattern, not previously observed in Venezuela, prompted the VP7 gene sequencing of nineteen strains, which displayed a high sequence identity (99.3-100%) compatible with the G3 genotype. These strains clustered into a well-supported lineage IX encompassing human reassortant...
Peng X, Wang X, Jian J, Zuo Q, Liu H, Wang Y, Su Y, Cao J, Jiang B, Shen Y.Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are zoonotic pathogens with global distribution, infecting humans and various livestock. For yaks, Tibetan sheep and horses, the traditional grazing models still hold a main position. After these animals become infected, it not only hinders the development of animal husbandry but also increases the risk of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi transmission between livestock and herdsmen. Methods: In the present study, a total of 750 fecal samples were collected from yaks, Tibetan sheep and horses in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province, from July to Au...
Germann JA, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL, Spence KL.This study aimed to describe implementation of biosecurity practices by Ontario horse owners and investigate whether biosecurity implementation was associated with horse-owner demographic characteristics and personality traits. Unassigned: A cross-sectional questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of horse owners in Ontario to collect data on demographics, personality traits, risk comprehension, and biosecurity practices. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify clusters of participants with shared personality traits, and univariable associations between clusters and de...
Wells A, Hiney KM, Brady CM, Anderson KP.The horse industry's growing focus on improving horse welfare stems from stakeholders' desires, increasing public scrutiny, and potential threats to its Social License to Operate. Correctly assessing equine affective states is crucial for enhancing horse welfare. However, horse owners often struggle with this assessment, especially those with limited consistent access to horses. To address this gap, RAiSE (Recognizing Affective State in Equine) was developed as an educational tool aimed at improving horse industry participants' ability to recognize these states. After development of the educat...
Mazzamuto MV, Enkhbat E, Dolphin J, Gankhuyag G, Munkhtsog B, Bayanmunkh U, Sodnompil B, Nasanbat B, Yansanjav A, Koprowski JL, Gansukh S.In some regions of the world, long traditions of herding practices have coevolved with the natural ecosystems, sustaining livelihoods and biodiversity. However, in emerging economies, the populations that have long relied on livestock as their main income are now driving a dramatic increase in livestock numbers on the landscape. This study investigates the impacts of livestock (cattle and horses) and human activities on wild ungulates, Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), wapiti (Cervus canadensis), and wild boar (Sus scrofa), in Bogd Khan Mountain, Mongolia. Protected since the 12th centur...
Visser EK, Jens AL, Nieuwe Weme LE, Spaapen AA, Maarleveld KN, Enzerink KH, Tromp PN, Haven-Pross SC.Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) offer significant benefits for individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. However, ensuring the welfare of the horses involved remains a key ethical concern. The objective of this study was to assess the affective states of horses involved in EAS while also establishing behavioural thresholds for indicators of positive or negative affective states. A total of 98 horses were observed over a two-month period, accumulating data about horse behaviour and session characteristics from 830 EAS sessions. Horses participating in coaching programs averaged...
Sijtsema M, Stringer T, Hopman NEM, van der Graaf-van Bloois L, Duim B, van den Brom-Spierenburg A, Theelen M, Zomer A, Broens EM.Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) associated with ESKAPEE pathogens are an emerging concern in equine hospitals, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). To gain insight into the occurrence of HAIs and to identify potential reservoirs and transmission routes of ESKAPEE pathogens in an equine ICU, a pilot study of two periods (December 2022-January 2023 and April-June 2023) was performed, where patient and environmental samples were obtained upon ICU admission and discharge. A sampling and laboratory protocol for the detection and identification of different ESKAPEE pathogens and Salm...
Hudson S, Blackburn J, Fish M, Ousey K.Police officers wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce their risk of injury while on duty. Despite the unique policing activity of riding a horse, little is known about the PPE used by mounted officers. The aim of this research was to assess the use, comfort, and functionality of mounted police PPE. Twenty officers from three UK Mounted Sections were recruited. Semi-structured interviews and range of movement assessments were conducted. Interview data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three main themes were generated: and Much of the PPE worn by mounted officers is ...
Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Vitomirov A, Anaya S, Naranatt P, Swadia H, Mendonsa E.The objective of this study was to evaluate a point-of-care (POC) PCR assay for the detection of Salmonella spp. in pooled environmental samples collected at an equine veterinary hospital. A total of 945 environmental samples were collected from high-risk areas, including ICU and isolation stalls, high-traffic areas, treatment rooms, and surgical suites. The environmental samples were collected using drag swabs placed in selenite broth and individually incubated at 35 °C for 20 h. Following the incubation period, 1 mL of up to 10 individual environmental samples were pooled together. Each poo...
Ribeiro NG, Silva PD, de Lima Paz PJ, Arabe Filho MF, Listoni FP, Listoni EP, Panegossi LC, Ribeiro MG.Rhodococcus equi is an opportunistic soil-borne bacterium that is eliminated in feces of multi-host animals. An increase in multidrug-resistant R. equi isolates has been reported in humans and domestic animals, and it has been hypothesized that the treatment of R. equi in foals could increase the selective pressure on multidrug-resistant isolates and favor human infections by resistant isolates. We investigated the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility/resistance of 41 R. equi strains from humans, which were isolated from patients with pulmonary signs, using 19 antimicrobials from 10 distinct ...
Kozak S, Merda D, Chesnais V, Breuil MF, Harrison M, Zdovc I, Golob M, Petry S, Duquesne F.Taylorella equigenitalis is the causative agent of contagious equine metritis, an internationally regulated sexually-transmitted infection in horses, which is of great concern as it usually results in temporary infertility. Taylorella asinigenitalis, the second member of the genus, is mainly found in donkeys and is considered non-pathogenic, although a first natural outbreak was reported in 2019 in the United Arab Emirates. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is currently used to study the epidemiology of Taylorella spp. but, while highly transposable and reproducible, it only focuses on < 0.5...
Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Boklund A, Dippel S, Dorea F, Figuerola J, Herskin M, Miranda Chueca MA, Nannoni E, Nonno R, Riber A, Stahl K, Stegeman JA....The objective of this Scientific Opinion is to assess the hazards and welfare consequences associated with the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The entire slaughter procedure, from arrival at the slaughterhouse until death, is divided into three phases: Phase 1 - pre-stunning, Phase 2 - stunning and Phase 3 - bleeding. Phase 1 includes the following processes (in chronological order): (a) arrival, (b) unloading of the animals from the vehicle, (c) lairage, (d) handling and moving to the stunning area and (e) restraint before application of the stunning method. Phase 2 encompasses the...
Ross DE, Ghodasara SK, Roskam JS, Gaccione AG, DiFazio LT, Bilaniuk JW, Nemeth ZH.Motorcycle and equestrian accidents can share similar trauma mechanisms and can result in serious injuries. Objective: This study aims to analyze variations in injuries and safety standards through types, severity, and outcomes of traumatic injuries in both motorcycle and equestrian riders. Methods: Using the 2020 ACS TQIP database, we split patients into two groups based on their primary injury. We chose codes V28 and V80.0 to identify non-collision fall or throw injuries for motorcycle and equestrian accidents respectively. A total of 17,730 motorcycle and 5,461 equestrian patients were iden...
Caddey B, Fisher S, Barkema HW, Nobrega DB.SUMMARYNumerous questions persist regarding the role of companion animals as potential reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant organisms that can infect humans. While relative antimicrobial usage in companion animals is lower than that in humans, certain antimicrobial-resistant pathogens have comparable colonization rates in companion animals and their human counterparts, which inevitably raises questions regarding potential antimicrobial resistance (AMR) transmission. Furthermore, the close contact between pets and their owners, as well as pets, veterinary professionals, and the veterinary clin...
Sharma S, Reardon LM, Guda R, Carr MM, Man LX, Alicea D.Our primary objective was to identify and describe demographic trends in head and neck injuries incurred while participating in horseback riding. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis. Methods: National Database. Methods: Head and neck injuries related to horseback riding over a ten-year period (2014-2023) were analyzed using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). A total of 3,177 cases were identified. Inclusion criteria encompassed injuries to the head, neck, face, mouth, or ear. Variables included age, gender, injury type, anatomical location, and patient disposit...
Chapman M, Fenner K, Thomas MJW.Equestrianism has an opportunity to learn lessons relating to safer human-horse interactions from those who no longer have a voice, by drawing data from the investigation of horse-related human fatalities and participating in accident analysis. Many human-horse related injuries and fatalities are not examined in equestrianism for the purpose of developing safer future risk mitigation practice, often due to the philosophy that horse sport is simply dangerous. This study analysed data from the Australian National Coronial Information System (NCIS) relating to fatalities involving human-horse int...
Kabir A, Kelley WG, Glover C, Erol E, Helmy YA.Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen that poses a significant threat to global public health. It affects several animal species, including horses. Salmonella infections in horses can be either asymptomatic or cause severe clinical illness. Infections caused by Salmonella are presently controlled with antibiotics. Due to the formation of biofilms and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, the treatment has become more complicated. Our study focused on investigating the prevalence of Salmonella enterica in necropsied horses, assessing the capability for biofilm formation, and motility, determi...
Nakase M, Thapa J, Batbaatar V, Khurtsbaatar O, Enkhtuul B, Unenbat J, Lkham B, Fujita S, Koshikawa A, Tuanyok A, Saechan V, Higashi H, Hayashida K....Glanders and melioidosis are contagious zoonotic diseases caused by Burkholderia mallei and B. pseudomallei, respectively. Bacterial isolation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been used to detect these bacteria in animals suspected of infection; however, both methods require skilled experimental techniques and expensive equipment. These obstacles make it difficult to diagnose B. mallei and B. pseudomallei infections in areas where reagents and equipment are difficult to procure. To solve this problem, we developed an easy and ready-to-use dried-format diagnostic tool based on loop-medi...
Parashar B, Malviya R, Sridhar SB, Wadhwa T, Talath S, Shareef J.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a lethal transmitted by mosquitoes that primarily cycles between birds. Although rare, infections in humans and horses are associated with high mortality rates and severe neurological effects. Climate change appears to be increasing the spread of this virus. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of EEEV, including its transmission dynamics, pathogenesis, induced host immune response, and long-term impacts on survivors. It also highlights the virus's unique immune evasion strategies that complicate disease management and contribute to ...
Venter M, Human S, Zaayman D, Gerdes GH, Williams J, Steyl J, Leman PA, Paweska JT, Setzkorn H, Rous G, Murray S, Parker R, Donnellan C, Swanepoel R.Serologic evidence suggests that West Nile virus (WNV) is widely distributed in horses in southern Africa. However, because few neurologic cases have been reported, endemic lineage 2 strains were postulated to be nonpathogenic in horses. Recent evidence suggests that highly neuroinvasive lineage 2 strains exist in humans and mice. To determine whether neurologic cases are being missed in South Africa, we tested 80 serum or brain specimens from horses with unexplained fever (n = 48) and/or neurologic signs (n = 32) for WNV. From March 2007 through June 2008, using reverse transcription-PCR (RT-...
Walther B, Monecke S, Ruscher C, Friedrich AW, Ehricht R, Slickers P, Soba A, Wleklinski CG, Wieler LH, Lübke-Becker A.Despite the increasing importance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in veterinary medicine, knowledge about the epidemiology of the pathogen in horses is still poor. The phylogenetic relationship of strains of human and equine origins has been addressed before, usually by analyzing results of common standard classification methods for MRSA. This work intends to go beyond the baseline of typing procedures in order to comparatively characterize equine and human MRSA strains with similar phylogenetic backgrounds. In addition to multilocus sequence typing, pulsed-field gel elec...
Nawroth C, Langbein J, Coulon M, Gabor V, Oesterwind S, Benz-Schwarzburg J, von Borell E.Farm animal welfare is a major concern for society and food production. To more accurately evaluate animal farming in general and to avoid exposing farm animals to poor welfare situations, it is necessary to understand not only their behavioral but also their cognitive needs and capacities. Thus, general knowledge of how farm animals perceive and interact with their environment is of major importance for a range of stakeholders, from citizens to politicians to cognitive ethologists to philosophers. This review aims to outline the current state of farm animal cognition research and focuses on u...
Weese JS, Rousseau J, Willey BM, Archambault M, McGeer A, Low DE.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging equine pathogen. To attempt to control nosocomial and zoonotic transmission, an MRSA screening program was established for all horses admitted to the Ontario Veterinary College Veterinary Teaching Hospital, whereby nasal screening swabs were collected at admission, weekly during hospitalization, and at discharge. MRSA was isolated from 120 (5.3%) of 2,283 horses: 61 (50.8%) at the time of admission, 53 (44.2%) during hospitalization, and 6 from which the origin was unclear because an admission swab had not been collected. Clinic...
Anderson MA, Whitlock JE, Harwood VJ.Escherichia coli is the most completely characterized prokaryotic model organism and one of the dominant indicator organisms for food and water quality testing, yet comparatively little is known about the structure of E. coli populations in their various hosts. The diversities of E. coli populations isolated from the feces of three host species (human, cow, and horse) were compared by two subtyping methods: ribotyping (using HindIII) and antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA). The sampling effort required to obtain a representative sample differed by host species, as E. coli diversity was consis...
Endimiani A, Hujer KM, Hujer AM, Bertschy I, Rossano A, Koch C, Gerber V, Francey T, Bonomo RA, Perreten V.We investigated whether Acinetobacter baumannii isolates of veterinary origin shared common molecular characteristics with those described in humans. Methods: Nineteen A. baumannii isolates collected in pets and horses were analysed. Clonality was studied using repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). PCR and DNA sequencing for various β-lactamase, aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme, gyrA and parC, ISAba1 and IS1133, adeR and adeS of the AdeABC efflux pump, carO porin and class 1/2/3 integron genes were performed. Results: Two main clones [A (n =â€...
Tagliabue S, Figarolli BM, D'Incau M, Foschi G, Gennero MS, Giordani R, Giordani R, Natale A, Papa P, Ponti N, Scaltrito D, Spadari L, Vesco G....Nowadays, leptospirosis is a re‑emerging widespread infectious disease often underestimate worldwide. The National Reference Centre for Leptospirosis (NRCL), at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia (Italy), with the cooperation of all the other Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali (IIZZSS), evaluated the distribution of such important zoonosis in Italy. Serological data obtained between 2010‑2011 by each laboratory were collected by the NRCL and discussed. Serum samples collected from 43,935 animal specimens were analysed by the Microsco...
Berny P, Caloni F, Croubels S, Sachana M, Vandenbroucke V, Davanzo F, Guitart R.This is the second in a series of three review articles on animal poisoning in Europe and focuses on cases in pet animals and horses in five European countries (Belgium, France, Greece, Italy and Spain) reported over the last decade. In the participating countries, dogs were the most commonly poisoned species, particularly younger animals. The majority of cases in companion animals resulted from exposure to insecticides, although rodenticides (especially anticoagulants and strychnine) posed a significant risk. In all five countries, horses and cats appeared to be more susceptible to plant toxi...
Angenvoort J, Brault AC, Bowen RA, Groschup MH.West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus transmitted between certain species of birds and mosquito vectors. Tangential infections of equids and subsequent equine epizootics have occurred historically. Although the attack rate has been estimated to be below 10%, mortality rates can approach 50% in horses that present clinical disease. Symptoms are most commonly presenting in the form of encephalitis with ataxia as well as limb weakness, recumbency and muscle fasciculation. The most effective strategy for prevention of equine disease is proper vaccination with one of the numerous commercially avail...
Horta MC, Labruna MB, Sangioni LA, Vianna MC, Gennari SM, Galvão MA, Mafra CL, Vidotto O, Schumaker TT, Walker DH.In serum samples obtained from all the healthy humans, horses, dogs, and donkeys present on three farms in the Pedreira Municipality, an endemic area for Brazilian spotted fever, an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) detected antibodies against Rickettsia rickettsii in 17 (77.3%) horses, 5 (31.3%) dogs (titers ranging from 64 to 4,048), and none of 4 donkeys or 50 humans. Five canine and eight equine sera with high antibody titers to R. rickettsii were also tested by IFA against R. bellii, R. akari, and R. africae antigens. Sera from two horses and two dogs that showed similar high antibo...
Olson ME, Thorlakson CL, Deselliers L, Morck DW, McAllister TA.Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are commonly identified intestinal pathogens in humans and animals. In light of the clinical disease, production losses and zoonotic potential of both Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections, a study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of these parasites in cattle, sheep, pigs and horses in Canadian farms at different geographical locations. A total of 104 cattle, 89 sheep, 236 pigs and 35 horses were sampled from 15 different Canadian geographical locations. Fecal samples were examined after concentration and immunofluorescent staining. Gi...
Venter M, Swanepoel R.West Nile virus (WNV) is widely distributed in South Africa, but since a few cases of neurological disease have been reported from this region, endemic lineage 2 strains were postulated to be of low virulence. Several cases of nonfatal encephalitis in humans as well as fatal cases in a foal, dog, and ostrich chicks have, however, been associated with lineage 2 WNV in South Africa. The pathogenesis of lineage 2 WNV strains was investigated using mouse neuroinvasive experiments, gene expression experiments, and genome sequence comparisons which indicated that lineage 2 strains that are highly pa...
O'Mahony R, Abbott Y, Leonard FC, Markey BK, Quinn PJ, Pollock PJ, Fanning S, Rossney AS.Reports of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals have become more frequent in recent years. This paper documents the recovery of MRSA from animals with respiratory, urinary tract or wound infection and from animals subjected to surgical procedures following treatment in one veterinary hospital and 16 private veterinary clinics in different geographical locations throughout Ireland. MRSA was recovered from 25 animals comprising 14 dogs, eight horses, one cat, one rabbit and a seal, and also from 10 attendant veterinary personnel. Clinical susceptibility testing suggested...
Weaver SC, Hagenbaugh A, Bellew LA, Gousset L, Mallampalli V, Holland JJ, Scott TW.Evolution of viruses in the eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) complex was studied by analyzing RNA sequences and oligonucleotide fingerprints from isolates representing the North and South American antigenic varieties. By using homologous sequences of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus as an outgroup, phylogenetic trees revealed three main EEE virus monophyletic groups. A North American variety group included all isolates from North America and the Caribbean. One South American variety group included isolates from the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru, while the other included strain...
Islam MZ, Espinosa-Gongora C, Damborg P, Sieber RN, Munk R, Husted L, Moodley A, Skov R, Larsen J, Guardabassi L.Denmark is a country with high prevalence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex (CC) 398 in pigs. Even though pig farming is regarded as the main source of human infection or colonization with MRSA CC398, 10-15% of the human cases appear not to be linked to pigs. Following the recent reports of MRSA CC398 in horses in other European countries and the lack of knowledge on S. aureus carriage in this animal species, we carried out a study to investigate whether horses constitute a reservoir of MRSA CC398 in Denmark, and to gain knowledge on the ...
Hughes J, Allen RC, Baguelin M, Hampson K, Baillie GJ, Elton D, Newton JR, Kellam P, Wood JL, Holmes EC, Murcia PR.The ability of influenza A viruses (IAVs) to cross species barriers and evade host immunity is a major public health concern. Studies on the phylodynamics of IAVs across different scales - from the individual to the population - are essential for devising effective measures to predict, prevent or contain influenza emergence. Understanding how IAVs spread and evolve during outbreaks is critical for the management of epidemics. Reconstructing the transmission network during a single outbreak by sampling viral genetic data in time and space can generate insights about these processes. Here, we ob...
Loeffler A, Lloyd DH.This article reviews the literature on the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in dogs, cats and horses. Over the past 10 years, MRSA has emerged as an important pathogen in veterinary medicine, especially in countries with a high MRSA burden in human hospitals. During the same period, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections in humans without apparent links to healthcare facilities have increased dramatically. Although animal infections occur outside human hospitals, significant epidemiological, clinical and genetic differences exist between CA-MRSA in hum...
Hondalus MK.Inhalation of the soil-borne organism, Rhodococcus equi, can lead to a chronic and severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in young horses and immunocompromised people. In addition, ulcerative colitis is a common sequela to infection in foals, and dissemination from the lung to other body sites is not uncommon in either the horse or man. Although the facultative intracellular bacterium is susceptible to neutrophil-mediated killing, it is able to resist innate macrophage defenses and establish residence within the intracellular environment of that phagocyte. Definitive virulence factors of R. equi ha...
de la Fuente J, Torina A, Caracappa S, Tumino G, Furlá R, Almazán C, Kocan KM.Although Anaplasma marginale was known to be endemic in Italy, the diversity of Anaplasma spp. from this area have not been characterized. In this study, the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. antibodies in randomly selected farm animals collected on the island of Sicily was determined by use of a MSP5 cELISA for Anaplasma spp. and an immunofluorescence test specific for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Genetic variation among strains of Anaplasma spp. from animals and ticks was characterized using the A. marginale msp1alpha and the Anaplasma spp. msp4 genes. Eight species of ticks were collected and test...
Marx C, Gardner S, Harman RM, Van de Walle GR.Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from various species, such as humans, mice, and horses, were recently found to effectively inhibit the growth of various bacteria associated with chronic infections, such as nonhealing cutaneous wounds, via secretion of antimicrobial peptides. These MSC antimicrobial properties have primarily been studied in the context of the planktonic phenotype, and thus, information on the effects on bacteria in biofilms is largely lacking. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of the MSC secretome against various biofilm-forming wound pathogen...
David S, Abraham AM.Since the isolation of West Nile virus (WNV) in 1937, in Uganda, it has spread globally, causing significant morbidity and mortality. While birds serve as amplifier hosts, mosquitoes of the Culex genus function as vectors. Humans and horses are dead end hosts. The clinical manifestations of West Nile infection in humans range from asymptomatic illness to West Nile encephalitis. Methods: The laboratory offers an array of tests, the preferred method being detection of RNA and serum IgM for WNV, which, if detected, confirms the clinical diagnosis. Although no definitive antiviral therapy and vacc...
Shirato K, Kimura T, Mizutani T, Kariwa H, Takashima I.West Nile (WN) virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that can cause lethal encephalitis in humans and horses. The WN virus endemic in New York City (NY) in 1999 caused large-scale mortality of wild birds that was not evident in endemic areas in other parts of the world, and the pathogenesis of the WN virus strain isolated in NY (NY strain) appears to differ from that of previously isolated strains. However, the pathogenesis of NY strain infection remains unclear. This study examined CC (RANTES/CCL5, MIP-1 alpha/CCL3, MIP-1 beta/CCL4) and CXC (IP-10/CXCL10, B lymphocyte chemoattractant (BLC/CXCL...
Komar N, Dohm DJ, Turell MJ, Spielman A.To determine whether eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus infection in starlings may be more fulminant than in various native candidate reservoir birds, we compared their respective intensities and durations of viremia. Viremias are more intense and longer lasting in starlings than in robins and other birds. Starlings frequently die as their viremia begins to wane; other birds generally survive. Various Aedes as well as Culiseta melanura mosquitoes can acquire EEE viral infection from infected starlings under laboratory conditions. The reservoir competence of a bird is described as the prod...
Daly JM, MacRae S, Newton JR, Wattrang E, Elton DM.This review discusses some of the challenges still faced in the control of equine influenza virus H3N8 infection. A widespread outbreak of equine influenza in the United Kingdom during 2003 in vaccinated Thoroughbred racehorses challenged the current dogma on vaccine strain selection. Furthermore, several new developments in the first decade of the 21st century, including transmission to and establishment in dogs, a presumed influenza-associated encephalopathy in horses and an outbreak of equine influenza in Australia, serve as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of influenza viruses. The a...
Belaunzaran X, Bessa RJ, LavÃn P, Mantecón AR, Kramer JK, Aldai N.The consumption of horse-meat is currently not popular in most countries, but because of its availability and recognized nutritional value consumption is slowly increasing in several western European countries based on claims that it could be an alternative red meat. In this review, horse-meat production, trade and supply values have been summarized. In addition, the advantage of horse production is noted because of its lower methane emissions and increased uptake, particularly of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which is based on its digestive physiology. Of particular interest in thi...
