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Topic:Serology
Serology in horse research involves the study and analysis of blood serum to detect the presence of antibodies or antigens associated with infectious diseases and other health conditions. It is a diagnostic tool used to identify immune responses to pathogens, vaccination status, and exposure to specific diseases. Serological tests in equine research can include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), complement fixation tests, and virus neutralization tests. These tests help in understanding the epidemiology of diseases, monitoring herd health, and informing vaccination strategies. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, applications, and implications of serological testing in equine medicine.
Comparison of antibody detection assays for the diagnosis of equine herpesvirus 1 and 4 infections in horses. To compare methods of detecting equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV1)- and EHV4-specific antibodies in horse sera. Methods: 33 acute and convalescent serum samples from experimentally or naturally infected horses after confirmed EHV1 or EHV4 infection. Methods: For each sample, serum antibody titers against EHV1 and EHV4 were determined by use of virus neutralization (VN) and complement fixation (CF) assays. The ELISA absorbance values for each serum sample were determined against the EHV1 and EHV4 recombinant ELISA antigens. Values obtained for acute and convalescent sera in each assay were compar...
Effect of daily administration of pyrantel tartrate in preventing infection in horses experimentally challenged with Sarcocystis neurona. To determine whether daily administration of pyrantel tartrate can prevent infection in horses experimentally challenged with Sarcocystis neurona. Methods: 24 mixed-breed specific-pathogen-free weanling horses, 10 adult horses, 1 opossum, and 6 mice. Methods: Sarcocystis neurona-naïve weanling horses were randomly allocated to 2 groups. Group A received pyrantel tartrate at the labeled dose, and group B received a nonmedicated pellet. Both groups were orally inoculated with 100 sporocysts/d for 28 days, 500 sporocysts/d for 28 days, and 1000 sporocysts/d for 56 days. Blood samples were collec...
Acute clinical, hematologic, serologic, and polymerase chain reaction findings in horses experimentally infected with a European strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Six horses were experimentally infected by administration of horse blood containing a Swedish strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) signal was consistently detected 2-3 days before appearance of clinical signs and persisted 4-9 days beyond abatement of clinical signs, whereas diagnostic inclusion bodies were 1st noted on average 2.6 +/- 1.5 (SD) days after onset of fever. Clinical signs and hematologic changes were largely indistinguishable from those previously reported for diseases caused by A phagocytophilum (formerly Ehrlichia equi--"Californian agent") a...
The anamnestic serologic response to vaccination with a canarypox virus-vectored recombinant West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine in horses previously vaccinated with an inactivated WNV vaccine. A new recombinant West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine has been licensed for use in horses. Prior to the availability of the recombinant vaccine in 2004, the only equine WNV vaccine available on the market had been an inactivated vaccine. Since the recombinant vaccine only expresses selected viral genes, the question could be posed as to whether a single dose of the recombinant vaccine would be effective in producing an anamnestic serologic response in horses previously vaccinated with an inactivated WNV vaccine. In this study we demonstrate that vaccination of horses with a canarypox-vectored recomb...
Risk of transplacental transmission of Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi in California horses. The study objective was to assess the risk of transplacental transmission of Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi in foals from 4 California farms during 3 foaling seasons. Serum of presuckle foals and serum and colostrum of periparturient mares were tested using indirect fluorescent antibody tests for S. neurona and N. hughesi. Serum antibody titers were < or =10 in 366 presuckle foals tested. There was no serologic or histologic evidence of either parasite in aborted fetuses or placentas examined. Positivity for S. neurona and N. hughesi in mares increased with age. Mares < or =9 y...
Serological method using recombinant S2 protein to differentiate equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV)-infected and EIAV-vaccinated horses. We recently reported a highly protective attenuated live virus vaccine for equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) based on a proviral construct (EIAVUKDeltaS2) with a genetically engineered mutation in the viral S2 gene that eliminates expression of this accessory protein. While the EIAVUKDeltaS2 vaccine provides protection from detectable infection by experimental challenge with highly virulent virus, the potential for commercial application of this vaccine is complicated by the fact that horses inoculated with the EIAVUKDeltaS2 vaccine strain become seropositive in various reference diagnosti...
Evidence supporting the inclusion of strains from each of the two co-circulating lineages of H3N8 equine influenza virus in vaccines. Two lineages of antigenically distinct equine influenza A H3N8 subtype viruses, American and European, co-circulate. Experiments were conducted in ponies to investigate the protection induced by vaccines containing virus from one lineage against challenge infection with homologous or heterologous virus. Regression analysis showed that vaccinated ponies with average pre-challenge single radial haemolysis (SRH) antibody levels (i.e. 45-190mm2) had a higher probability of becoming infected if they were vaccinated with virus heterologous to the challenge strain than if they were vaccinated with ho...
Risk of postnatal exposure to Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi in horses. To estimate risk of exposure and age at first exposure to Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi and time to maternal antibody decay in foals. Methods: 484 Thoroughbred and Warmblood foals from 4 farms in California. Methods: Serum was collected before and after colostrum ingestion and at 3-month intervals thereafter. Samples were tested by use of the indirect fluorescent antibody test; cutoff titers were > or = 40 and > or = 160 for S neurona and N hughesi, respectively. Results: Risk of exposure to S neurona and N hughesi during the study were 8.2% and 3.1%, respectively. Annual rate...
Humoral response to West Nile virus vaccination in alpacas and llamas. To determine humoral responses to an equine West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine in healthy alpacas and llamas and compare responses in alpacas and llamas with responses in horses. Methods: Clinical trial. Methods: 28 alpacas, 56 llamas, and 16 horses. Methods: Horses received 2 vaccinations at 4-week intervals, and alpacas and llamas received 3 vaccinations at 3-week intervals. Fifty-five llamas received a fourth vaccination 3 weeks after the third. Blood samples were collected immediately prior to each vaccination, 3 weeks after the last vaccination for alpacas and llamas, and 4 weeks after the las...
West Nile virus, Guadeloupe. To determine whether West Nile virus (WNV) had reached the archipelago of Guadeloupe, a serologic study in horses and birds was conducted in 2002. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and seroneutralization tests identified WNV infection in horses and chickens. Six months later, a high rate of seroconversion was observed in horses.
Clinical West Nile virus infection in 2 horses in western Canada. Two horses had a history of ataxia and weakness or recumbency. One recovered and was diagnosed with West Nile virus (WNV) infection by serologic testing. The other was euthanized; it had meningoencephalomyelitis, WNV was detected by polymerase chain reaction. West Nile virus infection is an emerging disease. Year 2002 is the first year in which cases have been seen in Saskatchewan. Deux chevaux présentaient une histoire d’ataxie et de faiblesse ou de décubitus. Un cheval s’est rétabli et un diagnostic d’infection au virus du Nil occidental (VNO) a été posé par épreuve sérologiqu...
Serologic responses to eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis vaccination in previously vaccinated horses. A prospective study was performed to determine the serologic response of previously vaccinated horses to revaccination against eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis (EEE and WEE). Horses responded variably to each antigen, and some horses had low or undetectable antibodies 6 months after vaccination. Some horses did not develop increasing titers to EEE or WEE despite recent vaccination. Geometric mean titers peaked 2 weeks after revaccination and were significantly increased from before revaccination. Except for one horse, EEE:WEE titer ratios ranged from 0.25 to 2.0. Regular vaccinatio...
Polymerase chain reaction tests for the identification of Ross River, Kunjin and Murray Valley encephalitis virus infections in horses. To develop and validate specific, sensitive and rapid diagnostic tests using RT-PCR for the detection of Ross River virus (RRV), Kunjin virus (KV) and Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) infections in horses. Methods: Primer sets based on nucleotide sequence encoding the envelope glycoprotein E2 of RRV and on the nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) of KV and MVEV were designed and used in single round PCRs to test for the respective viruses in infected cell cultures and, in the case of RRV, in samples of horse blood and synovial fluid. Results: The primer pairs designed for each of the three vir...
Isolation of Ross River virus from mosquitoes and from horses with signs of musculo-skeletal disease. To report clinical and clinicopathological findings in horses naturally infected with Ross River virus (RRV) and identify likely mosquito arbovirus vector species. Methods: Veterinarians submitted serum samples from 750 horses because they suspected Ross River virus (RRV) infection. The samples were tested for the presence of IgM and IgG antibody to RRV and for the presence of virus. Mosquitoes were trapped, differentiated to species level and tested for the presence of RRV by virus isolation. Results: RRV was isolated from six species of mosquitoes (Ochlerotatus camptorhyncus, Culex globocoxi...
Microbiological and serological study of leptospirosis in horses at slaughter: first isolations. A bacteriological survey of kidneys from 145 abattoir horses was performed, which resulted in the isolation of two Leptospira strains. The isolates were serologically typed as belonging to serogroups Australis and Pomona, and REA identified them as L. interrogans serovar Bratislava and L. kirschneri serovar Tsaratsovo, respectively. These are the first Leptospira isolates obtained from horses in Portugal and the Bratislava strain is the first serogroup Australis strain to be isolated in this country. The 145 horses were also serologically tested for leptospiral antibodies, and 37% had MAT titr...
Alternate circulation of recent equine-2 influenza viruses (H3N8) from two distinct lineages in the United States. Phylogenetic and antigenic analyses indicate that recent circulating equine-2 influenza viruses in the United States have been alternating between two genetic and antigenic distinct lineages since 1996. The evolution rates for these two lineages, the Kentucky and the Florida lineage, are very similar. For the earlier isolates in the Kentucky lineage, there are multiple and sequential nonsynonymous substitutions at antigenic sites B and D. However, there are no changes at any of these antigenic sites for KY98 and OK00. In the Florida lineage, except for NY99 with one amino acid substitution at ...
Efficacy and duration of immunity of a combined equine influenza and equine herpesvirus vaccine against challenge with an American-like equine influenza virus (A/equi-2/Kentucky/95). It has been recommended that modern equine influenza vaccines should contain an A/equi-1 strain and A/equi-2 strains of the American and European-like subtype. We describe here the efficacy of a modern updated inactivated equine influenza-herpesvirus combination vaccine against challenge with a recent American-like isolate of equine influenza (A/equine-2/Kentucky/95 (H3N8). The vaccine contains inactivated Influenza strains A-equine-1/Prague'56, A-equine-2/Newmarket-1/'93 (American lineage) and A-equine-2/ Newmarket-2/93 (Eurasian lineage) and inactivated EHV-1 strain RacH and EHV-4 strain V22...
Diagnosis of West Nile virus infection in horses. The North American West Nile virus (WNV) epizootic, which began in 1999, has caused significant morbidity and mortality in horses. Because experimental infection has failed to consistently produce encephalitis in inoculated horses, investigation of naturally occurring cases was used to optimize strategies for diagnosis of this disease. Although WNV RNA could be detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) performed on whole blood collected from both clinically affected horses and unaffected herdmates, the diagnostic sensitivity of this approach was low compared with IgM...
Investigation of Neospora sp. antibodies in aborted mares from Normandy, France. Neospora caninum, an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, is recognized as a major cause of abortion in cattle while limited information is presently available on association between equine Neospora infections and abortions. The aim of the present study was to document prevalence of antibodies against Neospora sp. in aborted mares as a clue to the role of N. caninum in mare reproductive failure in Normandy, France. Using an agglutination test, the number of animals with elevated (>80) anti-Neospora sp. antibody titer was higher in a group of 54 aborted mares than in randomly chosen groups of 45...
Epidemiology of leptospirosis: observations on serological data obtained by a “diagnostic laboratory for leptospirosis” from 1995 to 2001. Serological data on leptospira infection were reported and discussed. From 1995 to 2001, the blood serum samples of 9885 domestic and wild animals and humans, living in Northern and Central Italy, were examined by the macroagglutination test (MAT) employing bratislava, ballum, canicola, grippotyphosa, icterohaemorrhagiae, pomona, hardjo and tarassovi serovars as antigens. Considering sera with > or = 1:400 antibody titers as positive, 674 (6.81%) animals scored positive. Sheep, horses, pigs and dogs gave the highest number of positive responses, particularly against the serovar bratislava a...
West Nile virus infection of Thoroughbred horses in South Africa (2000-2001). West Nile virus (WNV) infection is endemic in southern Africa. With the recent emergence of WNV infection of horses in Europe and the USA the present study was performed to estimate the risk of seroconversion to WNV in a cohort of 488 young Thoroughbred (TB) horses. Objective: To estimate the risk of seroconversion to WNV among a cohort of South African TB yearlings sold at the 2001 National Yearling Sales (NYS) and to determine whether the risk varied geographically. Two horses were also infected with a recent South African isolate of WNV to evaluate its virulence in horses. Methods: Serum sa...
Serologic evidence of West Nile virus infection in horses, Coahuila State, Mexico. Serum samples were obtained from 24 horses in the State of Coahuila, Mexico, in December 2002. Antibodies to West Nile virus were detected by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by plaque reduction neutralization test in 15 (62.5%) horses. We report the first West Nile virus activity in northern Mexico.
Collaborative study for the establishment of a European Pharmacopoeia Biological Reference Preparation for Clostridia antiserum for serological potency testing of veterinary clostridial vaccines. The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) has organised an international collaborative study, divided in two phases, aimed at producing and establishing a suitable reference serum for serological potency testing of clostridial vaccines for batch consistency demonstration. In phase 1 a series of pools produced from sera provided by each manufacturer and raised against the broadest range of antigens possible were blended to obtain TN titres which were representative of the range normally elicited by the vaccines under test. Detailed statistical analysis of the data was not pos...
Occurrence of infectious upper respiratory tract disease and response to vaccination in horses on six sentinel premises in northern Colorado. 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...
Equid herpesvirus (EHV-1) live vaccine strain C147: efficacy against respiratory diseases following EHV types 1 and 4 challenges. The temperature sensitive and host range mutant clone 147 of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) was assessed for its ability to protect conventional, susceptible adult horses against respiratory infection by EHV-1 and equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4). Intranasal (IN) vaccination with 5.2 log(10) TCID(50) did not cause adverse clinical reactions although a limited virus shedding and viraemia (leukocytes) was observed in 11 of 15 and 10 of 15 vaccinated horses respectively. All 15 vaccinated horses showed a significant seroresponse to both EHV-1 and EHV-4 for virus neutralising (VN) antibody. None of 14 c...
Evaluation of 5 serologic assays to detect Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals. To determine the sensitivity and specificity of 5 serologic assays used to diagnose Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals and to determine whether any of the assays could be used to identify affected foals prior to the onset of clinical signs or to differentiate between affected and unaffected foals when clinical signs first become apparent. Methods: Nested case-control study. Methods: 26 foals. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from all foals at 2, 4, and 6 or 7 weeks of age. Additional samples were obtained from affected foals at the time of diagnosis of R equi pneumonia and from age-matche...
Evaluation of ELISA and Western Blot Analysis using three antigens to detect anti-Trichinella IgG in horses. We assessed a serological method for detecting Trichinella infection in horses, specifically, an ELISA using three antigens to detect anti-Trichinella IgG (i.e. a synthetic tyvelose glycan-BSA (stg-BSA) antigen, an excretory/secretory (ES) antigen, and a crude worm extract (CWE) antigen). Serum samples were collected from 2502 horses (433 live horses from Romania and 2069 horses slaughtered in Italy and originating from Italy, Poland, Romania, and Serbia). Serum samples were also taken from horses experimentally infected with different doses of T. spiralis and T. murrelli larvae, as controls. ...
The use of chosen serological diagnostic methods in Lyme disease in horses. Part II. Western blot. In this investigation the Western blot test was treated as a method verifying results of the IFA, commercial ELISA and standardized ELISA tests (described in Part I). The verifying investigations were performed on 82 serum samples, which in the commercial ELISA were positive in 36 cases, dubious in 31 cases and negative in 15 cases as well as on 5 serum samples obtained from horses infected with Leptospira spp., which in the ELISA commercial were dubious (total of 87 sera samples). The antigens, against which the immunological response in horses was directed, were also established. The Milenia...
Granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Swedish dogs and horses. Granulocytic ehrlichiosis is a frequently diagnosed tick-borne disease in Swedish dogs and horses. The infection is caused by a granulocytic Ehrlichia species belonging to the Ehrlichia phagocytophila genogroup. In the acute stage, the disease is mainly characterized as a febrile illness and diagnosis can be confirmed by the demonstration of ehrlichial inclusions in blood granulocytes. Seropositivity in many healthy dogs and horses indicate that the infection also can be transient without clinical signs. The infection can persist in experimentally inoculated animals for months, but to what ext...
Horses and Borrelia: immunoblot patterns with five Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains and sera from horses of various stud farms in Austria and from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Grazing animals are continuously exposed to tick bites. Consequently, one may expect that horses will become infected with the various pathogens carried by ticks including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Whether horses may develop clinical disease due to this pathogen is controversially discussed. We were interested to learn about the infection of horses with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato within one season by studying the dynamics of the humoral immune response in paired blood samples. The majority of horses examined were Lipizzaner from the stud farm in Piber/Steiermark, and from the Spani...
