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.
Issel CJ, Adams WV, Meek L, Ochoa R.Twenty seven adult horses positive to the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for equine infectious anemia (EIA), but with no history of clinical EIA, were used in transfusion studies to determine whether infectious EIA virus was present in 1 to 5 ml of their blood. Of 27 recipients, 21 (78%) became AGID test-positive at an average of 24 days after inoculation. Two horses that were initially negative when screened were retested and found to carry infectious virus in 5-300 ml of whole blood; the other 4 horses were not retested. Horse flies (Tabanus fuscicostatus Hine) were unable to transmit ...
Burrows R, Denyer M.The antigenic relationships between the haemagglutinins of five A/equine-1 viruses and between six A/equine-2 viruses were examined using post-infection ferret and immunized pony sera. Similar results were obtained with sera from both species for the A/equine-1 viruses and these confirmed minor antigenic differences between the prototype A/Prague 1/56 virus and viruses isolated in England in 1973 and 1977. Considerable antigenic differences were found between five of the A/equine-2 viruses, using ferret sera, but these differences were less evident using pony sera. The response of ponies to th...
Ueda Y, Sanai Y, Homma JY.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for detection of immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG antibodies against a serologically common antigen (original endotoxin protein), protease, and elastase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The P aeruginosa antibody in horse sera was measured, using ELISA. Horseradish peroxidase-labeled rabbit anti-horse IgM and IgG antibodies were used for enzyme-labeled antibody conjugate. 5-Aminosalicylic acid and H2O2 were used for substrate. Sera collected from a vaccinated horse, a newborn foal, and 72 healthy racehorses were investigated for antibodies against P aer...
Sugiura T, Nakajima H.An indirect hemagglutination was developed for the diagnosis of equine infectious anemia using sheep red blood cells coated with group specific virus antigen which had been highly purified by affinity chromatography. The presence of indirect hemagglutination antibodies was demonstrated in horses with equine infectious anemia since the cells were specifically agglutinated by all the serum samples obtained from experimentally infected horses. Antibodies appeared within 35 days after inoculation, and development of which coincided well with that of precipitating and complement fixing antibodies. ...
Turtinen LW, Allen GP, Darlington RW, Bryans JT.The molecular and serologic relatedness of 2 recent respiratory tract isolates of equine herpesvirus type 1, designated T1 and T2, were compared with the Army 183, Kentucky-A hamster-adapted (KyA-ha), and L-M cell-adapted (KyA-LM) strains. Electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels revealed differences in virion structural proteins among 4 purified strains. Seven envelope glycoproteins (molecular weight of 93,000, 65,000, 62,000, 60,000, 36,000, 20,000, and 18,000) corresponding to virion proteins 13, 16, 17, 18, 23, 25, and 26a, respectively, found in both the Army 183 and KyA-ha strains had slig...
Sentsui H, Kono Y.The serologic relationships between 6 strains of equine infectious anemia (EIA) viruses were investigated by hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) tests. Cross HI tests, using sera from horses in the early stage of infection, revealed that all strains were inhibited only by homologous strain antisera and that HI antibody was always detectable before virus-neutralizing antibody. In the later stages of infection, both homologous and heterologous HI antibodies were detected in a sera of most of the horses, and the order of appearance of heterologous HI antibodies was random in 2 horses inoculated with...
Tainturier DJ, Delmas CF, Dabernat HJ.Seventeen strains of haemophilus equigenitalis isolated from the cervix, clitoris, and urethra of mares were biochemically characterized with the API 10E and APIZYM test kit systems, conventional biochemical tests, and the porphyrin test. Antisera were prepared in rabbits. All of the strains were positive to the porphyrin test, and the requirement for factor X (hemin) or V (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) was not shown. Catalase, oxidase, phosphatase, and phosphoamidase tests were positive with all of the strains. Aminopeptidase (arylamidase) activity has been detected on beta-naphthylamide...
The Journal of hygieneAugust 1, 1981
Volume 87, Issue 1 93-100 doi: 10.1017/s0022172400069278
Lemcke RM, Ernø H, Gupta U.Two unidentified mycoplasmas, N3 and N11, isolated from the respiratory tract of horses, were found to cross-react with strains of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides in indirect immunofluorescence tests, growth-inhibition tests carried out by the running drop/agar-well method, and in complement-fixation and double immunodiffusion tests. Serologically, the equine mycoplasmas were not completely identical with any of the reference strains of M. mycoides with which they were compared. Their cultural characteristics, ability to digest coagulated serum and casein, and survival at 45 degrees C, however, su...
Rommel FA, Sahu SP.Intrauterine inoculation of pony mares with the bacterium that is the causative agent of contagious equine metritis (CEM) resulted in clinical disease. A humoral immune response could be detected by agglutination and complement fixation (CF), and in some cases precipitating antibody was found by immunodiffusion tests. Agglutinating antibody was the most reliable serological indicator of overt infection and was detected in 8 ot 28 mares after initial intrauterine inoculation of 3-4 x 10(5) bacteria. Seventy percent of mares given a second inoculation and all mares given a third inoculation of 3...
Joyner LP, Donnelly J, Huck RA.The results of complement fixation (CF) test for equine piroplasmosis on sera from horses destined for international movement from Great Britain and Ireland are presented and analysed. No horses born and continuously resident in the British Isles were found carrying CF antibodies to either Babesia equi or B caballi. Positive animals were found to have association with the following countries where known tick vectors occur: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, Poland, USSR and Arabian Gulf countries. Data on the persistence of CF antibodies in animals subjected to repeated testing showed that some...
Caporale VP, Biancifiori F, Frescura F, Di Matteo A, Nannini D, Urbani G.Comparative tests such as FAT, ELISA, RIA, IEO and CF in the diagnosis of dourine in the horse have proved a satisfactory concordance ratio of the ELISA with CF, which seems to be the most reliable test. Discrepancies have been observed as to the other tests which appear less sensitive than CF test.
Tainturier D, Picavet DP, Badin De Montjoye T, Guaguere J, Tailliar S, Dabernat HJ, Ferney J.Serological response of pony mares to contagious equine metritis is studied comparing three techniques: slow agglutination, complement fixation and indirect immunofluorescence. Sera were taken from pony mares vaccinated with a heat inactivated suspension of Haemophilus equigenitalis, from experimentally-infected pony mares and from healthy horses. All three reactions detected antibodies in vaccinated and infected animals. The highest titers are observed with vaccinated mares. Titers are low in infected animals. Antibodies detected by indirect immunofluorescence appeared sooner and persisted lo...
Srivastava SK, Barnum DA.A group of 100 foals was given either a commercial bacterin or an autogenous vaccine consisting of whole cells and an acid extract of Streptococcus equi. During the study, some of the foals developed clinical strangles. Various sets of sera were collected from these foals prevaccination, during vaccination, postvaccination and postinfection. The serological response of these foals was measured by passive haemagglutination and long chain tests. In foals which remained healthy, the highest titres were reached within one to two months postvaccination with a passive haemagglutination 10 x log2 mea...
Osawa S, Furuse K, Watanabe I.To determine the distribution pattern of ribonucleic acid (RNA) coliphages (classified by serological groups I through IV) in animal sources, we isolated RNA phages from (i) feces samples from domestic animals (cows, pigs, horses, and fowls), some other animals in a zoological garden, and humans, (ii) the gastrointestinal contents of cows and pigs, and (iii) sewage samples from treatment plants in slaughter houses. These samples were then analyzed serologically. The concentration of RNA phages in the first and second kinds of material was fairly low (10 to 10(3) plaque-forming units per origin...
Lazary S, Bullen S, Müller J, Kovacs G, Bodo I, Hockenjos P, De Weck AL.Mono- and oligospecific lymphocytotoxic alloantibodies from primiparous mares were tested on cells from horse families of various breeds in the two-step microcytotoxicity assay. The results showed that the detected antigens were inherited co-dominantly and autosomally as simple Mendelian traits. The membrane antigens showed different linkage with one or more other antigens and seem to be coded by a limited number of loci (at least three) from one chromosome. In the families tested one recombinant for the serologically defined antigens was recognized. The mixed leukocyte reactions of cells from...
Sentsui H, Kono Y.During the autumn of 1978 a disease characterised by fever and occasionally by exanthema and/or oedema of the limbs was seen in approximately 13 per cent of horses in a training stable in the Kanto district of Japan. A virus was isolated by the intracerebral inoculation of one-day-old mice from blood and nasal swabs taken from naturally and experimentally infected horses. The virus was subsequently passaged in two monkey kidney cell lines in which it produced complete cytopathic changes. Infected horses developed neutralising, complement fixing and haemagglutinin inhibiting antibodies to the v...
Chhabra MB, Gautam OP.The prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii was investigated among equids in 3 localities of north India, using the direct haemagglutination test. Of the 603 animals sampled, titres ranging from 1:8 to 1:512 were found in 71 (11.8 per cent). Specific titres of 1:64 or more were found in 34 (5.6 per cent) sera. The number of positive titres at Babugarh (Uttar Pradesh) was considerably higher than at 2 other localities. Although the likelihood of positive sera appeared to increased with age, the animal's sex appeared to have little influence. Subjects with reproductive disorders or eye ail...
Potgieter LN, Rouse BT, Webb-Martin TA.A modification of the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed which used staphylococcal protein A linked to horseradish peroxidase. Virus antibodies in equine, bovine, porcine, feline, canine, lagomorphic (rabbit), and human sera were detected, using the indirect ELISA in which the antiglobulin enzyme conjugate was replaced by protein A linked to horseradish peroxidase. Results of the ELISA were compared with the results of the serum-virus neutralization test. The application of the test in laboratories performing serologic assays with sera from diverse animal species ...
Makinde AA.The reverse single radial immunodiffusion technique was used to detect Dermatophilus congolensis antibody in sera collected from animals previously infected to varying levels with D congolensis. Ammonium sulphate and trichloroacetic acid extracts of five different strains of D congolensis obtained from different geographical locations were used as antigens. All the extracts showed variations in their sensitivities in detecting D congolensis antibody in the various serum samples. Multiple antibodies were detected by some extracts while some showed negative antibody reaction to all extracts. Two...
Timoney PJ.The usefulness of the double immunodiffusion test for the diagnosis of louping ill infection was investigated. Whereas louping ill viral antigen was not detected in brain material from field cases of the infection, its presence was readily confirmed in suckling mouse brain isolates of the virus. The double immunodiffusion test was found to be unreliable as a serological test for the retrospective diagnosis of louping ill infection in the horse.
Ammar AM, Heitmann J, Kirchhoff H.After abortion sera were taken from 58 thoroughbred and other mares of the northwestern part of Germany and investigated by ELISA (enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay) for antibodies against Mycoplasma equirhinis, M. subdolum, M. equigenitalium, M. pulmonis, M. felis, Acholeplasma laidlawii, A. hippikon, and A. equifetale. Reactions at serum dilutions of 1:32 and higher were considered as positive. At serum dilution 1:32 no antibodies were found in 11 sera. The remaining sera showed antibodies against one or more of the mycoplasma antigens investigated. The number of multiple reactions decrease...
Tåmová B, Stumpa A, Zakopal J, Vĕzníková D, Mensík J.Equine influenza occurred in Czechoslovakia 14 years after the last epizootic in horses that had returned from abroad. Six strains A (Heq1Neq1) antigenically related to, but not identical with, strain A/eq/Praha/56 were isolated from 10 washings. Seroconversion was demonstrated with paired sera, but the antibody increase was more marked against the newly isolated strain.
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...
Davies ME.A detailed study was made of 194 equine strains of E. coli, involving biochemical and serological characters. In these, the equine strains closely resembled E. coli from other sources, and shared antigenic characters with strains isolated from different animal species.
Shams el Din HE, el Nasri M.Seventeen isolates (4.27%) were recovered from 398 samples. Twelve isolates (4%) were obtained from 300 donkey nasal swabs, three (4.3%) and two (6.89%) isolates were recovered from 69 horse nasal swabs and 29 mare uterine washings, respectively. Nine isolates were lost during storage at -20 degrees C and the remaining eight were identified as mycoplasmas and their biological, biochemical and serological reactions were investigated. The isolates could be divided into two groups on the basis of glucose fermentation and arginine hydrolysis. The first group neither fermented glucose nor hydrolyse...
Bürki F, Nowotny N, Rossmanith W, Pallan C, Möstl K.During 3 foaling seasons around 150 Lipizzaner foals were vaccinated against ERP with commercial vaccines and groups thereof were serotested in CF and SN for their humoral immune response. In addition, 6 horses of cheaper common breeds were vaccinated on the University premises, were continuously serologically screened and subjected to virulent nasal test infection. The live-virus vaccine Prevaccinol interfered so profoundly and up to the 20th week of life with maternal antibodies that its further use was discontinued. The inactivated vaccine Pneumabort-K proved to be of impressive immunogenic...
Sonmez K, Gurel A, Takai S.The aim of the present study was to develop an immunocytochemical procedure for the early detection and demonstration of Rhodococcus equi in smears of tracheal aspirates taken from live foals in field conditions. Tracheal wash samples were collected from thoroughbred foals, aged 1-5 months and located in studs around Bursa and Istanbul, Turkey. Some foals were suspected of having R. equi infection on the basis of clinical examination (n=56) and others were unaffected control animals (n=54). Serum samples were also collected from each foal for testing for the presence of R. equi-specific antibo...
Bonaduce A, Compagnucci M, Bonaduce D, Arpenti C, Martone F.The virological and serological studies previously carried out on arboviruses in Italy are reviewed. The presence of antibodies to 11 arboviruses was investigated in the serum of various domestic animals (100 horses, 107 pigs, 102 sheep, 205 goats, 100 cattle and 200 dogs) from some areas of Puglia. The techniques are described. The results, given in tables and discussed in detail, support the hypothesis that in this region also there are arboviruses circulating, particularly those of group B.
Timoney PJ.The usefulness of the double immunodiffusion test for the diagnosis of louping ill infection was investigated. Whereas louping ill viral antigen was not detected in brain material from field cases of the infection, its presence was readily confirmed in suckling mouse brain isolates of the virus. The double immunodiffusion test was found to be unreliable as a serological test for the retrospective diagnosis of louping ill infection in the horse.
Romanowska D, Szynkiewicz Z, Rita J.Antistreptolysin O (ASO) titers were determined in the sera of 532 horses from stud farms and 436 working horses from small farms. A statistically significant correlation was seen between the ASO titer and the age of the horses. There was a significant difference between mean ASO titer in horses 0-2 years and horses 2-10 years In horses older than 10 years the titer was significantly higher than mean ASO titer for the group. Twenty four of 30 horses in which ASO titer was higher or equal to 80 I.U. had histories which suggested that streptococcal infection had occurred. Clinical and bacteriolo...