Seroprevalence refers to the measurement of the presence of specific antibodies in the blood serum of horses, indicating exposure to particular pathogens or diseases. This metric is used to assess the spread of infectious diseases within equine populations and can help in understanding the epidemiology of these conditions. Seroprevalence studies involve the collection and analysis of blood samples to determine the proportion of horses that have been exposed to a specific infectious agent. These studies provide valuable data for disease surveillance, control, and prevention strategies. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that focus on the seroprevalence of various infectious diseases in horses, exploring their distribution, risk factors, and implications for equine health management.
Ghram A, Chabchoub A, Turki I, Boussetta M, Ibn Amor H, Ghorbel A.A seroepidemiological survey was realized in the Nord-Est Tunisia to study the prevalence of complement fixing and neutralizing antibodies to equine rhinopneumonitis and viral arteritis of horse, respectively. Four hundred sera were tested, using complement fixation reaction and seroneutralization test. The results show that 8.75% of sera have antibodies to viral arteritis and only 1.25% are positive for equine rhinopneumonitis.
Dolvik NI.Of 508 four-year-old coldblooded trotters examined for carpitis, 135 (27%) had the condition. Thirty horses had unilateral carpitis on the left frontlimb, 52 on the right frontlimb and 53 had bilateral carpitis. Of these horses, 105 were stallions, 135 were geldings and 269 were mares. The prevalence of carpitis in these three groups was 25%, 25% and 28%, respectively. Information was obtained on the training regimes in four periods of the life of 378 horses. The odds ratios for the training variables were of the same order in all four periods. In logistic regression analyses on the training v...
Boussetta M, Chabchoub A, Ghram A, Jomaa I, Ghorbel A, Aouina T, Ben Amor H.Using the haemagglutination inhibition and immunodiffusion tests, a national serological survey was carried out to detect antibodies to equine influenza (EI) (A/equi/1/Prague 56 and A/equi/2/Miami 63) and equine infectious anaemia (EIA) in horse sera collected in northeastern Tunisia. 533 samples were analysed for EIA antibodies. All were negative. 13.6% of 433 equine sera tested for EI antibodies were positive. These results are discussed and compared with others obtained in Tunisia and bordering countries.
Magnarelli LA, Anderson JF.In a retrospective study, indirect fluorescent-antibody staining methods were used to detect immunoglobulins to Ehrlichia canis and Ehrlichia risticii in canine and equine sera that had originally been analyzed for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. Analyses of 60 dog serum specimens collected in Connecticut and New York State during 1986 revealed antibodies to E. canis in 7 (11.7%) specimens; titration endpoints ranged from 1:40 to 1:320. Three of these dogs had anemia. Of the 187 equine serum specimens obtained in Connecticut during 1985 and analyzed by indirect fluorescent-antibody stainin...
Apt W, Aguilera X, Vega F, Alcaíno H, Zulantay I, Apt P, González V, Retamal C, Rodríguez J, Sandoval J.This study sought to estimate for the first time the prevalence of fascioliasis among the rural population in the Chilean provinces of Curico, Talca, and Linares, while also determining the disease's prevalence among horses and wild rabbits in Curico and Talca and among pigs in Talca. From January 1986 to December 1990 a randomly selected sample of 5,861 persons in the three provinces was given intradermal, complement-fixation, double-diffusion, and immunoelectrophoresis tests to detect antibody to Fasciola hepatica. In addition, the ELISA test was used in Talca and Linares. Fecal specimens fr...
Gerdes GH, Pieterse LM.Virus was isolated from the blood of horses (n = 5) showing fever and jaundice and was identified as equine encephalosis virus. In cross neutralisation tests, the isolates were shown to belong to a new serotype related to Gamil, one of the 6 known serotypes of equine encephalosis virus. The name Potchefstroom has been proposed for this new serotype.
Escartin-Peña M, Bautista-Garfias CR.Sera from 41 horses and 159 donkeys, from twelve States of México, were tested to ascertain anti-Gasterophilus circulating antibodies by double immunodiffusion (DD), counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE), indirect haemagglutination (IH), thin layer immunoassay (TIA) and diffusion-in-gel ELISA (DIG-ELISA) methods using crude somatic antigen from third instar larvae of G. intestinalis (DeGeer). At necropsy, 33/41 horses and 24/159 donkeys were found to be parasitized by G. intestinalis and/or G. nasalis (L.). Gasterophilus intestinalis was the species most commonly found in the equines. Analysis o...
Iversson LB, Silva RA, da Rosa AP, Barros VL.Neutralizing antibodies to EEE (6.7%), WEE (1.2%), ILH (26.6%), MAG (28.2%) and TCM (15.7%) viruses were found in sera of 432 equines of the Brazilian Pantanal, area where undiagnosed horse deaths are frequently observed. A 4-fold rise in CF titer to EEE virus was detected in acute and convalescent sera of an encephalitis horse sacrificed in 1992. Antibodies to EEE, ILH, MAG and TCM viruses were detected in horses less than 2 years old indicating recent circulation of these viruses in the Pantanal. The evidence of recent equine encephalitis associated with rising CF titer to EEE warrants a mor...
Paweska JT, Barnard BJ.This paper reports the first serological evidence of exposure of donkeys to equine arteritis virus. Seven hundred and thirty-four serum samples collected between 1989 and 1992 from donkeys in different areas of South Africa were examined for the presence of antibodies against this virus by a microneutralization test. Seventeen percent of serum samples tested positive. The distribution of seropositive animals varied from none in the western Cape Province and the Transvaal Highveld to 30% in the northern Transvaal. The country-wide distribution of serologically positive donkeys suggests a longst...
Bernard WV, Bolin C, Riddle T, Durando M, Smith BJ, Tramontin RR.Leptospirosis was documented as the cause of abortion in a 5-year-old mare. Leptospires were detected in tissue specimens from fetal kidneys and from placenta by histologic evaluation of silver-stained sections. Antibodies against Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona were detected in fetal serum at a titer of 1,600 by use of a microscopic agglutination test. The mare had serum titers of 6,400; 0; 400; 800; 3,200; and 6,400 to L interrogans serovars bratislava, canicola, grippotyphosa, hardjo, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona, respectively. A serologic survey identified titers of at least 6,400...
Miyamoto C, Takashima I, Karaiwa H, Sugiura T, Kamada M, Hashimoto N.To investigate the overall prevalence of chlamydial infections in light (i.e. non-draught) horses in Japan, 599 sera obtained from 12 localities in 1991 were tested for complement fixation antibodies. The mean antibody positive rates of the all sera were 15.2% (91/599) and the regional positive rates were higher in Honshu (19.1%, 48/251) and Kyushu (20.0%, 20/100) than in Hokkaido (9.3%, 23/248). In Honshu, the highest rate (56.0%, 28/50) was observed in Utsunomiya. Analysis of the positive rate in different age groups showed that the 2-5 years age-group had the highest prevalence of chlamydia...
Aviles G, Bianchi TI, Daffner JF, Sabattini MS.It is shown here the WEE virus activity in ARgentina in 1983-1986 post-epizootic period. A surveillance system was established by the equine case notification and the sentinel animal method. Among the thirteen equine focus notified between September 1983-September 1985 in Córdoba and Santa Fe Provinces, 5 presumptive cases out of 16 sick horses were confirmed by the hemagglutination inhibition test for WEE epizootic virus. Twenty eight notified human cases were studied with negative results. The neutralizing antibody (Ac NT) prevalence among sentinel horses in Córdoba Province (4%) was lower...
Goto H, Yamamoto Y, Ohta C, Shirahata T, Higuchi T, Ohishi H.A total of 305 horse sera collected in the Hidaka district of Hokkaido in the years 1988-90 were tested for the presence of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies to A/equine/Newmarket/1/77 (H7N7), A/equine/Tokyo/2/71 (H3N8) and A/equine/Kentucky/1/81 (H3N8, Kentucky) strains of equine influenza (EI) virus. Antibodies to the 3 strains were detected in hardly of the 45 sera from 2-years-old horses which were collected before vaccination. Many of the 51 horses, after vaccination with inactivated EI virus, had HI antibodies to the 3 strains in 37 to 88 per cent. However, the number of positi...
Imagawa H, Tanaka T, Sekiguchi K, Fukunaga Y, Anzai T, Minamoto N, Kamada M.Electropherotypes (ET), serotypes, and subgroups of equine rotaviruses isolated from foals in Japan were determined. The ETs of 136 isolates from 1981 through to 1991 were divided into six groups: ET-A-ET-F. The ET-A, -B, -C, -D, -E, and -F were present in 3, 1, 121, 9, 1, and 1 strains, respectively. Representative viruses of ET-A, -B, -C, and -D were identified as serotype G3. Viruses of ET-E and -F were identified as serotypes G 10 and G 5, respectively. The four representative viruses of serotype G 3 did not belong to either subgroup I or II. The two viruses of serotypes G 5 and G 10 belon...
Williams R, Du Plessis DH, Van Wyngaardt W.Group-reactive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed to selectively detect antibodies to African horsesickness virus (AHSV) and equine encephalosis virus (EEV), 2 orbiviruses that infect equids. In indirect ELISA, guinea pig antisera to all known AHSV or EEV serotypes recognized immobilized AHSV serotype 3 or EEV Cascara, respectively. Antisera from naturally infected animals did not cross-react with their respective heterologous viruses. The ELISA was used in parallel with the complement fixation (CF) and agar gel immunodiffusion tests to detect antibodies in sera from an...
Baba SS, Olaleye OD, Ayanbadejo OA.A sero-epidemiological survey of African horse sickness (AHS) virus in 261 animals which included 96 camels, 81 horses, 80 dogs and 4 donkeys was carried out in Nigeria. The animals had no history of vaccination against AHS. Sera were tested by the haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test for the presence of antibody against AHS virus. Of these, 77 (95.1%) horse, 4 (100%) donkey, 10 (10.4%) camel and 28 (35%) dog sera samples tested were recorded as positive. The prevalence of antibody in samples taken from horses in different regions was similar. The prevalence of antibody to AHS virus detected...
Ryder S, Núñez-Camargo J, Rangel P, Añez F.With the purpose of determining antibodies prevalence against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus in the population of Puertos de Altagracia and Sabaneta de Palmas of Miranda county, Zulia State, Venezuela, 199 subjects were studied: 57 from Puertos de Altagracia and 142 from Sabaneta de Palmas. They were classified in older (42.78%) and younger (57.2%) than 15 years. The blood specimens were processed for Hemagglutination Inhibition Test using EEV antigen Goajira strain at pH 6.5. We found that all 57 specimens from Puertos de Altagracia were negative, whereas of 142 specimens from Sabaneta ...
Cohen ND, Heck FC, Heim B, Flad DM, Bosler EM, Cohen D.Four hundred sixty-nine serum samples were obtained from horses admitted to the internal medicine service of the Texas Veterinary Medical Center between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 1990. Serum samples were tested by ELISA for antibody to Borrelia burgdorferi. Of these 469 samples, 1 (0.2%) was repeatedly seropositive for the organism by ELISA. Confirmatory testing by protein immunoblot was negative. The observed seroprevalence was 0%; the upper bound of the 95% confidence interval was 0.6%. These findings indicate the evidence of infection with B burgdorferi is presently uncommon in horses in central Te...
Atwill ER, Mohammed HO, Dubovi E, Lopez J.A retrospective study was designed to determine the distribution of equine monocytic ehrlichiosis among the equine population in New York state, and to identify factors associated with risk of disease. Serum samples submitted to the diagnostic laboratory of the university during the period from January 1985 through December 1986 were examined for antibodies to Ehrlichia risticii, using the indirect fluorescent antibody technique. Factors evaluated included geographic origin and date of submission of the sample, and age, breed, and sex of the horse. Logistic regression analysis was used to iden...
Adeyefa CA.Serological evidence of Equine Herpes virus type 1 (EHV-1) activity in Polo horses in Nigeria is reported for the first time. Eighty-two percent of horses tested with known antigen had precipitating antibodies to EHV-1 while 43% of sera tested against antigen prepared from nasal discharges were positive suggesting that the virus was being excreted in the nasal discharges and probably acting as a source of infection for incontact animals as occurs in on-going acute infections. The result of this study indicates a high prevalence of EHV-1 activity among Polo horses in Nigeria and demonstrates th...
Bazovská S, Awad-Masalmeh M, Kmety E, Spaleková M.Serological examination of 420 domestic animals for the presence of antilegionella antibodies indicates their high exposure to legionellae. On examination by the microagglutination reaction with a serum dilution of 1:64 or more the highest positive values were recorded in horses which reacted with antigens of L. pneumophila 1-14 in 36.2% and with antigens of another 19 types of legionellae in 47.8%. In pigs positive values recorded in 16.2% and in 21.1%; in cattle in 3.8% and 29.5%, in sheep in 7.5% and 11.3% and laboratory rabbits were quite negative. The importance of these findings with reg...
Mair TS, Wills JM.Nasal and conjunctival swabs were obtained from 300 horses and Chlamydia psittaci was isolated from 15 of them (5 per cent). Eleven nasal swabs and six conjunctival swabs were positive on culture, but there was no association between the isolation of the organism and the presence of clinical ocular or respiratory disease. Six ponies were challenged with an equine isolate of C psittaci into the eye, nasal cavity or bronchial tree. The organism could be isolated from nasal and conjunctival swabs taken from the ponies for up to 17 days after challenge, but there was no clinical evidence of diseas...
Binepal VS, Wariru BN, Davies FG, Soi R, Olubayo R.A survey was carried out in horse, zebra, elephant, camel, sheep and goat and wild carnivore sera for virus-serum neutralising antibody to the nine type strains of African horse sickness virus. Antibody was found amongst the horse, zebra and elephant sera to all nine different strains. No antibody was detected in any sera from camels, sheep and goats. None was found in sera from hyaena and jackals in this series but had been detected earlier.
Herbst W, Görlich P, Danner K.Of 1081 acute and chronically respiratory diseased as well as clinically normal horses 824 sera and 257 paired serum samples collected 1986 and 1987 were tested for antibodies against several different respiratory viruses such as influenza virus A/equi 1 and 2 (Influenza 1 a. 2), equine herpesvirus type 1/4 (EHV 1/4), mammalian reovirus type 1-3 (Reovirus 1-3), equine rhinovirus type 1 (ERV 1), equine adenovirus type 1 (EAdV 1), and equine arteritis virus (EAV). The investigations resulted in an antibody prevalence of 57.2% (Influenza 1), 59.5% (Influenza 2), 81.5% (EHV 1/4), 50.3% (Reovirus 1...
Adeyefa CA, Durojaiye OA.Serum samples obtained from 107 Polo horses showing clinical signs of viral respiratory disease were tested for precipitating antibodies to adenovirus by agar gel precipitation test and counter-immunoelectrophoresis method. The results obtained demonstrate serological evidence of adenovirus infection in Polo horses in Nigeria. The counter-immunoelectrophoresis method was observed to be about 3 times more sensitive than the agar gel precipitation test with 19.3 vs 64.5%. It could thus be used to screen a large number of serum samples within a short period.
Baba SS, Akinyele HA, Olaleye OD.The occurrence of antibodies against the African horse sickness virus was investigated in 246 domestic animals (horses, donkeys, camels, dogs) in various regions of Nigeria by means of the complement-fixing rate. 34% of the sera tested were positive: 75% in donkeys, 68% in horses, 19% in camels, and 9% in dogs. Among the horses, those of 6 to 15 years of age had higher than average prevalence rates than the other age groups. Stallions from the northern regions had higher prevalence rates than mares generally and stallions from other regions. These findings are important for the epidemiology of...
Vasconcelos PF, Da Rosa JF, Da Rosa AP, Dégallier N, Pinheiro Fde P, Sá Filho GC.An overview of ecological, epidemiological and clinical findings of potential arthropod-borne encephalitis viruses circulating in the Amazon Region of Brazil are discussed. These viruses are the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE), Mucambo (MUC) and Pixuna (PIX). These last two are subtypes (III and IV) of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus. The areas of study were the highways and projects of development, as well as places where outbreaks of human diseases caused by arboviruses had been detected. These viruses are widespread in ...
Hardy ME, Woode GN, Xu ZC, Williams JD, Conner ME, Dwyer RM, Powell DG.Equine group A rotaviruses isolated over a 10-year period in New York State, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Texas were compared serotypically and electropherotypically. All isolates were determined to be serotype 3 by reaction with hyperimmune antiserum to the serotype 3 H-2 strain of equine rotavirus. All displayed RNA electrophoretic migration patterns related to that of the H-2 strain but distinct from that of serotype 5 strain H-1. A serologic survey of 184 mares in Kentucky, which was done to determine the incidence of H-1 and H-2 infections, showed geometric mean serum neutralizing titers to ...
Blickwede M, Dolz G, Herrero MV, Tomlinson SM, Salman M.Serum samples were collected from domestic horses in 4 different regions of Costa Rica to detect antibodies against vesicular stomatitis viruses, serotypes New Jersey (VSV-NJ) and Indiana (VSV-IN). A total of 214 samples were tested by the virus neutralization test. The sampling regions were identified as low North Pacific dry area (1), low Middle Atlantic humid area (2), low South Pacific humid area (3), and the highlands (4). In region 1, 97.1% of horses were positive for VSV-NJ and 16.5% were positive for VSV-IN. The mean antibody titer and its standard deviation after logarithmic transform...
Ayinmode AB, Oluwayelu DO, Sule WF, Obebe OO.Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite is a known etiological factor of reproductive problems and encephalomyelitis in animals and humans. This study investigated the seroprevalence of T gondii infection in recreational horses in two metropolitan cities of southwestern Nigeria. Serum samples were randomly collected from a total of 157 horses in Lagos and Ibadan. Samples were assayed for the presence of T gondii antibodies using the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT). A total of 22 (14%) of the 157 sampled horses were positive for T gondii antibodies by MAT w...
Boch J.Babesia infections serologically diagnosed in horses, cattle and dogs in Southern Germany during the last few years are described. 321 sera of horses were examined for specific antibodies to Babesia by means of CFT and IIF in 1984; 18 sera reacted to Babesia equi and 4 to Babesia caballi antigen. In a cattle breeding area in the Western Allgäu 13% of 1616 cattle reacted positive to Babesia divergens antigen using IIF and ELISA; during the grazing season 1982 new latent infections were observed in 25 of 266 calves and heifers. Cases of introduced canine babesiosis are more frequent; 10 of 34 s...
Horner GW, Hunter R.Two serologically unrelated adenoviruses were isolated from ill-thrifty young horses on a thoroughbred stud. The viruses differed in their cytopathic effects in cell culture and in their haemagglutination properties. A serological survey of horses in the northern half of the North Island showed the prevalence of precipitating antibodies against equine adenoviruses to be 39%.
Do Nascimento AG, Marchesan AL, Xavier BL, De Faria FR, De Almeida KM, Sato MO.The occurrence of nematodes in horses of Northern Region, State of Tocantins was studied. Fecal samples were collected from 70 horses and 31 donkeys, in a total of 101 animals of different ages, in the municipalities of Nova Olinda, Araguanã, Babaçulândia and Santa Tereza. Fecal examination was carried out for counting of eggs per gram of faeces, identification and quantification of larvae, diagnosis of habronemosis and lungworms. Significant occurrence of large and small strongyles and Dictyocaulus sp. was observed but no Habronema spp. larvae was detected.
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...
Laabassi F, Dheilly N, Beck C, Amaral R, Gonzalez G, Gaudaire D, Madeline A, Lecouturier F, Lecollinet S, Zientara S, Hans A, Valle-Casuso JC.In order to determine the prevalence of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), Usutu virus (USUV), and West Nile virus (WNV) in eastern Algerian drylands, 340 sera from distinct equids have been collected from 2015 to 2017. Serological analysis for the presence of antibodies against EIAV and flaviviruses was performed using commercially available ELISAs. Sera detected positive, doubtful, or negative close to the doubtful threshold in flavivirus ELISA were tested by the virus neutralization test (VNT), using WNV and USUV strains. The prevalence of WNV antibodies with ELISA was 11.47% (39/340) a...
Williamson CC, Stoltsz WH, Mattheus A, Schiele GJ.The complement fixation test (CFT), indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (CATT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were compared in their application to the serological diagnosis of Trypanosoma equiperdum infection in 43 horses. The CFT remains a reliable test for dourine, especially in countries where other members of the subgenus Trypanozoon do not occur. The IFAT is a good 'back-up' test, but, requiring skilled operators it has the disadvantage of making it labour intensive, and interpretation of results subjective. This makes it ...
Magni E, Bertelloni F, Sgorbini M, Ebani VV.To investigate the occurrence of Bartonella sp. infection in asymptomatic horses and donkeys living in Tuscany, Central Italy. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 77 horses and 15 donkeys and tested by indirect immunofluorescent test to detect antibodies against Bartonella sp. and by PCR to detect the pathogen. Results: Fifty-four (58.69%; 95% CI: 47.95%-68.87%) animals, 9 donkeys and 45 horses, were seropositive with antibody titers ranging from 1:64 to 1:512. PCR assays detected 9 horses positive for Bartonella sp. and 3 donkeys for Bartonella henselae genotype I. Conclusions: The det...
Bernard WV, Cohen D, Bosler E, Zamos D.Blood samples obtained from 13 of 100 (13%) and 6 of 91 (7%) horses at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals in the months of June and October, respectively, had antibody to Borrelia burgdorferi as determined by ELISA. Horses from the states of New York, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were seropositive for B burgdorferi. The frequency of antibody response in horses from New Jersey was greater (P less than 0.05) than the frequency of antibody response in horses from Pennsylvania or that of horses from the other states combined. Statistically significant difference w...