Vaccination in horses involves the administration of biological preparations designed to stimulate the equine immune system to recognize and combat specific pathogens. Vaccines are formulated to prevent or reduce the severity of infectious diseases that can affect equine health and performance. Common vaccines for horses include those for equine influenza, tetanus, equine herpesvirus, and West Nile virus. The administration schedule and type of vaccine can vary based on factors such as geographic location, age, and use of the horse. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the development, efficacy, and safety of vaccines in horses, as well as their impact on equine health management.
Müntener CR, Bruckner L, Kupper J, Althaus F, Caduff-Janosa P.167 adverse reactions of Swissmedic-authorized veterinary medicinal products were reported during the year 2011 (2010: 160). Species and drug classes remain comparable with previous years: most of the reactions occurred following the use of antiparasitic products (39 %), antiinfectives (20 %) or non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (11 %) in companion animals (85 dogs and 27 cats) followed by cattle/calves (37). We received 15 cases of adverse reactions following reconverted use, 8 of them in treated cats. Additionally the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre in Zürich processed 84 enquirie...
Grogan EH, McDonnell SM.To evaluate behavioral compliance of horses and ponies with simulated intranasal vaccination and assess development of generalized aversion to veterinary manipulations. Methods: Clinical trial. Methods: 28 light horse mares, 3 pony geldings, 2 light horse stallions, and 3 pony stallions that had a history of compliance with veterinary procedures. Methods: Behavioral compliance with 2 intranasal vaccine applicators was assessed. Compliance with standard physical examination procedures was assessed before and after a single experience with either of the applicators or a control manipulation to e...
Nielsen MK, Rubinson EF, Chambers TM, Horohov DW, Wagner B, Betancourt A, Reedy SE, Jacobsen S.Anthelmintics and vaccines are commonly given concurrently in routine equine management, but it is unknown to what extent an interaction between the two exists. Cyathostomins can modulate the local immune response by stimulating a type 2 helper T cell (Th2) response. In addition, anti-inflammatory effects of ivermectin have been found in rodent models. It is unknown whether these anti-inflammatory effects affect the acute phase response elicited by commonly used vaccines. This study evaluated how the acute phase inflammatory response, leukocyte expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and vac...
Saville WJA, Dubey JP, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Keene RO, Howe DK, Morrow J, Workman JD.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is an important equine neurologic disorder, and treatments for the disease are often unrewarding. Prevention of the disease is the most important aspect for EPM, and a killed vaccine was previously developed for just that purpose. Evaluation of the vaccine had been hampered by lack of post vaccination challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine if the vaccine could prevent development of clinical signs after challenge with Sarcocystis neurona sporocysts in an equine challenge model. Seventy horses that were negative for antibodies to S. neuron...
Lunney JK, Kai C, Inumaru S, Onodera T.This special issue of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology summarizes the Proceedings of the 9th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (9th IVIS) held August 2010, in Tokyo, Japan. Over 340 delegates from 30 countries discussed research progress analyzing the immune systems of numerous food animals and wildlife, probing basic immunity and the influence of stress, genetics, nutrition, endocrinology and reproduction. Major presentations addressed defense against pathogens and alternative control and prevention strategies including vaccines, adjuvants and novel biotherapeutics. A spe...
Radvila P.The effect of heterologous and homologous antitoxin is the same if an equal amount of antitoxin is present in the organism. In man there are no circulating antibodies in the blood after the first injection of the toxoid because there is no natural immunity against the tetanus antigen. After the second injection, man develops the same immunity as animals. Large antitoxin doses protect people for a longer period than small doses. Normally 3,000 I. U. of the heterologous antitoxin protects people for 2 to 3 weeks. In man and sheep 2 ml of the adsorbed vaccine produces an earlier and longer-lastin...
Bublot M.Until recently, Influenza was considered as a veterinary problem in avian, swine and horse only. New influenza strains able to infect and cause a disease in dogs and cats emerged these last six years. The most widely used influenza veterinary vaccines are the inactivated adjuvanted vaccines which are based on whole or split virus. New technologies have allowed the development of new generation vaccines including modified-live and vector vaccines. Modified-live influenza vaccines are available for horses only but they are in development in other species. Vector vaccines are already in use in ch...
Fontaine M, Fontaine M.In the first part of this paper the conditions for a specific titration of antibodies against the neuraminidase (N) of each of the two horse virus subtypes are defined. The antigens used are: the H72Neq 1 recombining agent to measure the anti Neq1 antibodies and the A/Duck/Ukraine/63 strain for the anti Neq2 antibodies. The immunity response to neuraminidase appears after the natural disease; this response is studied in two foci, one due to a virus belonging to the A equi I subtype (Loire 73 strain), the other to a virus of the A equi 2 subtype (SHN 73 strain). The kinetics of apparition of an...
Vianna AM, Santos AC, Cunha RC, de Souza Stori de Lara AP, Weege GB, Leivas Leite FP.Equine theileriosis is a severe equine disease caused by the protozoan Theileria equi, which is prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. In this study, a recombinant equi merozoite antigen-2 (rEMA-2) of T. equi was used as an immunogen. Two groups of 10 mice each were divided into control and vaccinated groups. Sixty mares seronegative for theileriosis were divided in two groups, one vaccinated and another group as a control animal. Mice and mares of the vaccinated groups were inoculated with 150 μL of the vaccine containing 50 μg of rEMA-2 and 2 mL of the vaccine containing 200 ...
Hobo S, Niwa H, Anzai T, Jones JH.In this study, to evaluate the influence of strangles vaccination on serological test results, we investigated the changes in strangles serum antibody levels in horses after vaccination and subsequent intranasal challenge with S. equi. The horses were vaccinated for strangles with either a component vaccine (Group C) or a live vaccine (Group L). We measured changes in strangles serum antibody levels weekly for 20 weeks after vaccinating horses twice for strangles over a 3-week interval, and for 7 weeks after intranasal challenge with S. equi in the same horses. Serum antibody responses to the ...
Moore RM, Moulthrop JI, Sather GE, Holmes CL, Parker RL.Field studies were conducted in 1972 to determine the immunization status of equines along the Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico borders. Interviews with horse owners were conducted along roads selected at random in the counties of Santa Cruz and Yuma, Ariz., and in Dona Ana County, N. Mex. At least 450 horse owners in each county were asked about the vaccination status of their animals, and information was taken on 1,260 animals. Blood specimens were obtained from every third equine, regardless of stated vaccination status, and tested for the presence of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE), we...
Becker W.From 1981 until 1987 we investigated the more detailed circumstances regarding a prophylactic vaccination in altogether 37 stud farms with a history of virus abortion. In 23 cases, in which Prevaccinol and/or Resequin were used, it was found that the following of vaccination schedule and necessary immunization programmes respectively, had considerable imperfections. In seven cases prophylactic vaccinations were not carried out or corresponding questionnaires were not answered. The fact that in the present data no case of virus abortion was observed, when the mare was vaccinated according to th...
Widders PR, Stokes CR, David JS, Bourne FJ.Antibody in serum, uterine and vaginal secretions was measured following local immunisation and experimental infection with the organism of contagious equine metritis (Taylorella equigenitalis). Intrauterine immunisation with killed T equigenitalis stimulated a systemic IgG titre and a uterine IgA and IgM response. Subsequent challenge with the organism, however, resulted in a characteristic metritis in both control and vaccinated mares. Antibody in serum and secretions was increased following challenge infection, dwarfing the response to immunisation. The local response was restricted to the ...
van Schalkwyk A, Ferreira ML, Romito M.The outer capsid viral protein 2 (VP2) of African horse sickness virus, encoded by the most variable genome segment 2 (Seg-2), is the primary target for AHSV-specific neutralising antibodies and thus determines the virus serotype. Full length segment 2 sequences from more than 100 AHSVs isolated over the last 80 years were compared and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified between the reference strains and recent field viruses. Regions unique to each individual serotype were identified and primers designed to differentially amplify each of the nine serotypes. The sequences of resul...
Rhiner T, Fettelschoss V, Schoster A, Birkmann K, Fettelschoss-Gabriel A.Previously, virus-like particle (VLP)-based self-vaccinations targeting interleukin (IL)-5 or IL-31 have been suggested to treat equine insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), a seasonal recurrent allergic dermatitis in horses. The IL-5-targeting equine vaccine significantly reduced blood eosinophil counts in horses, similar to human monoclonal antibodies targeting IL-5 or the IL-5 receptor alpha (IL-5Rα). Previous studies in humans have also reported an additional effect on reduction of basophil counts. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether an equine anti-IL-5 vaccine affected blo...
Velineni S, DeNegri R, Artiushin SC, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus (Sz) and its clonal derivative Streptococcus equi (Se) share greater than 96% DNA identity and elicit immune responses to many shared proteins. Identification of proteins uniquely targeted by the immune response to each infection would have diagnostic value. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare serum antibody responses of horses infected by Se or Sz. Methods: Antibody levels were measured to panels of recombinant proteins of Sz and Se in sera of horses and ponies before and after experimental and naturally occurring invasive infections by these organisms. ...
Brunner S, Fürst AE, Jackson MA.Dermal melanoma is a common neoplastic disease in horses, which occurs particularly in gray horses. There are various local and systemic therapeutic approaches to treat this skin tumor. Vaccination with human tyrosinase, ONCEPT ® vaccine, is a newer type of systemic melanoma therapy. In this study, the effectiveness of this ONCEPT ® vaccine was retrospectively examined in eight treated horses. In half of the horses (4) a positive change in tumor growth in the sense of retardation, stagnation and, in one of these horses, even reduction in the size of the melanomas was observed. Of the rem...
Cohen ND, Hughes EV, Bayne C, Morris ERA, Bray JM, Landrock KK, Gonzales DM, Baker RM, Klein RL, Liu W, Legere RM, Wehmeyer SG, Bordin AI....Evaluate the immunogenicity of a vaccine targeting the S protein (Ssee) of Streptococcus equi subsp equi and determine antibody activity against Ssee in horses with strangles. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective experiment using 20 university-owned Quarter Horses and a cross-sectional serosurvey of 78 privately owned horses with strangles. Horses were immunized IM with 0 (n = 4), 200 (n = 8), or 400 (n = 8) μg of recombinant Ssee at weeks 0, 4, and 12. Serum and nasal secretions were collected at weeks 0, 4, 6, 12, 16, and 28 and tested by ELISA for immunoglobulin (Ig)-G against ...
Cohen ND, Hughes EV, Bayne C, Morris ERA, Bray JM, Landrock KK, Gonzales DM, Baker RM, Klein RL, Liu W, Legere RM, Wehmeyer SG, Bordin AI....Evaluate the immunogenicity of a vaccine targeting the S protein (Ssee) of Streptococcus equi subsp equi and determine antibody activity against Ssee in horses with strangles. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective experiment using 20 university-owned Quarter Horses and a cross-sectional serosurvey of 78 privately owned horses with strangles. Horses were immunized IM with 0 (n = 4), 200 (n = 8), or 400 (n = 8) μg of recombinant Ssee at weeks 0, 4, and 12. Serum and nasal secretions were collected at weeks 0, 4, 6, 12, 16, and 28 and tested by ELISA for immunoglobulin (Ig)-G against ...
Jacob O, Hause B, Peters-Smith K, Adam EN, Page AE, Floyd C, Tucker C, Eertink LG, Wang D, Li F.Equine sarcoids are the most identified skin tumors of horses, which are highly associated with bovine papillomavirus infection. Sarcoids can impair the use of the horse and are difficult to treat, resulting in significant economic losses and a welfare concern. There is no vaccine available to protect global equines from sarcoids. We aimed to determine the safety and protective antibody response in horses immunized with a recombinant baculovirus vector vaccine expressing the L1 protein of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1). A group of 10 clinically healthy, sarcoid-free horses were immunized ...
O'Kennedy MM, Reedy SE, Abolnik C, Khan A, Smith T, du Preez I, Olajide E, Daly J, Cullinane A, Chambers TM.Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of wild and domesticated horses, donkeys, mules, and other Equidae. EI is caused by the Equine Influenza virus (EIV), is endemic in many countries and outbreaks still have a severe impact on the equine industry globally. Conventional EI vaccines are widely used, but a need exists for a platform that facilitates prompt manufacturing of a highly immunogenic, antigenically matched, updated vaccine product. Here we developed a plant-produced bivalent EI virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate which lacks the viral genome an...
McNabb L, McMahon A, Woube EG, Agnihotri K, Colling A, Broder CC, Kucinskaite-Kodze I, Petraityte-Burneikiene R, Bowden TR, Halpin K.Hendra virus (HeV) is a bat-borne zoonotic agent which can cause a severe and highly fatal disease and can be transferred from animals to humans. It has caused over 100 deaths in horses since it was discovered in 1994. Four out of seven infected humans have died. Since the release of the HeV vaccine (Equivac® HeV Hendra Virus Vaccine for Horses, Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd., Rhodes, NSW 2138) in Australia, there has been an urgent requirement for a serological test for differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). All first-line diagnostic serological assays at the Australian Centre f...
Rykala M, Jasiak M, Niedzwiedz A.Preventing the spread of infectious diseases in horses requires breaking the chain of infection through appropriate prophylaxis. In Poland, where the horse population reached 273,006 in 2023, vaccinations are voluntary and primarily the responsibility of horse owners, with mandatory influenza vaccinations limited to sport horses. This study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of Polish horses against infectious diseases through a survey of 980 horse owners and an analysis of 123 horse passports from slaughterhouses. Survey participants represented all provinces, predominantly owning warmb...
Levasseur A, Paré J, Aubry P, Iwasawa S, Leung D, Arsenault J.Vaccination is the most efficient tool for preventing West Nile virus (WNV) disease in horses. The objectives of this retrospective study were to: i) estimate the provincial and national horse population in Canada; ii) estimate the annual vaccination coverage for WNV in each province; and iii) compare estimates of provincial annual vaccination coverage. Horse population data (2006-2023) and the number of vaccine doses sold in Canada (2016-2020) were obtained by province. Based on these data and expert consultations, the annual number of vaccine doses administered, and provincial horse populati...
de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Vitale V, Velloso Alvarez A, Neira-Egea P, Diss C, Cuervo-Arango J.Equine herpesvirus 1-induced myeloencephalopathy has a significant impact on the equine industry. Nevertheless, the clinical variables that may affect the severity of the disease are still under investigation. The objective of this research is studying the relationship between the level of lymphopenia and vaccination status with the severity of the disease in horses at an event, considering whether they had been correctly vaccinated or not prior to exposure to EHV-1. Ten horses were admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital following an equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy outbreak during a...
Kamutzki CJ, Emmerich IU.In 2024, there was no release of a novel pharmaceutical agent for horses and food-producing animals or an extension of existing active ingredients to other animal species on the German veterinary medicinal products market. Formic acid is now available for a new form of treatment, the short-term treatment of honeybees, and clenbuterol is available in a new dosage form, as an oral solution for horses. In the field of immunological veterinary medicinal products, three new vaccines were launched on the German veterinary medicinal products market. For the first time, a vaccine against in cattle, a...
Cullinane A, Garvey M, Dayot L, Lukaseviciute G.Equine rotavirus A (RVA) is a major cause of debilitating diarrhoea in neonatal foals globally. The aim of this study was to characterise RVA viruses currently circulating in Ireland and to identify risk factors associated with disease outbreaks. Of the 377 samples submitted during 2023 and 2024, 48 foals from 36 outbreaks were confirmed to be RVA-positive by real-time PCR. The viruses detected were genotyped by VP7 and VP4 gene sequencing. In 2024, the attending veterinary surgeon was contacted, and epidemiological data were collected. These included the vaccination status of the foal's dam a...
da Silveira BP, Kahn SK, Legere RM, Bray JM, Cole-Pfeiffer HM, Golding MC, Cohen ND, Bordin AI.Using a horse foal model, we show that enteral immunization of newborn foals with Rhodococcus equi overcomes neonatal vaccination challenges by reprogramming innate immune responses, inducing R. equi-specific adaptive humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and protecting foals against experimental pneumonia challenge. Foals were immunized twice via gavage of R. equi (immunized group) or saline (control group) at ages 1 and 3 days. At age 28 days, all foals were challenged intrabronchially with R. equi. Post-challenge, all 5 immunized foals remained healthy, whereas 67% (4/6) of control foa...
Kutumbetov L, Myrzakhmetova B, Tussipova A, Zhapparova G, Tlenchiyeva T, Bissenbayeva K, Nurabayev S, Kerimbayev A.Equine rhinopneumonia, caused by equine herpesvirus types 1 and 4 (EHV-1 and EHV-4), continues to be a significant health and economic concern in the global equine industry, particularly in Kazakhstan. While vaccines targeting EHV-1 are available, there is currently no licensed monovalent vaccine for EHV-4, and existing formulations offer limited protection against this serotype. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a freeze-dried, live-attenuated EHV-4 vaccine with improved safety, stability, and immunogenicity. Methods: A field isolate of EHV-4 was attenuated through serial passaging in ...
