Vector-borne diseases in horses are illnesses transmitted by vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, and flies. These diseases can affect equine health by introducing pathogens like viruses, bacteria, or parasites into the horse's system. Common vector-borne diseases in horses include West Nile Virus, Equine Infectious Anemia, and Lyme disease. The transmission dynamics, clinical manifestations, and management strategies for these diseases vary depending on the pathogen and vector involved. Understanding these aspects is important for developing preventive measures and treatment protocols. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management of vector-borne diseases in equines.
Wittich CA, Ward MP, Fosgate GT, Srinivasan R.To determine whether West Nile virus (WNV) disease hyperendemic foci (hot spots) exist within the horse population in Texas and, if detected, to identify the locations. Methods: Reports of 1,907 horses with WNV disease in Texas from 2002 to 2004. Methods: Case data with spatial information from WNV epidemics occurring in 2002 (1,377 horses), 2003 (396 horses), and 2004 (134 horses) were analyzed by use of the spatial scan statistic (Poisson model) and kriging of empirical Bayes smoothed county attack rates to determine locations of horses with WNV disease in which affected horses were consiste...
Rüegg SR, Heinzmann D, Barbour AD, Torgerson PR.For the evaluation of the epidemiology of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in a herd of 510 horses in SW Mongolia, several mathematical models of the transmission dynamics were constructed. Because the field data contain information on the presence of the parasite (determined by PCR) and the presence of antibodies (determined by IFAT), the models cater for maternal protection with antibodies, susceptible animals, infected animals and animals which have eliminated the parasite and also allow for age-dependent infection in susceptible animals. Maximum likelihood estimation procedures were used...
Journal of medical entomologyFebruary 21, 2008
Volume 45, Issue 1 115-124 doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2008)45[115:hdcfah]2.0.co;2
Gerry AC, Nawaey TM, Sanghrajka PB, Wisniewska J, Hullinger P.Hematophagous Diptera landing on a horse were removed by vacuum, and their numbers were related to a paired carbon dioxide-baited suction trap at three locations in southern California where West Nile virus activity was high during the preceding year. Insects collected from the horse included mosquitoes (nine species), biting midges (Culicoides sonorensis Wirth & Jones), and black flies (Simulium bivittatum Malloch). Mosquitoes were predominantly collected from the head, crest, withers, neck, chest, and shoulders of the horse, whereas biting midges and black flies were predominantly collected ...
Nielsen CF, Reisen WK, Armijos MV, Maclachlan NJ, Scott TW.Although horse cases frequently are reported during West Nile virus (WNV) outbreaks, few investigations have focused on the epidemiology of this transmission. From April to October 2003 to 2005, mosquito abundance and infection were monitored 3 days per week at an equine research facility at the University of California, Davis. Thirty-two nonvaccinated horses enrolled as controls in a vaccine study were bled monthly, and their serum was tested for evidence of WNV infection by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). In 2004, one positive Culex pipiens pool was associated with a single hors...
Horta MC, Labruna MB, Pinter A, Linardi PM, Schumaker TT.This study investigated rickettsial infection in animals, humans, ticks, and fleas collected in five areas of the state of São Paulo. Eight flea species (Adoratopsylla antiquorum antiquorum, Ctenocephalides felis felis, Polygenis atopus, Polygenis rimatus, Polygenis roberti roberti, Polygenis tripus, Rhopalopsyllus lugubris, and Rhopalopsyllus lutzi lutzi), and five tick species (Amblyomma aureolatum, Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma dubitatum, Ixodes loricatus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus) were collected from dogs, cats, and opossums. Rickettsia felis was the only rickettsia found infecting ...
Herholz C, Füssel AE, Timoney P, Schwermer H, Bruckner L, Leadon D.The past 10-20 years have seen exponential growth in the volume of trade in horses and equine germplasm; and the extent of global horse movements has increased significantly in the last 4 years. In preparing for the transport of elite Olympic horses to Hong Kong in 2008, it will be very important to be as fully informed as possible of the disease situation in both the exporting and importing country, import and re-entry requirements, as well as having a vaccination strategy to protect against particular diseases. In this context the review describes the equine vector-borne disease situation in...
van der Rijt R, van den Boom R, Jongema Y, van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.The aims of this study were to determine (1) which species of Culicoides is most commonly attracted to horses, (2) whether horses suffering insect hypersensitivity attract more Culicoides spp. than unaffected horses, and (3) the times when Culicoides spp. are most active. Horses affected by insect hypersensitivity and unaffected horses were placed inside mosquito netting tents for 30 min at different times of the day. All Culicoides spp. trapped inside the tents were collected and identified. C. obsoletus was the most common species found, followed by C. pulicaris. Healthy horses attracted sli...
Sinclair M, Bührmann G, Gummow B.African Horsesickness (AHS) is a controlled disease in South Africa. The country is divided into an infected area and a control area. An outbreak of AHS in the control area can result in a ban of exports for at least 2 years. A retrospective epidemiological study was carried out on data collected during the 2004 AHS outbreak in the surveillance zone of the AHS control area in the Western Cape Province. The objective of this study was to describe the 2004 outbreak and compare it with the 1999 AHS outbreak in the same area. As part of the investigation, a questionnaire survey was conducted in th...
Nishimoto KP, Laust AK, Wang K, Kamrud KI, Hubby B, Smith JF, Nelson EL.Dendritic cells (DCs) consist of heterogeneous phenotypic populations and have diverse immunostimulatory functions dependent on both lineage and functional phenotype, but as exceptionally potent antigen-presenting cells, they are targets for generating effective antigen-specific immune responses. A promising replicon particle vector derived from Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) has been reported to transduce murine footpad DCs. However, the receptive DC subset, the degree of restriction for this tropism, and the extent of conservation between rodents and humans have not been well cha...
Venter GJ, Koekemoer JJ, Paweska JT.Confirmed outbreaks of African horse sickness (AHS) occurred in the surveillance zone of the Western Cape in 1999 and 2004, both of which led to a two-year suspension on the export of horses. Light trap surveys in the outbreak areas showed that known vector competent Culicoides species, notably C. imicola, were abundant and present in numbers equal to those in the traditional AHS endemic areas. Isolations of AHS virus serotypes 1 and 7, equine encephalosis virus, and bluetongue virus from field-collected C. imicola in the surveillance zone demonstrated that this species was highly competent an...
Couissinier-Paris P.Until 1999 the West Nile virus had been reported only in the "Old world" and particularly in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia where it was responsible only for sporadic or size-and-time-limited outbreaks in humans and equines. The sudden and unexpected emergence of WN in New York in 1999, followed by a rapid and huge extension to the whole North America in less than four years, made health authorities aware of the potential of previously forgotten viruses to become a threat to public health. The present review will focus on the epidemiology of West Nile virus in Europe and Africa during th...
Krcmar S, Mikuska A, Merdić E.The response of female tabanids to natural attractants was studied in the Monjoros Forest along the Nature Park Kopacki rit in eastern Croatia. Tabanids were caught in canopy traps baited with either aged cow, horse, sheep, or pig urine and also in unbaited traps. Tabanids were collected in a significantly higher numbers in traps baited with natural attractants compared to unbaited traps. The number of females of Tabanus bromius, Tabanus maculicornis, Tabanus tergestinus, and Hybomitra bimaculata collected from canopy traps baited with cow urine and traps baited with other natural attractants ...
Leblond A, Sandoz A, Lefebvre G, Zeller H, Bicout DJ.Geographic information system and remote sensing technologies were used to identify landscape features associated with risk of West Nile virus transmission as defined by the presence of confirmed horse cases. SPOT-4 images of Camargue area were used to generate a map of landscape categories of epidemic foci and the geographic information system was employed to determine the proportion of landscape components surrounding 10 horse case sites and 17 control sites. The spatio-temporal analysis of the cases outbreak gave the best results for a spatial window of 9 km and a temporal window of 18 days...
Chevalier V, Lancelot R, Diaité A, Mondet B, Sall B, De Lamballerie X.The Ferlo area (north-central Senegal) is characterized by a system of temporary ponds favorable to arboviruses among which West Nile fever (WNF) was already identified. During the rainy season in 2003, a serological study was undertaken on horses to assess the activity of the WNF virus (WNFV) in Barkedji (Ferlo). The observed serological prevalence rate was 78.3% for neutralizing antibodies, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of [64.0, 92.7]. This prevalence rate significantly increased with age (P = 10(-5)). This study confirmed that WNF was endemic in the Ferlo. The transmission risks depe...
Lillini E, Macrì G, Proietti G, Scarpulla M.Ixodes ricinus (I. ricinus) is one of the vectors of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (A. phagocytophilum) in Europe, in which rates of infection range from 1.9% to 34%. In 1998, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis-like (HGE-like) Ehrlichia DNA was detected in Italy, by PCR technique in one I. ricinus nymph out of 55 ticks that were examined. In 1996, 6.3% of 310 human sera in high-risk subjects from Italy were found positive for antibodies to Ehrlichia phagocytophila (E. phagocytophila). In the same year, the authors reported the first case of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis. In 1997, only 2 out of 563...
Lefrançois T, Blitvich BJ, Pradel J, Molia S, Vachiéry N, Martinez D.In July 2002, a surveillance system was implemented on Guadeloupe to detect for the potential introduction and monitor the spread of West Nile virus (WNV). From 2002 to 2004, equines and chickens were serologically assayed for antibodies to WNV by IgG and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), epitope-blocking ELISA, and plaque reduction neutralization tests. After introduction, probably through migratory birds at the end of 2001, many seroconversions occurred between July and October 2002 resulting in a high seroprevalence (19.3%) in equines in 2003. WNV circulation levels decreased d...
Barros AT, Foil LD.Two studies evaluated the potential use of spatial barriers to reduce the mechanical transmission of disease agents by tabanids in the Pantanal region of Brazil. Tabanids at stations separated by four different distances (5, 10, 25, and 50m) were marked. In the first study, tabanids were marked and allowed to feed until engorgement or natural interruption occurred and captured if they transferred to the other horse. A total of 2847 tabanids belonging to nine different species were marked. The percentage of tabanids that moved between horses was 10.5 at 5m, 6.8 at 10m, and 4.6 at 25m. In the se...
Howerth EW, Mead DG, Mueller PO, Duncan L, Murphy MD, Stallknecht DE.Horses were inoculated with Vesicular stomatitis New Jersey and Indiana viruses by routes simulating contact and vector transmission. Clinical signs, lesions, antibody development, viral shedding and persistence, and viremia were monitored. Horses were infected with both viruses by all routes as confirmed by seroconversion. Salivation, primary lesions at inoculation sites, and secondary oral lesions were the most common clinical findings. Viral shedding was most often from the oral cavity, followed by the nasal cavity; titers were highest from oral cavity samples. Virus was rarely isolated fro...
Morgan D.Although there is no recognized transmission of human arboviral infections in the UK, concerns about the possible spread of West Nile virus (WNV) have precipitated coordinated activities around both surveillance and response. The Department of Health has chaired a UK WNV task force since the end of 2000. This is a multidisciplinary group of senior representatives from Agencies and Government Departments involved in human and animal health, entomology and academic departments. Activities include surveillance for WNV infections in humans, and in dead birds, mosquitoes and horses. All have been n...
Journal of medical entomologyOctober 5, 2006
Volume 43, Issue 5 936-946 doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2006)43[936:hbahba]2.0.co;2
Balenghien T, Fouque F, Sabatier P, Bicout DJ.After 35 yr of disease absence, West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) circulation has been regularly detected in the Camargue region (southern France) since 2000. WNV was isolated from Culex modestus Ficalbi, which was considered the main vector in southern France after horse outbreaks in the 1960s. Recent WNV transmissions outside of the Cx. modestus distribution suggested the existence of other vectors. To study potential WNV vectors, horse- and bird-baited traps and human landing collections of mosquitoes were carried out weekly from May to October 2004 at two Camargu...
Bauer B, Blank J, Heile C, Schein E, Clausen PH.A fence of black mosquito netting of 100 cm height, pre-treated with 80 mg/m2 of deltamethrin and UV-protected, was used to shelter horses from nuisance and biting insects on pasture in northern Brandenburg. The netting material was attached to the surrounding poles of the existing fences at a height of 15 cm above ground. Three trial groups were selected grazing in spatially separated areas with comparable densities of insect populations. One paddock was completely fenced apart from a wall of 170 cm height and 70 m length. The second pasture had only partial protection with 126 m (13.4%) of f...
Journal of medical entomologyAugust 9, 2006
Volume 43, Issue 4 762-773 doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2006)43[762:DACOBB]2.0.CO;2
Morshed MG, Scott JD, Fernando K, Geddes G, McNabb A, Mak S, Durden LA.The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae), has a wide geographical distribution in Ontario, Canada, with a detected range extending at least as far north as the 50th parallel. Our data of 591 adult I. scapularis submissions collected from domestic animals (canines, felines, and equines) and humans during a 10-yr period (1993-2002) discloses a monthly questing activity in Ontario that peaks in May and October. The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmidt, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner was detected in 12.9% of I. scapularis adults collected from domesti...
Romaniuk K.The Diptera attacked domestic animals in Poland are: Simuliidae, Culicidae, Tabanidae, Gasterophilidae, Hypoder-matidae and Muscidae. The insect assail the crazing animals, mostly during sunny day dna at close of day. Lack of effective repelents and also difficulties with their usage, makes it impossible to complete extermination of parasitic insects in the environment. It is posible to effectively fight against Hypoderma bovis and Gasterophilus spp.
Tolesano-Pascoli GV, Torga K, Franchin AG, Ogrzewalska M, Gerardi M, Olegário MM, Labruna MB, Szabó MP, Marçal Júnior O.This is a report of tick species, parasite prevalence and infestation intensity of birds in a forest fragment (18° 56' 57'' S and 48° 12' 14'' W) within the Brazilian cerrado (savanna), in the municipality of Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 162 birds from 26 species were captured. One adult tick, 296 larvae and 67 nymphs were found on passerine birds. Of these, it was identified 31 larvae and 27 nymphs of Amblyomma longirostre, 17 nymphs of A. nodosum, one A. cajennense larvae and one male of Rhipicephalus sanguineus. All other ticks were identified as Amblyomma sp. la...
Fischer EAJ, Martínez López EP, De Vos CJ, Faverjon C.Equine encephalosis is a midge-borne viral disease of equines caused by equine encephalosis virus (EEV, Orbivirus, Reoviridae), and closely related to African horse sickness virus (AHSV). EEV and AHSV share common vectors and show similar transmission patterns. Until now EEV has caused outbreaks in Africa and Israel. This study aimed to provide insight in the probability of an EEV outbreak in The Netherlands caused by infected vectors or hosts, the contribution of potential source areas (risk regions) to this probability, and the effectiveness of preventive measures (sanitary regimes). A stoch...
Graham H, van Kalsbeek P, van der Goot J, Koene MGJ.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease affecting horses, donkeys, mules and zebras, caused by the intracellular apicomplexan protozoa and . The geographical distribution of EP is closely related to the distribution of its vector tick species belonging to the genera of and . Since the discovery of ticks in 2007 and the first reported autochthonous cases in the South of the Netherlands in 2012, no data on the (sero)prevalence of EP in horses in the Netherlands have been reported and it remains unclear whether and have been able to establish themselves in the Netherlands. This stu...
West Nile virus (WNV) is a globally significant mosquito-borne Flavivirus that causes West Nile disease (WND). In Libya, evidence of WNV circulation has been reported in humans but never in animals. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of WNV infection in horses and dogs in Libya. In total, 574 and 63 serum samples were collected from apparently healthy, unvaccinated horses and dogs, respectively, between 2016 and 2019. A commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) kit was initially used to test the collected samples for the presence of W...
Carbonara M, Mendoza-Roldan JA, Bezerra-Santos MA, de Abreu Teles PP, Lia RP, Locantore F, Iatta R, Volf P, Otranto D.Equids may be infected by zoonotic Leishmania spp., including Leishmania infantum, in regions where canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is endemic, and Leishmania martiniquensis, which has been reported in horses from Central Europe. This study was designed to evaluate the occurrence of both Leishmania spp. among equids living in CanL endemic areas of Italy, as well as to identify dipteran vectors from the same habitats. From March to October 2023, blood, serum and tissue samples from skin lesions were collected from equids (n = 98; n = 56 donkeys and n = 42 horses) living in Italy, as well as sand fl...
Holguin-Rocha AF, Calle-Tobon A, Vásquez GM, Astete H, Fisher ML, Tobon-Castano A, Velez-Tobon G, Maldonado-Ruiz LP, Silver K, Park Y....Ticks are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit pathogens among various vertebrates, including humans. The microbial and viral communities of ticks, including pathogenic microorganisms, are known to be highly diverse. However, the factors driving this diversity are not well understood. The tropical horse tick, Dermacentor nitens, is distributed throughout the Americas and it is recognized as a natural vector of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, the causal agents of equine piroplasmosis. In this study, we characterized the bacterial and viral communities associated with partial...
Hayes RO, Francy DB, Lazuick JS, Smith GC, Jones RH.A virus surveillance project was established and maintained during 1972 along 10 major river drainages in six states. Mosquitoes, biting flies, and blood specimens from sentinel equines were collected during 83 field trip visits to 141 arthropod collecting sites and 22 sentinel locations from April into December 1972. There were 173,074 mosquitoes tested and 303 arboviruses isolated from 11 of 41 species. From 13,388 biting flies tested, 8 arbovirus isolations were obtained in 1 of 5 species. There was no isolation of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus. Western equine encephalitis (WEE...
Srihongse S, Grayson MA, Morris CD, Deibel R, Duncan CS.An extensive outbreak of eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) occurred in upstate New York during the summer of 1976, with 37 cases confirmed in horses by isolation of virus and/or by serologic examination. Other specimens collected in the affected area yielded 16 further isolates: 9 from 818 pools of 33,365 mosquitoes, 5 from tissues of 64 birds and 2 from 4 sentinel pheasants with serologic conversions. EEE antibodies were also detected in 81 of 499 wild birds tested. Our data implicate sparrows, cowbirds, and catbirds in the amplification of EEE virus and Culiseta melanura mosquitoes as v...
Tantely ML, Guis H, Randriananjantenaina I, Raharinirina MR, Velonirina HJ, Cardinale E, Raveloarijaona N, Cêtre-Sossah C, Garros C, Girod R.In Madagascar, the high West Nile virus (WNV) antibody prevalence reported in horse populations suggests a high level of vector-horse contact. This study aims to characterize the mosquito species usually involved in WNV transmission in horse stables in Madagascar. Five horse stables were investigated in October and November 2016 in five distinct inland areas. Mosquitoes were collected using double net traps baited with human, poultry or horse as well as light traps. Blood meal identification from engorged females was performed using host-specific PCRs. A total of 2898 adult mosquitoes were col...
Comer JA, Irby WS, Kavanaugh DM.Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni Dyar, a suspected biological vector of the New Jersey serotype of vesicular stomatitis (VSNJ) virus, were determined using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of 333 blood-fed female sandflies collected from their diurnal resting shelters on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A. Sandflies had fed primarily on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (81%) and to a lesser extent on feral swine (Sus scrofa) (16%), two species of host infected annually with VSNJ. Other hosts were raccoons (Procyon lotor) and horses (Equus caballus) or donkeys (E. asinus),...
Nolen-Walston RD, D'Oench SM, Hanelt LM, Sharkey LC, Paradis MR.An 11-year-old Hanoverian-cross gelding was evaluated because of acute onset of ataxia, recumbency, and fever. At the stable, this and other horses had recently been infested with ticks. Results of analysis of a sample of CSF were within reference limits, but hematologic abnormalities included lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, mild anemia, and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in neutrophils that were consistent with Anaplasma phagocytophilum (previously Ehrlichia equi). Results of serum biochemical analyses were characteristic of infection and included high, unconjugated bilirubin concentration....
Bast TF, Whitney E, Benach JL.In September 1970 three horses in eastern Long Island were clinically diagnosed
as having Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE). At this time, EEE virus was isolated
from the blood clots of three migrating Northern Yellow-shafted Flickers, and from the brain
and liver of another Northern Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus lutetts). Following
this episode, a I-year arbovirus survey was conducted beginning in September 1970. Serologic
surveys indicated widespread prevalence of EEE antibodies in the avian population and also
low grade activity in various mammals. Powassan and St. Lou...
In the present study, we serosurveyed the exposure of 222 draft horses to different arboviruses in the city of Santa Fe, Argentina. Plaque reduction neutralization tests confirmed exposure to Fort Sherman virus (FSV), Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Río Negro virus (RNV). Apparently, Western and Eastern equine encephalitis viruses did not circulate in the population tested. The confirmation of five seroconversions for WNV, FSV, and SLEV and the association between prevalence and age are indicative of recent circulation. These results highlight the importance ...
Resende CF, Santos AM, Cook RF, Victor RM, Câmara RJF, Gonçalves GP, Lima JG, Maciel E Silva AG, Leite RC, Dos Reis JKP.Marajó Island, within in the Amazon River Delta, supports numerous bands of feral equids including the genetically distinct Marajoara horses. Approximately 40% of the equids on the island are infected with Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). This high seropositivity rate coupled with the need to preserve rare breeds such as the Marajoara horse precludes euthanasia as the primary means for controlling EIAV in this region. In the absence of iatrogenic transmission, spread of this lentivirus is mediated primarily by hematophagous insects, whose year-round prevalence on the island is supported...
de Araújo-Neto VT, Barbosa-Silva AN, Medeiros Honorato NR, Sales LML, de Cassia Pires R, do Nascimento Brito CR, da Matta Guedes PM....Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne zoonotic parasite which has been little studied regarding its infection in domestic animals. In this study, we evaluated the occurrence of natural infection by T. cruzi in farm animals using molecular markers and phylogenetic analysis in blood clot samples of 60 sheep (Ovis aires), 22 goats (Capra hircus), and 14 horses (Equus caballus) in eight municipalities located in an infection risk area in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Northeast Region of Brazil. Trypanosoma spp. infection was identified by am...
Riddin MA, Venter GJ, Labuschagne K, Villet MH.An upsurge in African horse sickness (AHS) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, from 2006 led to an epidemiological reassessment of the disease there. Light trapping surveys carried out near horses, donkeys and zebras in 2014-2016 collected 39 species of Culicoides midge (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) that are potential vectors of AHS. To establish if these midges fed on equids, DNA sequences were obtained from the gut contents of 52 female midges (35 freshly blood-fed, 13 gravid and four parous), representing 11 species collected across 11 sites. Culicoides leucostictus fed on all three equids. Cul...
Foil LD, Klei TR, Miller RI, Church GE, Foil CS, French DD, Smith JN.Seasonal changes in density and spatial distribution of Onchocerca cervicalis microfilariae were studied in ventral-midline skin of 15 infected pony mares in southern Louisiana. Triple running mean analysis of data over a 13-mo period indicated that a distinct pattern exists in total microfilariae population density and in microfilariae occurrence in different levels of the dermis. Microfilariae density reaches peak levels in the spring followed by a 58% decrease in the summer, a 19% increase in the fall, and a decrease to the lowest numbers in the winter. Microfilariae were found in all level...
Olufemi OT, Barba M, Daly JM.West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging and re-emerging zoonotic flavivirus first identified in and endemic to Africa. The virus is transmitted between birds by biting mosquitoes, with equids and humans being incidental hosts. The majority of infected incidental hosts display no or only mild clinical signs, but a fraction develop encephalitis. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and evaluate primary research on the presence of antibodies to WNV among African equids. Three bibliographic databases and the grey literature were searched. Of 283 articles identified, only 16 satisfied all th...
Martínez-López B, Perez AM, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM.The identification of premises that may play an important role in the introduction or spread of animal diseases is fundamental to the development of risk-based surveillance and control programs. A combination of geo-statistical and cluster analysis methods was used to identify geographical areas and periods of time at highest risk for introduction of the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) into the Castile and Leon (CyL) region of Spain. Risk was estimated based on the predicted premises-specific abundance of Culicoides spp., a vector for AHSV, and on the frequency of equine introductions from...
Issel CJ, Adams WV, Foil LD.Progeny of a band of horses, positive by the agar-gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for equine infectious anemia (EIA) antibody, were observed through their weaning over a 4-year period. Sentinels (AGID test-negative) were allowed to mingle with EIA-infected mares and their foals in pasture situations in an area with high populations of potential vectors. Of 27 adult sentinels, 8 (30%) seroconverted in annual rates ranging from 0% to 75%. In contrast, only 2 of 31 (6%) foals weaned became infected. Difference in infection rates between adult sentinels and foals was significant (chi 2, P less tha...
Lord CC, Woolhouse ME, Mellor PS.A simulation model including two hosts (horses and donkeys) and one vector (Culicoides imicola) for African horse sickness in Spain is extended to consider vaccination strategies. If hosts were protected prior to virus introduction, elimination of simulated epidemics was related nonlinearly to the fraction protected. Protecting donkeys as well as horses increased the effectiveness of vaccination. Prevention of 50% of epidemics required 75% coverage of horses and donkeys or 90% coverage of horses only. Protection after the introduction of the virus was rarely successful in preventing outbreaks....
Freitas MC, Grycajuk M, Molento MB, Bonacin J, Labruna MB, Pacheco Rde C, Moraes-Filho J, Deconto I, Biondo AW.Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF) is an often fatal zoonosis caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii. The disease is generally transmitted to humans by Amblyomma spp. ticks. Serological evidence of past infection by R. rickettsii has been reported in horses, but the pathogenicity of R. rickettsii in horses remains unknown. Cart horses are still widely used in urban and urban fringe areas in Brazil, and these animals may constitute suitable sentinels for BSF human in these areas, for example, in Sao Jose dos Pinhais, where the first BSF human case in the state of Parana...
Cotuțiu VD, Ionică AM, Lefkaditis M, Cazan CD, Hașaș AD, Mihalca AD.Equine thelaziosis is a neglected vector-borne parasitic disease in modern veterinary medicine, lacking recent reports. It is transmitted by Musca autumnalis, and potentially other Muscidae species, by ingesting the lachrymal secretions of its equine host. The distribution of both Thelazia lacrymalis and its intermediate hosts remains largely unknown throughout Europe, with most studies dating back 20 years. The aim of this study was to assess the presence, prevalence and distribution of T. lacrymalis in horses from Romania. Methods: The eyes of 273 horses, slaughtered at two abattoirs from t...
Robin CA, Lo Iacono G, Gubbins S, Wood JL, Newton JR.The National Equine Database (NED) contains information on the size and distribution of the horse population, but the data quality remains unknown. These data could assist with surveillance, research and contingency planning for equine infectious disease outbreaks. Objective: 1) To assess the extent of obsolete and missing data from NED, 2) evaluate the extent of spatial separation between horse and owner location and 3) identify relationships between spatial separation and land use. Methods: Two questionnaires were used to assess data accuracy in NED utilising local authority passport inspect...
