African horse sickness.
Abstract: AHS is a noncontagious vector-borne disease of Equidae caused by Orbiviruses. Species susceptibility in decreasing order is horses, mules, donkeys, and zebras. The main vectors of AHS are culicoides. The disease is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, but epizootics have occurred outside of this area on several occasions. The most recent outbreaks outside of the endemic area were in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal between 1987 and 1990. AHS causes mortality up to 95% and is classically divided into four clinical forms: the pulmonary, cardiac, mixed, and horse fever forms. Pathologic changes are subcutaneous and intermuscular edema and lung edema. The most consistent clinical signs include fever, nonpurulent conjunctivitis, and increased respiratory rate. Prevention and control measures include quarantines, control of insects, and vaccination. There is no treatment for AHS. Neurotropic strains of AHSV may cause retinitis and encephalitis in humans.
Publication Date: 1993-08-01 PubMed ID: 8358648DOI: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30402-9Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Review
- African Horse Sickness
- Climate
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Transmission
- Endemic Disease
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Insect Bite Hypersensitivity
- Public Health
- Vector-borne disease
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Virus
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article is about African horse sickness virus (AHSV), a non-contagious insect-borne disease affecting equids. The article examines the effects of AHSV, its epidemiology, and existing control measures, with a particular emphasis on how climate change might affect its spread.
Disease Overview and Impact on Host
- The African horse sickness virus (AHSV) affects equids (horses, donkeys, and zebras), causing a disease that is non-contagious, but infectious and insect-borne.
- The disease is endemic in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa and possibly in Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula.
- Occasionally, the virus spreads beyond these endemic regions to countries like India, Pakistan, Spain, and Portugal.
- The disease has a significant impact on its hosts, but specifics of these effects were not provided in the abstract.
Transmission and Factors Influencing Its Spread
- The primary vectors of AHSV are specific species of the Culicoides biting midge, particularly the Afro-Asiatic species C. imicola.
- The distribution of AHSV seems to be influenced by various factors, including the effectiveness of control measures, the presence of a long-term vertebrate reservoir, and the prevalence and seasonal incidence of the main vector.
- The most impacting factor appears to be the prevalence of the major vector, which is controlled by the climate. This means that changes in climate can significantly impact the spread of the disease.
Climate Change and Its Impact on AHSV Spread
- Due to climate change, the major vector, C. imicola, has significantly extended its range northwards to include Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, and even southern Switzerland.
- Interestingly, in many of these new locations, the insect is active all year round, which potentially increases the risk of disease transmission.
- Related diseases that utilize the same vector species of Culicoides, like bluetongue virus, have seen worst outbreaks since 1998 due to these climate changes, with the virus extending further north in Europe than ever before and apparently becoming endemic there.
- The paper discusses the prospects for similar changes in the epidemiology and distribution of AHSV due to these climate changes. Current and future control measures for AHSV are also discussed.
Cite This Article
APA
House JA.
(1993).
African horse sickness.
Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 9(2), 355-364.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30402-9 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Greenport, New York.
MeSH Terms
- African Horse Sickness / diagnosis
- African Horse Sickness / epidemiology
- African Horse Sickness / prevention & control
- African Horse Sickness Virus / isolation & purification
- Animals
- Ceratopogonidae / microbiology
- Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
- Horses
- Humans
- Insect Vectors / microbiology
- Perissodactyla
References
This article includes 53 references
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Ma X, Zhang M, Zhang X, Qi T, Zhang W, Zhao Y, Na L, Zhang Y, Wang XF, Wang X. Construction and Immunogenicity Evaluation of a Recombinant Fowlpox Virus Expressing VP2 Gene of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1. Microorganisms 2025 Dec 9;13(12).
- Calvo-Pinilla E, Jiménez-Cabello L, Utrilla-Trigo S, Illescas-Amo M, Ortego J. Cytokine mRNA Expression Profile in Target Organs of IFNAR (-/-) Mice Infected with African Horse Sickness Virus. Int J Mol Sci 2024 Feb 8;25(4).
- Serroni A, Traini S, Iorio M, Mangone I, Di Gialleonardo L, Molini U, Khaiseb S, Mercante MT, Di Ventura M, Caporale M. Whole-Genome Sequence and Assembly of Eight Africa Horse Sickness Virus Strains Collected in Namibia and South Africa. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023 Apr 18;12(4):e0103422.
- Marín-Lopez A, Calvo-Pinilla E, Moreno S, Utrilla-Trigo S, Nogales A, Brun A, Fikrig E, Ortego J. Modeling Arboviral Infection in Mice Lacking the Interferon Alpha/Beta Receptor. Viruses 2019 Jan 8;11(1).
- Zwart L, Potgieter CA, Clift SJ, van Staden V. Characterising Non-Structural Protein NS4 of African Horse Sickness Virus. PLoS One 2015;10(4):e0124281.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
