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
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- Journal Article
- Review
- African Horse Sickness
- Clinical Signs
- Diagnosis
- Disease
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevention
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Mortality
- Public Health
- Vector-borne disease
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Virus
Summary
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The research article presents an investigative study on African Horse Sickness (AHS), an infectious viral disease causing severe illness in horses primarily transmitted by certain species of flies. The paper delves into the clinical signs, pathology, diagnostic challenges, and possible treatment options related to AHS.
About African Horse Sickness (AHS)
- AHS is a dangerous, noncontagious viral disease reported mostly in horses. The virus causing AHS is known as African Horse Sickness Virus (AHSV).
- The severe medical conditions it results in, primarily revolve around severe cardiovascular and pulmonary illness. This indicates that horses suffering from AHS face serious health risks associated with their heart and lung functions.
- Besides its high mortality rate, a significant focus of the research is that the disease is arthropod-borne. This means that the disease is transmitted through insects, primarily by Culicoides imicola in Africa.
- In areas outside of Africa, potential vectors for the transmission of AHS may include Culicoides variipennis and biting flies from the genera Stomoxys and Tabanus.
Diagnosis and Treatment of AHS
- The research calls attention to the necessity for quick and accurate diagnosis, which can significantly help prevent the disease from spreading in the affected horse populations.
- The paper outlines that the disease is not yet reported in the Western Hemisphere but could potentially wreak havoc if introduced into the United States, given its severity and high mortality rate.
- The study also delves into addressing the clinical signs and pathologic changes seen in horses infected with AHS. The goal here is to enable readers to understand the manifestations of the disease better.
- Beyond diagnosis, the article explores potential treatment options, thereby functioning as a resource to mitigate this high-risk disease. While the paper doesn’t specify what these treatment options are, it indicates that there are possible ways to address and manage the disease in horses.
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.
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