Designing a field trial of an equine grass sickness vaccine: A questionnaire-based feasibility study.

This research is about assessing the feasibility of a nationwide controlled field trial for a potential vaccine for equine grass sickness (EGS) in the UK. The study used a questionnaire to collect responses from veterinary practices across the country.

Objective of the Study

• The main purpose of the study was to measure the feasibility of running a large-scale, randomised controlled field trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of a potential vaccine for equine grass sickness. This was done through a cross-sectional survey involving 119 British equine veterinary practices.

Importance of the Study

• Equine grass sickness is a serious disease that targets the digestive system of horses, potentially causing fatal damage. Currently, there is no reliable cure or preventative measure for EGS.
• The proposed vaccine for EGS could potentially reduce or eliminate instances of the disease, providing immense benefit to the equine community. Therefore, assessing the feasibility of a field trial is a necessary precursor before implementing the RCT.

Findings of the Study

• The majority of veterinary practices (73%) reported having attended at least one case of EGS within the previous two years.
• About half (51.3%) of the practices regularly visited premises that frequently experienced EGS cases.
• Veterinary surgeons were more confident in diagnosing acute or subacute EGS based on history and clinical signs than in diagnosing chronic EGS.
• A very high percentage of respondents believed that the proposed RCT was important for equine veterinary research (91%).
• Similarly, a high percentage indicated their willingness to help in owner recruitment (91%) and to participate in the RCT (92.9%).
• The main reasons for some practices not wanting to participate in the trial were the low incidence of EGS, lack of owner interest, and the amount of paperwork/data collection involved.

Conclusions of the Study

• Based on these results, there is considerable support amongst the participating veterinary practices for a field trial of a vaccine against EGS. A significant proportion of these practices are willing to participate in the trial and regularly visit premises affected by EGS, satisfying the trial’s inclusion criteria.