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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Med Sci / Epidemic of equine influenza among vaccinated racehorses in ...
The Journal of veterinary medical science2008; 70(6); 623-625; doi: 10.1292/jvms.70.623

Epidemic of equine influenza among vaccinated racehorses in Japan in 2007.

Abstract: On August 2007, we encountered equine influenza epidemic by Florida sub-lineage strain (H3N8) in Japan Racing Association's facilities where 4142 racehorses in total were stabled. The number of new febrile cases sharply increased, but the occurrence was rapidly calmed down within 2 weeks. The morbidity rate in these facilities was 12.8% and the subclinical infection rate of healthy racehorses examined by rapid antigen detection tests was 19.4% at the early stage of epidemic. The serological studies along with the low morbidity rate and the existence of numbers of asymptomatically infected racehorses, suggested that the cross-reactivity of the antibodies provided by vaccination against the epidemic strain contributed to reducing the morbidity rate and duration of epidemic.
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Publication Date: 2008-07-17 PubMed ID: 18628606DOI: 10.1292/jvms.70.623Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 study reports an outbreak of equine influenza caused by a Florida sub-lineage strain among racehorses in Japan in 2007. It indicates that the immunity provided by vaccination helped reduce the severity and duration of the epidemic.

Introduction & Background

  • The paper discusses an equine influenza epidemic that occurred in Japan Racing Association’s facilities in August 2007. The outbreak was caused by the H3N8 subtype of the virus, commonly known as the Florida sub-lineage strain.
  • A total of 4142 racehorses were stabled at the facilities during the outbreak. The number of new cases involving fever rose sharply, however, the spread of the virus was quickly controlled within two weeks.

Research Findings

  • The researchers determined the morbidity rate in the affected facilities was 12.8% – this is the proportion of horses that displayed symptoms of the disease.
  • Using rapid antigen detection tests, they established a subclinical infection rate of 19.4% in healthy racehorses at the early stage of the epidemic. This means nearly one-fifth of the horses that did not show any clinical symptoms were still infected with the virus.

Serological Studies

  • Through serological studies, which involved the testing of the horses’ blood serum for antibodies against the influenza virus, the researchers found evidence of vaccination-induced immunity against the epidemic strain.
  • This cross-reactivity of the antibodies, i.e. their ability to respond to multiple strains of the virus due to similarities in their structures, suggested that vaccination helped in reducing the morbidity rate and shortening the duration of the epidemic.

Summary

  • The paper suggests that the presence of numerous asymptomatic infections along with the low morbidity rate provides proof that the antibodies conferred by vaccination offered some degree of protection against the epidemic strain of the virus.
  • Therefore, while the antibodies couldn’t completely prevent infection, they presumably limited the severity of the symptoms and helped decrease the spread of the virus, thus contributing to the quick resolution of the epidemic.

Cite This Article

APA
Yamanaka T, Niwa H, Tsujimura K, Kondo T, Matsumura T. (2008). Epidemic of equine influenza among vaccinated racehorses in Japan in 2007. J Vet Med Sci, 70(6), 623-625. https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms.70.623

Publication

The Journal of veterinary medical science
ISSN: 0916-7250
NlmUniqueID: 9105360
Country: Japan
Language: English
Volume: 70
Issue: 6
Pages: 623-625

Researcher Affiliations

Yamanaka, Takashi
  • Epizootic Research Center, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Tochigi, Japan. takashi_yamanaka@jra.go.jp
Niwa, Hidekazu
    Tsujimura, Koji
      Kondo, Takashi
        Matsumura, Tomio

          MeSH Terms

          • Animals
          • Computational Biology
          • Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
          • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
          • Horses
          • Influenza A Virus, H3N8 Subtype
          • Japan / epidemiology
          • Orthomyxoviridae Infections / epidemiology
          • Orthomyxoviridae Infections / veterinary
          • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
          • Serology
          • Viral Vaccines

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