Equine disease surveillance: quarterly summary.

The research article summarizes the surveillance report on equine diseases, mainly focusing on the outbreaks of equine herpesvirus type 1, equine influenza virus, Hendra virus, and glanders in England, Australia, and Afghanistan, respectively.

Equine Herpesvirus Outbreaks in England

• The report informs of two outbreaks of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) in Western England, reported as of November 21, 2011.
• The first outbreak involved two sports horse mares showing clinical signs of the virus, one of which had to be euthanized due to severe illness. The presence of EHV-1 was confirmed through virus isolation and PCR on nasopharyngeal swabs and heparinised blood samples.
• The second outbreak involved a vaccinated non-thoroughbred mare that had aborted. Diagnosis was made via a positive PCR result on the placental tissues as fetal tissues could not be obtained.

Equine Influenza Outbreaks in England

• Several outbreaks of equine influenza virus (EIV) occurred in 2011, primarily affecting unvaccinated horses. Additional outbreaks were reported by the Animal Health Trust as of November 21st.
• EIV was confirmed in multiple horses across East Sussex, Devon, and East Renfrewshire respectively. Common symptoms amongst infected horses included harsh cough, mucoid nasal discharge, and mild malaise. Diagnosis was made using a positive result on a nucleoprotein ELISA on a nasopharyngeal swab.
• All EIV outbreaks were reported by the new Tell-Tail text alert service sponsored by Merial Animal Health, alerting practitioners to EIV outbreaks in the United Kingdom.

Hendra Virus Outbreaks in Australia

• Between June 30 and October 13, 2011, Hendra virus led to the deaths of 21 horses in Australia. The infected horses exhibited a range of symptoms, including pyrexia, ataxia, wide-based stance, dull demeanour, and elevated levels of heart and respiratory rates.

Glanders

• An outbreak of glanders first occurred in Lebanon in February 2011 affecting at least 25 horses. However, a suspected case of glanders in Europe turned out to be a false positive with restrictions lifted thereafter.
• On August 21, further outbreaks of glanders were reported in Kabul, Afghanistan with three horses affected. The diagnosis was confirmed by bacteriology.