[Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)].
Abstract: Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a reportable, eradicable epizootic disease caused by the equine lentivirus of the retrovirus family which affects equids only and occurs worldwide. The virus is transmitted by blood, mainly by sanguivorous insects. The main symptoms of the disease are pyrexia, apathy, loss of body condition and weight, anemia, edema and petechia. However, infected horses can also be inapparent carriers without any overt signs. The disease is diagnosed by serological tests like the Coggins test and ELISA tests. Presently, Switzerland is offi cially free from EIA. However, Switzerland is permanently at risk of introducing the virus as cases of EIA have recently been reported in different European countries.
Publication Date: 2009-04-01 PubMed ID: 19333901DOI: 10.1024/0036-7281.151.4.159Google Scholar: Lookup
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- English Abstract
- Journal Article
- Review
- Blood
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epizootic
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Infectious Anemia
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Public Health
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Virus
Summary
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Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a dangerous disease affecting horses and related species, caused by a specific type of virus and transmitted primarily through blood-sucking insects. The study aims to present the potential risks of this disease in Switzerland, which currently has no cases but remains at risk due to reports in surrounding European countries.
About Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)
- EIA is a contagious disease impacting equine species such as horses, donkeys, and mules. It is caused by a lentivirus belonging to the retrovirus family.
- The disease is of significant concern as it’s reportable (needs to be reported to agricultural or health authorities), potentially eradicable, and has a global presence.
- Transmission of EIA mainly occurs through blood, specifically via blood-sucking insects.
Symptoms and Diagnosis of EIA
- Horses infected with EIA can exhibit a range of symptoms including fevers, lack of energy, weight loss, anemia, swelling (edemas), and small red or purple spots on the skin (petechiae).
- However, some horses do not show any visible signs despite being infected, thus becoming inapparent carriers of the disease — a challenge for disease control.
- For diagnosing EIA, serological tests are used. The Coggins test and the ELISA tests are the most common ones, which detect antibodies in the blood produced in response to the virus.
Situation in Switzerland
- Despite currently being officially free from EIA, Switzerland is continually at risk of the disease due to its presence in various European countries.
- This implies that continuous surveillance, reporting, and preventive measures are necessary to keep the equine population in Switzerland safe from EIA.
Cite This Article
APA
Kaiser A, Meier HP, Straub R, Gerber V.
(2009).
[Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)].
Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd, 151(4), 159-164.
https://doi.org/10.1024/0036-7281.151.4.159 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Pferdeklinik der Universität Bern.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Carrier State / veterinary
- Carrier State / virology
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
- Equine Infectious Anemia / epidemiology
- Equine Infectious Anemia / pathology
- Equine Infectious Anemia / prevention & control
- Equine Infectious Anemia / transmission
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horse Diseases / transmission
- Horses
- Infectious Anemia Virus, Equine / immunology
- Male
- Risk Factors
- Serologic Tests / veterinary
- Switzerland / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Wang X, Wang S, Lin Y, Jiang C, Ma J, Zhao L, Lv X, Wang F, Shen R, Zhou J. Unique evolution characteristics of the envelope protein of EIAV(LN₄₀), a virulent strain of equine infectious anemia virus. Virus Genes 2011 Apr;42(2):220-8.
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