Equine Rhinitis A Virus Infection at a Standardbred Training Facility: Incidence, Clinical Signs, and Risk Factors for Clinical Disease.
Abstract: Respiratory disease is a common morbidity of young racehorses. Infections can lead to compromised welfare, and economic loss. Identification of risk factors for infection through clinical signs monitoring and collection of demographic, serologic, and contact network data can aid in the development of prevention and control strategies. The study objectives were to: (1) describe the transmission and clinical course of infectious respiratory disease in standardbred racehorses in a multi-barn training facility and, (2) identify demographic, serological, and contact network risk factors associated with Equine Rhinitis A virus (ERAV) respiratory disease. The study population included standardbred racehorses (age 1-5 years: = 96) housed at a multi-barn training facility in southern Ontario. Clinical signs were monitored daily over a 41-day period in fall 2017. Descriptive statistics, including incidence rate, prevalence and incidence risk were calculated for the observed period. Associations between demographic, serologic, and contact pattern variables, and clinical disease status were investigated using multivariable logistic regression. Respiratory disease cases were characterized by mucopurulent discharge (100%), intermittent cough (37.7%), and ocular discharge (62.3%). Fever (>38.5°C) and inappetence were rarely reported (15.2 and 3.8%). Seroconversion to ERAV among cases was 75%. Total, and yearling-specific incidence risks were 52.5 and 87.9%. The cumulative incidence was 0.027 new cases/horse day. A negative association (OR = 0.011) between increasing age and respiratory disease was significant ( = < 0.001) in the final regression model. Yearling horses were at increased risk of infectious respiratory disease as demonstrated by the high yearling-specific incidence risk, and the negative association between age and infection. Disease control strategies, such as vaccination programs and isolation of new horses arriving from auction, should be targeted at young animals entering training facilities.
Publication Date: 2019-03-13 PubMed ID: 30918893PubMed Central: PMC6424864DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00071Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Clinical Signs
- Clinical Study
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Equine Rhinitis Virus
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Respiratory Disease
- Risk Factors
- Standardbred Horses
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Young Horses
Summary
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This research presents a study focusing on respiratory disease, specifically Equine Rhinitis A virus (ERAV), in young standardbred racehorses at a training facility in Ontario. It not only describes the transmission and symptoms of this disease but also identifies the risk factors, making way for the proposed prevention and control strategies primarily targeting young horses.
Research Objectives and Methodology
- The researchers aimed to understand the transmission and clinical course of the respiratory disease in standardbred racehorses. Concurrently, they sought to identify demographic, serological, and contact network risk factors that increase the likelihood of ERAV respiratory disease.
- The study population was racehorses (age 1-5 years) located at a multi-barn training facility in southern Ontario. The clinical signs were observed daily over 41 days in Fall 2017.
- Used descriptive statistics, findings such as incidence rate, prevalence and incidence risk were calculated for the observed period.
- Different variables like demographic, serologic, and contact pattern variables were studied using multivariable logistic regression to establish any associations with the clinical disease status.
Findings and Key Results
- The observed symptoms of the respiratory disease cases included mucopurulent discharge (100%), intermittent cough (37.7%), and ocular discharge (62.3%). Fever and inappetence, however, were infrequent occurrences.
- 75% of the cases showed seroconversion to ERAV.
- Total, and yearling-specific incidence risks were discovered to be 52.5% and 87.9% respectively, with a cumulative incidence of 0.027 new cases/horse day.
- The study highlighted a significant negative correlation between increasing age and the likelihood of respiratory disease with yearling horses being at an increased risk.
Implications and Recommendations
- This research has essential implications for racehorse training facilities as respiratory diseases can impede welfare and lead to economic losses.
- It pinpoints that young or yearling horses are more susceptible to ERAV, which can help implement preventative measures more effectively.
- Thus, based on the findings, the researchers recommend targeting disease control strategies like vaccination programs and isolating new horses from auctions at young animals entering training facilities.
Cite This Article
APA
Rossi TM, Moore A, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL.
(2019).
Equine Rhinitis A Virus Infection at a Standardbred Training Facility: Incidence, Clinical Signs, and Risk Factors for Clinical Disease.
Front Vet Sci, 6, 71.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00071 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, Guelph, ON, Canada.
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Rossi TM, Milwid RM, Moore A, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL. Descriptive network analysis of a Standardbred horse training facility contact network: Implications for disease transmission.. Can Vet J 2020 Aug;61(8):853-859.
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