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Viruses2023; 15(6); 1225; doi: 10.3390/v15061225

Investigation of the Frequency of Detection of Common Respiratory Pathogens in Nasal Secretions and Environment of Healthy Sport Horses Attending a Multi-Week Show Event during the Summer Months.

Abstract: Little information is presently available regarding the frequency of the silent shedders of respiratory viruses in healthy sport horses and their impact on environmental contamination. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the detection frequency of selected respiratory pathogens in nasal secretions and environmental stall samples of sport horses attending a multi-week equestrian event during the summer months. Six out of fifteen tents were randomly selected for the study with approximately 20 horse/stall pairs being sampled on a weekly basis. Following weekly collection for a total of 11 weeks, all samples were tested for the presence of common respiratory pathogens (EIV, EHV-1, EHV-4, ERAV, ERBV, and ss ()) using qPCR. A total of 19/682 nasal swabs (2.8%) and 28/1288 environmental stall sponges (2.2%) tested qPCR-positive for common respiratory pathogens. ERBV was the most common respiratory virus (17 nasal swabs, 28 stall sponges) detected, followed by EHV-4 (1 nasal swab) and (1 nasal swab). EIV, EHV-1, EHV-4 and ERAV were not detected in any of the study horses or stalls. Only one horse and one stall tested qPCR-positive for ERBV on two consecutive weeks. All the other qPCR-positive sample results were related to individual time points. Furthermore, only one horse/stall pair tested qPCR-positive for ERBV at a single time point. The study results showed that in a selected population of sport horses attending a multi-week equestrian event in the summer, the frequency of the shedding of respiratory viruses was low and primarily restricted to ERBV with little evidence of active transmission and environmental contamination.
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Publication Date: 2023-05-24 PubMed ID: 37376525PubMed Central: PMC10301589DOI: 10.3390/v15061225Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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 research study investigates the rate of prevalent respiratory viruses found in nasal secretions and environmental conditions of healthy sport horses, focusing on the connection between shedding silent carriers and environmental pollution during a multi-week equestrian event.

Objective and Methodology

  • The researchers wanted to understand more about the frequency of ‘silent shedders’ of respiratory viruses in healthy horses participating in sport events and how this impacts the environment around them.
  • Their samples were taken from horses attending a multi-week equestrian event during the summer months.
  • A total of 15 tents were in use for the event, out of which 6 were selected randomly for the study with an average of 20 horse/stall pairs being sampled per week, with the collection lasting for a total of 11 weeks.
  • They tested the samples with quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) which is a widely used method for the detection of viruses, looking specifically for the presence of common respiratory pathogens (EIV, EHV-1, EHV-4, ERAV, ERBV).

Findings

  • From the 682 nasal swabs and 1288 environmental stall sponges tested, 2.8% of nasal swabs and 2.2% of the environmental stall samples tested positive for the common respiratory pathogens.
  • ERBV was the most commonly detected respiratory virus in both nasal swabs and environmental stall samples.
  • EHV-4 was also detected but only in one nasal swab, and another virus was found in one other nasal swab.
  • The main common respiratory viruses – EIV, EHV-1, EHV-4, and ERAV – were not detected in any of the horses or stalls studied.
  • Only one horse and one stall were found to have ERBV for two consecutive weeks. However, all other qPCR-positive sample results were singular and did not persist over time.
  • Another significant find was that only one horse/stall pair was positive for ERBV at a single time point.

Conclusion

  • The researchers concluded from their study that the frequency of respiratory viruses, specifically silent shedders, amongst healthy sport horses participating in a multi-week equestrian event in summer, was low.
  • Furthermore, the primary virus found was ERBV with little or no active transmission and minimal pollution in the environment.
  • This suggests that healthy sport horses, whilst they might carry and shed a respiratory virus, do not significantly impact their environment with viruses nor easily transmit them.
  • This is significant for managing health in equestrian events and general understanding of transmission and environmental impact of these common respiratory viruses in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Pusterla N, Kalscheur M, Peters D, Bidwell L, Holtz S, Barnum S, Lawton K, Morrissey M, Schumacher S. (2023). Investigation of the Frequency of Detection of Common Respiratory Pathogens in Nasal Secretions and Environment of Healthy Sport Horses Attending a Multi-Week Show Event during the Summer Months. Viruses, 15(6), 1225. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15061225

Publication

Viruses
ISSN: 1999-4915
NlmUniqueID: 101509722
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 6
PII: 1225

Researcher Affiliations

Pusterla, Nicola
  • Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Kalscheur, Madalyn
  • East-West Equine Sports Medicine, Lexington, KY 40583, USA.
Peters, Duncan
  • East-West Equine Sports Medicine, Lexington, KY 40583, USA.
Bidwell, Lori
  • East-West Equine Sports Medicine, Lexington, KY 40583, USA.
Holtz, Sara
  • East-West Equine Sports Medicine, Lexington, KY 40583, USA.
Barnum, Samantha
  • Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Lawton, Kaila
  • Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Morrissey, Matt
  • Morrissey Management Group, LLC, Wellington, FL 33414, USA.
Schumacher, Stephen
  • US Equestrian Federation, Lexington, KY 40511, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Horse Diseases
  • Viruses
  • Herpesvirus 1, Equid
  • Seasons
  • Herpesviridae Infections

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
  1. Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Flynn K, Hankin S, Runk D, Mendonsa E, Doherty T. Management of an Equine Herpesvirus-1 Outbreak During a Multi-Week Equestrian Event. Viruses 2025 Apr 24;17(5).
    doi: 10.3390/v17050608pubmed: 40431620google scholar: lookup
  2. Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Magdesian KG. Comparison of Nose Wipes, Stall Sponges, and Air Samples with Nasal Secretions for the Molecular Detection of Equine Influenza Virus in Clinically and Subclinically Infected Horses. Viruses 2025 Mar 20;17(3).
    doi: 10.3390/v17030449pubmed: 40143375google scholar: lookup
  3. Petano-Duque JM, Urueña-Martinez E, Cabezas-Callejas LL, Perilla-Amaya J, Rueda-García V, Rondón-Barragán IS, Lopera-Vásquez R. Molecular and Serological Investigation of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) and Type 4 (EHV-4) in Horses In Ibagué, Tolima. Vet Med Int 2025;2025:1661949.
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  4. Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S. Investigation of the Use of Environmental Samples for the Detection of EHV-1 in the Stalls of Subclinical Shedders. Viruses 2024 Jul 3;16(7).
    doi: 10.3390/v16071070pubmed: 39066232google scholar: lookup
  5. White N, Pelzel-McCluskey A. Cross-Sectional Survey of Horse Owners to Assess Their Knowledge and Use of Biosecurity Practices for Equine Infectious Diseases in the United States. Animals (Basel) 2023 Nov 17;13(22).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13223550pubmed: 38003167google scholar: lookup
  6. Lawton K, Runk D, Hankin S, Mendonsa E, Hull D, Barnum S, Pusterla N. Detection of Selected Equine Respiratory Pathogens in Stall Samples Collected at a Multi-Week Equestrian Show during the Winter Months. Viruses 2023 Oct 11;15(10).
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