Investigation of the role of exercise in the detection of selected respiratory pathogens from nose wipes collected from healthy horses.

The research provides evidence that exercise can increase the detection frequency of certain respiratory pathogens in healthy horses. The findings also suggest nose wipes may be an effective alternative to nasal swabs for detecting such pathogens in horses post-exercise.

Research Objective and Methodology

• This research aimed to explore whether physical exercise in horses would result in a higher frequency of shedding, or releasing, of certain respiratory pathogens.
• The samples were gathered from nose wipes taken before and after exercise from 133 healthy horses of various ages and disciplines.
• These wipes were then studied for the presence of several common and commensal (organisms that live on the host without harm or benefit) respiratory pathogens like different strains of equine herpesvirus (EHV) and Streptococcus equi.

Findings and Implications

• The researchers found a significant increase in the detection of several selected pathogens, specifically EHV-1, EHV-2, EHV-5, and S. zooepidemicus, in the post-exercise wipes as compared to the pre-exercise wipes.
• EHV-4 and S. equi were detected in only a small number of horses after exercise.
• However, even though exercise increased the detection rate, the actual quantity of pathogens present was significantly lower after exercise (except for EHV-1).
• These findings suggest that physical exertion may enhance the shedding of certain respiratory pathogens, thus increasing their likelihood of detection through nose wipes.
• Therefore, by using post-exercise nose wipes, the shedding status of these pathogens can be assessed in healthy, non-clinical horses. This method could potentially serve as a non-invasive alternative to nasal swabs.