Prevalence of equine proliferative enteropathy in Hidaka district, Hokkaido, over five seasons.

This research looks into the prevalence of Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), a horse infection causing severe weight loss, in the Thoroughbred breeding area of Hidaka district, Hokkaido, Japan. The researchers found that over a five-year period, 76.2% of symptomatic horses were confirmed with EPE, while asymptomatic infection was observed in 62.9% of horses kept with affected ones.

Overview of Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE)

• EPE is an infectious disease affecting horses, particularly causing significant weight loss and hyperplasia (increase in the amount of a biological tissue that results from cell proliferation) of the intestinal mucosa.
• The disease is mainly caused by Lawsonia intracellularis, a bacterial infection.

Study Setting and Methods

• The study was conducted in the Hidaka district, Hokkaido, Japan – a prominent Thoroughbred horse breeding area.
• The researchers examined 252 horses displaying symptoms of EPE and confirmed cases of EPE through etiological (cause of diseases and their mode of operation) and/or serological (dealing with serum, particularly with respect to its reaction to immune responses) investigations.
• The investigation spanned five years, from April 2015 to March 2020.

Findings of the Study

• The study observed 192 confirmed EPE cases, which is 76.2% of the horses tested. This significant figure included eight fatal cases.
• Most of the EPE cases were seen in foals (young horses), making up 88.5% of the cases. Followed by yearlings (horses of about one to two years old) and adults, constituting 7.3% and 4.2% respectively.
• The study found an asymptomatic infection rate of 62.9%. These are horses which were infected but did not show signs of the disease. This was common among horses kept with those affected by EPE.

Conclusion

• The high prevalence rate suggests that EPE is an enzootic disease in the Hidaka district. An enzootic disease is one that is constantly present in an animal population, but usually only affects a small number of animals at any one time.