Prevalence of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi in horses and associated risk factors in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

The research article explores the prevalence of equine strangles, a disease in horses caused by Streptococcus equi, and related risk factors in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Study Methodology

• The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study on nasal swabs taken from horses that did not exhibit symptoms of strangles such as nasal discharge, lymphadenopathy and cough.
• The study involved 1010 nasal swabs from horses located in 341 farms.
• The nasal swabs were tested for presence of Streptococcus equi using a combination of methods, including isolation, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing.

Findings

• The study identified 24 horses that were positive for Streptococcus equi, indicating a prevalence rate of 2.3% for individual animals and 5.86% for herds.
• The research also identified several risk factors associated with the disease:
• Attendance at group events was associated with a higher likelihood of contracting the disease with a Prevalence Ratio (PR) of 1.06. This suggests that interaction with other horses may increase the risk of transmission.
• The sharing of food containers was found to drastically increase the risk, with a PR of 3.74, likely due to the potential for bacteria transfer during feeding.
• Farms with at least one previous positive diagnosis of equine strangles were associated with a significantly elevated risk level, with a PR of 3.20.

Implications

• The findings of this study are crucial to the horse industry as they provide an understanding of how prevalent equine strangles is in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
• The identification of the associated risk factors may inform future prevention and control strategies for the disease in the horse industry.