Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Seroepidemiological survey of Rhodococcus equi infection in asymptomatic horses and donkeys from southeast Turkey.
Abstract: In order to assess the level of Rhodococcus equi infection in southeast Turkey, 679 sera from healthy foals and adult horses and 78 sera from donkeys were tested by indirect ELISA using a R. equi reference strain (ATCC 33701) as antigen. Eighty (11.7%) sera from horses and 9 (11.5%) sera from donkeys with titres >0.85 were positive. The prevalence of seropositive horses in Sanliurfa Province was higher than in Diyarbakir Province; 56 (13.9%) horses in Sanliurfa Province and 24 (8.7%) horses in Diyarbakir Province were defined as seropositive. In Sanliurfa Province 14.5% of female (n=343) and 10.1% of male (n = 59) horses tested were defined as seropositive, while in Diyarbakir Province more males (11.4%, n=114) were seropositive than females (6.7%, n=163). Horses 1 to 5 years of age were found to have the highest seropositivity rate in both provinces. A total of 78 sera from donkeys were investigated in Sanliurfa Province, of which 9 (11.5%) were positive by ELISA. Among the 9 positive sera, 6 (12.8%) were from donkeys 1-5 years old and 3 (13.6%) were from donkeys >5 years of age. No positive sera were found in donkeys less than 1 year old. Five (12.5%) sera of females and 4 (10.5%) sera of males tested were positive. These results indicate the existence of R. equi in the horse populations in Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir Provinces. Similar infection rates were found for donkeys in Sanliurfa. This suggests the importance of serological surveys to diagnose R. equi infection in the region and to prevent the zoonotic risk.
Publication Date: 2012-05-24 PubMed ID: 22616436DOI: 10.4102/jsava.v82i4.78Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- 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 study investigates the prevalence of Rhodococcus equi infection in healthy horses and donkeys in southeast Turkey. The researchers found that both horses and donkeys had similar rates of seropositivity, indicating the presence of the bacteria, emphasising the need for regular testing to mitigate the zoonotic risk.
Methodology
- The researchers collected 757 serum samples from healthy adult horses, foals and donkeys in southeast Turkey.
- They conducted an indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) on the collected samples, using a reference strain of R. equi as an antigen to identify any potential infection.
- The interpretation of positive cases was based on the detection of serum titres (concentration of specific antibodies) above 0.85.
Results
- Horse Infections: Of the 679 sera from horses, 80 (or approximately 11.7%) were positive for R. equi antibodies.
- Donkey Infections: From the 78 donkey sera, 9 (or around 11.5%) were found to be positive.
- The study found a higher seropositivity rate among horses in Sanliurfa Province compared to Diyarbakir Province.
- The highest rate of seropositivity was detected among horses aged between 1 and 5 years in both provinces. The infection was found more in female horses in Sanliurfa Province, whereas in Diyarbakir Province, more males were affected.
Conclusions and Implications
- The study concluded that there is a significant existence of R. equi infection in the horse population of Southeast Turkey, with similar rates observed among donkeys in Sanliurfa Province.
- These findings highlight the importance of regular serological surveys to identify and control R. equi infection in these animal populations.
- The high rate of infection suggests a potential zoonotic risk, which refers to diseases that can transmit from animals to humans. Therefore, the study underscores the need for preventive measures to protect public and animal health.
Cite This Article
APA
Tel OY, Arserim NB, Keskin O.
(2012).
Seroepidemiological survey of Rhodococcus equi infection in asymptomatic horses and donkeys from southeast Turkey.
J S Afr Vet Assoc, 82(4), 224-226.
https://doi.org/10.4102/jsava.v82i4.78 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey. oyasar@gmail.com
MeSH Terms
- Actinomycetales Infections / epidemiology
- Actinomycetales Infections / veterinary
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
- Equidae / blood
- Equidae / microbiology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Male
- Rhodococcus equi / immunology
- Seroepidemiologic Studies
- Turkey / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Nielsen SS, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Canali E, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Gonzales Rojas JL, Gortázar C, Herskin M, Michel V, Miranda Chueca MÁ, Padalino B, Pasquali P, Roberts HC, Spoolder H, Ståhl K, Velarde A, Viltrop A, Winckler C, Baldinelli F, Broglia A, Kohnle L, Alvarez J. Assessment of listing and categorisation of animal diseases within the framework of the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) No 2016/429): antimicrobial-resistant Rhodococcus equi in horses. EFSA J 2022 Feb;20(2):e07081.
- Tirosh-Levy S, Gürbilek SE, Tel OY, Keskin O, Steinman A. Seroprevalence of Rhodococcus equi in horses in Israel. J S Afr Vet Assoc 2017 Jun 26;88(0):e1-e6.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
