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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Exposure to Equine Coron...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(3); 894; doi: 10.3390/ani11030894

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Exposure to Equine Coronavirus in Apparently Healthy Horses in Israel.

Abstract: Equine coronavirus (ECoV) infection is the cause of an emerging enteric disease of adult horses. Outbreaks have been reported in the USA, EU and Japan, as well as sporadic cases in the UK and Saudi Arabia. Infection of ECoV in horses in Israel has never been reported, and the risk of exposure is unknown. Importation and exportation of horses from and into Israel may have increased the exposure of horses in Israel to ECoV. While the disease is mostly self-limiting, with or without supportive treatment, severe complications may occur in some animals, and healthy carriers may pose a risk of infection to other horses. This study was set to evaluate the risk of exposure to ECoV of horses in Israel by using a previously validated, S1-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 41 out of 333 horses (12.3%) were seropositive. Exposure to ECoV was detected in 17 of 29 farms (58.6%) and the seroprevalence varied between 0 and 37.5% amongst farms. The only factor found to be significantly associated with ECoV exposure in the multivariable model was the geographical area ( < 0.001). ECoV should be included in the differential diagnosis list of pathogens in cases of adult horses with anorexia, lethargy, fever and gastrointestinal signs in Israel.
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Publication Date: 2021-03-21 PubMed ID: 33800990PubMed Central: PMC8004030DOI: 10.3390/ani11030894Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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.

This research serves to examine the risk exposure of horses in Israel to Equine Coronavirus (ECoV), a disease more prevalent in adult horses which was previously unreported in Israel. The study utilized a reliable method (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) to identify infected horses, with the results showing a 12.3% occurence in the sample size.

Introduction

  • The study analyzes the incidence and potential risk factors for Equine Coronavirus (ECoV) in horses in Israel. ECoV, an enteric disease prevalent in adult horses, has caused outbreaks in various locations globally yet no known cases were documented in Israel.
  • As Israel involvement in horse importation and exportation has increased, researchers hypothesized an augmented risk of ECoV exposure amongst horses in the country.

Methods

  • The researchers utilized a verified diagnostic method called S1-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which helps identify the presence of antibodies against ECoV in horse blood samples.
  • The study sample comprised 333 horses from 29 different farms. The analysis assessed the geographic area as a potential influencing factor on ECoV exposure.

Findings

  • Out of the total horses sampled, 41 horses (12.3%) tested positive for ECoV antibodies.
  • The disease exposure rate varied vastly amongst farms, ranging from 0 to 37.5%.
  • 17 out of the 29 farms (58.6%) reported cases of ECoV.
  • The multivariable model of analysis identified the geographical area as the only significant factor associated with ECoV exposure, which stands less than 0.001, an exceedingly low level often associated with high statistical significance.

Implications

  • The research concludes that ECoV should be considered in the differential diagnosis list for adult horses in Israel, showing symptoms such as anorexia, lethargy, fever, and digestive issues.
  • Although the disease is often self-limiting and may not necessitate treatment, severe complications can occur, and uninfected horses may be at risk due to the presence of healthy carriers in their vicinity.

Cite This Article

APA
Schvartz G, Tirosh-Levy S, Barnum S, David D, Sol A, Pusterla N, Steinman A. (2021). Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Exposure to Equine Coronavirus in Apparently Healthy Horses in Israel. Animals (Basel), 11(3), 894. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030894

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 3
PII: 894

Researcher Affiliations

Schvartz, Gili
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
  • Division of Virology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit Dagan 50250, Israel.
Tirosh-Levy, Sharon
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
Barnum, Samantha
  • Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
David, Dan
  • Division of Virology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit Dagan 50250, Israel.
Sol, Asaf
  • Division of Virology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit Dagan 50250, Israel.
Pusterla, Nicola
  • Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Steinman, Amir
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.

Grant Funding

  • 2018-70-KG / School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
  • 2018-70-KG / The Center for Companion Animal Health (CCAH), UC Davis & The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine (KSVM)

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
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  3. Shehata AA, Attia YA, Rahman MT, Basiouni S, El-Seedi HR, Azhar EI, Khafaga AF, Hafez HM. Diversity of Coronaviruses with Particular Attention to the Interspecies Transmission of SARS-CoV-2.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Feb 4;12(3).
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