Seroprevalence and risk factors of glanders in working equines – Findings of a cross-sectional study in Punjab province of Pakistan.
Abstract: Glanders is an infectious and contagious bacterial disease of equines. A little is known about its seroprevalence and risk factors in working equines in countries where the disease is endemic. Also, there are no reports on prevalence of the disease in areas where there is a prior evidence of Burkholderia (B.) mallei detection in soil. A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected districts (n=09) of Punjab province of Pakistan during 2014-2015. A total of 1008 serum samples were screened for detection of antibodies to B. mallei with complement fixation test followed by western blot. The overall seroprevalence was found to be 3.17% (95% CI: 2.25-4.44). The seropositivity was significantly higher from the sampling sites where B. mallei was detected in soil [OR: 10.66 (95% CI: 4.42-31.66), p=0.00]. Other risk factors significantly associated with animal seropositivity were: age group [OR: 1.78 (95% CI: 4.58-15.56), p=0.00], location in urban area [OR: 2.99 (95% CI: 1.46-6.51), p=0.00],body condition [OR: 3.47 (95% CI: 1.64-7.99), p=0.00], presence of farcy lesion[OR: 7.71 (95% CI: 3.47-19.50), p=0.00], proximity to water bodies [OR: 7.71 (95% CI: 3.47-19.50), p=0.00]; domestic animal population [OR: 3.20 (95% CI: 1.24-10.87), p=0.03] and number of households in sampling area [OR: 4.18 (95%CI: 1.82-11.30), p=0.00]. The study provides an estimate of prevalence of glanders and a potential link between animal seropositivity and presence of B. mallei in soil. The risk factors identified in this study can be used in surveillance and disease awareness. The high prevalence of disease in draught horses and contact of infected animals with their care-takers in developing countries signify need to initiate progressive control of the disease using one health approach.
Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2017-07-29 PubMed ID: 28760480DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.07.031Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research study analyses the prevalence and risk factors of Glanders, an infectious disease in working equines, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The study notes that the disease is strongly linked to the presence of B. mallei bacteria in the environment and certain demographic and environmental factors significant increase equines’ risk of contracting the disease.
Objective and Methodology
- This cross-sectional study was conducted in nine districts of the Punjab province of Pakistan over the period of 2014-2015. The research was aimed at understanding the prevalence of Glanders, a bacterial disease in working equines in areas where Burkholderia mallei bacteria have been detected in the soil.
- The presence of antibodies against B. mallei in the animals was tested using serum samples of the equine population. 1008 serum samples were tested using a complement fixation test followed by a western blot.
Findings
- The overall prevalence of Glanders was found to be 3.17%, indicating a relatively low overall incidence of the disease among the equine population.
- The prevalence of the disease was significantly higher in areas where B. mallei was detected in the soil, implying a strong correlation between environmental contamination and the incidence of Glanders.
- Several other risk factors associated with animal seropositivity were identified, these being age group, location in the urban area, body condition, presence of the farcy lesion, proximity to water bodies, domestic animal population, and the number of households in the sampling area.
Implications and Future Recommendations
- The study assists in providing an approximation of Glanders prevalence and establishes a possible connection between the bacterial presence in the soil and the disease in equines.
- The risk factors identified can guide surveillance initiatives and increase disease awareness.
- The study stresses on the need for progressive disease control using a one health approach, primarily because of the high prevalence in draught horses and the potential risk to caretakers through contact with infected animals. This is particularly pertinent in developing countries.
Cite This Article
APA
Ghori MT, Khan MS, Khan JA, Rabbani M, Shabbir MZ, Chaudhry HR, Ali MA, Muhammad J, Elschner MC, Jayarao BM.
(2017).
Seroprevalence and risk factors of glanders in working equines – Findings of a cross-sectional study in Punjab province of Pakistan.
Acta Trop, 176, 134-139.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.07.031 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan. Electronic address: tasleemghauri@yahoo.com.
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, P.O. Box 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Naumburger Str. 96a 07743, Jena, Germany.
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 16802 PA, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Blotting, Western
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Glanders / epidemiology
- Horses
- Pakistan / epidemiology
- Prevalence
- Risk Factors
- Seroepidemiologic Studies
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Tsogtbayar O, Munkhbayarlakh B, Dorjsurenkhor N, Gray GC. MAJOR LIVESTOCK-ASSOCIATED ZOONOSES IN MONGOLIA: AN OVERVIEW. Zoonoses 2025;5(1).
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- Wagner GE, Berner A, Lipp M, Kohler C, Assig K, Lichtenegger S, Saqib M, Müller E, Trinh TT, Gad AM, Söffing HH, Ehricht R, Laroucau K, Steinmetz I. Protein Microarray-Guided Development of a Highly Sensitive and Specific Dipstick Assay for Glanders Serodiagnostics. J Clin Microbiol 2023 Jan 26;61(1):e0123422.
- Brangsch H, Saqib M, Sial AUR, Melzer F, Linde J, Elschner MC. Sequencing-Based Genotyping of Pakistani Burkholderia mallei Strains: A Useful Way for Investigating Glanders Outbreaks. Pathogens 2022 May 24;11(6).
- Khan RZU, Rosanowski SM, Saleem W, Parkes RSV. Cross-Sectional Questionnaire of Donkey Owners and Farriers Regarding Farriery Practices in the Faisalabad Region of Pakistan. Animals (Basel) 2022 Mar 11;12(6).
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- Erdemsurakh O, Ochirbat K, Gombosuren U, Tserendorj B, Purevdorj B, Vanaabaatar B, Aoshima K, Kobayashi A, Kimura T. Seroprevalence of equine glanders in horses in the central and eastern parts of Mongolia. J Vet Med Sci 2020 Sep 24;82(9):1247-1252.
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