The incidence and risk factors for shipping fever in horses transported by air to Hong Kong: Results from a 2-year prospective study.

This research article carried out a 2-year study to understand the incidence and risk factors causing shipping fever in horses transported by air to Hong Kong. It found that factors like the country of origin and the time of arrival contributed to the likelihood of shipping fever in horses.

Methodology

• The study was a prospective one conducted over two years between February 2011 and January 2013.
• An exhaustive questionnaire was used to gather data from the flying grooms that accompanied the horses in the shipment. The questionnaire was intended to collect details about the journey to Hong Kong and about the horses in each shipment.
• Upon arrival, the horses were kept under quarantine for monitoring for two weeks. During this period, the study recorded the clinical signs of Shipping Fever (SF) among the horses.

Data Analysis

• Poisson and logistic regression models were employed for identifying risk factors for SF at two levels, horse and shipment.
• The data analysed in this study was taken from 869 horses transported on 81 flights originating from different countries which included Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Results

• The research discovered an incidence risk of Shipping Fever (SF) to be 10.8 per 100 horses. Also, in 60% of the shipments, or 49 out of 81 flights, at least one horse developed SF.
• Regarding the country of origin, the study found that the rate per shipment of SF in shipments of horses from New Zealand, USA, and the UK was considerably higher than that of Australia.
• Time of arrival also played a crucial role. Shipments that landed in Hong Kong during March and May were significantly more likely to contain horses that developed SF compared to those shipments which arrived in January.

Significance

• Identifying these risk factors aids in recognising shipments that are potentially at high risk.
• Such recognition may assist in focusing on devising preventative strategies to reduce the incidence of shipping fever in horses transported by air to Hong Kong.