The increasing significance of international trade in equids and its influence on the spread of infectious diseases.
Abstract: Expansion in international trade in equids and equine semen has been especially notable over the past 10-15 years among those countries historically identified as having significant breeding and performance horse industries. The continuing trend towards globalization of the horse industry received additional impetus in January, 1995, following establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose primary goal is to promote freer economic exchange between member countries through the reduction or elimination of protectionist barriers to trade. Continued growth in international trade, closely related to changing trends in the horse industry, has greatly increased the risk of spread of a wide range of equine infectious diseases between countries. In consequence, the global distribution of certain of these diseases is likely to change in the future. Within the past 30-40 years, there have been numerous confirmed instances of the spread of specific diseases through the international movement of equids or shipment of semen, some of which have resulted in epidemics of major economic importance. Under the Sanitary-Phytosanitary Agreement of the WTO, national agencies have had to rethink their traditional "zero-risk" approach in regulating the importation of equids or equine semen from other countries. Mindful of the risks of disease spread inherent in such transactions, authorities must now accept that primary emphasis in today's global economic climate must be on greater facilitation of trade, rather than attempting to provide absolute disease preventive safeguards.
Publication Date: 2001-02-24 PubMed ID: 11193671DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb05274.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The increase in international equine trade over the past 10-15 years has escalated the risk of spreading equine infectious diseases across countries. This puts existing national “zero-risk” regulations for importing equids and equine semen under pressure, necessitating a shift towards facilitating trade instead of only focusing on preventing disease spread.
Increasing International Equine Trade
- The last decade and a half has seen a major expansion in the international trade of equids (horses, donkeys, zebras) and equine semen, particularly among countries with established horse breeding and performance industries.
- This expansion is partially attributable to the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 that promotes improved economic exchange between member nations, by either reducing or completely removing trade protectionist barriers.
Impact on Disease Spread
- Increased international trade brings with it an elevated risk of spreading equine infectious diseases across countries.
- Some of these diseases have the potential to significantly alter the global pattern of equine disease occurrence.
- Several instances, in the last 30-40 years, have confirmed the spread of specific diseases through equids or the shipment of semen between countries. Some of these have resulted in economically devastating epidemics.
Regulatory Challenges
- The escalated risk of disease spread challenges the traditional “zero-risk” approach implemented by national regulatory bodies while importing equines or their semen.
- Under the WTO’s Sanitary-Phytosanitary Agreement, there is an emphasis to reconsider these rigid measures.
- Today’s global economic climate demands a shift in emphasis towards facilitating trade rather than attempting to ensure an absolute safeguard against disease spread.
Cite This Article
APA
Timoney PJ.
(2001).
The increasing significance of international trade in equids and its influence on the spread of infectious diseases.
Ann N Y Acad Sci, 916, 55-60.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb05274.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, USA. ptimoney@ca.uky.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry
- Animals
- Breeding
- Climate
- Commerce
- Equidae
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / transmission
- Horses
- Infections / epidemiology
- Infections / transmission
- Infections / veterinary
- International Cooperation
- Male
- Risk Factors
- Semen
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Wolframm I. Let Them Be the Judge of That: Bias Cascade in Elite Dressage Judging. Animals (Basel) 2023 Sep 3;13(17).
- Mshelia PW, Kappmeyer L, Johnson WC, Kudi CA, Oluyinka OO, Balogun EO, Richard EE, Onoja E, Sears KP, Ueti MW. Molecular detection of Theileria species and Babesia caballi from horses in Nigeria. Parasitol Res 2020 Sep;119(9):2955-2963.
- Carossino M, Dini P, Kalbfleisch TS, Loynachan AT, Canisso IF, Cook RF, Timoney PJ, Balasuriya UBR. Equine arteritis virus long-term persistence is orchestrated by CD8+ T lymphocyte transcription factors, inhibitory receptors, and the CXCL16/CXCR6 axis. PLoS Pathog 2019 Jul;15(7):e1007950.
- Carossino M, Dini P, Kalbfleisch TS, Loynachan AT, Canisso IF, Shuck KM, Timoney PJ, Cook RF, Balasuriya UBR. Downregulation of MicroRNA eca-mir-128 in Seminal Exosomes and Enhanced Expression of CXCL16 in the Stallion Reproductive Tract Are Associated with Long-Term Persistence of Equine Arteritis Virus. J Virol 2018 May 1;92(9).
- Carossino M, Loynachan AT, Canisso IF, Cook RF, Campos JR, Nam B, Go YY, Squires EL, Troedsson MHT, Swerczek T, Del Piero F, Bailey E, Timoney PJ, Balasuriya UBR. Equine Arteritis Virus Has Specific Tropism for Stromal Cells and CD8(+) T and CD21(+) B Lymphocytes but Not for Glandular Epithelium at the Primary Site of Persistent Infection in the Stallion Reproductive Tract. J Virol 2017 Jul 1;91(13).
- Go YY, Bailey E, Timoney PJ, Shuck KM, Balasuriya UB. Evidence that in vitro susceptibility of CD3+ T lymphocytes to equine arteritis virus infection reflects genetic predisposition of naturally infected stallions to become carriers of the virus. J Virol 2012 Nov;86(22):12407-10.
- Miszczak F, Shuck KM, Lu Z, Go YY, Zhang J, Sells S, Vabret A, Pronost S, Fortier G, Timoney PJ, Balasuriya UB. Evaluation of two magnetic-bead-based viral nucleic acid purification kits and three real-time reverse transcription-PCR reagent systems in two TaqMan assays for equine arteritis virus detection in semen. J Clin Microbiol 2011 Oct;49(10):3694-6.
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