Canadian Thoroughbred website published a comprehensive report on equine infectious diseases throughout the world. Most of the information applies to Europe and North America, though several cases from Africa and South America are also mentioned. The report is meant to summarise the increased prevalence of a number of contagious or environment-linked diseases among equids.
Journalists compiled the data provided by diagnostic laboratories in Lexington, Kentucky, including the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Equine Diagnostic Solutions, Inc. (EDS), and quarterly PCR respiratory panel results from IDEXX laboratories in Germany. In addition, the report includes information from several esteemed organisations such as the International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation, the International Collating Centre (ICC) in Newmarket/Cambridge, United Kingdom, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners' Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC).
According to the report, several states and provinces in North America have registered isolated cases of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), except Texas, which reported eight cases. Luckily, only one case of this disease was documented in Europe. In both North America and Europe, there has been a consistent reporting of cases of Strep. equi spp. equi, the highly contagious respiratory infection commonly known as Strangles.
During the third quarter, there was a notable surge in West Nile virus (WNV) infections in California and the U.S. Rocky Mountain states. However, the situation has since stabilized, with new cases sporadically reported across the U.S. and the eastern provinces of Canada. Similar trends can be observed for Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) infections, due to a decrease in mosquito activity during autumn and winter. The Mediterranean Basin has also reported cases of WNV, with 28 cases from southern Europe and two from northern Africa. Additionally, two regions in Europe have emerged as endemic for WNV: the Berlin region in Germany and Vienna in Austria, collectively reporting nearly 10 cases of WNV infections in horses. It is worth noting the gradual spread of WNV cases into neighbouring regions. Furthermore, there have been reports of two cases of Western equine encephalitis (WEE) virus from the Uruguay river region which serves as a border between Uruguay and Argentina.
Incidental cases and outbreaks of Equine Influenza have been reported in Ontario, Tennessee and the Pacific Northwest, with a few additional reports from Northern Europe. Vesicular Stomatitis virus (VSV) infections in horses remain active in California.
As broodmares bred in the Northern Hemisphere enter their third trimesters of pregnancy, the season for EHV-1 (EHV-4) abortions has commenced, resulting in reports of incidental abortions. Cases of EHV-1 neurological disease (EHM) have also been reported in North America and Europe.
Continental Europe has witnessed outbreaks of Atypical Myopathy (AM), a severe and life-threatening form of type-1 (oxidative) muscle myopathy triggered by the ingestion of Sycamore seeds and seedlings. These outbreaks follow a seasonal pattern, typically occurring during winter and spring, and have been reported in several countries.
Kentucky laboratories and the laboratory in Germany have reported a high incidence of Strep. equi spp equi and EHV-1 positive samples. EDS in Kentucky has identified a small number of Equine Influenza positive samples originating from the Eastern United States.
The authors of the report urge their readers to report laboratory-confirmed cases of infectious diseases affecting horses, donkeys, ponies and other equids to the ICC or EDCC.