equine causes & transmission

Question 1

• Stressful situations
• Sudden changes in feed.
• Antibiotic use.
• Illness.
• Surgery
• Immunosuppression.
• Nosocomial origin.

Answer 1

Salmonellosis

Question 2

spread by
• Direct contact between horses (horse shows, high population, etc)
• Air borne particles (aerosols).

Answer 2

Equine influenza

Question 3

• Carried by biting insects such as mosquitos.
• Birds are the natural hosts of the virus.
• Horse and people are “dead-end” hosts.
- Causes severe disease and death in horses and people.
- Not transmissible horse to horse, or people to people, or horse to people.
○ Has to go through bird

Answer 3

Equine Encephalomyelitis or Sleeping Sickness

Question 4

3 strains cause

Answer 4

• Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE)
• Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE)
• Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis (VEE)

Question 5

EEE and WEE are in the U.S., but not ___ due to vaccination (vaccines have all 3)

Answer 5

VEE

Question 6

• Horses may have Salmonella spp. As normal gut flora.
• Can be very contagious to other horses.
• Can be zoonotic!
• Easily spread by fomites.

Answer 6

Salmonellosis

Question 7

Four strains cause disease in horses, two are important and contained in the vaccine:
• EHV-1 : Causes abortion storms in mares and neurologic disease.
• EHV-4: Causes respiratory disease in young horses and rarely abortion.

Answer 7

Rhinopneumonitis or Equine Herpes Virus (EHV)

Question 8

• Foreign disease before 1999.
• Prevalent throughout the U.S.
• Caused by a virus that infects some birds and mosquitos and Culicoides flies.
• Crows, Jays, Humans and Horses are dead end hosts.

Answer 8

West Nile Virus

Question 9

The virus is found in:
• Blood
• Semen
• Tissues

Answer 9

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA):

Question 10

transmission
• Arthropods – usually biting flies.
• Blood transfusions.
• Dirty needles.

Answer 10

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA):

Question 11

Caused by Neorickettsia resticii thought to be transmitted by aquatic insects

Answer 11

Potomac Horse Fever

Question 12

Predominantly in NE states, but outbreaks have been seen througout the U.S. Peak time is June to August (insect travel)

Answer 12

Potomac Horse Fever

Question 13

Caused by “Clostridium tetani” bacteria - normal equine gut flora

Answer 13

Equine Tetanus

Question 14

horses are very susceptible

Answer 14

tetanus - always running into things

Question 15

Caused by the bacteria Streptococcus equi
• Common in young horses.
• Transmission is through direct contact with infected secretions.
• Easily transmitted via fomites.
• Strep. Zooepidemicus causes similar signs but is NOT contagious.

Answer 15

Strangles or Equine Distemper