EQUINE | Equine Disease Quarterly
Equine infectious anemia was confirmed by Canada
(five cases, of which one was clinically affected), Chile
(one case), France (one clinical case), the USA (19 cases,
the majority representing isolated cases), and Uruguay
(18 cases on a premises; all were euthanized).
Equine piroplasmosis was reported as endemic in the
RSA, the disease being recorded in every province.
Germany reported outbreaks of contagious equine
metritis on several premises involving a total of 22
horses (19 stallions and three mares). Single cases of
leptospirosis were recorded by France and the USA,
both involving infection of the placenta.
There were two reports of equine coital exanthema, one
from France (single case) and the other from the USA
(two cases).
Salmonellosis was recorded by the USA. Thirty cases
were associated with infection with Salmonella Group B
and two with Salmonella Group C2.
France, Germany, and the USA reported outbreaks of
rotaviral enteritis in foals. Number of cases ranged from
two in Germany, 24 in France, and 65 in five states in the
USA, of which 59 were of the G14P genotype and six of
the G3P genotype. The greatest number of cases were
recorded in June.
Clostridial enterocolitis due to Clostridium perfringens
was recorded in the USA (27 cases). An additional 15
cases of C. difficile infection were also diagnosed.
Vesicular stomatitis was confirmed in the USA late in the
second quarter of 2019. Three outbreaks caused by the
Indiana serotype were identified, two in Texas and one
in New Mexico.
were reported by the USA, the majority in Florida. The
RSA and the USA reported cases of West Nile Virus
infection, one in the RSA and two in the USA.
Equine encephalosis was reported in six of the nine
provinces in the RSA.
A case of Hendra virus infection was confirmed in New
South Wales, Australia.
Three cases of Tyzzer’s disease in foals were recorded
by the USA. The USA also reported two cases of equine
coronavirus infection that were diagnosed at necropsy.
Germany confirmed single cases of equine ehrlichiosis
on two premises.
Preservation of Rare Horse Breeds
Genetic erosion is a topic of international debate
found in all sectors of the livestock industry. Selective
breeding in food and fiber species is done for specific
effect that has an economic value. Alternatively, the
same actions are taken in the companion animal
industry for less quantifiable, but equally significant
reasons. The diversity of the horse industry is testament
to our unique position straddling these two worlds,
where competitive advantage may be as important as
color, size, or temperament. While the national horse
population is trending down, the abundance of options
available to horse buyers have left some segments
teetering on the edge of catastrophic loss.
In 2017, The Livestock Conservancy (TLC) identified an
interest in discussing the unique needs of “endangered”
breeds, or registries with fewer than 2,000 registrations
per year. With a grant from the USA Equestrian Trust,
and collaboration between Texas A&M University and
Virginia Tech, the TLC brought together representatives
A total of 13 cases of Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis
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• Equine Health Update •