Equine Disease Quarterly | EQUINE
arteritis virus infection. Two outbreaks were confirmed
by France, represented by single cases of abortion and
two cases of equine viral arteritis in one of the outbreaks.
Poland recorded one outbreak involving three cases of
equine viral arteritis. The UK confirmed infection in a
subclinical carrier stallion. A single case of Lawsonia intracellularis infection was
reported by the USA.
Equine infectious anemia was reported by Canada
(three outbreaks involving single cases, one of which
was clinical), France (two outbreaks, each involving
single cases), and the USA (14 outbreaks, one of which
involved 17 horses). West Nile encephalitis was reported by Austria (two
cases), Brazil (three cases), Canada (one case), France
(four cases), Germany (eight cases), Greece (two cases),
Italy (one case), and the USA (34 cases, of which 14 were
in California).
The USA confirmed five outbreaks of anthrax, all in
a high-risk region of Texas.RSA reported that equine
piroplasmosis was endemic in the country, with 29 cases
recorded during the period under review. RSA confirmed three cases of equine encephalosis.
Contagious equine metritis was confirmed by Denmark
(case in a stallion), France (two outbreaks, one involving
a carrier stallion and another causing metritis and
abortion in a mare), and Germany (infection in a mare).
Three outbreaks of salmonellosis were recorded in the
USA.
The USA reported 25 cases of equine neorickettsiosis
involving three states. The vast majority were in July and
August in Kentucky.
Clostridial enterocolitis was recorded in the USA, with
confirmation of 13 cases of Clostridium perfringens
Type A toxin genotype and 15 cases of C. difficile.
France reported eight outbreaks of rotavirus infection,
six involving single cases and two with two cases. The
USA confirmed 22 cases of infection, principally in
Kentucky, the preponderance associated with the G14
virus genotype and a few involving both G3 and G14
genotypes.
Eastern equine encephalomyelitis was recorded in the
USA with 76 cases confirmed in the third quarter, the
majority in Florida and Michigan.
Vesicular stomatitis (Indiana serogroup) was confirmed
on premises in seven states in the USA: Colorado,
Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and
Wyoming. A total of 1095 affected premises were
identified during the period under review.
Rhodococcal-related disease was reported by Belgium
(one case) and the USA, in which the disease is endemic.
Twenty cases were diagnosed in Kentucky; this is
considered a significant underestimate of the actual
incidence.
Germany and Switzerland reported single cases of
ehrlichiosis.
Inbreeding and Genomics
Inbreeding has played a key role in the improvement of
livestock breeds, resulting in more uniform populations
with highly specialized performance traits. Selection
for desirable traits entails identifying individuals with
superior performance and often mating them to relatives
(inbreeding) who possess the same superior traits. The
goal of this practice is to increase the frequency of the
• Volume 22 Issue 01 | March 2020 •
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