Special Issue "Virus Infection in Equine"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Amir Steinman
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Oran Erster
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
Interests: clinical virology; molecular diagnostics of viral pathogens; viral proteomics; molecular evolution of viral pathogens; veterinary and human viral pathogens

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, horses, which have served humans throughout history as working animals, have become an important companion animal, thus increasing their direct contact with humans, including specific sensitive populations, such as when used for therapeutic riding. Therefore, horses have an important role in maintaining the health of humans and the environment under the concept of One Health (OH). However, much like any other animal, horses can also be the source of zoonotic diseases—and with the recent increase in international transportation and global warming, we are experiencing a much quicker spread of viral diseases to new niches, as with the current COVID-19 outbreak.

The emergence of West Nile virus in 1999 in New York and soon afterwards in the entire American continent drew attention to emerging and re-emerging viral zoonotic diseases, further demonstrating the importance of better surveillance of equine viral diseases. Since then, we have experienced the spread of other viruses to new niches, some of which cause disease only in horses such as the Equine Encephalosis virus, whereas others may also affect humans, such as the Usutu virus.

Equine viral diseases have significant health as well as financial effects not only on the equine industry but also on humans. Eastern equine encephalitis, for example, is one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in the United States and has a high fatality rate in people who become ill. Equine Influenza, on the other hand, is not zoonotic but may cause substantial economic losses as happened during an outbreak in Australia in 2007, which cost the Australian government 350 million dollars.

The overall aim of this Special Issue is to provide updated information regarding all aspects of equine viral diseases, including their prevalence, pathogenesis, diagnostics, therapeutics, and prevention strategies, including vaccination. We hereby invite authors to submit original high-quality papers that provide a significant contribution to the understanding of these various aspects of equine viral diseases.

Dr. Amir Steinman
Dr. Oran Erster
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • equine
  • virus
  • vaccination
  • epidemiology
  • zoonosis

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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Article
Serological Evidence of Common Equine Viral Infections in a Semi-Isolated, Unvaccinated Population of Hucul Horses
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2261; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082261 - 30 Jul 2021
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Abstract
Huculs (Equus caballus) are an old breed of primitive mountain horses, originating from the Carpathian Mountains. To the best of our knowledge, data concerning the epidemiology of viral infections observed within this breed are sparse. The objective of this study was [...] Read more.
Huculs (Equus caballus) are an old breed of primitive mountain horses, originating from the Carpathian Mountains. To the best of our knowledge, data concerning the epidemiology of viral infections observed within this breed are sparse. The objective of this study was to estimate the serological status of a semi-isolated, unvaccinated Hucul herd, with respect to both common equine viral infections and horse-infecting arboviruses, the presence of which was previously reported in Poland. Twenty horses of the Hucul breed, living in a remote area in Poland, were studied in 2018 from March to May. Using nasal secretion swabs as a specimen source, isolation attempts were negative regarding ERAV, EHV-1, EAV, and EIV. According to the virus neutralisation method, in the sera obtained from the animals, antibodies against the following viruses were detected: EHV-1 in 12 horses (60%; with titres from 1:8 to 1:64), EIV A/H7N7 in 13 (65%; titres from 1:20 to 1:80), EIV A /H3N8 in 12 (60%; titres from 1:20 to 1:80), USUV in 5 (25%; titres from 1:10 to 1:80), and ERAV in 1 (5%; titre 1:32). Antibodies against EAV, EIAV, and WNV were not present in the tested sera. The detected presence of specific antibodies associated with five out of the eight equine viruses investigated indicates that the Hucul herd, due to its partial separation and lack of specific prophylaxis, could serve as a sentinel animal group for the detection of equine viruses/arboviruses present within the local ecosystem. The detection of common equine viral infections within the herd provides additional epidemiological data concerning the breed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virus Infection in Equine)
Article
Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Exposure to Equine Coronavirus in Apparently Healthy Horses in Israel
Animals 2021, 11(3), 894; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030894 - 21 Mar 2021
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Abstract
Equine coronavirus (ECoV) infection is the cause of an emerging enteric disease of adult horses. Outbreaks have been reported in the USA, EU and Japan, as well as sporadic cases in the UK and Saudi Arabia. Infection of ECoV in horses in Israel [...] Read more.
Equine coronavirus (ECoV) infection is the cause of an emerging enteric disease of adult horses. Outbreaks have been reported in the USA, EU and Japan, as well as sporadic cases in the UK and Saudi Arabia. Infection of ECoV in horses in Israel has never been reported, and the risk of exposure is unknown. Importation and exportation of horses from and into Israel may have increased the exposure of horses in Israel to ECoV. While the disease is mostly self-limiting, with or without supportive treatment, severe complications may occur in some animals, and healthy carriers may pose a risk of infection to other horses. This study was set to evaluate the risk of exposure to ECoV of horses in Israel by using a previously validated, S1-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 41 out of 333 horses (12.3%) were seropositive. Exposure to ECoV was detected in 17 of 29 farms (58.6%) and the seroprevalence varied between 0 and 37.5% amongst farms. The only factor found to be significantly associated with ECoV exposure in the multivariable model was the geographical area (p < 0.001). ECoV should be included in the differential diagnosis list of pathogens in cases of adult horses with anorexia, lethargy, fever and gastrointestinal signs in Israel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virus Infection in Equine)
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Review

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Review
Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technologies for the Detection of Equine Viral Pathogens
Animals 2021, 11(7), 2150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072150 - 20 Jul 2021
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Abstract
The global equine industry provides significant economic contributions worldwide, producing approximately USD $300 billion annually. However, with the continuous national and international movement and importation of horses, there is an ongoing threat of a viral outbreak causing large epidemics and subsequent significant economic [...] Read more.
The global equine industry provides significant economic contributions worldwide, producing approximately USD $300 billion annually. However, with the continuous national and international movement and importation of horses, there is an ongoing threat of a viral outbreak causing large epidemics and subsequent significant economic losses. Additionally, horses serve as a host for several zoonotic diseases that could cause significant human health problems. The ability to rapidly diagnose equine viral diseases early could lead to better management, treatment, and biosecurity strategies. Current serological and molecular methods cannot be field-deployable and are not suitable for resource-poor laboratories due to the requirement of expensive equipment and trained personnel. Recently, isothermal nucleic acid amplification technologies, such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and insulated isothermal polymerase chain reaction (iiPCR), have been developed to be utilized in-field, and provide rapid results within an hour. We will review current isothermal diagnostic techniques available to diagnose equine viruses of biosecurity and zoonotic concern and provide insight into their potential for in-field deployment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virus Infection in Equine)
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