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Current Advances in Infectious Diseases in Equids: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Therapeutics

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Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases continue to represent a major challenge to equid health, welfare, and population management worldwide. Increasing international equid movement, climatic changes that influence pathogen transmission and distribution, and the emergence or re-emergence of infectious agents worldwide have further emphasized the need for improved understanding and control of infectious diseases affecting equids.

This Special Issue, titled Current Advances in Infectious Diseases in Equids: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Therapeutics, aims to highlight recent progress in the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapeutic management, and prevention of viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases in equids, including endemic, emerging, and zoonotic pathogens. We welcome submissions of original research articles, systematic reviews, short communications, and clinically relevant case reports addressing topics such as molecular or serological epidemiology, host–pathogen interactions, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine development, biosecurity strategies, and innovative diagnostic technologies. Studies involving genomic surveillance, outbreak investigation, and translational approaches that support clinical practice and disease control are particularly encouraged.

By integrating basic, translational, and clinical research, this Special Issue seeks to advance the current knowledge on infectious diseases of equids, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers and clinicians, and promote evidence-based strategies for disease prevention, surveillance, and treatment in equid populations.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Javier Mendoza García
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Pérez-Écija
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14 pages, 1887 KB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Evaluation of an Indirect ELISA for Strangles Based on an Untagged EQ8–SclF Fusion Protein

by Rongkuan Sun, Haoyu Zu, Min Wang, Wei Guo, Xiaojun Wang and Qian Yang

Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(9), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13090866 - 26 Aug 2026

Viewed by 348

Abstract

Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (S. equi), is a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes substantial economic losses to the horse industry worldwide. Serological diagnosis currently relies mainly on the imported IDvet^® dual-antigen sandwich ELISA kit, which shows good diagnostic performance but is expensive and lacks a domestic alternative in China, thereby limiting its routine use in primary veterinary settings. The aim of this study was to develop a domestic indirect ELISA based on novel antigen targets and an untagged antigen purification strategy. Using comparative bioinformatics analyses, two conserved fragments with species-level specificity for S. equi, designated EQ8 (150 aa) and SclF (44 aa), were identified and fused for recombinant expression. The fusion protein was purified by GST affinity chromatography, cleaved with PreScission protease, and subjected to secondary purification to obtain an untagged EQ8–SclF protein. Western blotting and ELISA demonstrated that the purified protein retained good immunoreactivity and that the GST tag did not cause detectable cross-reactivity, with all OD₄₅₀ values obtained using GST-coated plates remaining below 0.09, well under the cut-off value of 0.115. Checkerboard titration established the optimal assay conditions as an antigen coating concentration of 1 μg/mL and a serum dilution of 1:100. Using the IDvet kit as the reference method, 157 clinical serum samples (67 positive and 90 negative) were tested in parallel. The newly developed assay showed a relative sensitivity of 89.55% (60/67), a relative specificity of 94.44% (85/90), an overall agreement rate of 92.36% (145/157), and a kappa value of 0.84, indicating excellent agreement between the two methods. Good inter-assay reproducibility was observed, with coefficients of variation all below 9.29%. In conclusion, an indirect ELISA based on an untagged EQ8–SclF fusion protein was preliminarily established for the serological detection of strangles. This assay showed diagnostic performance highly consistent with that of the imported commercial kit while offering potential advantages in terms of lower cost, simpler operation, and elimination of tag-associated interference. It therefore shows potential as a domestic alternative for the serological diagnosis of strangles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Infectious Diseases in Equids: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Therapeutics)

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