Streptococcus equi is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the equine respiratory system. Though a snotty nose is often considered the hallmark of the disease, often called strangles, affected horses also often experience fevers, ocular discharge, anorexia, lethargy and cough.
Though a strangles vaccination is available, many owners and veterinarians forgo the vaccine administration out of concern for potential side effects like purpura hemorrhagica or local abscess.
A team of researchers, led by Dr. Camilo Jaramillo-Morales with the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, sought to determine the impact of strangles vaccinations.
They used a quantitative polymerase chain reaction test (qPCR) to test the nasal secretions of 9,409 horses presenting with acute respiratory disease, between 3 months and 32 years old, included in a voluntary surveillance from 261 veterinary practices across the United States. The program ran from March 2008 through December 2020.
Each horse in the study received a physical and a nasal swab for testing; guttural pouches were not scoped. Treating veterinarians reported on the ill horse's age, breed and gender, as well as its transportation history, intended use, clinical signs, number of affected horses, and strangles vaccine history.
Out of the 9,409 horses surveyed, 7.6 percent (715) were qPCR-positive for S. equi in their nasal secretions.
Nasal swab testing also found the following respiratory infections:
- EHV-4: 10.5 percent of horses
- EIV (Equine influenza): 9.7 percent of horses
- ERBV (equine rhinitis B): 3.3 percent
- Equine Herpes Virus 1 (EHV-1): 1.6 percent
- ERAV (equine rhinitis A): 0.1 percent
For horses that were positive for S. equi, the following was found:
- Horse had only an S. equi infection 6.6 percent of the time
- Horses had S. equi and another infection 9.4 percent of the time
- Horses under 1 year old had S. equi less than any other age of horse
- Horses between 5 and 9 years old were more likely to have S. equi when compared to horses aged 10 to 14 or over 20 years old
- Geographic location had no effect on horses with S. equi
- More horses got S. equi in the winter and spring (27 percent) than in summer and fall (16 percent)
- Transportation history did not significantly impact S. equi cases results
- Horses used for competition or farm/ranch horses ere more likely to test positive for S. equi than horses used for other activities
In total, 9 percent of the horses had received a strangles vaccination; of those, 9 percent tested positive for the disease. The authors concluded that S. equi vaccination was associated with fewer positive cases of disease.
The authors could not draw a conclusion on which type or administration route of the strangles vaccine was most effective.
Read more at EquiManagement.
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