Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN)
Monitoring infectious diseases is essential for safeguarding equine health and ensuring the sustainability of the horse industry. In 2019, the Royal Veterinary Association of the Netherlands (KNMvD) and Royal GD (GD Animal Health) launched SEIN (Surveillance of Equine Infectious diseases in the Neth...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Veterinary Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/6/567 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849418123772428288 |
|---|---|
| author | Kees van Maanen Linda van den Wollenberg Tara de Haan Thibault Frippiat |
| author_facet | Kees van Maanen Linda van den Wollenberg Tara de Haan Thibault Frippiat |
| author_sort | Kees van Maanen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Monitoring infectious diseases is essential for safeguarding equine health and ensuring the sustainability of the horse industry. In 2019, the Royal Veterinary Association of the Netherlands (KNMvD) and Royal GD (GD Animal Health) launched SEIN (Surveillance of Equine Infectious diseases in the Netherlands), a voluntary surveillance system for laboratory-confirmed outbreaks of equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), equid alphaherpesvirus 4 (EHV-4), equine influenza virus (EIV), and <i>Streptococcus equi</i> subsp. <i>equi</i>. This retrospective study analyzed 364 confirmed outbreaks reported through SEIN between June 2019 and April 2023. <i>S. equi</i> was the most commonly reported pathogen overall (64%). Among outbreaks involving respiratory disease, <i>S. equi</i> accounted for 74% of cases, followed by EHV-4 (16%), EIV (6%), and EHV-1 (4%). The geographical distribution of outbreaks covered 80 of the 90 postal code regions (89%), and approximately half of all participating practices generated at least 1 alert. Vaccination data revealed low coverage against EHV-1/4, EIV, and <i>S. equi</i> among both affected horses and premises. Clinical signs overlapped between pathogens, but some were more pathogen-specific, e.g., coughing in EIV, and abscessation in <i>S. equi</i>. The SEIN system provided spatiotemporal information on confirmed outbreaks. These results underscore the importance of quick diagnostics and structured surveillance systems in guiding prevention strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4170bb13519a4f30bdbfae23f0d45f8a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2306-7381 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Veterinary Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-4170bb13519a4f30bdbfae23f0d45f8a2025-08-20T03:32:32ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812025-06-0112656710.3390/vetsci12060567Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN)Kees van Maanen0Linda van den Wollenberg1Tara de Haan2Thibault Frippiat3Royal GD, 7418EZ Deventer, The NetherlandsRoyal GD, 7418EZ Deventer, The NetherlandsRoyal GD, 7418EZ Deventer, The NetherlandsSporthorse Medical Diagnostic Centre, 5384RC Heesch, The NetherlandsMonitoring infectious diseases is essential for safeguarding equine health and ensuring the sustainability of the horse industry. In 2019, the Royal Veterinary Association of the Netherlands (KNMvD) and Royal GD (GD Animal Health) launched SEIN (Surveillance of Equine Infectious diseases in the Netherlands), a voluntary surveillance system for laboratory-confirmed outbreaks of equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), equid alphaherpesvirus 4 (EHV-4), equine influenza virus (EIV), and <i>Streptococcus equi</i> subsp. <i>equi</i>. This retrospective study analyzed 364 confirmed outbreaks reported through SEIN between June 2019 and April 2023. <i>S. equi</i> was the most commonly reported pathogen overall (64%). Among outbreaks involving respiratory disease, <i>S. equi</i> accounted for 74% of cases, followed by EHV-4 (16%), EIV (6%), and EHV-1 (4%). The geographical distribution of outbreaks covered 80 of the 90 postal code regions (89%), and approximately half of all participating practices generated at least 1 alert. Vaccination data revealed low coverage against EHV-1/4, EIV, and <i>S. equi</i> among both affected horses and premises. Clinical signs overlapped between pathogens, but some were more pathogen-specific, e.g., coughing in EIV, and abscessation in <i>S. equi</i>. The SEIN system provided spatiotemporal information on confirmed outbreaks. These results underscore the importance of quick diagnostics and structured surveillance systems in guiding prevention strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/6/567equine influenzaequine herpesvirusstrangles<i>Streptococcus equi</i>epidemiologymicrobiology |
| spellingShingle | Kees van Maanen Linda van den Wollenberg Tara de Haan Thibault Frippiat Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN) Veterinary Sciences equine influenza equine herpesvirus strangles <i>Streptococcus equi</i> epidemiology microbiology |
| title | Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN) |
| title_full | Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN) |
| title_fullStr | Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN) |
| title_short | Epidemiology of Infectious Pathogens in Horses with Acute Respiratory Disease, Abortion, and Neurological Signs: Insights Gained from the Veterinary Surveillance System for Horses in The Netherlands (SEIN) |
| title_sort | epidemiology of infectious pathogens in horses with acute respiratory disease abortion and neurological signs insights gained from the veterinary surveillance system for horses in the netherlands sein |
| topic | equine influenza equine herpesvirus strangles <i>Streptococcus equi</i> epidemiology microbiology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/6/567 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT keesvanmaanen epidemiologyofinfectiouspathogensinhorseswithacuterespiratorydiseaseabortionandneurologicalsignsinsightsgainedfromtheveterinarysurveillancesystemforhorsesinthenetherlandssein AT lindavandenwollenberg epidemiologyofinfectiouspathogensinhorseswithacuterespiratorydiseaseabortionandneurologicalsignsinsightsgainedfromtheveterinarysurveillancesystemforhorsesinthenetherlandssein AT taradehaan epidemiologyofinfectiouspathogensinhorseswithacuterespiratorydiseaseabortionandneurologicalsignsinsightsgainedfromtheveterinarysurveillancesystemforhorsesinthenetherlandssein AT thibaultfrippiat epidemiologyofinfectiouspathogensinhorseswithacuterespiratorydiseaseabortionandneurologicalsignsinsightsgainedfromtheveterinarysurveillancesystemforhorsesinthenetherlandssein |