Analysis of the Association of Climate, Weather and Herd Immunity with the Spread of Equine Encephalosis Virus in Horses in Israel

Aharonson-Raz, Karin; Steinman, Amir; Kavkovsky, Anastasiya; Bumbarov, V.; Berlin, Dalia; Lichter-Peled, Anat; Berke, Olaf; Klement, Eyal

doi:10.1111/tbed.12424

Cited by 5 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…A recent study of EEV prevalence in Israel found fluctuations in seroprevalence at different time points (65.1% in 2002, 36.5% in 2007, 64.5% in 2010 and 77.2% in 2011) and suggested that certain climatic conditions and herd immunity influenced the risk of exposure (Aharonson‐Raz et al . ). The current seroprevalence in Israel reported here was lower than reported in 2011 ( P < 0.001), and was 58.2%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This correlated with the findings of the previous survey, at all time points (Aharonson‐Raz et al . ), and reflected the fact that the presence of antibodies indicates previous exposure to the virus, and not necessarily a recent one. It is probable that horses older than 7 years of age were exposed to the virus during the 2008 outbreak.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The serum neutralization test was performed as described previously (Aharonson‐Raz et al . ). A result was considered positive if cell cytopathic effects were prevented, starting from a dilution of 1:4 (Aharonson‐Raz et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…A result was considered positive if cell cytopathic effects were prevented, starting from a dilution of 1:4 (Aharonson‐Raz et al . ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…It was also demonstrated that EEV seroprevalence and rate of infection varied at different time points, and was influenced mainly by herd immunity and weather conditions (Aharonson‐Raz et al . ). Israel's unique location at the junction of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, makes this region particularly interesting in studying the spread of infectious diseases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Seroprevalence and risk factor analysis for exposure to equine encephalosis virus in Israel, Palestine and Jordan

Tirosh-Levy

Gelman²,

Zivotofsky³

et al. 2017

Vet Med Sci

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Equine encephalosis virus (EEV) is an orbivirus transmitted by Culicoides species. Most infected horses show mild clinical signs and mortality is usually very low. EEV is closely related and similarly transmitted to other, more pathogenic and economically important, orbiviruses such as African horse sickness virus (AHSV), bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic haemorrhagic disease viruses (EHDV), and may serve as an indicator for possible transmission of the latter. Israel has been reported to be endemic for EEV since 2001. This study was initiated to re‐evaluate the current seroprevalence and risk factors for EEV exposure in Israel, and to assess, for the first time, the seroprevalence of EEV in Palestine and Jordan. Three hundred and sixteen serum samples were collected from apparently healthy horses at 21 farms in Israel, 66 horses at nine farms in Palestine and 100 horses at three farms in Jordan. The presence of EEV antibodies was detected by a serum neutralization assay. Seroprevalence of EEV was 58.2% (184/316 horses) in Israel, 48.5% (32/66 horses) in Palestine and 2% (2/100 horses) in Jordan. Seroprevalence in Jordan was significantly lower than in Israel and Palestine (P < 0.001). The farm (P < 0.001) and horse age (P = 0.003) were found as significant risk factors for EEV exposure in Israel in multivariable statistical analysis. The results of this study further demonstrate that EEV is no longer limited to South Africa and is endemic in both Israel and Palestine and horses in Jordan were also exposed to this virus emphasizing the potential of pathogens to invade new ecological niches.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…A result was considered positive if cell cytopathic effects were prevented, starting from a dilution of 1:4 (Aharonson‐Raz et al . ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Seroprevalence and risk factor analysis for exposure to equine encephalosis virus in Israel, Palestine and Jordan

Tirosh-Levy

Gelman²,

Zivotofsky³

et al. 2017

Vet Med Sci

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The effect of ambient temperature fluctuations on Culicoides biting midges population dynamics and activity in dairy farms: a longitudinal study

Saroya

Gottlieb

Klement

2020

Medical Vet Entomology

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The effect of climatic factors on the presence of Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) was previously studied. Nevertheless, lack of laboratory rearing data hampers species‐specific prediction of weather fluctuations effect on population size. To determine fluctuations in population size in the field, we recorded Culicoides and other Nematocerans in seven Israeli dairy farms over two‐years (2011–2012) and analysed the association of their dynamics with fluctuations in ambient temperature and total rainfall. In six farms, the most abundant species were Culicoides imicola Kieffer and Culicoides schultzei (Enderlein) gp., primarily composed of parous females, and in one farm Culicoides obsoletus (Meigen) gp., mostly nulliparous females, were dominant. While the total number of insects was similar in both years, Culicoides numbers were significantly higher in 2012, but appeared later in the season and reached a higher peak. A multi‐variable linear regression model demonstrated positive association of C. imicola and C. schultzei numbers with the monthly multi‐annual ambient temperature and its specific deviation, but not with monthly rainfall. C. obsoletus populations peaked at spring and sharply decreased when temperature exceeded 20 °C, and were best modelled by adding quadratic terms. Weather‐specific estimation of population size under field conditions may enable to predict outbreaks intensity of Culicoides‐borne viruses.

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Comparative Risk Analysis of TwoCulicoides-Borne Diseases in Horses: Equine Encephalosis More Likely to Enter France than African Horse Sickness

Faverjon

Leblond

Lecollinet

et al. 2016

Transbound Emerg Dis

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African horse sickness (AHS) and equine encephalosis (EE) are Culicoides-borne viral diseases that could have the potential to spread across Europe if introduced, thus being potential threats for the European equine industry. Both share similar epidemiology, transmission patterns and geographical distribution. Using stochastic spatiotemporal models of virus entry, we assessed and compared the probabilities of both viruses entering France via two pathways: importation of live-infected animals or importation of infected vectors. Analyses were performed for three consecutive years (2010-2012). Seasonal and regional differences in virus entry probabilities were the same for both diseases. However, the probability of EE entry was much higher than the probability of AHS entry. Interestingly, the most likely entry route differed between AHS and EE: AHS has a higher probability to enter through an infected vector and EE has a higher probability to enter through an infectious host. Consequently, different effective protective measures were identified by 'what-if' scenarios for the two diseases. The implementation of vector protection on all animals (equine and bovine) coming from low-risk regions before their importation was the most effective in reducing the probability of AHS entry. On the other hand, the most significant reduction in the probability of EE entry was obtained by the implementation of quarantine before import for horses coming from both EU and non-EU countries. The developed models can be useful to implement risk-based surveillance.

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Analysis of the Association of Climate, Weather and Herd Immunity with the Spread of Equine Encephalosis Virus in Horses in Israel

Cited by 5 publications

References 37 publications

Seroprevalence and risk factor analysis for exposure to equine encephalosis virus in Israel, Palestine and Jordan

Seroprevalence and risk factor analysis for exposure to equine encephalosis virus in Israel, Palestine and Jordan

The effect of ambient temperature fluctuations on Culicoides biting midges population dynamics and activity in dairy farms: a longitudinal study

Comparative Risk Analysis of TwoCulicoides-Borne Diseases in Horses: Equine Encephalosis More Likely to Enter France than African Horse Sickness

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