National Farm and Facility Level Biosecurity User Guide for the Equine Sector
Annex 2: Important infectious diseases of horses in Canada
Selected Horse Diseases: The following table provides a list of important equine diseases that are a potential risk to the health of the Canadian equine herd. Many of the disease pathogens are already present in Canada, while others pose a risk through the importation of horses, semen, embryos, contaminated equipment or through international travel to equestrian events. Legend B (bacterial), F (fungal), P (parasite), V (viral). This is not a complete list and does not include internal parasites (Refer to Annex 12).
| Name | Pathogen | Type | Horses can infect people | Route of transmission Direct (contact) | Route of transmission Indirect (fomite) | Route of transmission Aerosol/airborne | Route of transmission Vector | Route of transmission Ingestion | Other | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthrax | Bacillus anthracis | B | Yes | X | X | X | X | |||
| Aspergillosis | Aspergillus spp | F | No | X | X | X | ||||
| Botulism | Clostridium botulinum | B | No | X | ||||||
| Brucellosis | Brucella spp | B | Yes | X | X | X | Reproductive | |||
| Clostridium difficile infection | Clostridium difficile | B | Maybe | X | ||||||
| Coccidioidomycosis | Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasi | F | Yes | Contact with soil. Not horse-to-horse | ||||||
| Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) | Taylorella equigenitalis | B | No | Reproductive | Not currently present in Canada | |||||
| Coronavirus | Equine coronavirus | V | No | X | ||||||
| Cryptococcosis | Cryptococcus neoformans, C, gattii | F | No | Environmental. Not horse-to-horse. | ||||||
| Cryptosporidiosis | Cryptosporidium parvum | P | Yes | X | ||||||
| Dourine | Trypanosoma equiperdum | P | No | Reproductive | Not currently identified in Canada | |||||
| EEE | Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus | V | No | Mosquito | ||||||
| Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis | Anaplasma phagocytophilum | B | No | Ixodes ticks | ||||||
| Equine herpesvirus type 1 abortion | Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) | V | No | X | X | X | X | |||
| Equine herpesvirus type 1 neurological disease (myeloencephalopathy) | EHV-1 | V | No | X | X | X | X | |||
| Equine herpesvirus type IV | EHV-4 | V | No | X | X | X | ||||
| Equine infectious anemia | Equine infectious anemia virus | V | No | Biting flies | Cross-contamination of blood. Aerosolized blood. | |||||
| Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) | Sarcocystis neurona | P | No | X | Associated with exposure to feces from opossums and some the other small mammals | |||||
| Equine viral arteritis (EVA) | Equine viral arteritis virus | V | No | X | X | Reproductive | ||||
| Influenza | Equine influenza virus | V | No | X | X | X | ||||
| Glanders | Burkholderia mallei | B | Yes | X | X | X | ||||
| Leptospirosis | Leptospira interrogans | B | Maybe | X | X | Contaminated water major source | ||||
| Lice (pediculosis) | Haematopinus asini, Bovicola equi | P | No | X | X | |||||
| Lyme disease | Borrelia burgdorferi | B | No | Ticks (Ixodes spp) | ||||||
| Mange | Chorioptes equi, Sarcoptes scabiei, Demodex equi | P | Yes for Sarcoptes | X | X | |||||
| MRSA | Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus | B | Yes | X | X | |||||
| Piroplasmosis | Babesia caballi, Theileria equi | P | No | Certain ticks | Blood | |||||
| Potomac horse fever | Neorickettsia risticii | B | No | Aquatic insects | Ingestion. Mainly from surface water | |||||
| Rain scald/rain rot | Dermatophilus congolensis | B | No | X | X | |||||
| Rhinovirus | Equine rhinovirus | V | No | X | X | |||||
| Rhodococcus equi pneumonia | Rhodococcus equi | B | Rarely | X | ||||||
| Ringworm | Trichophyton equinum, Microsporum canis | F | Yes | X | X | |||||
| Salmonellosis | Salmonella sp | B | Yes | X | ||||||
| Strangles | Streptococcus equi equi | B | No | X | X | |||||
| Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) | Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus | V | Yes | Mosquitoes | Not currently identified in Canada | |||||
| Vesicular stomatitis | Vesicular stomatitis virus | V | No | X | Insects. Mainly sandflies and black flies. | Not currently identified in Canada | ||||
| Western equine encephalitis (WEE) | Western equine encephalitis virus | V | No | Mosquitoes | ||||||
| West Nile encephalitis | West Nile virus | V | No | Mosquitoes |
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