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Background: Exotic diseases pose a significant risk to horse health and welfare. Several stakeholder groups, including primary care veterinarians, share responsibility for maintaining freedom from pathogens that cause exotic diseases. However, little is known about the current state of exotic disease preparedness within the British horse industry. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore equine veterinarians' experiences of, and attitudes towards, exotic disease preparedness in Great Britain. Study design: This is a qualitative interview‐based study. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 primary care equine veterinarians in Great Britain. Participants were purposively selected to include perspectives across varying levels of experience, clientele and location. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were developed: (a) the reactive generalist, relating to participants' self‐concept of their role as primary care practitioners; (b) working within the bounds of influence, encompassing participants' perceived inability to influence their clients' knowledge and behaviours and (c) a fragmented horse industry, illustrating the wider culture in which participants worked, characterised by a lack of cohesion amongst its members. Main limitations: Only veterinarians' perspectives have been captured, so viewpoints from other stakeholders, such as horse owners and government officials, should be used to triangulate these findings. Conclusions: The findings suggest that improvements are required before an optimal level of exotic disease preparedness can be achieved. Additional support provided to frontline veterinarians, such as skills‐based training (ie, clinical reasoning and collaborative relationship building), accessible and trusted emergency support networks and clear expectations and responsibilities during an outbreak are recommended to optimise exotic disease preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a biotrophic fungus, Ustilago maydis, the causal agent of common smut of maize, must establish and maintain a relationship with the host throughout the pathogenic cycle. Functional characterization of the U. maydis transcription factor Zfp1 suggests a role in modulating pathogenic development. Deletion of zfp1 resulted in attenuated pathogenic hyphal growth, reduced infection frequency, arrested disease symptom development, and decreased anthocyanin production. Complementation with Zfp1 constructs lacking conserved domains indicated it may function with and without DNA binding and suggests a role for the Fungal_trans domain in enabling full virulence. RNA‐sequencing revealed the transcription of approximately 30% of U. maydis genes, including those encoding predicted and confirmed effectors, were altered in the zfp1 deletion strain during pathogenic growth. Together, the results suggest that Zfp1 is a Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor that is required for the full induction of infection, anthocyanin production, and virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horses are a highly mobile population, with many travelling locally, nationally, and internationally to participate in shows and sporting events. However, the nature and extent of these movements, as well as the potential impact they may have on disease introduction and spread, is not well documented. The objective of this study was to characterise the movement network of a sample of horses in Ontario, Canada, over a 7-month equestrian season. Horse owners (n = 141) documented their travel patterns with their horse(s) (n = 330) by completing monthly online questionnaires between May and November 2015. Directed networks were constructed to represent horse movements in 1-month time periods. A total of 1754 horse movements met the inclusion criteria for analysis. A variety of location types were included in each monthly network, with many including non-facilities such as parks, trails, and private farms. Only 34.3% of competitions attended by participants during the study period were regulated by an official equestrian organisation. Comparisons of the similarity between monthly networks indicated that participants did not travel to the same locations each month, and the most connected locations varied between consecutive months. While the findings should not be generalized to the wider horse population, they have provided greater insight into the nature and extent of observed horse movement patterns. The results support the need to better understand the variety of locations to which horses can travel in Ontario, as different types of locations may have different associated risks of disease introduction and spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Veterinary Journal / Revue Vétérinaire Canadienne is the property of Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research / Revue Canadienne de Recherche Vétérinaire is the property of Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Identifying the contact structure within a population of horses attending a competition is an important element towards understanding the potential for the spread of equine pathogens as the horses subsequently travel from location to location. However, there is limited information in Ontario, Canada to quantify contact patterns of horses. The objective of this study was to describe the network of potential contacts associated with an equestrian show to determine how this network structure may influence potential disease transmission. Results: This was a descriptive study of horses attending an equestrian show in southern Ontario, Canada on July 6 and 7, 2014. Horse show participants completed a questionnaire about their horse, travel patterns, and infection control practices. Questionnaire responses were received from horse owners of 79.7% (55/69) of the horses attending the show. Owners reported that horses attending the show were vaccinated for diseases such as rabies, equine influenza, and equine herpesvirus. Owners demonstrated high compliance with most infection control practices by reporting reduced opportunities for direct and indirect contact while away from home. The two-mode undirected network consisted of 820 nodes (41 locations and 779 horses). Eight percent of nodes in the network represented horses attending the show, 87% of nodes represented horses not attending the show, but boarded at individual home facilities, and 5% represented locations. The median degree of a horse in the network was 33 (range: 1-105). Conclusions: Developing disease management strategies without the explicit consideration of horses boarded at individual home facilities would underestimate the connectivity of horses in the population. The results of this study provides information that can be used by equestrian show organizers to configure event management in such a way that can limit the extent of potential disease spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, U stilago m aydis Ndt80 h omolog one, unh1 , of the obligate sexual pathogen U. maydis , is described. Unh1 is the sole Ndt80-like DNA-binding protein in U. maydis . In this model basidiomycete, Unh1 plays a role in sexual development, influencing tumor maturation, teliospore development and subsequent meiotic completion. Teliospore formation was reduced in deletion mutants, and those that did form had unpigmented, hyaline cell walls, and germinated without completing meiosis. Constitutively expressing unh1 in haploid cells resulted in abnormal pigmentation, when grown in both potato dextrose broth and minimal medium, suggesting that pigmentation may be triggered by unh1 in U. maydis . The function of Unh1 in sexual development and pigment production depends on the presence of the Ndt80-like DNA-binding domain, identified within Unh1. In the absence of this domain, or when the binding domain was altered with targeted amino acid changes, ectopic expression of Unh1 failed to complement the unh1 deletion with regards to pigment production and sexual development. An investigation of U. maydis genes with upstream motifs similar to Ndt80 recognition sequences revealed that some have altered transcript levels in Δ unh1 strains. We propose that the first characterized Ndt80-like DNA-binding protein in a basidiomycete, Unh1, acts as a transcription factor that is required for teliospore maturation and the completion of meiosis in U. maydis . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disease outbreaks present a significant challenge to horse health and welfare and the economic stability of horse industries internationally. This is a particular concern in Ontario, Canada, where there have been frequent outbreaks of respiratory infectious diseases among horses. Despite these risks, there has been limited research on whether Ontario horse owners engage in biosecurity measures sufficient to mitigate risk of equine diseases, and whether current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic influence attitudes towards equine biosecurity practices., Objective: To explore Ontario horse owners' perceptions, attitudes and experiences relating to on-farm biosecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic., Study Design: Qualitative study using virtual semi-structured interviews., Methods: Participants (horse owners, frequent horse riders and part boarders) were recruited using social media snowball sampling where advertisements were shared by equine and veterinary organisations. Interviews were conducted virtually between June and September 2022 and were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis., Results: Three key themes relating to biosecurity perceptions among the 14 participants were identified. Participants relied on minimal preventative measures (such as vaccines) where perceived risk of disease was low, but implemented additional measures including quarantine and handwashing when perceived risk of disease was high. Participants' choice of biosecurity practices often mirrored those recommended by the barn manager. Moreover, participants felt that responsibility for biosecurity was not shared equally across horse owners, with more emphasis placed on those engaging in high-risk situations for disease spread. Despite experiencing biosecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, horse owners were not consistently applying these practices to their horse care routines., Main Limitations: The perspectives reported here are from a small sample of horse owners and may not be generalisable to all populations., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that horse owners need improved access to and engagement with educational initiatives that emphasise the importance and purpose of all biosecurity measures., (© 2024 The Author(s). Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.)

Background: Horse owners play a critical role in mitigating the risk of pathogen spread between horses. However, little is known about how they view biosecurity and whether they experience barriers to the uptake of preventive measures., Objectives: To explore horse owners' attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of biosecurity and identify how these factors shape horse owners' decisions for biosecurity implementation., Study Design: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews., Methods: Interviews were conducted with 23 horse owners across Great Britain. Participants were purposively selected to include those in different geographic regions, with different management arrangements, and varied length of horse ownership experience. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using a critical realist thematic analysis., Results: Participants felt a moral obligation to prioritise their horse's happiness, which became a challenge when certain biosecurity measures (e.g., quarantine) were perceived as compromising their horse's happiness or comfort (Theme 1). A lack of biosecurity was the social norm among shared yards and competition venues (Theme 2), which made it difficult for participants to implement biosecurity measures effectively on their own. Combined with the sense of moral obligation participants felt towards their horse, this meant that participants had to 'care double' (i.e., be more vigilant than they would otherwise) to compensate for collective inaction (Theme 3)., Main Limitations: Participants may have been more interested in and/or knowledgeable about biosecurity than the general horse owning population., Conclusions: The findings highlight several challenges that could be addressed to improve biosecurity implementation among horse owners. Efforts to encourage improved uptake of biosecurity measures should focus on communicating how reducing the risk of disease aligns with horse care. Further research on social norms in the horse industry is needed, in addition to identifying strategies to encourage a collective adoption of biosecurity measures., (© 2024 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.)

Public health measures applied exclusively within vulnerable populations have been suggested as an alternative to community-wide interventions to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission. With the population demography and healthcare capacity of Canada as an example, a stochastic age-stratified agent-based model was used to explore the progression of the COVID-19 epidemic under three intervention scenarios (infection-preventing vaccination, illness-preventing vaccination and shielding) in individuals above three age thresholds (greater than or equal to 45, 55 and 65 years) while lifting shutdowns and physical distancing in the community. Compared with a scenario with sustained community-wide measures, all age-stratified intervention scenarios resulted in a substantial epidemic resurgence, with hospital and ICU bed usage exceeding healthcare capacities even at the lowest age threshold. Individuals under the age threshold were severely impacted by the implementation of all age-stratified interventions, with large numbers of avoidable deaths. Among all explored scenarios, shielding older individuals led to the most detrimental outcomes (hospitalizations, ICU admissions and mortality) for all ages, including the targeted population. This study suggests that, in the absence of community-wide measures, implementing interventions exclusively within vulnerable age groups could result in unmanageable levels of infections, with serious outcomes within the population. Caution is therefore warranted regarding early relaxation of community-wide restrictions., (© 2021 The Authors.)

The objective of this study was to describe the demographics and movement patterns of a sample of horses in Ontario, Canada. A convenience sample of 222 owners completed an initial questionnaire to provide demographic information for 570 horses. These horses were enrolled in a longitudinal study to document their movements from May to November 2015 using a monthly questionnaire. The median age of the participating horses was 11 years (IQR: 8 to 16 years). The primary discipline of participating horses included competitive disciplines (63.3%), leisure (33.3%), and racing (3.2%). During the 7-month period, there were 3001 unidirectional movements of horses between facilities. Reasons for travel on/off a facility included attending a competition (38.7%), leisure activities (18.8%), and training (7.5%). The demographic and movement data presented in this study provide insight into the characteristics of a subset of horses in Ontario, and may contribute to outbreak preparedness in the population.