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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]

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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.)

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.