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Equine zoonotic diseases: List of diseases from horses to humans

July 23, 2023

Edited image - Equine zoonotic diseases: List of diseases from horses to humans
Equine zoonotic diseases

The normal horse owner is extremely unlikely to contract an illness or infection that is transmitted from a horse to a human; nevertheless, veterinarians are one of the most vulnerable groups for the transfer of equine zoonotic diseases since they deal with more sick animals on a regular basis. Equine practitioners are familiar with numerous zoonotic diseases in horses, but they may not be as knowledgeable about how these diseases manifest clinically in people. Equine vets need to be aware of the zoonotic risk of specific illnesses and the organisms that afflict horses. A considerable likelihood of underreporting exists because of health professionals’ ignorance of equine zoonotic diseases that spread from horses, despite the fact that case reports of these infections are still rare. Public health professionals, clinicians, and individuals who have recreational or occupational equine exposure should be aware of these zoonotic diseases, how their diseases manifest in horses and humans, and any risk factors for cross-species infection. In order to take the proper precautions, it is crucial to identify the potential risk factors. The list of important equine zoonotic diseases that horses can transmit to humans is provided below.

Bacterial zoonotic diseases

The list of bacterial zoonotic diseases is as follows.

Sr. No.ZoonosesCausative agentMode of transmission
1BrucellosisBrucella speciesIngestion, inhalation, wound, bite or skin exposure
2CampylobacteriosisCampylobacter speciesIngestion
3AnthraxBacillus anthracisIngestion, inhalation, wound, bite or skin exposure
4GlandersBurkholderia malleiIngestion
5LeptospirosisLeptospira spp.Ingestion, inhalation, wound, bite or skin exposure
6Lyme diseaseBorrelia burgdorferi (spirochaete)Tick-borne, tick bite
7Equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis (EGE)Ehrlichia equi (spirochaete)Vector-borne (Ixodes pacificus)
8Acinetobacter spp. infectionAcinetobacter spp.Ingestion, inhalation
9SalmonellosisSalmonella speciesFecal-oral transmission
10Staphylococcus aureus infectionsMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)Ingestion, inhalation, wound, bite or skin exposure
11Pigeon Fever
(dryland distemper or equine distemper)
Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equiOpen wound or fly bite
12Rhodococcus equi infectionsRhodococcus equiIngestion, inhalation, wound, bite or skin exposure
13ActinobacillosisActinobacillus spp.Ingestion, inhalation, wound, bite or skin exposure
14AnaplasmosisAnaplasma phagocytophilumVector-borne
15BartonellosisBartonella spp.Vector-borne
16BotulismClostridium botulinumIngestion, wound, bite or skin exposure
17ChlamydiosisChlamydia spp.Inhalation
18Clostridium difficile infectionClostridium difficileIngestion
19Coxiella burnetii infectionCoxiella burnetiiIngestion, inhalation, vector-borne
20Enterococcus infectionEnterococcus spp.Ingestion
21ColibacillosisEscherichia coliIngestion
22Bacterial pneumoniaKlebsiella spp.Ingestion, wound, bit, or skin exposure
23ListeriosisListeria monocytogenesIngestion
24Equine mycobacteriosisMycobacterium spp.Ingestion, inhalation, wound, bit, or skin exposure
25Rickettsia infectionRickettsia spp.Vector-borne
26Staphylococcus infectionsStaphylococcus spp.Ingestion, inhalation, wound, bit, or skin exposure
27Streptococcus infectionsStreptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus and ruminatorumIngestion, inhalation

Viral zoonotic diseases

A list of viral zoonotic diseases communicable from horses to humans are listed below.

Sr. No.ZoonosesCausative agentMode of transmission
1RabiesRabies virusInhalation, wound, bite, or skin exposure
2Hendra virus infectionHendra virusInhalation
3West Nile Virus infectionWest Nile VirusVector-borne
4Venezuelan equine
encephalitis virus infections
Venezuelan equine
encephalitis virus
Vector-borne
5Vaccina virus (Cowpox)Vaccina virusWound, bite, or skin exposure
6St. Louis encephalitis virusSt. Louis encephalitis virusVector-borne
7Australian bat lyssa virus infectionAustralian bat lyssa virusInhalation, wound, bite, or skin exposure
8Eastern equine encephalitis virus infectionEastern equine encephalitis virusVector-borne
9Equine rhinovirus infectionEquine rhinovirusInhalation
10Hepatitis E virus infectionHepatitis E virusIngestion
11Ilheus virus infectionIlheus virusVector-borne
12Equine influenzaInfluenza virus A and BInhalation
13Japanese encephalitisJapanese encephalitis virusVector-borne
14Parapoxvirus infectionParapoxvirus (novel)Wound, bite, or skin exposure
15Picobirna virus infectionPicobirna virusIngestion
16Sindbis virus infectionSindbis virusVector-borne

Parasitic zoonotic diseases

List of important parasitic zoonotic diseases is given below.

Sr. No.ZoonosesCausative agentMode of transmission
1GiardiasisGiardia intestinalis, Giardia duodenalisFecal-oral transmission
2CryptosporidiosisCryptosporidium parvumFecal-oral transmission
3Blastocystis infectionsBlastocystis hominisIngestion
4Echinococcus infectionsEchinococcus speciesIngestion
5Fasciolas hepatica infectionsFasciolas hepaticaIngestion
6Halicephalobus gingivalis infectionsHalicephalobus gingivalisWound, bite or skin exposure
7LeishmaniasisLeishmania spp.Vector-borne
8Equine OnchocerciasisOnchocerca cervicalisVector-borne (Culicoides spp.)
9ToxoplasmmosisToxoplasma gondiiIngestion
10TrichinellosisTrichinella spp.Ingestion
11Trichostrongylus infectionsTrichostrongylus spp.Ingestion

Fungal zoonotic diseases

The list of important zoonotic diseases caused by fungi is given below.

Sr. No.ZoonosesCausative agentMode of transmission
1Dermatophytosis/ RingwormTrichophyton equinum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes,
Microsporum
Direct contact with an infected animal
2Enterocytozoon bieneusiEnterocytozoon bieneusiIngestion
3BlastomycosisBlastomycesInhalation, wound, bite or skin exposure

Preventive measures for people at risk of zoonotic diseases

Those who work in barns, stables, veterinary clinics, para-veterinary clinics, and equine competitions may be susceptible to different horse-to-human illnesses. Groupings of horses from various locations that have been subjected to shipping and competition stress present possible circumstances for the spread of disease. Attendees at events should take extra precautions and prioritise practising good hygiene.

Each animal needs regular veterinary treatment to be healthy. To protect the horse from contagious zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, the veterinarian can suggest a parasite prevention and immunisation strategy. After touching, feeding, or caring for your horse, as well as after cleaning up its waste, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

For small children, adults should oversee hand washing. Use hand sanitiser until you have access to soap and water to wash your hands.

In equestrian and cattle contexts, manure management and parasite/insect control programmes are crucial. The disease can be conveyed by humans through boots, hands, and tools. In order to reduce the risk, proper disinfection procedures should be followed.

Direct touch when handling and grooming horses, contact with contaminated objects like grooming equipment, unintentional ingestion of faeces or urine, or inhalation of aerosolized materials are the main ways that zoonotic diseases from horses are spread. By following the following steps, we can safeguard ourselves against the majority of diseases:

  1. Take care when handling animals to prevent bites, kicks, and other harm.
  2. Wash bite wounds thoroughly and report injuries.
  3. Avoid using tobacco products, eating, drinking, wearing makeup, or petting horses while they are in stalls or enclosures.
  4. Prior to eating or drinking, wash your hands after coming into contact with animals or their faeces.
  5. Dress appropriately to handle large animals, such as long pants and covered shoes or boots (no sandals).
  6. Separately wash the dirty garments on your own, preferably at the animal facility.
  7. When necessary, put on respiratory protection.
  8. Maintain clean animal areas and disinfect equipment used on or in areas with animals.

You may want to read more about horses and their types/breeds.

Filed Under: Animal Diseases, Equines, Public Health, Zoonotic Diseases

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