Scott Weese , an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph, and Public Health and Zoonotic Disease microbiologist for the University’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses is currently conducting research on Streptococcus equi, 'strangles' in horses. His research project, "Molecular epidemiology of Streptococcus equi subsp equi in Ontario horses" is of importance not only to Canadian horse owners, but to horse owners around the world.
A sick horse struggling to breath and coughing
Objectives of the study are to molecularly characterize S. equi from horses in Ontario and to develop an Ontario S. equi typing database for future study and surveillance.
© 2008 by Louis New window.
Streptococcus equi is the cause of ‘strangles’, an important and highly contagious equine disease. In addition to the impact on individual horses, identification of S. equi in a horse may lead to voluntary quarantine of entire facilities or restriction of horses from affected facilities from competition.
The costs of disruptions in training and competition can be substantial, as can the healthcare costs for affected horses and testing costs required for disease control.
Despite its importance in Ontario, little is known about the epidemiology of disease, such as reservoirs and transmission patterns. Molecular typing involves evaluation of part of the bacterium’s gene sequence (in this case, the SeM gene) to identify different strains, and is a key component of studying disease spread. However, there has been limited typing performed internationally, and none reported in Canada.
Development of a typing database will facilitate future research and infection control efforts. As a database of strains grows, more refined information about the role of different strains in disease and spread, and better understanding of how this bacterium circulates in the horse population will be obtained.
The objectives are to molecularly characterize S. equi from horses in Ontario, from sporadic disease and outbreaks, and to develop an Ontario S. equi typing database for future study and surveillance.
For this study, S. equi will be isolated from horses in Ontario through collaboration with the Animal Health Laboratory, OMAFRA and the Ontario Racing Commission. Information about the clinical disease, herd-level disease, transmission on farm and presumed source will be collected. Isolates will be typed by sequence analysis of the SeM gene.
Strangles is an important equine disease and can be severely disruptive to farms or facilities. Greater understanding of the transmission of this bacterium will be useful for infection prevention and control, on facilities and more broadly.
Press release by Equine Guelph