Resumeq: A Novel Way of Monitoring Equine Diseases Through the Centralization of Necropsy Data.
Authors: Tapprest Jackie, Foucher Nathalie, Linster Maud, Laloy Eve, Cordonnier Nathalie, Amat Jean-Philippe, Hendrikx Pascal
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Resumeq: Centralising Equine Mortality Data for Disease Surveillance France's national equine mortality surveillance network, Resumeq, represents a systematic approach to understanding causes of equine death through standardized necropsy data collection and epidemiological analysis across veterinary schools, diagnostic laboratories, and clinical facilities. The network, operational since 2015, employs uniform post-mortem protocols and a standardized anatomopathological terminology system to ensure consistency in data entry to a national database, with results accessible via an interactive web platform for contributing institutions. Analysis of approximately 1,000 centralized necropsies has successfully identified and ranked principal causes of mortality, whilst also revealing geographic variation in disease occurrence—predominantly concentrated in western France, though coverage continues to expand. This surveillance infrastructure demonstrates clear capacity to detect emerging threats and track disease evolution at local, regional, and national levels, providing practitioners with epidemiologically robust intelligence on equine health risks affecting their populations. Should similar countries adopt comparable standardized systems and coordinate their data, an international necropsy network could emerge, substantially enhancing our collective capacity to identify transboundary disease threats and inform evidence-based clinical and management strategies across regions.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Participating laboratories and clinics can use Resumeq to benchmark local mortality causes against regional and national trends, helping identify emerging disease threats early
- •Standardized necropsy data collection and centralization provides epidemiological insights that can inform preventive health strategies and resource allocation at facility and regional levels
- •This model demonstrates that multi-institutional collaboration on disease surveillance is operationally feasible and generates actionable intelligence for the equine industry
Key Findings
- •Resumeq successfully centralized necropsy data from ~1,000 equine cases across 4 veterinary schools, 17 laboratories, and 10 clinics to enable national mortality surveillance
- •The system identified that most equine deaths were concentrated in western France, with geographic coverage gradually expanding
- •Standardized necropsy protocols, anatomopathological thesaurus, and web-based tools enabled ranking of major causes of death at local, regional, and national levels
- •The surveillance system demonstrated feasibility for early detection of emerging equine diseases and could potentially expand internationally