Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Exposure to Equine Coronavirus in Apparently Healthy Horses in Israel.
Authors: Schvartz Gili, Tirosh-Levy Sharon, Barnum Samantha, David Dan, Sol Asaf, Pusterla Nicola, Steinman Amir
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Equine coronavirus (ECoV) has emerged as a cause of enteric disease in adult horses across North America, Europe and Asia, yet its presence in Israel remained undocumented until this seroprevalence investigation. Researchers used a validated S1-based ELISA to test 333 apparently healthy horses across 29 Israeli farms, detecting antibodies against ECoV in 41 animals (12.3%), with exposure confirmed on 58.6% of surveyed farms and varying between 0–37.5% depending on location. Geographical area emerged as the only statistically significant risk factor for exposure (p < 0.001), suggesting either regional clustering of infection or variation in management practices that facilitate transmission. Whilst ECoV typically causes self-limiting disease, the identification of healthy seropositive carriers establishes a reservoir capable of transmitting infection to naive populations, making this pathogen clinically relevant for equine practitioners managing cases of anorexia, fever, lethargy and gastrointestinal signs in Israeli horses. The findings highlight the value of international horse movement surveillance and warrant inclusion of ECoV in differential diagnoses across regions with documented exposure, particularly where breeding or competition activities introduce animals from high-prevalence areas.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Add ECoV to your differential diagnosis list when evaluating adult horses with fever, anorexia, lethargy, and gastrointestinal signs, particularly in Israel
- •Be aware that healthy carrier horses may transmit ECoV to other horses on the same premises; consider epidemiological links when investigating outbreaks
- •Geographic location within Israel appears to be a significant risk factor for ECoV exposure, suggesting regional disease clustering that warrants awareness of local prevalence
Key Findings
- •12.3% (41/333) of apparently healthy horses in Israel were seropositive for ECoV
- •ECoV exposure detected on 58.6% (17/29) of farms sampled, with seroprevalence ranging from 0-37.5% between farms
- •Geographical area was the only significant risk factor associated with ECoV exposure (p < 0.001)
- •This is the first report of ECoV exposure in horses in Israel, suggesting importation/exportation has increased disease risk