A survey of equine abortion and perinatal foal losses in Hungary during a three-year period (1998–2000)

Abstract

Cases of equine abortion and perinatal foal losses were investigated in Hungary during a three-year period (1998)(1999)(2000). Samples from aborted equine fetuses and newborn foals (total n = 96) were examined using bacteriological, virological, pathological, immunohistochemical (IHC), molecular biological and serological methods. The cause of abortion and perinatal foal loss was identified in 67/96 cases (70%); viral infection was found in 22 (23%), viral and bacterial coinfection in 1 (1%), bacterial infection in 23 (24%), protozoan infection in 1 (1%) and fungal infection in 2 cases (2%). Morphological lesions suggestive of infection were recorded in 2 (2%) and non-infectious causes in 16 cases (17%).

A 34-year retrospective study of equine viral abortion in Poland

“…In general, equine herpesvirus-associated abortions are more prevalent than abortions caused by EAV. Numerous reports from different countries, where the percentage of EHV1 or EHV4 isolation is much higher than the isolation of EAV, confirm this thesis (Szeredi et al 2008, Laugier et al 2011). Often, EAV was not isolated at all during the observed period , Tengelsen et al 1997, Smith et al 2003.…”

“…Perhaps the decrease of the incidence in abortion caused by a given virus among a horse population results from a partial resistance to the virus after the recovery, and the cyclicity of EHV-1 occurrence does not depend on the cyclicity of EAV infection. It is difficult to refer to similar results, because the available papers involve either a shorter observation period , Szeredi et al 2005, Szeredi et al 2008 or the isolation of EAV occurred only sporadically, e.g. the rate of EAV isolation in France in the years 1986-2009 amounted to 0.005% (Laugier et al 2011), whereas in Poland, in an comparable period, it was 17.5%.…”

Pathology of equine amnionitis and foetal lLoss: clinical and experimental studies

“…In Michigan, over a twelve year period (1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996), and Kentucky, prior to 2001 in the United States, the causes of abortions were inconclusive in 32.7% and 16.9% cases, respectively Giles et al, 1993). Similarly, in a Hungarian study, 30% of abortions remained undetermined and in Italy over 5 years, 35.9% of cases were not given a diagnosis (Szeredi et al, 2008;Marenzoni et al, 2012). In France, over a 24 year period, a cause of abortion was not established in 25.1% of cases submitted for necropsy (Laugier, 2011).…”

“…Of those cases only 14% could be definitively attributed to C. psittici with an accompanying lympho-histiocytic placentitis or, in one case, with a suppurative placentitis (Szeredi et al, 2005). The foetus from that case also had mild interstitial pneumonia with perivasculitis and multifocal necrotizing hepatitis (Szeredi et al, 2008). The majority of cases with positive results for C. psittici also had another co-existing infectious condition (viral, bacterial, protozoal, or fungal) which were thought to be the primary cause of the abortion or a definitive cause for the abortion could not be found (minimal histological change) (Szeredi et al, 2005).…”

“…was associated with an abortion in Hungary with lesions similar to those caused by Aspergillus spp. (Szeredi et al, 2008). Additional fungal organisms reported in association with cases of equine placentitis or abortion include Acholeplasma sp., Bipolaris specifera, Pseudallescheria (Allescheria) boydii, Rhizormucor pusillus and Thermomyces lanugino (Swerczek and Dennis, 2006;Whitwell, 2011).…”