The clinical features, pathobiology, and epidemiology of influenza infections in horses

Bearing the brunt: Mongolian khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus) are exposed to multiple influenza A strains

“…Influenza A/H3N8 or equine-2 was subsequently reported and remains the major cause of equine influenza ( 2 ). While H7N7 EIV is thought to be equine-specific with limited but unique variation in the HA gene ( 3 ), H3N8 EIV appear to bind to avian-like receptors in the upper respiratory tract of horses suggesting a recent avian origin of the strain ( 4 ). Moreover, previous H3N8 influenza virus outbreaks in dogs ( 5 ), their isolation from a Bactrian camel in Mongolia ( 6 ), and some evidence for human infection ( 7 ), indicate that horses are not the only host for H3N8 viruses, and that their zoonotic potential might be underappreciated.…”