The seroprevalence of Francisella tularensis in horse herds in Turkey.

Tularemia, caused by Francisella tularensis, can exist in nature over a long period of time. The disease can be transmitted by ticks, biting flies, contaminated food and water, and inhalation. F. tularensis infections are particularly common in North America, Europe, and Asia. Tularemia is often water-associated and affects humans and an array of animals, including domestic animals, small wild mammals and fish. The literature about tularemia in horses is limited; however, fever, dyspnea, incoordination and depression have been reported. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of F. tularensis in horse herds in Turkey. A total of 109 horses, aged 36 months and older, were randomly sampled from different regions of Turkey. The serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies to F. tularensis, using the Microagglutination Test (MAT), which has 51% sensitivity and 99% specificity. The overall (animal), within-herd and between-herd apparent seroprevalence values were calculated as 40.4% (95% CI = 31.6 to 49.8%), 41.1% (95 CI = 32.3 to 50.6%) and 81.8% (95% CI = 52.3 to 94.9%), respectively. The Rogan-Gladen estimator was then used to correct the apparent seroprevalence values to true seroprevalence values of 78.7% overall (95% CI = 61.3 to 97.5%), 80.2% within-herd (95 CI = 62.5 to 99.2%), and 161.6% between-herd (95 CI = 103 to 187.7%). The results provide useful information regarding the prevalence of tularemia in horse herds in Kafkas University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Department of Microbiology, which it is hoped will attract the particular attention of veterinarians, enabling the establishment of an efficient control program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]