Evaluation of Current Equine Influenza Vaccination Protocols Prior to Shipment, Guided by OIE Standards.

To facilitate the temporary importation of horses for competition and racing purposes, with a minimum risk of transmitting equine influenza, the World Organisation for Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties, or OIE), formally engaged in a public-private partnership with the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) and the International Federation for Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) to establish, within the context of existing OIE standards, a science-based rationale to identify the ideal time period for equine influenza vaccination prior to shipment. Field trials using vaccines based on different technologies were carried out on three continents. The antibody response post-booster vaccination at intervals aligned with the different rules/recommendations of the OIE, FEI, and IFHA, was monitored by single radial haemolysis.

Erysipelothrix Septicaemia and Hepatitis in a Colony of Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti).

This report describes an outbreak of erysipelas in a colony of captive Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti). The only previously reported case in a related species was of an individual little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor). Five Humboldt penguins in a mixed colony displayed non-specific signs of illness, including lethargy, inappetence and regurgitation after movement for exhibit upgrading.

Isolation and characterization of equine influenza virus (H3N8) from an equine influenza outbreak in Malaysia in 2015.

Equine influenza is a major cause of respiratory infections in horses and can spread rapidly despite the availability of commercial vaccines. In this study, we carried out molecular characterization of Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) isolated from the Malaysian outbreak in 2015 by sequencing of the HA and NA gene segments using Sanger sequencing. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of HA and NA were compared with representative Florida clade 1 and clade 2 strains using phylogenetic analysis.