Epidemiology of Equine Influenza in Horses in Taiwan

馬流行性感冒（Equine Influenza, EI）為高接觸之傳染性疾病。馬流感病毒為正黏液病毒科（Orthomyxoviridae）之A型流行感冒病毒（Influenza virus A），可感染所有年齡層之馬匹，其中以年輕馬較易感染。然而近十年內臺灣地區並無馬流行性感冒之流行病學調查。為了解臺灣馬匹馬流行性感冒之現況，於2010年5月至10月分別於臺灣北部（台北、桃園）、中部（新竹、苗栗、台中）、南部（高雄、屏東）和東部（花蓮、台東），採集全臺馬場217匹馬之頸靜脈血液樣本，對馬流行性感冒病毒抗體進行酵素連結免疫吸收分析（enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA）血清學檢測。結果顯示217個樣本的陽性率約為47%（103/217），其中大部分血清學檢驗呈陽性的馬場集中於北部、中部和南部。藉由統計軟體分析後，血清學陽性之馬場只和地域有關，和年齡、品種、來源、以及馬場附近是否有稻田或豬舍等因素皆無顯著差異。因此，未來防治馬流行性感冒的重點應集中於臺灣的北部、中部和南部地區。

關鍵字

流行病學；馬流行性感冒；馬

並列摘要

Equine influenza (EI) is an acute, highly contagious disease worldwide. The EI virus belongs to the influenza virus A class of the Orthomyxoviridae family. Horses of all ages are susceptible to EI, especially foals. However, no epidemiologic evaluations of EI in Taiwan have been conducted within the past 10 years. To describe the current epidemiology of EI among horses in Taiwan, 217 samples of equine serum were collected from horses from 23 horse fields in 4 different regions of Taiwan between May and October 2010, i.e., the northern region (Taipei and Taoyuan), the central region (Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Taichung), the southern region (Kaohsiung and Pingtung), and the eastern region (Hualien and Taitung). Samples were tested with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Overall, approximately 47% (103/217) of samples were seropositive to EI. In addition, the highest prevalence of EI was seen in horse fields concentrated in northern, central, and southern regions of Taiwan. We used statistical methods to analyze the seroprevalance of EI in Taiwan and assess our ELISA results. Except for region, no significant associations between EI antibody prevalence and horse age, gender, origin, or proximity to rice or pig farms (P ＞ 0.05). Therefore, future prevention of EI should be focused on northern, central, and southern regions of Taiwan.

並列關鍵字

epidemiology ； equine influenza ； horse

國際替代計量

Epidemiology of Equine Influenza in Horses in Taiwan

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