REGIONAL SEROPREVALENCE
Northeast — 69.1%
South — 77.0%
Midwest — 76.2%
Pacific Northwest — 69.0%
Southwest — 77.5%
Zoetis announced on Oct. 8, 2015, in Lexington, Kentucky, that they have received USDA approval for their new Lepto EQ Innovator vaccine against leptospirosis caused by Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona. The vaccine was designed to potentially help reduce the risk of equine recurrent uveitis, abortion or acute renal failure caused by L. pomona.
Leptospirosis is a difficult disease to diagnose in horses. Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona, acquired from wildlife and domestic host species, is the leptospiral serovar most frequently associated with clinical disease in horses in North America.A1, A2
The estimated economic impact of Leptospira-associated equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) in the U.S., including the cost of diagnosis, treatment and loss in horse value due
to visual impairment or blindness, was $2.1 billion.6-12
Serologic studies conducted by Zoetis showed that exposure to Leptospira may be more prevalent than previously understood.1, 2 In a 2014 study of 5,261 healthy horses, 75% of the horses tested positive for at least one leptospiral serovar.1
The vaccine was shown to be 99.8% reaction-free in recent field studies 13,14
Editor’s note: More information on Lepto EQ Innovator will be coming soon, so check back on EquiManagement.com for additional resources.
References
1. Data on file, Study Report No. Restricted Grant-FTLEPTO13 (v1.0) TI-01366, Zoetis Inc.
2. Carter, C.N.; Cohen, N.; Steinman, M.N.; Smith, J.L.; Erol, E.; Brown, S. Seroepidemiology of equine leptospirosis utilizing diagnostic laboratory specimens from 29 states (US) and one Canadian province, in Proceedings. 55th Annu AAVLD Meet 2012;51.
3. Divers, T.J.; Chang, Y-F. Leptospirosis. In: Robinson, N.E.; Sprayberry, K.A., eds. Current Therapy in Equine Medicine. Vol 6. 6th ed. St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier;2009:145-147.
4. Data on file, Study Report No. B850R-US-12-011, Zoetis Inc.
5. Erol, E.; Jackson, C.B.; Steinman, M., et al. A diagnostic evaluation of real-time PCR, fluorescent agglutination tests in cases of equine leptospiral abortion. Equine Vet J. 2015;47(2):171-174.
6. Polle, F.; Storey, E.; Eades, S., et al. Role of intraocular Leptospira infections in the pathogenesis of equine recurrent uveitis in the southern United States. J Equine Vet Sci. 2014;34:1300-1306.
7. Borstel, M.V.; Oey, L.; Strutzberg-Minder, K.; Boeve, M.H.; Ohnesorge, B. Direkter und indirekter Nachweis von Leptospiren aus Glasköperproben von Pferden mit ERU. Pferdeheilkunde. 2010;2(März/April):219-225.
8. Gerding, J.C.; Gilger, B.C. Prognosis and impact of equine recurrent uveitis. Equine Vet J. In press. doi: 10.1111/evj.12451.
9 Faber, N.A.; Crawford, M.; LeFebvre, R.B.; Buyukmihci, N.C.; Madigan, J.E.; Willis, N.H. Detection of Leptospira spp. In the aqueous humor of horses with naturally acquired recurrent uveitis. J Clin Microbiol. 2000;38(7):2731-2733.
10. Dwyer, A.E.; Kalsow, C.M. Visual prognosis in horses with uveitis, in Proceedings. Amer Soc Vet Ophthalmol Annu Meet 1998;1-8.
11. GAO. Horse Welfare: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter. Available at: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-228. Published June 22, 2011. Accessed September 28, 2015.
12. Pick, M.; von Salis, B.; Schuele, E.; Schön, P. Der Verkehrswert des Pferdes und seine Minderungen (“Value of horses and its depreciations”). 3rd ed. Berlin, Germany: Veterinärspiegel Verlag GmbH; 2012.
13. Data on file, Study Report No. B951R-US-13-043, Zoetis Inc.
14. Data on file, Study Report No. B951R-US-13-046, Zoetis Inc.
Additional Resources
A1. Divers TJ, Chang Y-F. Leptospirosis. In: Robinson NE, Sprayberry KA, eds. Current
Therapy in Equine Medicine. Vol 6. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Saunders Elsevier;2009:145–147.
A2. Thomas H. Leptospirosis in horses. Equine Chronicle. Available at:
www.equinechronicle.com/leptospirosis-inhorses. Accessed June 23, 2015.
