Equine Infectious Anemia: A Large-Scale Serosurvey in Western Europe

Equine Infectious Anemia Virus in Equids: A Large-Scale Serosurvey in Western Europe

Animals (Basel). 2025 Dec 4;15(23):3499. doi: 10.3390/ani15233499.
Authors
Moisés Gonzálvez 1 2 , Juan J Franco 3 , David Cano-Terriza 1 4 , Jesús Barbero-Moyano 1 , Eduard Jose-Cunilleras 5 , Jesús García 6 , Eduardo Alguacil 7 , Ignacio García-Bocanegra 1 4
Affiliations

1 Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Zoonosis (GISAZ), UIC Zoonosis y Enfermedades Emergentes ENZOEM, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain.
2 Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
3 Gold Standard Diagnostics Madrid, 28037 Madrid, Spain.
4 CIBERINFEC, ISCIII CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
5 Servei de Medicina Interna Equina, Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
6 Fethard Equine Hospital, E91 Y6T8 Tipperary, Ireland.
7 Uplands Way Vets, Diss IP22 2AA, UK.

PMID: 41375557
DOI: 10.3390/ani15233499

Abstract

Background: Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a notifiable disease caused by Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV), with major sanitary and economic importance for equids worldwide. There is limited and outdated information on the circulation of EIAV in many European countries. In the present study, we aimed to assess virus exposure in different equid species in Western Europe.

Methods: Between 2011 and 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of EIAV in 1676 equids (1444 horses, 106 donkeys and 126 mules/hinnies) from four European regions: Andalusia (Southern Spain; n = 808), Catalonia (Northeastern Spain; n = 437), Southeastern United Kingdom (UK; n = 209), and Ireland (n = 222).

Results: None of the analyzed equines tested positive for antibodies against EIAV (0%; 95 %CI: 0.0-0.18), indicating limited virus exposure of the equid populations from these European regions.

Conclusions: This finding is consistent with the low EIAV circulation previously reported in Western Europe and the few official EIA outbreaks recorded in the region during the last decade. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this serosurvey represents the first investigation assessing EIAV exposure in equids from Ireland and the UK. Our results not only provide novel epidemiological evidence for the four European regions assessed but also reinforce the effectiveness of surveillance strategies and control measures implemented by European countries, in accordance with national and international regulations, to successfully limit EIAV circulation.

Keywords: Equine Infectious Anemia; Europe; Lentivirus; donkey; horse; mule.