Exotic threats to UK equines

Abstract

Historically, veterinary surgeons in the UK have had little cause to consider many vector-borne infections that are of great significance elsewhere in the world. Primarily this has reflected the combination of a lack of the required vectors and climate conditions for disease transmission, combined with the geographical barrier to disease entry that being a small island provides. In recent years there have been significant changes in the global distribution of vector-borne diseases, and it has been suggested that these are associated with climate change and the increasing international movement of animals and animal products. Veterinary surgeons attending cases with clinical findings consistent with exotic disease, in particular in any equids that have travelled or are housed with equids that have travelled, must remain vigilant to the possibility of the disease occurring in areas currently considered disease-free. This article focuses on three such diseases that increasingly threaten the UK equine population: African horse sickness, piroplasmosis and West Nile virus infection.