engleski

Horse vaccination - trends, benefits and pitfalls

Horses have been used in the past for transportation, warfare and farming purposes, but today, they are more often used for recreation, racing and entertainment. Horse industry with fast development is becoming a very large and important part of local and national economie. These trends are evident in Southern European region too. Horse owner’s requirements are more and more specific and becoming demanding for veterinarian practitioners. Intensified animal transport for competition or breeding purposes changed worldwide epidemiological situation in last few decades with contagious infectious disease becoming the most important health risk factor. Immunoprophylaxis seems to give the best answer to the globalisation of horse infectious diseases with a wide selection of vaccines provided by pharmaceutical industry. There are many available guidelines for vaccination of horses now days, based on mandatory vaccination on state level, vaccination required from particular horse owners association and competition organizations. For optimal protection, vaccination protocol should include epidemiological specificities on a state level, farm level and animal level leading to its individualization. Wide range of commercially available vaccines with sometimes aggressive advertising campaigns could bring up confusion between veterinarian practitioners. All vaccines and vaccination protocols have their own advantages and limitation. For example, usage of inadequate viral strains in influenza vaccine used in Croatia 2004 resulted in an outbreak in vaccinated horse population. Immunoprophylaxis of other common diseases such as equine rhinopneumonitis, equine viral arteritis or in recent years West Nile virus, have some important limitations in field conditions that should be considered before making vaccination protocol. Veterinary practitioners must have wide knowledge about advantages and disadvantages in equine immunoprophylaxis now days. For every single infectious disease, based on epidemiological differences on a state level, farm level, animal level and advantages/disadvantages of commercially available vaccines individual vaccination protocol is necessary for optimal protection.

Horse; vaccination protocol; protection

nije evidentirano