Overweight horses seem to be becoming more common. This is
despite the fact that obesity is recognized as causing significant problems in
horses. It is linked with Equine
Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and insulin resistance, often resulting in laminitis.
Obesity in humans has been reported to depress the response
to vaccination. Does the same thing happen in horses? Researchers at the M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, in the
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington,
investigated.
Twenty-five adult horses of various breeds were enrolled in
the study; 13 with EMS and 12 without. Four horses in each group were left
unvaccinated as controls and received saline injections; the rest received two
doses of a commercial equine influenza vaccine three weeks apart.
The research team took blood samples to assess the response
to treatment. Antibody levels (hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titres and
equine influenza specific IgGa, IgGb, and IgGT) were measured before and at
weekly intervals after vaccination. Cell
mediated immune (CMI) responses were assessed by real-time polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
They found that all horses receiving influenza vaccination
responded with significant increases (P < 0.05) in HI titres, and IgGa and
IgGb equine influenza specific antibodies compared to
saline controls.
EMS had no significant effect on humoral immune responses to influenza vaccination as
measured by HI titres or IgG antibody. There was, however, an effect on CMI
responses. Influenza-vaccinated EMS horses had lower gene expression of IFN-γ
(P = 0.02) and IL-2 (P = 0.01) compared to vaccinated non-EMS control horses.
The authors conclude that, while metabolic status does not
influence humoral responses to an inactivated influenza vaccine in horses,
horses with EMS appear to have a reduced CMI response to vaccination compared
to metabolically normal, non-EMS control horses.
For more details, see:
Humoral and
cell-mediated immune responses to influenza vaccination in equine metabolic
syndrome (EMS) horses
Sarah Elzinga,
Stephanie Reedy, Virginia D.Barker, Thomas M.Chambers, Amanda A.Adams
Veterinary
Immunology and Immunopathology (2018) Vol199, Pages 32-38
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