Detection and Genotypic Analysis ofandin Horse Blood and Lung Tissue.

Abstract

A clinical case ofwas reported for the first time in our previous study (2019) in a horse, a nondefinitive host. Althoughis a ruminant and not a zoonotic pathogen, it is responsible for persistent infections in horses. In this follow-up study, the prevalence ofspp., including, was assessed in horse blood and lung tissue samples to fully understandspp. pathogen distribution and the potential risk factors of infection. Among 1696 samples, including 1433 blood samples from farms nationwide and 263 lung tissue samples from horse abattoirs on Jeju Island, a total of 29 samples (1.7%) tested positive forand 31 (1.8%) samples tested positive for, as determined by 16S rRNA nucleotide sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism. This study is the first to detectinfection in horse lung tissue samples. Further studies are needed to clarify the comparison of sample types within cohorts. Although the clinical significance ofinfection was not evaluated in this study, our results emphasize the need to clarify the host tropism and genetic divergence ofto enable the development of effective prevention and control measures through broad epidemiological studies.