Epidemiology of Japanese Encephalitis in Horses in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chia-Yung Lin, 林嘉勇
• Other Authors: Ying-Ling Wu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/58278902678089697709

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 臨床動物醫學研究所 === 99 === The Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a zoonotic and important disease in Taiwan. For studying the epidemiology of JE and a further prevention and control of this disease, a blood survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence rate of antibodies to JE and the virus antigens in horses in Taiwan from May to Oct, 2010. A total of 217 blood samples of horses were collected from 23 horse fields. The target population for the survey was divided into four geographical regions, namely, the northern region (Taipei, Taoyuan), the central region (Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung), the southern region (Kaohsiung, Pingtung), and the eastern region (Hualien, Taitung). The blood were tested with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to investigate the specific antigen site of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and the serum was evaluated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies against JEV respectively. The results of RT-PCR and IgM ELISA test were all negative, but the positive rate of IgG antibodies to JE was 94% (204/217). The prevalence rate of IgG antibodies was not sex-, age-, breed-, region-, management-, and vaccine-dependent but closely related to rice fields, pigs or birds nearby.