Seroepidemiological Survey of Chlamydial Infections in Light Horses in Japan

Abstract

To investigate the overall prevalance of chlamydial infections in light (i.e. non-draught) horses in Japan, 599 sera obtained from 12 localities in 1991 were tested for complement fixation antibodies. The mean antibody positive rates of the all sera were 15.2% (91/599) and the regional positive rates were higher in Honshu (19.1%, 48/251) and Kyushu (20.0%, 20/100) than in Hokkaido (9.3%, 23/248). In Honshu, the highest rate (56.0%, 28/50) was observed in Utsunomiya. Analysis of the positive rate in different age groups showed that the 2-5 years age-group had the highest prevalance of chlamydial infections. This indicates that chlamydial infection is prevalant in light horses in Japan. © 1993, JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE. All rights reserved.