Integrated molecular and serological survey of Rhodococcus equi in horses from three regions of Kazakhstan
Zanilabdin M. Ilgekbayeva G. Otarbayev B. Nissanova R. Mussayeva G. Takai S. Suzuki Y. Kakuda T. Kurman S. Kassymov Y. Valiyeva B.
2025Frontiers Media SA
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
2025#12
Introduction: Rhodococcus equi is a facultative intracellular pathogen causing bronchopneumonia in foals; data from Central Asia are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional serological and molecular survey in horses from three regions of Kazakhstan (Kyzylorda, Almaty, Akmola). Methods: Sera from 312 animals (272 adults, 40 foals) on 20 farms were tested by indirect ELISA. Selected clinical samples underwent culture, PCR, and 16S rRNA sequencing. Results: Overall seroprevalence was 8.3% (26/312; 95% CI 5.8–11.9). Positivity among foals was 25.0% (10/40; 95% CI 14.2–40.2) versus 5.9% (16/272; 95% CI 3.7–9.3) in adults, with farm-level clusters observed in the Almaty region. R. equi was isolated from three foals; a representative sequence was deposited (GenBank OP448586). Discussion: Phylogenetic analysis placed the Kazakhstani isolate within a clade of equine-associated R. equi strains reported from Europe and East Asia (>99.5% identity). We provide molecularly confirmed evidence of R. equi circulation in horses from three regions of Kazakhstan, with higher seropositivity in foals and focal farm-level clustering. Findings support the need for broader geographic sampling, test validation against reference sera, and incorporation of management/risk-factor data. Limitations include the regional scope, small number of foals, and absence of environmental or human sampling. Copyright
equine respiratory disease , Kazakhstan , molecular epidemiology , phylogenetic analysis , Rhodococcus equi , seroprevalence , zoonotic pathogen
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Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, Faculty of Veterinary and Zooengineering, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Virology Laboratory, Kazakh Scientific Research Veterinary Institute, Almaty, Kazakhstan
National Veterinary Reference Center, Almaty, Kazakhstan
School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Towada, Japan
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Japan
Kazakh National Agrarian Research University
Virology Laboratory
National Veterinary Reference Center
School of Veterinary Medicine
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
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