Integrated molecular and serological survey of Rhodococcus equi in horses from three regions of Kazakhstan

Makpal Zanilabdin, G. D. Ilgekbayeva, Bauyrzhan Otarbayev, Raikhan K. Nissanova, Gulzhan Mussayeva, Shinji Takaı̈, Yasunori Suzuki, Tsutomu Kakuda, Serikzhan Kurman, Yerken Kassymov

1 more author

B. A. Valieva

Data confidence 70 medium

How this score is calculated

It is built from checkable properties of the record itself: whether the article has a DOI, how many independent sources confirmed its data, whether the required fields are filled in, and how recent the latest confirmation is. Disagreement between sources and a missing identifier lower it. A value of 80 or above means the record was published without further checking; 60 to 79 means it is published at reduced confidence, with a manual check advisable. A record verified by an editor by hand is never pushed below 90 by a recalculation. This scores our data about the article, not the article itself.

Abstract

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.