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DNA test detects Lyme disease in horses
"The method is like having a special, specific 'fishhook' that only grabs Borrelia DNA and not the DNA of other microbes, nor the DNA of the host" - Prof Steven Schutzer.
The method works by isolating DNA from the microorganism causing the disease.  
 
A team of scientists from New Jersey have developed an advanced DNA test capable of identifying Lyme disease in a sick horse.

Professor Steven Schutzer, a professor of medicine at Rutgers University, and his team used their “genomic hybrid capture assay” to detect the disease agent – Borrelia burgdorferi – in a sample of the horse's spinal fluid. 

The test, described in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, works by isolating DNA from the microorganism causing the disease. 

Schutzer explained: "The method is like having a special, specific 'fishhook' that only grabs Borrelia DNA and not the DNA of other microbes, nor the DNA of the host (animal or human). Detecting DNA of the disease is a direct test, meaning we know you have active disease if it's circulating in the blood or spinal fluid.”

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the US, transmitted to humans and animals by ticks. In horses, symptoms can include chronic weight loss, lameness and low-grade fever.

Usually, when a Lyme disease infection is suspected, antibody tests are administered. However, in the case of an 11-year-old Swedish warmblood mare, a standard PCR and antibody test did not detect an infection. 

It was Schutzer's advanced test that ultimately detected the pathogen, allowing Lyme disease to be diagnosed and successfully treated.

Professor Thomas Divers, a veterinary surgeon who led the equine team on the paper, said: "The diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (Neurologic Lyme disease) in horses is rarely confirmed antemortem and has frustrated veterinarians for years. 

“This is a very promising technique. Focused treatment against B. burgdorferi administered in this case resulted in the horse's complete athletic recovery."

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
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RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."