Abstract
Bio‐Strath® is a plasmolyzed yeast product enriched with herbs, malt, honey and orange juice. In this study, the effect of Equi‐Strath®, the adapted product for horses, on the equine immune system was evaluated. A routine influenza booster vaccination was used as a model to study the effects of Equi‐Strath® supplementation on the immune response. Twenty healthy Franches‐Montagnes stallions with pre‐existing antibody levels were randomly divided into a study group (SG, n = 10) receiving 0.06 mL/kg bodyweight of Equi‐Strath®, and a control group (CG, n = 10), receiving the same amount of placebo, daily. The supplement and placebo were given from week 1 until week 14 of the trial. After 10 weeks, the horses were vaccinated with a commercial vaccine containing equine influenza strains of the H3N8 subtype. Antibody titres in blood were measured at day 0 before vaccination, and 14 and 32 days after vaccination. In addition, a complete blood count (CBC) was performed on day 0 and day 32. A linear increase of haemagglutination inhibition titres in both groups was observed after vaccination, but with no difference between treatment groups. CBC components remained unaffected by treatment. In conclusion, daily Equi‐Strath® supplementation did not affect the adaptive immune response in stallions after a routine commercial H3N8 influenza booster vaccination.
Highlights
Successful equine influenza vaccination in horses stimulates an immune response, resulting in an increase of the antigen-specific antibody production (Van Maanen & Cullinane 2002)
The present study examined the effect of Equi-Strathâ supplementation on antibody production and haematological parameters in response to a H3N8 influenza booster vaccination in healthy Franches-Montagnes stallions
The results of the present study showed a numerically linear increase in haemagglutination inhibition titres in both groups after vaccination
Summary
Successful equine influenza vaccination in horses stimulates an immune response, resulting in an increase of the antigen-specific antibody production (Van Maanen & Cullinane 2002). The extent of the immune response, may be affected by several factors. Folsom et al (2001) observed how exercise alters the immune response to equine influenza virus and may increase susceptibility to infection in ponies. Dietary effects on the immune response in horses have been reported. It was shown by several groups that dietary consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can positively affect the immune system in horses (Curtis et al 2000; Adam et al 2003). A greater antigen-specific antibody response to equine influenza was found in mature horses supplemented with a fourfold increased amount of vitamin E (Baalsrud & Overnes 1986). There are reports with dietary supplements that show unaffected influenza vaccination responses (Brummer et al 2013) or decreasing immunoglobulin concentrations in response to vaccination (Koke et al 2015)
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