LAUSR

BACKGROUND Infectious respiratory disease is common in young horses and can impact athletic performance and long-term health. Significant variation in the duration of clinical disease has been observed, even in the absence of secondary complications. The determination of factors associated with disease chronicity may facilitate clinical decision-making and the development of improved biosecurity protocols. OBJECTIVE To investigate contact network characteristics, and demographic variables associated with time to clinical recovery from Equine Rhinitis A virus respiratory disease. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort study. METHODS Yearling Standardbred racehorses (n = 58) housed in a multi-barn training facility in Southern Ontario were included. Horses were monitored daily for clinical signs of acute respiratory disease over a 41-day period in Autumn 2017. Contact patterns between horses, including older racehorses, were determined through use of proximity loggers attached to halters during the initial 7-days of the study. Associations between duration of disease, demographic factors (birth month, gait, sex, and yearling sale), serologic titres, and network metrics (degree, betweenness, and Eigenvector centrality) were investigated using a Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS Yearling attack rate for infectious respiratory disease was 87.9% (n = 51). Median time to recovery was 6 days (IQR = 1-32) and 17 horses were censored due to early withdrawal or failure to recover during the study period. In those yearlings born February-May, birth month was significant in the Cox proportional hazard model (Hazard Ratio 0.7, 95% CI 0.49-1, p = 0.05). MAIN LIMITATION Probability of censoring was not independent of outcome which necessitated use of sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest late born foals are less likely to recover quickly from infectious respiratory disease.