Work

Mosquito Exposure Risks in Equine Facilities: An Environmental–Managerial Assessment in Western Romania

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne zoonosis with recurrent equine and human cases in Romania. Horses, although dead-end hosts, act as sentinels for local viral circulation. Farm-level risk conditions remain under-characterized. This pilot, exploratory cross-sectional study assessed 42 equine facilities in western Romania (2024). A standardized 10-item checklist was applied and a Composite Environmental Risk Score (CERS) (0-10, unweighted) was computed per facility. Spatial analysis in QGIS included distances to nearby water bodies. No serological or entomological data were collected; these are recommended for future validation. Stagnant water occurred at 71.4% (30/42) of facilities, uncovered rain-collecting containers at 64.3% (27/42), and outdoor housing of horses at 81.0% (34/42). Insect screens were present at 21.4% (9/42) and chemical/biological control at 33.3% (14/42). By design, the CERS ranged from 0 to 10; in our sample the observed range was 0-8 because not all assessed risk conditions co-occurred across sites. Overall, 42.9% (18/42) were classified as high risk (≥6). Neurological signs were reported anecdotally by some managers but were not analyzed. Mosquito-favorable conditions are widespread in Romanian equine facilities. CERS shows promise as a low-cost, rapid tool for routine facility-level assessment of environmental conditions favoring mosquito presence and prioritization of preventive actions. Integrating environmental risk scoring with entomological and serological surveillance could strengthen One Health early-warning systems. Such integration would support prevention of WNV and other mosquito-borne zoonotic pathogens in endemic European settings.

Source: Microorganisms

DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13112637