EN
Respiratory tract diseases are distributed in the horse population world-wide and used to be a significant clinical, epidemiological and therapeutic problem in studs, training stables and small farms. Respiratory tract infections occur in horses of all ages regardless of their type of utility. The main role in the aetiology of respiratory tract infections in horses is played by viruses, with the most important being influenza viruses (EIV) and herpesviruses (EHV1 and EHV4). Less important from the clinical and epidemiological point of view is the Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV). Besides viral diseases, bacterial respiratory tract infections, mainly strangles and rhodococcosis, are also an important problem in the horse breeding industry. Control of respiratory tract diseases in horses should be based on a complex procedure including antibiotic therapy, enhancement of the non-specific immunity, devastation of pathogens in the environment, and farm management. The most important procedures, especially concerning viral diseases, are preventive measures achieved by specific prophylaxis. Systematic vaccinations lead to the stimulation of the equine immune system with the generation of protective immunity against infections or reduction their clinical consequences. This paper presents the current state of knowledge on the immunoprophylaxis of the most important respiratory tract infections of horses, with special attention to the vaccinations, with the use of products officially approved in Poland and the EU.