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Home / Equine Research Bank / Viruses / A Point Mutation in a Herpesvirus Co-Determines Neuropathoge...
Viruses2017; 9(1); 6; doi: 10.3390/v9010006

A Point Mutation in a Herpesvirus Co-Determines Neuropathogenicity and Viral Shedding.

Abstract: A point mutation in the DNA polymerase gene in equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is one determinant for the development of neurological disease in horses. Three recently conducted infection experiments using domestic horses and ponies failed to detect statistically significant differences in viral shedding between the neuropathogenic and non-neuropathogenic variants. These results were interpreted as suggesting the absence of a consistent selective advantage of the neuropathogenic variant and therefore appeared to be inconsistent with a systematic increase in the prevalence of neuropathogenic strains. To overcome potential problems of low statistical power related to small group sizes in these infection experiments, we integrated raw data from all three experiments into a single statistical analysis. The results of this combined analysis showed that infection with the neuropathogenic EHV-1 variant led to a statistically significant increase in viral shedding. This finding is consistent with the idea that neuropathogenic strains could have a selective advantage and are therefore systematically increasing in prevalence in domestic horse populations. However, further studies are required to determine whether a selective advantage indeed exists for neuropathogenic strains.
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Publication Date: 2017-01-10 PubMed ID: 28075374PubMed Central: PMC5294975DOI: 10.3390/v9010006Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research discusses how a specific mutation in the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) gene can cause neurological disease in horses, affecting viral shedding rates. It investigates whether the neuropathogenic variant has a selective advantage over non-neuropathogenic variants.

Objective and Methods of the Study

  • The purpose of this research was to understand how a point mutation in the DNA polymerase gene in equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) contributes towards neuropathogenicity and changes in viral shedding.
  • The researchers performed several infection experiments using domestic horses and ponies to compare viral shedding between neuropathogenic (disease-causing) and non-neuropathogenic variants of EHV-1.

Initial Results and Assumptions

  • Contrary to what might be expected, initial experiments did not show a significant difference in viral shedding between both variants.
  • This result was interpreted as having no evidence for a consistent selective advantage of the neuropathogenic variant, contrary to theories suggesting an increase of neuropathogenic strains in the domestic horse population.

Refinement of the Analysis Method

  • In efforts to evade the issue of low statistical power due to small group sizes in individual experiments, the researchers combined raw data from all experiments for a single statistical analysis.
  • This integrated analysis method improved the statistical strength of the results compared to the individual experiments.

New Findings and Future Directions

  • The revised analysis showed that horses infected with the neuropathogenic variant exhibited a statistically significant increase in viral shedding compared to the non-neuropathogenic variant.
  • These findings suggest that neuropathogenic strains might indeed have a selective advantage, consistent with increases in prevalence observed in domestic horse populations.
  • However, to validate these results, the researchers recommend additional studies to better determine if such selective advantage exists.

Cite This Article

APA
Franz M, Goodman LB, Van de Walle GR, Osterrieder N, Greenwood AD. (2017). A Point Mutation in a Herpesvirus Co-Determines Neuropathogenicity and Viral Shedding. Viruses, 9(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/v9010006

Publication

Viruses
ISSN: 1999-4915
NlmUniqueID: 101509722
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
PII: 6

Researcher Affiliations

Franz, Mathias
  • Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin 10315, Germany. m.franz@izw-berlin.de.
Goodman, Laura B
  • Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. laura.goodman@cornell.edu.
Van de Walle, Gerlinde R
  • Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. grv23@cornell.edu.
Osterrieder, Nikolaus
  • Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert Von Ostertag-Str. 7 - 13, Berlin 14163, Germany. no.34@fu-berlin.de.
Greenwood, Alex D
  • Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin 10315, Germany. greenwood@izw-berlin.de.
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Oertzenweg 19b, Berlin 14163, Germany. greenwood@izw-berlin.de.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Herpesvirus 1, Equid / genetics
  • Herpesvirus 1, Equid / pathogenicity
  • Horses
  • Point Mutation
  • Virulence
  • Virus Shedding

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Sutton G, Garvey M, Cullinane A, Jourdan M, Fortier C, Moreau P, Foursin M, Gryspeerdt A, Maisonnier V, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Legrand L, Paillot R, Pronost S. Molecular Surveillance of EHV-1 Strains Circulating in France during and after the Major 2009 Outbreak in Normandy Involving Respiratory Infection, Neurological Disorder, and Abortion.. Viruses 2019 Oct 4;11(10).
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  2. Garvey M, Lyons R, Hector RD, Walsh C, Arkins S, Cullinane A. Molecular Characterisation of Equine Herpesvirus 1 Isolates from Cases of Abortion, Respiratory and Neurological Disease in Ireland between 1990 and 2017.. Pathogens 2019 Jan 15;8(1).
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  3. Matczuk AK, Skarbek M, Jackulak NA, Bażanów BA. Molecular characterisation of equid alphaherpesvirus 1 strains isolated from aborted fetuses in Poland.. Virol J 2018 Dec 3;15(1):186.
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