A retrospective study on equine herpesvirus type-1 associated myeloencephalopathy in France (2008-2011).
Abstract: Diagnosis of equine herpesvirus-1 associated myeloencephalopathy (EHM) can be troublesome, but early recognition and knowledge of risk factors are essential for prevention and control. The objectives for this study are to (1) describe EHM in France, (2) improve clinical recognition, (3) identify risk factors. Through epidemiosurveillance of acute neurological cases (all considered to be potentially infectious cases) in France (2008-2011), 26 EHM cases were identified and 29 EHM negative control cases. EHM cases were described and compared to controls with univariate, multivariate and classification and regression tree analysis. EHM cases had a 46% fatality rate and were frequently isolated cases. Most showed ataxia, paresis and a cauda equina syndrome, yet presence of other neurological signs was variable. Statistical analysis identified the following variables to be significantly associated to EHM compared to controls: introduction of a new horse to the herd, cauda equina syndrome, larger herd size, saddle horses and month of occurrence. The presence of many isolated cases, and less typical and variable clinical presentations emphasize the difficulty in diagnosing EHM. Nevertheless, history and clinical examination of acute neurological cases can be valuable in recognizing EHM early as well in order to select those cases that need further laboratory testing and infection control measures. Moreover, with a different study format and geographic location, risk factors were found to be similar to previous studies, therefore strengthening their significance to the spread of EHM.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2015-07-08 PubMed ID: 26228835DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.07.003Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Equine Herpesvirus
- Horses
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Neurological Diseases
- Retrospective Study
- Risk Factors
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Practice
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The research article presents a retrospective study on the myeloencephalopathy associated with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHM) in France between 2008 and 2011 with the goals of describing its occurrence, improving its clinical recognition, and identifying its risk factors.
Overview and objective of the study
- The study aimed to understand, describe, and improve the clinical recognition of EHM, a debilitating neurological condition in horses caused by equine herpesvirus-1.
- The condition, while hard to diagnose, is critical to catch early for effective control and prevention.
- The research also sought to identify risk factors of EHM to aid in prevention strategies.
Methodology
- This was a retrospective study which reviewed cases from 2008 to 2011.
- Through epidemiosurveillance of acute neurological cases (considered potentially infectious), the researchers identified 26 EHM cases and compared them to 29 control cases which were EHM negative.
- Univariate, multivariate, and classification and regression tree analysis were used for comparison and analysis of the cases.
Findings
- The researchers discovered that EHM had a fatality rate of 46% and cases were often isolated.
- Most of the affected horses exhibited ataxia (loss of full control of bodily movements), paresis (weakness of voluntary movement), and a cauda equina syndrome (a condition affecting the bundle of nerve roots at the end of the vertebral column).
- Other neurological signs were variable and less typical, adding to the difficulty in diagnosing EHM.
- Statistical analysis pointed out certain factors to be significantly associated with EHM, including introduction of a new horse to the herd, cauda equina syndrome, larger herd size, saddle horses, and the month of occurrence.
Implications of the study
- The study underscores the importance of history and clinical examination in the early diagnosis of EHM, which in turn can determine cases that require further laboratory testing and infection control measures.
- Identification of similar risk factors in different study formats and geographical locations strengthens their significance in the spread of EHM, which can be useful in framing preventive measures.
Cite This Article
APA
van Galen G, Leblond A, Tritz P, Martinelle L, Pronost S, Saegerman C.
(2015).
A retrospective study on equine herpesvirus type-1 associated myeloencephalopathy in France (2008-2011).
Vet Microbiol, 179(3-4), 304-309.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.07.003 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Science (UREAR-ULg), Department of Infectious and Parasitic diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium. Electronic address: gaby@equinespecialists.eu.
- UR 346 Animal Epidemiology INRA Theix, Vetagrosup, Equine Department, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Réseau d'Epidémio-Surveillance en Pathologie Equine (RESPE), Mondeville, France.
- Réseau d'Epidémio-Surveillance en Pathologie Equine (RESPE), Mondeville, France; Veterinary Clinic of Faulquemont, Faulquemont, France; Committee of Infectious Diseases of the French Equine Veterinary Association (Association Vétérinaire Equine Francaise-AVEF), France.
- Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Science (UREAR-ULg), Department of Infectious and Parasitic diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
- Réseau d'Epidémio-Surveillance en Pathologie Equine (RESPE), Mondeville, France; Frank Duncombe Laboratory-LABEO, Caen, France; Normandie Université, Unité Risques Microbiens (U2RM), 14000 Caen, France.
- Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Science (UREAR-ULg), Department of Infectious and Parasitic diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium; Réseau d'Epidémio-Surveillance en Pathologie Equine (RESPE), Mondeville, France.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Encephalomyelitis / epidemiology
- Encephalomyelitis / veterinary
- Encephalomyelitis / virology
- France / epidemiology
- Herpesviridae Infections / epidemiology
- Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
- Herpesviridae Infections / virology
- Herpesvirus 1, Equid / isolation & purification
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Barbosa JD, Lins AMC, Bomjardim HDA, Silveira NDSES, Barbosa CC, Beuttemmuller EA, Brito MF, Salvarani FM. Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 Myeloencephalitis in the Brazilian Amazon. Animals (Basel) 2022 Dec 23;13(1).
- Carvelli A, Nielsen SS, Paillot R, Broglia A, Kohnle L. Clinical impact, diagnosis and control of Equine Herpesvirus-1 infection in Europe. EFSA J 2022 Apr;20(4):e07230.
- Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Canali E, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Gonzales Rojas JL, Gortázar C, Herskin M, Michel V, Miranda Chueca MÁ, Roberts HC, Padalino B, Pasquali P, Spoolder H, Ståhl K, Calvo AV, Viltrop A, Winckler C, Carvelli A, Paillot R, Broglia A, Kohnle L, Baldinelli F, Van der Stede Y. Assessment of listing and categorisation of animal diseases within the framework of the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) No 2016/429): infection with Equine Herpesvirus-1. EFSA J 2022 Jan;20(1):e07036.
- Lecollinet S, Pronost S, Coulpier M, Beck C, Gonzalez G, Leblond A, Tritz P. Viral Equine Encephalitis, a Growing Threat to the Horse Population in Europe?. Viruses 2019 Dec 24;12(1).
- Oladunni FS, Horohov DW, Chambers TM. EHV-1: A Constant Threat to the Horse Industry. Front Microbiol 2019;10:2668.
- de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Vitale V, Velloso Alvarez A, Neira-Egea P, Diss C, Cuervo-Arango J. The Effect of Vaccination Status on Total Lymphocyte Count in Horses Affected by Equine Herpes Virus-1 Myeloencephalopathy. Animals (Basel) 2025 Apr 1;15(7).
- de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Velloso Alvarez A, Santiago-Llorente I, Armengou L, Nieto F, Ríos J, Cruz-López F, Jose-Cunilleras E. Risk Factors and Long-Term Outcomes in Horses After the 2021 Outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus 1 Myeloencephalopathy, Valencia, Spain. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70040.
- Mohamed E, Zarak I, Vereecke N, Theuns S, Laval K, Nauwynck H. Genomic analysis and replication kinetics of the closely related EHV-1 neuropathogenic 21P40 and abortigenic 97P70 strains. Vet Res 2025 Jan 13;56(1):12.
- de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Velloso Alvarez A, Cárdenas-Rebollo JM, Neira-Egea P, Vitale V, Cuervo-Arango J. Comparison of clinical variables and outcome of 2 natural equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy outbreaks induced by equine herpesvirus-1 A2254/N752 strain in sport horses. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Jan-Feb;39(1):e17287.
- Hu Y, Zhang SY, Sun WC, Feng YR, Gong HR, Ran DL, Zhang BZ, Liu JH. Breaking Latent Infection: How ORF37/38-Deletion Mutants Offer New Hope against EHV-1 Neuropathogenicity. Viruses 2024 Sep 16;16(9).
- de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Velloso Alvarez A, Neira-Egea P, Cuervo-Arango J. Long-term performance of show-jumping horses and relationship with severity of ataxia and complications associated with myeloencephalopathy caused by equine herpes virus-1. J Vet Intern Med 2024 May-Jun;38(3):1799-1807.
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