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Archives of virology2022; 167(8); 1611-1618; doi: 10.1007/s00705-022-05488-6

Distribution of equine coronavirus RNA in the intestinal and respiratory tracts of experimentally infected horses.

Abstract: Equine coronavirus (ECoV) causes pyrexia, anorexia, lethargy, and sometimes diarrhoea. Infected horses excrete the virus in their faeces, and ECoV is also detected in nasal samples from febrile horses. However, details about ECoV infection sites in the intestinal and respiratory tracts are lacking. To identify the ECoV infection sites in the intestinal and respiratory tracts, we performed an experimental infection study and analysed intestinal and respiratory samples collected from four infected horses at 3, 5, 7, and 14 days post-inoculation (dpi) by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH). Two horses became febrile, but the other two did not. None of the horses had diarrhoea or respiratory signs, and severe cases were not observed in this study. None of the horses showed obvious abnormalities in their intestinal or respiratory tracts. Real-time RT-PCR and ISH showed that ECoV RNA was present throughout the intestinal tract, and ECoV-positive cells were mainly detected on the surface of the intestine. In one horse showing viremia at 3 dpi, ECoV RNA was detected in the lung by real-time RT-PCR, but not by ISH. This suggests that the lung cells themselves were not infected with ECoV and that real-time RT-PCR detected viremia in the lung. The other three horses were positive for ECoV RNA in nasal swabs but were negative in the trachea and lung by real-time RT-PCR and ISH. This study suggests that ECoV broadly infects the intestinal tract and is less likely to infect the respiratory tract.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.
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Publication Date: 2022-05-31 PubMed ID: 35639190PubMed Central: PMC9152306DOI: 10.1007/s00705-022-05488-6Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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.

This research examines the infection sites of Equine coronavirus (ECoV) in the intestinal and respiratory tracts of horses, with findings suggesting the virus predominantly affects the intestinal tract with a lower likelihood of respiratory tract infection.

Research Overview

  • The research aimed to explore the infection sites of Equine coronavirus, a virus that commonly leads to pyrexia, anorexia, lethargy, and occasionally diarrhea in horses.
  • To do so, the research carried out an experimental infection study on four horses, analyzing intestinal and respiratory samples at set intervals after inoculation.

Methodology

  • The study analyzed the presence of ECoV RNA in intestinal and respiratory samples taken from the four horses using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) techniques.
  • These samples were taken 3, 5, 7, and 14 days after the horses were experimentally infected with ECoV.
  • Two of the horses became febrile post-inoculation, but none of them exhibited symptoms of diarrhea or respiratory distress.

Findings

  • Real-time RT-PCR and ISH revealed that ECoV RNA was present throughout the horses’ intestinal tract. The ECoV-positive cells were mainly found on the intestinal surface.
  • In the horse exhibiting viremia at 3 dpi, ECoV RNA was detected in the lungs via real-time RT-PCR, but not through ISH, inferring that lung cells were not infected with ECoV, but rather the viremia was detected in the lung.
  • Three horses tested positive for ECoV RNA in nasal swabs, nonetheless, they were found to be negative for the virus in the trachea and lung, as per both real-time RT-PCR and ISH results.

Conclusion

  • This study proposes that ECoV most likely infects the intestinal tract of the horses broadly and is less likely to infect the respiratory tract.

Cite This Article

APA
Kambayashi Y, Kishi D, Ueno T, Ohta M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Kinoshita Y, Nemoto M. (2022). Distribution of equine coronavirus RNA in the intestinal and respiratory tracts of experimentally infected horses. Arch Virol, 167(8), 1611-1618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-022-05488-6

Publication

Archives of virology
ISSN: 1432-8798
NlmUniqueID: 7506870
Country: Austria
Language: English
Volume: 167
Issue: 8
Pages: 1611-1618

Researcher Affiliations

Kambayashi, Yoshinori
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Kishi, Daiki
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Ueno, Takanori
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Ohta, Minoru
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Bannai, Hiroshi
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Tsujimura, Koji
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Kinoshita, Yuta
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Nemoto, Manabu
  • Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan. nemoto_manabu@equinst.go.jp.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Betacoronavirus 1
  • Coronavirus Infections / veterinary
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Horse Diseases
  • Horses
  • Intestines
  • RNA
  • Respiratory System
  • Viremia

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
  1. Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Ohta M, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K. Prevalence of serum and salivary virus-neutralizing antibodies against equine coronavirus in four riding stables in Japan. J Equine Sci 2023 Mar;34(1):13-18.
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  3. Fukumoto N, Bannai H, Kawanishi N, Shibata M, Kishi D, Kambayashi Y, Tsujimura K, Nemoto M. The first outbreak of equine coronavirus infection in 13 years among draft horses at Obihiro Racecourse in Japan in 2025. J Vet Med Sci 2025 Oct 1;87(10):1158-1163.
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