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Journal of equine veterinary science2020; 87; 102923; doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102923

Equine Herpesvirus-I Infection in Horses: Recent Updates on its Pathogenicity, Vaccination, and Preventive Management Strategies.

Abstract: Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of the most common and ubiquitous viral pathogens infecting equines, particularly horses worldwide. The EHV-1 is known to induce not only humoral but also cellular immune responses in horses. Respiratory distress, abortion in pregnant mares, neurological disorders, and neonatal foal deaths represent EHV-1 infection. Despite the limited success of inactivated, subunit, live, and DNA vaccines, over the past few decades, vaccination remains the prime preventive option to combat EHV-1 infection in horses. However, current vaccines lack the potentiality to protect the neurological form of infections in horses. There is desperate necessity to search effectual EHV-1 vaccines that may stimulate not only mucosal and systemic cellular immunity but also humoral immunity in the horses. This review highlights the state of knowledge regarding EHV-1 biology, EHV-1 pathogenesis, and disparate vaccines studied in the past to prevent EHV-1 infection. The review also underlines the best management strategies which certainly need to be adopted by veterinarians in order to avoid and prevent EHV-1 infection and outbreak in horses in the future.
Publication Date: 2020-01-11 PubMed ID: 32172913DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102923Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Review

Summary

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The article discusses the infection of horses by Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), a widespread virus. It reviews the disease’s biology and pathogenesis, the effectiveness and limitations of different vaccines, and the need for new, more effective vaccines. It also examines preventive management strategies to reduce the virus’s spread.

Equine Herpesvirus-1 Infection in Horses

  • This paper focuses on different aspects of EHV-1, a widely spread and common virus known for causing infection in horses worldwide.
  • The EHV-1 affects various systems in the horse body leading to a variety of symptoms, such as respiratory issues, abortions in pregnant mares, neurological disorders, and newborn foal fatalities.
  • The virus stimulates both humoral and cellular immune responses, which means it engages both the adaptive and innate immunity of the host.

Vaccination for EHV-1

  • The authors mention that despite various attempts, existing vaccines against EHV-1 have seen limited success. Over the years, different types of vaccines including inactivated, subunit, live, and DNA vaccines have been tried and tested against the virus. However, none has been fully effective.
  • One of the major shortfalls of current vaccines is their inability to protect against the neurological form of EHV-1 infection.
  • This paper underlines the urgent need to develop a more effective EHV-1 vaccine that can induce stronger cellular and humoral immune responses. These substances can stimulate both systemic immunity (throughout the body) and mucosal immunity (in the mucous membrane), providing a multifaceted protection.

Preventive Management Strategies

  • The article also cautions that apart from focusing on vaccines, it’s important to consider preventive management strategies.
  • The authors believe it is essential to adopt effective EHV-1 infection management strategies that can help prevent its spread and outbreak in the future.
  • With these strategies, veterinarians and horse owners could significantly reduce the risks of EHV-1 infection among horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Khusro A, Aarti C, Rivas-Caceres RR, Barbabosa-Pliego A. (2020). Equine Herpesvirus-I Infection in Horses: Recent Updates on its Pathogenicity, Vaccination, and Preventive Management Strategies. J Equine Vet Sci, 87, 102923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102923

Publication

ISSN: 0737-0806
NlmUniqueID: 8216840
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 87
Pages: 102923
PII: S0737-0806(20)30014-9

Researcher Affiliations

Khusro, Ameer
  • Research Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Aarti, Chirom
  • Research Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Rivas-Caceres, Raymundo Rene
  • Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Electronic address: rrivas@uacj.mx.
Barbabosa-Pliego, Alberto
  • Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, Mexico. Electronic address: abarbabosa@yahoo.com.mx.

MeSH Terms

  • Abortion, Veterinary
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Female
  • Herpesviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
  • Herpesvirus 1, Equid
  • Herpesvirus Vaccines
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horses
  • Pregnancy
  • Vaccination / veterinary
  • Virulence

Citations

This article has been cited 21 times.
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