First report of equine parvovirus-hepatitis-associated Theiler’s disease in Europe.
Abstract: Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) has been proposed as the aetiological cause of Theiler's disease, also known as serum hepatitis. EqPV-H-associated Theiler's disease has not been previously reported in Europe. Objective: To determine whether EqPV-H infection was associated with a 2018-2019 outbreak of Theiler's disease in four horses on a studfarm. Methods: Descriptive case series. Methods: The medical records of four horses from the same farm diagnosed with fatal Theiler's disease were examined retrospectively. Information collected included a clinical history, physical examination findings, tetanus antitoxin exposure, serum biochemistry and necropsy reports. Liver tissue from all four horses was tested for EqPV-H using PCR and in situ hybridisation (ISH) assays. Results: Three of the horses had a history of recent (7-11 weeks) tetanus antitoxin administration. Liver tissue from all four horses tested positive for EqPV-H with PCR. In situ hybridisation revealed a widespread distribution of viral nucleic acid in hepatocytes in one case, and a more sporadic distribution in the remaining three cases. Conclusions: Case controls were not available from the farm in question given the retrospective nature of analysis. Conclusions: This case series documents the first reported EqPV-H-associated Theiler's disease in Europe and the first use of ISH to visualise the viral nucleic acid in liver tissues of horses with Theiler's disease.
© 2020 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2020-03-25 PubMed ID: 32145096PubMed Central: PMC7483838DOI: 10.1111/evj.13254Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research paper investigates a 2018-2019 outbreak of Theiler’s disease, suspected to be associated with Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H), in four horses from a single farm in Europe. This is the first recorded instance of EqPV-H linked Theiler’s disease in Europe.
Background
- Theiler’s disease, also known as serum hepatitis, is a severe liver disease in horses which can often result in fatal outcomes. It has been suspected that EqPV-H is a cause of this condition.
- This particular form of Theiler’s disease associated with EqPV-H was not known to exist in Europe prior to this research.
- The purpose of this study was to understand the link between EqPV-H infection and an outbreak of Theiler’s disease on a European horse farm during 2018-2019.
Methodology
- The researchers conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of four horses from the same farm that were diagnosed with fatal Theiler’s disease.
- Data collected from the records included information about the horses’ clinical history, physical examination results, exposure to tetanus antitoxin, serum biochemistry, and necropsy reports.
- The researchers tested liver tissue samples from all four affected horses for EqPV-H using a method called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridisation (ISH).
Results
- PCR tests confirmed the presence of EqPV-H in the liver tissue of all four horses suffering from Theiler’s disease.
- Three of the four horses had received a tetanus antitoxin 7-11 weeks prior to being diagnosed with Theiler’s disease.
- In situ hybridisation allowed the researchers to locate and visualise the distribution of viral nucleic acid in the hepatocytes of the horses’ livers. One horse showed a widespread distribution of the virus, while the remaining three horses exhibited a more sporadic distribution.
Conclusions
- The study did not have controls from the same farm due to the retrospective nature of the research. Therefore, it couldn’t conclusively establish EqPV-H as the definite cause of the outbreak.
- Despite this, the research marks the first reported instance of EqPV-H-associated Theiler’s disease in Europe, and demonstrates the use of ISH as a valuable tool in the identification and visualisation of viral nucleic acids in horses diagnosed with Theiler’s disease.
Cite This Article
APA
Vengust M, Jager MC, Zalig V, Cociancich V, Laverack M, Renshaw RW, Dubovi E, Tomlinson JE, Van de Walle GR, Divers TJ.
(2020).
First report of equine parvovirus-hepatitis-associated Theiler’s disease in Europe.
Equine Vet J, 52(6), 841-847.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13254 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Marc Veterinary Services, Sezana, Slovenia.
- University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Europe / epidemiology
- Hepatitis
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Parvoviridae Infections / veterinary
- Parvovirus
- Retrospective Studies
Grant Funding
- K08AI141767 / National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- P4-0053 / Slovenian Research Agency Fund
- K08 AI141767 / NIAID NIH HHS
- Harry M. Zweig Memorial Fund for Equine Research
- 2016-67015-24765 / National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- The Niarchos Family
Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors’ declaration of interests. No competing interests have been declared.
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