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Equine veterinary journal2020; 52(6); 794-798; doi: 10.1111/evj.13261

Genome-wide association study for host genetic factors associated with equine herpesvirus type-1 induced myeloencephalopathy.

Abstract: Equid herpesvirus (EHV-1) infections in horses can lead to equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), characterised by neurological clinical signs. The sporadic occurrence of the disease in horse herds suggests a host genetic component. A recent study reported an association between the occurrence of EHM and genetic markers on horse chromosome 6 (ECA6). Objective: To investigate the association of EHM with genetic host factors, especially with reference to the association reported for ECA6. Methods: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted based on 94 horses that had EHV-1 infections and comparing the 27 developing clinical EHM to the 67 which did not. Methods: DNA samples were tested from 94 horses for 382,529 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the Affymetrix Axiom 670K SNP array to identify possible associations with EHM. The data analysis included tests for basic, additive, dominant and recessive modes of inheritance, haplotype associations and runs of homozygosity (ROH). Results: Results from this study did not identify significant SNPs, haplotypes or ROH associations with the development of EHM following EHV-1 infections and excluded the involvement of a recessive genetic factor in the susceptibility to develop EHM. Conclusions: Sample size and complex phenotype. Conclusions: The results exclude the involvement of a recessive genetic factor in the susceptibility to develop clinically apparent EHM but do not have the power to exclude the involvement of other, complex host genetic factors. Furthermore, there was no association between development of EHM and genes on equine chromosome 6, as previously reported.
© 2020 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2020-04-06 PubMed ID: 32153055PubMed Central: PMC7586946DOI: 10.1111/evj.13261Google 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 explored if there are specific genetic factors in horses that make them more susceptible to developing a severe neurological condition called equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) after infection with equine herpesvirus (EHV-1). The study, which compared horses that developed EHM to those that didn’t, did not find a significant association between specific genetic markers and the development of EHM.

Methods of the Study

  • The study was a genome-wide association study (GWAS), a common method for investigating potential associations between specific genetic variants and particular diseases. This type of study allows for examination of hundreds of thousands of genetic markers at once.
  • The investigation centered on 94 horses that had been infected with EHV-1. Among the infected horses, 27 developed clinical EHM, while 67 did not.
  • The researchers examined the DNA from these horses for over 382,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), small variations in the DNA sequence, using the Affymetrix Axiom 670K SNP array. These SNPs were explored for potential associations with the development of EHM.
  • Various inheritance patterns were tested in the data analysis, including basic, additive, dominant, and recessive modes. The study also investigated haplotype associations and runs of homozygosity (ROH).

Results of the Study

  • The study did not find any significant associations between specific SNPs, haplotypes or ROH, and the development of EHM following EHV-1 infections.
  • The research also dismissed the involvement of a recessive genetic factor in the susceptibility to develop EHM.
  • Therefore, the findings of the study suggest that the development of the neurological condition EHM in horses after an EHV-1 infection might not be directly influenced by these genetic factors.
  • However, the researchers acknowledge the limitations of their sample size and complexity of the phenotype, and thus do not definitively rule out the involvement of other complex host genetic factors.

Comparison with Previous Studies

  • The findings of the study also contradicted the results of a previous study that reported an association between the development of EHM and genes found on horse chromosome 6 (ECA6). This discrepancy highlights the complex nature of EHV-1 and EHM, as well as the need for further research in larger populations to clarify and refine the genetic influences on EHM development.

Cite This Article

APA
Dunuwille WMB, YousefiMashouf N, Balasuriya UBR, Pusterla N, Bailey E. (2020). Genome-wide association study for host genetic factors associated with equine herpesvirus type-1 induced myeloencephalopathy. Equine Vet J, 52(6), 794-798. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13261

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 52
Issue: 6
Pages: 794-798

Researcher Affiliations

Dunuwille, Wangisa M B
  • Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
YousefiMashouf, Navid
  • Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Balasuriya, Udeni B R
  • Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Pusterla, Nicola
  • Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
Bailey, Ernest
  • Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Genome-Wide Association Study / veterinary
  • Herpesviridae Infections / genetics
  • Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
  • Herpesvirus 1, Equid / genetics
  • Horse Diseases / genetics
  • Horses
  • Varicellovirus

Grant Funding

  • MH Gluck Equine Research Foundation

Conflict of Interest Statement

No competing interests have been declared.

References

This article includes 11 references
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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  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.
    doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7230pubmed: 35414834google scholar: lookup
  2. Finno CJ. Science-in-brief: Genomic and transcriptomic approaches to the investigation of equine diseases. Equine Vet J 2022 Mar;54(2):444-448.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13549pubmed: 35133024google scholar: lookup
  3. 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.
    doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7036pubmed: 35035581google scholar: lookup
  4. Cooper CJ, Arroyo LG, Hammermueller JD, Botts MM, Pearl DL, Wootton SK, Lillie BN. Molecular prevalence of equine alphaherpesvirus-1 shedding in healthy broodmares in Ontario. Can J Vet Res 2026 Jan;90(1):16-24.
    pubmed: 41585008
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