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Tropical animal health and production1998; 30(4); 241-252; doi: 10.1023/a:1005079229232

Getah virus infection of Indian horses.

Abstract: An outbreak of disease, characterized by depression, anorexia, fever, limb oedema and lymphocytopenia, occurred on a farm for thoroughbreds in India in 1990. Twenty-six of the 88 horses on the farm were affected, predominantly adults. Signs were present in affected horses for 7-10 days, and the outbreak lasted 21 days. Seven of the 26 affected horses were tested for exposure to Getah virus using paired serum samples, acute and convalescent. Four of the 7 horses seroconverted to Getah virus, and the other three showed a 4-fold or greater rise in titre. The clinical and laboratory findings were similar, but not indentical, to those described in natural and experimental infections in Japanese horses. This is the first description of disease caused by Getah virus infection in horses outside Japan. In addition serum samples from 152 horses from 3 regions of India were evaluated for the presence of antibodies to Getah virus. The seroprevalence was found to be 17%, indicating exposure to the virus elsewhere in Indian horses.
Publication Date: 1998-10-07 PubMed ID: 9760716DOI: 10.1023/a:1005079229232Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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This research documents an outbreak of disease caused by the Getah Virus in horses on an Indian farm in 1990, where twenty-six out of 88 horses were affected, and how four out of seven horses developed antibodies against the virus, marking the first occasion of such an occurrence outside Japan.

Background & Objectives

  • The study aimed to document and analyze a peculiar outbreak of disease observed in a stable of horses in India, characterized by noticeable symptoms including depression, anorexia, fever, swelling of limbs, and a decrease in lymphocytes – a type of white blood cell integral to the immune system.
  • The outbreak, which occurred in 1990, affected 26 out of the 88 resident horses, with adults being the primary victims.
  • The symptoms were present in the affected horses for a period of 7-10 days while the entire outbreak lasted for 21 days overall.

Investigation and Findings

  • To identify the cause of the outbreak, seven out of the twenty-six infected horses were tested for exposure to Getah virus. This procedure involved analyzing paired serum samples in both the initial stage of infection and the recovery phase.
  • The results showed that four out of the seven tested horses seroconverted (developed specific antibodies) to the Getah virus, indicating that the virus was indeed the causative agent of the disease. The remaining three horses exhibited a fourfold or more increase in their antibody levels – further evidence of their exposure to the virus.
  • The clinical and laboratory findings from the investigation tallied with, but were not identical to, those seen in previous cases of Getah virus infections in Japanese horses.

Comparison with Previous Cases and Further Investigations

  • This is the first time a disease caused by the Getah virus was recorded in horses outside Japan, a critical addition to scientific knowledge of where this virus can spread.
  • Towards the end of the study, serum samples from 152 additional horses from three different regions in India were examined to search for the presence of Getah virus antibodies.
  • The results revealed a seroprevalence (the level of a pathogen in a population, as measured in blood serum) of 17%. This finding implies that nearly one-fifth of the tested population had exposure to the virus, suggesting its wider presence in the equine population of India.

Cite This Article

APA
Brown CM, Timoney PJ. (1998). Getah virus infection of Indian horses. Trop Anim Health Prod, 30(4), 241-252. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1005079229232

Publication

ISSN: 0049-4747
NlmUniqueID: 1277355
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 30
Issue: 4
Pages: 241-252

Researcher Affiliations

Brown, C M
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames 50011, USA.
Timoney, P J

    MeSH Terms

    • Alphavirus
    • Alphavirus Infections / epidemiology
    • Alphavirus Infections / veterinary
    • Animals
    • Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
    • Female
    • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
    • Horse Diseases / virology
    • Horses / virology
    • India / epidemiology
    • Male

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