Herpesviral diseases affecting reproduction in the horse.

This research article explores two herpesviruses, Equine herpesvirus 1 and Equine herpesvirus 3, that affect the reproductive efficiency in horses, causing abortigenic infection, respiratory diseases, and benign progenital exanthema respectively.

Equine Herpesviruses and Their Impact on Reproduction

• The research paper delves into the impact and implications of two specific herpesviruses found in horses; namely, Equine Herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and Equine Herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3).
• The viruses are shown to cause diseases that can significantly affect the reproductive efficiency of horses, including infecting the pregnant mare and leading to eventual abortion (in the case of EHV-1) or causing a benign progenital exanthema (in the case of EHV-3).

Equine Herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1)

• The research highlights EHV-1 as a prominent cause of abortigenic infection in horses. This particular virus, also known as equine rhinopneumonitis virus, can infect the respiratory system of horses and, should the infected horse be a pregnant mare, can result in spontaneous abortion.
• EHV-1 is noted for its ability to not only affect the reproduction potential of horses, but also cause respiratory diseases; hence its alternative name ‘rhinopneumonitis’ derived from ‘rhino’ meaning nose and ‘pneumonitis’ indicating lung inflammation.

Equine Herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3)

• The second virus examined is EHV-3, which is known to cause a benign progenital exanthema. This virus, also called the equine coital exanthema, causes a mild skin disease characterized by inflamed sores and lesions that primarily appear on the equine reproductive organs and hind legs.
• The benign nature of the disease caused by EHV-3 means that it is not typically detrimental to the horse’s overall health, but it can still affect their reproductive capability, potentially disrupting mating and breeding activities.