Isolation of Salem virus, a novel equine paramyxovirus, and assessment of its etiologic role in a disease outbreak.
Abstract: Salem virus (SalV) is a recently identified equine virus belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae. The only known isolate was obtained from a horse that was involved in a disease outbreak of undetermined nature and the circumstances of its isolation suggested an etiologic role. However, the experimental infection of a colostrum-deprived foal failed to reproduce the disease; only mild neutropenia and temperature elevation were recorded. An additional attempt to establish an etiological relationship with the disease was made by conducting a retrospective evaluation of the serological profiles of animals involved in the outbreak. Animals reported as being affected by the disease according to a comprehensive United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) database were found to be 48% (n=27) positive for antibodies to SalV, but the percent positive for all horses, affected and unaffected, was actually higher at 56% (n=62). For 15 affected horses for which paired acute and convalescent serum specimens were available, no unequivocal seroconversions to SalV were identified. Furthermore, the horse from which SalV was isolated was not listed as one of the animals affected by the disease. In total, the evidence suggests that SalV was not the etiological agent of the disease and that its isolation was fortuitous.
Publication Date: 2002-06-08 PubMed ID: 12052331DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1135(02)00067-6Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article presents a study on the Salem virus (SalV), a newly discovered horse virus. The study explores the potential etiological role of SalV in a disease outbreak, with findings suggesting that SalV may not be the direct cause of the disease.
Introduction and Methodology
- The researchers focus on the Salem virus (SalV), a recently identified equine virus from the Paramyxoviridae family. The virus was isolated from a horse involved in a disease outbreak with no definitive cause.
- The scientists hypothesize an etiological role for SalV in the disease outbreak, based on its isolation under the given circumstances.
- To investigate this hypothesis, they used experimental infection on a colostrum-deprived foal. They monitored for disease symptoms in the foal, but only mild neutropenia (a decrease in the number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell) and elevated temperature were observed, indicating a mild reaction but not the repeat of the disease outbreak.
Retrospective Evaluation and Results
- The researchers further assessed the potential etiological role of SalV by retrospectively analyzing the serological profiles (antibody levels present in the blood) of animals from the disease outbreak.
- These animals were listed in a comprehensive USDA database, and the researchers found that 48% of the affected animals tested positive for antibodies to SalV.
- Interestingly, the overall positivity rate was higher at 56% when both affected and unaffected horses were considered.
- For a subgroup of 15 affected horses with available acute and convalescent serum specimens, no clearcut seroconversion (a significant increase or change in antibody level indicating exposure to the infectious agent) to SalV was identified.
Conclusions
- The horse from which the virus was initially isolated was not listed among the animals affected by the disease, which further questions the etiological role of SalV in the disease outbreak.
- In conclusion, the researchers suggest that the isolation of SalV was likely coincidental and that it was not the direct causative agent of the disease outbreak.
Cite This Article
APA
Glaser AL, Renshaw RW, Trock SC, Brady RC, Dubovi EJ.
(2002).
Isolation of Salem virus, a novel equine paramyxovirus, and assessment of its etiologic role in a disease outbreak.
Vet Microbiol, 87(3), 205-212.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-1135(02)00067-6 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. alg8@cornell.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Blotting, Western / veterinary
- Chlorocebus aethiops
- Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- New England / epidemiology
- Paramyxoviridae Infections / epidemiology
- Paramyxoviridae Infections / veterinary
- Paramyxoviridae Infections / virology
- Respirovirus / isolation & purification
- Retrospective Studies
- Seroepidemiologic Studies
- Vero Cells
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Lu Z, Timoney PJ, White J, Balasuriya UB. Development of one-step TaqMan® real-time reverse transcription-PCR and conventional reverse transcription-PCR assays for the detection of equine rhinitis A and B viruses.. BMC Vet Res 2012 Jul 25;8:120.
- Burnouf T, Griffiths E, Padilla A, Seddik S, Stephano MA, Gutiérrez JM. Assessment of the viral safety of antivenoms fractionated from equine plasma.. Biologicals 2004 Sep;32(3):115-28.
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