Molecular Monitoring of EHV-1 in Silently Infected Performance Horses through Nasal and Environmental Sample Testing.
Abstract: While the main goal in the management of an EHM outbreak focuses on identifying early clinical disease in order to physically separate infected horses, little effort is placed towards monitoring healthy horses. The assumption that EHV-1 shedding parallels clinical disease is erroneous, as subclinical shedders have been shown to be actively involved in viral spread. In an attempt to document the frequency of EHV-1 shedders and their impact on environmental contamination, we collected nasal swabs from 231 healthy horses and 203 environmental samples for the testing of EHV-1 by qPCR. Six horses and 28 stalls tested qPCR-positive for EHV-1. There was no association in the EHV-1 qPCR-positive status between nasal and stall swabs. While testing nasal secretions of healthy at-risk horses can detect active shedding at a specific time point, the testing of stall swabs allows to assess the temporal EHV-1 shedding status of a horse. The study results highlight the risk of subclinical EHV-1 shedders and stalls occupied by these horses as sources of infection for susceptible horses. The testing of individual stalls for the presence of EHV-1 may be a more practical approach than the collection of individual nasal swabs for the monitoring and early detection of the circulating virus. The results also highlight the need to improve the cleanliness and disinfection of stalls utilized by performance horses during show events.
Publication Date: 2022-06-24 PubMed ID: 35889966PubMed Central: PMC9317758DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11070720Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Herpesvirus
- Horses
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Performance Horses
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Virus
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 investigates the silent spread of Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in healthy performance horses and their environment. It emphasizes the importance of environmental testing, alongside nasal swab testing, to effectively monitor and control the spread of the virus.
Study Purpose and Approach
- The researchers aimed to document the frequency of healthy performance horses silently carrying and spreading EHV-1 – a disease that usually manifests with clinical signs – and to assess the impact of such carriers on environmental contamination.
- The study utilized quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR), a technique used for detecting the presence of a specific virus, on nasal swabs collected from seemingly healthy horses and samples collected from their stables.
Key Findings
- Of the 231 healthy horses tested, six were found to be silent carriers of EHV-1, captured through the nasal swabs.
- From the 203 environmental samples taken from horse stalls, 28 tested positive for EHV-1 indicating environmental contamination.
- There was no direct association between the presence of virus in horse nasal secretions and their corresponding stall swabs.
Implications of the Study
- The study revealed that healthy horses can act as silent carriers of EHV-1 and contribute to environmental contamination, posing a risk of viral spread to susceptible horses.
- The results highlight that while testing nasal secretions can detect active shedding at a specific time point, environmental testing allows for the assessment of temporal EHV-1 shedding status, providing a broader and practical approach for virus monitoring and early detection.
- The findings also underscore the importance of improving cleanliness and disinfection procedures of performance horse stalls during events, to minimize the risk of infection spread.
Cite This Article
APA
Pusterla N, Barnum S, Young A, Mendonsa E, Lee S, Hankin S, Brittner S, Finno CJ.
(2022).
Molecular Monitoring of EHV-1 in Silently Infected Performance Horses through Nasal and Environmental Sample Testing.
Pathogens, 11(7), 720.
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070720 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Center for Equine Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Fluxergy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA.
- Fluxergy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA.
- Desert International Horse Park, Thermal, CA 92274, USA.
- Desert International Horse Park, Thermal, CA 92274, USA.
- Center for Equine Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Grant Funding
- 2021 / Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health
Conflict of Interest Statement
N.P., S.B. (Samantha Barnum), A.Y., S.H., S.B. (Skyler Brittner) and C.J.F. declare no conflict of interest. E.M. and S.L. work for Fluxergy. The funder had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Klouth E, Zablotski Y, Petersen JL, de Bruijn M, Gröndahl G, Müller S, Goehring LS. Epidemiological Aspects of Equid Herpesvirus-Associated Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) Outbreaks.. Viruses 2022 Nov 21;14(11).
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