Analyze Diet
Veterinary microbiology2013; 167(1-2); 145-150; doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2013.07.012

Pathogenesis of Venezuelan equine encephalitis.

Abstract: Equine encephalids have high mortality rates and represent a significant zoonotic public health threat. Of these the most pathogenic viruses to equids are the alphaviruses in the family Togaviridae. The focus of this review Venezualen equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) has caused the most widespread and recent epidemic outbreaks of disease. Circulation in naturally occuring rodent-mosquito cycles, results in viral spread to both human and equine populations. However, equines develop a high titer viremia and can transmit the virus back to mosquito populations. As such, the early recognition and control of viral infection in equine populations is strongly associated with prevention of epidemic spread of the virus and limiting of disease incidence in human populations. This review will address identification and pathogenesis of VEEV in equids vaccination and treatment options, and current research for drug and vaccine development.
Publication Date: 2013-07-22 PubMed ID: 23968890DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2013.07.012Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
  • Journal Article
  • Review

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.

The research article focuses on the pathogenesis of Venezuelan equine encephalitis, a severe illness in horses that can also spread to humans, and considers prevention strategies including vaccination and early recognition in equine populations.

Pathogenesis of Venezuelan equine encephalitis in Equids

The body of the research article discusses in detail the pathogenesis of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), a member of the Togaviridae family. The virus is noted to be one of the most pathogenic to equids – a term referring to horses, donkeys, and zebras among others. The virus is highlighted as being responsible for widespread and recent epidemic outbreaks of disease.

  • The virus circulates in naturally occurring cycles involving rodents and mosquitoes, which results in the spread of the virus to both humans and equine populations.

The Role of Equines in VEEV Transmission

Equines play a significant role in the transmission of VEEV.

  • Equines, after being infected by mosquitoes, develop high levels of VEEV in their blood (high titer viremia), which can then be transmitted back to mosquito populations when these insects feed on them.
  • Due to this, the early recognition and control of viral infection in equine populations is seen as crucial for preventing epidemic spread of the virus and limiting disease incidence in human populations.

Prevention and Control Strategies

The article reviews different strategies for controlling and preventing the spread of VEEV.

  • It addresses the identification of VEEV in equines, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and treatment in these populations to halt the spread of the disease.
  • Vaccination is also discussed as a possible prevention strategy. By immunizing equines against VEEV, the virus’s ability to spread to mosquitoes, and subsequently to humans, can be significantly reduced.
  • The review also touches on current research exploring drug and vaccine developments against VEEV. This includes studying the biology of the virus to better understand its transmission and infection mechanisms, and consequently, develop effective medications and vaccines.

Cite This Article

APA
Taylor KG, Paessler S. (2013). Pathogenesis of Venezuelan equine encephalitis. Vet Microbiol, 167(1-2), 145-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2013.07.012

Publication

ISSN: 1873-2542
NlmUniqueID: 7705469
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 167
Issue: 1-2
Pages: 145-150
PII: S0378-1135(13)00374-X

Researcher Affiliations

Taylor, Katherine G
  • Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77550, United States. Electronic address: kattaylo@utmb.edu.
Paessler, Slobodan

    MeSH Terms

    • Animals
    • Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / immunology
    • Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / pathogenicity
    • Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine / pathology
    • Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine / prevention & control
    • Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine / transmission
    • Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine / virology
    • Horse Diseases / prevention & control
    • Horse Diseases / transmission
    • Horse Diseases / virology
    • Horses
    • Humans
    • Zoonoses / virology

    Citations

    This article has been cited 25 times.
    1. Wang H, Liu S, Lv Y, Wei W. Codon usage bias of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus and its host adaption. Virus Res 2023 Apr 15;328:199081.
    2. Boghdeh NA, Risner KH, Barrera MD, Britt CM, Schaffer DK, Alem F, Brown JA, Wikswo JP, Narayanan A. Application of a Human Blood Brain Barrier Organ-on-a-Chip Model to Evaluate Small Molecule Effectiveness against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus. Viruses 2022 Dec 15;14(12).
      doi: 10.3390/v14122799pubmed: 36560802google scholar: lookup
    3. Zhao J, Dellicour S, Yan Z, Veit M, Gill MS, He WT, Zhai X, Ji X, Suchard MA, Lemey P, Su S. Early Genomic Surveillance and Phylogeographic Analysis of Getah Virus, a Reemerging Arbovirus, in Livestock in China. J Virol 2023 Jan 31;97(1):e0109122.
      doi: 10.1128/jvi.01091-22pubmed: 36475767google scholar: lookup
    4. Papagerakis S, Said R, Ketabat F, Mahmood R, Pundir M, Lobanova L, Guenther G, Pannone G, Lavender K, McAlpin BR, Moreau A, Chen X, Papagerakis P. When the clock ticks wrong with COVID-19. Clin Transl Med 2022 Nov;12(11):e949.
      doi: 10.1002/ctm2.949pubmed: 36394205google scholar: lookup
    5. Ghietto LM, Gil PI, Olmos Quinteros P, Gomez E, Piris FM, Kunda P, Contigiani M, Paglini MG. Members of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis complex entry into host cells by clathrin-mediated endocytosis in a pH-dependent manner. Sci Rep 2022 Aug 25;12(1):14556.
      doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18846-wpubmed: 36008558google scholar: lookup
    6. Haikerwal A, Barrera MD, Bhalla N, Zhou W, Boghdeh N, Anderson C, Alem F, Narayanan A. Inhibition of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Using Small Interfering RNAs. Viruses 2022 Jul 26;14(8).
      doi: 10.3390/v14081628pubmed: 35893693google scholar: lookup
    7. Tirera S, de Thoisy B, Donato D, Bouchier C, Lacoste V, Franc A, Lavergne A. The Influence of Habitat on Viral Diversity in Neotropical Rodent Hosts. Viruses 2021 Aug 26;13(9).
      doi: 10.3390/v13091690pubmed: 34578272google scholar: lookup
    8. Lehman CW, Kehn-Hall K, Aggarwal M, Bracci NR, Pan HC, Panny L, Lamb RA, Lin SC. Resveratrol Inhibits Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Infection by Interfering with the AKT/GSK Pathway. Plants (Basel) 2021 Feb 12;10(2).
      doi: 10.3390/plants10020346pubmed: 33673026google scholar: lookup
    9. Johnson DM, Sokoloski KJ, Jokinen JD, Pfeffer TL, Chu YK, Adcock RS, Chung D, Tretyakova I, Pushko P, Lukashevich IS. Advanced Safety and Genetic Stability in Mice of a Novel DNA-Launched Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Vaccine with Rearranged Structural Genes. Vaccines (Basel) 2020 Mar 2;8(1).
      doi: 10.3390/vaccines8010114pubmed: 32121666google scholar: lookup
    10. Kumar R, Patil RD. Cryptic etiopathological conditions of equine nervous system with special emphasis on viral diseases. Vet World 2017 Dec;10(12):1427-1438.
    11. Wong G, Mendoza EJ, Plummer FA, Gao GF, Kobinger GP, Qiu X. From bench to almost bedside: the long road to a licensed Ebola virus vaccine. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2018 Feb;18(2):159-173.
      doi: 10.1080/14712598.2018.1404572pubmed: 29148858google scholar: lookup
    12. Reynolds ES, Hart CE, Hermance ME, Brining DL, Thangamani S. An Overview of Animal Models for Arthropod-Borne Viruses. Comp Med 2017 Jun 1;67(3):232-241.
      pubmed: 28662752
    13. Taylor K, Kolokoltsova O, Ronca SE, Estes M, Paessler S. Live, Attenuated Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Vaccine (TC83) Causes Persistent Brain Infection in Mice with Non-functional αβ T-Cells. Front Microbiol 2017;8:81.
      doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00081pubmed: 28184218google scholar: lookup
    14. Keck F, Brooks-Faulconer T, Lark T, Ravishankar P, Bailey C, Salvador-Morales C, Narayanan A. Altered mitochondrial dynamics as a consequence of Venezuelan Equine encephalitis virus infection. Virulence 2017 Nov 17;8(8):1849-1866.
      doi: 10.1080/21505594.2016.1276690pubmed: 28075229google scholar: lookup
    15. Salimi H, Cain MD, Klein RS. Encephalitic Arboviruses: Emergence, Clinical Presentation, and Neuropathogenesis. Neurotherapeutics 2016 Jul;13(3):514-34.
      doi: 10.1007/s13311-016-0443-5pubmed: 27220616google scholar: lookup
    16. Baer A, Lundberg L, Swales D, Waybright N, Pinkham C, Dinman JD, Jacobs JL, Kehn-Hall K. Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Induces Apoptosis through the Unfolded Protein Response Activation of EGR1. J Virol 2016 Jan 20;90(7):3558-72.
      doi: 10.1128/JVI.02827-15pubmed: 26792742google scholar: lookup
    17. Li C, Guillén J, Rabah N, Blanjoie A, Debart F, Vasseur JJ, Canard B, Decroly E, Coutard B. mRNA Capping by Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus nsP1: Functional Characterization and Implications for Antiviral Research. J Virol 2015 Aug;89(16):8292-303.
      doi: 10.1128/JVI.00599-15pubmed: 26041283google scholar: lookup
    18. Yu GY, Wiley MR, Kugelman JR, Ladner JT, Beitzel BF, Eccleston LT, Morazzani EM, Glass PJ, Palacios GF. Complete coding sequences of eastern equine encephalitis virus and venezuelan equine encephalitis virus strains isolated from human cases. Genome Announc 2015 Apr 23;3(2).
      doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00243-15pubmed: 25908124google scholar: lookup
    19. Agnihothram S, Yount BL Jr, Donaldson EF, Huynh J, Menachery VD, Gralinski LE, Graham RL, Becker MM, Tomar S, Scobey TD, Osswald HL, Whitmore A, Gopal R, Ghosh AK, Mesecar A, Zambon M, Heise M, Denison MR, Baric RS. A mouse model for Betacoronavirus subgroup 2c using a bat coronavirus strain HKU5 variant. mBio 2014 Mar 25;5(2):e00047-14.
      doi: 10.1128/mBio.00047-14pubmed: 24667706google scholar: lookup
    20. Ghoshal A, Sears JD, Hossain MA, Tse EG, Howell S, Burdick JE, Morales NL, Martinez SA, Law I, Streblow ZJ, Streblow DN, Couñago RM, Moorman NJ, Heise MT, Willson TM. N-Alkyl Sulfamates as a New Class of nsP2 Cysteine Protease Inhibitors with Broad-Spectrum Antialphaviral Activity. J Med Chem 2025 Nov 13;68(21):22918-22937.
      doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c01802pubmed: 41090377google scholar: lookup
    21. Ghoshal A, Sears JD, Hossain MA, Tse EG, Howell S, Burdick JE, Morales NL, Martinez SA, Law I, Streblow ZJ, Streblow DN, Couñago RM, Moorman NJ, Heise MT, Willson TM. N-Alkyl Sulfamates as a New Class of nsP2 Cysteine Protease Inhibitors with Broad Spectrum Antialphaviral Activity. bioRxiv 2025 Jul 4;.
      doi: 10.1101/2025.06.30.662352pubmed: 40631155google scholar: lookup
    22. Sun N, Su Z, Zheng X. Research progress of mosquito-borne virus mRNA vaccines. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2025 Mar 13;33(1):101398.
      doi: 10.1016/j.omtm.2024.101398pubmed: 39834558google scholar: lookup
    23. VanderGiessen M, de Jager C, Leighton J, Xie H, Theus M, Johnson E, Kehn-Hall K. Neurological manifestations of encephalitic alphaviruses, traumatic brain injuries, and organophosphorus nerve agent exposure. Front Neurosci 2024;18:1514940.
      doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1514940pubmed: 39734493google scholar: lookup
    24. Vissani MA, Alamos F, Tordoya MS, Minatel L, Schammas JM, Dus Santos MJ, Trono K, Barrandeguy ME, Balasuriya UBR, Carossino M. Outbreak of Western Equine Encephalitis Virus Infection Associated with Neurological Disease in Horses Following a Nearly 40-Year Intermission Period in Argentina. Viruses 2024 Oct 10;16(10).
      doi: 10.3390/v16101594pubmed: 39459927google scholar: lookup
    25. Williams EP, Xue Y, Lee J, Fitzpatrick EA, Kong Y, Reichard W, Writt H, Jonsson CB. Deep spatial profiling of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus reveals increased genetic diversity amidst neuroinflammation and cell death during brain infection. J Virol 2023 Aug 31;97(8):e0082723.
      doi: 10.1128/jvi.00827-23pubmed: 37560924google scholar: lookup