Pathology of maternal genital tract, placenta, and fetus in equine viral arteritis.
Abstract: Six pregnant mares were given equine viral arteritis virus intravenously. Tissues from genital tracts, placentae, and fetuses were examined by light and electron microscopy to study the mechanism of abortion. Four mares which died with acute disease had diffuse vacuolation of endometrial epithelium and systemic necrotizing vasculitis. Two of these mares had dead fetuses and two had live fetuses; virus was isolated from tissues of one live fetus. Placentae of mares dying from acute disease did not have lesions attributable to infection; virus was isolated from two of these placentae. One of the two mares which recovered from clinical disease aborted a dead fetus eight days after inoculation. The mare had severe necrotizing myometritis and virus was isolated from maternal ovaries and from fetal tissues. The fetus did not have lesions attributable to arteritis virus. These results suggest that although fetal death may occur in utero during acute equine viral arteritis, abortion probably is due to lesions in the uterus of the mare.
Publication Date: 1984-05-01 PubMed ID: 6328724DOI: 10.1177/030098588402100311Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study examines the effects of equine viral arteritis virus on pregnant horses and their offspring, suggesting that while the virus can cause in utero fetal deaths, abortions are likely a result of the virus’s impact on the mare’s uterus.
Research Objective and Procedure
This research explores the impact of the equine viral arteritis virus in pregnant mares and the mechanism of abortion caused by the virus. The researchers intravenously administered the virus to six pregnant horses and subsequently examined different tissues from the genital tracts, placentae, and fetuses using light and electron microscopy.
- Four of the horses that were severely affected by the disease died, leading to an investigation of their endometrial epithelium and systemic necrotizing vasculitis.
- In two of these cases, the fetuses were dead, while the other two still had live fetuses. The virus was detected in the tissues of one live fetus.
- In terms of the horses that died from severe acute disease, none of their placentae showed infection-linked lesions, but the virus was isolated from two of them.
Observations
Further observations were made regarding the impact of the virus on the mares that recovered and the aftermath of infection.
- One of the recovered mares ended up aborting a dead fetus eight days post-inoculation. The affected mare showed major necrotizing myometritis and the virus was seen in the maternal ovaries and the fetal tissues.
- Interestingly, the aborted fetus did not show any signs of lesions that could be attributed to the arteritis virus.
Conclusion
The authors concluded that the equine viral arteritis virus could cause the death of a fetus while in the uterus during an acute infection. However, in the cases of abortions, the study suggests that it is likely due to the virus’ effect on the uterus, rather than the virus directly affecting the fetus. This conclusion provides valuable insights on how the virus behaves and potentially opens new avenues for effective treatments or preventative measures to avoid the loss of fetuses in pregnant mares.
Cite This Article
APA
Coignoul FL, Cheville NF.
(1984).
Pathology of maternal genital tract, placenta, and fetus in equine viral arteritis.
Vet Pathol, 21(3), 333-340.
https://doi.org/10.1177/030098588402100311 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Abortion, Spontaneous / etiology
- Abortion, Veterinary / etiology
- Animals
- Equartevirus
- Female
- Fetus / pathology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Maternal-Fetal Exchange
- Ovary / pathology
- Placenta / pathology
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / pathology
- Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / veterinary
- RNA Viruses
- Uterus / pathology
- Virus Diseases / complications
- Virus Diseases / pathology
- Virus Diseases / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Cantón GJ, Navarro MA, Asin J, Chu P, Henderson EE, Mete A, Uzal FA. Equine abortion and stillbirth in California: a review of 1,774 cases received at a diagnostic laboratory, 1990-2022. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023 Mar;35(2):153-162.
- Agerholm JS, Klas EM, Damborg P, Borel N, Pedersen HG, Christoffersen M. A Diagnostic Survey of Aborted Equine Fetuses and Stillborn Premature Foals in Denmark. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:740621.
- Lyu S, Yuan X, Zhang H, Shi W, Hang X, Liu L, Cao Z, Wu Y. Complete genome sequence and analysis of a new lethal arterivirus, Trionyx sinensis hemorrhagic syndrome virus (TSHSV), amplified from an infected Chinese softshell turtle. Arch Virol 2019 Oct;164(10):2593-2597.
- Balasuriya UB, Go YY, MacLachlan NJ. Equine arteritis virus. Vet Microbiol 2013 Nov 29;167(1-2):93-122.
- Rowland RR. The interaction between PRRSV and the late gestation pig fetus. Virus Res 2010 Dec;154(1-2):114-22.
- Givens MD, Marley MS. Infectious causes of embryonic and fetal mortality. Theriogenology 2008 Aug;70(3):270-85.
- Glaser AL, Chirnside ED, Horzinek MC, de Vries AA. Equine arteritis virus. Theriogenology 1997 Apr 15;47(6):1275-95.
- Sur JH, Doster AR, Christian JS, Galeota JA, Wills RW, Zimmerman JJ, Osorio FA. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus replicates in testicular germ cells, alters spermatogenesis, and induces germ cell death by apoptosis. J Virol 1997 Dec;71(12):9170-9.
- Timoney PJ, McCollum WH. Equine viral arteritis. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 1993 Aug;9(2):295-309.
- Wada R, Fukunaga Y, Kondo T, Kanemaru T. Ultrastructure and immuno-cytochemistry of BHK-21 cells infected with a modified Bucyrus strain of equine arteritis virus. Arch Virol 1995;140(7):1173-80.
- Chirnside ED. Equine arteritis virus: an overview. Br Vet J 1992 May-Jun;148(3):181-97.
- Plagemann PG, Moennig V. Lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus, equine arteritis virus, and simian hemorrhagic fever virus: a new group of positive-strand RNA viruses. Adv Virus Res 1992;41:99-192.
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