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Microorganisms2026; 14(7); 1557; doi: 10.3390/microorganisms14071557

Preliminary Assessment on Pathogenicity of an African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1 Strain in Guinea Pigs and Horses.

Abstract: African horse sickness (AHS), a noncontagious insect-borne disease affecting equids, is caused by the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) and is associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality. AHSV has nine distinct serotypes (AHSV-1 to AHSV-9). In a previous study, we characterized the genome and in vitro growth properties of AHSV/C, a cell-adapted derivative of an AHSV-1 strain imported into China 60 years ago, and verified its safety in mice. This study preliminarily explored the pathogenicity of AHSV/C in guinea pigs and horses (its natural host). Six groups of guinea pigs were inoculated with three doses of AHSV/C (10, 10, and 10 TCID per animal) via both intraperitoneal and subcutaneous routes; two horses were subcutaneously inoculated with 10 TCID of AHSV/C. All animals received a booster inoculation three weeks later. During the entire observation period, we mainly monitored clinical signs, body temperature, viremia, virus shedding and pathological changes (examined only in guinea pigs), and collected serum samples for neutralizing antibody detection. The results showed that no abnormal clinical signs, evident viremia, or virus shedding were observed in either species. Histopathological examinations revealed no evident lesions in guinea pigs. Neutralization tests showed that AHSV/C induced only low neutralizing antibody titers after primary inoculation, with a marked increase after booster administration. Collectively, this study preliminarily characterized the pathogenicity of AHSV/C in guinea pigs and horses, confirming that the strain showed no evident pathogenicity in test animals. These findings suggest that AHSV/C may be an attenuated strain. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to validate these findings and explore their potential applications.
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Publication Date: 2026-07-16 PubMed ID: 42514062PubMed Central: PMC13414468DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms14071557Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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.

Overview

  • This study investigated the disease-causing potential (pathogenicity) of a specific African Horse Sickness Virus serotype 1 strain (AHSV/C) in guinea pigs and horses, its natural host.
  • The findings suggest that AHSV/C showed no evident pathogenic effects in the tested animals, indicating it may be an attenuated (weakened) strain.

Background

  • African Horse Sickness (AHS): A non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease primarily affecting equids (horses, donkeys, zebras), characterized by high rates of sickness and death.
  • Virus: Caused by African Horse Sickness Virus (AHSV), which has nine known serotypes (AHSV-1 to AHSV-9).
  • Study Foundation: Previous research characterized the genome and growth properties of an AHSV-1 strain (called AHSV/C) adapted to cell culture and imported into China about 60 years ago, also showing safety in mice.

Objectives

  • To preliminarily assess the pathogenicity of the AHSV/C strain in guinea pigs (a laboratory model) and horses (natural hosts).
  • To monitor clinical signs, viral presence, immune response, and pathological changes after virus inoculation.

Methods

  • Animals Used: Six groups of guinea pigs and two horses.
  • Virus Doses: Guinea pigs received three different virus doses (10^2, 10^3, and 10^4 TCID per animal) via intraperitoneal and subcutaneous routes; horses received 10^4 TCID via subcutaneous injection.
  • Boosters: All animals were given a booster dose three weeks after the initial inoculation to stimulate immune response.
  • Monitoring:
    • Clinical signs and body temperature to detect illness symptoms.
    • Viremia (presence of virus in blood) and virus shedding were tracked to understand virus replication and transmission potential.
    • Histopathology was conducted on guinea pig tissues to look for microscopic tissue damage or lesions.
    • Serum samples were collected to test for neutralizing antibodies, indicating immune system activation against the virus.

Results

  • Clinical Signs: No abnormal clinical symptoms or changes in body temperature for either guinea pigs or horses.
  • Viremia and Shedding: No evident virus detected in blood or shedding observed, suggesting limited or no active virus replication in the hosts.
  • Histopathology: No noticeable lesions or tissue damage found in guinea pig organs examined.
  • Immune Response: Low levels of neutralizing antibodies detected after the first inoculation; a significant rise in antibody levels occurred after the booster injection.

Conclusions

  • The AHSV/C strain did not cause evident disease or pathological damage in either guinea pigs or horses.
  • The immune response data suggest AHSV/C can stimulate antibody production, especially after booster vaccination.
  • These findings indicate AHSV/C may be an attenuated (weakened) strain potentially safer for research or vaccine development.
  • Authors recommend further studies with larger numbers of animals to confirm these preliminary results and explore practical applications such as vaccine design.

Cite This Article

APA
Zhang M, Wang XF, Fu BF, Guo SF, Wang L, Zhang B, Guan FH, Song YF, Yang XY, Wang LL, Zhang QY, Yang CH. (2026). Preliminary Assessment on Pathogenicity of an African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1 Strain in Guinea Pigs and Horses. Microorganisms, 14(7), 1557. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14071557

Publication

Microorganisms
ISSN: 2076-2607
NlmUniqueID: 101625893
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 7
PII: 1557

Researcher Affiliations

Zhang, Min
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Wang, Xue-Feng
  • State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China.
Fu, Bo-Fan
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Guo, Si-Fan
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Wang, Lei
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Zhang, Bing
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Guan, Fei-Hu
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Song, Ya-Fen
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Yang, Xiao-Yue
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Wang, Ling-Ling
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Zhang, Qian-Yi
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Yang, Cheng-Huai
  • China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.

Grant Funding

  • 2022YFD1800504 / National Key Research and Development Project of China

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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