FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire2023; 87(3); 169-175; doi: 10.25318/3210037301-eng

Prevalence of equine parvovirus-hepatitis in healthy broodmares in Ontario, Canada.

Abstract: Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) was first reported from the serum and liver tissue of a horse diagnosed with Theiler's disease in the United States in 2018. Theiler's disease, also known as equine serum hepatitis, is a severe hepatitis with fulminant hepatic necrosis. The disease has most frequently been reported following the administration of equine-origin biological products; however, it has also been reported in in-contact horses with no prior biologic administration. EqPV-H has been detected in clinically healthy horses in North America (USA, Canada), Europe (Germany, Austria, Slovenia), Asia (China, South Korea), and South America (Brazil). Previous prevalence studies conducted worldwide have shown the presence of EqPV-H DNA in serum or plasma ranging from 3.2 to 19.8%. This study investigated the prevalence of EqPV-H DNA in 170 healthy broodmares of various breeds located on 37 farms in southern Ontario, Canada. The occurrence of EqPV-H infection was determined by quantitative PCR for EqPV-H DNA in serum samples. The effects of age, breed, season, pregnancy status, and equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) vaccination history on EqPV-H status were also investigated. There was a prevalence of 15.9% (27/170) with viral loads of EqPV-H ranging from detectable to 2900 copies/mL. Statistical analysis showed that increasing age was a significant factor in the detection of EqPV-H DNA. Neither breed, season, pregnancy status, nor EHV-1 vaccination history was significant in predicting EqPV-H infection status. L’hépatite à parvovirus équin (EqPV-H) a été signalée pour la première fois à partir du sérum et du tissu hépatique d’un cheval diagnostiqué avec la maladie de Theiler aux États-Unis en 2018. La maladie de Theiler, également connue sous le nom d’hépatite sérique équine, est une hépatite sévère avec nécrose hépatique fulminante. La maladie a été le plus souvent rapportée à la suite de l’administration de produits biologiques d’origine équine; cependant, il a également été signalé chez des chevaux en contact sans administration préalable de produit biologique. EqPV-H a été détecté chez des chevaux cliniquement sains en Amérique du Nord (États-Unis, Canada), en Europe (Allemagne, Autriche, Slovénie), en Asie (Chine, Corée du Sud) et en Amérique du Sud (Brésil). Des études de prévalence antérieures menées dans le monde entier ont montré la présence d’ADN EqPV-H dans le sérum ou le plasma allant de 3,2 à 19,8 %. Cette étude a examiné la prévalence de l’ADN EqPV-H chez 170 poulinières en bonne santé de différentes races situées dans 37 fermes du sud de l’Ontario, au Canada. La survenue d’une infection par EqPV-H a été déterminée par PCR quantitative pour l’ADN d’EqPV-H dans des échantillons de sérum. Les effets de l’âge, de la race, de la saison, de l’état de grossesse et des antécédents de vaccination contre l’herpèsvirus équin-1 (EHV-1) sur le statut EqPV-H ont également été étudiés. Il y avait une prévalence de 15,9 % (27/170) avec des charges virales d’EqPV-H allant de détectable à 2900 copies/mL. L’analyse statistique a montré que l’augmentation de l’âge était un facteur significatif dans la détection de l’ADN EqPV-H. Ni la race, ni la saison, ni l’état de grossesse, ni les antécédents de vaccination contre l’EHV-1 n’étaient significatifs pour prédire l’état de l’infection par l’EqPV-H.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).
Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2023-07-03 PubMed ID: 37397641PubMed Central: PMC10291705DOI: 10.25318/3210037301-engGoogle 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.
LinkedInCopy
  • 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.

This research focuses on the detection and prevalence of Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis (EqPV-H) among healthy broodmares in southern Ontario, Canada. The virus was found in 15.9% of tested mares, with older horses showing a higher likelihood of infection.

Study Overview

  • The study was conducted to ascertain the prevalence of EqPV-H – a virus first identified in North America in 2018 and associated with a severe form of hepatitis known as Theiler’s disease – in healthy broodmares across 37 farms in southern Ontario, Canada.
  • Theiler’s disease typically occurs after horses are exposed to equine-origin biological products, though it has also been reported in horses that have not been administered such products.
  • The disease has global prevalence, with EqPV-H detected in healthy horses from Europe, Asia, and South America.
  • Previous research has indicated that EqPV-H DNA presence in horse serum or plasma can vary from 3.2% to 19.8%.

Methodology and Findings

  • The researchers collected serum samples from 170 healthy broodmares of varied breeds.
  • These samples underwent quantitative PCR testing for the presence of EqPV-H DNA, a method for determining the occurrence of the disease.
  • The horses’ age, breed, season, pregnancy status, and history of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) vaccination were also factored in to assess their impact on EqPV-H status.
  • Among the tested broodmares, 15.9% (27 out of 170) showed detectable to 2900 copies/mL viral loads of EqPV-H, indicating a presence of the virus.
  • Based on statistical analysis, the research determined that increasing age significantly impacted the detection of EqPV-H DNA in the horses. No other factors – breed, season, pregnancy status or EHV-1 vaccination history – showed a significant correlation to EqPV-H infection.

Conclusion

  • These findings indicate that EqPV-H is present in approximately 16% of the tested healthy broodmares in southern Ontario, Canada.
  • Greater susceptibility to the virus was noted in older horses, suggesting age as a risk factor for EqPV-H infection.

Cite This Article

APA
Papapetrou MA, Arroyo LG, Meister TL, Baird JD, Steinmann E, Lillie BN. (2023). Prevalence of equine parvovirus-hepatitis in healthy broodmares in Ontario, Canada. Can J Vet Res, 87(3), 169-175. https://doi.org/10.25318/3210037301-eng

Publication

Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire
ISSN: 1928-9022
NlmUniqueID: 8607793
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 87
Issue: 3
Pages: 169-175

Researcher Affiliations

Papapetrou, Maria A
  • Department of Pathobiology (Papapetrou, Lillie) and Department of Clinical Studies (Arroyo, Baird) Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany (Meister, Steinmann).
Arroyo, Luis G
  • Department of Pathobiology (Papapetrou, Lillie) and Department of Clinical Studies (Arroyo, Baird) Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany (Meister, Steinmann).
Meister, Toni L
  • Department of Pathobiology (Papapetrou, Lillie) and Department of Clinical Studies (Arroyo, Baird) Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany (Meister, Steinmann).
Baird, John D
  • Department of Pathobiology (Papapetrou, Lillie) and Department of Clinical Studies (Arroyo, Baird) Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany (Meister, Steinmann).
Steinmann, Eike
  • Department of Pathobiology (Papapetrou, Lillie) and Department of Clinical Studies (Arroyo, Baird) Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany (Meister, Steinmann).
Lillie, Brandon N
  • Department of Pathobiology (Papapetrou, Lillie) and Department of Clinical Studies (Arroyo, Baird) Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany (Meister, Steinmann).

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Pregnancy
  • Female
  • Parvovirus / genetics
  • Parvoviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Parvoviridae Infections / veterinary
  • Ontario / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / epidemiology
  • Hepatitis
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary

References

This article includes 36 references
  1. HJERPE CA. SERUM HEPATITIS IN THE HORSE.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1964 Apr 1;144:734-40.
    pubmed: 14156990
  2. Panciera RJ. Serum hepatitis in the horse.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1969 Jul 15;155(2):408-10.
    pubmed: 5816124
  3. Thomsett LR. Acute hepatic failure in the horse.. Equine Vet J 1971 Jan;3(1):15-9.
    pubmed: 5161355doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1971.tb04433.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  4. Tennant B, Baldwin B, Evans CD, Kaneko JJ. Diseases of the equine liver.. Proceedings of the 21st Annual Convention of American Association of Equine Practitioners December 1–3, 1975; Boston, Massachusetts. 1975. pp. 410–426.
  5. Tennant B. Acute hepatitis in horses: Problems of differentiating toxic and infectious causes in the adult.. Proceedings of the 24th Annual Convention of American Association of Equine Practitioners December 2–6, 1978; St Louis, Missouri. 1978. pp. 465–471.
  6. Messer NT 4th, Johnson PJ. Serum hepatitis in two brood mares.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1994 Jun 1;204(11):1790-2.
    pubmed: 8063602
  7. Messer NT 4th, Johnson PJ. Idiopathic acute hepatic disease in horses: 12 cases (1982-1992).. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1994 Jun 15;204(12):1934-7.
    pubmed: 8077140
  8. Guglick MA, MacAllister CG, Ely RW, Edwards WC. Hepatic disease associated with administration of tetanus antitoxin in eight horses.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1995 Jun 1;206(11):1737-40.
    pubmed: 7782247
  9. Aleman M, Nieto JE, Carr EA, Carlson GP. Serum hepatitis associated with commercial plasma transfusion in horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2005 Jan-Feb;19(1):120-2.
    pubmed: 15715060doi: 10.1892/0891-6640(2005)19<120:shawcp>2.0.co;2google scholar: lookup
  10. Divers TJ, Tennant BC, Kumar A, McDonough S, Cullen J, Bhuva N, Jain K, Chauhan LS, Scheel TKH, Lipkin WI, Laverack M, Trivedi S, Srinivasa S, Beard L, Rice CM, Burbelo PD, Renshaw RW, Dubovi E, Kapoor A. New Parvovirus Associated with Serum Hepatitis in Horses after Inoculation of Common Biological Product.. Emerg Infect Dis 2018 Feb;24(2):303-310.
    pmc: PMC5782890pubmed: 29350162doi: 10.3201/eid2402.171031google scholar: lookup
  11. Baird J, Tegtmeyer B, Arroyo L, Stang A, Brüggemann Y, Hazlett M, Steinmann E. The association of Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis (EqPV-H) with cases of non-biologic-associated Theiler's disease on a farm in Ontario, Canada.. Vet Microbiol 2020 Mar;242:108575.
    pubmed: 32122586doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.108575google scholar: lookup
  12. Divers TJ, Tomlinson JE, Tennant BC. The history of Theiler's disease and the search for its aetiology.. Vet J 2022 Sep;287:105878.
    pubmed: 35907440doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2022.105878google scholar: lookup
  13. Theiler A. Acute liver-atrophy and parenchymatous hepatitis in horses. The Fifth and Sixth Reports of the Director of Veterinary Research, Department of Agriculture, Union of South Africa Pretoria South Africa: Government Printing and Stationery Office; 1918. pp. 7–164.
  14. Badenhorst M, de Heus P, Auer A, Tegtmeyer B, Stang A, Dimmel K, Tichy A, Kubacki J, Bachofen C, Steinmann E, Cavalleri JMV. Active equine parvovirus-hepatitis infection is most frequently detected in Austrian horses of advanced age.. Equine Vet J 2022 Mar;54(2):379-389.
    pmc: PMC9292856pubmed: 33704819doi: 10.1111/evj.13444google scholar: lookup
  15. Tomlinson JE, Jager M, Struzyna A, Laverack M, Fortier LA, Dubovi E, Foil LD, Burbelo PD, Divers TJ, Van de Walle GR. Tropism, pathology, and transmission of equine parvovirus-hepatitis.. Emerg Microbes Infect 2020;9(1):651-663.
    pmc: PMC7144241pubmed: 32192415doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1741326google scholar: lookup
  16. Vengust M, Jager MC, Zalig V, Cociancich V, Laverack M, Renshaw RW, Dubovi E, Tomlinson JE, Van de Walle GR, Divers TJ. First report of equine parvovirus-hepatitis-associated Theiler's disease in Europe.. Equine Vet J 2020 Nov;52(6):841-847.
    pmc: PMC7483838pubmed: 32145096doi: 10.1111/evj.13254google scholar: lookup
  17. Tomlinson JE, Kapoor A, Kumar A, Tennant BC, Laverack MA, Beard L, Delph K, Davis E, Schott Ii H, Lascola K, Holbrook TC, Johnson P, Taylor SD, McKenzie E, Carter-Arnold J, Setlakwe E, Fultz L, Brakenhoff J, Ruby R, Trivedi S, Van de Walle GR, Renshaw RW, Dubovi EJ, Divers TJ. Viral testing of 18 consecutive cases of equine serum hepatitis: A prospective study (2014-2018).. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jan;33(1):251-257.
    pmc: PMC6335536pubmed: 30520162doi: 10.1111/jvim.15368google scholar: lookup
  18. Tomlinson JE, Tennant BC, Struzyna A, Mrad D, Browne N, Whelchel D, Johnson PJ, Jamieson C, Löhr CV, Bildfell R, McKenzie EC, Laverack M, Renshaw RW, Dubovi E, Kapoor A, Meirs RS, Belgrave R, Engiles J, Van de Walle GR, Divers TJ. Viral testing of 10 cases of Theiler's disease and 37 in-contact horses in the absence of equine biologic product administration: A prospective study (2014-2018).. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jan;33(1):258-265.
    pmc: PMC6335540pubmed: 30520132doi: 10.1111/jvim.15362google scholar: lookup
  19. Ramsauer AS, Badenhorst M, Cavalleri JV. Equine parvovirus hepatitis.. Equine Vet J 2021 Sep;53(5):886-894.
    pmc: PMC8457058pubmed: 34101906doi: 10.1111/evj.13477google scholar: lookup
  20. Pénzes JJ, Söderlund-Venermo M, Canuti M, Eis-Hübinger AM, Hughes J, Cotmore SF, Harrach B. Reorganizing the family Parvoviridae: a revised taxonomy independent of the canonical approach based on host association.. Arch Virol 2020 Sep;165(9):2133-2146.
    pubmed: 32533329doi: 10.1007/s00705-020-04632-4google scholar: lookup
  21. Jager MC, Tomlinson JE, Lopez-Astacio RA, Parrish CR, Van de Walle GR. Small but mighty: old and new parvoviruses of veterinary significance.. Virol J 2021 Oct 24;18(1):210.
    pmc: PMC8542416pubmed: 34689822doi: 10.1186/s12985-021-01677-ygoogle scholar: lookup
  22. Meister TL, Tegtmeyer B, Postel A, Cavalleri JV, Todt D, Stang A, Steinmann E. Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis Frequently Detectable in Commercial Equine Serum Pools.. Viruses 2019 May 21;11(5).
    pmc: PMC6563276pubmed: 31117220doi: 10.3390/v11050461google scholar: lookup
  23. Meister TL, Tegtmeyer B, Brüggemann Y, Sieme H, Feige K, Todt D, Stang A, Cavalleri JV, Steinmann E. Characterization of Equine Parvovirus in Thoroughbred Breeding Horses from Germany.. Viruses 2019 Oct 18;11(10).
    pmc: PMC6833105pubmed: 31635426doi: 10.3390/v11100965google scholar: lookup
  24. Lu G, Sun L, Ou J, Xu H, Wu L, Li S. Identification and genetic characterization of a novel parvovirus associated with serum hepatitis in horses in China.. Emerg Microbes Infect 2018 Oct 23;7(1):170.
    pmc: PMC6198012pubmed: 30348940doi: 10.1038/s41426-018-0174-2google scholar: lookup
  25. Lee SK, Park D, Lee I. Molecular Prevalence of Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis in the Sera of Clinically Healthy Horses in South Korea.. Vet Sci 2021 Nov 19;8(11).
    pmc: PMC8619122pubmed: 34822655doi: 10.3390/vetsci8110282google scholar: lookup
  26. de Moraes MVDS, Salgado CRS, Godoi TLOS, de Almeida FQ, Chalhoub FLL, de Filippis AMB, de Souza AM, de Oliveira JM, Figueiredo AS. Equine parvovirus-hepatitis is detected in South America, Brazil.. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022 Sep;69(5):3022-3027.
    pubmed: 34236767doi: 10.1111/tbed.14226google scholar: lookup
  27. Fortier C, El-Hage C, Hue E. Hepatitis viruses: Prevalence of equine parvovirus-hepatitis virus and equine hepacivirus in France and Australia. Equine Vet J 2021;53:68.
  28. Reinecke B, Klöhn M, Brüggemann Y, Kinast V, Todt D, Stang A, Badenhorst M, Koeppel K, Guthrie A, Groner U, Puff C, de le Roi M, Baumgärtner W, Cavalleri JV, Steinmann E. Clinical Course of Infection and Cross-Species Detection of Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis.. Viruses 2021 Jul 26;13(8).
    pmc: PMC8402690pubmed: 34452320doi: 10.3390/v13081454google scholar: lookup
  29. Lu G, Wu L, Ou J, Li S. Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis in China: Characterization of Its Genetic Diversity and Evidence for Natural Recombination Events Between the Chinese and American Strains.. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:121.
    pmc: PMC7076910pubmed: 32211433doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00121google scholar: lookup
  30. Yoon J, Park T, Kim A, Song H, Park BJ, Ahn HS, Go HJ, Kim DH, Lee JB, Park SY, Song CS, Lee SW, Choi IS. First report of equine parvovirus-hepatitis and equine hepacivirus coinfection in horses in Korea.. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022 Sep;69(5):2735-2746.
    pubmed: 34919324doi: 10.1111/tbed.14425google scholar: lookup
  31. Yoon J, Park T, Kim A, Park J, Park BJ, Ahn HS, Go HJ, Kim DH, Jung S, Seo Y, Lee JB, Park SY, Song CS, Lee SW, Choi IS. First Clinical Case of Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis-Related Theiler's Disease in Asia.. Viruses 2021 Sep 24;13(10).
    pmc: PMC8541225pubmed: 34696347doi: 10.3390/v13101917google scholar: lookup
  32. Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0373-01 Other livestock inventories on farms. Census of Agriculture; 2021. doi:
    doi: 10.25318/3210037301-enggoogle scholar: lookup
  33. ESG Sergeant. Epitools Epidemiological Calculators. Ausvet; [Last accessed April 14, 2023]. Available from: http://epitools.ausvet.com.au.
  34. Altan E, Li Y, Sabino-Santos G Jr, Sawaswong V, Barnum S, Pusterla N, Deng X, Delwart E. Viruses in Horses with Neurologic and Respiratory Diseases.. Viruses 2019 Oct 14;11(10).
    pmc: PMC6832430pubmed: 31614994doi: 10.3390/v11100942google scholar: lookup
  35. Pusterla N, James K, Barnum S, Delwart E. Investigation of Three Newly Identified Equine Parvoviruses in Blood and Nasal Fluid Samples of Clinically Healthy Horses and Horses with Acute Onset of Respiratory Disease.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Oct 19;11(10).
    pmc: PMC8532786pubmed: 34680025doi: 10.3390/ani11103006google scholar: lookup
  36. Meister TL, Arroyo LG, Shanahan R, Papapetrou MA, Reinecke B, Brüggemann Y, Todt D, Stang A, Hazlett M, Baird JD, Steinmann E. Infection of young foals with Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis following a fatal non-biologic case of Theiler's disease.. Vet Microbiol 2022 Nov;274:109557.
    pubmed: 36088712doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109557google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Scupham AJ, Tong C. Detection of equine parvovirus-hepatitis and efficacy of governmental regulation for equine biologics purity. J Vet Diagn Invest 2025 Jan;37(1):79-85.
    doi: 10.1177/10406387241292343pubmed: 39506428google scholar: lookup
  2. Fortier C, El-Hage C, Normand C, Hue ES, Sutton G, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Jeffers K, Bamford N, Oden E, Paillot R, Hartley C, Gilkerson J, Pronost S. Detection of Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis Virus and Equine Hepacivirus in Archived Sera from Horses in France and Australia. Viruses 2024 May 28;16(6).
    doi: 10.3390/v16060862pubmed: 38932156google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,780 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.