Prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to Equine rhinitis A and B virus in horses and man.

This study investigated the presence of neutralising antibodies for Equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) and Equine rhinitis B virus 1 (ERBV1) in horses and veterinarians in Austria. The findings revealed that these viruses are common in Austrian horses, but the threat of zoonotic transmission to veterinarians appears to be relatively low.

Study Topic and Objectives

• The main theme of the research revolves around the study of two types of viruses, ERAV and ERBV1, that cause respiratory infections in horses.
• The objective of the research is to investigate the prevalence of these viruses in horses and human (veterinarians), especially considering the lack of information on the seroprevalence of these viruses in Austria.

Methodology and Sample

• The study involved taking samples from 200 horses and 137 veterinarians.
• The samples were then tested for the presence of antibodies that could neutralize ERAV and ERBV1.

Findings and Results

• The research found significant neutralizing activity against both ERAV and ERBV1 in the horse samples. Specifically, 90% of the horse sera samples were found to neutralize ERAV, and 86% were found to neutralize ERBV1.
• In the case of the human (veterinarian) sera, the neutralizing activity was considerably lower. Merely 2.7% of human sera neutralized ERAV and approximately 3.6% neutralized ERBV1. Hence, the threat of these viruses effectively infecting humans, specifically veterinarians in this study, seems low.

Conclusion and Implications

• This research concluded that ERAV and ERBV1 are widespread among the Austrian horse population.
• The low rate of neutralizing antibodies in veterinarians suggests a lower risk of zoonotic (animal to human) infection transmission.
• These findings can play a key role in public health discourse, underscoring the need for further research to understand the nature of these viruses and how they interact with different species.