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The equine herpesviruses.
Abstract: Two viruses, EHV-1 and EHV-4, are now known to be responsible for disease conditions formerly considered caused by "equine rhinopneumonitis virus." Although these viruses share several laboratory and clinical features, they differ in epidemiology and pathogenic potential. EHV-4 is primarily associated with clinical respiratory disease, whereas EHV-1 is more frequently isolated from aborted fetuses, sickly foals, and neurologic cases. Both viruses frequently establish latent infections, but the relevance of latency to clinical disease is unclear. Diagnosis based on identification of the pathogen is generally superior to serologic methods. Vaccines containing each virus are available, and vaccination in concert with careful management limits the number of clinical cases. Immunity following vaccination or disease is not absolute, however, and improved disease prophylaxis awaits a better understanding of protective immune responses.
Publication Date: 1993-08-01 PubMed ID: 8395324DOI: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30396-6Google 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
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The research article presents a study on two types of equine herpesviruses, EHV-1 and EHV-4, which were previously believed to cause ‘equine rhinopneumonitis virus’. The paper explores their differences, the diseases they cause, and the effectiveness of current vaccines and management strategies in limiting outbreaks.
Analysis of EHV-1 and EHV-4 Viruses
- The paper examines two equine herpesviruses, named EHV-1 and EHV-4. These viruses were previously grouped under the term ‘equine rhinopneumonitis virus’, which is a type of upper respiratory tract disease in horses.
- The research suggests that while these viruses share several clinical and laboratory characteristics, they impact horses in different ways and present distinct epidemiological and pathogenic potentials.
- EHV-4, according to the study, is mostly related to respiratory disease in horses, while EHV-1 is more often found in aborted foetuses, sick foals, and neurological cases.
Latency and Clinical Impact
- The study explains that both EHV-1 and EHV-4 often establish latent infections, meaning the viruses remain dormant in the horse’s body, potentially reactivating at a later date. However, the research states that the significance of this latency in relation to the clinical disease manifestation is not clear.
Diagnosis and Vaccination
- As per the researchers, diagnosing the disease based on the identification of the specific pathogen involved is generally more effective than methods that rely on serology (the study of blood serum).
- The paper also mentions that vaccines for each virus exist. When these vaccinations are combined with careful management strategies, it can help limit the number of clinical disease cases in horses.
Immunization Challenges
- The study, however, notes that the immunity provided by both vaccination and disease contraction is not absolute. In other words, horses may not necessarily be fully protected from the disease despite vaccination or previous infection.
- The researchers suggest that improved disease prevention may hinge on a deeper understanding of the protective immune responses and how they can be triggered reliably in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Ostlund EN.
(1993).
The equine herpesviruses.
Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 9(2), 283-294.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30396-6 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
MeSH Terms
- Abortion, Veterinary / diagnosis
- Abortion, Veterinary / microbiology
- Abortion, Veterinary / prevention & control
- Animals
- Female
- Fetal Diseases / diagnosis
- Fetal Diseases / microbiology
- Fetal Diseases / prevention & control
- Fetal Diseases / veterinary
- Herpesviridae Infections / diagnosis
- Herpesviridae Infections / microbiology
- Herpesviridae Infections / prevention & control
- Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
- Herpesvirus 1, Equid / immunology
- Herpesvirus 1, Equid / isolation & purification
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Male
- Nervous System Diseases / diagnosis
- Nervous System Diseases / microbiology
- Nervous System Diseases / prevention & control
- Nervous System Diseases / veterinary
- Pregnancy
- Respiratory Tract Infections / diagnosis
- Respiratory Tract Infections / microbiology
- Respiratory Tract Infections / prevention & control
- Respiratory Tract Infections / veterinary
- Vaccination / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 15 times.- Black JB, Frampton AR. Anti-inflammatory compounds reduce equine herpesvirus type 1 replication and cell-to-cell spread. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1165917.
- Pavulraj S, Eschke K, Theisen J, Westhoff S, Reimers G, Andreotti S, Osterrieder N, Azab W. Equine Herpesvirus Type 4 (EHV-4) Outbreak in Germany: Virological, Serological, and Molecular Investigations. Pathogens 2021 Jun 25;10(7).
- Pusterla N, Barnum S, Miller J, Varnell S, Dallap-Schaer B, Aceto H, Simeone A. Investigation of an EHV-1 Outbreak in the United States Caused by a New H(752) Genotype. Pathogens 2021 Jun 13;10(6).
- Jerele S, Davis E, Mapes S, Pusterla N, Navas González FJ, Iglesias Pastrana C, Abdelfattah EM, McLean A. Survey of Serum Amyloid A and Bacterial and Viral Frequency Using qPCR Levels in Recently Captured Feral Donkeys from Death Valley National Park (California). Animals (Basel) 2020 Jun 23;10(6).
- Oladunni FS, Horohov DW, Chambers TM. EHV-1: A Constant Threat to the Horse Industry. Front Microbiol 2019;10:2668.
- Bergmann T, Moore C, Sidney J, Miller D, Tallmadge R, Harman RM, Oseroff C, Wriston A, Shabanowitz J, Hunt DF, Osterrieder N, Peters B, Antczak DF, Sette A. The common equine class I molecule Eqca-1*00101 (ELA-A3.1) is characterized by narrow peptide binding and T cell epitope repertoires. Immunogenetics 2015 Nov;67(11-12):675-89.
- Bannai H, Mae N, Ode H, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kondo T, Matsumura T. Successful control of winter pyrexias caused by equine herpesvirus type 1 in Japanese training centers by achieving high vaccination coverage. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2014 Aug;21(8):1070-6.
- Garré B, Shebany K, Gryspeerdt A, Baert K, van der Meulen K, Nauwynck H, Deprez P, De Backer P, Croubels S. Pharmacokinetics of acyclovir after intravenous infusion of acyclovir and after oral administration of acyclovir and its prodrug valacyclovir in healthy adult horses. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2007 Dec;51(12):4308-14.
- Pearson W, Omar S, Clarke AF. Low-dose ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) modulates the course and magnitude of the antibody response to vaccination against equid herpesvirus I in horses. Can J Vet Res 2007 Jul;71(3):213-7.
- Olsen TF. Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy in a 14-year-old quarter horse stallion. Can Vet J 2001 Mar;42(3):217-20.
- Sutton GA, Viel L, Carman PS, Boag BL. Pathogenesis and clinical signs of equine herpesvirus-1 in experimentally infected ponies in vivo. Can J Vet Res 1998 Jan;62(1):49-55.
- Allen G, Yeargan M, Costa LR, Cross R. Major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses in horses infected with equine herpesvirus 1. J Virol 1995 Jan;69(1):606-12.
- Manie EA, Elzayat EM, Ragab SS, Sweed AM, Ibrahim H, Nasser S, Allayeh AK. A novel approach utilizing spirocyclic thiopyrimidinone compounds against herpes simplex virus with underlying antiviral mechanisms of action. Virol J 2025 Apr 11;22(1):97.
- Mohamed E, Zarak I, Vereecke N, Theuns S, Laval K, Nauwynck H. Genomic analysis and replication kinetics of the closely related EHV-1 neuropathogenic 21P40 and abortigenic 97P70 strains. Vet Res 2025 Jan 13;56(1):12.
- Kasem S, Abdel-Moneim AS, Fukushi H. Effect of thymidine kinase-deficiency (∆ORF38) on neuropathogenicity of equine herpesvirus-1 in the mouse model and expression of neighboring genes. Virus Genes 2025 Apr;61(2):179-192.
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