The immune response of foals to natural infection with equid herpesvirus-2 and its association with febrile illness.
Abstract: Equid herpesvirus-2 (EHV-2) infection is ubiquitous in horses. Although EHV-2 infection has been associated with several disease syndromes, its true pathogenic significance in horses remains uncertain. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), another gammaherpesvirus, has been shown to cause febrile illness in humans related to its immunopathologic effects. Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe the ontogeny of the immune response of a cohort of 9 foals to natural infection with EHV-2 by evaluating serial complete blood counts, lymphocyte morphology, cytokine gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), viral load in nasal swabs and blood, and antigen-specific cellular immune responses of PBMC, in conjunction with clinical evaluation of the foals. The occurrence of fever in foals was not related to lymphocytosis or specific changes in lymphocyte morphology, cytokine gene expression, or viral load, but tended to be associated (P</=0.10) with increased EHV-2-specific responsiveness of PBMC. These results support the conclusion that the cellular immune response to EHV-2 may lead to an immunologically mediated disease of foals that is analogous to infectious mononucleosis caused by EBV infection in humans.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2010-06-01 PubMed ID: 20646766DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2010.05.010Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates the immune response of foals to equid herpesvirus-2 (EHV-2) and its connection to febrile illness, similar to mononucleosis response to Epstein-Barr virus in humans.
Study Objective and Background
- The research focuses on understanding the immune response of horse foals to the Equid herpesvirus-2 (EHV-2). EHV-2 is a common infection found in horses, but the exact disease-related implications it carries remain uncertain.
- EHV-2 is a gammaherpesvirus, the same type as the Epstein-Barr Virus(EBV) that has been known to cause feverish diseases in humans due to its effects on the immune system.
- The researchers aimed to discover if similar feverish illnesses could be attributed to EHV-2, building upon the shared virus type.
Methodology
- The research observed a cohort of nine foals infected naturally with EHV-2. The foals were repeatedly monitored for changes in their blood count, lymphocyte morphology, cytokine gene expression, viral load as well as their clinical health conditions.
- Antigen-specific cellular immune responses were also evaluated in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC).
Results and Findings
- It found that fever in the foals did not correspond with lymphocytosis, specific lymphocyte alterations, variations in cytokine gene expression, or differences in viral load.
- However, there seemed to be a connection between the fever and the increased EHV-2-specific responsiveness in PBMC, supporting the theory that the foal’s cellular immune response to EHV-2 could result in an immunologically mediated disease.
Conclusion
- The findings suggest an analogical disease path to infectious mononucleosis in humans caused by EBV, potentially revealing a new aspect of how EHV-2 could impact the health of horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Brault SA, Blanchard MT, Gardner IA, Stott JL, Pusterla N, Mapes SM, Vernau W, Dejong KD, Maclachlan NJ.
(2010).
The immune response of foals to natural infection with equid herpesvirus-2 and its association with febrile illness.
Vet Immunol Immunopathol, 137(1-2), 136-141.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2010.05.010 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cytokines / genetics
- Female
- Fever / etiology
- Fever / veterinary
- Flow Cytometry
- Herpesviridae Infections / immunology
- Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horses
- Interferon-gamma / biosynthesis
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear / virology
- Male
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Rhadinovirus
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Stasiak K, Dunowska M, Rola J. Kinetics of the Equid Herpesvirus 2 and 5 Infections among Mares and Foals from Three Polish National Studs.. Viruses 2022 Mar 29;14(4).
- El-Hage C, Mekuria Z, Dynon K, Hartley C, McBride K, Gilkerson J. Association of Equine Herpesvirus 5 with Mild Respiratory Disease in a Survey of EHV1, -2, -4 and -5 in 407 Australian Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Nov 30;11(12).
- Thorsteinsdóttir L, Jónsdóttir S, Stefánsdóttir SB, Andrésdóttir V, Wagner B, Marti E, Torsteinsdóttir S, Svansson V. The effect of maternal immunity on the equine gammaherpesvirus type 2 and 5 viral load and antibody response.. PLoS One 2019;14(6):e0218576.
- Marenzoni ML, Stefanetti V, Danzetta ML, Timoney PJ. Gammaherpesvirus infections in equids: a review.. Vet Med (Auckl) 2015;6:91-101.
- Hue ES, Fortier CI, Laurent AM, Quesnelle YF, Fortier GD, Legrand LJ, Pronost SL. Development and Validation of a Quantitative PCR Method for Equid Herpesvirus-2 Diagnostics in Respiratory Fluids.. J Vis Exp 2016 Mar 17;(109).
- Doboro FA, Njiro S, Sibeko-Matjila K, Van Vuuren M. Molecular Analysis of South African Ovine Herpesvirus 2 Strains Based on Selected Glycoprotein and Tegument Genes.. PLoS One 2016;11(3):e0147019.
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