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The Molecular Detection of Equine Herpesviruses 2 and 5 in Genital Swabs From Clinically Normal Thoroughbred Mares in South Korea.
Abstract: Equine herpesvirus (EHV) 2 and equine herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5) have been getting attention as potential causative pathogens of reproductive disorders in horses. Equine herpesviruses 2 and 5 are widespread among horses and have been detected in various samples including nasal swabs, blood, and ocular swabs. However, the detection of these pathogens in genital swabs has not been determined. The aims of this study were to determine the positive rate of EHV-2 and EHV-5 DNA in genital swabs taken from clinically normal mares and to define the genetic diversity of these EHV-2 and EHV-5 DNA sequences by comparing them to previously reported EHV-2 and EHV-5 nucleotide sequences. Four hundred and thirty genital swabs from clinically normal mares were tested for EHV-2 and EHV-5 by glycoprotein B (gB)-specific polymerase chain reaction. From 430 genital swabs, 10 (2.3%) contained EHV-2 DNA, and 11 (2.6%) were positive for EHV-5. The sequences of the EHV-2 and EHV-5 gB gene were used in phylogenetic analyses and revealed that the Korean EHV-2 and EHV-5 strains have a marked genetic diversity, with a nucleotide sequence identity among the strains that ranged from 92.57% to 100% and from 98.07% to 100% for EHV-2 and EHV-5, respectively. The degree of similarity between Korean strains and those recovered from horses elsewhere ranged from 88.13% to 100% for EHV-2 and 95.96% to 100% for EHV-5. Further studies are now required to determine if the presence of EHV-2 and EHV-5 DNA is associated with reproductive disorders in clinically affected horses.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-05-22 PubMed ID: 31405504DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.05.013Google 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
Summary
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The research in this article sets out to identify and analyze the presence of Equine herpesviruses 2 and 5 (EHV-2 and EHV-5) in the genital swabs of clinically normal mares in South Korea, as well as compare the genetic diversity of these viruses in relation to sequences found elsewhere.
Identification and Analysis of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in Genital Swabs
- The researchers aim was to gauge the positive rate of EHV-2 and EHV-5 DNA in the genital swabs taken from clinically normal mares.
- A total of 430 genital swabs were tested using a glycoprotein B (gB)-specific polymerase chain reaction (a technique used in molecular biology to amplify a single or few copies of a piece of DNA).
- The result showed that 10 (2.3%) of the 430 swabs contained EHV-2 DNA and 11 (2.6%) were positive for EHV-5.
Assessment of Genetic Variability of EHV-2 and EHV-5
- The researchers conducted a detailed genetic analysis of the detected virus strains. They compared the sequences of the EHV-2 and EHV-5 gB gene with the sequences of the strain that have been reported previously.
- The goal was to study how identical or different the Korean strains were from other horses’ strains globally.
- The study revealed a notable genetic diversity, with the nucleotide sequence identity among the strains ranging from 92.57% to 100% for EHV-2 and from 98.07% to 100% for EHV-5.
- The degree of similarity between Korean strains and those detected in horses in other parts of the world was between 88.13% and 100% for EHV-2 and between 95.96% and 100% for EHV-5.
Future Research Focus
- Despite these findings, the research concluded that further studies are now needed to determine if the presence of EHV-2 and EHV-5 DNA is associated with reproductive disorders in clinically affected horses.
- This indicates that this research is preliminary, and comprehensive studies investigating the impact of EHV-2 and EHV-5 on horse’s reproductive health are still needed.
Cite This Article
APA
Lee SK, Lee I.
(2019).
The Molecular Detection of Equine Herpesviruses 2 and 5 in Genital Swabs From Clinically Normal Thoroughbred Mares in South Korea.
J Equine Vet Sci, 79, 68-72.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.05.013 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea; Veterinary Center, Korea Racing Authority, Gwacheon, South Korea.
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: inhyunglee@snu.ac.kr.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- DNA, Viral
- Female
- Genitalia
- Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
- Horse Diseases
- Horses
- Phylogeny
- Republic of Korea
- Rhadinovirus / genetics
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Badr C, Souiai O, Arbi M, El Behi I, Essaied MS, Khosrof I, Benkahla A, Chabchoub A, Ghram A. Epidemiological and Phylogeographic Study of Equid Herpesviruses in Tunisia. Pathogens 2022 Sep 5;11(9).
- Stasiak K, Dunowska M, Trewick S, Rola J. Genetic Variation in the Glycoprotein B Sequence of Equid Herpesvirus 5 among Horses of Various Breeds at Polish National Studs. Pathogens 2021 Mar 9;10(3).
- Tsai MS, Fogarty U, Byrne AW, O'Keeffe J, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Effects of Mustelid gammaherpesvirus 1 (MusGHV-1) Reactivation in European Badger (Meles meles) Genital Tracts on Reproductive Fitness. Pathogens 2020 Sep 20;9(9).
- Seo MG, Ouh IO, Lee SK, Lee JS, Kwon OD, Kwak D. Molecular Detection and Genetic Characteristics of Equine Herpesvirus in Korea. Pathogens 2020 Feb 11;9(2).
- Cooper CJ, Arroyo LG, Hammermueller JD, Botts MM, Pearl DL, Wootton SK, Lillie BN. Molecular prevalence of equine alphaherpesvirus-1 shedding in healthy broodmares in Ontario. Can J Vet Res 2026 Jan;90(1):16-24.
- Stasiak K, Dunowska M, Rola J. Genetic Diversity of Equid Herpesvirus 5 in Temporal Samples from Mares and Their Foals at Three Polish National Studs. Int J Mol Sci 2025 Aug 27;26(17).
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