The Role of Viral Pathogens in Horse Respiratory Diseases: A Cytological and Molecular Approach Using Next-Generation Sequencing.
Abstract: (1) Background: Respiratory problems may be associated with pathogens among which viruses may play an important role in causing or promoting clinical signs. However, traditional diagnostic methods for equine infectious diseases, such as PCR, are limited to known pathogens and often miss rare or novel viruses. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing is a transformative method that allows the sequencing of all genomes present in a sample. Recent studies have used next-generation sequences to identify viral sequences in horses with unexplained respiratory symptoms, revealing potential links between viruses and respiratory problems. The aim of the study was to verify a relationship between respiratory diseases and the presence of viral agents through molecular analyses, applied to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from horses with history or presence of clinical signs of respiratory diseases. (2) Methods: A cohort of 14 horses was enrolled. All the subjects were submitted to a clinical assessment of the respiratory tract, thoracic ultrasound evaluation, respiratory tract endoscopy, and bronchoalveolar lavage. The latter one was used for cytological analysis, DNA and RNA extraction, and molecular biology analysis. (3) Results: No positive results were obtained in the molecular studies except for a sequence of 753 bp obtained by next-generation sequences, with complete homology to Equid gammaherpesvirus 2 strains. The samples were taken from a thoroughbred female horse aged 2 years old and referred for poor performance and sporadic cough at the beginning of the training session. (4) Conclusions: viral involvement may be not common in horses with respiratory diseases. We cannot exclude that the lack of virus detection may be due to the small sample size of the population included.
Publication Date: 2024-11-21 PubMed ID: 39682313PubMed Central: PMC11639461DOI: 10.3390/ani14233347Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research involves the use of novel sequencing techniques to identify viral pathogens in the respiratory diseases of horses. The study shows that viruses may not be a common cause of respiratory diseases in horses, although limited sample size suggests the need for further research.
Background
- The study emphasizes the possibility of viral pathogens playing a crucial part in causing or heightening clinical symptoms of respiratory diseases in horses.
- Conventional approaches to diagnosing infectious diseases in horses, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are primarily geared towards known pathogens, potentially excluding the identification of less common or new viruses.
- To mitigate this problem, the researchers employed metagenomic next-generation sequencing (NGS), a transformative technique that allows for the sequencing of all genomes within a sample.
- Recent applications of next-generation sequencing have helped discover viral sequences in horses with unexplained respiratory symptoms, hinting at possible connections between viruses and respiratory problems.
Methods
- Fourteen horses were included in the study, all of whom underwent an extensive clinical assessment of their respiratory tracts, thoracic ultrasound evaluation, endoscopy of the respiratory tract, and bronchoalveolar lavage.
- From each bronchoalveolar lavage, the researchers conducted a cytological analysis, as well as DNA and RNA extraction, to facilitate molecular biology analysis.
- The molecular analyses were conducted specifically to establish or refute a potential link between respiratory diseases and the presence of viral agents.
Results
- None of the horses tested positive in the molecular studies, with the exception of one sequence (753 bp long) found through NGS that displayed complete homology with Equid gamma herpesvirus 2 strains.
- This sequence was found in a 2-year-old thoroughbred female horse that came forward due to poor performance and an occasional cough during the initial training sessions.
Conclusion
- The study suggests that viral involvement may not be common in horses with respiratory diseases.
- However, the researchers acknowledge that the lack of virus detection in their samples may be attributed to the small sample size of the studied population, indicating a possible need for future research using a larger number of subjects.
Cite This Article
APA
Mazzei M, Sorvillo B, Sgorbini M, Bindi F, Perelli A, Laus F.
(2024).
The Role of Viral Pathogens in Horse Respiratory Diseases: A Cytological and Molecular Approach Using Next-Generation Sequencing.
Animals (Basel), 14(23).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14233347 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Pontoni 5, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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