Western immunoblotting as a method for the detection of African horse sickness virus protein-specific antibodies: differentiation between infected and vaccinated horses.

The researchers have developed a Western immunoblotting procedure as a tool to differentiate between horses infected by the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) and those only vaccinated against it, using specific AHSV protein-specific antibody responses.

Understanding the Research

This research revolves around the creation of a technique to distinguish between horses that are naturally infected by AHSV, horses that received a live, attenuated vaccine, and those that were vaccinated using a purified, inactivated AHSV vaccine. The method created by the researchers is a Western immunoblotting procedure that detects the presence of AHSV protein-specific antibodies in the animal’s blood.

• The Western immunoblotting procedure is a widely-used method in molecular biology for detection of specific proteins in a sample of tissue homogenate or extract.
• In the context of this research, the immunoblotting procedure is used to identify antibodies that are specific to different AHSV proteins, namely VP5, NS1, NS2, and NS3/NS3a.

Differentiating Between Infected and Vaccinated Horses

As per the research, the developed procedure has potential applications in identifying whether a horse has been naturally infected by AHSV, or whether it has been vaccinated.

• Importantly, non-structural proteins of AHSV are used as ‘markers’ to achieve this differentiation. These markers are only present in naturally infected animals or those vaccinated with a live, attenuated AHSV vaccine, not in animals vaccinated with purified, inactivated AHSV vaccines.
• By using these markers, the procedure provides a way to reliably determine the immune status of a horse with respect to AHSV.

Impact of the Research

The research is significant because African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly infectious and deadly viral disease affecting horses. It is crucial to be able to identify and separate infected animals from vaccinated ones to prevent outbreaks and maintain control over the disease.

• By differentiating between naturally infected and vaccinated animals, the technique could contribute to better disease management and control strategies, and could potentially be incorporated into wider biosurveillance efforts.
• This method also permits a more accurate assessment of disease prevalence, which would, in turn, lead to better decision-making concerning vaccination policies and allocation of resources for disease control.