What have we learned from 7 years of equine rhinitis B virus qPCR testing in nasal secretions from horses with respiratory signs.
Abstract: Equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV) has been given little attention by practitioners compared to other respiratory viruses, mainly because of the lack of diagnostic modalities and association with clinical disease. The objective of the study was to determine the frequency of detection of ERBV in nasal secretions from 6568 horses with acute onset of respiratory signs. ERBV-positive qPCR results from nasal secretions submitted to a molecular diagnostic laboratory from 2013 to 2019 were reviewed. A total of 333 ERBV qPCR-positive samples (5.1%) were detected with increasing yearly frequency since the introduction of the assay in 2013. In comparison, only three of 356 (0.8%) healthy horses tested qPCR-positive for ERBV. Median age for ERBV qPCR-positive horses was 3 years of age, and fever, coughing and nasal discharge were the most common signs reported. Further, co-infections with other respiratory pathogens were reported in 73 (21.9%) of ERBV qPCR-positive samples. ERBV is a commonly detected respiratory virus from nasal secretions of young horses presenting with fever, nasal discharge and coughing.
© 2021 British Veterinary Association.
Publication Date: 2021-03-24 PubMed ID: 33759193DOI: 10.1002/vetr.26Google 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
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article talks about a comprehensive 7-year study aimed at determining how frequently the Equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV) can be detected in horses showing acute respiratory symptoms. Researchers discovered that about 5.1% of samples, or 333 out of 6,568 horses, tested ERBV positive.
Research Methodology and Findings
- The research was conducted over a period of seven years, from 2013 to 2019, and involved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on nasal secretions from 6,568 horses showing acute respiratory signs.
- The study found 333 samples tested qPCR positive for ERBV which was about 5.1% of the total samples. This was a significant increase in the yearly frequency of detection of ERBV since the introduction of the diagnostic assay in 2013.
- In contrast, only three out of 356 healthy horses, equating to around 0.8%, tested positive for ERBV. This demonstrated that ERBV is not common in healthy horses.
- The researchers found that ERBV was more commonly detected in younger horses, with the median age for ERBV qPCR-positive horses being 3 years old. The most common signs associated with ERBV were fever, coughing, and nasal discharge.
- The research also found that co-infections with other respiratory pathogens were present in 73 out of the 333 ERBV qPCR-positive samples, representing approximately 22% of ERBV positive cases. This suggests that horses with ERBV are more prone to experiencing co-infections with other respiratory diseases.
Significance and Context
- The results of the study showcased that ERBV is quite common in young horses exhibiting fever, nasal discharge, and coughing. ERBV was previously overlooked due to the absence of diagnostic modalities for the virus and its uncertain association with clinical diseases in horses.
- The findings will enable practitioners to better understand ERBV, provide early and accurate diagnosis, and administer more effective treatment plans for horses presenting with acute respiratory symptoms.
- The research highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and diagnostic testing for ERBV in horses exhibiting respiratory signs, especially considering the noted increase in ERBV detection since the introduction of the diagnostic assay in 2013.
Cite This Article
APA
Bernardino P, James K, Barnum S, Corbin R, Wademan C, Pusterla N.
(2021).
What have we learned from 7 years of equine rhinitis B virus qPCR testing in nasal secretions from horses with respiratory signs.
Vet Rec, 188(10), e26.
https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.26 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bodily Secretions / virology
- Cough / veterinary
- Erbovirus / isolation & purification
- Female
- Fever / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- Humans
- Male
- Nose / virology
- Picornaviridae Infections / diagnosis
- Picornaviridae Infections / veterinary
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
References
This article includes 22 references
- Traub-Dargatz JL, Salman MD, Voss JL. Medical problems of adult horses, as ranked by equine practitioners.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1991;198:1745-7.
- Mumford EL, Traub-Dargatz JL, Salman MD, Collins JK, Getzy DM, Carman J. Monitoring and detection of acute viral respiratory tract disease in horses.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998;213:385-90.
- Morley PS, Townsend HG, Bogdan JR, Haines DM. Descriptive epidemiologic study of disease associated with influenza virus infections during three epidemics in horses.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000;216:535-44.
- Dunowska M, Wilks CR, Studdert MJ, Meers J. Viruses associated with outbreaks of equine respiratory disease in New Zealand.. N Z Vet J 2002;50:132-9.
- Mumford EL, Traub-Dargatz JL, Carman J, Callan RJ, Collins JK, Goltz KL. Occurrence of infectious upper respiratory tract disease and response to vaccination in horses on six sentinel premises in northern Colorado.. Equine Vet J 2003;35:72-7.
- Pusterla N, Kass PH, Mapes S, Johnson C, Barnett DC, Vaala W. Surveillance programme for important equine infectious respiratory pathogens in the USA.. Vet Rec 2011;169:12.
- Dynon K, Black WD, Ficorilli N, Hartley CA, Studdert MJ. Detection of viruses in nasal swab samples from horses with acute, febrile, respiratory disease using virus isolation, polymerase chain reaction and serology.. Aust Vet J 2007;85:46-50.
- Quinlivan M, Maxwell G, Lyons P, Arkins S, Cullinane A. Realtime RT-PCR for the detection and quantitative analysis of equine rhinitis viruses.. Equine Vet J 2010;42:98-104.
- Diaz-Mendez A, Viel L, Hewson J, Doig P, Carman S, Chambers T. Surveillance of equine respiratory viruses in Ontario.. Can J Vet Res 2010;74:271-8.
- Pusterla N, Mapes S, Wademan C, White A, Hodzic E. Investigation of the role of lesser characterised respiratory viruses associated with upper respiratory tract infections in horses.. Vet Rec 2013;172.
- Black WD, Wilcox RS, Stevenson RA, Hartley CA, Ficorilli NP, Gilkerson JR. Prevalence of serum neutralising antibody to equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV), equine rhinitis B virus 1 (ERBV1) and ERBV2.. Vet Microbiol 2007;119:65-71.
- Houtsma A, Bedenice D, Pusterla N, Pugliese B, Mapes S, Hoffman AM. Association between inflammatory airway disease of horses and exposure to respiratory viruses: a case control study.. Multidiscip Respir Med 2015;10:33.
- Doubli-Bounoua N, Richard EA, Léon A, Pitel P-H, Pronost S, Fortier G. Multiple molecular detection of respiratory viruses and associated signs of airway inflammation in racehorses.. Virol J 2016;13:197.
- Back H, Penell J, Pringle J, Isaksson M, Ronéus N, Treiberg Berndtsson L. A longitudinal study of poor performance and subclinical respiratory viral activity in Standardbred trotters.. Vet Rec Open 2015;2:e000107.
- Horsington JJ, Gilkerson JR, Hartley CA. Identification of mixed equine rhinitis B virus infections leading to further insight on the relationship between genotypes, serotype and acid stability phenotype.. Virus Res 2011;155:506-13.
- Woo PCY, Lau SK, Choi GKY, Huang Yi, Wernery R, Joseph S. Equine rhinitis B viruses in horse fecal samples from the Middle East.. Virol J 2016;13:94.
- Vaala W, Barnett DC, James K, Chappell D, Craig B, Gaughan E. Prevalence factors associated with equine influenza virus infection in equids with upper respiratory tract infection from 2008 to 2019.. Proceedings of the 65th Annual Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners 2019:385-6.
- Smith FL, Watson JL, Spier SJ, Kilcoyne I, Mapes S, Sonder C. Frequency of shedding of respiratory pathogens in horses recently imported to the United States.. J Vet Intern Med 2018;32:1436-41.
- Diaz-Méndez A, Hewson J, Shewen P, Nagy É, Viel L. Characteristics of respiratory tract disease in horses inoculated with equine rhinitis A virus.. Am J Vet Res 2014;75:169-78.
- Carman S, Rosendal S, Huber L, Gyles C, Mckee S, Willoughby RA. Infectious agents in acute respiratory disease in horses in Ontario.. J Vet Diagn Invest 1997;9:17-23.
- Horsington J, Lynch SE, Gilkerson JR, Studdert MJ, Hartley CA. Equine picornaviruses: well known but poorly understood.. Vet Microbiol 2013;167:78-85.
- Pusterla N, Mapes S, Wilson WD. Use of viral loads in blood and nasopharyngeal secretions for the diagnosis of EHV-1 infection in field cases.. Vet Rec 2008;162:728-9.
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Wilcox A, Barnum S, Wademan C, Corbin R, Escobar E, Hodzic E, Schumacher S, Pusterla N. Frequency of Detection of Respiratory Pathogens in Clinically Healthy Show Horses Following a Multi-County Outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus-1 Myeloencephalopathy in California.. Pathogens 2022 Oct 8;11(10).
- Pusterla N, James K, Barnum S, Bain F, Barnett DC, Chappell D, Gaughan E, Craig B, Schneider C, Vaala W. Frequency of Detection and Prevalence Factors Associated with Common Respiratory Pathogens in Equids with Acute Onset of Fever and/or Respiratory Signs (2008-2021).. Pathogens 2022 Jul 2;11(7).
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists