title: Abortion of virologically negative foetuses following experimental challenge of pregnant pony mares with equid herpesvirus 1.
abstract: From 1988 to 1991, 51 pregnant pony mares were challenged intranasally or by aerosol with an isolate of EHV-1 (AB4) originally recovered from a quadriplegic mare. This resulted in 32 abortions, occurring from 9 to 29 days after infection. In 14 of the early abortions (Days 9-14), EHV-1 was not demonstrated in the foetal tissues by virus isolation or immunostaining despite no other non-viral cause for the abortion being evident. Application of the polymerase chain reaction to foetal tissues from 9 of these cases also proved negative. One of the 14 mares was destroyed immediately after abortion, and post-mortem examination revealed severe and widespread vasculitis, thrombosis and secondary ischaemic damage in the endometrium with replication of EHV-1 in endothelial cells. These findings suggest that EHV-1 abortion can occur due to endometrial damage without the establishment of a foetal infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk, UK.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Whitwell
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Binns
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dolby
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hannant
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mumford
mesh_terms: D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D004717:Endometrium / Q000098:blood supply / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004727:Endothelium / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005334:Fever / Q000662:veterinary; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004861:Herpesvirus 1, Equid / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006736:Horses; D011247:Pregnancy; D014766:Viremia / Q000662:veterinary; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral