title: Clinical signs and humoral immune response in horses following equine herpesvirus type-1 infection and their susceptibility to equine herpesvirus type-4 challenge.
abstract: A group of three horses was experimentally infected with equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and showed clinical signs characterised by a biphasic febrile response, leucopenia and cell associated viraemia accompanied by virus shedding from the nasopharynx. A second exposure to the virus 18 days later resulted in the isolation of virus from the nasopharynx of one horse. This and a further group of three EHV-1 seropositive horses were subsequently infected with equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) 147 days after the initial EHV-1 infection and virus was shed from the nasopharynx in the absence of clinical disease. Following the first EHV-1 infection, virus specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) was present by day 5 and remained high until the second exposure at day 18 at which point levels decreased. In contrast, EHV-1 specific IgG, detected at day 6 peaked at day 18, after which time levels remained high. Virus neutralising antibodies and antibodies able to mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity were present by day 10. The immune response to EHV-1 is discussed with reference to the disease.
authors.affiliation: AFRC Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright Laboratory, Woking, Surrey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Corteyn
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004861:Herpesvirus 1, Equid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D006736:Horses; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M