title: Transmission of equine herpesvirus 2 to the mouse: characterization of a new laboratory infection model.
abstract: Intranasal inoculation of BALB/c mice with a recent clinical isolate of equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2 strain MR) produced a productive infection characterized by clinical signs, including weight-loss and conjunctivitis, but no mortality. Infectious virus was isolated from the lung, trachea and nasal turbinates with the highest titres present in lung tissue; EHV-2 neutralizing antibody was detected in the serum on day 21 post-inoculation. No infectious virus was detected in neural tissue, blood or lymphoid tissues. An EHV-2-specific nested PCR confirmed the presence of EHV-2 DNA in the respiratory tissues. In addition, EHV-2 DNA was detected in the trigeminal ganglia and olfactory bulbs from the first day after inoculation and these tissues remained positive for EHV-2 DNA for at least 30 days, by which time EHV-2 DNA had been cleared from all other tissues.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Veterinary Science, University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Rizvi
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Slade
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Field
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015245:Deoxyribonuclease BamHI / Q000378:metabolism; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI / Q000378:metabolism; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII / Q000378:metabolism; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006736:Horses; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015245:Deoxyribonuclease BamHI; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; C029792:GTCGAC-specific type II deoxyribonucleases