Detection and isolation of equine herpesviruses 1 and 4 from horses in Normandy: an autopsy study of tissue distribution in relation to vaccination status.
Equine herpesviruses type 1 and 4 (EHV-1 and EHV-4) are ubiquitous in the equine population. One of their main properties is their ability to establish life-long latent infections in their hosts even in those with natural or vaccine-induced immunity. However, effect of vaccination status on prevalence and tissue tropism was not established. In this study, EHV-1 and EHV-4 were detected by polymerase chain reaction and by classical virus isolation from neural, epithelial and lymphoid tissues collected from unvaccinated (33) or vaccinated (23) horses. The percentage of EHV-1- and EHV-4-positive horses between vaccinates and unvaccinates was similar. Both viruses were detected in all tissues of both groups; in particular, lymph nodes draining the respiratory tract, nasal epithelium and nervous ganglia [i.e. trigeminal ganglia (TG)], which represent the main positive sites for EHV-1 and EHV-4. In vaccinated animals, the nervous ganglia (i.e. TG) were less frequently positive than in unvaccinated animals. Detection of positive TG was strongly correlated to the presence of EHV-1 in nasal epithelium.
Taouji
S
S
AFSSA, Laboratoire d'études et de recherches en pathologie equine, Dozulé, France. s.taouji@dozule.afssa.fr
Collobert
C
C
Gicquel
B
B
Sailleau
C
C
Brisseau
N
N
Moussu
C
C
Breuil
M F
MF
Pronost
S
S
Borchers
K
K
Zientara
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004861:Herpesvirus 1, Equid / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D023141:Herpesvirus 4, Equid / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D006736:Horses; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D014765:Viral Vaccines
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D014765:Viral Vaccines