Prevalence of equine herpesvirus type 1 in trigeminal ganglia and submandibular lymph nodes of equids examined postmortem.
The objective of this study was to detect and characterise the biovar of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) from submandibular lymph nodes (SMLNs) and trigeminal ganglia from 153 equids undergoing routine postmortem examination for various medical and surgical reasons. A combination of nucleic acid precipitation and preamplification steps was used to increase the analytical sensitivity of the analysis. The presence of latent EHV-1 was determined when tissue samples were PCR-positive for the glycoprotein B (gB) gene and the DNA polymerase (ORF 30) gene of EHV-1 in the absence of detectable late structural protein gene (gB gene) mRNA. The SMLNs of five of the study animals (3.3 per cent) were PCR-positive for the gB gene of EHV-1. Two SMLNs carried a latent neurotropic strain of the virus, whereas three SMLNs were PCR-positive for both neurotropic and non-neurotropic EHV-1. A total of 30 trigeminal ganglia collected from 19 horses were PCR-positive for the gB gene of EHV-1. Nine trigeminal ganglia harboured either latent non-neurotropic or neurotropic EHV-1 strains. Twelve trigeminal ganglia contained both latent neurotropic and non-neurotropic EHV-1. The prevalence and distribution of EHV-1 biovars among the study horses appeared to be influenced by their breed and the type of tissue tested.
Pusterla
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Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. npusterla@ucdavis.edu
Mapes
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Wilson
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WD
D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D018397:Equidae / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004861:Herpesvirus 1, Equid / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006736:Horses; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012668:Trigeminal Ganglion / Q000821:virology*
D004279:DNA, Viral