New Insights into the Management of an EHV-1 (Equine Hospital) Outbreak

Vandenberghe, Eveline; Boshuizen, Berit; Delesalle, Cathérine; Goehring, Lutz S.; Groome, Katy A.; Maanen, Kees van; Bruijn, C. M. de

doi:10.3390/v13081429

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(38 reference statements)

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“…Laboratory confirmation of EHV‐1 infection and EHM currently relies on compatible clinical signs, cerebrospinal fluid cytology, and molecular confirmation by PCR on nasal (or nasopharyngeal) swabs and blood (BC) samples. Difficulties in the collection of NS in fractious horses, inexperienced veterinary personnel, and/or viraemia of short duration are possible reasons for false negative results 23,36 . In experimental studies of EHV‐1 infection, NS were positive up to 10–12 days post‐infection, whereas BC samples were only positive from Day 5 to Day 10 post‐infection 12,37 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Difficulties in the collection of NS in fractious horses, inexperienced veterinary personnel, and/or viraemia of short duration are possible reasons for false negative results. 23,36 In experimental studies of EHV-1 infection, NS were positive up to 10-12 days post-infection, whereas BC samples were only positive from Day 5 to Day 10 post-infection. 12,37 In the horses hospitalised in Madrid in 2021, positive real-time PCR results with high DNA loads were observed in urine from Day 10 of the onset of fever, and for an additional 10-12 days after.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detection of equine herpesvirus‐1 (EHV‐1) in urine samples during outbreaks of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy

Velloso Alvarez,

Jose‐Cunilleras,

Dorrego‐Rodriguez

et al. 2023

Equine Veterinary Journal

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BackgroundReal‐time PCR is the diagnostic technique of choice for the diagnosis and control of equine herpesvirus‐1 (EHV‐1) in an outbreak setting. The presence of EHV‐1 in nasal swabs (NS), whole blood, brain and spinal cord samples has been extensively described; however, there are no reports on the excretion of EHV‐1 in urine, its DNA detection patterns, and the role of urine in viral spread during an outbreak.ObjectivesTo determine the presence of EHV‐1 DNA in urine during natural infection and to compare the DNA detection patterns of EHV‐1 in urine, buffy coat (BC) and NS.Study designDescriptive study of natural infection.MethodsUrine and whole blood/NS samples were collected at different time points during the hospitalisation of 21 horses involved in two EHV‐1 myeloencephalopathy outbreaks in 2021 and 2023 in Spain. Quantitative real‐time PCR was performed to compare the viral DNA load between BC‐urine samples in 2021 and NS‐urine samples in 2023. Sex, age, breed, presence of neurological signs, EHV‐1 vaccination status and treatment data were recorded for all horses.ResultsA total of 18 hospitalised horses during the 2021 and 2023 outbreaks were positive for EHV‐1, and viral DNA was detected in urine samples from a total of 11 horses in both outbreaks. Compared with BC samples, DNA presence was detected in urine samples for longer duration and with slightly higher concentration; however, compared with NS, detection of EHV‐1 in urine was similar in duration with lower DNA concentrations.Main limitationsLimited sample size, different sampling times and protocols (BC vs. NS) in two natural infection outbreak settings.ConclusionsEHV‐1 was detected in the urine from naturally infected horses. Urine should be considered as complimentary to blood and NS in diagnosis of EHV‐1 infection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of equine herpesvirus‐1 (EHV‐1) in urine samples during outbreaks of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy

Velloso Alvarez,

Jose‐Cunilleras,

Dorrego‐Rodriguez

et al. 2023

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is ubiquitous in horse populations worldwide, and many horses are latently infected. 1 Equine herpesvirus-1 can lead to equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), which is a complex disease of horses. It is considered a complication after EHV-1 respiratory tract infection and viremia, 1 where severe damage to nervous tissue occurs because of an acute inflammatory process involving vasculitis, thrombosis, and ischemia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 Equine herpesvirus-1 can lead to equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), which is a complex disease of horses. It is considered a complication after EHV-1 respiratory tract infection and viremia, 1 where severe damage to nervous tissue occurs because of an acute inflammatory process involving vasculitis, thrombosis, and ischemia. 2 Infections caused by EHV-1 are common in young performance horses within the first weeks or months of life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term performance of show‐jumping horses and relationship with severity of ataxia and complications associated with myeloencephalopathy caused by equine herpes virus‐1

de la Cuesta‐Torrado,

Velloso Alvarez,

Neira‐Egea

et al. 2024

Veterinary Internal Medicne

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BackgroundEquine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has severe impact on the sport horse population.ObjectiveStudy the influence of EHM on the likelihood of affected horses to return to their previous performance and investigate the association of clinical variables with prognosis.AnimalsTwenty‐six horses positive for equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV‐1) were admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital (VTH) during a natural EHM outbreak at an international jumping event.MethodsData collected from the VTH, the International Equestrian Federation, and surveys completed by the riders and horse owners were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsHorses affected by EHM had 68% chance of returning to exercise, and 52.9% were able to achieve their preoutbreak performance level. Horses with an ataxia grade at admission ≥4/5 had an increased fatality rate (P < .05) and 10% chance of reaching their preoutbreak performance level. None of the horses with both vascular and urinary complications returned to their previous performance level. Finally, horses vaccinated against EHV‐1 and those with urinary complications had a 71.4% and 43.7% fatality rate, respectively.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceHorses affected by EHM were able to return to their previous performance levels, but certain clinical variables were negatively associated with postoutbreak performance. Ataxia grade upon admission and the development of systemic signs of vasculitis and urinary complications were potential poor prognostic indicators in sport horses. Variables linked to fatality included prior vaccination against EHV‐1, ataxia grade upon admission, and the development of urinary complications.

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“…Unfortunately, by the time horses are diagnosed with EHM, EHV-1 has spread often subclinically far beyond the index case [ 4 ]. The highly contagious nature of EHV-1 infected cases has been the demise of many show barns, racing venues, and veterinary hospitals [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Preventive strategies aiming to reduce the risk of an EHM outbreak have mainly focused on biosecurity protocols since, at this time, no vaccine is available with the claim to prevent EHM [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Monitoring of EHV-1 in Silently Infected Performance Horses through Nasal and Environmental Sample Testing

et al. 2022

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While the main goal in the management of an EHM outbreak focuses on identifying early clinical disease in order to physically separate infected horses, little effort is placed towards monitoring healthy horses. The assumption that EHV-1 shedding parallels clinical disease is erroneous, as subclinical shedders have been shown to be actively involved in viral spread. In an attempt to document the frequency of EHV-1 shedders and their impact on environmental contamination, we collected nasal swabs from 231 healthy horses and 203 environmental samples for the testing of EHV-1 by qPCR. Six horses and 28 stalls tested qPCR-positive for EHV-1. There was no association in the EHV-1 qPCR-positive status between nasal and stall swabs. While testing nasal secretions of healthy at-risk horses can detect active shedding at a specific time point, the testing of stall swabs allows to assess the temporal EHV-1 shedding status of a horse. The study results highlight the risk of subclinical EHV-1 shedders and stalls occupied by these horses as sources of infection for susceptible horses. The testing of individual stalls for the presence of EHV-1 may be a more practical approach than the collection of individual nasal swabs for the monitoring and early detection of the circulating virus. The results also highlight the need to improve the cleanliness and disinfection of stalls utilized by performance horses during show events.

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New Insights into the Management of an EHV-1 (Equine Hospital) Outbreak

Cited by 12 publications

References 22 publications

Detection of equine herpesvirus‐1 (EHV‐1) in urine samples during outbreaks of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy

Detection of equine herpesvirus‐1 (EHV‐1) in urine samples during outbreaks of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy

Long‐term performance of show‐jumping horses and relationship with severity of ataxia and complications associated with myeloencephalopathy caused by equine herpes virus‐1

Molecular Monitoring of EHV-1 in Silently Infected Performance Horses through Nasal and Environmental Sample Testing

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