Journal article
Kinetics of Equid herpesvirus type 2 infections in a group of Thoroughbred foals
M Dunowska, L Howe, D Hanlon, M Stevenson
Veterinary Microbiology | ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV | Published : 2011
Abstract
The significance of infection with Equid herpevirus 2 (EHV-2) remains unresolved, mainly due to its widespread distribution, and frequent isolation of the virus not only from diseased animals, but also from clinically normal horses. It has been suggested that EHV-2 exerts its effects on the host indirectly, through predisposition to secondary infections. The aim of this study was to determine kinetics of EHV-2 infection among foals and to investigate the role that EHV-2 may play in development of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia on one farm. Serial blood samples were collected from 43 foals over a period of 10 months. Viral load of EHV-2 in blood was determined using quantitative realtime PCR assa..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank all stud staff involved in blood collection and examination of foals. We would also like to acknowledge Adi Sugiarto and Sally MacKay for their technical assistance. The work described in this paper was funded by the NZ Racing Board as part of the Equine Partnership for Excellence.