The EHV-1 outbreak in Europe and the United States has many horse owners on high alert. As there is no definitive reason why some horses become ill and others don't, it's imperative that all horse owners manage their barn as though an outbreak is possible.
Multiple European laboratories testing recent samples of the equine herpes virus have found an anomaly with the positive samples: the virus doesn't contain the N752D amino acid substitution in the DNA polymerase, which has previously been associated with neurological disease.
Lab employees are working to identify which genetic group these samples belong to. This will assist in tracking virus spread and differentiating it from the other EHV-1 strains in circulation. Past research has shown that there are 78 strains of EHV-1 that have been isolated over the last 35 years and most neurological isolates had the N752D substitution.
The FEI Veterinary Epidemiology Working Group reported that the virus is expected to remain in circulation as EHV-1 spreads more slowly than other equine diseases like equine influenza. The group also advised that to safely conduct equestrian events, event organizers and competitors take certain extra precautions. Event size should be restricted, pre-travel health certificates should be issued, and events should encourage health monitoring and separation between horses.
Read more at HorseTalk.
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