Isolation of equine herpesviruses from horses with respiratory disease

Authors: Horner GW, O'Flaherty JD, Dickinson LG, Hunter R
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 24, Issue 8, pp 171-176, Aug 1976
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Horse, Livestock
Subject Terms: Viral, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Respiratory system
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: Although respiratory disease is common in horses in New Zealand, little is known of the viruses which are involved. In other countries the principal cause of equine, respiratory disease is equine herpesvirus 1 (Studdert, 1974) and equine influenza A virus (Powell et al 1974; Powell, 1975). Mixed infections, of these viruses have also been reported (Jensein, 1973). Rhinoviruses (Plummer, 1962; Holfer et al 1973), adenoviruses (Todd, 1969) parainfluenza 3 virus (Ditchfield et al 1963) and equine arteritis virus (Doll et al 1957) have also been isolated from horses with upper respiratory disease, and serological evidence of reovirus infections in horses has been reported (Bachmann et al 1972). There is serololgical evidence that herpesvirus 1 (equine rhinopneumonitis virus) and equine adenovirus are present in this country (Matumoto et al 1965; Harden et al 1974a). Parainfluenza 3 virus has been isolated from sheep (Carter and Hunter, 1970) and cattle (Oliver et al 1976), but not from horses in New Zealand. This paper describes an outbreak of upper respiratory disease on a Waikato thoroughbred stud farm from which a number of herpesviruses were isolated.

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