Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Confirmed case of encephalitis caused by Murray Valley encephalitis virus infection in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2012
- Authors:
- Gordon, Anita N et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Employment · Australia
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Australian stock horse in Monto, Queensland, became very sick over six days and showed signs of neurological problems, which means it had issues with its brain and nervous system. Unfortunately, the horse was euthanized because of the severity of its condition. Tests on the horse's brain and spinal cord showed inflammation and confirmed the presence of the Murray Valley encephalitis virus, which is a type of virus that can affect the nervous system. The virus was found in various samples, including the brain and spinal fluid, and was closely related to other cases previously identified in Queensland. Sadly, despite the identification of the virus, the outcome was not favorable, as the horse did not survive.
Abstract
A 5-year-old Australian stock horse in Monto, Queensland, Australia, developed neurological signs and was euthanized after a 6-day course of illness. Histological examination of the brain and spinal cord revealed moderate to severe subacute, nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis. Sections of spinal cord stained positively in immunohistochemistry with a flavivirus-specific monoclonal antibody. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the envelope gene of flavivirus yielded positive results from brain, spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid, and facial nerve. A flavivirus was isolated from the cerebrum and spinal cord. Nucleotide sequences obtained from amplicons from both tissues and virus isolated in cell culture were compared with those in GenBank and had 96-98% identity with Murray Valley encephalitis virus. The partial envelope gene sequence of the viral isolate clustered into genotype 1 and was most closely related to a previous Queensland isolate.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22379060/