Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diagnosis of equine arteritis virus infection in two horses by using monoclonal antibody immunoperoxidase histochemistry on skin biopsies.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2000
- Authors:
- Del Piero, F
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two 5-year-old male horses were brought in with watery eyes, a runny nose, red and swollen mucous membranes, and a rash on their backs. The veterinarians took skin samples from the affected areas to look for signs of infection. They found some swelling and inflammation in the skin, along with a few cells that showed evidence of the equine arteritis virus (EAV), which can cause these symptoms. The study suggests that testing skin biopsies can help diagnose equine viral arteritis, especially when a rash is present. Overall, the findings indicate that this testing method can be useful for confirming the infection.
Abstract
Two 5-year-old grade male horses presented with epiphora, rhinorrhea, conjunctival and nasal mucosal hyperemia, and dorsal and thoracic macropapular rash. Skin biopsies were collected from the affected areas, and serial sections were evaluated following hematoxylin and eosin and immunoperoxidase histochemistry staining by using a murine monoclonal antibody of the immunoglobulin G2A isotype recognizing the 30-kDa membrane protein of equine arteritis virus (EAV). In both horses, lesions consisted of mild to moderate diffuse superficial dermal edema and vasculitis with mild perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates, occasional endothelial hypertrophy, and single-cell necrosis of tunica media myocytes. Immunohistochemically, a few endothelial cells, myocytes, and pericytes containing intracytoplasmic EAV antigen were identified. Immunoperoxidase histochemistry of skin biopsies can be used as an ancillary test for the clinical diagnosis of equine viral arteritis in horses, especially when a cutaneous macropapular rash is evident.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11055877/