Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Haematological changes in two thoroughbred horses in training with confirmed equine herpesvirus 1 infections.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 1989
- Authors:
- Mason, D K et al.
- Affiliation:
- Equine Hospital
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In Hong Kong, an outbreak of respiratory illness in thoroughbred horses was caused by a virus called equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1). Two horses that got sick were tested multiple times over several weeks to check their blood cell counts. One horse showed a rise in a type of white blood cell called monocytes at first, but this number went down over time. The other horse had a second spike in monocytes after exercising, highlighting that it's important not to work horses too hard when they are just starting to get sick. Overall, the findings suggest that careful management is needed during the early stages of this illness.
Abstract
An outbreak of respiratory disease among thoroughbred horses in training in Hong Kong was caused by equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) subtype 1 (abortion strain). Two of the horses affected by EHV-1 were serially blood sampled over a period of several weeks and their haematological values measured. There was an increase in monocyte count in the first few days which steadily decreased in one horse, but the other had a second monocyte peak after a period of exercise, thus demonstrating the importance of not working animals in the early stages of the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2547264/