Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Immunohistochemical demonstration of equine herpesvirus-1 antigen in neurons and astrocytes of horses with acute paralysis.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 1997
- Authors:
- Schultheiss, P C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Colorado State University · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In a study involving two horses that developed sudden paralysis due to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), researchers found signs of the virus in certain brain and spinal cord cells. These horses were put to sleep less than two days after they first showed symptoms. Interestingly, the virus was not found in three other horses that had been sick for a longer time, nor in two horses that were not infected at all. This suggests that the presence of EHV-1 in the nervous system may be linked to the rapid onset of paralysis in these cases.
Abstract
Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection in a few widely scattered neurons and astrocytes plus endothelial cells in brain and spinal cord of two horses with naturally occurring paralytic disease was demonstrated by use of an immunoperoxidase technique. These horses were euthanatized less than 48 hours after the onset of clinical signs. No staining for EHV-1 was demonstrated in brain or spinal cord of three horses that had a longer duration of clinical disease or in two uninfected horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9150548/