Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foal with pneumonia and joint issues from equid herpesvirus 4
By Blunden, A S et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·1995·Centre for Preventive Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Replication of equid herpesvirus 4 in endothelial cells and synovia of a field case of viral pneumonia and synovitis in a foal.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 6-week-old Welsh pony foal was diagnosed with pneumonia caused by equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4), a virus that can affect horses. This diagnosis was confirmed through various tests that looked for the virus in the foal's tissues. Unusually, the virus was found to replicate in specific cells lining blood vessels and in the joint tissues. The researchers compared this virus strain to others and found no differences in their genetic makeup. The study highlights important information about how EHV-4 can affect the body, but it does not provide a clear outcome regarding treatment or recovery for the foal.
Abstract
Equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) infection was diagnosed as the cause of interstitial pneumonia in a 6-week-old conventionally reared Welsh pony foal, by cocultivation and immunolabelling with specific monoclonal antibodies, EHV-4 specific amplification of viral DNA, and immunohistological examination of infected tissues. The case was novel in that replication of the EHV-4 isolate in endothelial cells and in the synovial epithelium was a feature. Restriction digests of this isolate were compared with those of seven respiratory and one abortigenic EHV-4 isolate, and no differences in restriction pattern were evident. The implications of these findings for the pathogenesis of EHV-4 infection are discussed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7769144/