Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
The detection of African horse sickness virus antigens and antibodies in young Equidae.
- Journal:
- Epidemiology and infection
- Year:
- 1992
- Authors:
- Hamblin, C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Virus Diagnosis
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In a study involving four young ponies, each was given a different weakened version of the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) to see how they would respond. Three of the ponies died suddenly after showing only mild signs of illness, while the fourth pony appeared healthy and was euthanized after 38 days. Blood tests showed the presence of the virus in all ponies, but only two had detectable virus antigens just before they died. Antibodies against the virus were found in the blood of the other two ponies, although one of them also died. The pony that survived did not have any infectious virus in its tissues after it was euthanized. The study suggests that if there is a suspected outbreak of AHS, testing blood for antibodies and virus, as well as examining tissues from deceased animals, is important for diagnosis.
Abstract
Four ponies were each inoculated with a different serotype of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) which had been passaged through cell culture in order to achieve attenuation. Three of the ponies died suddenly after showing mild clinical signs, the fourth pony remained clinically normal and was killed at day 38. Infectious AHSV was isolated from blood samples collected at intervals from all four ponies. Positive antigen ELISA reactions were only observed with blood samples from two of the ponies on the two days preceding death. Specific AHSV antibodies were detected by ELISA in serum samples from the other two ponies although one eventually died. African horse sickness viral antigens were detected by ELISA in post-mortem tissue samples collected from all four ponies. No infectious virus could be detected in tissue samples taken post-mortem from the pony which survived African horse sickness (AHS) infection. In the event of a suspected outbreak of AHS it is recommended that sera and heparinized blood should be tested for specific antibodies and AHSV antigen respectively. When available, post-mortem tissues, including spleen, heart, lung and liver, should also be tested for AHSV antigen. Although the ELISA used for the detection of AHSV antigen is highly sensitive and specific, negative ELISA results should be confirmed by virus isolation attempts.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1547837/