The first signs of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) are often mistaken by horse owners as a ‘bit of a sniffle’. However, EHV is a potentially fatal disease that can cause severe loss of form and associated problems including abortion and even paralysis.
By Intervet UK
May 9, 2005 - 8:58:00 AM
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Not just a case of the sniffles!
Alasdair King, MRCVS
Veterinary Manager at Intervet UK, which manufactures the EHV vaccine, Equilis Resequin®
The first signs of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) are often mistaken by horse owners as a ‘bit of a sniffle’. However, EHV is a potentially fatal disease that can cause severe loss of form and associated problems including abortion and even paralysis.
And with EHV outbreaks being identified throughout the country including cases in Derbyshire, Suffolk, Essex, Leicestershire and Devon, it is important that owners are aware of this devastating disease and remain vigilant to help prevent their horses from becoming infected.
There are three different viruses circulating in the UK, the most common being EHV-1 and EHV-4, while EHV-3 is rare.
EHV-1 is the most aggressive EHV strain, causing a more severe form of the respiratory disease and accounting for the majority of the cases of abortion/still births and serious neurological problems such as paralysis. In the neurological form, the severity varies from mild ataxia (unsteadiness) to complete recumbency (lying down and unable to rise).
Not as aggressive as EHV-1, EHV-4 can also cause respiratory disease, abortion/neonatal death and neurological disease and EHV-3, although uncommon in the UK, causes venereal disease in mares and stallions.
As in human herpes infections, such as cold sores, EHV can recur time and time again and it is estimated that a staggering 75% of horses become hidden
carriers, able to pass it on to other animals without displaying any symptoms themselves. The virus can be re-activated by stress factors – such as transport, competing, change in environment and, in the case of young stock, weaning, sales and breaking-in.
Following an incubation period of between two and ten days, clinical signs that horse owners should look out for include fever, nasal discharge and coughing that can last for up to three weeks. Often the nasal discharge becomes mucopurulent (discharge containing mucus and pus) due to secondary bacterial infection. The neurological form of the disease is sometimes preceded by respiratory infection or a high temperature, but it can rapidly occur over 48 hours without any warning.
The disease is spread by direct nose-to-nose contact or indirectly by inhalation of virus particles produced during coughing. Horse owners can also spread the virus by handling infected horses and then touching other horses and equipment, so it’s vital to contact your vet as soon as possible if you think that a horse on your yard is infected.
It’s worth considering vaccination against EHV, which will not only help prevent the signs of clinical respiratory disease, but it will also reduce the amount of virus shed which decreases the spread of the virus to other horses.
To help prevent horses from contracting respiratory infections such as EHV, it is advisable to follow good stable management procedures, and if a horse on your yard is diagnosed with the disease, it should be quarantined and the yard should be closed to all new horses. All stable equipment should be thoroughly washed and disinfected and people caring for the infected horse should follow stable hygiene procedures to ensure that the virus isn’t spread to the rest of the yard.
www.intervet.co.uk
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