Neurological disease associated with EHV-1-infection in a riding school: clinical and virological characteristics

An outbreak of neurological disease caused by EHV-1 infection is described with emphasis on diagnosis and prognosis for recumbent horses. In April 199 5, an outbreak of the neurological form of Equine herpesvirus type I (EHV-1 ) occurred in a well-managed riding school with 41 horses: 34 horses showed a temperature spike and 20 some degree of neurological signs, of which 10 were nursed intensively in the indoor arena of the riding school for 3 to 2 0 days, 8 having to be maintained in slings for 2-18 days, while 9 needed b ladder catheterisation b.i.d. for 2-16 days. Within the first 3 days, one h orse was subjected to euthanasia and another horse died, Postmortem examina tion revealed a mild vasculitis with perivascular mononuclear cuffing and a xonal degeneration in the central nervous system, Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by serology and virology: 28 horses seroco nverted in one or more tests during the outbreak, whereas 12 had already hi gh CF and SN titres in the first sample, suggestive of recent infection. Vi rus was isolated from nasal swabs of 4 horses, and identified as EHV-1 with type-specific monoclonal antibodies. Restriction enzyme analysis revealed that the EHV-I strains from this outbreak belonged to genome type EHV-1,IP, The electropherotypes were identical to those from another, epidemiologica lly unrelated, outbreak of neurological disease 2 months earlier. The timin g of the temperature spikes and seroconversions indicated that the infectio n was probably introduced by a horse purchased 3 weeks before neurological signs occurred. At follow-up one year later, the 10 horses that showed mild neurological si gns had recovered completely. Of the 8 horses that survived intensive care, 3 had returned to around their former performance level (2 of which had be en in slings), while the other 5 had become pasture-sound. At follow-up 4 y ears later, all pasture-sound horses had been subjected to euthanasia becau se of persistent mild ataxia and incontinence, In conclusion, the prognosis for recumbent horses due to EHV-1 infection is grave. For virological diag nosis, extensive and strategic sampling of febrile in-contact horses is req uired, and the EHV-l-specific glycoprotein G (gc) ELISA is:a valuable tool for specific serological diagnosis of EHV-1 infection causing neurological disease.