Viral Causes of

Reproductive
Diseases in Equine

Dr. Muhammad Awais

Viral Causes of Reproductive Diseases

• Two important viral diseases of breeding horses

1. Equine herpes virus infection

2. Equine viral arteritis
Equine herpes virus infection

• Equine herpes virus 1, 3 and 4 causes reproductive problems

1. Equine herpes virus 1 & 4 (EHV1 & EHV4) causes Viral Abortion

2. Equine herpes virus (EHV3) causes Coital Exanthema

Viral Abortion

• Also called rhino-pneumonitis

• Caused by EHV1 & 4.
• EHV-1, causes abortion, respiratory signs, neurological signs
• EHV-4, usually causes respiratory disease only but can
occasionally cause abortion.
• Abortion – last trimester
• Infect multiple types of cells

• Lytic and latent cycle

• Latency – trigeminal ganglia and CD8+ cells

Transmission

• Horse - to – horse
• Ingestion and inhalation
• Aborted material, semen, aerosol droplet
• Reservoir – latently infected horses
• Stress, transport can reactivate latency
• Less persistent in environment
• Infection acquired in first weak of birth
Pathogenesis

Inhalation
Brain – vasculitis,
thrombo-ischemia,
encephalopathy Replicate in upper
resp. tract mucosa

In uterus – vasculitis Enter to lamina

– abortion propria, endothelial
Disseminated in all organs cells, CD8+ cells
including trigeminal ganglion,
CNS, uterus during viremia
Tiwari S.C, et al.,
Clinical signs

• Nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, lymphadenopathy, no cough

• Abortion – last trimester

• Neonatal infection – fatal

• Stallion – poor semen quality

• CNS – ataxia, paralysis, bladder dysfunction

Diagnosis

• There is no test to detect latent carriers

• Virus isolation
• PCR
• Serology
Aborted fetus, Multiple necrotic foci in liver
enclosed in amnion

Multifocal hemorrhages,
rubbery lung Hemorrhage and
necrosis of brain
stem
 Lesions

Eosinophilic inclusions in
hepatocyte Necrotic foci in liver

EHV-1 particles nucleus. Organelles of the cytoplasm

degeneration hydropic dilation of sER,mitochondria,
detached ribosomes of rER
Nuclear debris in splenic Vasculitis in CNS
follicle lymphocytolysis
 Control and prevention

• Keep weaned foals and yearling away from pregnant mares

• Aborted material and contaminated bedding should be burned
• Aborted mare should be isolated for at least 1 week with strict control admission to
box and routine hygienic measures
• Outside mares should not allowed onto infected premises until at least 1 month after
the last obrtion
• Vaccination two vaccines against EHV1 are available dead and attenuated
• Ideally all horses on premises should be vaccinated.
Coital Exanthema

• Caused by herpes virus (EHV3)

• Spread by coitus
• Vesicular Lesions on vulva , vestibule,and penis.
• These vesicles rupture and produce infected ulcers.
• Usually are healed with local antibiotic treatment.
• Coitus Cannot be performed by infected mare or stallion.
• Condition is resolved in 14 days.
 Viral arteritis

• Caused by Equine arteritis virus belong to genus Arterivirus, family Togaviridae

• The virus which causes EVA was first isolated from horses in Ohio in 1953
• About 80% abortion during clinical disease
• Characterized by depression, edema of limbs, intense pink or red conjunctiva,
palpebral edema, enteritis, pneumonic complications and abortions
 Transmission

• Via respiratory route or by ingestion

• Venereal transmission by stallions

• Tissues and fluids of aborted fetus contained large mass of virus

• Virus shed in the urine

Holyoak G.R., et al.,

Pathogenesis
Virus
Nasopharynx Lungs/
bronchial
lymph nodes

Abortion in
mare

Body tissue/ Blood

Shed in fluids (viremia)
semen
 Lesions

• Congestion, petchiae in conjunctiva, resp tract and guttural pouches,

• Hydrothorex, petichae in pleura, heart, pericardium and lungs,

• Ascites

• Enlargement of LN

• Petichae on endocardium, epicardium, mesentery

• Small intestine, caecum and colon oedematous and congested

 Microscopically

• Small arteries and necrosis and deposition of

eosinophilic mass in tunica media with cellular

infiltration in adventitia

• Platelet thrombi in lumen

• Abortion -necrotizing myometritis

 Control and prevention

• Administration of a modified live and formalin-inactivated vaccine use in

non pregnant mares and in stallions.

• Vaccinated horses or any other horses with titers to EAV may not be
eligible for export to certain countries.