The pathogenesis of EHV1 in horses : novel insights from experimental inoculations and field situations

Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV1) is the most important cause of infectious abortion in horses worldwide and can also lead to severe nervous system disorders with frequent fatal outcome. Infection occurs via respiratory route and after local replication in tissues of the upper respiratory tract, the virus spreads via a cell-associated viremia to target internal organs such as the uterus or the nervous system. Secondary replication of EHV1 in endothelial cells of these organs can result in late term abortion or nervous system disorders. Vaccination with the currently available vaccines cannot prevent clinical symptoms such as abortion or nervous system disorders. Moreover, treatment of these symptoms is only supportive and specific medication is not available. Therefore, an improvement of existing vaccines and/or the development of therapies are necessary. Unfortunately, at the start of this thesis, several important steps in the pathogenesis of this disease were still not fully clarified, making it difficult to find new directions in the strategy to develop better vaccines and to create drugs that inhibit steps of the pathogenesis. In order to achieve this goal, studies in the natural host of EHV1, the horse, under both experimental and field conditions, are of paramount importance to obtain relevant and correct information about the pathogenesis of this disease. Firstly, a thorough knowledge of the complete pathogenesis from primary replication and invasion via cell-associated viremia to the target organs is urgent. Therefore, the first aim of this thesis was to gain a more detailed insight in the invasion of neurologic and non-neurologic strains of EHV1 from the upper respiratory tract to the carrier cells in the blood stream by means of experimental infection studies in horses (Chapter III). The second aim was to examine how individual EHV1-infected cells escape from immune effector mechanisms at the primary site of replication (Chapter IV). Secondly, to develop suitable vaccination and treatment strategies during natural occurring outbreaks of disease, field information about the epidemiology of the virus is needed. The third and last aim was therefore to gain more information about naturally occurring outbreaks in Belgium in terms of risk factors, protective properties of vaccination, the effect of experimental therapies and diagnosis (Chapter V).

Grantor dc:publisher

Ghent University. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Gryspeerdt, Annick

Contributors dc:contributor

• Nauwynck, Hans
• Van de Walle, Gerlinde

• Veterinary Sciences
• Biology and Life Sciences
• Equine herpesvirus 1
• late expression
• early pathogenesis
• natural outbreak

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1259986
urn:isbn:9789058642554
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1259986/file/1260083

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:archive.ugent.be:1259986