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. 2019 Jul;50(3):875-878.
doi: 10.1007/s42770-019-00100-7. Epub 2019 Jun 11.

Detection of Equid gammaherpesvirus 2 and 5 DNA in the upper respiratory tract of asymptomatic horses from Southern Brazil

Alais Maria Dall Agnol  1   2 , Edsel Alves Beuttemmuller  1   3 , Daniela Pilz  1 , Raquel Arruda Leme  1   3 , Viviane Saporiti  1 , Selwyn Arlington Headley  4   5 , Alice Fernandes Alfieri  1   3 , Amauri Alcindo Alfieri  6   7
Affiliations

Detection of Equid gammaherpesvirus 2 and 5 DNA in the upper respiratory tract of asymptomatic horses from Southern Brazil

Alais Maria Dall Agnol et al. Braz J Microbiol. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Equid gammaherpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) and 5 (EHV-5) are members of the Herpesviridae family and have been reported in horse populations worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of herpesvirus DNA in the upper respiratory tract of horses. Twenty-six nasal swabs were collected from asymptomatic adult horses of two different horse farms (A, n = 18; B, n = 8), both located in Southern Brazil. The EHV-1, EHV-2, EHV-4, and EHV-5 DNA analyses were performed using nested PCR assays targeting the glycoprotein B gene. Four (15.3%) and 12 (46.1%) of the 26 nasal swab samples were positive for the EHV-2 and EHV-5, respectively. Four (15.3%) horses were detected with both viruses simultaneously. DNA of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in both single and mixed infections was identified in horses from both herds. All swab samples were negative for EHV-1 and EHV-4. This study reports the first detection of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in the upper respiratory tracts of horses in Brazil. The high detection rate of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in asymptomatic adult horses demonstrates that these gammaherpesviruses are circulating in Brazil.

Keywords: Brazil; EHV-2; EHV-5; Equine; Herpesviruses; Molecular detection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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