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Coital exanthema in stallions.
Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. Supplement
|October 1, 1975
Summary
Equine coital exanthema, caused by equine herpesvirus, can be diagnosed by tracking antibody levels. Serum-neutralizing antibodies indicate past infections, aiding in diagnosing recent equine herpesvirus cases.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Equine Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Equine coital exanthema is a venereal disease in horses.
- Equine herpesvirus (strain 65/61) causes this condition.
- Transmission occurs during coitus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serological responses to equine herpesvirus infection.
- To establish diagnostic methods for recent equine coital exanthema.
- To estimate the incidence of infection in mare populations.
Main Methods:
- Experimental inoculation of stallions with equine herpesvirus.
- Monitoring complement-fixing and serum-neutralizing antibody levels post-infection.
- Analysis of antibody persistence over time.
Main Results:
- Complement-fixing antibodies peaked 14-21 days post-infection and declined rapidly.
- Serum-neutralizing antibodies persisted for at least 1 year.
- A disparity in antibody persistence was observed.
Conclusions:
- The differential persistence of antibodies allows for diagnosis of recent equine herpesvirus infections.
- This serological method aids in estimating infection incidence in horse populations.
- Clinically normal carrier mares likely contribute to virus spread in naive environments.