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Development and Validation of a Quantitative PCR Method for Equid Herpesvirus-2 Diagnostics in Respiratory Fluids
Published on: March 17, 2016
Identification of a pegivirus (GB virus-like virus) that infects horses
Amit Kapoor1, Peter Simmonds, John M Cullen
1Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. ak3117@columbia.edu
Abstract:
The recent identification of nonprimate hepaciviruses in dogs and then in horses prompted us to look for pegiviruses (GB virus-like viruses) in these species. Although none were detected in canines, we found widespread natural infection of horses by a novel pegivirus. Unique genomic features and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the tentatively named equine pegivirus (EPgV) represents a novel species within the Pegivirus genus. We also determined that EPgV causes persistent viremia whereas its clinical significance is undetermined.
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