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Updated: Dec 26, 2025
Development and Validation of a Quantitative PCR Method for Equid Herpesvirus-2 Diagnostics in Respiratory Fluids
Published on: March 17, 2016
First report of equine parvovirus-hepatitis-associated Theiler's disease in Europe
Modest Vengust1, Mason C Jager2, Valentina Zalig1,3
1University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Background:
Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) has been proposed as the aetiological cause of Theiler's disease, also known as serum hepatitis. EqPV-H-associated Theiler's disease has not been previously reported in Europe.
Objectives:
To determine whether EqPV-H infection was associated with a 2018-2019 outbreak of Theiler's disease in four horses on a studfarm.
Study Design:
Descriptive case series.
Methods:
The medical records of four horses from the same farm diagnosed with fatal Theiler's disease were examined retrospectively. Information collected included a clinical history, physical examination findings, tetanus antitoxin exposure, serum biochemistry and necropsy reports. Liver tissue from all four horses was tested for EqPV-H using PCR and in situ hybridisation (ISH) assays.
Results:
Three of the horses had a history of recent (7-11 weeks) tetanus antitoxin administration. Liver tissue from all four horses tested positive for EqPV-H with PCR. In situ hybridisation revealed a widespread distribution of viral nucleic acid in hepatocytes in one case, and a more sporadic distribution in the remaining three cases.
Main Limitations:
Case controls were not available from the farm in question given the retrospective nature of analysis.
Conclusions:
This case series documents the first reported EqPV-H-associated Theiler's disease in Europe and the first use of ISH to visualise the viral nucleic acid in liver tissues of horses with Theiler's disease.
