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A mouse model for testing the pathogenicity of equine herpes virus-1 strains
P A van Woensel1, D Goovaerts, D Markx
1Department of Virological Research and Development, Intervet International B.V., Boxmeer, Netherlands.
Abstract:
A mouse model was developed for testing the pathogenicity of equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1) strains. The model was validated with EHV-1 strains that are known to be of a low or high pathogenicity in horses. From all parameters tested, the safety index, which was calculated from the body weights of the mice after infection, proved to be the best predictive parameter. When this parameter was used, good and reliable correlations were found with the pathogenicity of the EHV-1 strains in horses. This method enabled the differentiation between the two experimental EHV-1 strains whose genetic backgrounds were supposedly equal.