Abstract
Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV‐1) causes several outbreaks of abortion and/or equid herpesvirus‐associated myeloencephalopathy (EHM) worldwide each year. EHM is of great concern, as permanent neurological gait anomalies can leave a horse unfit for future use. The study assesses the risk factors associated with the occurrence of EHM. During an unmitigated outbreak, 141 adult horses/ponies of several distinct breeds were evaluated—using multiple Bayesian logistic regression calculating the odds ratios for breed, age, and sex. In total, 33 of the 141 horses showed signs of EHM. Fjord horses and warmblood horses were overrepresented among those developing EHM. The pony breeds, Welsh and Shetland ponies, were underrepresented. In addition, age and sex were not associated with the risk for EHM. The main limitation was that it was a retrospective analysis with some flaws of documentation. It can be concluded that breed was a significant risk factor for developing EHM during this outbreak.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 537 |
| Journal | Pathogens |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Funding
This study is part of a larger study focusing on EHV‐1 and EHM epidemiology. It was kindly supported by Dechra Veterinary Products (s’‐Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Dechra Veterinary Products (s’‐Hertogenbosch |
Keywords
- EHV‐1
- Equine
- Fjord horse
- Horses
- Risk factors
- Warmblood
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Molecular Biology
- General Immunology and Microbiology
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases
