Acta Vet. Brno 2008, 77: 609-613

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb200877040609

Equine Herpesvirus type 1 and 4 in Individually Reared Horses in Central and Western Turkey

S. Gür1, O. Yapici2

1Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
2Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey

Received December 10, 2007
Accepted July 7, 2008

The objective of the study was to investigate EHV type 1 and 4 infections serologically in individually reared horses in Turkey. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV1) and 4 comprise two distinct viruses of horses of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. EHV1 is a major cause of abortion, respiratory and neurological disorders in horses. EHV4 is responsible for respiratory disease in foals. In this study, EHV1 and 4 infections were investigated serologically in individually reared horses in Turkey. A total of 188 unvaccinated horses in four provinces were sampled and tested using indirect ELISA. EHV1- specific antibodies were found to be in three out of four provinces as 3.7% (7/188) between 4.5–6.9%. Test results showed that EHV4 is more prevalent than EHV1, the proportion varied among 48.4% and 65.7% in four provinces, 107 out of 188 samples (56.9%) were found to be seropositive. This is the first serological investigation for EHV1 and EHV4 in Turkey.

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