Medycyna Wet. 65 (3), 188-193, 2009
full text
| Grądzki Z., Boguta L. |
| Seroprevalence of EHV1 and EHV4 in the horse population of the southeastern part of Poland |
| The aim of the study was to investigate the seroprevalence of EHV1 and EHV4 in the horse population of the southeastern part of Poland. Selected horse farms, including breeding farms, stallion herds, purchasing centers and riding clubs were included in the studies. Blood samples were taken from 650 adult horses and foals of different age groups from 23 farms. To check for the specific antibodies against EHV1 and EHV4 in the serum samples, the commercial ELISA test (Svanovir EHV1/4 Ab discriminating ELISA, Svanova Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden) was used. Specific antibodies against EHV4 were detected in all farms. The percentage of seropositive horses in particular stables ranged between 75-100% (average 91.8%). The highest percentage of seropositive horses was detected in the group of young animals between 7-11 months. In other age groups the percentage of seropositive horses was lower and ranged between 79.8-96.6%. The least seropositive animals were detected in the group of horses more then 10 years old. It was demonstrated that the farm type and sex of horses did not influence the serological results. The number of horses in the farm significantly influenced the serological results (P<0.05). Specific antibodies against EHV1 were detected in serum samples taken from 17 out of 23 horse farms. The percentage of seropositive horses (EHV1) in the studied population was lower in comparison with the percentage of horses positive for EHV4 antibodies and ranged between 5 and 50% (average 13.5%). Specific antibodies against EHV1 were detected only in horses above 1 year of age. The relationships between the farm type, sex of horses, number of horses in the farm and serological results were similar to these concerning antibodies against EHV4. |
| Key words: horse, herpesviruses, EHV1, EHV4, seroprevalence, ELISA |