Med. Weter. 72 (2), 96-101, 2016
full text
| Humelt K., Grądzki Z., Jarosz Ł. |
| The impact of natural EHV-1 infection and non-specific immunostimulation of mares on the reproductive effect. |
| EHV-1 infections are common in equine populations all over the world. The inducement of abortions in pregnant mares and neurological disorders are the most important health and economic consequences. Currently used prophylactic schemes with inactivated vaccines have contributed to a reduction in mass abortions. Most horses, however, despite having been vaccinated, are prone to infections. A method alternative to specific prevention programmes is the use of immunostimulatory preparations stimulating the effector functions of the immune system, which leads to an anti-infective response. This is particularly important in case of an emergency abortion on breeding stud farms on which a specific EHV-1 infection prophylaxis has not been applied. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of a natural EHV-1 infection and non-specific stimulation of the immune system in pregnant mares with the use of isoprinosine on the reproductive effect. The study was conducted in a group of 28 pregnant mares between 5 and 16 years of age, in a comparable gestation period. The control group consisted of 13 mares, which were not subjected to veterinary procedures. In the experimental group, comprising 15 mares, Isoprivet (Vet-Agro, Lublin) was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg of body mass twice at a 4-day interval. Studies showed that isoprinosine significantly reduced the abortion rate, as well as the percentage of mares returning to oestrus or showing symptoms of genital tract infections. The improvement in reproductive rates testifies to an increase in the activity of Th cells and the monocyte-macrophage system, which prevent the development of the disease and stop the virus from entering the cells of the reproductive system. The results indicate the effectiveness of nonspecific immunostimulation in reducing losses associated with EHV-1 infection in pregnant mares |
| Key words: EHV-1, isoprinosine, reproductive disorders, non-specific immunostimulation |