Genetic comparisons of equid herpesvirus 5 strains

Abstract

Equid herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5) belongs to the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily as a member of the Percavirus genus. Some viruses from the Herpesviridae family are well known pathogens that cause sever diseases, but in contrast to this group EHV-5 is still undefined in the potential pathogenic role. EHV-5 was first isolated in Australia from quarantined horses 4 to 17 months old from the UK with upper respiratory disease. Since then EHV-5 has been detected in clinically healthy horses from all over the world. Recent studies show that there is also a strong association between EHV-5 infection and the development of a newly described disease called equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF). The aim of the study was to detect EHV-5 strains and compare the genetics of selected EHV-5 strains, if there are genetic differences between strains.