Kinetics of Equid herpesvirus type 2 infections in a group of Thoroughbred foals

The significance of infection with Equid herpevirus 2 (EHV-2) remains unresolved, mainly due to its widespread distribution, and frequent isolation of the virus not only from diseased animals, but also from clinically normal horses. It has been suggested that EHV-2 exerts its effects on the host indirectly, through predisposition to secondary infections. The aim of this study was to determine kinetics of EHV-2 infection among foals and to investigate the role that EHV-2 may play in development of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia on one farm. Serial blood samples were collected from 43 foals over a period of 10 months. Viral load of EHV-2 in blood was determined using quantitative realtime PCR assay. All but 2 foals were positive for EHV-2 on at least one occasion. The majority (88%) of foals became infected with EHV-2 within the first 2 months of life. Once infected, most foals (86%) remained positive for EHV-2 on all subsequent samplings. The load of EHV-2 varied between individual foals and between different sampling times for each foal. There was a significant difference in EHV-2 load between samples collected from healthy foals and foals suspected of R. equi pneumonia only for 2-month-old foals, but not for foals of other ages. The results of this study extend our knowledge of EHV-2 epidemiology among foals.