Molecular Monitoring of EHV-1 in Silently Infected Performance Horses through Nasal and Environmental Sample Testing

Abstract

While the main goal in the management of an EHM outbreak focuses on identifying early clinical disease in order to physically separate infected horses, little effort is placed towards monitoring healthy horses. The assumption that EHV-1 shedding parallels clinical disease is erroneous, as subclinical shedders have been shown to be actively involved in viral spread. In an attempt to document the frequency of EHV-1 shedders and their impact on environmental contamination, we collected nasal swabs from 231 healthy horses and 203 environmental samples for the testing of EHV-1 by qPCR. Six horses and 28 stalls tested qPCR-positive for EHV-1. There was no association in the EHV-1 qPCR-positive status between nasal and stall swabs. While testing nasal secretions of healthy at-risk horses can detect active shedding at a specific time point, the testing of stall swabs allows to assess the temporal EHV-1 shedding status of a horse. The study results highlight the risk of subclinical EHV-1 shedders and stalls occupied by these horses as sources of infection for susceptible horses. The testing of individual stalls for the presence of EHV-1 may be a more practical approach than the collection of individual nasal swabs for the monitoring and early detection of the circulating virus. The results also highlight the need to improve the cleanliness and disinfection of stalls utilized by performance horses during show events.