Home | Livestock | Livestock Diseases | Viral Arteritis in Equines, Arterivirus in Horses

Sections

Newsletter
Email:
Poll: Like Our New Look?
Do you like our new look & feel?

Viral Arteritis in Equines, Arterivirus in Horses

Font size: Decrease font Enlarge font

Equine Viral Arteritis virus, an Arterivirus, causes panvasculitis of many body systems. It can present as a generalized influenza-like disease in adult horses, abortion in mares, or interstitial pneumonia in foals. Serologically widespread but clinical disease is less common. Infected stallions can become long-term carriers. Transmitted by: a susceptible mare being served by a carrier stallion or inseminated with infected semen; aerosol transmission in respiratory secretions; and fomites. Stallions with scrotal oedema and/or fever; might have a temporary period of decreased fertility. Except for some foals in which the disease can be severe enough to cause sudden death, found dead; naturally-infected horses make uneventful clinical recoveries.

Species affected: Equine

Symptoms: Abortion or stillbirth; Agalactia or dysgalactia; Anorexia (complete, partial); Ataxia (incoordination, staggering, falling); Blepharospasm; Chemosis, conjunctival, scleral oedema, swelling; Colic; Congestion of oral mucous membranes; Conjunctival, scleral injection; Conjunctival, scleral redness; Corneal oedema, opacity; Coughing; Dehydration; Diarrhoea; Dullness, depression, lethargy, depressed, lethargic, listless; Dysmetria (hypermetria, hypometria); Dyspnoea; Oedema of mammary gland; Fever; Forelimb lameness, stiffness; Forelimb swelling (mass in forelimb joint and or non-joint area); Generalized lameness, stiffness; Generalized weakness (paresis, paralysis); Swelling (mass) of head, face, ears, jaw, nose, nasal; Hindlimb lameness, stiffness; Swelling (mass) of hindlimb, joint and or non-joint area; Hypopyon, lipid, fibrin, flare of anterior chamber of eye; Jaundice; Inability to stand, prostration; Hyperpnoea; Lacrimation; Lymphadenopathy; Male infertility; Swelling (mass) of mammary gland, gynecomastia; Mucoid nasal discharge (serous, watery); Ocular pain; Oral mucosal ulcers, vesicles, plaques, pustules, erosions; Orbital, periorbital, periocular, conjunctival swelling; Petechiae or ecchymoses, bruises; Photophobia; Prolonged capillary refill time; Purulent discharge from eye; Purulent nasal discharge; Skin oedema; Skin plaques; Skin wheal; Sudden deathswelling (mass) in penis, prepuce, testes, scrotum, spermatic cord; Swelling (mass) in external abdomen; Tachycardia; Weight loss;

Public health importance: Not applicable.

References

  1. Balasuriya U.B.R., 2014, “Equine Viral Arteritis,” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice; 30:543-560 [Web Reference]
  2. Bazanow B.A., et. al., 2014, “Abortogenic viruses in horses,” Equine Veterinary Education; 26:48-55 [Web Reference]
  3. Campos J.R., et. al., 2014, “Semen quality of stallions challenged with the Kentucky 84 strain of equine arteritis virus,” Theriogenology; 82:1068-1079 [Web Reference]
  4. Gilkerson J.R., et. al., 2015, “Update on Viral Diseases of the Equine Respiratory Tract,” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice; 31:91-104 [Web Reference]
  5. Snider T.A., 2015, “Reproductive Disorders in Horses,” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice; 31:389-405 [Web Reference]
Rate this article
0