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Herpes viruses endanger horses Physicians fear bottleneck vaccines
Bad news for horse owners: In a stock of horses in the district of Limburg-Weilburg several horses are probably suffering from a herpes virus infection. As the Justus-Liebig University Giessen reports, it is an equine herpesvirus (EHV-1), which often causes death in horses and can spread epidemically. An extensive vaccine could help here - but the approved vaccines are currently not available in Germany. In order to prevent a spread, several equestrian tournaments have now been canceled.
Once infected horses carry the virus latently further
In Beselich (Limburg-Weilburg, Hesse) probably several horses are suffering from an equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection. This is often fatal in horses and can be epidemic-like - so great is the concern of the horse owners in the region. In humans, the viruses cause no communicable diseases, but contact with infected animals may lead to infection of previously healthy horses. The caused by the widespread among horses EHV-1 infection sometimes runs without symptoms. "Once infected horses carry the virus but virtually invisible ('latent') in itself, and there is no way to get these horses back all EHV-1 free," said Prof. Fey according to the announcement of the University of Giessen.
A herpes virus infection can lead to death in horses in the worst case. Nevertheless, no vaccines are currently available in this country. (Image: Tanja Esser / fotolia.com) Longer lying may require a lulling of the animals
The treacherous: The herpes virus can also lead to serious diseases. Fever often occurs at the beginning, often in combination with nasal discharge and cough in young horses. In severe cases, coordination disorders (ataxia) occur after the first fever phase, which may be accompanied by urinary and fecal problems. The disturbances usually begin in the hindquarters first, but then also occur in the forelimbs. In the worst case, the horse can not get up ("lying down"). This neurological form of EHV-1 often encounters multiple horses. If the horses are in the same position longer, serious health problems threaten, which is why the animals usually have to be euthanized, the university continues to report.
Causes of the infection can not be treated
Like many other viral diseases, herpesvirus 1 infection can not be treated causally. Accordingly, the therapy aims to alleviate the respective symptoms. There are e.g. circulation-supporting infusions and antibiotics for the treatment of secondary infections. It is also important that the affected animals are dewormed, housed as germ-free and dust-poor as possible, and separated from the other animals in order to prevent their spread. Since infected horses can excrete the virus even before the onset of symptoms, even seemingly healthy horses from affected stables may not be transported to other stables at first suspicion.
Vaccination can reduce viral load in the herd
Protection can provide vaccination, especially if all horses of a stock are recorded. Due to the many already infected animals, this can not reliably protect against the infection itself, but significantly reduces both the severity of the disease and the virus excretion. A comprehensive vaccine can thus reduce the viral load in the population, the university reports.
Currently, however, vaccines approved in Germany are not available. As the "Wiesbadener Kurier" reports, the animal health division of the pharmaceutical company Sanofi ("Merial") has recently switched to Boehringer Ingelheim. This had opened in 2012 in Hanover, a "European Research Center for Animal Vaccines" to develop innovative vaccines - but only for livestock, so Matthias Kagerbauer of Boeringer to the newspaper.
Vaccine bottleneck exists since one and a half years
"The pharmaceutical industry must be accused of not having done enough for animal health," said Wiesbaden veterinarian Stephen Eversfield. According to the veterinarian, there has been a bottleneck in the vaccines for a year and a half - he himself now obtains his herpes vaccine from the Czech Republic with the help of a special permit. According to Eversfield, an epidemic as currently prevalent in the Limburg-Weilburg district is rare, but quite possible in stables with non-vaccinated horses. Therefore, the herpes vaccine for tournament horses should in his opinion - as well as the biannual influenza vaccine - be mandatory. An emergency vaccination with imported substances, however, was only conditionally recommendable. Because in the four weeks between the two vaccinations for the primary immunization animals can still be infected. For already vaccinated horses, a vaccination update may be useful. (No)