Molecular characterization of equine herpesvirus-1 and asinine herpesvirus -5 isolated from aborted fetuses of arabian horses

Abstract

Infections with equine herpesviruses (EHVs) are widespread in equine populations worldwide. Whilst EHV-1
produces well-documented reproductive losses in equids, the role of asinine herpesviruses-5 (AHV-5) to induce
abortion is still enigmatic. In the present study, EHV-1 and AHV-5 were detected in aborted fetuses of Arabian horses
in Egypt by consensus nested PCR of DNA polymerase gene, with a trial for viral isolation on Rabbit Kidney 13 cell
line (RK-13) and identification by indirect immunofluorescence. The partial analysis of DNA polymerase gene sequence
revealed that the Egyptian strains EHV-1 and AHV-5 were related to Australian origin EHV-1 838/89 (Accession. no,
KF434370) and Austrian strain AHV-5 isolate 1323 (Accession. no, KC825357) by 98.3% and 98.6 % respectively. In
conclusion, this was the first detection and isolation of AHV-5 in Egypt, and to our knowledge, this represents the first
report of AHV-1 detection from an aborted fetus worldwide.