African horse sickness outbreaks caused by multiple virus types in Ethiopia

Transbound Emerg Dis. 2014 Apr;61(2):185-92. doi: 10.1111/tbed.12024. Epub 2012 Oct 22.

Abstract

African horse sickness (AHS) is associated with high morbidity and mortality in equids, especially horses. A retrospective analysis was carried out concerning 737 AHS outbreaks that occurred during 2007-2010 in Ethiopia. A total of ten outbreaks were investigated in the study period. All four forms of the disease (pulmonary, cardiac, horse sickness fever and the combined form) were observed, with the cardiac form being the most prevalent. Multiple African horse sickness virus serotypes (AHSV-2, AHSV-4, AHSV-6, AHSV-8 and AHSV-9) were detected by molecular methods (type-specific real-time RT-PCR assays), and fourteen isolates were derived from blood and tissue samples collected during 2009-2010. This is the first report of AHSV-4, AHSV-6 or AHSV-8 in Ethiopia.

Keywords: African horse sickness serotypes; Ethiopia; Orbivirus; equids; real-time RT-PCR.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • African Horse Sickness / epidemiology*
  • African Horse Sickness / virology
  • African Horse Sickness Virus / genetics
  • African Horse Sickness Virus / immunology
  • African Horse Sickness Virus / isolation & purification*
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Viral / immunology
  • DNA, Viral / analysis
  • Disease Outbreaks / veterinary*
  • Ethiopia / epidemiology
  • Horses
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
  • Viral Core Proteins / immunology
  • Virus Diseases / epidemiology
  • Virus Diseases / veterinary*
  • Virus Diseases / virology

Substances

  • Antigens, Viral
  • DNA, Viral
  • Viral Core Proteins
  • VP7 major core antigen, African horsesickness virus