Researchers Work to Better Diagnose, Treat Neurologic Herpesvirus

In their efforts to understand how equine herpesvirus-1 myeloencephalopathy (EHM) works, researchers are discovering better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent the spread of the disease. In a review paper published in The Veterinary Journal, researchers with the University of California, Davis, summarized new developments and their implications.

A recent development is the

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In their efforts to understand how equine herpesvirus-1 myeloencephalopathy (EHM) works, researchers are discovering better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent the spread of the disease. In a review paper published in The Veterinary Journal, researchers with the University of California, Davis, summarized new developments and their implications.

A recent development is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which is used to detect virus DNA in a sample. The PCR test uses the same process that nature uses to replicate DNA. In the polymerase chain reaction, DNA products are duplicated many times so they can be detected, and processed through a gel medium to indicate if the virus’ DNA is present. While a conventional PCR test indicates the presence of viral DNA, it is time-consuming to set up and might provide false-positive results.

“There is a temptation to interpret PCR in a qualitative way,” said study coauthor Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM. “Positive means infection; negative means healthy. It is more complex than that.”

Because healthy horses may carry latent virus, the quantity of the virus in the system is important. Real-time PCR uses an additional molecule, called a probe, to collect and count the test molecules as they replicate. The probe method is more sensitive, and can be performed more quickly than conventional PCR

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Nancy Zacks holds an M.S. in Science Journalism from the Boston University College of Communication. She grew up in suburban Philadelphia where she learned to ride over fields and fences in nearby Malvern, Pa. When not writing, she enjoys riding at an eventing barn, drawing and painting horses, volunteering at a therapeutic riding program, and walking with Lilly, her black Labrador Retriever.

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