Klaus Osterrieder, DVM, DVM Habilitation (German equivalent to a PhD), an associate professor of virology at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., studies equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1). He shared his views with The Horse on recent EHV-1 problems.

“The first and foremost thing to understand is that herpesvirus infections don’t go away,” he explained. “Once infected, horses are constantly at risk for reactivation and spreading the disease. This does not mean that we have to be concerned all the time, but one has to realize that infection cannot be prevented; we have to work out strategies to keep reactivations at a minimum and–when they happen–keep the infection and spread of the disease in check.

“Secondly, EHV-1 is EHV-1. The distinction between ‘neurological’ and ‘non-neurological’ strains is very intriguing from a scientific viewpoint, but it is in my view–at least at this point in time–not too important,” he said. “If you have an outbreak, neurological or abortion storm, you have to follow the same strict rules of management and biosecurity. More importantly, we need to devise strategies for prevention of neurological outbreaks.”

He feels vaccination is the first and most important measure to prevent outbreaks. Thus, he and colleagues are working on generating and refining modified live vaccines in order to enhance protection against EHV. For more information see www.TheHorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=6470