ATASEVEN, Veysel Soydal Mustafa Kemal University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Virology, Turkey , BILGE-DAĞALP, Seval Ankara Üniversitesi - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Virology, Turkey , BAŞARAN, Zeynep Yüzüncü Yıl University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Virology, Turkey , KESKIN, Sıddık Yüzüncü Yıl University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Biostatistic, Turkey

Seroepidemiological studies of equine herpesviruses 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4) infections in working horses from the eastern Turkey

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The objective of this research was to determine the presence of equine herpesvirus types 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV- 4) antibodies in local horses from five provinces in the East Anatolia region of Turkey. Blood samples were collected from 405 nonvaccinated horses living in Van, Bitlis, Muş, Erzurum, and Iğdır, and were analyzed via a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). EHV-1- and EHV-4-specific antibodies were detected in 94 (23.2%) and 316 (78.0%) of the 405 tested sera, respectively. The seropositivity percentages for EHV-1-specific antibodies by province were as follows: 29.5% in Van, 6.1% in Bitlis, 5.1% in Muş, 24.0% in Iğdır, and 20.6% in Erzurum. EHV-4-specific antibodies were detected at levels of 87.2% in Van, 61.2% in Bitlis, 56.4% in Muş, 84.0% in Iğdır, and 52.9% in Erzurum. The present investigation demonstrated that EHV-1 and EHV-4 infections were more prevalent in the indigenous horse population from five provinces in the East Anatolia region of Turkey. Also, this data on the high seropositivity of both infections in two provinces (Van and Iğdır) along the eastern border of Turkey may be also serve as a risk indicator for future introductions of some transboundary diseases via border trade.

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Antibody , equine herpesvirus type , 1 , equine herpesvirus type , 4 , Turkey

Veterinary Journal of Ankara University

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