Viral Equine Encephalitis, a Growing Threat to the Horse Population in Europe?

Sylvie Lecollinet (1, 2) , Stéphane Pronost (3, 4, 1) , Muriel Coulpier (2) , Cécile Beck (1, 2) , Gaëlle Gonzalez (2) , Agnès Leblond (5) , Pierre Tritz (1, 6)

1 RESPE - Réseau d'Epidémio-Surveillance en Pathologie Équine
2 VIRO - Virologie UMR1161
3 LABÉO - LABÉO, Pôle d’analyses et de recherche de Normandie
4 BIOTARGEN - Biologie, génétique et thérapies ostéoarticulaires et respiratoires
5 UMR EPIA - Unité Mixte de Recherche d'Épidémiologie des maladies Animales et zoonotiques
6 AVEF - Association Vétérinaire Equine Française

Neurological disorders represent an important sanitary and economic threat for the equine industry worldwide. Among nervous diseases, viral encephalitis is of growing concern, due to the emergence of arboviruses and to the high contagiosity of herpesvirus-infected horses. The nature, severity and duration of the clinical signs could be different depending on the etiological agent and its virulence. However, definite diagnosis generally requires the implementation of combinations of direct and/or indirect screening assays in specialized laboratories. The equine practitioner, involved in a mission of prevention and surveillance, plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis of viral encephalitis. The general management of the horse is essentially supportive, focused on controlling pain and inflammation within the central nervous system, preventing injuries and providing supportive care. Despite its high medical relevance and economic impact in the equine industry, vaccines are not always available and there is no specific antiviral therapy. In this review, the major virological, clinical and epidemiological features of the main neuropathogenic viruses inducing encephalitis in equids in Europe, including rabies virus (Rhabdoviridae), Equid herpesviruses (Herpesviridae), Borna disease virus (Bornaviridae) and West Nile virus (Flaviviridae), as well as exotic viruses, will be presented.

Mots clés: encephalitis; arbovirus; rabies; Equid herpesviruses; Borna disease virus; West Nile virus; horses

Domaines: Médecine vétérinaire et santé animale

Sylvie Lecollinet, Stéphane Pronost, Muriel Coulpier, Cécile Beck, Gaëlle Gonzalez, et al.. Viral Equine Encephalitis, a Growing Threat to the Horse Population in Europe?. Viruses, 2019, 12 (1), pp.23. ⟨10.3390/v12010023⟩. ⟨hal-02425366⟩