A longitudinal study of poor performance and subclinical respiratory viral activity in Standardbred trotters.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

While clinical respiratory disease is considered a main cause of poor performance in horses, the role of subclinical respiratory virus infections is less clear and needs further investigation.

Aims and objectives

In this descriptive longitudinal study the relationship of markers of subclinical respiratory viral activity to occurrence of poor performance in racing Standardbred trotters was investigated.

Material and methods

66 elite Standardbred trotters were followed for 13 months by nasal swabs analysed with qPCR for equine influenza virus, equine arteritis virus, equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV), equine herpesvirus type 1(EHV-1) and equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) and serology to equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV), ERBV, EHV-1 and EHV-4, as well as the acut

SUBMITTER: Back H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4567161 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature