Equine adenoviruses

Test codes:

S0174 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of equine adenovirus type 1 by real time polymerase chain reaction.
S0175 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of equine adenovirus type 2 by real time polymerase chain reaction.

Equine adenoviruses (EAdv) are double-stranded DNA viruses. The biophysical properties of EAdV are similar to those of adenoviruses of other species: non-enveloped viruses approximately 70 - 80 nm in diameter. The capsid of the virus is composed of 252 capsomers. Two equine adenoviruses are known, type 1 and type 2.

Equine adenovirus type 1 (EAdV1) occurs worldwide and causes acute upper respiratory tract disease, follicular conjunctivitis and bronchopneumonia. Infected horses will also develop gastrointestinal problems, such as production of soft feces. EAdV1 is peculiarly associated as a dominant pathogen in horses with primary severe combined immunodeficiency disease (PSCID). PSCID especially affects some Arabian foals. PSCID foals infected with this virus usually have inexorably progressive EAdV1 bronchopneumonia as well as EAdV1 induced pathology in other organs and tissues.

Equine adenovirus type 2 (EAdV2) has been isolated from the feces of foals with diarrhea. It is not clear whether EAdv2 can cause respiratory disease in horses.

Diagnosis of the infection can be achieved by culture detection. However, these two viruses are host cell specific and require cells of equine origin to grow. Viral culture also requires a long time to obtain results. Molecular detection by PCR, can provide rapid, sensitive and specific detection of these viruses (Ataseven et al., 2012).

Utilities:

• Help confirm the disease causing agent
• Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical diagnosis of adenovirus infection.
• Help ensure that herds are free of adenoviruses
• Early prevention of spread of these viruses
• Minimize personnel exposure to these viruses
• Safety monitoring of biological products that derive from horses

References:
Ataseven, V.S., Oğuzoğlu, T.Ç., Başaran-Karapınar, Z. and Bilge-Dağalp, S. (2012) First genetic characterization of equine adenovirus type 1 (EAdV-1) in Turkey. Res. Vet. Sci. 92:324-326.

Specimen requirements:  0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube, or nasopharyngeal swab, or rectal swab, or 0.2 ml feces, or 0.2 ml fresh, frozen or fixed tissue.

Contact Zoologix if advice is needed to determine an appropriate specimen type for a specific diagnostic application. For specimen types not listed here, please contact Zoologix to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.

For all specimen types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See shipping instructions for more information.

Turnaround time: 2 business days

Methodology: Qualitative real time PCR

Normal range: Nondetected