DETECTION OF EQUINE HERPES VIRUS 1, EQUINE HERPES VIRUS 4, AND EQUINE ARTERITIS VIRUS ANTIBODIES IN KYRGYZSTAN BY ELISA

The aim of the present study was to detect the presence of Equine herpes virus 1 (EHV-1), Equine herpes virus 4
(EHV-4), and Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) antibodies in domestic horses in Kyrgyzstan. In this study, 116 serum
samples of unvaccinated domestic horses were collected between November 2012 to February 2013, and tested for
equine herpes virus (EHV-1, EHV-4) and EAV specific antibodies by commercially available indirect Enzyme Linked
Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). EHV-1, EHV-4, and EAV specific antibodies were detected as 81.89% (95/116),
96.55% (112/116), and 20.68% (24/116) of tested serum samples were found positive for EHV-1, EHV-4, and EAV
antibodies, respectively. 95 horses (81.89%) were positive for EHV-1 plus EHV-4. 20 horses (17.24%) were
detected seropositive EHV-1 plus EAV while 22 horses (18.96%) were seropositive for EHV-4 and EAV. In
conclusion, EHV-1, EHV-4 and EAV infections appear to be widespread in domestic horses in Kyrgyzstan and may
also serve as a risk factor for other species.