Description of an unusually large outbreak of nervous system disorders caused by equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV1) in 2009 in Belgium

Neurological diseases caused by neuropathogenic strains of EHV1 are being reported with increasing frequency. Consequently, concern is being voiced within the US horse industry that the neurologic form of EHV1 may be intensifying in prevalence and/or morbidity and mortality. In Belgium, outbreaks of EHV1-induced abortions are an annually recurrent phenomenon, but outbreaks of equine herpes myelitis (EHM) are rare. This report describes an unusually large outbreak of EHV1-induced EHM that involved at least 13 different premises. Seven of them were characterized in more detail and were included... Mehr ...