UdeC scientists detect venereal disease in breeding horses for the first time in Chile

Since 2018, a team of researchers from the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Concepción, in conjunction with Dr(c). Ignacio Troncoso, are devoted to the study and analysis of the equine coital exanthema (ECE)a highly contagious, benign venereal infection that induces lesions on the external genitalia and is caused by equine herpes virus type 3 (EHV-3).

“Before the pandemic we had a report from the Bulnes commune specifically of a horse and mare with injuries in their genital areas; Therefore, together with Dr. Ignacio Troncoso, colleague and former student of this university, we received samples of a presumed disease that did not exist in Chile, but the sampling was very late, we could not confirm it in the laboratory and we were left with the suspicion that it could be a Coital Exanthema”, began by explaining the virologist of the Department of Pathology and Preventive Medicine, Dr. René Ortega Vásquez.

Nothing had been described about this venereal disease in the country, until 2021, when cases were presented again and the experts managed to investigate 3 positive cases.

“Dr. Troncoso made the molecular diagnosis and we did the respective phylogenetic analyses, determining that it was EHV-3 and for the same reason, this diagnosis becomes the first national report of the disease”, detailed the academic, who added that in September of this year they presented their research at the European Congress of Veterinary Virology (EVVS Congress 2022), being the first publication of this finding in Chile.

benign infection

The first thing to note about the disease, according to what was mentioned by Dr. René Ortega, is that the disease is not lethal and has treatment. “What happens is that the horse can infect one or several mares, and also that horse can remain a lifelong carrier of the disease, leaving the individual and their reproductive contacts with injuries. Therefore, what is complicated is that the animal continues to be used as a breeder, because if it has this venereal disease, every time reproductive management is carried out, it can transmit the virus, which is why it is important to carry out a registry at the national level.”

As stated by the expert, the work carried out involved polymerase chain reaction screening for EHV-3 in external genitalia lesions in four horses belonging to a riding station in Bulnes, Ñuble Region. They sequenced a fragment of the glycoprotein G (gG) gene from three horses with clinical signs of ECE. “The sequences were identical to each other and 99.7% similar to an EHV-3 haplotype detected in Brazil, and phylogenetically related to homologues from Japan, Russia and Brazil. In this way, our results show the presence of EHV-3 for the first time in horses with ECE in Chile”.

The research was recently presented by Dr. Ortega at the University of Ghent in Belgium, (which has been ranked as the first university in the world in veterinary medicine, which denotes the importance of the EVSS Congress) and obtained an important reception. “In general, I presented my work and some colleagues from other countries, contributed from their experiences on the subject, even a French laboratory contacted us since they are working with antivirals against herpesviruses and the idea is to strengthen ties and collaborate,” he said. academic.

Also participating in this research are the academics from Veterinary Medicine UdeC, Ferdinand Saravia,reproductive specialist; Y Sebastian Munoz, specialist in phylogenetic analysis of pathogens, of the Department of Animal Science and the veterinary doctor, Rolando Calvanese who was the clinical veterinarian who diagnosed the disease in the field and Nhur-Aischa Zegpi student who has worked on several publications of the Animal Immunology and Virology Laboratory of our Faculty.

The work was published in a scientific journal that can be accessed by clicking here.