Research: Concurrent Vaccination Against Equine Influenza and EHV

Credit: Thinkstock The primary objective of this study was to determine the impact of the concurrent use of EIV and EHV-1/ 4 vaccines in Thoroughbred racehorses on their humoral immune response to EIV.

An open access article from Wiley Online Library was released titled, “Concurrent vaccination against equine influenza and equine herpes virus – a practical approach.” The conclusion from this research was, “In this study concurrent vaccination against EIV and EHV 1/4 increased the response to EIV and did not compromise the humoral immune response to EHV 1/4.”

The article noted that the laboratory work that was carried out at the Irish Equine Centre was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

SUMMARY

Background: There is a lack of information concerning concurrent administration of vaccines against equine influenza virus (EIV) and equine herpes virus 1 and 4 (EHV-1/4).

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to determine the impact of the concurrent use of EIV and EHV-1/ 4 vaccines in Thoroughbred racehorses on their humoral immune response to EIV.

Methods: This study was carried out on a population of 30 horses using an inactivated whole virus EIV vaccine and an inactivated EHV-1, 4 vaccine. Horses were randomly allocated to vaccination group A or B. Horses in group A were vaccinated against EIV and EHV-1/4 two weeks apart. Horses in group B were vaccinated against EIV and EHV-1/4 on the same day. Whole blood samples were collected on the day of vaccination, two weeks and six weeks post vaccination. Antibody levels against EIV and EHV-1/4 were measured using the single radial haemolysis and serum neutralisation test respectively.

Results: The pattern of EIV antibody response post vaccination was similar for both groups. Highest EIV antibody levels were recorded two weeks post vaccination and a significant decrease in antibody level was observed four weeks later. Horses in group B demonstrated a significantly higher EIV antibody response post vaccination. Overall there was no significant difference in EHV-1/4 antibody response between the two groups post vaccination.

Conclusion: In this study concurrent vaccination against EIV and EHV 1/4 increased the
response to EIV and did not compromise the humoral immune response to EHV 1/4.

You can download the complete article from Wiley Online Library.

Authors

Sarah Gildea, Gillian Johnson, and Ann Cullinane, Virology Unit, The Irish Equine Centre, Johnstown, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland; Maria Jose Sanchez Higgins, Hawkfield, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland; Cathal Walsh, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.

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