Detection of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) DNA in organs of neonatal dead foals in Turkey

Abstract

To examine the association of equine herpesvirus types 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4) with neonatal death of foals in Turkey, DNA detection of EHV-1 and EHV-4 from pooled organs of neonatal dead foals collected in Istanbul from 1998 to 2003 was conducted by PCR. EHV-1 DNA was detected in 5 foals (13.8%), but no viral DNA of EHV-4 was detected in 36 foals examined in this study. This report describes the first detection of EHV-1 DNA in neonatal dead foals by using the genetic method in Turkey.