| Title | Temporary suppression of cell-mediated immunity in standardbred horses with decreased athletic capacity. | ||
| Author | Jensen-Waern, M; Persson, S G; Nordengrahn, A; Merza, M; Fossum, C | ||
| Journal | Acta Vet Scand | Publication Year/Month | 1998 |
| PMID | 9592943 | PMCID | PMC8050687 |
| Affiliation | 1.Department of Medicine and Surgery, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. Marianne.Jensen-Waern@kirmed.slu.se. | ||
Eighty Standardbred horses, originating from 5 training campuses, with decreased athletic performance in association with symptoms such as intermittent fever and mild pharyngitis were examined. As control animals, 10 horses from a stable with normally performing horses were used. Virus isolation and clinico-chemical and serological tests were performed. Lymphocyte proliferation tests were carried out to evaluate the capacity of the cell-mediated immunity. In addition, a bioassay for equine type I interferon, as a marker for early viral infections, was established. No specific microbe could be linked to these symptoms, but there was a temporary suppression of the cell-mediated immunity, which might be explained by the serological evidence of an EHV-2 and/or rhinovirus infection.