Source: AgriFutures Australia
Equine herpes virus (EHV) is a DNA virus found in horses all around the world. There are different
strains of equine herpes virus (EHV) with the most common being EHV-1 and EHV-4. EHV-1
causes abortion, respiratory diseases (particularly in young horses) and neurological diseases,
while EHV-4 causes respiratory disease and can cause abortion in pregnant mares.
Key messages
- Infected mares that have aborted also shed the virus in mucus and the virus is present in the fetus, placenta, fetal membranes and fetal fluids.
- Equine herpes EHV-1 is a notifiable disease.
- Abortions from equine herpes (EHV-1) infection usually occur during the last trimester of pregnancy, but can occur earlier in some cases.
- The virus is highly contagious and is spread by direct horse-to-horse contact via mucus and contact with physical objects contaminated with the virus.
