Seroepidemiological studies of equine herpesviruses 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4) infections in working horses from the eastern Turkey

The objective of this research was to determine the presence of equine herpesvirus types 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4) antibodies in local horses from five provinces in the East Anatolia region of Turkey. Blood samples were collected from 405 non-vaccinated horses living in Van, Bitlis, Mu, Erzurum, and Igdir, and were analyzed via a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). EHV-1- and EHV-4-specific antibodies were detected in 94 (23.2%) and 316 (78.0%) of the 405 tested sera, respectively. The seropositivity percentages for EHV-1-specific antibodies by province were as follows: 29.5% in Van, 6.1% in Bitlis, 5.1% in Mus 24.0% in Igdir, and 20.6% in Erzurum. EHV-4-specific antibodies were detected at levels of 87.2% in Van, 61.2% in Bitlis, 56.4% in Mus 84.0% in Igdir, and 52.9% in Erzurum. The present investigation demonstrated that EHV-1 and EHV-4 infections were more prevalent in the indigenous horse population from five provinces in the East Anatolia region of Turkey. Also, this data on the high seropositivity of both infections in two provinces (Van and Igdir) along the eastern border of Turkey may be also serve as a risk indicator for future introductions of some transboundary diseases via border trade.