Study: Shared Water Sources Contribute To EHV Transmission Sponsored by:
A study has found that equine herpesviruses are able to replicate in freshwater sources in the wild and remain infectious to spread among animals, especially during drought conditions. In the wild, many species of animal will congregate around freshwater sources to drink, potentially allowing for virus transmission between species.
Drs. Anisha Dayaram, Peter Seeber, Alexandre Courtiol, Sanatana Soilemetzidou, Kyriakos Tsangaras, Mathias Franz, Gayle McEwen, Walid Azab, Petra Kaczensky, Jörg Melzheimer, Marion East, Oyunsaikhan Ganbaatar, Christian Walzer, Nikolaus Osterrieder and Alex Greenwood sampled water holes in areas of Africa and Mongolia that had significant dry seasons. They determined that EHV can remain stable and infectious in water under these conditions.
Equine herpesviruses well adapted to spreading via waterholes, study finds horsetalk.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from horsetalk.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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IMAGE: A dazzle of zebras at a waterhole in East Africa. Seasonal waterholes can operate as key locations for pathogen transmission within and between species. view more
Credit: Peter Seeber / Leibniz-IZW
Water is a necessity for all life but its availability can be limited. In geographical areas experiencing dry seasons, animals congregate near the few freshwater sources, often reaching large densities. At these sites many animals from different species come to the same spots to drink, potentially operating as key locations for pathogen transmission within and between species. An international team of scientists lead by the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) suggests that viruses can use restricted freshwater sources as a vector to be spread among animals. The key prediction of this idea is that animal viruses remain stable and infectious in water. The team tested this idea by sampling water holes in ecosystems of Africa and M
Water is a necessity for all life but its availability can be limited. In geographical areas experiencing dry seasons, animals congregate near the few freshwater sources, often reaching large densities.