AHT start a 5 year project to create EHV-1 vaccine

The AHT have started a 5 year project that aims to create a vaccine to protect against equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1)

Abortigenic and neurological EHV-1 is a viral infection that can cause respiratory and neurological disease in adult horses, and abortion or fatal illness in newborn foals. The virus lies undetected in most horses but can strike at any time (i.e. when the horse is stressed.)
Symptoms can range from slight wobbliness to complete paralysis, and the effects can happen within hours. With no current vaccine available to protect against the disease, the effects can be horrific.

The AHT’s Neil Bryant, who will be leading the project, said: “We have become aware of a pressing need for progress towards a new and improved EHV-1 vaccine. We’re at the beginning of a very exciting and potentially ground breaking vaccine development. Through our research, we will construct different viruses with attenuating mutations and assess their suitability as MLVs. We hope our findings will enable further development by vaccine manufacturers in creating an effective vaccine to protect against the serious clinical signs induced by EHV-1.”