Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a pathogen that causes myeloencephalopathy in horses and, occasionally, in other species such as mice. As few EHV-1 strains have been identified as highly virulent to this species, despite mouse models being used to understand EHV-1 pathogenesis, a study by Mesquita et al. (2021) aimed to evaluate the pathogenesis of two neurovirulent strains of the disease in mice. The study also characterised the inflammatory cells, the expression of chemokines and the apoptosis marker caspase-3 in the brains of the infected individuals.

In our latest NationWide laboratories journal club, Marvin Firth, BVSC (Hons), DIPRCPath, DIPFMS, AFHEA, MRSB, MRCVS, dives into the research conducted by Mesquita et al. to discover the pathogenesis of EHV-1 infections in the central nervous systems of mice.