Serological surveillance of equine herpesvirus types 1 and 4 in Mongolia

Introduction Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and type 4 (EHV-4) are major viral pathogens of horses causing respiratory disease, abortion and neurological disorders, leading to significant economic losses worldwide. In Mongolia, horses are raised under nomadic and extensive grazing systems, which may facilitate disease transmission. Nationwide data are scarce on the prevalence of infection with these viruses, and to generate these data for a broad expanse of Mongolia, surveillance was carried out. Material and Methods Large-scale serological testing was conducted using peptide-based ELISAs. A total of 1,222 serum samples were collected from horses across 12 provinces of Mongolia. Results Antibodies against EHV-1 were detected in 6.7% of samples, antibodies against EHV-4 in 20.7%, and antibodies against both in 2.8%. Overall, 301 horses (24.6%) were positive for at least one virus. The seroprevalence of EHV-4 was significantly higher than that of EHV-1 (P-value < 0.0001). Conclusion These findings provide baseline epidemiological data for Mongolia and support the development of risk-based surveillance and control strategies to reduce the impact of equine herpesvirus infections.