Abstract: The present invention relates to an in vivo equine disease model for equine herpesvirus-1 neurological disease comprising a horse having a low pre-exposure level of herpesvirus-specific CTL precursors and/or is approximately 20 years of age or older wherein the horse is experimentally infected with a neuropathogenic strain of equine herpesvirus or a mutant thereof. The invention includes a method of preparing an in vivo equine disease model for equine herpesvirus-1 neurological disease comprising obtaining a horse that possesses low pre-infection levels of EHV-1 specific CTL precursors and/or is approximately 20 years of age or older and inoculating the horse intranasally with an effective infecting amount of a neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1. A particularly preferred method involves the advanced neurological disease stage when the experimental horse presents clinical signs of myeloencephalopathy.

Abstract: Disclosed is an in vivo equine disease model and a method of preparing the disease model for equine herpesvirus-1 neurological disease comprising a horse having a low pre-exposure level of herpesvirus-specific CTL precursors wherein the horse is experimentally infected with a neuropathogenic strain of equine herpesvirus or a mutant thereof. Also disclosed is a method of quantifying the risk factors and predicting the development of clinical neurologic signs of equine herpesvirus-1 neurological disease in a horse. Also described in the invention is the determination of the risk of developing the clinical neurologic signs by a mathematical equation. A new live, attenuated vaccine formulation is disclosed that is effective against neurologic disease due to equine herpesvirus-1.

Abstract: Disclosed is an in vivo equine disease model and a method of preparing the disease model for equine herpesvirus-1 neurological disease comprising a horse having a low pre-exposure level of herpesvirus-specific CTL precursors wherein the horse is experimentally infected with a neuropathogenic strain of equine herpesvirus or a mutant thereof. Also disclosed is a method of quantifying the risk factors and predicting the development of clinical neurologic signs of equine herpesvirus-1 neurological disease in a horse. Also described in the invention is the determination of the risk of developing the clinical neurologic signs by a mathematical equation. A new live, attenuated vaccine formulation is disclosed that is effective against neurologic disease due to equine herpesvirus-1.