Table 1.
Viruses identified in horses
| Virus | Family | Size (nm) | Genome | Reported presence in horse blood | Classified as pathogenic to humansa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enveloped | |||||
| Arteritis virus | Arteriviridae | 50–60 | ss-RNA | NR | – |
| Borna virus | Bornaviridae | 70–130 | ss-RNA | Yes | Yes |
| Eastern & western equine encephalitis virus | Togaviviridae | 40–70 | ss-RNA | NR | Yes |
| Equine coronavirus | Coronaviridae | 75–160 | ss-RNA | NR | – |
| Equine foamy virus | Retroviridae | 80–100 | ss-RNA | Yes | – |
| Equine herpes virus1-5 | Herpesviridae | 125–150 | ds-DNA | NR | Yes |
| Equine infectious anaemia virus | Lentiviridae | 80–100 | ss-RNA | Yes | – |
| Equine influenza virus | Orthomyxoviridae | 80–120 | ss-RNA | NR | Yes |
| Equine morbilli virus (Hendra virus) | Paramyxoviridae | 150 | ss-RNA | NR | Yes |
| Japanese encephalitis virus | Flaviviridae | 40–70 | ss-RNA | NR | Yes |
| Nipah virus | Paramyxoviridae | 150 | ss-RNA | NR | Yes |
| Salem virus | Paramyxoviridae | 150 | ss-RNA | NR | – |
| St-Louis encephalitis virus | Flaviviridae | 40–70 | ss-RNA | NR | Yes |
| Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus | Togaviridae | 40–70 | ss-RNA | Yes | Yes |
| Vesicular stomatitis virus | Rhabdoviridae | 50–380 | ss-RNA | Yes | Yes |
| West Nile virus | Flaviviridae | 40–70 | ss-RNA | Yes | Yes |
| Non-enveloped | |||||
| Equine encephalosis | Reoviridae | 80 | ds-RNA | NR | – |
| Equine rhinitis A and B viruses | Picornaviridae | 22–30 | ss-RNA | NR | – |
| Equine rotavirus | Reoviridae | 60–80 | ds-RNA | NR | – |
NR = not reported based on literature search but cannot be excluded.
Based on the recent EMEA note for guidance [19].