Serological Investigation of Equine Viral Arteritis Infection in Donkeys and Horses in the Eastern Anatolia Region

In this study, equine viral arteritis (EVA) infection was serologically investigated in adult horses (n=193) and donkeys (n=227) in five different localizations in Elazig and Tunceli provinces, Eastern Anatolia Region. As result of indirect ELISA, positivity in horses was 15% (29/193) in total, ranged from 6.5% and 24.3%. The average value for donkeys was 8.3% (19/227), the rates varied between 2.4% and 14.2%. The mean age of the sampled horses and donkeys was 7.4 and 13.2, respectively, while the mean age of the seropositives was 7.1 and 11.8. Statistical analysis showed no correlation in the donkeys between sex and infection exposure, but there was a significant correlation in gender in horses. This is the first report on EVA in the studied provinces. Considering focused animal population and sampling criteria, determining of positivity in all the studied localizations shows that the infection has been potential for the spread in the future