Can antiviral drugs be used to successfully treat horses with equine herpesvirus?
Recent research into the drug Valacyclovir (trade name Valtrex) seems to indicate it has a place in treating horses exposed to–and diagnosed with–equine herpesvirus. Numerous outbreaks of neurological disease due to a variant strain of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in the past few years has prompted an increase in related research in equine herpesvirus (EHV). Unfortunately, the outbreaks have also led to increased misinformation regarding the findings and conclusions that have been reached. Some of this research has entailed new approaches to the management and treatment of disease caused by EHV. Veterinarians discussed acyclovir as a possible treatment option, however the therapy was unsubstantiated for use in horses. Two abstracts presented at the 2005 Forum for the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and subsequently published in veterinary journals, have sought to evaluate the utility of the use of acyclovir for equine herpesvirus by defining the drug’s behavior in t
