Since the first outbreak of equine rotavirus B (ERVB) were documented in the 2021 foaling season in the Central Kentucky, highly contagious ERVB has continued to spread and cause foal diarrhea outbreaks in the 2022 and 2023 foaling seasons in Kentucky and other states across the United States. This seminar will begin with a brief overview of the emergence, spread, and genomic evolution of ERVB in foal populations over the past three years followed by a summary of our research efforts towards better understanding of viral infection biology with a primary focus on viral entry mechanism and viral assembly pathway. At the end, current ERVB vaccine trials in both rodents and horses will be discussed with future directions highlighted.

Presented by: Dr. Feng Li, University of Kentucky

CE Eligible: yes