According to a report, researchers have found that horses with a particular mutated gene increases their susceptibility to contract West Nile Virus.

An article by horsetalk.co.nz explains that American and Australian researchers undertook a case-control association study to investigate whether, like humans (OAS1 gene) and mice (Oas1b gene), if the equine OAS1 gene played a role in resistance to severe West Nile infection. They confirmed that mutations in equine OAS1 contributed to susceptibility to the virus.

Their work suggested differences in OAS1 gene expression may determine each horse's ability to resist clinical manifestations associated with West Nile infection.

The researchers' work suggested differences in OAS1 gene expression may determine each horse's ability to resist clinical manifestations associated with West Nile infection.

The study, entitled OAS1 Polymorphisms Are Associated with Susceptibility to West Nile Encephalitis in Horses, has been published in the open-access journal, PLoS ONE.

(With files from horsetalk.co.nz)