WSU researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine recently discovered an elusive virus when a horse’s routine blood work returned some unexpected results. They believe the finding could provide important clues to fighting off a chronic disease.

Equine hepacivirus (EHCV) is the closest known relative to hepatitis C virus (HCV), which causes a blood-borne infectious liver disease affecting an estimated 2.7-3.9 million people in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Until recently, few cases of EHCV infection had been reported because the virus cannot be detected without blood work. In addition, horses are often capable of eliminating EHCV on their own. The horses’ ability to do this is an exceptional feat and the secret to their strong immune systems could help prevent disease in humans.

“We have a unique opportunity,” said professor Robert Mealey, an equine veterinarian in WSU’s Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology. “If we can learn how the horse’s immune system eliminates the virus, we might be able to apply that knowledge to finding a hepatitis C vaccine.”

Mealey and his collaborators were recently awarded a grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to pursue this research.

Prior research on HCV examined chimpanzees because of their biological similarities to humans. But now that chimps are an endangered species, alternative research methods are needed to study HCV.

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While horses are very different in their biology compared to humans, their immune systems are structurally similar and could provide insights into how a vaccine could be made for humans.

Natural EHCV infection appears to be relatively common, with up to 40 percent of horses showing signs of infection in some published studies. However, the virus does not result in recognizable primary signs or symptoms most of the time.

“Horses don’t get sick like humans with HCV do,” said Charles Powell, public information officer for the College of Veterinary Medicine. “They won’t be fazed like you or I, but research will help identify illness better and help them recover.”

Mealey agrees that EHCV research will probably help horses in recovery sooner than it will yield results for preventing HCV in humans, but he considers progress for either to be a success.

“These things go both ways,” Mealey said. “Keeping our animals healthy will keep us healthy too, and vice versa.”