RESUMO
Equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) was isolated from healthy animals; therefore, the association between EHV-2 infection and respiratory disease raises the question of the role of this agent in this pathology. To date, there are no reports that relate viral excretion to health, this study then analysed 153 nasal swabs from horses in different age groups (older and younger than 1 year old) and state of health (clinically healthy and with respiratory symptoms). Results showed that the percentage of horses with viral excretion was higher within the clinically healthy group, being significative (p < 0.05) in the younger than 1 year old group, whereas the percentage of animals with respiratory symptoms did not show significant differences (p > 0.05) between age groups.