Early and rapid diagnosis of Hendra virus infection in horses is important for the controlling of Hendra virus spread. Early detection of infection in other horses that may have been exposed to flying foxes as well as in-contact horses would allow further separation of such animals from other susceptible horses prior to the onset of high levels of virus shedding and would therefore provide an improved strategy for preventing transmission from horses to people.
This project, which explored the feasibility of microRNA profiling as an early marker of Hendra virus infections in horses, is targeted at state and federal authorities responsible for dealing with equine cases of Hendra virus, staff in veterinary diagnostic laboratories and interested individuals.