Serological evidence indicates that the infection occurs in other areas of the world as well.
The virus particles are 60 nm in diameter and consist of an isometric nucleocapsid surrounded by a lipid envelope. The ORFs encode seven polyadenylated RNAs which are translated into proteins. EAV infects cell cultures derived from various animals, e.g., horse, cat, hamster, rabbit, pig and monkey. The cytopathic changes include cell rounding, vacuolisation, shrinking, and detachment from the growth surface. The infection may cause panvasculitis with virus replication and lesions occurring in most parts of the cardiovascular system.