Equine herpesvirus 2（EHV-2）belongs to Gammaherpesvirinae under Herpesviridae，usually causing respiratory symptoms and immune suppression in horses，and leading to other diseases，especially equine abortion as a potential pathogen. The virus，with its leading characteristic of latent infection，has been spreading across the world，and detected in China in recent years，posing a potential threat to the industry. The pathogenesis of EHV-2 has been still unclear，and no targeted vaccine has been available，posing certain challenges to the prevention and control of the disease. The etiology，global prevalence，clinical symptoms，detection methods and countermeasures of EHV-2 were summarized，with a view to providing a reference for further researches.