With the arrival of spring weather and more horses traveling to races and competitive events, the number of cases of infectious equine diseases has been increasing. New cases of EHV-1 EHM, strangles and infectious anemia have been confirmed in different areas.
New cases of infectious diseases in horses
With the arrival of spring weather, the number of cases of infectious equine diseases has been increasing with new cases of EHV-1, EHM, strangles and infectious anemia confirmed in different areas of the US.
In Bedford County, Pennsylvania, a wild-type EHV-1 quarantine has now been lifted. Originally a single fatal case of Equine Herpesvirus Myelocencephalopathy was confirmed on a small, private farm. The remaining equine animals including 5 riding mules, remain clinically normal and tested negative 21 days after the first case was euthanized.
At Parx Racetrack, Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a 7th horse was confirmed positive for EHV-1 on Monday, April 25. The horse was in the index case barn but has since moved to the on-site quarantine area. A horse with a fever from the 2nd quarantined barn has tested negative for EHV-1 on initial tests but has been removed from the barn out of an abundance of caution and will be re-tested on Monday, May 2.
On April 25, one premise in Broward County and one premise in Miami-Dade County were placed under quarantine for strangles. Neither facility reported any animal movement in the previous 30 days. One facility has 1 clinical horse and 15 total horses while the second facility has 9 clinical horses and 55 total. This is the first reported case of strangles in Broward County, the third in Miami-Dade County and the 13 and 14 cases in Florida since the beginning of 2016.
In Nebraska, restrictions on a second barn at Fonner park racetrack have been lifted after a horse suspected of EHM tested negative for the virus on April 23rd. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture and state vets have confirmed that the nasal and blood swabs sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories were negative for equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, a virus that affected three horses last Tuesday. Fonner Park has resumed racing though The Red Barn remains under quarantine.
On April 19th, a sixth horse at Parx Racetrack in Pennsylvania was confirmed positive for the neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1 after it presented with a fever. That horse is located in the original quarantined barn. All horses in the quarantined barns (the index case barn and the barn that had received a claimed horse from the index barn) continue to be monitored closely. Horses from barns not under quarantine are training and racing, as they have throughout this outbreak.
Horses are not trailering into the track to raceâall racing involves horses stabled on site. Track management has allowed a few horses to leave under carefully monitored movement for medical treatment at veterinary facilities.Those horses either return to PARX directly from the medical facility or they stay there in isolation until the PARX stable gate is reopened when the quarantines are lifted.
In the absence of any new signs of EHV-1 in the barn that had received the claimed horse, that barn will be eligible to have samples taken on April 28th for quarantine release if all samples test negative for the neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1.
In Howard County, Maryland, a horse was euthanized because of neurologic signs on 4/18 after blood and nasal swabs collected on 4/18 tested positive for EHV1 non-neuro strain, which can cause neurologic disease. A second case presented with a fever of 104.7 on 4/19. No neurologic signs were noted on examination on 4/19. Nasal swabs collected on 4/19 were positive for EHV1 non-neuro strain and blood was negative. This horse was euthanized for other reasons.
A third horse presented with a temperature of 102.7 on 4/20, but a neurologic exam was normal. He tested negative for EHV1 on nasal swabs and buffy coat on 4/20.
Forty-five horses remaining on the premise are being monitored for fevers and/or neurologic signs. The quarantine will remain in place for 30 days from the last clinical case.
According to health officials in Maryland, a horse stabled in Howard County tested positive for the non-neuropathic form of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) and was euthanized by a private veterinarian. Diagnosis was confirmed on April 18 by the Maryland Department of Agriculture Frederick Animal Health Laboratory.
The farm is presently under a 30-day investigational hold and strict biosecurity measures are in place while Department of Agriculture inspectors perform additional epidemiological and infectious disease testing. Stables near the one where the sick horse resided are being notified of the situation and owners are cautioned to monitor horses at their premises carefully. The Department of Agricultureâs Animal Health Program is monitoring the situation closely.
In Harrisburg, PA , the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced a quarantine of an equine barn in Halifax, Dauphin County, after a horse at the barn tested positive for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) on Monday, April 18. There are 19 other horses quarantined on the premises as part of the quarantine order.
The EIA-positive horse had a routine health check, which included a Coggins test for EIA, less than a week after the horse moved from another barn elsewhere in Dauphin County. The horse was stabled previously at an equine farm in Williamstown, Dauphin County, where another 13 horses are also under quarantine. The department is in the process of tracing the positive horseâs movement history. The barns and horses are quarantined for at least 60 days. The quarantine can be lifted after the remaining horses are determined not to be infected.