The Equine Disease Communication Center reports that three of eleven horses on one premise in Montezuma County, Colorado, have been confirmed positive for Vesicular Stomatitis Virus.
More cases of vesicular stomatitis in horses
The Equine Disease Communication Center reports that three horses on one premise in Montezuma County, Colorado, have been confirmed positive for Vesicular Stomatitis Virus.
A quarantine will remain in effect for a minimum of 14 days after the start of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus lesions in the last affected equine.
Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral blister-forming disease affecting humans and livestock, including horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, llamas, and alpacas. Vesicular stomatitis virus is the only one of the blister-forming viruses to affect horses, which differentiates it from other devastating diseases of livestock such as Foot and Mouth Disease.
Signs of VS in horses include a fever in the early stages, lethargy, and loss of appetite mainly due to the formation of vesicles, the blister-like sores, that form in the mouth. Vesicles are the primary distinguishing sign of VS and may form on the lips, tongue, gums, muzzle, sheath, teats, vulva, and at the coronary bands.
The vesicles burst after a day or two leaving ulcerative sores. Horses with mouth lesions may avoid food and water and may drool copiously, in fact excess salivation is often one of the first signs noted. Horses with coronary band lesions may become lame, and weight loss is not uncommon.
Prevention
Basic sanitation and biosecurity measures provide the best prevention against VS spread. Infected horses should be quarantined and handled and fed last â after all of the healthy animals on the farm have been cared for.
People handling infected horses should shower, change clothing, and disinfect all equipment after use. Latex gloves should be worn by those handling infected horses to reduce the risk of transmission between horses and from the horse to the handler.
Basic farm biosecurity should involve:
- Fly and insect control
- Individual feeders and equipment
- Regular cleaning of feeders, waterers, trailers, and other equipment
- Isolation of new horses for 21 days
- Providing good nutrition and a regular exercise, vaccination, and deworming schedule since healthy horses are likely to have stronger immune systems.
A vaccine does exist for VS; however, since use of the vaccine will result in a positive antibody test, its use is regulated by government officials and is only to be used in certain situations.
About The Equine Disease Communication Center
The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) works to protect horses and the horse industry from the threat of infectious diseases in North America. The communication system is designed to seek and report real time information about disease outbreaks similar to how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts the human population about diseases in people.