March 2016 has seen a number of equine disease outbreaks in the USA. On the evening of February 29, the State Veterinarianâs Office of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) was notified by the Florida State Veterinarianâs Office that a Virginia horse recently relocated to Martin County, Florida was confirmed with Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1).
Springtime bringing infectious horse diseases
March 2016 has seen a number of equine disease outbreaks in the USA including EVH-1, strangles, rabies, piroplasmosis, and equine infectious anemia.
Clinical signs were consistent with Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The infected (index) horse was placed in isolation early in the day and the Florida facility was placed under quarantine. An investigation revealed that the index horse was shipped from a Thoroughbred training facility in Fauquier County, Virginia to Florida on February 22.
The Virginia training facility has been placed under quarantine by VDACS, and all exposed horses are being monitored twice daily for fever (temperature over 101.50 F) and other clinical signs.
To date, no exposed horses in Virginia have shown clinical signs of disease or been febrile, but the monitoring will continue throughout the quarantine period. In addition to the horses exposed at the training facility, the investigation has revealed only one other exposed horse that traveled out of state.
Moving into March, on February 29, a confirmed EHV 1 neurotrophic strain with consistent clinical signs was confirmed in Martin County Florida. The entire facility has been placed under quarantine with the index case placed in isolation earlier in the day.
The horse was imported from Virgina and traveled with additional horses that off loaded in South Carolina. Both Virgina and South Carolina have been notified. Updates will be provided as warranted.
On March 1, two cases of strangles were reported by Florida veterinarians. One confirmed strangles positive premises in St. Lucie County had one clinical out of 10 total horses on the property.
The other premises located in Miami-Dade County had one clinical horse and 30 total horses at the facility. Both facilities were placed under quarantine. This is the first reported case of strangles for St. Lucie and Miami-Dade Counties and the ninth and tenth cases for Florida in 2016.
On March 4, the Florida Dept of Health confirmed rabies positive equine. The premise with one remaining exposed horse and no previous rabies vaccine history has been placed under quarantine. This is the first equine rabies case in Madison County and the first for Florida in 2016.
On 3/4/2016, the NYS Dept of Ag and Markets, Division of Animal Industry confirmed Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in 5 horses on a Cortland County, NY farm. Ten draft and buggy horses reside on the farm.
All horses have been quarantined and an investigation is ongoing. The Division of Animal Industry will continue updates as needed. The following key points pertain to New Yorkâs law for equine infectious anemia:
- All horses must have a negative EIA test in the 12 months preceding a change in ownership.
- All horses being imported into NY for purposes other than movement to slaughter must n a public road in NY must have had a negative EIA test in the current or previous calendar year.accompanied by a CVI and a negative EIA test in the preceding 12 months.
- All horses transported on a public road in NY must have had a negative EIA test in the current or previous calendar year.
On March 8, a quarantine was placed on a confirmed positive strangles premises located in Miami-Dade County that had one clinical horse and 5 total horses at the facility. This is the second reported case of strangles in Miami-Dade County and the eleventh case for Florida in 2016.
On March 15, a new strangles positive premise was reported and confirmed with culture results in Okeechobee County Florida. All horses on the property have been quarantined. This is the first reported case of strangles in Okeechobee County and the twelfth case for Florida in 2016.
As of March 16, 2016, Payson Park Thoroughbred Training Center in Florida has been released from quarantine. The quarantine was released after all horses in the high risk barns tested negative for the virus and no additional EHV-1 cases were detected during the quarantine period. The one affected horse remains in stable condition and will remain under quarantine for at least one additional week.
On March 19, a private racehorse-training facility, Sunland Park, in southern New Mexico is under quarantine after a single horse there was confirmed to have a parasitic disease, piroplasmosis.
The New Mexico Livestock Board imposed the quarantine with no horses in, no horses out at Jovi Training Stables late Friday after one horse there was confirmed to have equine piroplasmosis (EP). EP is a bloodborne disease transmitted by ticks, or mechanically via improperly sanitized syringes and the like. Humans cannot get equine piroplasmosis.