One new case of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) has been confirmed and one horse has been euthanized in connection with the current outbreak in Orange County, CA, according to a statement from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

Date: 19 Jan 2012
Source: The Horse.com [edited]



California EHV-1: case total rises
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One new case of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) has been confirmed and one horse has been euthanized in connection with the current outbreak in Orange County, CA, according to a statement from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

The CDFA is reporting that one EHV-1-positive horse, which previously had only exhibited a fever and limb edema (fluid swelling), became recumbent on 18 Jan 012. The horse was euthanized as a result, and necropsy results are pending, the statement read.

On 11 Jan 2012 a gelding residing on a "large multidiscipline facility with no movement of horses on or off the property" tested positive for the debilitating virus. He was quarantined on the farm and is receiving veterinary care.

On 12 Jan 2012 testing confirmed that 2 additional horses on the property were EHV-1-positive. Those horses were also isolated and quarantined on the same farm and are receiving veterinary attention.
On 13 Jan 2012, 2 additional horses on the premises tested positive for the virus, and on 18 Jan 2012, 3 additional cases were reported.

The CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) indicates that only one horse has displayed neurologic signs; however, all affected horses have been quarantined on the property and are receiving veterinary attention.

"All exposed horses on the property are being monitored, and enhanced biosecurity measures have been implemented," the statement read. "The source of the outbreak has not been identified."

Although it's not transmissible to humans, EHV-1 is highly contagious among horses and camelids, and it is generally passed from horse to horse via aerosol transmission (when affected animals sneeze/cough) and contact with nasal secretions. The disease can cause a variety of ailments in equines, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (EHM, the neurologic form).

Myeloencephalopathy is characterized by fever, ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the hind limbs, and incontinence. Should a horse with potential EHV-1 exposure display any of the aforementioned clinical signs, a veterinarian should be called to obtain samples and test for the disease.

TheHorse.com will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available.

[byline: Erica Larson]