Several European countries could be affected by an equine influenza virus transmitted during October horse sales in Ireland, according to the French surveillance center for equine pathologies (RESPE) in Caen. France has already confirmed 19 cases at three different sites.

The disease might have spread as far as northern Africa, where some of the horses from the Irish sales were transported, said RESPE director Christel Marcillaud-Pitel, DVM.

"Animals were purchased at the sales and transported throughout different parts of Europe and even north Africa, but we don’t yet know the extent of the spread of disease outside France," Marcillaud-Pitel said. RESPE only manages alerts within its home country, although it does communicate alerts from other countries when it receives them. "There may be more cases within France that have not yet been reported.

"Unfortunately, the horses arrived in France with three different transporters, so we know it’s linked to the sale itself and not to just one single transport," she said. RESPE has been working closely with Irish sanitary officials to determine exactly which of the recent sales might have been the source of the virus. Irish officials have been helpful and cooperative, she said, but tracking down the origin is difficult due to a general decrease in veterinary care in recent years. "Financially speaking, horse owners in Ireland are giving priority to feeding their horses rather than vaccinating them," she said