The Ontario, Canada, Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has reported that a horse in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo has tested positive for the neurologic strain of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV), also known as equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM).

"Brain tissue from a horse with severe neurological signs tested positive for EHV-1 neuropathogenic strain," OMAFRA said in a biosecurity update issued Feb. 23. "The horse owner voluntarily placed the premises under a self-imposed quarantine to reduce the risk of viral spread. To date, there have been no further reports of equine illness on the farm."

The OMAFRA statement said this is the first case diagnosed in Ontario this year.

Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and EHM. In many horses, fever is the only sign of EHV-1 infection, which can go undetected

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