Texas Confirms First Case of EIA for 2022

The affected horse’s premises are under official quarantine until TAHC requirements are met.
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Texas Confirms First Case of EIA for 2022
The affected equine, a Quarter Horse in Kaufman County, was confirmed positive on Jan. 20 after testing to meet regulatory requirements. Its premises are quarantined until TAHC requirements are fulfilled. | Wikimedia Commons
Officials at the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) confirmed the state’s first case of equine infectious anemia (EIA) for 2022. The affected equine, a Quarter Horse in Kaufman County, was confirmed positive on Jan. 20 after testing to meet regulatory requirements. Its premises are quarantined until TAHC requirements are fulfilled. TAHC staff continue to work with the local veterinarian and the horse’s owner to institute biosecurity protocols and monitor horses that were potentially exposed.

 

About EIA

Equine infectious anemia is a viral disease that attacks horses’ immune systems. The virus is transmitted through the exchange of body fluids from an infected to an uninfected animal, often by blood-feeding insects such as horseflies. It can also be transmitted through the use of blood-contaminated instruments or needles.

Coggins test screens horses’ blood for antibodies that are indicative of the presence of the EIA virus. Most U.S. states require horses to have proof of a negative Coggins test to travel across state lines.

Once an animal is infected with EIA, it is infected for life and can be a reservoir for the spread of disease. Not all horses show signs of disease, but those that do can exhibit:

  • Progressive condition loss;
  • Muscle weakness;
  • Poor stamina;
  • Fever;
  • Depression; and
  • Anemia.

EIA has no vaccine and no cure. A horse diagnosed with the disease dies, is euthanized, or must be placed under extremely strict quarantine conditions (at least 200 yards away from unaffected equids) for the rest of his life.

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