California Investigates Source of EHM in Los Angeles County

The euthanized gelding attended a Los Angeles County show last week.
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Los Angeles County, CA
The euthanized gelding attended a Los Angeles County show last week. | Wikimedia Commons
On Feb. 24, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) officials confirmed a 20-year-old Warmblood gelding in Los Angeles County with equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). The gelding had attended a Los Angeles County show, whose management has been notified, the previous week. He began experiencing neurologic signs on Feb. 22 and was subsequently euthanized due to the severity of his clinical signs.

CDFA is investigating to determine whether the case is linked epidemiologically to any other active EHM/EHV-1 cases. All horses on the gelding’s home premises were isolated and will be quarantined while CDFA continues to monitor the situation.

EHV 101

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.

equine herpesvirus
VIDEO | Health Alert: Equine Herpesvirus

In many horses, the first or only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. In addition to fever, other common signs of EHV-1 infection in young horses include cough, decreased appetite, depression, and a nasal discharge. Pregnant mares typically show no signs of infection before they abort, and abortions usually occur late in gestation (around eight months) but can be earlier. Abortions can occur anywhere from two weeks to several months following infection with EHV-1.

Horses with EHM usually have a fever at the onset of the disease and might show signs of a respiratory infection. A few days later, neurologic signs such as ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the fore- and hind limbs, urine retention and dribbling, loss of tail tone, and recumbency (inability to rise) develop.

Herpesvirus is easily spread by nose-to-nose or close contact with an infectious horse; sharing contaminated equipment including bits, buckets, and towels; or clothing, hands, or equipment of people who have recently had contact with an infectious horse. Routine biosecurity measures, including hygiene and basic cleaning and disinfection practices, should be in place at all times to help prevent disease spread.

Current EHV-1 vaccines might reduce viral shedding but are not protective against the neurologic form of the disease. Implementing routine biosecurity practices is the best way to minimize viral spread, and the best method of disease control is disease prevention.

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