On March 28, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) officials confirmed two more horses from a San Bernardino County premises with positive EIA tests at their 60-day recheck.

The positive tests follow the January 3 positive test from a 5-year-old Quarter Horse race gelding residing in Arizona but that originated from the San Bernardino County premises. While investigating that case, officials also quarantined 19 horses that were potentially exposed, six of which were confirmed positive in January.

The remaining 11 horses on the San Bernardino County premises will continue in quarantine until their next recheck in 60 days.

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.

A 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.