A 15-year-old Oldenburg mare from Sonoma County, Calif., tested positive for the neurologic strain of equine herpesvirus-1 yesterday (Aug. 23), according to a statement from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

The mare has been quarantined and is currently undergoing treatment at a veterinary referral hospital, the statement relayed. The mare’s home farm is currently under veterinary observation and potentially exposed horses are being monitored closely, having their temperatures checked twice daily.

"Epidemiologic investigation conducted by the CDFA reveals minimum disease risk based on lack of animal movement on and off the affected premises," the statement noted.

Although it’s not transmissible to humans, EHV-1 is highly contagious among horses and camelids, and it is generally passed from horse to horse via aerosol transmission (when affected animals sneeze/cough) and contact with nasal secretions. The disease can cause a variety of ailments in equines, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (EHM, the neurologic form). Myeloencephalopathy is characterized by fever, ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the hind limbs, and incontinence