The USDA is notifying German authorities about the shipment of horses believed to be responsible for the outbreak of neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) that resulted in six deaths in Florida, and an additional death in California.

“We’re not aware of Germany doing any investigations or tracing, and we have not heard there’s an outbreak there, but we are in the process of getting a letter to the CVO (Chief Veterinary Officer) there just to let them know about the horses in the shipment,” said Jim Rogers, media coordinator for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

“We haven’t pinpointed the area of origin–I don’t know if actually we would do that, just because this is not a disease regulated by us (USDA),” Rogers said.

“I don’t believe we’re taking any precautions that are above and beyond what we normally do,” Rogers said. “Of course, if they’re demonstrating clinical signs when they arrive or when they’re in quarantine, then the quarantine will be extended while they’re treated because we don’t let them leave until they’re not showing clinical signs of illness.”

The current EHV-1 outbreak in Wellington, Fla., has been traced back to a shipment of 15 horses. The imported horses arrived at the USDA New York Animal Import Center (NYAIC) in Newburgh, N.Y., from Germany on Nov. 24 and left Nov. 27. Rogers said that one horse had a fever while in quarantine, but the horse improved and was not showing any clinical signs at the time it was released.

EHV-1 is a strain of herpesvirus that can cause respiratory disease, abortions, fevers, and neurologic signs that range from incoordination and weakness in the hind limbs to paralysis.

For more information on EHV-1, check out our free PDF library of EHV-related articles including images, or all our archived EHV-1 articles on TheHorse.com.