Three counties and Quantico Marine Base have been added to a horse quarantine because of a suspected infection of the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus (EHV), officials said Friday (Feb. 23).

The quarantine involves 175 horses and includes Virginia Tech’s equine medical center in Leesburg. The quarantined counties are Culpeper, Fauquier and Loudoun. A Northern Virginia hunt was also canceled as a precaution.

Three horses–one in Fauquier and two in Loudoun–have shown neurological signs of EHV-1. The disease has not been confirmed in any of the animals.

The Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, where the suspected outbreak was first detected, is owned by Virginia Tech and operated as one of three campuses that comprise the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

Virginia’s state veterinarian said the quarantines were a precautionary measure “and do not mean there are sick horses on the premises.”

Richard Wilkes, DVM, said test results are expected next week.

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.