A horse that had displayed clinical signs of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) was negative for the virus according to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the disease. This resulted in the lifting of an embargo imposed by the West Virginia Racing Commission on the Ohio farm where the horse was kept.

Officials at Mountaineer Park and Charles Town Races released a statement Wednesday (May 17) that the embargo was lifted on horses from Lonnie Stokes’ farm near Carrollton, Ohio, after blood drawn from an 8-year-old horse, Johnny One Note, came back negative for EHV-1 in a second group of tests.

Johnny One Note raced at Mountaineer Park on March 31 and developed clinical signs consistent with neurologic EHV-1 on April 13 at Stokes’ farm. His first group of EHV-1 tests was suggestive of the virus, which triggered the embargo. The PCR test cleared the horse and all Stokes’ horses will be permitted back on the grounds of the West Virginia tracks May 18.

Clinical signs of EHV-1 commonly include fever and an upper respiratory infection, according to veterinarians. They also can include lethargy, loss of appetite, nasal discharge, and cough. In severe cases of the neurologic form of EHV-1, horses can suffer a loss of coordination and an inability to stand