Twenty-three cases of West Nile virus in Kentucky horses were confirmed Monday, the state Department of Agriculture reported. The number of Kentucky horses with the virus in 2002 now is 112.

The 23 horses confirmed today are of 10 different breeds, including the first Appaloosas and the first Belgian in Kentucky to be diagnosed with West Nile virus. Fifteen are alive, six were euthanized, and two died.

Three were first vaccinated for the virus in mid-August, too late for the vaccine to take effect before they contracted the virus, according to the Department’s Division of Animal Health. Two of the three are alive. A fourth was vaccinated last winter and is still alive