A Thoroughbred mare residing at an Oldham County, Kentucky, training facility has tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV), the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) reported Oct. 23.

“The horse presented with acute neurologic signs and was euthanized following an examination on Oct. 13, by the attending veterinarian,” the EDCC said. “The University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the diagnosis of EVH-1 by PCR subsequent to necropsy.”

Horses residing on the index premises are currently asymptomatic, but have been quarantined and are being monitored, the EDCC said.

Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (the neurologic form). In many horses, fever is the only sign of EHV-1 infection, which can go undetected