The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian’s Office has now placed 21 locations under quarantine after horses tested positive for vesicular stomatitis (VS), the agency announced July 30. The quarantines are located in Boulder, Broomfield, El Paso, Larimer, and Weld counties; results on additional tests in other counties are pending.

“Vesicular stomatitis can be painful for animals and costly to their owners,” said state veterinarian Keith Roehr, DVM. “The virus typically causes oral blisters and sores that can be painful causing difficulty in eating and drinking.”

Equids, mules, cattle, bison, sheep, goats, pigs, and camelids are all susceptible to VS. The clinical signs of the disease include vesicles, erosions, and sloughing of the skin on the muzzle, tongue, teats, and above the hooves of affected livestock. Vesicles are usually only seen early in the course of the disease. The transmission of VS is not completely understood but components include insect vectors, mechanical transmission, and livestock movement.

While rare, human cases of VS can occur, usually among those who handle infected animals. In humans the disease can cause flu-like symptoms and only rarely includes lesions or blisters

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