A horse has tested positive for rabies post-mortem in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture. It is the second equine rabies case within a year in the state, after 25 years without a report of a horse developing rabies.

The most recent incident occurred in Arapahoe County, located in the eastern half of the state, just east of Denver. The earlier one, detected last September, also occurred in the eastern portion of Colorado, according to Assistant State Veterinarian Nick Striegel, DVM.

Although it was not known how the horse contracted the disease, Striegel said that it was a skunk variant and, thus, it most likely came from a skunk bite.

"We are seeing an increased incidence of rabies in skunks," Striegel said. "In 2010 so far, we have had 28 rabies cases–25 in skunks, one in a cat, one in a muskrat, and now one in a horse