In many horses, the only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. | Photo: Alexandra Beckstett/The Horse

The Equine Disease Communication Center reported May 9 that the Washington State Veterinarian’s Office has received a report of a King County horse testing positive for non-neuropathogenic equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1).

The horse has been placed in isolation and the facility has been quarantined.

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 equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (the neurologic form). In many horses, the only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected