In many horses, the first or only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. | Photo: iStock

A Quarter Horse stallion residing at a small private farm in Frederick County, Virginia, has tested positive for equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1).

“The horse had not been off the farm in several months,” the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) said Sept. 23. “There was no exposure to horses outside of the farm. The farm is under quarantine and temperatures of the resident horses are being monitored twice a day. Any horses that display clinical signs will be reported to the State Veterinarian and will be tested.”

EHV 101

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 EHM (the neurologic form). In many horses, the first or only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected