Do you recognize this insect or know what diseases it could transmit to your horse? This is a Culicoides midge—the insect that can carry and transmit African horse sickness from horse to horse. | Photo: Courtesy Institute for Animal Health

Central Spain, 1987. Dozens of horses fall ill and die. Then it’s hundreds. Before it’s over, an exotic disease will have wiped out 1,400 Spanish equids. The cause? African horse sickness (AHS), which hitched a ride with a herd of zebras imported into a zoo. Investigators determined a key element in the disease’s spread was a simple one: lack of awareness. Owners and veterinarians just didn’t know what to look for or recognize when they saw it.

Nearly 30 years later, researchers in the U.K. want to make sure their country won’t repeat that mistake. And, with the changing climate and the increase in global movement (of horses, animals, people, and goods), the transmission of “exotic” insect-borne horse diseases such as AHS, West Nile virus (WNV), and various encephalitic diseases, is more likely than ever. The time to prepare for foreign arboviruses—viruses spread through biting bugs—is now, said Debra Archer, BVMS, PhD, CertES (soft tissue), Dipl. ECVS, FHEA, FRCVS, of the University of Liverpool’s School of Veterinary Science, in the U.K.

“We had an uncharacteristically long and warm summer (last) year, and that’s a reminder that the climate could change in such a way as to favor the spread of diseases that our horse population has never experienced before,” she said. “It’s critical that owners—and especially veterinarians—be able to recognize signs and risks and act accordingly