A private racehorse training facility in southern New Mexico is under quarantine after a single horse there was confirmed positive for equine piroplasmosis (EP).

The New Mexico Livestock Board imposed the quarantine—no horses in, no horses out—at Jovi Training Stables, in Sunland Park, late Friday (March 18). Equine piroplasmosis is a blood-borne protozoal disease that affects all equine species, but is not transmissible to humans. It is transmitted by ticks, or mechanically via improperly sanitized syringes and the like. Mild forms of EP can appear as weakness and lack of appetite. More severe signs include fever, anemia, weight loss, swelling of the limbs, and labored breathing. Death can occur in some cases.

The disease is unrelated to the equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak which recently affected Jovi Training Facilities and other tracks and training facilities in the area.

“It is important to keep in mind that equine piroplasmosis is nowhere near as transmissible as EHV-1,” said Bill Bunce, the executive director of the New Mexico Livestock Board. “Compared to the EHV-1 outbreak, we are looking at a vastly different scenario here