Coronaviruses compromise a large family of viruses that infect humans and animals worldwide, causing intestinal and respiratory illness. | Photo: Courtesy CDC/Dr. Fred Murphy

By SallyAnne L. DeNotta, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM and Linda Mittel, DVM, MSPH

Equine coronavirus is a relatively new discovery in equine medicine, but in the time since the first outbreaks were investigated in 2010, veterinarians have increasingly recognized it as a common cause of fever and illness in horses throughout the United States. Here’s what you need to know about this pathogen.

The Virus

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses known to infect both humans and animals worldwide, causing intestinal and/or respiratory illness. Equine coronavirus (ECoV) causes fever and sometimes intestinal signs in horses and is not known to infect any other species. Veterinarians have reported horses infected with ECoV in multiple countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia