North Dakota Horse Confirmed With EHV-1
The office of North Dakota’s state veterinarian at the State Board of Animal Health has confirmed one horse in Bottineau County positive for equine herpesvirus-1. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The office of North Dakota’s state veterinarian at the State Board of Animal Health has confirmed one horse in Bottineau County positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). Of the 150 horses exposed on the same premises, one horse that is reported as living was confirmed positive, one horse has died (necropsy results are still pending), and two additional horses are affected but have not been tested. The confirmed case and the suspect cases are receiving veterinary care.

The North Dakota State Board of Animal Health and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division reported the state’s first case of EHV-1 for 2019 on July 1 in McKenzie County.

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 equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM, the neurologic form).

equine herpesvirus
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In many horses, the first or only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. In addition to fever, other common signs of EHV-1 infection in young horses include cough, decreased appetite, depression, and a nasal discharge. Pregnant mares typically show no signs of infection before they abort, and abortions usually occur late in gestation (around eight months), but can be earlier. Abortions can occur anywhere from two weeks to several months following infection with EHV-1

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