A horse in Ontario, Canada, has tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV), Equestrian Canada reported Sept. 15.

“On Sept. 12, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) was notified of a positive test result for West Nile virus in a horse from the Toronto area,” a statement posted on the Equestrian Canada website said. “The horse displayed signs of fever, muscle tremors, gait abnormalities (ataxia), and weakness. The horse is recovering under veterinary medical supervision.”

According to the OMAFRA Equine Neurological Disease Surveillance webpage, this is the first equine WNV case reported in Ontario this year.

West Nile is transmitted to horses via bites from infected mosquitoes. Clinical signs for WNV include flulike signs, where the horse seems mildly anorexic and depressed; fine and coarse muscle and skin fasciculations; hyperesthesia (hypersensitivity to touch and sound); changes in mentation (mentality), when horses look like they are daydreaming or "just not with it"; occasional somnolence (drowsiness); propulsive walking (driving or pushing forward, often without control); and "spinal" signs, including asymmetrical weakness. Some horses show asymmetrical or symmetrical ataxia. Equine mortality rate can be as high as 30-40%

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