California Horse Released From EHV-1 Quarantine
The release clears the index case, as well as its Ventura County facility and 32 additional horses housed there. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons
On Dec. 23, California Department of Food and Agriculture officials released the Ventura County index case from quarantine for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1, non-neuropathic strain) after the horse received two negative tests seven days apart. The 13-year-old Quarter Horse mare had been isolated at a veterinary hospital after testing positive for EHV-1 on Dec. 5.

The quarantine of horse’s home facility was lifted Dec. 17 when no additional cases were reported among the 32 exposed horses there, There are no active EHM quarantines in the state of California.

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 myeloencephalitis (EHM, the neurologic form).

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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