Two Ontario Mares Confirmed With EHV Abortions

Both facilities are under a 21-day voluntary quarantine.
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Dufferin County, Ontario
The Dufferin County mare, a vaccinated Thoroughbred at a boarding facility, aborted her foal on Feb. 27 during her 10th month of pregnancy. She was confirmed positive on Mar. 2 and is recovering. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Timc
Officials at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) have confirmed one horse in Dufferin County and one in the Regional Municipality of York with equine herpesvirus (EHV)-caused abortion.

The Dufferin County mare, a vaccinated Thoroughbred at a boarding facility, aborted her foal on Feb. 27 during her 10th month of pregnancy. She was confirmed positive on Mar. 2 and is recovering.

The mare in the Regional Municipality of York, a vaccinated Thoroughbred at a private facility, was confirmed with EHV on Mar. 4 after delivering a stillborn foal on Mar. 1. The mare is recovering.

Both farms were placed under voluntary quarantine for 21 days and have implemented enhanced biosecurity measures including veterinary monitoring.

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).

equine herpesvirus
VIDEO | Health Alert: Equine Herpesvirus

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.

Horses with EHM usually have a fever at the onset of the disease and might show signs of a respiratory infection. A few days later, neurologic signs such as ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the fore- and hind limbs, urine retention and dribbling, loss of tail tone, and recumbency (inability to rise) develop.

Herpesvirus is easily spread by nose-to-nose or close contact with an infectious horse; sharing contaminated equipment including bits, buckets, and towels; or clothing, hands, or equipment of people who have recently had contact with an infectious horse. Routine biosecurity measures, including hygiene and basic cleaning and disinfection practices, should be in place at all times to help prevent disease spread.

Current EHV-1 vaccines might reduce viral shedding but are not protective against the neurologic form of the disease. Implementing routine biosecurity practices is the best way to minimize viral spread, and the best method of disease control is disease prevention.

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