Traveling horses are not a major source for the emergence of equine encephalitis viruses into new areas, according to Prof. Dr. Martin Pfeffer and Gerhard Dobler, MD, who looked at the role of animal trade and migration in spreading arboviruses into Europe.

“After an intensive search of the literature, we concluded that in most cases the viremia (levels of virus in the blood)

Costas Georgakopoulos, PhD, and his colleagues in Greece are working to create technologies that enable officials to quickly discover whether athletes–animals or people–are using illegal substances or exceeding the allowable levels of legal medications.

“The fight between laboratories and dopers is a continuous war,” he told The Horse. “The trend is to make

Australian officials confirmed that the equine influenza virus infecting about 20,000 horses in the country in 2007 also infected dogs that had close contact with the sick horses.

“Dogs that were with or near equine influenza-infected horses were observed with a flu-like illness,” said Peter D. Kirkland, PhD, of the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute in New South

Understanding the life cycles of common equine internal parasites can help you manage them correctly, leading to healthier horses and “cleaner” farms. Owners are often concerned about internal parasites–maybe a little too concerned–and their actions to rid horses of all parasites are leading to the unintended consequences of making some deworming products ineffective.

Researchers trying to find alternatives to control strongyles, which are developing resistance to current dewormers, are looking at a fungus to control strongyles environmentally.

“Due to the emergence of anthelminthic resistance of the worms in horses, current treatments have not been fully effective,” said Juliana Milani Araujo, MSc, of Universidad Federal de Vicosa in

Gammaherpesviruses (equid herpesvirus 2 and EHV-5) occur throughout the world, which makes it difficult to determine their pathogenic importance. The problem is deciding whether they are bystanders or are truly causing disease.

A recent study confirmed that steps taken to manage an equine influenza outbreak in Japan were effective, working quickly to control the outbreak. On Aug. 15, 2007, 19 racehorses stabled at four race tracks came down with fever. Within a month, equine influenza spread swiftly to other tracks infecting 529 horses.

Weanling foals that come down with equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) will recover if they are treated properly, so owners should look for this emerging disease in sick foals, said Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.

Signs of disease include lethargy, weight loss, fever, loose stool,

Because parasite resistance to dewormers is developing in the United States, owners and trainers should deworm less often and only use products they know are effective in their herd, suggested Craig R. Reinemeyer, DVM, PhD, president of East Tennessee Clinical Research, Inc. in Rockwood

In a recent study, Reinemeyer and his colleagues tested whether a resistant strain of Parascari