By María Paz Zúñiga Barrera, DVM, WEVA Board Member

Last October, equine herpesvirus-4 (EHV-4) was reported for the first time in Chile. The sentinel case was a yearling Thoroughbred filly living on a farm near the nation's capital, Santiago.

The filly had presented with signs of pneumonia, and Chilean Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) officials tested the filly for the reportable viruses in Chile, which include equine viral arteritis, equine influenza, and EHV-1 and -4. They confirmed the EHV-4 positive on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

This represents the first confirmed EHV-4 diagnosis in Chile. Officials consider this finding very important because of the possible economic impact on the country's racing industry. Due to these concerns SAG implemented increased surveillance with particular focus on differentiating between EHV strains