The Hendra virus tests on 25 horses at a Cawarral, Queensland, property, as well as nine others that left the property, continue to return negative results. Three horses on the property died in late July and early August. Two of the dead horses were confirmed positive for Hendra, a potentially zoonotic virus that has only occurred in Australia.

Biosecurity Queensland acting Chief Veterinary Officer Rick Symons, BVSc, MBA, PhD, said the clear results included the horse that had returned a positive result to one of the tests last Friday.  

“We re-tested this horse and these results are negative, however we need to wait for the results from the next round of testing in the coming weeks before we can be absolutely certain,” Symons said. “This applies to all of the horses involved.”

Eleven horses that left the affected property before the quarantine have all been traced and tested, Symons noted. The results for nine of these horses are negative, one is undergoing further testing, and authorities are awaiting advice on the results from the final horse that was traced to New South Wales