California Colt Confirmed to Have West Nile Virus
The Fresno County horse is among three positive cases in the state. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has identified the state’s first three confirmed cases of West Nile virus (WNV) for the year.

A 2-year-old Quarter Horse colt with unknown vaccination status experienced clinical signs of ataxia (incoordination), hypermetria (an exaggerated gait), lethargy, muscle fasciculations (twitching), and dragging his hind feet on Aug. 11. He tested positive on Aug. 20 and is recovering from the disease.

Two additional (and unvaccinated) California horses have been confirmed positive for WNV in 2019: one each in Kern and Stanislaus counties. Both succumbed to the disease.

According to a CDFA statement, WNV was first detected in California in October 2003, and in 2004 California became the disease epicenter, with 540 confirmed equine clinical cases. WNV is now endemic in the state, with 1,284 confirmed cases since 2003, 540 (42%) of which died

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