There are a lot of recommendations out there for establishing or improving sound infection control practices on horse farms, many of which can be found on this very blog. Some refer to such practices as "biosecurity," but what’s done on horse farms compared to the often very strict biosecurity protocols at facilities such as swine
Another EHV-1 Equine Hospital Quarantine
Once again, an equine hospital is under quarantine because of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). There have been a number of such incidents this year, highlighting both the increasing concern with this important pathogen and perhaps more transparency and willingness on the part of hospitals to take aggressive infection control measures when it is
EPM Testing
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a frustrating disease. It’s been referred to as one of the most overdiagnosed, underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed equine diseases – an apt description. In some areas, every horse (particularly every racehorse) that has any real or perceived abnormality (such as not running fast enough) gets treated, usually without any attempt to
Equine Infectious Neurological Disease Update: Ontario
The latest update on equine infecious neurological diseases in Ontario (Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), West Nile virus (WNV), rabies and neuropathic equine herpevirus type 1 (EHV-1)) is available from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
There aren’t a lot of surprises, and it’s good to see the numbers of cases have
Equine Biosecurity Risk Calculator
After an extensive development and review process, an Equine Biosecurity Risk Calculator (click here) is now available online on the Equine Guelph website. This joint venture of Equine Guelph and Colorado State University, with support from the AAEP Foundation and Vetoquinol, is designed to offer practical advice on equine infectious disease risk and
Safe Sex For Horses
The recent (or, I guess, not so recent, since it seems to have been lingering in the background for a while) contagious equine metritis (CEM) outbreak in the US was a good demonstration of the potential impact venereally transmitted diseases can have on the horse industry. Concerns about such things are greatest in breeds that
Economic Impact Of Aussie Horse Flu
A huge equine influenza virus outbreak occurred in Australia in 2007 – a classic example of what can happen when a virus gets into an area where it’s never been before. There were huge numbers of affected horses and a massive disruption to the industry due to quarantines and other control measures.
Ontario Equine Influenza Activity
Like human influenza, equine influenza can be a seasonal disease with periods of particularly high activity. It’s possible that we are in a period of high flu activity in horses in Ontario, based on cases we’ve seen and anecdotal information from the general population. We’ve seen a couple of confirmed cases of influenza over the
EIA Outbreak In Arkansas
A large equine infectious anemia (EIA) outbreak has claimed the lives of 40 Arkansas horses. The outbreak has hopefully been contained to one farm in Johnson County. Two horses on the farm died from this viral disease, while 38 others were euthanized, presumably because they tested positive. Approximately 40 other horses are on the
MRSA In Aussie Horses
In the early 2000s, we took a lot of bad publicity in Ontario (particularly at the Ontario Veterinary College) because of MRSA in horses. While MRSA had been found in horses before and there were anecdotal reports of MRSA infections and outbreaks in different areas, the fact that we intensively investigated the issue and published a