A horse in Montgomery County, Maryland, was euthanatized earlier this month due to complications from equine herpes virus type-1 (EHV-1). Two additional horses from the same barn tested positive for the virus and a total of 44 horses are potentially exposed, according to information provided by the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC).
EHV-1 most often causes mild-to-moderate respiratory illness (rhinopneumonitis), but the infection occasionally leads to the life-threatening neurologic disease equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The mechanisms through which EHV-1 produces neurologic disease are not yet understood.
Click here to learn more about the neurologic form of EHV-1
According to the EDCC, the farm “has been placed on a hold order by the [Maryland Department of Agriculture], prohibiting movement on or off the farm until any exposed horses have been cleared for release…The veterinary practitioner and stable are providing follow-up care to the horses on the farm. Possible links to the positive EHV-1 equine are actively being investigated. Owners are cautioned to monitor horses carefully, and should contact their private veterinarians to arrange for EHV-1 testing if a horse exhibits significant temperature elevations or neurologic signs.”
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