A horse in Branch County, Michigan has been euthantized due the neurologic form of the equine herpesvirus (EHV 1) and another 56 horses on same property are potentially exposed to the virus, according to 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
The 14-year-old mare developed signs of EHV type 1 on April 11, becoming weak and unable to rise. The diagnosis of EHV-1 was confirmed on April 14 and she was euthanized shortly thereafter. The property is now under official state quarantine, with 56 more potentially exposed horses. They are all being monitored twice daily for fever and other clinical signs of herpesvirus, and enhanced biosecurity measures have been implemented.
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