UC DAVIS EQUINE HERPES OUTBREAK SEMINAR

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

I have just returned from a trip to UC Davis after attending the “Equine Herpes Outbreak Seminar” on the evening of May 27, 2011. This was an excellent seminar which sponsored six of California’s leading veterinary minds on the topic of the recent Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) outbreak. This disease is also referred to as Equine Herpes Myeloenchephalopathy (EHM) when the herpes virus causes neurologic disease .  Speaker topics addressed the current status of EHV-1 in North America, the regulatory and reporting issues, diagnostic challenges, treatment in both the field and in hospital settings, isolation and biosecurity procedures for affected horses and the use of vaccination during an EHV-1 outbreak.

Since the majority of you have been carefully reading and following the details
about EHV-1 and the recent west coast outbreak, I will omit a review of EHV-1 basics. There were many details about this disease revealed last Friday night that represent a new understanding for me and so may be of interest to you. I will begin with a summary  of the details that have been well researched, and include a list of the observations and questions now being discussed and investigated. 

EVH-1 UPDATE

5/19/11 Update from UC Davis

May 19, 2011  Equine Herpes in California  VMTH UC DAVIS UPDATE   

Two more horses in CA have tested positive for EHV-1.  They are both located in  Corning, California, and they have not been seen or admitted to the VMTH.  These  horses are cutting horses that have an exposure link to the National Cutting Horse  Association’s Western National Championships (NCHA) that was held at the Golden  Spike Event Center in Ogden, Utah from April 29th to May 8th.   

Recently, two horses were hospitalized in the VMTH Large Animal Clinic Isolation  Facility and they are gradually improving.  There are NO equine herpes cases in the  main clinic which is physically separated from the Isolation Facility. We have tested  all horses admitted to the clinic this past week and all of them have tested negative.  We will continue to monitor and test all horses admitted to the clinic to ensure  maximal biosecurity safety of our hospital. With these heightened biosecurity and  surveillance  measures  in  place to  protect  our  patients,  the  VMTH  equine  clinic  remains open for full patient receiving and emergency services.        

Suggested Guidelines for Minimizing Risk of Disease Transmission:  

1. Restrict movement of horses from the premises.  

EVH-1 UPDATE

5/19/11 Update from AAEP.

Also, follow the links below to listen to the informative radio interviews with Dr. Paul Lunn from Colorado State University. 
AAEP now has an updated web page for horse owners with a very informative FAQ targeted to horse owners located here.

Radio Interviews with Dr. Paul Lunn, Colorado State University
* National Association of Farm Broadcasters
* KCOL 600 AM

American Horse Council and AAEP work with USDA to Facilitate Coordination of
EHV-1 and EHM Case Reporting

Horses exposed to the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) based on attending an event held in Utah will now be monitored through a national case reporting system.  In addition, a guidance document was sent to State Animal Health Officials and Area Veterinarians in Charge (AVIC) in each state on Tuesday, May 17, 2011, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Service (VS).

EHV-1 UPDATE

The following is a communication from UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

May 16, 2011

Equine Herpes in California

Update:

During the past week in Colorado, there have been at least 2 confirmed cases of equine herpes-1 infection in horses that competed at the National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah. Other horses that competed in Ogden, Utah were transported to the Kern Country Cutting Horse Association show in Bakersfield, CA, and some of these horses became ill, with one horse being euthanized at the fairgrounds. One horse was transported from Bakersfield to the isolation facility at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Another horse that attended the Ogden show was also sent to UC Davis. Both of these horses have been confirmed as positive for EHV-1. In addition, as of today, at least 4 additional horses in various areas of Northern California have been confirmed as positive for EHV-1.

Long Toes in Horses: A Pain in the Butt?

 Interesting article from THE HORSE magazine featuring Richard A. Mansmann, VMD, PhD, hon. Dipl. ACVIM, professor emeritus at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine...

Your equine athlete's performance hasn't been blue ribbon-worthy as of late. Or maybe your broodmare's gaits are looking a little off kilter. Could long toes on the hind feet be to blame? According to the results of a recent study, the answer in some cases is yes and sometimes the solution can be very simple.
The Horse | Long Toes in Horses: A Pain in the Butt?

Kentucky Derby: Archarcharch, Battle of Hastings Doing Well After Surgery

The Horse | Kentucky Derby: Archarcharch, Battle of Hastings Doing Well After Surgery  (May 9th, 2011)

Archarcharch to Spendthrift Farm - Thoroughbred Times   (May 19th, 2011)