The equine herpes virus (EHV-1) outbreak throughout the western United States and Canada in the spring of 2011 put horse owners on edge. While this strain of herpes virus usually affects the respiratory tract or causes abortion in pregnant mares, it can also cause a neurological disease, referred to as equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM).
Mutation of the DNA in the herpes virus produces this extremely virulent neurological form, which damages blood vessels in the central nervous system. Subsequent damage to the spinal cord tissues and brain is accompanied by specific neurological signs.
Horses often contract the herpes virus at a young age but do not always develop apparent clinical signs at that time. Like herpes infections in humans, the virus often goes dormant but can resurface when the horse is stressed by training, transport, competition, herd dynamics, or other health conditions.
Re-activation of the latent virus results in active shedding of the virus in the horse’s nasal secretions. Even a healthy-looking horse can transmit the EHV-1 virus from his respiratory secretions. Horses with clinical signs shed viral particles profusely and should be isolated immediately.
Direct horse-to-horse contact facilitates exposure, but the virus can also be transmitted on peoples’ hands, clothing and shoes, as well as grooming equipment, tack, buckets, rakes, hoses and water tanks, to name a few. It is also possible for airborne particles expelled by coughing or sneezing to transfer to horses some distance away, although no one knows exactly how far.
Vaccines are available against the EHV-1 virus, but because neurological manifestations rely on viral gene mutation, the currently available herpes vaccine won’t stimulate protective antibodies against the neurological disease. However, some value can be achieved from immunization, as EHV-1 vaccines have been proven to reduce the nasal shedding that facilitates viral spread.
In the face of an outbreak, the best prevention relies on diligent biosecurity strategies:
In general, 28 days after the last active case of EHM has surfaced, it should be reasonably safe to co-mingle horses again. Consult with your veterinarian, as this time frame may be modified to fit individual circumstances. If horse owners respond quickly in the face of an outbreak with proper biosecurity measures and constraints on horse movement, this infectious disease may be curtailed and quickly pass.
The incubation period for EHV-1 is rapid, with clinical signs of respiratory disease (such as nasal discharge and coughing) and fever appearing within a couple days, and neurological signs showing up over the next 10 days following the fever.
Neurological symptoms can include:
If there is news of an outbreak in your area and known exposure of a group of horses, with some of them developing the neurological form of the disease, keep your horses on the farm and avoid any co-mingling on trails or at events.
You can resume going to shows and other group events 28 days after the appearance of the last active case.
This article originally appeared in the August 2011 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.
Nancy S. Loving, DVM, is a performance horse veterinarian based in Boulder, Colo., and is the author of All Horse Systems Go.
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