Ehv horse virus

CDFA strongly recommends that horse owners practice proper biosecurity when attending an equine event. Compliance with basic biosecurity practices is an important factor in reducing risk of exposure to all contagious equine diseases. Basic biosecurity measures to follow to decrease potential disease spread at equine events include:. Equine Resources. More Resources. How does the virus spread? The most common way to spread EHV-1 is by direct horse-to-horse contact.

Horses can get the virus through infected air droplets or nasal discharge of infected horses. EHVaborted foals can also act as an infection source. Horses can carry EHV-1 but not show signs of illness. Stress such as transportation or weaning can reactivate the virus in carriers and cause disease.

EHV-1 can also spread indirectly through contact with physical objects contaminated with the virus. The virus can live for a few weeks on uncleaned objects and surfaces. Treatment Supportive care and anti-inflammatory drugs are often used. Antiviral medications may be used for horses with EHM. Sling support can help horses with severe weakness and incoordination. Isolating affected horses will help prevent the infection from spreading. Your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics if they have concerns about secondary bacterial infection.

Prevention Vaccinations are available to control the respiratory and abortion manifestations of EHV Your veterinarian may recommend vaccinating to help reduce disease spread. Some breed associations require vaccination prior to participating in shows or events. Practice biosecurity to avoid spreading disease and bringing it home or to other facilities. Keep your horse home if it shows signs of illness. For horses returning from shows.

Open all Close all. Consult with your equine veterinarian for further guidance. What treatments and specific anti-viral treatments can I use against EHM on a farm? If EHM is present on a farm, then the risk to other horses at that farm is greatly increased.

Stringent quarantine and biosecurity procedures must be implemented immediately. Treatments may include anti-inflammatory drugs and some horses may require intravenous fluids. Antibiotics may be used to treat a secondary bacterial infection if one develops; however, antibiotics have no effect on the equine herpesvirus itself. For horses on the farm that develop fever, test EHV-1 positive, or have a high risk of exposure, anti-viral and anti-coagulant drugs may decrease the chance of developing EHM.

The benefit of antiviral and anti-coagulant treatment of the horse should be discussed with your veterinarian More research is needed to identify a vaccine that may prevent this form of the disease.

Some of the EHV-1 vaccines have been shown to reduce nasal shedding and, in some cases, reduce viremia. These products may therefore have some theoretical value against EHM by reducing viremia, and certainly against spread of the virus. For more information regarding these vaccines, consult with your equine veterinarian. If horses on the farm are previously vaccinated against EHV-1, the booster vaccination should quickly increase immunity, and perhaps reduce spread of EHV-1 if it is present.

Vaccination in these circumstances is controversial. The use of vaccination is therefore a risk-based decision.

How long can my horse shed the virus? In the absence of clinical disease, the risk of exposure decreases with time. A shorter quarantine period, such as 21 days, may be justified if, during this time, no horse has had any fever temperature taken at least 24 hours without treatment with non-steroidal drug , abortion or neurologic signs and all exposed horses are tested and have a negative test result using nasal swabs for EHV-1 by qPCR.

There should be compliance with requirements by state animal health officials for duration of quarantine and testing. What methods of prevention can I implement to avoid EHV outbreak and other disease transmission? Two main methods of prevention you can establish to help avoid disease outbreak on your premises include vaccination and biosecurity protection. The goal of vaccination is to induce resistance to infection prior to exposure by producing a strong and durable immune response without inducing clinical signs of disease in the vaccinated animal.

While there are several vaccines available for protection against both respiratory disease and abortion as a result of EHV-1 infection, at this time there is no equine licensed vaccine that has a label claim for protection against neurologic disease EHM. Consult with your veterinarian for further guidance if you are considering the use of EHV-1 vaccines. Biosecurity means doing everything you can to reduce the chances of an infectious disease being carried onto your farm by people, animals, equipment, or vehicles, either accidentally or on purpose.

Anything that touches an infected horse or sheds secretions from sick horses has the potential to transfer pathogens to other horses. You are the best protection your horses have. The EHV-1 virus is a normal occurring virus found in the equine population. All of the reasons why EHV-1 causes severe neurological signs in some horses are not fully understood. If you are travelling to an event, contact your veterinarian well in advance of the departure date to verify what testing is required.

Interstate travel may have different requirements and these requirements may vary to each equine event or venue. Basic every day biosecurity is always recommended. Article reviewed and revised by Dr. Nicola Pusterla in EHV Can cause four manifestations of disease in horses, including neurological form, respiratory disease, abortion and neonatal death. EHV Causes a venereal disease called coital exanthema that affects the external genitalia but has not been shown to affect fertility.

EHV Causes a nonfatal upper respiratory tract disease in foals and is uncommonly associated with abortion and rarely with neurological disease. It is important to know that this virus can also be spread indirectly through contact with physical objects that are contaminated with the virus: Human contaminated hands or clothing Contaminated equipment and tack Contaminated trailers used for transporting horses Contaminated wipe rags or other grooming equipment Contaminated feed and water buckets The air around the horse that is shedding the virus can also be contaminated with infectious virus.