Horses Get Diseases More Deadly to Humans than Mad Cow

And will kill ya quicker than mad-cow too!

EQUINE PIROPLASMOSIS - USA (12): (NEW MEXICO)
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Date: 28 Dec 2009
Source: The Horse.com [edited]



As part of a racetrack screening program, 3 New Mexico horses have
been identified as infected with _Theileria equi_, a causative agent
for equine piroplasmosis. These infections are noteworthy as these
horses are not epidemiologically linked to those involved in a larger
ongoing investigation centered on horses from a South Texas ranch.

Information on the new cases, and an update on the Texas
investigation, was included in a 24 Dec 2009 report issued to the
World Organization for Animal Health (Office International des
Epizooties, or OIE) by John Clifford, DVM, deputy administrator of
the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The positive New Mexico horses did not show any clinical signs of
disease. Preliminary results of the investigation indicate that the
transmission of the organism might have resulted from management
practices (use of shared needles or substances between horses) rather
than by a tick vector, the OIE report noted. More than 1300 New
Mexico horses have been tested via the screening program.

Officials in the United States have screened all imported horses for
piroplasmosis for nearly 30 years. The disease was officially
eradicated from the United States in 1988. It is spread by some
species of ticks, the use of contaminated needles, and possibly
through blood-contaminated semen of infected stallions.

Clinical signs of equine piroplasmosis can include a host of
nonspecific problems, such as fever or anemia, and some infected
horses might appear healthy. Blood tests are needed to diagnosis the
disease. The only treatment is a potent type of chemotherapy that can
have serious side effects in some horses.

The larger piroplasmosis investigation remains underway, with 357
confirmed positive horses. All of the positive horses have direct
links to the index premises in Kleberg County, Texas. The OIE report
stated these include horses that currently or previously lived on the
index premises or live on a premises immediately adjacent, or [near]
other "dangerous contacts" (a positive foal born to an infected mare
was listed as an example of such).

Positive horses have been located in 12 states, with 289 positive
horses on the index ranch in Texas, 41 on other premises in Texas, 2
in Alabama, 2 in California, 5 in Florida, one in Georgia, 2 in
Indiana, 5 in Louisiana, 1 in Minnesota, 2 in North Carolina, 4 in
New Jersey, 1 in Tennessee, 1 in Utah, and 1 in Wisconsin. All known
positive horses are under quarantine.

More than 1500 horses have been tested for equine piroplasmosis as
part of the epidemiological investigation, including 587 horses
exposed to positive horses outside of the index premises. All of
these cohorts have tested negative, the report stated.

As a result of the current investigation, Canada and several U.S.
states have restricted the importation of horses from Texas. Horse
owners and veterinarians shipping horses are urged to check with
animal health officials in your state of destination to ensure the
animals have met all entry requirements.

[Byline: Erin Ryder]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

[Although the horses do not appear to be epidemiologically linked to
the outbreak that started in Texas, sharing needles between horses
does not give a horse piroplasmosis unless those needles have been in
a horse with piroplasmosis. In other words, the disease had to have
come from somewhere. The question is where. Will New Mexico cast a
surveillance net to detect where the disease really came from? -
Mod.TG]

[see also:
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (11): multi-state 20091203.4128
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (10) 20091117.3963
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (09): (NJ ex TX) 20091111.3912
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (08): (TX) alert 20091030.3749
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (07): (TX) 20091024.3675
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (06): (TX) OIE 20091022.3631
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (05): (TX) 20091021.3617
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (04): (KS, MO) resolved 20090917.3262
Piroplasmosis, equine - USA (03): (KS, MO) 20090729.2662
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA (02): (MO) 20090612.2172
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA: (FL) quarantine lifted 20090225.0771
2008
----
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA (04): (FL) 20080930.3088
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA: (03) (FL) 20080828.2687
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (02): (FL) 20080823.2626
Equine piroplasmosis - USA: (FL) 20080819.2579]
...................................................tg/msp/lm

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