The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
Issue link: https://thehorse.epubxp.com/i/899161
10 TheHorse.com THE HORSE December 2017 founder, and other secondary exposure issues." Equestrian and veterinary groups on the U.S. mainland went to great lengths to get feed, veterinary supplies, and help to the Puerto Rican horses, although it was a challenging endeavor ini- tially delayed as the groups awaited government clear- ance and runway availability to land a plane. Finally, on Oct. 2 nearly 20 tons of feed In late August flooding from Hurricane Harvey devas- tated Houston, Texas, and the surrounding areas. Shortly af- ter, Hurricane Irma took aim at Florida, causing flooding and strong winds as it traveled up the state. While some owners chose to shelter in place with their horses, there was no shortage of evacuation sites available in both scenarios. Sam Houston Race Park, in Houston, which avoided substantial damage, opened its stalls to horses from affected areas, as did other equine facilities around the region. Likewise, offers for evacuation stabling during Hurricane Irma came from Georgia, North Carolina, and as far north as New York. Not long after, Hurricane Maria hammered Puerto Rico on Sept. 20. The U.S. territo- ry's Thoroughbred racetrack, Hipódromo Camarero, in San Juan, housed more than 900 horses from around the island as the storm arrived. On Oct. 9 Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc. reported that at least 14 racehorses died or were euthanized following Maria "mostly due to colic, Horse Industry Stands Up to Natural Disasters H orse owners across the country faced a rash of natural disasters during the second half of 2017. But despite hard times, equine industry groups worked to ensure that horses or owners in need of help received it. Scientists Study 'Silent' EIA Historically, standard tests for equine infectious anemia (EIA) have been pretty straightforward: positive for an infected horse or negative for an uninfected one. But in a recent study researchers found that horses can carry the EIA-causing virus for up to two years without be- ing seropositive on a Coggins, ELISA, or Western blot blood test. Adriana Soutullo, PhD, of the Ministry of Production of the Santa Fe Province and Litoral National University's Faculty of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences, both in Ar- gentina, collaborated with a team of North and South American research- ers, including Sheila Cook, PhD, and Frank Cook, PhD, of the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center, in Lexington. In their study the team con- ducted EIA testing on 59 apparently clinically healthy horses from five Argentinean stables. They used blood (AGID—the Coggins test—and ELISA) and molecular tests (PCR). Twenty-six apparently healthy horses (44%) were positive for the Owners lined up to help evacuate horses as wildfires in Northern California approached. Hundreds of Texas horses were evacuated to safety ahead of Hurricane Harvey's arrival. COURTESY KEILA GOLDEN NEWSFRONT Inquiries to: 859/276-6726 E-Mail: News@TheHorse.com ERICA LARSON, News Editor @TH_EricaLarson EIA virus, Soutullo said, which is not unusual, as the virus can be latent. However, to the researchers' surprise, 18 of the 33 remaining seronegative horses (55%) tested positive on PCR. Over the next two years, the scientists tested these seronegative horses regularly. Some animals seroconverted during this time, but others did not. More in-depth testing confirmed that these horses did, in fact, harbor DNA sequences from EIA's causative virus in their bodies. In other words, they carried the EIA virus without creating the markers that cause positive blood tests. "But our study results shouldn't cause owners to worry," Soutullo said. "We don't know if these horses have sufficient virus loads to allow transmission of the infec- tious disease." Owners and practitioners can limit risks of the virus spreading with good hygiene during veterinary care, Soutullo added. "The principal recommendation I can make is to always change the needle and syringe when performing injections," she said. Read more at TheHorse.com/39771. —Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA Horses harboring the virus that causes EIA might actually appear negative on some blood tests. COURTESY JERRY FINCH ERICA LARSON/THE HORSE