- This topic has 3 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by Robert Oglesby DVM.
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September 13, 2020 at 8:03 am #19846claueeMember
Hi, My friend has a mare who died of coronavirus this summer. She started having colic symptoms in the morning, was brought to hospital and died in afternoon. It was very agressive.
My question is: how long does this virus live/stay in the environment without a host? For how long is the manure of a contaminated horse a potential source of infection for another? thank you -
September 15, 2020 at 10:35 am #19848Robert Oglesby DVMKeymaster
Hello clauee, is that the current working diagnosis on your horse? It should be noted that the range of infection severity is great varying from asymptomatic to in the rare case death. Death is usually associated with hyperammonemia-associated encephalopathy.
The disease is relatively new (10 years recognition) an currently there are no studies I have found on how long the stools remain infective. The stools should be considered infective at all times, removed, and the area sanitized. Looking at natural and experimental infections there are no reports that I can find that suggest a horse entered an area previously inhabited by a infected horse but is now empty of infected horses that has become ill but I continue to look. In one study the following history was available, note the one horse that did not seem to have a infection source:
One horse was associated with a barn with five additional confirmed ECoV cases, two study horses were from the same barn and hospitalised within the same week, and three separate study horses were associated with horses with fevers at their respective farms. Five of 22 horses (23%) for which travel history was available had traveled to a horse show within the previous 3 weeks.
Currently infection is considered likely when there is direct contact between infected stools and the mouth of an infected horse. Note that there have been identified inapparent shedders that can infect those without resistance.
DrO -
September 23, 2020 at 5:25 pm #19853claueeMember
Hi Dr. O,
thank you for the response. This is not the case of my horse, it happened at a friend’s barn nearby. They had one very severe case (death within 12 hours of beginning of symptoms) and no other horse got ill despite the fact they all live together in the same pasture. The owner has no idea how that virus could have entered her barn/land. -
September 24, 2020 at 10:03 am #19855Robert Oglesby DVMKeymaster
Hi clauee,
I wasn’t thinking you were talking about your horse but was wondering if you were worried your horse may have become infected by this horse in an indirect manner. The peracute case (death in less than 24 hours) is unusual.
DrO
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