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  Discussion on Neurotropic Herpes out break in SF area
Author Message
Member:
sswiley

Posted on Sunday, Mar 18, 2007 - 11:13 am:

Thought I would post this to spread the word to our readers on the west coast. I hope it is alright to just copy and paste someones email, I figured under the circumstances it was warranted.
There are no dates on these transmissions, the source is reliable so I assume it is recent.
Shelley


From the San Francisco Horsemen's Association:

This email is being sent to alert you to the fact that there is currently
an outbreak of the neurotropic form of Equine Herpes Virus -1 (EHV-1) on
the peninsula. Two date, four horses from two Montara boarding facilities
have been euthanized.

Below are messages from Dr. Wayne Browning of Bayhill Equine and Dr. Russ
Petersen of Peninsula Equine.

Please use caution as it appears that this virus can spread without
physical contact. Further, even though we all vaccinate twice a year for
EHV-1 and EHV-4, apparently that does not help with the neurotropic form of
this virus. It's all very confusing. More information will be available
soon regarding limiting the outbreak and treating affected horses.

Recommendations at this point are:
• Restrict the movement of your horses to and from the affected area.
• Watch for fever and unsteady movement/gait or difficulty standing
• Careful handling to prevent contamination: washing hands, avoiding shared
water buckets, tie posts, etc.
--
San Francisco Horsemen's Association
Since 1940

======================================================

From:
Bayhill Equine
Dr. Wayne Browning
123 Belmont Avenue
Redwood City , CA 94061
(650) 851-2300 • <mailto:bayhilleq@aol.ccom>BayhillEq@aol.com

As most of you already know there has been a recent outbreak of the
neurotropic form of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) in Montara. This was the
first confirmed case in San Mateo County. To date, Bayhill Equine is the
only veterinary practice that has seen or treated any horse involved in
this outbreak.Therefore, as many questions have arisen, I felt I should
respond to a previous post to let people know the current status and avoid
any misinformation.

I originally saw a 4-year old filly on Monday morning, March 11, that was
unable to stand and had a history of fever 5 days earlier. Another horse
in the same paddock was also showing signs of ataxia
(incoordination). Based on clinical signs, history, and multiple horses
affected, a tentative diagnosis of EHV-1 was made and the horses referred
to UC Davis. By 5:15 that afternoon, a positive diagnosis was confirmed by
laboratory tests. I called at area veterinarians on Tuesday morning, which
is where they got their information. Both horses were started on
Valcyclovir, but were euthanized yesterday after failing to respond to
treatment.

Two other horses on this ranch were febrile and were thus tested. One was
positive and one was negative. One of these horses had gone on a ride with
members of a neighboring ranch one day prior to breaking with a
fever. Additionally, a 29-year-old mare was euthanized on a second
neighboring ranch after being unable to stand. She and one additional
horse tested positive today, March 15th. Therefore, these three ranches are
currently on a voluntary quarantine based on recommendations from out
practice and those of UC Davis.

No new horse had been introduced on the primary ranch for 6 weeks, and the
last horse to do so was from Pescadero. Dr. Gary Magdesian at UC Davis
felt that a fomite, such as clothing or shoes, could have been the
introduction method. He did not believe it was a spontaneous mutation.
Additionally, Drs. Madigan and Ferraro are planning a site visit after
obtaining ranch owner approval both to study and to make further
recommendations to contain the outbreak.

I have attached a copy of the letter I wrote today, which is an updated
version of the one posted on the 12th. Also, we have additional pages
covering prevention, treatment, and management that are available. You may
contact our office for these or with any additional questions regarding the
status of this outbreak.

PS.

1) Obviously, contact your regular veterinarian for information regarding
treatment, prevention, etc. I simply said that we have those papers
already available which include links to appropriate web sites for the
latest information.

2) Bayhill Equine is working with UC Davis to contact the ranch owners to
obtain permission to visit the properties. We will be there as well to ask
questions of them.

3) We are holding a community forum for all boarders on the coast so we can
update them with the latest information as well in hopes of limiting this
outbreak.
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