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HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Cardiovascular, Blood, and Immune System » Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) and the Coggins Test »
  Discussion on Public Service Announcement From VA - EIA Quarantine In Chantilly/Manassas Area
Author Message
Member:
Bonita

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2004 - 7:00 pm:

Here's the scoop:

have some urgent news which I need to share with the NoVA horse community. I ask your forbearance in reading this message in it’s entirety as I think you will find it answers most of your questions.

This is Krista and I have recently accepted the position as Farm Manager for Cavallo Farm in Chantilly, VA. Yesterday we received word from the State Vets’ Office that a horse in our area (not on our farm) has tested positive for EIA - known as Equine Infectious Anemia (in other words, the horse received a positive Coggins). The horse was put down today and this will alleviate a lot of the concern associated with the findings. Additionally this horse has never been removed from the property where it resides.

This is not a horse that is in anyway affiliated with our facility but, due to the proximity of it’s location, is a cause for concern to all horse owners in the Chantilly, VA area. We have begun a 45 day quarantine. The quarantine will end on June 3rd.

All of our horses were tested December-January for EIA. Each Coggins was negative. What this means:
- Because EIA is carried by horse flies (it is only contagious via blood to blood contact) our chance of infection, per the State Vet, is “very low”.
- Since there has been no horsefly activity this year (and obviously none occurring in Dec.) there is only a slim chance for the transfer from farm to farm of the disease.

We are working closely with the State Vet. Dr. Eileen Kellner was out this morning from 9:45 - 12:45 drawing blood on every horse at our farm so they can be tested immediately. The results will be in Friday. Additionally Coggins will be pulled at the end of our quarantine period to make sure we are still in the clear.

Because of this situation our shows scheduled for May 29th and June 5th are now canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Additionally we will not be showing until the quarantine is lifted, nor will any horses be leaving the Cavallo grounds.

Please be aware that we are staying on top of this situation and have been extremely proactive in handling it. We will update everyone with information as needed.

If you have concerns regarding your horses' health, it is best for you to contact your personal vet. You may also contact the VA State Vets office if you would like details on their requirements for a positive EIA finding and quarrantine periods.

I cannot emphasise enough that Cavallo Farm has no horses currently with a positive EIA. We are testing them TODAY for EIA. Since EIA cannot be transmitted via the air/ground/water the chance for infection is slim. Additionally anyone who has had their horse to Cavallo recently should speak to their own vets about having a Coggins pulled.

Should you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us directly at mikeandmarie@cavallofarm.com or call the Farm at 703-327-6431. You may also email me directly.

Thank you for your patience and support during this time.

Sincerely,
Krista S. Boudreaux
Manager
Cavallo Farm
Chantilly, VA


I have to add that the farm just received the relatively GREAT NEWS that all of the horses at Cavallo tested negative. They will, however, still have to conform to the remainder of the quarantine.

Member:
Bonita

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2004 - 7:06 pm:

Dr. O - I am sure that you have had this question again & again in your practice, so I apologize ahead of time if this is repetitive, but, in your opinion (& I mean that - I don't plan to take this as written in blood - lol!), why do you think this horrible disease is still without a vaccine.

When I think of how quickly the pharmaceutical industry was able to come up with a vaccine for West Nile, as well as other recently discovered equine diseases, why has EIA eluded everyone?

Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Apr 25, 2004 - 10:10 am:

The problem is this family of viruses are masters at avoiding the immune system. That said there is now some hope a vaccine may be possible. We covered this in a fairly recent newsletter, see our article Equine Diseases » Cardiovascular, Blood, and Immune System » Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) and the Coggins Test under "Vaccine" for more on this.
DrO
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