California officials report a Quarter Horse mare has been confirmed positive for the non-neuropathogenic strain of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1.)
The barrel racer participated in the Clovis Rodeo on Friday, April 25, 2014, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Following the horse’s run, the mare was shipped to the Springville Rodeo, but did not compete.
The mare, located in Santa Barbara County, is displaying mild neurological signs uncharacteristic of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), according to officials. EHM is a neurological disease caused by EHV-1. The positive lab test results indicate the mare had an extremely low viral load on the nasal swab which indicates a low level of viral shedding.
CDFA officials say it is possible that EHV-1 is not the cause of disease in this horse, so out of caution, the horse has been classified as a case of EHM by the agency. The barrel racer remains isolated under quarantine.
There is no link to other EHV-1 positive horses recently detected in other states, according to CDFA officials.
