Outbreaks of diseases are scary. The disease can be a brand new virus, a bacterial “superbug”, a virus that has mutated, a parasite that has spread to a new geographic location – you get the idea. The recipe for a contagious disease outbreak calls for two basic things:
1) a susceptible population of living things (humans, animals, plants, etc) that do not have immunity to the pathogen
2) a pathogen (virus, bacteria, etc) that is easily transmitted between individuals it infects
The disease does not have to be deadly, its main goal is just to replicate in its host. For instance, the flu virus is not often deadly but it transmitted very easily between individuals. This ability allows the virus to find a new host before it is destroyed by the original host’s immune system. The ease of transmission causes a lot of individuals to become sick in a short amount of time. Additionally, if the pathogen can replicate in its host, and that individual becomes contagious before they realize they are sick, the disease has an extra advantage.
So how does all of this figure into the current outbreaks of Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1)? Well, first I am going to discuss a little bit of background information on this virus (which is not a new virus, by the way). Then I will delve into how it has evolved to cause current outbreaks of disease. Finally, I will go over ways horse owners can prevent and prepare for an outbreak of EHV-1.
What is EHV-1?
EHV-1 stands for Equine Herpesvirus Type 1. There are several types of Equine Herpesviruses but the main ones that cause serious health problems in horses are Types 1, 3, and 4. In this post I am only going to discuss EHV-Type 1. EHV-1 can cause 4 different manifestations or clinical presentations:
1. Neurologic – aka Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM). This form affects the nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
Just to be clear – EHM is a form of EHV-1 – not a separate disease.
2. Respiratory – Affects the respiratory system (lungs, sinuses, trachea, nasal passages, etc.)
3. Abortive – Affects the reproductive tract of a pregnant mare causing fetal death and subsequent abortion
4. Neonatal – Newborn foal is born apparently normal but then becomes severely ill 1-2 days after birth. Despite the best supportive care these foals often die from severe respiratory disease and it’s complications.
How does EHV-1 affect the horse?
The virus can affect 3 different types of body systems: neurologic, reproductive, and respiratory. Once a horse is infected with the virus, the virus travels to the lymph nodes and infects certain types of white blood cells. The infected cells are released out into circulatory system, where they travel in the blood to different sites in the body. They can travel to the lungs, uterus, or spinal cord.
One key point here is that it is unknown why the virus attacks certain areas of the body. There is research currently being performed that is attempting to figure out why an outbreak of neurologic disease will affect one group of horses, but another group may only show up with respiratory disease. One recent finding is that there seems to be some genetic varieties of the virus that tend to cause the neurologic form more often, but not all cases of EHM are caused by these mutant varieties.
How is EHV-1 transmitted or spread?
EHV-1 has several of what I like to call “superpowers”. The way it is transmitted is one of its superpowers. Most of the time the virus is transmitted by horse-to-horse contact. We all know how curious horses like to smell everything and everyone, especially new horses. In fact, most horses introduce themselves by intensely smelling one other’s nose – it’s like they are smelling each others breath! EHV-1 (cleverly) is easily transmitted through nasal secretions from one horse to another.
However, EHV-1 has also evolved to be able to survive on the surfaces of objects that are contaminated by an infected horse (tack, human clothing, stalls, fences, etc). And that’s not all – the virus can live (in the ideal conditions) up to 21 days on an object! Furthermore, foals can be infected in utero and other horses can be infected by contact with an infected placenta or fluids from the mare.
So I can just keep my horse away from sick horses and he will be fine, right?
Wrong :(. Another superpower of EHV-1 is that it can infect a horse and the horse can become contagious to others even before it shows physical symptoms of being ill. By the time you see that the horse is sick he could have already infected all of his pasture mates.
A third superpower of EHV-1 is it’s ability to become latent (dormant). A horse can be a “carrier” of this virus (a reservoir) and not show any outward abnormalities. At some point, though, the virus can be reactivated in the carrier horse – who can now spread the disease to others. Things like stress or a different illness can cause EHV-1 to be reactivated. It is no wonder that weaning, training at the racetrack, and traveling for shows are common times where we see outbreaks of EHV-1.
What about vaccines?
Vaccination is an excellent way to prevent spread of EHV-1 and has worked wonders for the breeding industry in preventing abortion outbreaks. It also seems to protect against respiratory disease. However, there is no current vaccination that is able to completely prevent the neurologic form of the disease. This is a hot area of research and scientists are working on ways to improve the current vaccines or possibly manufacturing new vaccines to protect against EHM.
EHV-1 has been around for a long time. Why the big concern about it now?
The concern over the recent outbreaks has to do with the fact that EHM (caused by EHV-1) is an emerging disease. The neurologic form of EHV-1 (EHM) used to be quite rare. However, in the early 2000’s we started to see outbreaks of horses affected with EHM in various spots across the US and the world. The virus has seemed to change in its severity and/or behavior in affected animals. Furthermore, since vaccinations do not protect against this form of the virus, there is no way to systematically control it. And remember how easily it is spread (its superpowers)? The fact that the virus can spread to hundreds of horses without seeing a single horse look sick makes it a big cause for concern.
What are the clinical signs of EHV-1 and EHM?
The signs listed in the tables above are seen with lots of diseases – not just EHV-1 or EHM! One important characteristic is that your horse needs to have made contact with new horses or their bodily fluids, and that the onset of the neurologic signs is very fast. Usually the signs show up and progress for 24-48 hours and then stop progression. After that 48 hour period, the worst appears to be over and how bad each individual horse is affected will determine their prognosis. If the horse goes down and can’t get back up then the prognosis is grave. If the horse is only minimally affected then the odds are good that they will gradually recover.
What about treatment?
There is currently no specific treatment for EHV-1 and EHM. Because they are viruses, antibiotics will not fight them. However, sometimes horses are given antibiotics to prevent opportunistic bacterial infections because the horse’s immune system is working overtime on fighting the virus.
The treatments your horse will receive are all supportive – meaning they are just supporting his basic bodily functions until his immune system takes care of the virus and healing takes place. Examples of supportive treatments are IV fluids and anti-inflammatory drugs.
How can I prevent my horse from getting EHV-1 or EHM?
Even though the vaccine does not specifically protect against the neurologic form of EHV-1 (EHM), it is still a good idea to vaccinate your horse for EHV-1. The vaccination does protect against the respiratory form and the abortive form of EHV-1, so your horse will be protected against those manifestations of this disease. The vaccine does also seem to decrease viral shedding, so if your horse does become infected with the neurologic form you can help prevent shedding and infecting other horses with the virus.
Another was to prevent EHV-1 and EHM is to practice good biosecurity around the farm. This means that any incoming horses are isolated from your herd for a period of at least 21 days. That means that nothing that the isolated horse touches is allowed to touch anything that your herd horses may touch (tack, buckets, stalls, fences, etc). Wash your hands between caring for your new horse and the rest of the herd. Take the temperature of the new horse twice daily to make sure he does not spike a fever. Isolating new horses protects against many diseases, including all the forms of Equine Herpesvirus and Strangles.
Horses that travel to shows or clinics should also be isolated from your herd when returning. It is a good idea to take the temperature of your horse twice daily for 14 days before returning him to the herd. If he develops a fever, call your vet.
There is a ton of information on the internet regarding what happens if your horse is at a show when there is an outbreak and various scenarios of the like. Sources that are reputable include AAEP and APHIS.USDA.gov. Another thing you can do is call your vet and see if they know about any current outbreaks in the area. And it is never a bad idea to contact the shows and places you are traveling to see if they know of any outbreaks or precautions you should take to protect your horse.