Equine Herpes virus outbreak

[Nathan Luszcz]

No, its direct transmission. Nose to nose, sneezes, etc.

The vaccine HELPS, but it is NOT, WHATSOEVER, a cure. Its NOT as effective against the neuro version as it is with the "regular" respiratory version.

 

[shelia]

Thanks again Nathen.

 

[epetrilli]

I was not going to post here again but I feel it is necessary. Nathan would you please share where you researched your information on this strain, as since it is important to note than the strain profile that was sequenced from this outbreak has not Been publically released I would be very interested in where this information came from. And while I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion I am curious why you are so adement to lead people to downplay the severity of this disease?

I am asking both personally and professionally and with an open mind because I have no idea what you do, but as I am very close to this outbreak I am concerned why my information is so drastically different than yours???

 

[kaykay]

Epetrilli thank you so much for your posts. I for one really appreciate you taking the time to keep us all updated.

Nathan your post is a little misleading. It can also be transmitted indirectly. The horse does not have to come nose to nose with another horse to get the virus.

I would also like to see the link to where you got your information/case study

 

[Mona]

Erin, I also want to thank you for your posts! To me, considering your career position and first hand knowledge with working on this disease and this particular strain of it, PERSONALLY, I value your posts above all others! And I agree, Nathan, you make it sound like whatever you are reading is "gospel", but if you do not have first hand knowledge of the disease I don't think it's right for you to be making it sound like Erin is feeding us poor/wrong information. I appreciate the fact that you are trying to be helpful too, but there are others more knowledgeable in regards to this specific strain of this disease that are working very hard at trying to supress the spread of this disease. It won't do anyone any good to downplay it.

 

[shelia]

I think I understood nathens post. I think he was saying that it isn't airborne so it just doesn't drift in the wind.

My concern was that if flys were landing on the nasal discharge of an infected horse, then went to a new horse and landed around its nostrils could it be carrying enough spores to infect that horse.

I understand no one has the time to post a complete explanation of just how it all works and we may not all understand completly if they did. Nathen is helpfull, he just is trying to keep it simple. I realize To understand it comepletly I would need years of study. I am not a scientist and no one has time or a reason to educate me to that point. That is what college is for.

 

[epetrilli]

I want to quickly clarify 2 things and then I need to run First in my last post what I meant to say was that I wasn't going to post here again unless I had new relevant updated information, not that I wasn't ever going to post again. I am one that only posts when I have something to contribute, a quiet type so you could say. I am just learning the power of social media-LOL!

Second, it is very important to note that there is NO proven evidence that this is not airborne, in fact it has been found to be extremely contagious and there have been confirmed cases where the horse did not have direct contact with another horse. This is not my opinion this has been stressed by many veterinarians and professionals in multiple areas so PLEASE do not think that you are safe simply because your horse is not making nose to nose contact. Continue to be diligent and take precautions to keep your horses risk of exposure down.

I don't want to take away from this tread but I do want everyone to know that in order to scientifically "prove" vaccine effectiveness, rate and method of infections (airborne or not, virulence, ect) it requires very lengthy and often contravercial live animal studies. This means we as scientists have to get permission from federally governed agencies to terminally infect horses with this painful and lethal disease using multiple methods and procedures. That is just one of many reasons that we can not answer every question with every outbreak-it is simply not possible nor ethical depending on who you ask, to intentionally cause such suffering until we have a better handle on how the genomics of the disease itself work. At that point (if we ever get there since these encapsulated viruses mutate so often) we will be able to conduct more accurate and precise studies which may someday lead to complete understanding, vaccine and treatment of this and several other diseases(vaccine is prevention not to ever be mistaken for "cure", treatment would be where a cure would come in). That's my "perfect world" scenario in a nut-shell!!!

Ok guess that was 3 things, sorry! 9am better start paying attention to my meeting

 

[shelia]

Thank you also Eptilli for a more indepth explantion. I know all of you are busy. I don't want to badger people for clear cut answers when sometimes their just aren't any. This virus is just too close for comfort for me. I take any info I can get and will always err on the side of caution.

I really hope that people continue to post info when they get it and not feel they will be attacked if they do.

 

[rubyviewminis]

Thank you Erin for your time and information. What you post about this strains ease of transmission is why I posted the episode from facebook where this gal lost her mare. I have it first hand on several situations where someone has a sick horse, or lost one that did not attend the Ogden event, and had no direct contact with any horse that did attend the event in Ogden. I have read and posted also from experts why they are so concerned with this strain, it is extremely contagious, it acts and seems more virulent, and it is not the same as previous outbreaks of this strain.

 

[Sandy B]

Here is a great article that Quarter Horse News just posted.

http://www.quarterhorsenews.com/index.php/news/industry-news/10418-is-your-horse-vunerable-an-ehv-1-qaa.html

In regards to the "are we supposed to vaccinate/booster", I think many people read this wrong. It is my opinion that if your horse has been being vaccinated for Rhino every 3 to 4 months then it is safe for you to administer another booster. If your horse has not had the vaccine, I would caution you about administering. Talk to your veterinarian about the vaccine and when the last time your horse received it to get the best advise.

***Remember, there is NO vaccine that protects your horse against the neurological form of EHV-1. It has only been shown to reduce some of the shedding of the virus in affected horses.

The virus can live for 30 days or more on walls, fences, buckets, rocks, trailers, etc...... It does not have to be transmitted by nose to nose contact or by sneezing!! You can have the virus on you if you have been in contact with an affected horse and then handle another horse. It can be on your jacket, gloves, shoes, etc..... Thats why KEEP YOUR HORSES AT HOME for the next few week, its not the end of the world to do that.

 

[shelia]

http://www.colorado.gov/ag Colorado has 9 and 22 suspect cases California has 18 cases now and have added Sacramento county to the list. Some states have not reported in a few days.

 

[Minimor]

Here is what one British Columbia vet clinic has to say about the EHV-1 outbreak:

My link

To date our Manitoba shows are not affected by this outbreak. Our June show is going ahead as planned; there were no Manitoba cutters at the competition in Ogden, nor are there any Manitoba horses that have had contact with the horses from Ogden. The recent events at our show facility have been filled with local horses only--there have been no entries from any of the affected states or provinces, nor are any of our exhibitors from any of those states/provinces. Exhibitors seem to be comfortable with the safety level of this show.

I personally would be hesitant to haul to a show in any of the affected states/provinces--before I would attend any such show I would do my research and determine just how safe the show facility is--what events have been held there in recent weeks, who the entrants were and where they were from, what is the likelihood that the show could be a source of infection.

 

[rubyviewminis]

This new article today in our local paper just shows how the state offices lag behind information. This is what my vet warned me about.

http://elkodaily.com/news/local/article_5e9a8d40-861c-11e0-8c90-001cc4c03286.html

With all the bleach solution spraying procedures for biosecurity, I was under the impression that bleach has little effect on organic matter. Fairgrounds and arenas and in particular our Horse Palace are very dirty and none used a detergent to clean first with heavy spraying, and THEN use the bleach mix. Or am I wrong?

 

[Flying minis]

This new article today in our local paper just shows how the state offices lag behind information. This is what my vet warned me about.

http://elkodaily.com...1cc4c03286.html

With all the bleach solution spraying procedures for biosecurity, I was under the impression that bleach has little effect on organic matter. Fairgrounds and arenas and in particular our Horse Palace are very dirty and none used a detergent to clean first with heavy spraying, and THEN use the bleach mix. Or am I wrong?

Bleach is excellent to kill viruses. It's used often in labs for that very purpose (I worked in an animal vaccine lab, now in pharmaceuticals). The most common thing used was a bleach / alcohol mixture actually.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Yes bleach is broken down quickly by organic matter. I highly recommend Virkon S (I posted a link to it through Valley Vet earlier in this thread). That's what we used at CSU.

 

[kaykay]

We use nalvasan as it is much better than bleach for using on dirt and areas where there is manure etc

 

[Katiean]

It really gets me that there is such a problem with this outbreak. There is a local farrier school and they will come pick up your horses and bring them back after there feet are done. There is no way I can send my horses off property at this point.

 

[wildoak]

Stall Safe is also an effective disinfectant - "Stall Safe® is a proven virucidal (destroy viruses), antibacterial, and mildewstat (inhibits mildew growth). It is more effective than most chemicals, including bleach, ammonia, iodine, and pine cleaners. Studies have shown that a number of viruses can be killed with regular use of disinfectants such as Stall Safe®." from a website...I've been using it the last year or so at shows and to disinfect foaling stalls. Easier to find than Virkon, most feed stores carry it.

Jan

 

[epetrilli]

Any broad spectrum disinfectant is going to be the most beneficial when dealing with resistant viruses. Virkon-S is a very good product and as posted can be purchased through Valley Vet. We use several stronger lab grade disinfectants within the barns, surgical suites and labs but those are often more difficult to come across. I personally use Accel TB and stand behind it, but others that have already been mentioned Virkon, Novalsan, Lysol Concentrate also work well. Bleach is very short lived and actually can be caustic if inhaled in large quantities so I typically wait at least 30mins before putting horses back into an area sprayed with bleach. Not saying don't use bleach because it is by far better than nothing, but please remember that if you dilute bleach and keep it in a spray bottle you will need to re-stock every 5 days as the effectiveness wears off!!! Bleach has a short half-life.

Also just have to note that for anyone who was not able to get on the webinar through TheHorse.com tonight they are going to post a video link in the upcoming days. It was overall a good presentation with useful information and I applaud everyone involved with putting it together. There were a few "scientific" terms that I did not like how they were explained as I think it will cause confusion, but I am sort of picky. Namely the "mutation" debate... But it will be what it will be and in the end when the study of the outbreak is concluded I hope it is explained in greater detail. What we call a mutation in the lab is very different that the mutant Dr. Morley discussed in seminar. The best part about the information however was that it was stressed and confirmed that the best management of this outbreak is to stay put, not travel in affected areas and use biosecurity measures to keep your animals safe

Prevention is the best medicine in this case!!!

 

[Mominis]

It really gets me that there is such a problem with this outbreak. There is a local farrier school and they will come pick up your horses and bring them back after there feet are done. There is no way I can send my horses off property at this point.

This post made me think about a conversation I had with one of our fellow boarders tonight. One of the local vets that she has been in contact with mentioned that your farrier's shirt is a place where there is often bacteria that can spread diseases like this. I had not even considered that until she and I were discussing this tonight and it came up.

Entries are due on the 27th for the first show we were planning to attend this year. At this point, we are very unsure about going. In fact, I highly doubt that we will. Maybe it's playing it too safe, but better to be safe than sorry.