b'Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRY EHV/EHM 101the magazine A ttention horse owners.SIGNS OF EHVMike Barna There has been aAfter infection, the incubation period may be as report of EHV-1short as 24 hours, it is typically four to six days, Publisher in Arizona. One horse at Turfbut can be longer. EHV-1 ArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com Paradise recently tested positivetypically causes a two-and there were a total of 36phase fever peaking on Erika Smith Royal horses exposed there.day one or two and again on day six or seven. With Editor EHV stands for Equinerespiratory infections there erika963realcountry@gmail.com Herpesvirus. There are 9 differentis often substantial nasal EHVs that have been identified.and ocular discharge, but Misty Voitovski EHV-1 is the type that causesnot a lot of coughing. There neurologic disease. EHV-1 canmay be some persistent Creative Director also cause respiratory disease,enlargement of the lymph abortion, and neonatal death.nodes under the jaw. Contributing Writers EHV-4 most commonly causes Lee AndersonBob Boze Bell respiratory disease and is veryWHAT IS EHM?uncommonly associated withEquine Herpesvirus Bridgette CrosbyPete Floresabortion or neurologic disease.Myeloencephalopathy Cameron GrahamMadison Graham Almost all horses have been(EHM) is the neurologic infected with EHV-1 by twoform of herpes. EHM Justin LeglerBetsy Lemaireyears of age and have no seriouscases may occur as Naomi LoomisDodge Marshall clinical effects. Once a horse isone isolated case or as infected, the virus can becomeEHV-1 typically causes aan outbreak affecting Randy MillerJim & Bobbi Jeen Olson inactive in the body resulting inmultiple exposed horses. a carrier state with no externaltwo-phase fever peaking onOutbreaks of EHM may Bill RobertsAlan Rockman signs of disease. The latent virusday one or two and againor may not be associated John SamsillMichele Wilson can be reactivated during timeswith an EHV-associated of stress, such as with long- on day six or seven. Withrespiratory outbreak. distance travel or strenuousrespiratory infections thereWith the neurologic 801 W. Wickenburg Way exercise. Current estimates areform, there are typically that at least 60% of horses haveis often substantial nasalminimal respiratory signs, Wickenburg, AZ 85390 a latent EHV-1 infection. It isand ocular discharge, butwith a fever greater than currently unknown what causes101.5 degrees F being the (602) 254-6644 some infected horses to developnot a lot of coughing. only warning sign. The the serious neurological formsneurologic disease appears ArizonaRealCountry.com associated with EHV1 that may be fatal. suddenly and is usually rapidly progressing, reaching its peak intensity in 24 to 48 hours from SPREADING EHV the onset of initial neurologic signs. Clinical Herpesvirus is primarily spread by direct horse- signs of the neurologic disease may include nasal to-horse contact by the transfer of respiratorydischarge, incoordination, hind limb weakness, secretions like nasal discharge. It is not knownloss of tail tone, lethargy, urine dribbling, head tilt, exactly how far the aerosolized virus can spread,leaning against a fence or wall to maintain balance Follow Arizona Realbut 30 yards is typically considered the maximaland an inability to risedistance EHV-infected droplets can travel after Country for news, events,a cough or sneeze. The virus can also be spreadDIAGNOSING EHMgiveaways and more! by contaminated hands, clothing, buckets, tack,EHV can cause inflammation of the blood vessels grooming equipment, feed, and trailers. The virussupplying the spinal cord and brain. Neurologic can survive up to seven days in the environmentsigns result from that inflammation and small Arizona Real Country is owned andunder normal circumstances but can remainblood clots that affect the nervous tissue. During published by Barna Broadcastingalive for a maximum of one month under perfectan outbreak of EHM, usually, only 10% of environmental conditions. The most importantinfected horses develop neurologic signs, but this LLC. No person, organization or partymeasure is to clean equipment and horse housingproportion is occasionally much higher. It is still can copy or reproduce the contentareas. Cleaning allows for the removal of organicnot fully understood why some horses get EHM on our website and/or magazine ormaterial which makes the disinfectants moreand others dont, but it is likely a combination of any part of this publication withouteffective. After cleaning the surface, follow with afactors specific to that individual horse and to the a written consent from the editorsdisinfection process. The virus is easily killed bystrain of EHV infecting it.panel and the author of the content, asmost disinfectants. It is also important to perform applicable. The publisher, authors andhand hygiene by washing hands with soap andHorses with a fever and neurologic signs should be contributors reserve their rights withdrying thoroughly or using an alcohol-based handtested by your veterinarian. Currently recommended regards to copyright of their work. sanitizer when moving between horses. Washingtesting consists of a nasal swab and blood sample to clothing in hot water with detergent and drying itdetect the virus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a dryer is adequate to kill the virus. which detects the DNA of the virus. Both samples continued on page 6ArizonaRealCountry.com April 2023 5'