Quote:

 

RAYTOWN, Mo. -- State agriculture officials have issued a quarantine order for the Raytown Equestrian Park.

A horse stabled at the facility in the 9400 block of Raytown Road was found to have a potentially fatal disease, officials said.

A 7-year-old quarter horse tested positive for equine piroplasmosis. The infected horse was admitted to a Kansas animal hospital earlier this month.

On June 6, the Raytown facility where the horse was stabled was quarantined. On June 9, other horses there were examined. One day later, the original horse was confirmed to have the disease.

Equine piroplasmosis is an infectious tick-borne disease that can cause fever, weight loss and even death in horses. It spreads mainly through ticks, but can also be spread if a trainer uses a dirty needle. It is of no danger to humans, officials said.

The Raytown facility holds more than 60 horses. All are being tested. Missouri state agriculture officials will visit Tuesday to investigate.

In the meantime, no horses may come or go from this facility.

Quote:

 

State and federal authorities today are looking for two horses that were illegally taken overnight from a Raytown stables under quarantine for a blood-borne disease.

Someone cut padlocks that had been placed on the doors and stalls at the Raytown Equestrian Park stables Wednesday night and removed two of seven horses that tested positive for the disease. Usually transmitted by ticks, the disease is called equine piroplasmosis and there is no cure. It is not transmittable to humans.

The five other horses that tested positive were euthanized today.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture is working with local officials and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to locate the other two horses, which are microchipped.

Quote:

 

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is caused by the protozoan parasites Theileria equi (formerly Babesia equi) and Babesia caballi.

Quote:

 

Infections with B. caballi are generally less severe, because a smaller number of erythrocytes are infected and destroyed. Clinical signs are nonspecific, and include poor appetite, reduced or poor performance, and weight loss. Infection can persist for 1 to 4 years. Horses infected with B. caballi may spontaneously clear the organism after 12 to 42 months.

Theileria equi results in more severe infection and disease, resulting in the destruction of up to 20% of the horse's erythrocytes. Some affected horses die within 24 to 48 hours of onset of clinical signs. Affected horses may be febrile. Anemia, increased respiratory rate, and increased heart rate are related to the decrease in the number of circulating red blood cells and the associated reduction in oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Icterus (jaundice) and red-tinged urine develop due to release of free hemoglobin into the blood from ruptured red blood cells. If sufficient amounts of free hemoglobin are present in the bloodstream or if a sufficient number of erythrocyte aggregates accumulate, kidney damage and subsequent failure can result. Because it is the primary organ involved in removing damaged red blood cells, the spleen is usually enlarged. Colic associated with impaction or diarrhea may be observed. Edema of the limbs may develop as a result of leakage of fluid into tissue spaces. Petechial hemorrhages on the mucous membranes and hind end weakness may also be observed. Spontaneous clearance of T. equi organisms does not appear to occur.

Quote:

 

Treatment
EP is a reportable disease. State or federal animal health officials should be immediately notified if EP is suspected.

In endemic regions, treatment via medication is instituted in affected horses. Diminazene diaceturate, phenamidine isethionate, and amicarbalide diisethionate are effective in eliminating clinical signs of B. caballi infection.

Buparvaquone and other antitheilericidal drugs demonstrate some efficacy against T. equi, and may eliminate the parasite when combined with imidocarb. Theileria equi is more refractory to treatment than B. caballi, and higher dosages of imidocarb are required. The drug has a narrow range of safety, and dosages required for effective treatment of T. equi approach toxic dosages. Imidocarb appears to induce toxicosis and death more readily in donkeys.

Quote:

 

Morbidity and mortality
The case fatality rate (the number of affected horses that die from the disease) may approach 50% for susceptible animals, and is highest for horses infected with T. equi.

Quote:

 

No vaccine is available. The continued presence of organisms in an infected horse confers a level of active immunity from acute disease (premunition); however, once the organisms are eliminated, the horse can readily become reinfected.

Quote:

 

All 64 horses at the Raytown stable had been quarantined since June 6.

The origin of the infection is unknown.

Equine piroplasmosis was officially eradicated from the U.S. in the 1980s. But there was an outbreak last year in Florida that resulted in 20 horses being euthanized. According to a report on TheHorse.com, an equine health care site, investigators determined that the diseased horses in Florida were closely linked to two horses that entered the state from Mexico.

Quote:

 

The FBI has joined the hunt for two horses sprung from a barn under quarantine after the discovery of the notifiable disease, equine piroplasmosis.

Five horses at the Jackson County, Missouri, stable had already been euthanized because they had the blood-borne disease.

Quote:

 

Agriculture officials confirmed that five of the seven horses that tested positive for the disease had been euthanized with the owners' consent.

Quote:

 

It is believed the two other horses, which had also tested positive, were taken to avoid the same fate.

Quote:

 

"Although this disease is not easily transmittable and does not affect humans, it is a disease that, through ticks and contaminated needles, can have a great impact on our horse industry.

Quote:

 

Transmission of the organism is believed to have resulted from management practices (use of share needles to medicate the horse) and not by natural tick vectors

msequine

Saturday, 20. June 2009, 16:19

I found the report that USDA sent to OIE. Here's the link:

http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=8173

Looks like it was caused by the Theileria equi parasite.

Looks like I was wrong about the owners being responsible horse owners. Get this:

Quote:

 

Transmission of the organism is believed to have resulted from management practices (use of share needles to medicate the horse) and not by natural tick vectors

WldHrtRnch

Sunday, 21. June 2009, 09:32

msequine

Saturday, 20. June 2009, 16:19

Looks like I was wrong about the owners being responsible horse owners. Get this:

Quote:

 

Transmission of the organism is believed to have resulted from management practices (use of share needles to medicate the horse) and not by natural tick vectors

This should read "poor" or "careless" or "irresponsible" management practices!!

msequine

Sunday, 21. June 2009, 10:28

WldHrtRnch

Sunday, 21. June 2009, 09:32

msequine

Saturday, 20. June 2009, 16:19

Looks like I was wrong about the owners being responsible horse owners. Get this:

Quote:

 

Transmission of the organism is believed to have resulted from management practices (use of share needles to medicate the horse) and not by natural tick vectors

This should read "poor" or "careless" or "irresponsible" management practices!!

AGREED!! How stupid do you have to be to share needles?

Maybe I'm overly cautious, but I even have separate grooming brushes, etc., for each horse even though they all live here together. The above just makes me cringe.

Quote:

 

For World Equestrian Games, leave the dogs at home

If there's any constant to horse competitions besides the horses, it's the dogs. Big dogs, little dogs, dogs riding in golf carts, running through stables, on the cross-country course and beside the ring, on leashes and off.

But when the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games take over the Kentucky Horse Park from Sept 25 to Oct. 10, no dogs will be allowed. Not one. No matter how cute. Not for competitors, trainers, riders, organizers or spectators.

It's a temporary sea change for the Horse Park, where at some events, it seems as if there are as many dogs as horses.

The main reason is ticks. Dogs carry them, and ticks carry one of the most dreaded equine diseases there is, equine piroplasmosis, which causes jaundice, fever and anemia. It's fatal about 20 percent of the time, and no vaccine exists.

The prohibition on dogs is a U.S. Department of Agriculture requirement with a precedent, officials say. The 2006 World Games in Aachen, Germany, also banned dogs.

The second reason is safety. Officials expect as many as 40,000 people a day at the Horse Park for the 2010 games, and dogs are one more element that could add to the pandemonium.

Quote:

 

A quarantine for WEG horses will be in a Cincinnati parking lot

Next fall, the people who pull into the back of the long-term parking lot at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport will see an unfamiliar sight — a huge complex of covered stables stretching across the blacktop.

As many as 600 horses will be in the stables, having flown from their home countries to temporary quarantine facilities at the airport. They are required to stay for at least 42 hours before completing the journey in horse vans to the Kentucky Horse Park for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

The 42-hour stay allows for blood to be taken, shipped to the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, and tested for several contagious diseases. Once the horses are cleared, they will be put on a horse van and driven to the Horse Park.

. . .

The quarantine is aimed at blocking the transmission of several dangerous equine diseases, including:

...

Equine piroplasmosis, caused by tick-borne protozoa. It causes jaundice, fever and anemia. It is fatal about 20 percent of the time; no vaccine exists, but it can sometimes be treated.

Quote:

 

The two horses removed from piroplasmosis quarantine in Missouri on June 17 had not been located as of June 30, said Tim Cordes, DVM, senior USDA staff veterinarian for Equine Programs and national coordinator for Equine Diseases. Multiple agencies, including the USDA, Missouri Department of Agriculture, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are involved in the search.

Quote:

 

Misti Preston, public information administrator with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, described the horses as bay Quarter Horse geldings. One had a star and one had a blaze. The horses are microchipped. No other information was available.

Quote:

 

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was shocked by the horse theft.

"The owners would not have done it. They would not have risked it," she said. But she said there are a lot of animal lovers who would do it to save two animals if they could.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture is working with local authorities and the FBI to locate the missing horses.

The disease does not affect humans, officials said. But they are concerned because it can affect the horse industry. The disease, which can make horses very weak, has no cure.

The woman who stables her horses at the park said she worries that the two stolen horses are now putting others in jeopordy. She said she doesn't want the disease to be spread further.

Quote:

 

Medical Sharps Disposal from Livestock Operations
This NebGuide explains how to properly dispose of medical sharps (hypodermic needles and scalpel blades) for livestock operations. Understanding this is critical for employee safety and environmental stewardship.

Quote:

 

How do you dispose of your needles? Do you own a legal sharps container? How do you dispose of your hypodermic needles and possibly those scalpel blades that you occasionally use at your horse operation? Many horse owners give their own vaccinations or inject various antibiotics, analgesics, pain killers or relaxants to their own horses on an occasional or regular schedule.

There is only one right answer to this question: a very inexpensive bright red “Sharps Container”. These can be purchased from any number of sources including equine first aid companies, veterinary supply catalogs, and of course, your local veterinarian; you might even be able to purchase one from your local medical clinic or hospital. A small one quart sharps containers can be purchased for under $4.

Quote:

 

A third horse that tested positive for equine piroplasmosis was illegally removed from quarantine in June, stated a report issued to the World Organization for Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties, or OIE) by John Clifford, DVM, deputy administrator of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

...

On June 17, someone removed two bay Quarter Horses that had been confirmed positive for causative organism Theileria equi from the Raytown quarantine. These horses have not been located (read more). Another five horses were euthanized June 18 with their owners' consent.

According to the June 26 OIE statement, a third positive horse was also illegally removed from quarantine in Kansas. A spokesman for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said the Kansas horse was a gray mare that had originated from the Raytown premises.

Quote:

 

Equine piroplasmosis has been a notifiable disease in Ireland since July 2009.

It has not been officially reported in Ireland before, although it is understood that a previous incursion did take place. The disease is present in Mediterranean countries.

A small outbreak in Florida last year represented the first cases of the disease in that country in 20 years. It is thought the disease arrived in a horse from Mexico. Another case was reported in the US, in a quarter horse in Missouri, in June.

While equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease, it can also be spread by contaminated needles.

Quote:

 

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=14918
Missouri Equine Piroplasmosis Outbreak 'Resolved' in OIE Report
A Sept. 15 report on the cases of equine piroplasmosis earlier this year in Missouri and Kansas declares the outbreak resolved. Three positive horses that were removed from quarantine remain missing.

...

On June 17, someone removed two bay Quarter Horses that had been confirmed positive for causative organism Theileria equi from the Raytown quarantine. As of Sept. 15, these horses have not been located. Another five positive horses there were euthanized June 18 with their owners' consent.

A June 26 World Organization for Animal Health (or OIE) statement noted a third positive horse was also illegally removed from quarantine in Kansas. A spokesman for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said the Kansas horse was a gray mare that had originated from the Raytown premises.

Quote:

 

The new OIE report by John Clifford, DVM, deputy administrator of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, cited needle sharing resulting in the transfer of whole blood between horses as the route of transmission of the disease. Tick surveillance performed on the index premises uncovered four ticks, which were submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory. The lab determined the ticks found were not competent vectors for the causative organism.

Quote:

 

"The investigation into the illegal removal of the horses from the index premises continues to be conducted by law enforcement agencies.

Quote:

 

Non-substantiated accounts indicate that the illegally removed horses have been illegally transported out of country," the report noted.

Quote:

 

"All epidemiological investigations of this event have been concluded and, unless new law enforcement information is uncovered, this equine piroplasmosis event is considered closed."

Quote:

 

A tick-borne disease known as equine piroplasmosis has been confirmed on a ranch in South Texas. Additional testing is being conducted to determine the extent of infection. Horses on the ranch are quarantined to their premises, and a thorough disease investigation is under way.

Quote:

 

“Although equine piroplasmosis is not considered to be endemic in the U.S., cases have been detected on occasion,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, Texas’ state veterinarian and head of the Texas Animal Health Commission, the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. “In June, equine piroplasmosis was detected in Missouri, with a related case found in Kansas. In 2008, the infection was detected in Florida. These cases have been closed.”

“As many as 15 tick species are capable of carrying and transmitting the blood parasite responsible for causing equine piroplasmosis,” Dr. Hillman explained. “At this time, we do not know which species of tick is responsible for transmitting infection on the South Texas ranch. Additional blood and tick samples are being collected and will be submitted for analysis to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.”