A barn in Fair Grounds’ stable area is under a Louisiana State Racing
Commission quarantine after test results confirmed that a horse in that barn was
infected with equine herpes virus (EHV1). Officials have ordered biosecurity
measures in place in Barn 4, which houses horses trained by Dallas Stewart and
Neil Howard.
The
quarantine of that barn was ordered after a horse trained by Stewart
displayed symptoms of equine herpes on Tuesday. That horse was transported
immediately from Fair Grounds and is now under observation at Rood and Riddle
Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where the diagnosis was confirmed on
Wednesday.
The quarantine order affects 44 horses in Stewart’s section of the barn and 27
horses under Howard’s care.
“The horse is doing well in Kentucky and starting to show some improvement,”
said Tom V. David D.V.M., equine medical director for the Louisiana State Racing
Commission. “We remain
cautious because we still do not have enough information. Until we get more test
results on the horses in that barn, we don’t know the total extent.”
Dr. David said the implementation of the quarantine and its associated
biosecurity measures was ordered in an effort to contain and isolate any
possible EHV1 cases to that barn and prevent any spread of the virus among the
horse population at Fair Grounds.
Symptoms of equine herpes virus most commonly include fever and an upper
respiratory infection. The symptoms can also include lethargy, loss of
appetite, a nasal discharge and a cough. In severe cases, horses can
suffer a loss of coordination and an inability to stand and the illness can be
fatal.
The disease is a virus, so it can be spread through the air when a horse coughs
— although studies on the virus indicate that it is very short-lived and is
susceptible to disinfectants. The maximum extent of the airborne
transmission of the virus is thought to 35 feet. Horses may also contract
the disease if they come in contact with the clothing of a person who has worked
with an infected horse, the tack and equipment worn by an infected horse, or a
shared food and water source.
The recommended quarantine period for the disease, which poses no danger to
humans, is generally up to 21 days after potential
exposure to the virus. The incubation period ranges from
two to 10 days. Under the quarantine order, horses may not be moved in or
out of those barns until state agriculture officials clear them to do so.
The quarantine is not expected to have a negative impact on Fair Grounds’
season, which began November 14 and continues through March 29, as horses will
continue to be permitted to ship in and out of the track to race.
To accommodate the quarantined horses, training hours have been changed
effective Saturday. Regular training hours will be 30 minutes earlier, from
5:30-9:30 a.m. (CST), with a renovation break from 7:30-8 a.m. Horses from Stewart and
Howard’s stables will be allowed to train from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Additional biosecurity measures have been put in place to guard against the
introduction of the virus to the track’s horse population. Those
procedures include:
— Increased scrutiny
of horses that arrive and depart from Fair Grounds’ barn area, with certificates
of veterinary inspection required for all horses that enter the stable area;
— A requirement that
horses that ship in to compete be allowed only into the track’s Receiving Barn;
— Nightly
disinfectant procedures in the Receiving Barn;
— Daily disinfectant
procedures on the starting gate;
— The track’s horse
identifier and starting gate crew will be required to use latex gloves and
follow other recommended disinfectant procedures for their work areas, equipment
and practices;
— And daily
disinfectant procedures in the paddock following the conclusion of each day’s
racing