Horse Health Alert: Equine Piroplasmosis Found in Two New Jersey Horses

The following announcement is from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Equine Piroplasmosis is a contagious and very serious disease that can affect not only the horses that become infected but all horses in the state because of quarantines and interstate and international transport restrictions. If you live in the Northeast, please pay attention to this situation.


New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today asked veterinarians and horse owners to watch their horses, donkeys and mules for signs of Equine Piroplasmosis, a disease transmitted to the animals by ticks and from horse to horse by contaminated needles.

Once infected, an equine can take seven to 22 days to show signs of the illness. Symptoms include: fever, anemia, jaundiced mucous membranes, swollen abdomens, and labored breathing. Infected horses also may have roughened hair coats, constipation, and colic. In milder form, the disease can cause equine to appear weak and show lack of appetite.

Equine Piroplasmosis is a reportable disease; therefore, anyone with knowledge of the existence or suspected existence of the disease must report this information to the Department of Agriculture within 48 hours at (609) 292-3965.

At this time, two of four New Jersey horses purchased from an infected herd in Texas in 2008 have tested positive for the disease. Additional testing on the imported horses and contact horses is underway. Quarantines have been placed on the affected premises and precautions implemented to prevent the spread of this disease to other horses.

Equine Piroplasmosis Confirmed in Ireland

by Fran Jurga | 9 September 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com


This statement has been published by the Irish government after a highly unusual disease situation was discovered on a Thoroughbred stud farm there:

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has today confirmed the occurrence of Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) in a number of Thoroughbred horses in an equine facility in county Meath.

Piroplasmosis is a tick-borne protozoan disease of horses, mules, donkeys and zebra. It is caused by blood parasites - Theleria equi and Babesia caballi and gives rise to anaemia and jaundice in affected animals. The disease is not readily contagious and has no Zoonotic implications and therefore no public health concerns arise.

A notifiable disease in Ireland since July 2009, it has not been officially reported in this country before although it is understood that a previous incursion did take place. The disease is present in Mediterranean countries but is not present in the US, Canada, the UK or Australia.

The facility in question has been served with a movement restriction notice and epidemiological investigations are underway to establish the origin of the disease and the extent of the spread, if any, to other locations.

The Department has been in contact with industry representatives who have been informed of the situation. A meeting with industry representatives has been arranged to discuss the implications for animal movement and the measures appropriate to address the threat posed by the disease.

(end of statement)

Note: the statement contains an error. EP has been found in the United States, this year in Missouri and last year in Florida. EP is a highly-feared disease and is often the reason why horses from certain Mediterranean countries cannot be directly imported into other countries. EP is also a deciding factor is where major competitions are held, since many people fear that an outbreak would possibly strand horses in a country for quarantine reasons, or infect them directly.

EP in Ireland is particularly chilling because the island nation is a huge exporter of horses. Flat and jump racing horses from Ireland routinely get on ferries and travel to England, Scotland or even France to race, especially during the winter months, and foxhunting in Ireland is a tourist season in and of itself. The most high-profile Thoroughbred trainer in Europe, Aidan O'Brien, is headquartered at Ballydoyle near Tipperary and travels from there to race all over the world.

As the world shrinks, equine diseases are becoming global, not local. EP in Ireland? A sign of the times, and not a good one.

FBI and State Officials Seek Horses Removed from Quarantine After Testing Positive for Disease in Missouri

The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced on Friday that two quarantined horses that tested positive for equine piroplasmosis are missing from a Raytown, Missouri equine center, located in Jackson County. Equine piroplasmosis is a bloodborne disease only transmitted to horses by ticks and mechanically from animal to animal by contaminated needles. Humans are at no risk of being affected by this disease.

On June 4, the Department of Agriculture was notified of a piroplasmosis-positive horse and immediately took action by placing a quarantine on the Raytown Equine Center; all of the horses at the facility were put on 24-hour surveillance. The quarantine, enacted by the Missouri State Veterinarian, was put in place to prevent movement of any horses from the equine center. Two horses were illegally removed from the premises Wednesday night, when locks were cut from building doors and stalls. These horses are micro-chipped.

The Department is working with local, county and state officials as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation to locate the horses.

Seven horses tested positive for equine piroplasmosis on June 9. Thursday, with consent of the horse's owners, five piroplasmosis-positive horses were euthanized. An equine piroplasmosis-infected horse will show symptoms in mild forms such as weakness and lack of appetite. More acute cases include fever, anemia, jaundice, a swollen abdomen and labored breathing. Horses that survive the acute phase of infection may continue to carry the parasites for long periods of time. There is no cure for equine piroplasmosis.

For more information, please contact the Missouri Department of Agriculture at (573) 751-3377, which supplied the information for this blog post through its Missouri Ag Connection network.