Eastern Equine Encephalitis

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Lacy Stanford lacy1063@aol.com
EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS, HORSE - USA (CALIFORNIA)
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A ProMED-mail post
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Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 23:07:25 -0400
From: Marjorie P. Pollack <pollackmp@mindspring.com>
Source: The Sacramento Bee, 21 May 2000 [edited]


A 16-month-old show horse has died of eastern equine encephalitis, the first case ever reported west of Texas, Ventura County's public health officer said Friday. The horse had appeared in events in Utah and twice in California, but it was unknown how the mosquito-borne virus infected the horse, said Dr. Robert M. Levin.

"The chances of other horses or humans becoming infected is highly, highly unlikely," Levin said. "...The eastern equine encephalitis virus does not, if ever, stay in the human or horse bloodstream very long. How this horse came down with it is a total mystery."

Levin said he did not know whether the horse was male or female or whether it was born in California. He also said he was not releasing the name of the stable where the horse was kept, but that it and 27 other stablemates had been vaccinated the week before the death with an injection that fights the virus.

A necropsy showed eastern equine encephalitis in the dead horse's brain.

Because there is a small chance the virus can be passed on by a mosquito bite, a flock of "sentinel" chickens was placed across the street from the stable. Fowl usually come down with encephalitis quicker than any other species.

[No evidence of antibody to the virus has been found in blood from these chickens. - Mod.CHC]

Mosquitoes captured about a half-mile away [from where the horse was stabled] also were tested for the potentially deadly virus. Levin said the mosquitoes did not [have the virus].

He suggested all horse owners vaccinate their animals. 

California has seen past infections of western equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis. Both diseases have been nearly absent in California in the past several decades, Levin said.

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