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The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has confirmed the state’s first West Nile Virus (WNV) positive horse for 2003.
A serum sample was submitted to VDACS’ Ivor Regional Animal Health Laboratory and reported positive by the Warrenton Regional Animal Health Laboratory last week.
The horse, a 28-year-old mixed breed gelding from Virginia Beach showed clinical symptoms including weakness in the rear limbs and difficulty standing. The horse, which had been vaccinated once for WNV, has been euthanized due to its condition.
West Nile Virus first appeared in the United States in 1999 in New York City. In 2002, there were 49 cases of clinical WNV infection reported in horses in Virginia.
The virus usually lives in wild birds of many different species. Mosquitoes transmit it from bird to bird. Occasionally a mosquito that has bitten an infected bird will then bite a human, horse, or other mammal and transmit the virus to them. Transmission between horses and humans is extremely unlikely.
Currently, no drugs exist to eliminate WNV in horses or humans. Treatment for an infected horse consists of antiinflammatory drugs and supportive therapy to prevent the animal from injuring itself throughout the two to three weeks of the disease. Approximately 30-40 percent of the affected horses will die or be euthanized due to the severity of their disease. A veterinarian can prescribe treatment tailored
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