Infectious diseases

IN THIS SERIES, WE’RE COVERING DISEASES THAT CAN AFFECT THE EQUINE POPULATION; HOW TO SPOT THEM, MEASURES TO TAKE TO PROTECT HORSES IN YOUR CARE, AND HOW TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION. IN PART FOUR WE TALK ABOUT EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANAEMIA (EIA).

Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) is a potentially fatal blood-borne infectuious viral disease - also known as swamp fever.

is a noti able disease in t e ic eans t at a et ust notify t e o ern ent if t is disease is found lt oug not necessarily fatal, recovered animals become carriers and can infect ot ers t can be trans itted by ec anical transfer of blood by biting insects usually in ol ing orse fl ies abanids and occurs ty ically in lo lying swampy areas.

It can also be spread by contaminated blood products and equipment, from mare to foal ia t e lacenta or rarely ia irus contaminated colostrum or milk to newborn foals or via semen. ere are t o for s e acute for can s o out ard signs of fe er de ression increased eart rate and res iratory rate ae orr aging bloody diarr oea loss of co-ordination, poor performance, ataxia, ra id eig t loss s in s elling and aundice isease ay be fatal it in days it no sign of anaemia. e c ronic for of ay be c aracterised by recurring bouts of fe er de ression anae ia ea ness or eig t loss inters ersed it eriods of nor ality ub clinically infected orses ay not s o any clinical signs of disease e incubation eriod is usually one to t ree ee s but can range fro a fe days to a fe ont s

e disease is found orld ide n uro e as been re orted in rance reland er any reece and a ears to be ende ic in o ania and increasingly co on in taly lt oug it s ery rare t ere a e been cases of in reat ritain o e er t ese cases are all t oug t to a e occurred in orses i orted to ritain after infection rat er t an t e disease being contracted ere In order for an outbreak to be successfully contained it ust be identi ed uic ly or t is reason all orse o ners s ould fa iliarise t e sel es it and its signs

ere s no accine a ailable

aboratory diagnosis is essential all your et it out delay etectable antibodies are usually present in blood 7-14 days after infection and re ain resent for t e rest of t e orse s life iagnosis s ould be by eans of t e oggins test t e only test recognised o cially for t e ur ose of international o e ent of orses

to all o e ent of orses on and o t e re ises see eterinary ad ice isolate t e orse any directions gi en by t e ni al and lant ealt gency ust be follo ed including i le entation of insect control treat t e orse s as ad ised by et

ABOVE: SEEK VETERINARY ADVICE IF YOU THINK A HORSE ON YOUR YARD MAY HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH EIA AS IT IS EASILY SPREAD, EVEN BY RECOVERED HORSES.

eterinary e ui ent ust be eit er destroyed after use or appropriately sterilised; inform o ners of orses at or due to arri e at t e re ises infor o ners of orses ic a e recently left t e re ises i le ent strict ygiene and biosecurity easures t e irus can survive in blood, faeces and tissue so all suc aterial ust be re o ed and destroyed orses t at a e co e into contact it an infected orse or a orse ic is sus ected of being infected ust be uarantined for a ini u of days ost ex osure lood testing ust be re eated as directed until freedo fro disease is con r ed

All horses travelling abroad to the EU will need an EIA blood test. For temporary exports (horses leaving the UK for less than 90 days) for international competition, this test needs to happen within 90 days of travel. For permanent export, this blood test needs to happen within 30 days of travel. All stallions will also need an EVA blood test (Equine Viral Arteritis). This needs to be completed within 21 days of travel unless the stallion is routinely vaccinated against EVA.

These tests need to be completed in good time to allow for the test results to be sent by your vets to the laboratory. The EIA tests usually take seven working days from receipt of sample for the results to be returned to the vets. The EVA tests usually take 12 working days.

For more information on travelling horses to the EU please visit www.gov.uk/