By
Dr. Tom Ray, director of livestock health programs
NCDA&CS Veterinary Division
RALEIGH — North Carolina has joined a growing list of states with cases of equine piroplasmosis, an animal disease the U.S. was free of for 20 years, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced today.
Tests of blood samples submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the presence of EP in 11 horses in four locations. North Carolina joins 19 other states that have identified cases of the disease in the past two years.
State veterinary authorities immediately quarantined the premises where the horses resided. The quarantine means that no horses can be moved from these locations.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is conducting an investigation to determine the source of the disease and whether it has spread beyond the locations where the infected animals were housed.
“Horse owners and others in the equine industry in North Carolina should monitor their horses carefully and contact their veterinarian if they suspect this disease,” Troxler said. “Because the U.S. has been free of this disease for two decades, by law suspected cases must be reported to the State Veterinarian’s Office.”
With the exception of the quarantined premises, there are no EP-related movement restrictions on horses within North Carolina or between North Carolina and other states.State Veterinarian David Marshall has implemented regulations under which horses from states known to contain EP-infected horses could be imported to North Carolina. The regulations are designed to minimize the possibility of more infected horses entering the state.
Source : North Carolina Department of Agriculture