Livestock Board quarantines facility following case of equine disease

FOR RELEASE:

March 18, 2016

MEDIA CONTACT:

Katie Goetz

New Mexico Department of Agriculture

575-646-2804 office

Livestock Board quarantines facility following case of equine disease

Equine piroplasmosis affects only horses; unrelated to recent EHV-1 outbreak

(SUNLAND PARK, N.M.) – A private racehorse-training facility in southern New Mexico is under quarantine after a single horse there was confirmed to have a parasitic disease.

The New Mexico Livestock Board imposed the quarantine -- no horses in, no horses out -- at Jovi Training Stables late Friday after one horse there was confirmed to have equine piroplasmosis (EP).  EP is a bloodborne disease transmitted by ticks, or mechanically via improperly sanitized syringes and the like.  Mild forms of EP can appear as weakness and lack of appetite.  More severe signs include fever, anemia, weight loss, swelling of the limbs, and labored breathing.  Death may occur in some cases.

Humans cannot get equine piroplasmosis.  The disease is also unrelated to equine herpesvirus (EHV-1), which recently affected Jovi Training Facilities and other tracks and training facilities in the area.

“It is important to keep in mind that equine piroplasmosis is nowhere near as transmissible as EHV-1,” said Bill Bunce, the executive director of the New Mexico Livestock Board.  “Compared to the EHV-1 outbreak, we are looking at a vastly different scenario here."

Because tick-spread diseases are very uncommon in the dry climate of southern New Mexico, Bunce said "the chances are very good that we are looking at an isolated case."

"To ensure the disease is not widespread and to prevent further risk to the racing industry, we will be completing all regulatory testing and surveillance steps," Bunce added.  "That's in addition to the quarantine that prevents horses from entering or leaving Jovi -- meaning that during the quarantine period, no horses from Jovi will be admitted at Sunland Park Racetrack.”

EP is not considered endemic in the United States, but surveillance of the disease has increased in tandem with the increasingly international nature of horseracing.  As such, the New Mexico Racing Commission requires that quarterhorses at sanctioned racetracks in New Mexico be tested for EP once every two years.

Racehorse owners who have had horses at Jovi recently are advised to contact their veterinarian for medical questions and to contact the Livestock Board for quarantine questions.

###

Confidentiality Notice: New Mexico has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from state employees are public records. Your e-mail communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure. This e-mail, including all attachments is for the sole use of the intended recipients. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited unless specifically provided under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act.


Confidentiality Notice: New Mexico has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from state employees are public records. Your e-mail communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure. This e-mail, including all attachments is for the sole use of the intended recipients. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited unless specifically provided under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act.