Several regions of the United Kingdom have been fighting the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). At least 12 horses have been euthanized due to advanced neurologic deterioration resulting from infection. According to the British Horse Society (BHS), there are currently no horse movement restrictions imposed by the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as a result of the outbreak, but officials are recommending that horse owners exercise caution in transporting horses.

United States veterinarians have had their own struggle with neurologic EHV-1, when the virus hit animals in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia early this year. The EHV-1 organism can cause three different forms of disease, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease often affecting young horses), abortions in pregnant mares, and neurologic disease. There are at least seven other strains of equine herpesviruses. Horses can survive the neurologic form of EHV-1 with supportive care, but if a horse becomes recumbent (stays down), it is difficult to nurse the horse back to health. Clinical signs of the U.K. cases have included hindlimb stiffness and a reluctance to move, hindlimb ataxia (incoordination), bladder paralysis or urine dribbling, and reduced tail tone. Signs in severe cases progressed to include frontlimb stiffness, ataxia, and recumbency. Some of the cases were preceded by pyrexia, or fever