Equine Infectious Anemia: How to Avoid Spreading It
Transmission of disease agents from humans to animals and vice versa is a major item in the news today as the majority of “new diseases” in humans are known to arise by transmission from animal reservoirs. But of equal importance, especially with respect to equine infectious anemia (EIA), is the risk that humans pose for transmitting blood-borne infections to the horse, such as in recent experiences where humans were implicated as the major vectors of EIA virus. These experiences prompt us to review human interactions with the horse and to urge adoption of methods to minimize the risks our actions present.
The major risk with people and EIA virus is contamination of man and/or materials and transfer of infected blood to a second horse.
When collecting a blood sample, owners and veterinarians need to consider three major factors:
- Protecting the horse from surface contaminants;
- Protecting the horse from the collector; and
- Choosing equipment to minimize risk
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Written by:
C.J Issel, DVM, PhD, and Timothy R. Cordes, DVM
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