Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced Dec. 6 that the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) in Lexington will host the 2010 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Equestrian Games (WEG). While this is a wonderful opportunity for the KHP and the United States, the arrival of horses from 50 different countries, all with their own endemic diseases and vaccination regimens, means there are implications for animal health. USDA and Kentucky Department of Agriculture veterinary officials collaborated to develop a protocol for measures to safeguard equine competitors against foreign animal diseases for this event.

The WEG, held every four years, will run for two weeks and include the world championships for seven equestrian sports (dressage, show jumping, eventing, reining, driving, vaulting, and endurance). This will be the first time that the WEG will be held outside of Europe. According to Bob Stout, DVM, Kentucky state veterinarian, officials expect 900-1,000 horses to participate in the competitions.

Stout says the main import issue is the potential introduction of diseases such as equi piroplasmosis (EP), which is an infectious, sometimes fatal, tick-borne disease caused by one of two protozoal parasites, Babesia equi or B. caballi. These parasites attack and destroy red blood cells in horses. Horses that recover may remain carriers of the disease, with no outward clinical signs. Piroplasmosis is found in nearly every country in the world except the United States, Canada, Australia, England, Ireland, Japan, and Iceland. More information on piroplasmosis: www.TheHorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=5377.

“The competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) test will be the official test for piroplasmosis for the WEG,” Stout noted. According to The American Horse Council, the cELISA test replaced the complement fixation test in late 2004, but the USDA switched back to the former in December 2004 because of technical problems at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory where the test was run, which resulted in numerous false positives. According to a 2005 risk assessment prepared by the USDA’s Equine Event Piroplasmosis Evaluation Group (EEPEG), the cELISA test is more sensitive and can better detect the carrier status of horses. Following adjustments, cELISA was reinstituted again in August 2005 with a 98% accuracy rate