Additional Equine WNV, EEE Cases Reported in Texas

Seven horses have tested positive for WNV and seven others were confirmed positive for EEE.
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Since July 3, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) has reported multiple positive cases of West Nile virus (WNV) and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in horses located across that state.

Heavy rains this spring created an ideal breeding environment for mosquitoes, the transmission vector for both WNV and EEE. From the Gulf Coast to the panhandle, horses are susceptible to these two potentially fatal neurologic diseases in all parts of the state.

West Nile is a viral disease that normally cycles between wild birds and mosquitoes. As the virus infection rate increases in birds it is more likely to be spread to mosquitos that, in turn, bite horses and humans (which are dead end hosts). No horse, regardless of age, is immune to WNV infection.

The virus attacks the central nervous system and, in the United States, clinical signs develop in 10 to 39% of infected horses. Clinical signs of WNV can include depression, ataxia (incoordination), lameness, partial paralysis, muscle twitching, or recumbency (inability to rise). Horses can may also exhibit an altered mental state, a reduced appetite, teeth grinding, blindness, or a fever. The mortality rate among U.S. horses ranges from 30 to 40%

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