One barn at Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio, has been released from quarantine, but a possible new case of equine herpesvirus (EHV) is being investigated in another barn, officials said Jan. 8.

The quarantine that began in late December 2010 was lifted from Barn 25, which had been considered low-risk. However, Barn 24 remains under quarantine for the neurologic strain of EHV. So far three horses from that barn have died, officials said.

There could be a new case in Barn 23, said Chris McErlean, vice president of racing for Beulah Park owner Penn National Gaming Inc. A preliminary test was negative for EHV, but Ohio Department of Agriculture veterinarians will perform another test on the horse in question.

EHV is a highly contagious virus that can cause a variety of ailments in horses including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease mostly of young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (the neurologic form, which has been confirmed at Beulah Park and can lead to death)