Equine researchers at Colorado State University’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital are developing a faster and simpler test to determine a horse’s exposure level to strangles. Currently, tests exist only for horses with active signs of disease.

The test method is an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) test, which would provide veterinarians with a tool to quickly and easily determine a horse’s exposure level by assessing the animal’s blood antibody titer. If an animal has been exposed, either through illness or vaccination, the body’s natural response is to form circulating antibodies to fight the bacteria. Therefore, a low titer translates to a very high-risk level for contracting the disease if exposed