The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection reported a case of equine West Nile virus. A 19-year-old Paint gelding from Calumet County showed swollen limbs and decreased anal tone on October 24. He initially tested positive for Anaplasmosis and was treated at the veterinary clinic and later went home. He then became more neurologic and returned to the clinic on October 30. That’s when they tested him for WNV, and he was a positive via IgM Capture ELISA.
The horse was vaccinated in March of 2017 and has been vaccinated every year for many years, according to the clinic. He has gone home again and is recovering.
This is the 23rd confirmed equine WNV case in WI for 2017.
The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) works to protect horses and the horse industry from the threat of infectious diseases in North America. The communication system is designed to seek and report real time information about disease outbreaks similar to how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts the human population about diseases in people.
