The Maryland Department of Agriculture reported that one horse previously housed in Barn 20 at Laurel Park Racetrack has tested positive on nasal swab for EHV-1 wild type. The horse had recently been discharged from New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, prior to a quarantine being put in place after an EHM case last week.
The horse tested negative for EHV-1 on whole blood and is clinically normal, but it was removed from Barn 20 and placed in strict isolation off the premises.
Barn 20 is under an Investigational Hold Order for now. The horse will be retested on Tuesday January 23, 2018, to determine how long Barn 20 will be kept under the Investigational Hold Order.
Currently, all five Maryland quarantined equine premises exposed to EHV-1 and that are being monitored with twice daily body temperatures and enhanced biosecurity are clinically normal.
For precautionary measures, shipping restrictions and racing other than Barn 20 is being determined by the various race track officials.
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.
