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International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: 26 Jun 2010
Source: OIE WAHID Disease Information 2010; 23(24) [edited]
Equine piroplasmosis, United States of America
-----------------------------------
Information received on 18 Jun 2010 from Dr John Clifford, Deputy
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United
States Department of Agriculture, Washington, United States of America
Summary
Report type: Immediate notification (Final report)
Start date 26 May 2010
Date of 1st confirmation of the event 14 Jun 2010
Report date 18 Jun 2010
Date submitted to OIE 18 Jun 2010
Date event resolved 17 Jun 2010
Reason for notification: New strain of a listed disease
Manifestation of disease: Sub-clinical infection
Causal agent: _Babesia caballi_
Nature of diagnosis Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to the whole country
New outbreaks
Outbreak 1 New Mexico
Date of start of the outbreak 26 May 2010
Outbreak status Resolved (17 Jun 2010)
Epidemiological unit: Farm
Species Equidae
Susceptible 1
Cases 1
Deaths 0
Destroyed 1
Slaughtered 0
Affected Population: The _Babesia caballi_-positive horse was
detected as a result of New Mexico's equine piroplasmosis race track
screening programme.
Epidemiology - Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection:
Unknown or inconclusive. Management practices (use of shared needles
or substances between horses)?
Epidemiological comments: The USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) and the New Mexico Livestock Board conducted a
comprehensive epidemiological investigation of this event. One
quarter horse race pony was confirmed positive for _B. caballi_. The
horse has been euthanized.
Laboratory name and type: National Veterinary Services Laboratory
(NVSL) (National laboratory)
Species Equidae
Test competitive ELISA (c-ELISA)
Test date 14 Jun 2010
Result Positive
Species Equidae
Test polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Test date 14 Jun 2010
Result Positive
Future Reporting
The event is resolved. No more reports will be submitted.
*****
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
[The following description is from the USDA-APHIS website concerning
the disease at
Equine piroplasmosis is present in South and Central America, the
Caribbean (including Puerto Rico), Africa, the Middle East, and
Eastern and Southern Europe. Only the United States, Canada,
Australia, Japan, England and Ireland are not considered to be endemic areas.
This disease is a disease of Equidae (horses, donkeys, mules, and
zebras), and is caused by 2 parasitic organisms, _Babesia equi_ and
_Babesia caballi_. Although, equine piroplasmosis is primarily
transmitted to horses by ticks, this bloodborne disease has been
spread mechanically from animal to animal by contaminated needles.
Once infected, an equine can take 7 to 22 days to show signs of illness.
Cases of equine piroplasmosis can be mild or acute, depending on the
virulence of the parasite. Acutely affected equines can have fever,
anemia, jaundiced mucous membranes, swollen abdomens, and labored
breathing. Equine piroplasmosis can also cause equines to have
roughened hair coats, constipation, and colic. In its milder form,
equine piroplasmosis causes equines to appear weak and show lack of appetite.
The greatest risk for introduction of this disease is through trading
of animals or international equestrian sports, where infected and
non-infected animals are in contact. Many disease free countries have
the climate suitable for a foreign tick vector, or have ticks which
could act as vectors.
What the website blurb presented here doesn't mention is that there
appears to be a constant dribble of cases beginning with the Florida
cases in 2008. Since then, there have been cases identified in
Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, Utah and now New Mexico again in 2010.
These incursions were the 1st ones since the disease was eradicated
from the United States in 1988.
International travel and trade of horses and the use of contaminated
syringes are thought to be risk factors for the development of the
disease. If we are to prevent the dribble of cases from becoming a
slow flow of cases over the next few years, this may be the time to
dig in and do intensive epidemiology so that we have a better answer
to questions of where these cases come from and how a single horse in
New Mexico gets infected.
The report indicates that such investigations were made. Clearly,
many times epidemiology does not reveal the source of the disease,
but the constant presence of the disease is worrisome in terms of
horse health status, and even more intensive investigations may be
warranted. - Mod.PC]
[see also:
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (04): (TX, TX ex NM) 20100607.1892
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (03): (TX, UT) 20100205.0395
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (02): (TX) 20100130.0322
Equine piroplasmosis - USA 20100129.0309
2009
----
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (12): (NM) 20091230.4394
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (11): multi-state 20091203.4128
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (10) 20091117.3963
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (09): (NJ ex TX) 20091111.3912
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (08): (TX) alert 20091030.3749
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (07): (TX) 20091024.3675
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (06): (TX) OIE 20091022.3631
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (05): (TX) 20091021.3617
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (04): (KS, MO) resolved 20090917.3262
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (03): (KS, MO) 20090729.2662
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA (02): (MO) 20090612.2172
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA: (FL) quarantine lifted 20090225.0771
2008
----
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA (04): (FL) 20080930.3088
Equine Piroplasmosis - USA: (03) (FL) 20080828.2687
Equine piroplasmosis - USA (02): (FL) 20080823.2626
Equine piroplasmosis - USA: (FL) 20080819.2579
1996
----
Equine piroplasmosis - Georgia (USA) (2) 19960116.0097
Equine piroplasmosis - Georgia (USA) 19960112.0066]
...............................................sb/pc/msp/dk
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