The California Horse Racing Board was notified on September 24 that Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) was identified in a Quarter Horse at Los Alamitos. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is currently overseeing the situation and monitoring the ongoing investigation.
Under the order of the CDFA and dictated by state and federal standards, that first infected horse was euthanized, and biosecurity measures were put in place. Nine additional horses were placed in a quarantined cohort group and subsequent testing identified six additional confirmed positives. Of the six additional confirmed positives, four horses were euthanized on October 2, and the remaining two were euthanized on October 3, again under the order of the CDFA and dictated by state and federal standards. The other three horses that tested negative will remain quarantined and retested in 60 days. Additional details of these deaths can be found on the CHRB website under the Veterinary tab.
All fatalities are reported on the CHRB website on a weekly basis consistent with existing statutory requirements. More information about EIA is available at www.equinediseasecc.org.
(Editor’s Note: According to the Animal and Health Inspection Service, EIA is an infectious and potentially fatal viral disease of horses. No vaccine or treatment exists for the disease. Clinical signs of EIA include fever, weight loss, icterus (yellowing of body tissues), anemia, swelling in the limbs, and weakness. EIA is transmitted by blood transfer from contaminated items and is far less likely to come from horse to horse by large biting insects, said CHRB equine medical director Dr. Jeff Blea.
Blea added biosecurity protocols are in place at Los Alamitos, and he does not believe there is a great cause for concern for the general horse population.
The affected horses were in the barn of trainer Heath Taylor and recently shipped to Los Alamitos from The Downs at Albuquerque in New Mexico, according to CHRB data.)
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