Turfway Barn Under Quarantine for EHV-1 Wild Strain

The Kentucky Office of State Veterinarian has placed an order of quarantine on a barn on the Turfway Park backstretch after a horse from that barn tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus Type-1 (EHV-1) "wild strain."

The horse, a 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly, had been stabled in the Turfway barn from Oct. 30, 2016, through Jan.19, 2017. The sample, a nasal swab, was collected as the filly was being moved to a private facility to prepare for breeding in 2017. The filly is currently in isolation offsite on a private farm.

In response to the report of a positive result, the Office of the State Veterinarian issued a directive Friday night, Jan. 20, that horses in the affected barn are confined to the barn and an order of quarantine was issued Saturday morning, Jan. 21.

Security is in place, with only essential personnel granted access to the barn and caution is being taken upon exiting to ensure sanitation. Results of testing are expected to be available Monday evening, Jan. 23. In the interim, horses are confined to the barn.

After the risk is better defined, the state vet will develop schedules to allow eligible horses in the barn to work on the track outside normal training hours after all other horses have returned to their barns.

According to TheHorse.com, there are several equine herpesvirus types, some of which can cause more damage than others. The type that has dominated headlines recently, EHV-1, can cause respiratory illness, abortion in pregnant mares, congenital infection (foals are born with it, displaying weakness), and sometimes the more severe EHM. It's also more common than many people might think; most horses are latent carriers (not showing signs of active disease) that were infected early in life.

TheHorse.com notes different strains of EHV-1 exist in nature. Researchers have shown in a number of studies that neurologic disease is more frequently associated with EHV-1 strains of a certain mutant genotype rather than the "wild" type (or "normal" strain, which is less likely to cause neurologic disease), but in one survey scientists determined that 14% of all neurologic cases were associated with the wild strains.

Rusty Ford, equine programs manager for Kentucky State Veterinarian Robert Stout, was on the grounds throughout the day Saturday. He met with trainers in the quarantined barn, track management, attending veterinarians, and racing officials.

"Because proactive measures were implemented at Turfway Park earlier in the meet, including restricted access and controlled movement of horses onto the backside and the elevated biosecurity implemented in all common areas, we are optimistic our efforts will pay a dividend and that we have minimized risk of disease transmission on the backside," Ford said.

"After reviewing movement records of horses in and out of Turfway, we also have preliminarily identified a potential point of exposure involving two barns at the Keeneland training center (on Rice Road). Each of those barns also has been placed under quarantine, and arrangements are being made to sample those horses. As at Turfway, in the interim horses in those barns are restricted to their barn areas and not permitted to train."

Ford noted that no horses have tested positive for EHV-1 at Keeneland but the barns were quarantined, "out of an abundance of caution." He said the horse who tested positive for EHV-I at Turfway had not resided at Keeneland since Oct. 30 and the quarantine and testing of horses at the Keeneland barns was done largely because of the frequency of travel of horses between the two tracks.

As the state vet's epidemiology investigation continues, it expects to be better able to define what direct and indirect exposure may have occurred and adjust strategies as needed.