KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — 16 quarter horses have tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA) at one Kaufman County premise, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission which has placed the premise on quarantine.
The latest bulletin was issued yesterday by the Equine Disease Communication Center and comes nearly a month after a previous alert out of Kaufman County for a quarter horse that tested positive for EIA.
"The confirmed EIA cases are contained on one Kaufman County premises located SW of Kemp, Texas," the Texas Animal Health Commission told inForney.com in an email Tuesday in response to a request for additional information.
Equine infectious anemia is a viral disease, with no cure or vaccine, that attacks horses’ immune systems. Horses diagnosed with EIA are infected for life and typically die, are euthanized, or must be placed under very strict quarantine conditions for the remainder of their lives.
Although not all horses display signs of EIA infections, those that do can exhibit muscle weakness and progressive condition loss, poor stamina, fever, depression, and anemia.
The virus is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids through blood-contaminated medical instruments and needles as well as blood-feeding insects such as horseflies.
"There is no human health risk associated with EIA as this disease does not affect humans," stated the TAHC.
"TAHC staff is working closely with owners and veterinarians to monitor potentially exposed horses and implement biosecurity measures," according to the alert.
For more information about EIA, visit the USDA's website, here.
In an April 8, 2019, notice, a Quarter Horse in Van Zandt County tested positive for EIA and its home facility was placed on quarantine.
In June 2018, two quarter horses at a Kaufman County facility tested positive for EIA. A third horse at the quarantined facility later tested positive for EIA. In that case, all positive horses were euthanized.
