Originally found in foals, equine coronavirus has begun affecting adult horses, resulting in more than 12 outbreaks across the world in the last five years. Originally diagnosed in 2009 in adult horses at a remote racetrack in Hokkaido, Japan, affected horses presented with fevers and some had diarrhea.
Stateside in 2011, the University of California-Davis was seeing cases of adult horses going off their feed, being depressed and spiking a fever. The horses had no nasal discharge, no diarrhea and no cough, making a specific diagnosis difficult. The only pathogen that presented in all horses was coronavirus, reports EQUUS magazine.
Between November 2011 and April 2012, there were four outbreaks of coronavirus in California, Massachusetts, Texas and Wisconsin; 161 horses were affected and four died or were euthanized. Coronaviruses are known to cause intestinal and respiratory illness in people as well as in chickens, dogs, cats, camels, cattle and pigs. Many strains of the coronavirus create localized infections in the respiratory tract or intestinal wall.
Horses present with symptoms between 48 and 72 hours after being infected with coronavirus. It can affect a vast array of horses, but middle-aged horses in boarding facilities are commonly affected. The horse generally recovers in two to four days with administration of NSAIDs and fluids if the horse is not eating or drinking. About 10 to 15 percent of horses will get colicky or have a change in their manure before recovering. Though most horses recover fully, about 7 percent of affected horses will develop fatal complications like multiple organ failure or shock.
Thus far there is no evidence that the Coronavirus can infect the central nervous system, but other coronavirus strains can, so it is a possibility. Coronavirus is confirmed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The best way to stop the spread of the virus is to isolate ill horses that are shedding the virus in their manure. Horses can shed the virus in their feces up to 14 days after they’ve stopped having clinical signs of the disease.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
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