EQUINE | Equine Disease Update
EQUINE | Equine Disease Update
Equine Disease Quarterly
FROM : EQUINE DISEASE QUARTERLY College of Agriculture , Food and Environment Department of Veterinary Science July 2017 Volume 26 , Number 3
Biosecurity is a commonplace term these days among horse owners and equestrian event managers . Horse owners must take personal re ¬ sponsibility for reducing risks of equine infectious disease outbreaks . Newly implemented vaccina ¬ tion and isolation facility requirements for horse event venues are another layer of protection , but cannot take the place of an implemented farm biosecurity plan .
Biosecurity guidelines from reliable resources are readily available on the internet and in printed materials . The word “ guideline ” should be empha-sized . Protocols and disinfectant products used in a university equine hospital that has painted concrete stalls , drains , and a cadre of well-trained personnel whose sole responsibilities are cleaning and disinfecting stalls might not be appropriate or practical for a different equine facility . The environ-ments are different ; the horses ’ risks are different ( hospital patients vs . healthy horses ) and the types of pathogens likely present are very different . The best biosecurity plan is one tailored to the facility and environment , the horses , and the risks .
Risks are the types of pathogens of concern ( horse show vs . a broodmare foaling barn ), as well as the volume of human and horse traffic at the facility ( busy horse sales venue vs . closed herd of retirees ).
Obtaining biosecurity information from reliable resources is also critical . I was amazed at how much interesting ( and often inaccurate ) information is available regarding biosecurity .
Take the internet article on the dangers of mosquitoes to horses ( true ) since they can transmit West Nile virus to horses ( true ), and also the deadly chikungunya virus to horses ( false , false , false ).
Chikungunya virus is not known to cause disease in horses anywhere , let alone be a “ deadly disease to horses ” in the U . S . Somehow I was not surprised that the origin of the article was a manufacturer of insecticides . While insect control is part of a comprehensive biosecurity program , scare tactics are not effective or ethical marketing strategies .
In another article on biosecurity , the author referred to a disinfectant type that was the “ gold standard ” of disinfectants . However , there is no “ gold standard ” of disinfectants for horse facilities . Different disinfectants have different capabilities of killing different pathogens under different environ-mental conditions ( hard water , cold environmental temperatures , organic matter , etc .). One of the broadest spectrum disinfectants is bleach . However , bleach is readily inactivated in the presence of organic matter ( soil , manure , etc .), and is most effective on hard , nonporous surfaces that have been thoroughly cleaned and are free of organic matter . Most
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