Disease Alerts

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has confirmed two cases of equine West Nile virus. A 4-year-old Standardbred mare was confirmed positive in Wayne County. The veterinarian reported muscle fasciculations, clumsiness and a low-grade fever. A serum sample was collected and sent to NVSL on September 3rd, 2018 for WNV testing. It is unknown if the horse was vaccinated or not against West Nile Virus. The sample submitted to NVSL reported an IgM capture ELISA titer of 1:400 or greater, suggesting recent exposure to West Nile Virus. This is the second horse to test positive for West Nile Virus in Wayne County, Ohio. A 14-year-old Standardbred Gelding from Seneca County showed an onset of clinical signs on September 1st when the owner noticed that the horse was unwilling to move so they contacted a veterinarian. On September 4th, the veterinarian noticed that the horse was agitated, it had fasciculations of the face and ears, ataxia and was stumbling. A serum sample submitted to NVSL reported an IgM capture ELISA titer of 1:400 or greater, suggesting recent exposure to West Nile Virus. As of September 13th, the horse appeared to be recovering. This is the first horse to test positive for West Nile Virus in Seneca County, Ohio. The horse was not vaccinated against West Nile Virus.