The Murray State News

Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: News

Tony Brannon Dean of the School of Agriculture

The horses at Murray State have been exposed to herpes, and it is not from random equine hook-ups.

After a horse showed symptoms of the equine herpes virus 1 April 8, a quarantine was issued to the Murray State equine unit by the Kentucky State Veterinarian's Office.

The infected horse, which belongs to a student boarder, was transported to an equine hospital in Lexington, Ky. The samples taken from other horses in the unit showed the virus did not circulate among them.

The quarantine is still in effect and will continue for an undetermined period of time, school officials said.

"At this time, it is premature to predict how long the quarantine will be required," Tony Brannon, dean of the School of Agriculture, said. "Appreciating that the virus strain looks to cause minimal clinical disease, we expect the virus to run its course through the remaining population relatively quickly and that we will return to normal operations as soon as possible."

The owner of the infected horse will not face penalization in any way, Brannon said.

"This could have happened to anyone's horse and there is no way to determine how this horse contracted the virus," he said. "It could have come from another horse and only expressed sickness when stressed."

Accord-ing to a Murray State press release, equine herpes includes fever and an upper respiratory infection and can also include lethargy, loss of appetite, nasal discharge and cough. It is spread through the respiratory tract of a horse.

Horses may contract the disease if they come in contact with the clothing of a person who has worked with an infected horse, the tack and equipment worn by an infected horse or a shared food and water source.

The speed in which Murray State responded to the situation will contribute to the isolation of the herpes, authorities said.

Said Rusty Ford, equine programs manager for the state veterinarian office: "Quick response by Murray State University and the implementation of biosecurity measures should minimize the spread of the virus."

Mia Walters can be reached at mia.walters@murraystate.
edu.

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