Everything for
horse & rider

Equine Infectious Anemia

On 20.1.2010 DEFRA confirmed two horses in Wiltshire, who tested positive for EIA antibodies, had been humanely destroyed.  These horses had travelled from Romania via Belgium in late December of 2009 and were part of a group of ten who arrived in the UK on 22^nd December.  The other seven horses from Romania have tested negative for EIA and the eighth, from Belgium, is undergoing testing.

The premises in Wiltshire where the horses were taken, apparently for ‘breeding purposes’, is under restriction whilst an epidemiological investigation takes place.   The restriction is likely to stay in place for 90 days.  Speculation among the horse industry is that the yard actually belongs to a horse dealer and it must be said that the practice of buying cheap horses from Eastern Europe is fraught with danger and may be putting the UK equine population at risk.

This disease, also known as Swamp Fever is often fatal to horses but does not affect humans.  It is a virus very similar to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and can be transmitted through blood, saliva, milk and body secretions.  It is primarily spread by biting flies such as horse flies and stable flies.  We are fortunate that this episode has taken place during the winter months when these flies overwinter as maggots and cannot spread EIA in this form.  Defra have confirmed that the disease is not spread by midges. 

The last outbreak of EIA in England was in 1976 and Defra are to be congratulated on the speed with which they have responded to this, hopefully, isolated case.  The Horserace Betting Levy Board have published a new code of practice on Equine Infectious Anaemia which is available from equine.grants@hblb.org.uk free of charge.

There are three stages of this disease:

Acute – The acute form is a sudden onset of the disease at full-force.  Symptoms include high fever, anemia (due to the breakdown of red blood cells), weakness, swelling of the lower abdomen and legs, weak pulse and irregular heartbeat.  The horse may die suddenly.

Subacute – A slower, less severe progression of the disease.  Symptoms include recurrent fever, weight loss, and enlarged spleen (felt during a rectal examination), anemia and swelling of the lower chest, abdominal wall, penil sheath, scrotum and legs.

Chronic – Horse tires easily and is unsuitable for work.  May have recurrent fever and anemia, may relapse to the subacute or acute form even several years after the original attack.

A horse with EIA will need to be isolated for the rest of it’s life as it will be a carrier of the disease.  In the UK humane destruction of the animal will be enforced in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

Diagnosis of the disease is carried out by means of the Coggins test.  Most countries require a negative Coggins test before allowing an imported horse into the country.

References

www.defra.gov.uk

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_infectious_anemia

www.horseandhound.co.uk/features

www.omafra.gov.on.ca/livestock/horses/facts