5/23/2023 KY Strangles Confirmed Case Leads to Official Quarantine

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has confirmed 1 positive case of strangles at a boarding facility in Scott County. Onset of clinic signs (fever with nasal discharge) began 5/16/2023 and was confirmed Streptococcus equi subsp equi on 5/19/2023. A total of 10 horses have been exposed, and the facility is on an official quarantine. 

5/8/2023 KY Strangles Epidemiologic Investigation Update 

The Office of the State Veterinarian has released the following update on the Kentucky strangles epidemiologic investigation:

On Thursday evening, May 4th each of the horses in the affected barn at The Thoroughbred Center (TTC) were subjected to their guttural pouches being examined by endoscopy and flushed. One additional horse, under care of the single trainer having previous positives, was found to have some guttural pouch inflammation and PCR testing guttural pouch flush did detect S.equi DNA. This horse was moved from TTC to the Private Quarantine on Friday evening. On Sunday, May 7th, each of the horses under the care of the single trainer remaining at TTC were moved from the facility to the private quarantine. This group of horses are now segregated into three different groups defined by identified risk (green, yellow, red).

Each of the horses under the care of the second trainer in the barn were also examined by endoscopy with no abnormalities seen in any of these horses. Flushing of the guttural pouches from each of the horses was reported negative by PCR. Each horse in this stable now has four (4) nasal pharyngeal washes reported to be Negative, had their guttural pouches examined and flushed this past Thursday with no abnormal findings and each sample found to be negative by PCR. Based on the 3 weeks of close monitoring and extensive testing of these potentially indirectly exposed horses, we are tonight confident in releasing the quarantine effective this evening, May 8, 2023. We will continue to monitor the health of these horses and require temperatures be taken twice daily (morning and afternoon), with the daily reports being submitted to myself as well as Keeneland’s Vice President of Equine Safety, Dr. Stuart Brown. With this release, all horses and horsemen stabled at The Thoroughbred Center can return to their normal training and racing activity beginning Tuesday morning, May 9, 2023.

Note the only horses remaining under quarantine associated with this epidemiologic investigation are those of the single trainer which are now all stabled and remain under quarantine at a private facility. These groups of horses, when qualified, will be released from quarantine as each group satisfies the established monitoring and testing protocols with negative results.

5/2/2023 KY Strangles Epidemiologic Investigation Update 

The Office of the State Veterinarian has released the following update on the Kentucky strangles epidemiologic investigation:

Premises 1 The Thoroughbred Center: The population of horses remaining in the affected barn at The Thoroughbred Center were sampled Friday morning, April 28^th. A three (3) year old filly under the care of the single trainer with previous positive horses was found to have a low level of DNA detected and was moved to the private quarantine offsite. His remaining five (5) horses were all reported to be negative.  The ten (10) horses under the care of the second trainer were also sampled on April 28^th with each of these horses found to be negative.  The group of negative horses remaining in the affected barn at The Thoroughbred Center will be sampled again later this week.

Premises 3 The quarantine placed on a barn at Triple Diamonds Training Center has be released: The population of horses, all under the care of one trainer, that previously tested negative were sampled again on April 25^th.  NOTE: The trainer previously had nineteen horses stabled in this barn.  Two horses that had been moved from this barn have been returned after testing negative.  This group of twenty-one (21) horses all were found to be negative a second time.  A third set of samples were collected yesterday, Monday, May 1^st.  Finalized results of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests have been released, with each animal reported to be negative. 

With the population of horses housed in this barn having tested negative on three separate occasions over the last two weeks, and with daily monitoring showing no suspected illness, we can confidently release the previously imposed quarantined barn on Triple Diamonds Training Center this evening and allow the trainer with horses remaining in this barn to resume his normal daily operations effective immediately.  Horses residing in Barn one (1) are no longer under regulatory restriction and may resume their normal training activity tomorrow morning at Triple Diamonds. We will continue to closely monitor the health of these horses, requiring daily reports be made to Rusty Ford, Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Equine Operations Consultant with the Office State Veterinarian.

Additionally, a two (2) year old filly that had moved from the affected barn to the private quarantine with the single trainer’s other horses on April 20^th was found to have an enlarged mandibular lymph node the morning of April 28^th. At the time the filly was moved from premises 3 to the private quarantine, she was sampled and reported negative. The abscess was lanced late evening on April 28^th with the specimen submitted for bacterial analysis. The bacterial culture did identify streptococcus equi to be present. Again, testing at the time of moving to quarantine from the barn on premises 3 provides evidence the filly was not shedding the disease-causing bacteria when relocated. 

We appreciate the cooperation of the horsemen and management at Three Diamonds and are pleased to announce there are no quarantines in place at Three Diamonds Training Center.

Racing in Kentucky:  Based on the epidemiologic work and our findings to date, we have made minimal adjustments to our health requirements for horses to enter Kentucky racetracks.  Horses shipping to Kentucky tracks from areas not impacted continue to qualify their entry by meeting the established health requirements that includes a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) stating the examination and issuance of the certificate was done during the 72hrs preceding the horse’s entry. 

Quarantined Premises: Horses moving from non-affected barns on a facility that has barns under order of quarantine issued by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture continue to be accompanied by a CVI demonstrating the examination and issuance of the certificate was completed during the same day as arrival.  Veterinarians or horsemen should contact the track’s stabling office or veterinarian for instruction on how to accommodate the same day CVI on horses departing during the early morning or late evening hours. In addition to Kentucky tracks, I have been made aware that other regional tracks have similar same day or 24hr CVI requirement.  Veterinarians and/or trainers are responsible for ensuring their horses meet the track’s defined health requirements.

4/25/2023 Kentucky Strangles Epidemiologic Investigation Update

The Office of the State Veterinarian has released the following update on the Kentucky strangles epidemiologic investigation:

"Premises 2: The fifteen (15) horses under the care of the two (2) individual trainers remaining in the barn at Keeneland were all sampled yesterday, April 24th. Results of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests have been released, with each animal found and reported to be negative.

Based on the following facts:

-The population of horses stabled in this barn have all now tested negative on two separate occasions.

-Through investigation we identified no direct exposure to the horses under the care of the single trainer with positive horses on any of the three premises.

-Our earlier testing provided evidence that the disease-causing organism was not circulating in the Keeneland barn at time the horses under the care of the single trainer were moved offsite.

-The group of remaining horses have been under close health monitoring and scrutiny the past 8 days with no fevers or other signs of illness detected.

-Each individual horse was evaluated earlier today with no abnormal findings.

The information and findings described above does provide us the evidence needed to confidently release the previously imposed quarantine barn at Keeneland this evening and allow the trainers in Barn seven (7) to resume their normal daily operations effective immediately. Horses residing in Barn seven (7) are no longer under regulatory restriction and will resume their normal training activity tomorrow morning at Keeneland. We will continue to closely monitor the health of these horses daily, requiring daily reports be made to Keeneland’s Vice President of Equine Safety, Dr. Stuart Brown, and Rusty Ford, Equine Operations Consultant with the Department of Agriculture’s Office State Veterinarian.

Additional Information:

Premises One (1): The population of horses residing in the affected barn at The Thoroughbred Center were all sampled yesterday with negative results returned. Following our protocol established for handling horses under the care of a single trainer, and identified as having potential direct exposure, these horses will be resampled a third time, with the test including examination and flushing of the guttural pouches. The horses under the care of the second trainer in this same barn will also be sampled a third time.

Premises Three (3): The population of horses residing in the affected barn at Triple Diamonds Training Center (aka Three Diamonds) were collected earlier today, with results pending.

Private Quarantine: All horses moved from the single trainer’s affected barns on Premises one (1), two (2) and three (3), do remain under quarantine on a private facility. Prior to releasing these horses, each horse will be sampled on three separate occasions with all horses in the group reported negative. Testing of the horses under the care of the single trainer will include endoscopic examination and flushing of the guttural pouches.

4/22/2023 Kentucky Strangles Epidemiologic Investigation Update

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has released the below update on the ongoing strangles outbreak: 

"Premises 3: Results of the testing completed on the twenty-seven (27) horses at Triple Diamonds Training Center (aka Three Diamonds on Russell Cave Road) did identify two (2) additional positive horses.  These horses were under the care of the same trainer having positives on premises one (1) and two (2). The two (2) positive horses and the trainers other six (6) horses were all moved offsite to the private quarantine facility.  Nineteen (19) horses under the care of a second trainer were all found negative.  Horses in this affected barn will remain under quarantine, are being monitored daily for any signs of illness and will be resampled. 

Additionally, two horses for the single trainer that had originally tested negative by PCR the day they were moved offsite from Premises 2 (Keeneland), have subsequently been confirmed positive by culture on specimens collected from enlarged mandibular lymph nodes. The fact both of these horses were PCR negative on nasal pharyngeal washes collected at the time of departure from Keeneland, provides additional evidence and confidence the disease-causing organism, streptococcus equi, was not being shed at that time.

Assessment of the exposed horses remaining on the three identified premises this morning found all horses to be bright, alert, eating and afebrile.  We are continuing to review the health status of these horses daily and will be collecting additional diagnostic tests during the upcoming week.

IN SUMMARY: Our investigation to date has confirmed evidence of streptococcus equi in seven (7) individual horses for a single trainer on three (3) separate facilities. As previously described, we have and continue to test multiple horses under the care of several trainers at each of the three (3) premises and have found no evidence of the disease-causing organism beyond those horses under the care of the single trainer."

1/25/2023 Movement Protocol from Gulfstream Park to Kentucky Tracks

One case of a neurologic horse at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, FL has been confirmed positive for EHV1.  The horse became recumbent and was euthanized. 174 horses remain housed in the affected barn and are under an official quarantine.  Florida state veterinary officials have been conducting the epidemiologic investigation as well as managing and monitoring the quarantine. The Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian has received notification that a review of the records of horses moving out of the affected barn during the 2 weeks preceding the diagnosis did not identify any horse moving to Kentucky.

At this point-in-time there has been no testing of the 174 exposed horses and lacking additional symptomatic horses being reported, there is currently no plan to test the group of exposed horses.  Florida officials have advised that any horse reported to have a fever of 101.5 or greater will be tested from both nasal swab and blood. The horses in the quarantined barn may qualify for release following 21 days of no additional cases being reported or diagnosed. Though these 174 horses are under quarantine and have not since January 21^st had direct contact with other horses on the grounds at Gulfstream, the lack of testing these exposed horses has raised the concern of the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian.

Current guidelines directed by the Office State Veterinarian that have been adopted/implemented by our tracks require all horses entering a Kentucky race track or sanctioned training facility meet the additional requirements of having a 72hr CVI and meeting our EHV1 vaccination requirement of having been vaccinated a minimum of 14 days and no more than 120 days prior to entering the stable area. Note the 14 day minimum applies only to horses that have not been vaccinated during the preceding 120 days.

The Office of the State Veterinarian in conversation with the thoroughbred track equine medical directors, and after consulting racing secretaries, stable managers and others, has determined that with slight modification to our existing EHV protocol, movement of the non-quarantined horses currently stabled, or horses that had been on the grounds of Gulfstream Park since January 20th, can continue to be conditionally allowed entry onto a KY track/training facility and be stabled on the grounds.                                                                                  

Gulfstream to Kentucky Tracks:

Horses moving from Gulfstream (or having recently been on the grounds) can be allowed entry if the horse meets the published requirements for entry in addition to the modification listed below:

1. Prior to a horse destined to a KY track/training facility departing, the horse’s trainer or veterinarian is to contact the equine medical director, or his designated person, and provide required information on each horse that is seeking approval to move to the track.
2. Approval of a designated horse to enter the Kentucky destination track by that track’s equine medical director is based on the condition that the horse is to be temperature monitored and recorded twice daily for seven (7) days post arrival with the temperature logs posted on the stall. Any elevated fever or other sign or suspicion of illness shall immediately be reported to the equine medical director.  
3. The horse is to travel on a Health Certificate showing examination and issuance of the certificate performed the day of departure or during the 12hours immediately preceding the departure.  The certificate shall have the EHV vaccination recorded on it as well as the date the equine medical director approved the move and the estimated time of departure and KY arrival.

The movement protocol applies only to equine moving to Kentucky tracks and/or sanctioned training facilities.

Again, these requirements are being adjusted in consultation with the track’s equine medical directors and are subject to change without any advanced notice being provided should the disease event at Gulfstream Park change.

12/27/2022 Churchill Downs EHV Outbreak Cleared

On December 26, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Office of the State Veterinarian was able to qualify for release the last horses remaining under EHV-1 restrictions on the backside of Churchill Downs.

There are currently no quarantines or movement restrictions in place at Churchill Downs. Horses are departing meeting established exit requirements.

12/14/2022 Kentucky EHV Update

Testing of horses conducted yesterday at Churchill Downs enabled the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to confidently release two groups of horses that had been previously exposed to the clinical horse.

Horses under the care of three trainers had been placed in separate barns.

Horses under care of two of the trainers were sampled yesterday (blood and nasal swabs) with negative results reported.  With these results and having had no known exposure to a clinical horse in 14 days, those four horses have been released.  Additionally, The Office of the State Veterinarian has successfully demonstrated by testing that four of the previous asymptomatic positive horses no longer have detectable EHV1 DNA in blood or nasal swab and they, too, have been released.

As of December 14, three exposed horses remain under the care of one trainer that have not been resampled, are being monitored daily, and do remain under quarantine.  Additionally, horses in Barns 36 and 38 are considered indirectly exposed and have not been sampled.  They, too, are being monitored daily and remain under quarantine.

Previously positive horses: as indicated above, four of the six asymptomatic horses that had been isolated at Churchill have completed required testing and have been released from quarantine.  The two remaining positive horses continue to be asymptomatic and do remain in isolation under quarantine.

The index horse continues to improve and remains isolated at the veterinary referral hospital.

11/30/2022 Horse at Churchill Downs Tests Positive for EHV

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has confirmed a case of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) in Jefferson County.

A barn at Churchill Downs is currently under quarantine after a three-year-old Thoroughbred filly has tested positive for EHV. The filly is reported to have had a recurring fever and was referred from Churchill Downs to a Lexington area equine hospital on 11/28 after displaying hind limb ataxia. 13 exposed horses are quarantined. Samples (swabs/blood) were collected from each horse this morning (11/30) and have been submitted for PCR testing. The filly was vaccinated.

For the latest updates and additional information on EHV, please visit the Equine Disease Communication Center at https://equinediseasecc.org/alerts.

11/4/2022 Kentucky Horse Tests Positive for EIA

Following-up to the information we released last week in reference to a Kentucky origin horse having been confirmed EIA positive.

Fourteen (14) horses residing on one of two farms in Allen County were identified as having an opportunity for exposure.

The horses are now quarantined on a single farm in Allen County.  Thirteen (13) of the horses had serum samples collected on 10/27 with each sample being reported NEG.

The 14^th horse had been sampled on September 19^th and it too was reported to be NEG.  These fourteen (14) samples were tested at Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center.

The 14 horses will remain under quarantine in Allen County for an additional test to be collected 60 days or greater following last known exposure.

This updated information will be provided to the Equine Disease Communication Center shortly.

10/25/2022 First Confirmed Equine Case of West Nile Virus in Kentucky in 2022

The Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian has confirmed a diagnosis of West Nile virus affecting an equine. This is the first confirmed equine case in Kentucky in 2022.

The affected horse is an unvaccinated three-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse filly in McLean County. She began presenting symptoms including lethargy, muscle fasciculations and sensitivity to touch on and around head. The patient is currently improving.

The State Veterinarian's website will be updated this week to reflect this case, and offers additional information on symptoms and treatment for West Nile Virus.

4/18/2022 EHV Update: Movement of Horses from Pennsylvania onto Kentucky Tracks/Training Facilities

Effective Monday, April 18, Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Office of State Veterinarian rescinds restrictions on horses originating from both Parx Racing and Penn National. All horses from these facilities that meet the standard health requirements for Kentucky tracks and training centers (including EHV1 vaccination, 72hr Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, and valid negative EIA test) will be allowed unrestricted entry.

A decision regarding movement of horses currently on or having recently been on the Grounds of Fonner Park (since 3/12/22) will be made in the coming week.  Until that time, the restrictions described below for Fonner Park do remain in place.

With horses now being allowed to depart Fonner Park unrestricted, movement of horses that are or have been at Fonner Park since March 12, will need to be approved by the KY Office State Veterinarian to enter the grounds of a Kentucky track or sanctioned training center.  Such horses can potentially qualify if after departing the grounds they are examined by a veterinarian and tested negative by PCR for EHV-1 (nasal swab and whole blood - EDTA). Horses meeting this criteria may be approved for entry onto a Kentucky racing or training facility.  A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for the horse(s) from the point where the sample was collected needs to be issued for movement to the Kentucky racing or training facility and must document the EHV1 testing and current health assessment in addition to meeting the normal entry requirements that includes EHV1 vaccination and EIA test certificate.