Six additional horses test positive for equine herpesvirus; quarantine clock resets

Six horses based at Laurel Park in suburban Maryland have been shipped to a quarantine site off-track after testing positive for equine herpesvirus, one week after the track had to cancel a live race card due to a positive at the track for the highly contagious disease.

The six positive horses were among 20 that the Maryland Department of Agriculture tested for the virus after a horse tested positive earlier in the week. The horse who initially tested positive “did not respond to treatment” and was euthanized, the agriculture department said.

The six positive horses were described as “asymptomatic.” A horse can test positive for equine herpesvirus without showing any symptoms or developing the disease.

Last week, Laurel began requiring all ship-ins to be placed in an isolation barn due to the initial positive test. The track also placed a quarantine on four barns due to the number of contacts the positive horse had with other horses.

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The Department of Agriculture said that the quarantine period on the four barns has been “reset” because of the new positive cases. The quarantine period for equine herpesvirus is typically 14 days.

“The department continues to work closely with Laurel Park racetrack and Maryland Jockey Club to ensure that daily operations are able to continue as safely as possible with minimal disruption,” the department said in a statement.

Equine herpesvirus can cause respiratory and neurological problems in horses, and the department of agriculture said that it has notified horsemen to be alert for any possible symptoms so that horses can be tested quickly and isolated if need be.