More than 60 horses quarantined at Meadows
More than 60 horses are being quarantined at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino because of a contagious virus.
The Equine Disease Communication Center reported Wednesday a Disease Oubreak Alert regarding Equine Herpes Virus at The Meadows.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture was notified that a Standardbred horse at The Meadows had showed clinical signs consistent with Equine Herpes Virus Myeloencephalopathy. The horse tested positive for EHV-1 and is under medical treatment.
Two barns at The Meadows are under quarantine because of a horse moved earlier from the original exposed barn. The horse, which caused the second barn’s movement restriction, is not showing clinical signs of the virus. A daily monitoring period for clinical signs in the remaining exposed, asymptomatic horses is ongoing.
EVH-1 can cause four manifestations of disease in horses, including a neurological form, respiratory disease, abortion and neonatal death. EHM is most often caused by mutant or neuropathogenic strains of EHV-1, so called because of a particular mutation in the genome.
The Meadows canceled its harness racing card Tuesday citing a power failure. The track’s Wednesday card was called off with the track citing poor track conditions as the cause.
The track does not have another racing card scheduled until Saturday afternoon.