 |
Re: [RC] Postive Coggins test in Chico, CA??? - heidiThere was a cross post on the message board at Bayequest.com today about a gals mare testing positive 2 x's on her coggins test. I might be wrong, but doesn't a positve test have huge implications for the rest of the CA horse population? It depends on the vector population. It takes two conditions to transmit EIA--first the affected horse has to be in an active viremic state, and second, there have to be enough vectors to transfer enough blood for an exposed horse to catch it. Since many positive horses are not actively viremic, they are not infective--the reason why they are destroyed is because they never entirely get rid of the virus, so they can become viremic at any time--and there is no vaccine to protect other horses from it. Mosquitos CAN transmit EIA--but unless a horse is REALLY severely viremic, it takes a heckuva lot of mosquitos to transmit it. Usually the larger flies, etc. are more the problem. And since the appropriate vectors are much more common in areas where the weather stays warm and the humidity is higher, EIA isn't highly transmissible in much of the West. It is a significant problem in the southeast and south-central states--it is not uncommon for Texas to get 400 or so positive tests per year. But here in the high desert, even though every now and again a case pops up, it isn't near the scare that it is in areas where the vector population is much higher. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|