Source:
Official Texas Animal Health Commission News Release [edited]
News
Release Texas Animal Health Commission
Box
l2966,Austin, Texas 78711, (800)
550-8242 FAX (512) 719-071 Bob Hillman, DVM, Executive Director For info,
contact Carla Everett, Information Officer, at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 710, or
<ceverett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
For Immediate Release-- Texas Joins States
with Vesicular Stomatitis in 2005 - Texas, on Fri 20 May 2005, joined New Mexico
and Arizona as states with confirmed cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS) this
spring.2 Travis County horses were
hauled home 10 May 2005 from a trail ride in Arizona, where they apparently were
exposed to the virus that can cause animals to develop blisters and sores in the
mouth, on the tongue, muzzle, teats and hooves.The year's 1st VS cases were
confirmed 17 Apr in 2 horses in southwest New Mexico.Since then, infection has been detected
in 17 horses on 11 premises in New Mexico,
Arizona, and now, Texas.
A number
of states and countries impose strict testing, permitting, and inspection
requirements for livestock that originate from VS-affected areas or states.Check with the state or country of
destination before hauling livestock from Texas, said Dr. Bob Hillman, head of the Texas
Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state's livestock and poultry health
regulatory agency.Phone numbers
for other states' animal health regulatory agencies can be obtained from the
TAHC's Austin
headquarters at 1-800-550-8242. Staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Austin office
can be reached at 512-916-5565 for international shipping rules or
restrictions.
VS
rarely causes death, but an animal can suffer several weeks while the lesions
heal, said Dr. Bob Hillman, who also serves as Texas' state veterinarian. To help prevent the
spread of VS, an infected animal and the other livestock on a premises are
quarantined until at least 30 days after the sores heal. Prior to releasing
movement restrictions, a regulatory veterinarian will examine the affected
animal to ensure healing is complete.Other livestock also will be checked. If infection is detected, the
quarantine will begin anew.
Dr.
Hillman explained that the clinical signs of VS mirror those of the dreaded
foreign foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease.Horses are susceptible to VS, but not FMD; however, both diseases can
affect cattle, sheep, goats, swine, deer and a number of other species. When
sores or blisters are seen in FMD-susceptible animals, we must immediately rule
out an introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). When horses have lesions, a
VS test rules out other possible causes for blisters and sores, including toxic
plants, chemicals or poison.Tests
are run at no charge to the animal owner, and the VS diagnosis in horses is
confirmed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, IA.
Dr.
Hillman noted that the disease occurs sporadically, but outbreaks generally
follow a 10--15-year cycle.In
l982-83, the country suffered its worst recorded VS outbreak, when infection was
confirmed on 617 premises in 9 states: Arizona,
New Mexico, Colorado, Utah,
Wyoming, Idaho, Montana,
Nebraska and South Dakota.
Subsequent outbreaks in l995, l997 and l998 were limited to
New Mexico, Colorado and Texas, with
a few cases in Arizona.In 2004, Arizona was "spared", when Texas had 15 VS cases, New Mexico had 80, and Colorado,199.
Livestock owners and private veterinary practitioners are
urged to report suspected cases of VS to their respective state's livestock
health regulatory agency: Texas Animal Health Commission -- 1-800-550-8242
(operational 24 hours a day) New Mexico Livestock Board -- 505-841-6161 Colorado
Department of Agriculture, State Veterinarian's Office --1-303-239-4161 Arizona
Department of Agriculture,State
Veterinarian's Office --1-602-542-4293
The
TAHC's web site at <http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/> has additional information on VS and a link to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, where situation reports, maps and movement
restrictions and requirements are posted.
