A horse in Sarasota County, Florida was recently confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. The horse developed a fever of 102.5 degrees, loss of appetite and diarrhea. It is now in quarantine, and 12 horses have been exposed.
EDCC Health Watch is an equine network marketing program that uses information from the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) to generate and disseminate verified equine disease reports. The EDCC is an independent not-for-profit organization supported by industry donations to provide open access to infectious disease information.
About the equine coronavirus
Equine coronavirus (ECOV) is a highly contagious pathogen that affects the enteric, or intestinal system, of horses, causing fever, lethargy, anorexia and, in more severe cases, colitis and endotoxemia.
Historically thought to occur only in foals, ECoV has increasingly been reported in adult horses. It is spread between horses through exposure to contaminated faecal material, and is usually diagnosed in winter.
ECoV has a short incubation period of 48 to 72 hours. Clinical signs usually last up to a week, but horses can shed the virus in their feces for up to 21 days.
