The one-barn quarantine at Thistledown Racing in North Randall, Ohio has been released after authorities say test samples for strangles infection have been cleared.
Three barns had been put under quarantine in May 10 after one horse was confirmed positive. Follow-up testing on 250 swabs taken May 13 revealed one suspect test for Streptococcus equi, and both horses were removed from the property and quarantined.
Strangles is a highly contagious respiratory bacterial disease which is characterized by swelling in a horse's lymph nodes around the horse's head and jaws. The swollen lymph nodes will sometimes abscess, and the abscesses may rupture and drain through the skin or into the guttural pouch, which may cause additional infection and complications.
In addition to this characteristic swelling, symptoms of strangles may also include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and nasal discharge. The lymph node swelling tends to appear several days after the first signs of fever.
Strangles can be passed between horses through nose-to-nose contact but also inanimate objects that are shared between horses.
Most horses recover well from strangles but young horses or those with compromised immune systems can be especially vulnerable.
Read more about strangles here.
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