The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has released a quarantine at The Thoroughbred Center training facility in Fayette County, Ky., which was caused by an outbreak of strangles beginning with a 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly, according to an update posted to the Equine Disease Communication Center's website on Tuesday.
An epidemiologic investigation early in the outbreak indicated the potential for strangles to reach a total of three facilities: the Thoroughbred Training Center, Keeneland Race Course, and Triple Diamonds Training Center on Russell Cave Road. One unnamed trainer housed horses at all three facilities.
The affected barn at Keeneland was released from quarantine two weeks ago, and the affected barn at Triple Diamonds Training Center was released from quarantine last week. Now, the affected barn at The Thoroughbred Center has been released from quarantine as well.
Several horses remain under quarantine at a private facility.
The full update from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is as follows:
“On Thursday evening, May 4, each of the horses in the affected barn at The Thoroughbred Center (TTC) were subjected to their guttural pouches being examined by endoscopy and flushed. One additional horse, under care of the single trainer having previous positives, was found to have some guttural pouch inflammation and PCR testing guttural pouch flush did detect S.equi DNA. This horse was moved from TTC to the Private Quarantine on Friday evening. “On Sunday, May 7, each of the horses under the care of the single trainer remaining at TTC were moved from the facility to the private quarantine. This group of horses are now segregated into three different groups defined by identified risk.
“Each of the horses under the care of the second trainer in the barn were also examined by endoscopy with no abnormalities seen in any of these horses. Flushing of the guttural pouches from each of the horses was reported negative by PCR. Each horse in this stable now has four (4) nasal pharyngeal washes reported to be negative, had their guttural pouches examined and flushed this past Thursday with no abnormal findings and each sample found to be negative by PCR. Based on the three weeks of close monitoring and extensive testing of these potentially indirectly exposed horses, these horses are released from quarantine effective this evening, May 8, 2023. “With this release, all horses and horsemen stabled at The Thoroughbred Center can return to their normal training and racing activity beginning Tuesday morning, May 9, 2023.
“Note the only horses remaining under quarantine associated with this epidemiologic investigation are those of the single trainer which are now all stabled and remain under quarantine at a private facility. These groups of horses, when qualified, will be released from quarantine as each group satisfies the established monitoring and testing protocols with negative results.”
The upper respiratory disease commonly referred to as strangles is caused by Streptococcus equi subsp equi. Strangles is spread from horse to horse through direct contact. Horses can also contract the disease by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces. The disease is highly infectious.
For more information go to: https://www.equinediseasecc.org/strangles.
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