INFECTIOUS DISEASE CONTROL
Biosecurity Concerns
When a horse arrives at the hospital with a suspected infectious disease, they are immediately placed in the intensive care stalls: Isolation East & Isolation West.  These stalls are kept separate from the general barn population to help prevent spread of diseases.  The isolation stalls have separate outside doors so patients are taken directly to these stalls without walking through general barn.  Examples of horses placed in isolation stalls include horses with strangles, diarrhea, respiratory diseases, Fevers and other rarer conditions such as rabies suspects. Never take shortcuts when working with patients that are possibly infectious. To date, we have never had a patient contract an infection from another hospitalized patient.  You do not want this to happen on your shift!
With these horses, steps must be taken to protect patients and people.  If a horse has diarrhea one of the possible causes can be Salmonella.  Note: Salmonella is contagious to people.  Here is what we do to prevent possible exposure of infectious diseases:  1) Wear protective covering when in the stall with the animal.  This includes gowns, gloves and plastic booties that go over your shoes.  2) Wash hands thoroughly after leaving the stall.  3) Do not take equipment from that stall or area into the hospital or the barn.
These diseases can be carried from horse to horse or person by our clothes, shoes, and hands.  That is why we must be extremely careful when going into these stalls and into the rest of the barn.
Infectious Diseases
Strangles (Streptococcus equi)- a highly contagious bacterial infection spread between horses.  They are often presented with a fever, thick nasal discharge, swelling and abscessation of lymph nodes under the jaw. When the lymph nodes are draining the discharge contains large amounts of bacteria.  If this discharge comes in contact with your hands, clothes, shoes, water buckets, brushes, etc. it could easily be spread to another patient and then the entire barn.  The incubation period for this infection is 10-15 days.
Respiratory Viruses (Equine Influenza, Equine Herpes virus)- both are highly contagious viral infections that can be easily transmitted from horse to horse.  Signs that are seen with both of these diseases are fevers, nasal discharge, coughing and anorexia.  Transmission from horse to horse is by coughing, which releases the virus into the air, or by indirect transmission such as hands, clothes, water buckets, etc.
Note: Equine Herpes Virus is known as Rhinopnemonitis and there variants:
EHV-1 Neurologic Disease
EHV-4 Respiratory Disease
Salmonella– this is the most frequently suspected infectious cause of diarrhea in horses.¬† This disease is also one of the most devastating to a facility if the contamination is spread.¬† This disease, if spread, could cause the hospital to be closed and all horses quarantined indefinitely.¬† Once exposed to another patient, it can rapidly go from horse to horse and then remain in the environment for a long time.¬† The Salmonella bacteria are also contagious to humans.¬† This is why one must be extremely careful if a horse with suspected Salmonella is in the hospital.¬† Signs they may present with include; fever, anorexia, i.e. not wanting to eat, increased heart and respiratory rate, dehydration, colic and diarrhea.¬† This diarrhea will be very watery usually with no blood.
Extreme measures and extreme caution are necessary with all isolated patients.
Foal Diarrheas
Viral (Rotavirus)- the most common cause of diarrhea in foals.  Some foals may present with fever, depression or colic, however, many foals will just have diarrhea.  The diarrhea is often profuse and watery, but rarely bloody.  Signs will usually resolve in 3 to 5 days, but may persist for up to 3 weeks.
Bacterial (Clostridium)- signs can range from finding the foal dead without development of diarrhea to severe diarrhea.  The diarrhea can last for several days to several weeks.  The diarrhea can be orange in color and sometimes bloody.  A foal with clostridium may be “gassy” and that’s not normal for neonates.