Piroplasmosis And The US: Let's Just Call It An Endemic Disease
Following on the heels of a few outbreaks of piroplasmosis in the US over the past year is a report of two piroplamosis-positive horses from New Jersey. This bloodborne parasitic disease is officially a foreign disease in the US, but the number of recent outbreaks and their unknown origin certainly suggest that this disease has a solid foothold in the US. The latest situation in New Jersey involves two horses purchased from the Texas farm which is currently under quarantine due to its involvement with the most recent outbreak of piroplasmosis in that state. However, these two horses were purchased in 2008, which strongly suggests that this disease has been in the Texas herd (and presumably elsewhere) since at least that time. Odds are this disease is actually wide-spread in some areas of the US.
Losing national piroplasmosis-free status could have significant repercussions on horse movement to and from the US, and a major impact on the equine industry overall. For this reason, some people might prefer to try to ignore the problem and hope it goes away. But, as I've said before, hope is not an infection control strategy. It's much better to investigate this carefully and transparently to figure out what is going on. Without knowing the scope of the problem, it's impossible to control it.
Image source: www.australiasigns.com.au
