H1N1 Influenza And Horses
A colleague mentioned a rumour that is apparently going around some areas about horses getting H1N1 influenza. While we never say never with infectious diseases, there is no evidence that H1N1 can be spread to horses, nor do I have much concern about this. H1N1 can infect different species, including humans, pigs, poultry, cats, ferrets and dogs. That's a pretty impressive range, but it's mostly because the virus is made up of genes from human, swine and avian influenza viruses, and we know that other species like ferrets and cats are prone to occasionally (rarely) catching human or avian influenza. Horses have their own influenza, H3N8 equine influenza A. This virus has been remarkably stable in the horse population in that H3N8 has been the predominant equine influenza strain for a long time. There is little information indicating that horses are susceptible to the variety of seasonal flu viruses that circulate amongst the human population every year, or H5N1 avian influenza. No one has specifically tested H1N1on horses, and equine infections are not theoretically impossible, but it's pretty unlikely that this strain would be a major concern in horses, given what we know right now. Considering the number of people that have been infected with H1N1, horses have certainly been exposed to this virus, but there are no reports of suspected equine infections.
While the risk of horses contracting H1N1 is very low, it can be reduced further with common sense practices to reduce the risk of exposure. If you may have influenza, avoid contact with people and other animals, including pets and horses, and get a flu shot.
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