Ohio horse contracts West Nile virus, is put down

A horse contracted the West Nile virus, which is the first confirmed equestrian case this year in Ohio.

The 7-year-old Standardbred in Tuscarawas County was euthanized for significant symptions, including shaking, agitation and thrashing, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The horse was examined Aug. 29 by a veterinarian, and testing confirmed the West Nile diagnosis on Sept. 12. The virus is transmitted to horses through bites from infected mosquitoes. Clinical signs include flulike symptoms, where the horse seems mildly anorexic and depressed. Changes in mentality, drowsiness, driving or pushing forward (often without control) and asymmetrical weakness may be observed, the ODA reported.

The mortality rate from West Nile can be as high as 30 to 40 percent in horses, though infection does not always lead to signs of illness in people or animals. West Nile virus is endemic in the U.S., and Ohio has reported three postive cases in horses each of the last few years, according to the state agriculture department.