EIA incidental finding in Thuringia

In the Wartburg district of Thuringia, a 33-year-old horse had to be euthanized due to old age. It had not shown any symptoms of equine infectious anemia, according to a report in“Stern”. However, blood samples were taken which showed that the horse was a carrier of the EIA virus. The Friedrich Löffler Institute has confirmed the diagnosis, as has the Thuringian Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Labor and Family.

The ministry explains that the responsible veterinary and food monitoring office has initiated the necessary animal health measures. This means that potential recipient animals are being sampled within a radius of one kilometer of the affected horse’s home stable and any contact animals are being identified.

It is not yet clear how the affected animal itself became infected.

About Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)

EIA is a viral disease that only affects horses, donkeys and zebras or their crossbreeds. It is a notifiable animal disease that can be potentially fatal. A horse can be a carrier of the virus without showing any clinical symptoms.

If EIA breaks out, the horses may have a fever, be apathetic and have problems moving. Localized hemorrhages in the mucous membranes and conjunctiva are also typical. In chronic cases, there are repeated bouts of fever, loss of performance and edema of the abdomen and limbs.

EIA cannot be cured. Affected animals remain carriers of the virus for life and pose a potential risk of infection for other horses, which is why it is inevitable that affected animals will be killed.

EIA is transmitted by blood-sucking insects, but also through direct contact between horses. There is no risk of infection for humans.

EIA occurs worldwide, but is more common in Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. In Germany, 72 cases have been registered nationwide since 2010. The last case in Thuringia occurred in December 2011.