Congress Requires Equine Piroplasmosis Test
Beginning in 2011, the Ohio Quarter Horse Association will require certification of a negative blood test for equine piroplasmosis for all horses entering the Ohio Expo Center for the All American Quarter Horse Congress, EXCLUDING horses travelling from Canada. The test must have been completed within one year prior to entry onto the show grounds.
Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the parasites Babesia caballi and Theilertia equi that affects horses, donkeys, mules, and zebras.The disease is transmitted via tick bites or through mechanical transmission by improperly disinfected needles or surgical instruments.
“Unfortunately, this disease is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the U.S.,” said OQHA Executive Vice President Cam Foreman. “With the volume of horses that attend the Congress, we felt that we needed to protect both the exhibitors and their horses to the best of our ability.
By allowing a negative test to be completed within one year, exhibitors can have one test done for both the AQHA World Shows and the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
Please note that horses without a certificate of a negative blood test for equine piroplasmosis will not be permitted onto the show grounds. Additionally, all trailers entering the show grounds will be required to stop at a secondary checkpoint, located before the Stall Office, to verify negative Coggins and negative equine piroplasmosis tests.
The Ohio Quarter Horse Association will be enforcing the following rule: A negative test for equine piroplasmosis will be required for all horses attending the 2011 All American Quarter Horse Congress, excluding horses travelling from Canada. The horse(s) must be tested negative by the c-ELISA assay for both Theilerta equi and Babesia caballi. All horses entering the Congress shall be accompanied by an official laboratory report or certificate of veterinary inspection indicating the negative piroplasmosis result, laboratory and accession number. Testing shall completed on a blood sample collected within one (1) year prior to entry onto the Congress show grounds and have been conducted by a laboratory certified and approved by the USDA.
Test samples from international competitors must be sent to NVSL laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Following are approved labs for U.S. residents:
Arkansas Livestock & Poultry Commission Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Little Rock, Arkansas
(501) 907-2430
Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
Fort Collins, Colorado
(970) 297-1281
Kissimmee Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
Kissimmee, Florida
(321) 697-1400
NVSL Diagnostic Laboratory
Ames, Iowa
(515) 337-7563
Murray State University
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
(270) 886-3959
University of Kentucky Livestock Disease
Diagnostic Center
Lexington, Kentucky
(859) 253-0571
Louisiana Veterinary Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
(225) 578-9777
New Mexico Department of Ag, Veterinary Diagnostic Services
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 383-9295
Ohio Department of Agirculture Division of Animal Industry Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
(614) 728-6220
Oklahoma State University Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab
Stillwater, Oklahoma
(405) 744-6623
Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
Amarillo, Texas
(806) 353-7478
Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
College Station, Texas
(979) 845-3414
Submit a Comment