USDA temporarily closes Miami Import Center after 3 horses die of suspected salmonella

[Color_of_Light]

Does anyone have any update on this? Any word on which countries the sick horses came from?

“The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency has reported that the Miami Animal Import Center will be temporarily closed to new arrivals of horses beginning on January 19th in response to illness in a handful of horses quarantined at the facility. APHIS is investigating to determine the specific cause of illness, but salmonella is suspected, and the facility is stepping up biosecurity and taking additional precautions to prevent any further disease spread. The temporary closure is effective on Saturday, January 19, 2019. APHIS is conducting environmental testing at the facility, and the samples will be sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for diagnostic testing. To date, six horses have fallen ill with symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever and lameness. Despite receiving immediate medical treatment, three of the horses died. The other three horses are recovering. APHIS will share more information once it is available.”
http://www.equinediseasecc.org/alerts/outbreaks

http://eurodressage.com/2019/01/19/usda-temporarily-closes-miami-animal-import-center-after-three-horses-dead

[poltroon]

Pretty shocking. I was even surprised that the centers were still taking in horses before, given that USDA is in shutdown.

[AppaloosaDressage]

If the horses are contracting samonilla while in quarantine isn’t the likely culprit the center feeding contaminated food to the animals?

[Color_of_Light]

@AppaloosaDressage

If the horses are contracting samonilla while in quarantine isn’t the likely culprit the center feeding contaminated food to the animals?

Good question. No, it’s not usually the feed that’s the concern in cases like this. Salmonella poisoning in horses is very contagious. There are three forms. Some horses can silently carry the bacteria but show no symptoms. These horses can transmit the bacteria if they come into close contact with other horses or by contaminating the environment. Then there are horse who have mild cases of the bacteria. They can shed the bacteria in their manure as long as a few months. The horses that died in Miami had the third type, which has severe symptoms. Think of the worst case of food poisoning that you’ve ever had where it’s coming out both ends, but horses can’t throw up. Severe salmonella can cause horses to have severe foul smelling diarrhea, become septic, have severe colic, lose protein, etc, as the bacteria overtakes their body. If it’s not treated, it can kill a horse.

These horses probably caught it where ever they originated from. There’s potential that they contaminated the export facility they came from if it wasn’t where they caught it, contaminated the shipping crates, contaminated the plane, contaminated the import facility, contaminated the quarantine facility and any horse trailers they were hauled in. I’m not sure if they even made it to the quarantine facility before they got sick.

[soloudinhere]

@AppaloosaDressage

If the horses are contracting samonilla while in quarantine isn’t the likely culprit the center feeding contaminated food to the animals?

No. Salmonella in people is also not usually from contaminated food. It’s from a contaminated environment from someone else who has it. The horses could have picked it up anywhere of a million places that they are between source farm and quarantine facility, but this is why quarantine exists.

there is a private quarantine facility at Miami as well as the USDA facility.

[SolarFlare]

@Color of Light

Then there are horse who have mild cases of the virus. They can shed the virus in their manure as long as a few months.

Just to be extra clear here, salmonella is a bacteria (which you’ve stated), not a virus.

One article I read said that asymptomatic carriers tend to shed more bacteria when under stress, including during transport and hospitalization. So perhaps the breakout was caused in this way.

I also read that the bacteria can become aerosolized, so not only can it be spread by caretakers through contact, but the bacteria can be airborne as well.

[Color_of_Light]

@SolarFlare

Just to be extra clear here, salmonella is a bacteria (which you’ve stated), not a virus.

One article I read said that asymptomatic carriers tend to shed more bacteria when under stress, including during transport and hospitalization. So perhaps the breakout was caused in this way.

I also read that the bacteria can become aerosolized, so not only can it be spread by caretakers through contact, but the bacteria can be airborne as well.

:lol: Hahahaha! Thank you for catching that! Using “bacteria” and “virus” in the same paragraph about the same subject. Good catch! It was past my bed time. On another post last night, someone had wrote about a cell phone holster by NiteIze, and my sleepy brain read it as Nietzsche (German Philosopher). :lol: Salmonella as a virus = yikes! It’s bad enough as a bacteria!

@SolarFlare

One article I read said that asymptomatic carriers tend to shed more bacteria when under stress, including during transport and hospitalization. So perhaps the breakout was caused in this way.

The asymptomatic carriers would already be shedding anyway. That is a good point about increased bacteria shedding when under stress.

It’s rather horrifying how contagious salmonella can be. I cannot imagine having to deal with having to deal with contaminated sick horses and disinfecting everything in the barn. Wonder how you dispose of manure? Those poor horses who got sick and the ones that had to be euthanized. I feel for the owners who imported those horses. They must be completely heartbroken.

[SolarFlare]

@Color of Light

:lol: Hahahaha! Thank you for catching that! Using “bacteria” and “virus” in the same paragraph about the same subject. Good catch! It was past my bed time. On another post last night, someone had wrote about a cell phone holster by NiteIze, and my sleepy brain read it as Nietzsche (German Philosopher). :lol: Salmonella as a virus = yikes! It’s bad enough as a bacteria!

The asymptomatic carriers would already be shedding anyway. That is a good point about increased bacteria shedding when under stress.

It’s rather horrifying how contagious salmonella can be. I cannot imagine having to deal with having to deal with contaminated sick horses and disinfecting everything in the barn. Wonder how you dispose of manure? Those poor horses who got sick and the ones that had to be euthanized. I feel for the owners who imported those horses. They must be completely heartbroken.

https://www.amazon.com/Hodenr-Nietzsche-Rotating-Smartphones-Tablets/dp/B07MF73KT4 :lol:

I had never really thought about horses getting salmonella before - I haven’t come across it in over 30 years that I know of. Wouldn’t a horse reinfect itself too? Even if you feed it up off the ground, a horse would be bound to eat something off the ground, which means it might have touched manure with bacteria in it.

[Montanas_Girl]

@SolarFlare

One article I read said that asymptomatic carriers tend to shed more bacteria when under stress, including during transport and hospitalization. So perhaps the breakout was caused in this way.

That was my assumption when I read the article.

Salmonella outbreaks in equine facilities aren’t common, but they aren’t unheard of, either. A couple of very well known vet school hospitals have dealt with extremely difficult to eradicate cases in the last few decades, for example.