Virus killing horses

The virus can be transmitted to humans through contact with the infected animal, reports Satyajit Joshi.

There's a health warning for all of you planning a trip to Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar or Matheran in the holiday season. Several of the joyride horses at these hill stations have been found infected with a virus that the Japanese army once used as an agent of biological warfare.

HT Image

The virus, burkholderia mallei, can be transmitted to humans through contact with the infected animal. The disease it causes, glander, isn't known to cause largescale fatalities in humans, but has already killed 10 ponies in the state over the past few weeks.

Nine horses have died in Panchgani and one at Pune. All were used for joyrides. No horses have been reported infected in stud farms or at military barracks.

Animal Husbandry Commissioner Vijay Kumar said horse owners at the hill stations have been alerted, and the department has begun collecting blood samples to determine the extent of the disease's spread. If the virus is proved to have travelled far, wholesale culling of animals might be ordered, Kumar said.

Horse owners at the hill stations are not famous for keeping their animals in the best conditions. The stalls are frequently unhygienic, Kumar said, adding the virus could spread simply because owners were likely to be disinclined to pursue the relatively expensive treatment for glander.