It has been announced that a five-year-old mare is the latest Standardbred to test positive for the West Nile Virus.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture confirmed that West Nile Virus (WNV) was detected in a five-year-old Standardbred mare from Ashtabula County.

The mare began showing signs on Friday, August 24. The mare had been weak and recumbent, but was able to rise with assistance.

A serum sample was collected and submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) on August 25. On August 26, the owner opted to euthanize the mare due to the poor prognosis. The horse was not vaccinated against WNV.

The NVSL reported an IgM capture ELISA titer of 1:400 or greater on August 28, suggesting recent exposure to WNV.

The mare was the first horse to test positive for West Nile Virus in Ashtabula County, and ninth in Ohio this year.

(With files from the Equine Disease Communication Center)