Twenty-two horses have tested positive for Equine Piroplasmosis in Middle Tennessee.
The state veterinarian’s office is investigating the outbreak in a group of racing Quarter Horses in Bedford, Rutherford, and Williamson Counties.
The horses are all under quarantine and being treated.
EP is a blood parasite in horses and is not contagious to humans.
Although it can be transmitted through infected ticks, it‘s more commonly spread by blood and blood products through the sharing of needles, syringes, or improperly cleaned and disinfected dental, surgical, or blood product equipment between infected and uninfected horses.
It may take as long as 30 days for an infected horse to test positive for the disease after exposure. Horses that test positive for the disease are quarantined and may be euthanized.
