Swamp Fever Research Paper

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) also known as “Swamp Fever” is a very serious viral disease that attacks the horse’s immune system. Currently there is no cure for this disease and research is being done on vaccines for EIA. EIA’s first case was recorded in France in 1843. The scientist that discovered this disease first thought it to be related to a nutritional disease. Since the scientist thought the disease was a nutritional disease they began to adjust the feedings of the horse. After adjusting the feedings the horse’s symptoms of depression, fever and weakness and weight loss did not improve implying that the disease was not a nutritional disease. (http://www.floridahorse.com/EIA.html) Equine infectious anemia then began to spread all over

In Wisconsin EIA was known as “Equine Relapsing Fever”. In 1901 U.S. experienced its first epidemic of EIA. As EIA spread through the U.S. it was recorded to have been in ten states: Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Texas by 1909.( http://www.floridahorse.com/EIA.html) EIA was knowingly, spreading throughout the states and it wasn’t until six years later that it was confirmed that over 29 states had EIA proven by the horse-inoculation test. The horse-inoculation test consist of taking a horse that is suspected to have EIA and drawing its blood to be then be injected into a horse that does not suffer from EIA. Once the horse is inoculated with the suspected infected horse’s blood the horse will have an incubation period to determine if the healthy horse shows symptoms of EIA. (http://www.floridahorse.com/EIA.html) This form of testing was the only method used at the time because the Coggins Test had not been developed until

hit New Hampshire in 1947. EIA claimed the lives of 77 Thoroughbred horses at Rockingham Park Race Track. This epidemic continued to follow Standardbred farms. The constant outbreaks of EIA lead to the biggest study of EIA in 1970 at Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory at Cornell University. The study consisted of 10 outbreaks which included the most written about in veterinary literature. (http://www.floridahorse.com/EIA.html) From the continuous explosion of EIA this lead to the United States Livestock Sanitary Association currently known as U.S. Animal Health Association in 1965 to create a plan called “Prospectus on Equine Infectious Anemia with Guidelines” to curb EIA from spreading. Later following this plan to help reduce the spread of EIA Dr. Leroy Coggins from Cornell University created the Coggins Test. The Coggins test was the first to be able to accurately help diagnose EIA. The Coggins Test was then made the official test for determining if EIA was present in 1973 by the United States Department of Agriculture. (http://www.floridahorse.com/EIA.html)This discovery of the Coggins Test is what is helping many horses survive in today’s