Health Alerts

On May 23, 2024, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa confirmed a case of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in an 11-year-old domestic pony mare in Florida. CEM is a foreign animal disease that can affect fertility in horses and ponies. It is transmitted during live cover and artificial insemination, and it can also be transmitted through contaminated equipment and human hands. The U.S. eradicated the diseases in the contiguous 50 states in 2010. The last reported case in an American equine was in a Thoroughbred mare in Puerto Rico in 2013. The country had been considered CEM-free by the global veterinary community since then. Factual Summary This outbreak involves stallions, mares, and geldings; of all ages and breeds; on one farm in Central Florida. The 11-year-old mare had been bred by live cover on May 10th to a 3-year-old pony stallion. That pony stallion has since tested positive as well, along with ...