| (a) Official Test. The agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID)
test, also known as the Coggins test, the Competitive Enzyme-Linked
Immunosorbent Assay (CELISA) test, and other USDA licensed tests approved
by the commission, are the official tests for equine infectious anemia
(EIA) in horses, asses, mules, ponies, zebras and any other equine
in Texas.
(b) Authorization to conduct test. Only United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved laboratories, including
USDA approved off-site laboratories, are allowed to run the AGID and
CELISA or other USDA licensed tests and all tests will be official.
Only test samples from accredited veterinarians or other TAHC authorized
personnel accompanied by a completed VS Form 10-11 can be accepted
for official testing.
(c) Official Identification of Equine Tested for EIA.
All official blood tests must be accompanied by a completed VS Form
10-11 (Equine Infectious Anemia Laboratory Test) listing the description
of the equine to include the following: age, breed, color, sex, animal's
name, and all distinctive markings (i.e., color patterns, brands,
tattoos, scars, or blemishes) and unique and permanent forms of identification,
such as electronic identification that complies with ISO 11784/11785;
or non-ISO electronic identification injected in the equine on or
before March 11, 2014; or digital photographs sufficient to identify
the individual equine. In the absence of any distinctive color markings
or any form of visible permanent identification (brands, tattoos or
scars), the animal must be identified by indicating the location of
all hair whorls, vortices or cowlicks with an "X" on the illustration
provided on the VS Form 10-11. It must list owner's name, address,
the animal's home premise and county, the name and address of the
authorized individual collecting the test sample, and laboratory and
individual conducting the test. The EIA test document shall list one
horse only.
(d) Reactor. A reactor is any equine which discloses
a positive reaction to the official test. The individual collecting
the test sample must notify the animal's owner of the quarantine within
48 hours after receiving the results.
(e) Retest of reactors. Equine which have been disclosed
as reactors may be retested prior to branding provided:
(1) owners or their agents initiate a request to the
TAHC Area Director of the area where the horse is located;
(2) retests are conducted within 30 days after the
date of the original test;
(3) blood samples for retests are collected by the
person who collected the sample for the first test or by TAHC personnel,
and the blood samples are submitted to the Texas Veterinary Medical
Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for testing;
(4) the individual collecting the retest sample is
provided documentation that the animal being retested is the same
as the one shown positive on the initial test and can verify the retested
equine as being the same as shown on the original test document; and
(5) the positive animal is held under quarantine along
with all other equine on the premise.
(f) Official identification of reactors. A reactor
to the official test must be permanently identified using the National
Uniform Tag Code number assigned by the USDA to the state in which
the reactor was tested followed by the letter "A" (the code for Texas
is 74A). The reactor identification must be permanently applied by
a representative of the Texas Animal Health Commission who must use
for the purpose of identification, a hot-iron brand or freeze-marking
brand. The brand must be not less than two inches high and shall be
applied to the left shoulder or left side of the neck of the reactor.
Reactors must be branded within ten days of the date the laboratory
completes the test unless the equine is destroyed. Any equine destroyed
prior to branding must be described in a written statement by the
accredited veterinarian or other authorized personnel certifying to
the destruction. This certification must be submitted to the Texas
Animal Health Commission promptly.
(g) Quarantine. Any equine animal found to be a reactor
to the official test will be quarantined by a representative of the
Texas Animal Health Commission to the premises of its home, farm,
ranch or stable until natural death, disposition by euthanasia, slaughter,
or disposition to a Texas Animal Health Commission approved, diagnostic
or research facility. The quarantine shall restrict the infected equine,
all other equine on the premise, and all equine epidemiologically
determined to have been exposed to an EIA-positive animal to isolation
at least 200 yards away from equine on adjacent premises.
(h) Movement of Reactors and Exposed Equine.
(1) Reactor equine. Following official identification,
a reactor must be accompanied by a VS Form 1-27 permit issued by an
accredited veterinarian or other authorized state or federal personnel
when moved from its home premises either:
(A) Directly to a slaughter plant, slaughter-only market,
or slaughter-only buying facility; or
(B) Directly to an approved diagnostic or research
facility; or
(C) Directly to a livestock market to be sold for slaughter,
provided that within 24 hours prior to entry, the equine is inspected
by a TAHC veterinarian or a Texas USDA-accredited veterinarian to
ensure the equine displays no clinical signs of EIA and has a normal
temperature. The auction market must isolate the positive equine from
other equine, pen the positive equine under a roof, and hold the positive
equine on the premise for no longer than 24 hours.
(2) Exposed equine. Exposed equine must be identified
with an "S" brand placed on the left shoulder or left side of the
neck, and be accompanied by a VS Form 1-27 permit issued by an accredited
veterinarian or other authorized state or federal personnel when moved
either:
(A) Directly to a livestock market for sale directly
to slaughter provided the exposed equine is quarantined at the market
in isolation from other horses; or
(B) Directly to a slaughter plant, slaughter-only market,
or slaughter-only buying facility; or
(C) Directly to an approved diagnostic or research
facility.
(i) Requirements for testing equine on quarantined
premises. All equine determined to have been on the same premise with
an EIA-positive horse at the time the positive horse was bled shall
be tested by an accredited veterinarian at owner's expense or by Commission
personnel. Nursing foals are exempt from testing.
(j) Requirements for Testing Exposed Equine and High
Risk Herds.
(1) Exposed equine. All equine epidemiologically determined
to have been exposed to an EIA-positive animal shall be quarantined
and tested by an Accredited Veterinarian at owner's expense or by
Commission personnel. Nursing foals are exempt from testing.
(2) Whole herd testing. All equine except nursing foals
that are part of a herd from which a reactor has been classified shall
be tested by an Accredited Veterinarian at owner's expense or by Commission
personnel. A herd is:
(A) All equine under common ownership or supervision
that are on one premise; or
(B) All equine under common ownership or supervision
on two or more premises that are geographically separated, but on
which the equine have been interchanged or where there has been contact
among the equine on the different premises. Contact between equine
on the different premises will be assumed unless the owner establishes
otherwise and the results of the epidemiologic investigation are consistent
with the lack of contact between premises; or
(C) All equine on common premises, such as community
pastures or grazing association units, but owned by different persons.
Other equine owned by the persons involved which are located on other
premises are considered to be part of this herd unless the epidemiologic
investigation establishes that equine from the affected herd have
not had the opportunity for direct or indirect contact with equine
from that specific premise.
(3) High Risk Testing. Herds determined to be at high
risk shall be tested by an accredited veterinarian at owner's expense
or by commission personnel. High risk herds are those epidemiologically
judged by a State-Federal veterinarian to have a high probability
of having or developing equine infectious anemia. A high risk herd
need not be located on the same premise as an infected or adjacent
herd.
(k) Release of EIA quarantine. The EIA quarantine may
be released by the Texas Animal Health Commission after all quarantined
equine test negative at least 60 days following identification and
removal of the last EIA-positive equine as set out in subsections
(f) and (h) of this section. Epidemiological data may be considered
in the release of the quarantine.
(l) Requirements for Change of Ownership. A negative
EIA test within the previous 12 months is required for all equine,
except zebras, which are eight months of age or older, changing ownership
in Texas, except, if the animal is:
Cont'd... |
