Second horse in Wisconsin has equine venereal disease

MADISON, Wis. (AP)--Wisconsin agriculture officials says a second stallion in Outagamie County has tested positive for an equine venereal disease.

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says animal-health authorities kept the 4-year-old stallion quarantined since mid-January.

They said it was found Jan. 22 to have contagious equine metritis. CEM can cause temporary infertility and spontaneous abortion in horses but is treatable and poses no threat to humans.

Authorities say the stallion had been at a Wisconsin artificial-insemination center at the same time as another stallion that later tested positive for CEM.

Seventeen other stallions and 29 mares have been quarantined after being exposed to that infected stallion.

Date: 1/30/09