<p>Bengaluru: A horse at the Bangalore Turf Club that was diagnosed with the incurable glanders disease was euthanised by the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department on Tuesday, with the beleaguered club now hoping none of the remaining eight samples turn up positive.</p>.<p>After the Government Veterinary Hospital in Hebbal found five horses at the BTC with suspected glanders infection early this month, the club was forced to send samples of 20 horses to the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) in Hisar, Haryana — the nodal agency for determining the outbreak of any zoonotic or any epidemic related to animals in the country — as per Central Government rules.</p>.<p>NRCE, while clearing 11 horses of the deadly disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia Mallei that mainly affects horses, donkeys or mules, requested BTC to send another batch of nasal swabs and serum samples of nine horses for additional investigation. Of the nine, NRCE confirmed glanders positive for one horse, with results of eight expected to arrive on Wednesday.</p>.Bangalore Turf Club hopeful of getting licence in time.<p>This prompted the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department on Tuesday to declare the 2-kilometre radius around BTC as a “Notified Area” — according to the document available with DH — and put to sleep the infected horse. Restrictions have also been imposed on the movement of horses in and out of BTC as per the ‘National Action Plan for Control and Eradication of Glanders in India’.</p>.<p>“The infected horse has been put to sleep by government authorities following all protocols today,” BTC chairman L Shivashankar confirmed to DH. “There is no cure for glanders, so the only way to stop the infection from spreading to other horses or even humans is to put the infected horse down.”</p>.<p>Shivashankar is now hoping none of the remaining eight samples test positive. “The samples of the remaining eight were to arrive today, but they got delayed. It’s likely to come tomorrow (Wednesday), and we are praying they turn up negative. Because even if it’s one positive, it could spell more trouble.”</p>.<p>Things appear rocky for BTC with the winter season likely to never resume. Even if the eight results come out negative, BTC will have to send samples of all the horses at its premises — there are 648 now — to NRCE for testing thrice every 21 days. Only when all results come out negative in three continuous cycles can they resume racing. Even one glanders positive means repeating the cycle again. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: A horse at the Bangalore Turf Club that was diagnosed with the incurable glanders disease was euthanised by the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department on Tuesday, with the beleaguered club now hoping none of the remaining eight samples turn up positive.</p>.<p>After the Government Veterinary Hospital in Hebbal found five horses at the BTC with suspected glanders infection early this month, the club was forced to send samples of 20 horses to the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) in Hisar, Haryana — the nodal agency for determining the outbreak of any zoonotic or any epidemic related to animals in the country — as per Central Government rules.</p>.<p>NRCE, while clearing 11 horses of the deadly disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia Mallei that mainly affects horses, donkeys or mules, requested BTC to send another batch of nasal swabs and serum samples of nine horses for additional investigation. Of the nine, NRCE confirmed glanders positive for one horse, with results of eight expected to arrive on Wednesday.</p>.Bangalore Turf Club hopeful of getting licence in time.<p>This prompted the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department on Tuesday to declare the 2-kilometre radius around BTC as a “Notified Area” — according to the document available with DH — and put to sleep the infected horse. Restrictions have also been imposed on the movement of horses in and out of BTC as per the ‘National Action Plan for Control and Eradication of Glanders in India’.</p>.<p>“The infected horse has been put to sleep by government authorities following all protocols today,” BTC chairman L Shivashankar confirmed to DH. “There is no cure for glanders, so the only way to stop the infection from spreading to other horses or even humans is to put the infected horse down.”</p>.<p>Shivashankar is now hoping none of the remaining eight samples test positive. “The samples of the remaining eight were to arrive today, but they got delayed. It’s likely to come tomorrow (Wednesday), and we are praying they turn up negative. Because even if it’s one positive, it could spell more trouble.”</p>.<p>Things appear rocky for BTC with the winter season likely to never resume. Even if the eight results come out negative, BTC will have to send samples of all the horses at its premises — there are 648 now — to NRCE for testing thrice every 21 days. Only when all results come out negative in three continuous cycles can they resume racing. Even one glanders positive means repeating the cycle again. </p>