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Aid Research Being Done On Equine Influenza InfluenzaNorth North Wales Gives Draft Golt To Army Veterinary Laboratory LaboratoryWARRENTON WARRENTON Va May 14 North Wales Stud has just presented a yearling draft colt to the Army Veterinary Research Laboratory Washington D C as a con ¬ tribution toward the experimental work which the laboratory is doing on equine influenza This laboratory was established in 1939 by Gen Raymond Kelser then commanding the Army Veterinary Corps and now dean of the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania It was set up at the Remount Depot at Front Royal Va under Maj T C Jones specifically to investigate periodic opthalmia moon blindness and influenza influenzaEquine Equine influenza which assumes various forms all the way from shipping fever to coughing at the race track is one of the major headaches confronting horsemen It is of ten fatal The problems involved have much in common with human influenza and discoveries in the equine field are of great importance in the human field fieldDuring During an outbreak of influenza among the remount horses in 1941 Mayor Jones succeeded in isolating a strain of influenza virus Injections of this strain into horses under laboratory conditions were found to give virtually complete immunity After the laboratory had been moved to Fort Robinson Neb in 1945 the virus was tested under field conditions and injected into about 90 colts Unfortunately these colts were sold because of the reduction of the remount service It was possible to trace the subsequent careers of half of them however and again the virus seems to have given a very high degree of im ¬ munity On the other hand an epidemic of influenza broke out among colts retained at Fort Robinson who had not received the injections The American Journal of Vet ¬ erinary Research will shortly publish an article by Major Jones giving a full history ofthese experiments experimentsThe The Veterinary Research Laboratory was moved to the Army Medical Center in Washington D C during the summer of 1947 The decision as to when and how this strain of equine influenza virus will be released to civilian horsemen now rests with Gen James A McCallan who suc ceeded General Kelser as commanding of licer of the Veterinary Corps Meanwhile Major Jones is keeping thestrairi liveanr the colt sent by North Wales Stud t I Washington will be used for that purpose
