ST. PAUL - The season's first Minnesota case of West Nile virus has been diagnosed in a horse.
The state Board of Animal Health announced Tuesday that Friesian stallion in the Winthrop area tested positive and was sick. It had not been vaccinated against the virus.
The virus regularly is found in the United States, with birds serving as the primary host. Mosquitoes carry the disease from birds to horses and people.
West Nile can cause encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
The animal health board recommended that besides vaccinations, horse owners take steps to reduce mosquitoes by changing drinking water troughs weekly, mowing tall grass and removing items like tires that mosquitoes use as breeding grounds.
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People can protect themselves from mosquitoes by using insect repellants.
No human West Nile cases have been reported in the state this year. The state Health Department reports that most people infected with West Nile show no symptoms.
