Of Horses and Men

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health column this week presents an article entitled "Equus caballus," in which Robinson examines the impact of the horse on the health of man. He notes the many shared diseases, including the equine encephalitides. In one of these, that caused by Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus, Equidae, because of their size and the high level of viremia, are an important amplifying link in the natural horse-mosquito-horse and horse-mosquito-man cycles. The physical characteristics of this virus make transmission to man by inhalation a constant threat in the laboratory. This editorial concerns the development of . . .