What is the rino virus?

Answer 1

"Rhino virus" is a layman's term for Equine Herpes Virus of which there are 2 strains that are of import to horse owners: EHV-1 and EHV-4. Both are highly contageous and both can remain dormant in a horse's body for years with no apparent symptoms yet be shed during times of stress and thus serve as a source of infection for other horses.

EHV-1 causes respiratory disease, late-term abortions and can if mutated cause a very serious and highly contageous neurological disease called Equine Herpes Myeloencephalitis. This is the virus that has caused so many quarantines and event cancellations in the US in 2010 and 2011 due to the highly deadly and contageous nature of the neurological disease it causes.

EHV-4 causes respiratory disease and in rare cases causes neurological disease.

Answer 2

"Rhino" means nose. The rhinovirus is a group of viruses which cause nasal conditions like runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. The common cold is caused by a rhinovirus. The reason that there is no cure for the cold is that rhinovirus mutates very quickly. Each cold is caused by a slightly different rhinovirus! By the time we invented something that would kill one rhinovirus, the cold would have mutated into something else.