The study of blood in horses encompasses the examination of its components, functions, and its role in equine health and disease. Blood consists of various elements, including red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma, each serving specific functions such as oxygen transport, immune response, clotting, and nutrient distribution. Analyzing blood parameters can provide insights into the physiological and pathological states of horses. Common blood tests in equine medicine assess parameters like hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, and white cell counts to monitor health status, diagnose conditions, and guide treatment decisions. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the composition, function, and clinical applications of blood analysis in horses.
Hale JN, Hughes KJ, Hall S, Labens R.Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) is a commonly administered intra-articular treatment for the management of osteoarthritis in athletic horses. Objective: To investigate the influence of exercise on the concentration of cytokines in a non-commercial method of ACS production. Methods: Non-randomised cross over design. Methods: Whole blood was obtained from eight healthy Standardbred horses immediately prior to, 1 h and 24 h following a single bout of exhaustive exercise. Blood was processed using a non-commercial method of ACS production. Fluorescent microsphere immunoassay (FMIA) analysis ...
This study aimed to evaluate the changes in serum oxidant and antioxidant parameters together with the serum values of homocysteine (Hcy) and muscle enzymes including creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in regularly trained athletic horses during official races of 1200, 1600 and 2000 m. Thirty Thoroughbred horses were divided into three groups of 10 subjects each according to the race distance: Group 1, 1200 m race; Group 2, 1600 m race; Group 3, 2000 m race. Blood samples were collected from horses 1 week prior to the race (1WB), on the day o...
Salinas C, Espinosa G, Morales N, Henríquez C, Morán G, Gajardo G, Burgos RA, Uberti B.Obesity and insulin dysregulation (ID) are increasingly prevalent conditions in equid populations worldwide. Immune impairment is well described in humans with metabolic dysfunction and is reported but still incompletely understood in horses. This study evaluated the effect of acute induced transient hyperglycemia on apoptosis, phagocytosis and oxidative burst activity of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) of lean and obese adult horses with or without insulin dysregulation. Seventeen adult horses were allocated into three groups based on their body condition score (BCS) and metabo...
Ledeck J, Dufour P, Evrard É, Le Goff C, Peeters S, Brutinel F, Egyptien S, Deleuze S, Cavalier É, Ponthier J.This study describes 17-β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1) and estrone-sulfate (E1S) concentrations between 4 and 11 months in healthy equine pregnancies of two different breeds using Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass-Spectrometry (LC-MS). In 2 stud-farms including 15 Spanish PureBred (SPB) and 11 Showjumping (SJ) types mares, combined thickness of the uterus and the placenta (CTUP) was measured and blood was sampled monthly between 4 and 11 months of gestation. Concentrations of E2, E1 and E1S were assayed with LC-MS in mares with normal CTUP. Effects of breed, day of pregnancy and mare's pa...
Bishop RC, Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Stewart MC, McCoy AM.To evaluate previously published predictive survival models in a population of horses undergoing colic surgery in the midwestern United States. Methods: Retrospective cohort study; single referral hospital. Methods: A total of 260 horses met the inclusion criteria. Methods: Medical records of horses undergoing surgical treatment for colic were reviewed. Previously published models were applied to cohort data to predict outcome. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy for prediction of short-term survival were calculated. Results:...
Cheung HW, Wong KS, Lin VYC, Farrington AF, Bond AJ, Wan TSM, Ho ENM.The concern about gene doping has remained high in horseracing and other equestrian competitions. Our laboratory has previously developed a duplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay capable of detecting in equine blood the human erythropoietin (hEPO) transgene and equine tubulin α 4a (TUBA4A) gene as an internal control the latter providing quality control over DNA extraction and qPCR. This study aimed to optimize the method for routine testing of regulatory samples. The use of an automated DNA extraction system has increased the sample throughput, consistency of DNA extracti...
Reed R, Trenholme N, Skrzypczak H, Chang K, Ishikawa Y, Barletta M, Quandt J, Knych H, Sakai D.To compare the effects of hydromorphone and butorphanol in horses undergoing arthroscopy and describe the pharmacokinetics of hydromorphone in anesthetized horses. Methods: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Methods: A total of 40 adult horses admitted for elective arthroscopy. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to be administered intravenous hydromorphone (0.04 mg kg-1; group TxH; n = 19) or butorphanol (0.02 mg kg-1; group TxB; n = 21) prior to surgery as part of a standardized anesthetic protocol. Pain was scored by two observers unaware of group assignment using the Equine Utrecht...
Hoffmann SL, Seminoff K, McKemie DS, Kass PH, Knych HK.Grapiprant is a prostaglandin E2 receptor antagonist that has been found to be an effective anti-inflammatory in dogs and that is devoid of some of the adverse effects associated with traditional NSAIDs that elicit their effects through inhibition of PGE2 production. Previously published reports have described the pharmacokinetics of this drug in horses when administered at 2 mg/kg; however, pharmacodynamic effects in this species have yet to be described. The objective of the current study was to describe the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of grapiprant at a higher dose. Eight horses...
da Conceição FFCB, de Mattos BHV, Sá PA, Marçola TG, da Silva GA, Teixeira HCA, Campebell RC.Due to the scarcity of information on Breton horses, the objective was to study hematobiochemical values of this breed. Blood samples were collected from 29 Bretons, males and females, of different ages, in Brasília-DF, distributed into groups, according to age, without distinction of sex (G1): animals from 4 to 9 years old (n=16) and (G2): from 10 to 26 years old (n=13). The horses were also distributed into males and females for comparisons between the sexes. Values for red blood cells, hemoglobin, creatinine, and urea were statistically higher in females. Fibrinogen was higher in males. Ly...
Pollard CL, Gibb Z, Clulow J, Ruiz A, Sheridan A, Bahrami M, Swegen A, Grupen CG.A deficiency in NAD has previously been linked with increased occurrences of congenital abnormalities and embryonic death in humans and mice. Early embryonic death is a major factor involved in pregnancy loss in mares, and very little is known regarding the NAD requirements for optimum reproductive function in horses. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of supplementing the diet of mares with nicotinic acid (NA) on the composition of NAD metabolites in the blood and follicular fluid. Vehicle alone or NA (3 g per os) were administered to seven mares over a minimum of 3 consecutive...
Satué K, Fazio E, Muñoz A, Medica P.The objective of this research was to evaluate the changes in body condition score (BCS), age and the main biochemical parameters in pregnant Spanish Purebred mares. A total of 45 pregnant Spanish broodmares has been studied, classified in three different groups: group A (n = 15), aging 14-18 years old and BCS lower than 4 of 10, group B (n = 15), with ages of 4 to 8 years and a BCS of 5-6/10, and group C (n = 15), aging between 6 and 11 years and a BCS of 8 of 10. Three pregnancy periods were considered: the 1st period, from the 1st to the 3rd, the 2nd from the 4th to the 6th, and the l...
Mann S, Abuelo A, Stokol T, Wakshlag JJ, Bayly W, Reed S, Gandy J, Ramsay JD, Divers TJ.High serum γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) activity syndrome in racehorses has been associated with maladaption to exercise. Investigation of affected horses before and immediately after standard exercise may provide critical insight into the syndrome's pathophysiology. Objective: To investigate blood biomarker changes in actively competing racehorses with high GGT activity associated with an exercise challenge. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: High GGT case (age: 2-3 years) and normal GGT control (age: 2-7 years) pairs (3 Thoroughbred, 4 Standardbred pairs) at least 3 months into thei...
Yamazaki A, Suganuma K, Kayano M, Acosta TJ, Saitoh T, Valinotti MFR, Sanchez AR, Inoue N.Animal trypanosomosis, caused by Trypanozoon trypanosomes (Trypanosoma evansi and T. equiperdum), and Trypanosoma vivax, is endemic to South American countries and has a negative impact on the livestock industry. However, the risk factors for trypanosomosis in Paraguay remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for equine trypanosomosis in Paraguay based on a PCR-based molecular survey and individual horse sampling data. In this study, 739 blood samples were collected from horses in 16 departments of Paraguay between August 2019 and November 2020. To elucidate the risk fact...
Lv K, Zhang Y, Yang Y, Liu Z, Deng L.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a type of blood protozoan disease caused by tick-borne parasites, (), () and . While many studies have been conducted on EP diagnosis, diagnostic methods exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity remain lacking. Therefore, nested PCR (nPCR) and duplex real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) that can simultaneously detect both and causing agents were established and compared. The two techniques were used to analyze 36 horse blood samples for EP. This set of samples was also detected by a multinested PCR (mnPCR) targeting the gene of and the gene of ....
Sievert M, Schuler G, Büttner K, Wehrend A.The timely diagnosis of abnormalities in the passive transfer of colostral immunoglobulins is important for the health and development of newborn foals. This study investigated three different methods for measuring immunoglobulin G concentration in neonatal foals. Comparison of a commercial SNAP assay, total protein concentration determination, and total globulin calculation by subtracting the albumin fraction from total protein as an indirect parameter was performed on a quantitative ELISA, which served as a reference method. The study included 119 samples from 148 foals between the age of 1 ...
Mashin VV, Sergeev AN, Martynova NN, Oganov MD, Sergeev AA, Kataeva VV, Zagidullin NV.Equine blood plasma/serum and intermediates must be monitored for the presence of live viruses pathogenic in humans during production of equine immunoglobulins. Information concerning low-cost and simple methods for the detection of live horse viruses pathogenic and non-pathogenic to humans was gained using data of modern domestic and foreign literature. These methods are based on cultivation of these viruses on sensitive biosystems. The presented information can be used to set up blood plasma/serum control of horses at different stages of immunoglobulin production, i.e., when taking blood fro...
Zandoná Meleiro MC, de Carvalho HJC, Ribeiro RR, da Silva MD, Salles Gomes CM, Miglino MA, de Santis Prada IL.Racehorses are constantly exposed to stress. Aiming to verify the state of blood components and cortisol alterations during their routine and after races, phagocytosis and oxidative neutrophil burst assays, serum cortisol determination, erythrocytes apoptosis evaluation, lymphoproliferation assays, and blood count tests were performed in thirty Thoroughbred racehorses, which were divided in two groups. The samples were taken right after races (moment 0 d), during rest periods (-11 d, +1 d, +3 d), and after training (-8, +2, +5). In both groups, the phagocytosis showed a decrease in percentage ...
Da Silva-Álvarez E, Gómez-Arrones V, Martín-Cano FE, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Carrasco JJ, Gil MC, Peña Vega FJ....In this study, uterine blood flow area (BFA) has been evaluated for the first time using power Doppler ultrasound (PD) as a marker of endometritis in mares and jennies. The uterine BFA in healthy mares was greater in oestrus than in diestrus (p < .001). However, differences in endometrial blood flow between oestrus and diestrus were not observed in mares with endometritis. The uterine blood flow in healthy jennies is not affected by the oestrus cycle. Both species showed an increase in endometrial BFA in pathological uterine conditions compared to controls. BFA was a good marker of endome...
Deng L, Li Z, Tang C, Han Y, Zhang L, Liao Q.Equine pregnancy is currently diagnosed by rectal palpation, ultrasonographic examination, or by measuring changes in hormones in the blood. In the present study, we identified proteins that are differentially expressed in the sera of early pregnant and non-pregnant mares in order to develop a novel method for diagnosing equine pregnancy. Serum samples were obtained from 18 adult mares, pregnancy at day 32 after ovulation (n = 9) and in diestrus (n = 9). Proteomic analysis of the samples was conducted using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. We iden...
Soroko M, Górniak W, Zielińska P, Górniak A, Śniegucka K, Nawrot K, Korczyński M.Shiitake mushrooms have been highly regarded as possessing enormous nutritive and medicinal values. No clinical studies have yet investigated the effect of shitake supplementation on the health of horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of shiitake mushroom supplementation on the morphological and biochemical blood properties in horses. A total of 17 adult horses were divided into two groups: supplemented and control. The supplemented group was fed 60 g of shiitake mushrooms per day for 5 months. Blood samples were collected in five sessions. Blood morphological analysis showe...
Beazley SG, Focken A, Fernandez-Parra R, Thomas KL, Adler A, Duke-Novakovski T.To determine changes in distribution of lung ventilation with increasing intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) from carbon dioxide (CO) insufflation in standing sedated horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: A group of six healthy adult horses. Methods: Each horse was sedated with acepromazine, detomidine and butorphanol and sedation maintained with a detomidine infusion. The horse was restrained in a stocks system and a 32 electrode electrical impedance tomography (EIT) belt was wrapped around the thorax at the fifth-sixth intercostal space. EIT images and arterial blood samples f...
Harada K, Kanemitsu S, Akioka K, Fujita K, Nishi Y, Taura Y, Sasaki N.Fifty-four slaughtered horses were classified into groups having adipose tissue in the crest of the neck with or without hemorrhage (AH and NH groups, respectively). Blood biochemical tests (Alb, TP, T-bil, GOT, GPT, LDH, T-cho, and BUN) and an epidemiological survey (age, gender, weight, origin, breed, BCS, CNS, and hoof disease) were performed. T-bil tended to be high, while the other parameters were normal. Weight, BCS, and CNS were higher in the AH group (P<0.05). GOT was lower in the AH group (P<0.05). It was suspected that the horses in the AH group had lipomatosis. It was assumed ...
Lovett AL, Gilliam LL, Sykes BW, McFarlane D.Both obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with hypercoagulability in people, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and thromboembolic events. Whether hypercoagulability exists in obese, insulin-dysregulated horses is unknown. Objective: To determine if coagulation profiles differ between healthy horses and those with obesity and insulin dysregulation. Methods: Fifteen healthy horses (CON) and 15 obese, insulin-dysregulated horses (OBID). Individuals were university or client owned. Methods: Case-control study. Obesity was defined as a body condition score (BCS) ≥7.5/9 (modif...
Orellana-Guerrero D, Dini P, Santos E, de la Fuente A, Meyers S, Koshak S, Dujovne G.Transvaginal aspiration of oocytes (TVA) is a commonly used clinical procedure to obtain oocytes for in vitro production of embryos in horses. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of the TVA procedure on blood and peritoneal parameters, and to investigate the association of these findings with variables such as use of antibiotics, number of ovarian punctures, and length of the procedure. Physical examination was performed and blood and peritoneal fluid were obtained from 14 mares before they underwent TVA and the same parameters were assessed 24 hours after the procedure. On exami...
Romano MC, Francis KA, Janes JG, Poppenga RH, Filigenzi MS, Stefanovski D, Gaskill CL.Poisoning of nontarget species is a major concern with the use of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs). At postmortem examination, differentiating toxicosis from incidental exposure is sometimes difficult. Clotting profiles cannot be performed on postmortem samples, and clinically significant serum, blood, and liver AR concentrations are not well-established in most species. We chose diphacinone for our study because, at the time, it was the publicly available AR most commonly detected in samples analyzed at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. We determined an approximate ...
De Maré L, Boshuizen B, Vidal Moreno de Vega C, de Meeûs C, Plancke L, Gansemans Y, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Deforce D, de Oliveira JE, Hosotani G....There is a great need for objective external training load prescription and performance capacity evaluation in equestrian disciplines. Therefore, reliable standardised exercise tests (SETs) are needed. Classic SETs require maximum intensities with associated risks to deduce training loads from pre-described cut-off values. The lactate minimum speed (LMS) test could be a valuable alternative. Our aim was to compare new performance parameters of a modified LMS-test with those of an incremental SET, to assess the effect of training on LMS-test parameters and curve-shape, and to identify the optim...
Köhne M, Unruh C, Böttcher D, Tönissen A, Ulrich R, Sieme H.Uterine pathologies are the most common causes of infertility in mares. This study aimed to establish an ex vivo blood-perfused model for equine uteri and investigate the possible effects of different cycle stages (estrus, diestrus and anestrus) on the applicability of the model. Uteri (n = 13) were collected at an abattoir, flushed with preservation solution, transported to the laboratory on ice, and isolated perfused with autologous blood for 6 h (n = 12). For negative control, one uterus was handled as described but left without perfusion for 6 h. The cycle stage was determined by ex...
Salinas-Estrella E, Ueti MW, Lobanov VA, Castillo-Payró E, Lizcano-Mata A, Badilla C, Martínez-Ibáñez F, Mosqueda J.Equine piroplasmosis is a disease of horses, mules and donkeys, caused by the hemoprotozoans Babesia caballi and Theileria equi and transmitted by ticks of tropical and subtropical regions. Because the clinical signs are not specific, the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis is difficult. In Mexico, where the environmental factors are conducive to the persistence of these pathogens, there is a lack of molecular studies to evaluate the occurrence of both parasites in horses. In the present study, matching serum and whole blood samples were obtained from 269 horses residing in 24 locations with tro...
Jakop U, Müller K, Müller P, Neuhauser S, Callealta Rodríguez I, Grunewald S, Schiller J, Engel KM.On their way to the oocyte, sperm cells are subjected to oxidative stress, which may trigger the oxidation of phospholipids (PL). Applying MALDI-TOF MS, HPTLC and ESI-IT MS, we comparatively analyzed the PL compositions of semen and blood of species differing in their reproductive systems and types of nutrition (bull, boar, stallion, lion and man) with regard to the sensitivity to oxidation as well as the accumulation of harmful lyso-PL (LPL), transient products of lipid oxidation. In addition, the protective capacity of seminal fluid (SF) was also examined. The PL composition of erythrocytes ...
Yun J, Oyungerel B, Kong HS.This study aimed to identify the genetic diversity and population structure of Mongolian horse populations according to the province of residence (Khentii, KTP; Uvs, USP; Omnogovi and Dundgovi, GOP; Khovsgol, KGP) using 14 microsatellite (MS) markers. Methods: A total of 269 whole blood samples were obtained from the four populations (KTP, USP, GOP, KGP) geographically distinct provinces. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted using 14 MS markers (AHT4, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, and VHL20), as recommended by the International So...
Harvey JW, Asquith RL, McNulty PK, Kivipelto J, Bauer JE.Packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, erythrocyte counts, erythrocyte indices, serum iron, iron binding capacities, total and differential leucocyte counts, platelet counts, total plasma protein, fibrinogen, haptoglobin and icterus index values were determined at 14 different ages in eight Thoroughbred and 14 Quarterhorse foals during the first year of life. Absolute neutrophil numbers in blood decreased and lymphocyte numbers increased during the first months. Absolute eosinophil numbers tended to increase until three months old. Haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume decre...
Taktaz Hafshejani T, Nekoei S, Vazirian B, Doosti A, Khamesipour F, Anyanwu MU.This study was undertaken to investigate molecularly the occurrence of EHV-1 and EHV-4 infection among equine population in regions, Iran. Blood samples from 53 and 37 randomly selected horses settled in Isfahan and Shahrekord, Iran, respectively, were collected. Detection of EHV-1 and EHV-4 genes in the blood samples was done using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Out of 53 and 37 samples from Isfahan and Shahrekord, 4 (18.18%) and 3 (8.10%) were positive for PCR of EHV-1, respectively. Nine (16.98%) and 6 (16.21%) were positive for PCR of EHV-4, while 6 (11.32%) and 3 (8.10%) were positive f...
Parks CM, Manohar M.Blood flow to the brain, heart, kidneys, diaphragm, and skeletal muscles was studied at rest and during graded treadmill exercise, using radionuclide-labeled microspheres (15 microns diameter), in 11 healthy adult ponies. Hemodynamic changes brought about by exercise included marked increases in cardiac output, mean aortic pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and right ventricular systolic and end-diastolic pressures. Blood flow to the brain stem and cerebral hemispheres was unchanged during both moderate exercise (heart rate = 154 +/- 3 beats/min) and severe exercise (heart rate...
Adili N, Melizi M, Belabbas H.This investigation is placed in the context of continuity of a preliminary study already published; it was conducted in cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and dogs; the main aim is to reveal and develop criteria for the animal species determination based on the morphometric parameters of red blood cells. Methods: Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein; and the smears were confectioned on slides immediately after the blood collection and stained according to the May-Gründwald Giemsa method. For the morphometric study, three parameters were considered which are: The diameter, the circumferen...
Luethy D, Owens SD, Stefanovski D, Nolen-Walston R, Giger U.Assessment of blood compatibility, typically by tube agglutination (TUBE) and hemolysis crossmatch or, less commonly, by blood typing and alloantibody screening, often is performed before blood transfusion in horses. In contrast, gel column (GEL) and immunochromatographic strip (STRIP) techniques are preferred for compatibility testing in dogs and cats. Objective: To determine the accuracy of novel and standard crossmatch and typing methods. Methods: Thirty-eight healthy horses, previously blood typed and alloantibody screened. Methods: TUBE and GEL crossmatches were performed on 146 different...
Kisiday JD, Hale BW, Almodovar JL, Lee CM, Kipper MJ, Wayne McIlwraith C, Frisbie DD.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are present in low density in bone marrow and culture expansion is necessary to obtain sufficient numbers for many proposed therapies. Researchers have characterized MSC growth on tissue culture plastic (TCP), although few studies have explored proliferation on other growth substrates. Using adult equine MSCs, we evaluated proliferation on fibrinogen-rich precipitate (FRP) surfaces created from blood plasma. When seeded at 1 × 10(4) cells/cm(2) and passaged five times over 10 days, MSCs on FRP in medium containing fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) resulted in a ...
Nagamine N, Nambo Y, Nagata S, Nagaoka K, Tsunoda N, Taniyama H, Tanaka Y, Tohei A, Watanabe G, Taya K.To determine the source of circulating inhibin and estradiol-17beta during the estrous cycle in mares, the cellular localization of the inhibin alpha, betaA, and betaB subunits and aromatase in the ovary was determined by immunohistochemistry. Concentrations of immunoreactive (ir-) inhibin, estradiol-17beta, progesterone, LH, and FSH in peripheral blood were also measured during the estrous cycle in mares. Immunohistochemically, inhibin alpha subunits were localized in the granulosa cells of small and large follicles and in the theca interna cells of large follicles, whereas inhibin betaA and ...
Cowled C, Foo CH, Deffrasnes C, Rootes CL, Williams DT, Middleton D, Wang LF, Bean AGD, Stewart CR.Hendra virus (HeV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen harbored by Australian mainland flying foxes. HeV infection can cause lethal disease in humans and horses, and to date all cases of human HeV disease have resulted from contact with infected horses. Currently, diagnosis of acute HeV infections in horses relies on the productive phase of infection when virus shedding may occur. An assay that identifies infected horses during the preclinical phase of infection would reduce the risk of zoonotic viral transmission during management of HeV outbreaks. Having previously shown that the host microRNA ...
Asif M, Parveen A, Ashraf S, Hussain M, Aktas M, Ozubek S, Shaikh RS, Iqbal F.The present study was designed to check the molecular detection of Anaplasma marginale and Theileria annulata in blood samples of horses and donkeys collected from Dera Ghazi Khan District in Punjab and to document their phylogenetic origin and their association with studied epidemiological factors (sex and age) and complete blood count parameters, if any. Results: A total of 195 blood samples were collected from apparently healthy horses (N = 141) and donkeys (N = 54). A. marginale DNA was detected by PCR in 4.9% (7/141) horse and in 9.2% (5/54) of donkey blood samples. Prevalence of ...
Borer KE, Bailey SR, Menzies-Gow NJ, Harris PA, Elliott J.Identification of ponies (Equus caballus) at increased risk of pasture-associated laminitis would aid in the prevention of the disease. Insulin resistance has been associated with laminitis and could be used to identify susceptible individuals. Insulin resistance may be diagnosed by feeding supplementary water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and measuring blood glucose and insulin concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the glycemic and insulinemic responses of 7 normal (NP) and 5 previously laminitic (PLP), mixed breed, native UK ponies fed glucose, fructose, and inulin [1 g/(kg·d) fo...
Brummer-Holder M, Cassill BD, Hayes SH.The use of hair as a sample matrix to determine the mineral status of an animal has received a lot of interest. The objective of this study was to determine if the trace element content in horse mane hair changed with age when evaluated in a group of horses representing a large age range. As a second objective, whole blood trace element content was evaluated, and its relationship to mane hair trace element content, as well as age, were tested. Therefore, mane hair and whole blood samples were obtained from 59 horses, ranging from 2 months to 26 years in age, housed on the same farm. Mane hai...
Po E, Williams C, Muscatello G, Celi P.This study reports preliminary data on systemic and local biomarkers of oxidative stress (OS) in Thoroughbred foals. Blood and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) were sampled from 13 foals on two farms. Values of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), biological antioxidant potential (BAP), antioxidant barrier (OXY-ads), thiol antioxidant barrier (SHp) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) were determined in blood, while EBC samples were assayed for hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) levels. Systemic and local OS biomarkers did not differ between farms and gender. Increased oxidative stress in...
Hu K, Stewart AJ, Yuen KY, Hinrichsen S, Dryburgh EL, Bertin FR.Determination of plasma adrenocotrophic hormone (ACTH) concentration (endogenous or thyrotropin-releasing hormone [TRH] stimulation test) is the most commonly used diagnostic test for pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in horses. Because ACTH is unstable, samples often are frozen to be shipped to laboratories or to allow for batch analysis of research samples. However, the effect of multiple freeze-thaw cycles on equine ACTH is unknown. Objective: To determine the effects of multiple freeze-thaw cycles on immunoreactive ACTH concentration. Methods: Twenty-eight horses ranging from 10...
Larison B, Pinho GM, Haghani A, Zoller JA, Li CZ, Finno CJ, Farrell C, Kaelin CB, Barsh GS, Wooding B, Robeck TR, Maddox D, Pellegrini M, Horvath S.Effective conservation and management of threatened wildlife populations require an accurate assessment of age structure to estimate demographic trends and population viability. Epigenetic aging models are promising developments because they estimate individual age with high accuracy, accurately predict age in related species, and do not require invasive sampling or intensive long-term studies. Using blood and biopsy samples from known age plains zebras (Equus quagga), we model epigenetic aging using two approaches: the epigenetic clock (EC) and the epigenetic pacemaker (EPM). The plains zebra...
Day TK, Gaynor JS, Muir WW, Bednarski RM, Mason DE.One hundred sixty horses were anesthetized with xylazine, guaifenesin, thiamylal, and halothane for elective soft tissue and orthopedic procedures. Horses were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Group 1 (n = 40): Horses positioned in lateral (LRG1; n = 20) or dorsal (DRG1; n = 20) recumbency breathed spontaneously throughout anesthesia. Group 2 (n = 40): Intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) was instituted throughout anesthesia in horses positioned in lateral (LRG2; n = 20) or dorsal (DRG2; n = 20) recumbency. Group 3 (n = 40): Horses positioned in lateral (LRG3; n = 20) or d...
Yeo WM, Osterrieder N, Stokol T.The alphaherpesvirus, equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), is a highly prevalent cause of equine infectious abortion and encephalomyelopathy. These syndromes have been attributed to ischemic necrosis from thrombosis in placental and neural vessels, although the mechanisms underlying thrombosis are unknown. After inhalation, EHV-1 establishes a peripheral blood mononuclear cell-associated viremia, with monocytes being a target of infection. Monocytes are also the main source of tissue factor (TF) in diseased states. Since TF is the primary activator of coagulation, increased monocyte TF expressio...
Sanchez-Teran AF, Bracamonte JL, Hendrick S, Riddell L, Musil K, Hoff B, Rubio-Martínez LM.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of through-and-through joint lavage on systemic and synovial serum amyloid A (SAA), total protein, nucleated cell count and percentage of neutrophils in the synovial fluid of six healthy horses. A prospective experimental study was performed where one healthy tarsocrural joint of each horse was randomly assigned to receive repeated through-and-through joint lavage at 0, 48 and 96 h. Synovial fluid and blood samples were collected at 0 (baseline), 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h. Systemic and synovial SAA, total protein, nucleated cell count a...
Wagner B, Childs BA, Erb HN.Skin hypersensitivity is an allergic disease induced in horses by allergens of Culicoides midges. The condition is typically diagnosed by clinical signs and in some horses in combination with allergy testing such as intradermal skin testing or serological allergen-specific IgE determination. Here, we describe an alternative method for allergy testing: a histamine release assay (HRA) that combines the functional aspects of skin testing with the convenience of submitting a blood sample. The assay is based on the principle that crosslinking of allergen-specific IgE bound via high-affinity IgE rec...
Bowling AT, Zimmermann W, Ryder O, Penado C, Peto S, Chemnick L, Yasinetskaya N, Zharkikh T.In our continuing efforts to document genetic diversity in Przewalski's horses and relatedness with domestic horses, we report genetic variation at 22 loci of blood group and protein polymorphisms and 29 loci of DNA (microsatellite) polymorphisms. The loci have been assigned by linkage or synteny mapping to 20 autosomes and the X chromosome of the domestic horse (plus four loci unassigned to a chromosome). With cumulative data from tests of 568 Przewalski's horses using blood, hair or tooth samples, no species-defining markers were identified, however a few markers were present in the wild spe...
Reimers TJ, Lamb SV, Bartlett SA, Matamoros RA, Cowan RG, Engle JS.Veterinary diagnostic endocrinology laboratories frequently receive hemolyzed plasma, serum, or blood samples for hormone analyses. However, except for the previously reported harm done by hemolysis to canine insulin, effects of hemolysis on quantification of other clinically important hormones are unknown. Therefore, these studies were designed to evaluate effects of hemolysis on radioimmunoassay of thyroxine, 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine, progesterone, testosterone, estradiol, cortisol, and insulin in equine, bovine, and canine plasma. In the first experiment, hormones were measured in plasma obt...
Heliczer N, Lorello O, Casoni D, Navas de Solis C.Blood pressure is relevant to the diagnosis and management of many medical, cardiovascular and critical diseases. The accuracy of many commonly used noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitors and the accuracy of NIBP measurements in hypo- and hypertensive standing horses has not been determined. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy of an oscillometric BP monitor in standing horses before and during pharmacologically induced hyper- and hypotension and to compare results in standing and anesthetized horses. Methods: Eight standing mares from a research herd (SG)...
Drummer HE, Reubel GH, Studdert MJ.Peripheral blood leukocytes were collected from 5 Thoroughbred horses and examined for the presence of EHV2 in sub-populations of mononuclear cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated on Percoll gradients and then enriched for plastic adherent cells (predominantly monocytes), surface immunoglobulin positive (sIg+) B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, using panning techniques. The purity of each cell population was assessed by fluorescence activated cell scanning. In an infectious centre assay, each cell population was inoculated onto equine foetal kidney monolayer cell cultures whic...
Niinistö K, Raekallio M, Sankari S.The study was undertaken to determine how equine red blood cells (RBCs) survive in storage bags designed for use with human RBCs. Separated RBCs were stored in a routine manner for 35 days and examined every 7 days for storage lesions. Measured parameters included haematology, haemolysis, pH, potassium, lactate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG). All tests were performed in vitro. Haematology did not change significantly. Haemolysis increased during storage but did not exceed human limits. pH and 2,3-DPG decreased, while lactate, potassium and ATP increased. RBC...
Kuttler KL, Gipson CA, Goff WL, Johnson LW.Nine 4-year-old Arabian geldings were experimentally infected with Babesia equi of European origin. All horses developed detectable parasitemia an average of 30 days after they were inoculated, which was accompanied by a decrease in PCV. The infections were generally mild with no animal deaths. All horses became serologically positive by the indirect fluorescent antibody test within an average of 23 days after they were inoculated and by the complement-fixation test 30 days after they were inoculated.
Bollwein H, Maierl J, Mayer R, Stolla R.Color Doppler ultrasound was used transrectally in 6 mares to locate both the left and right Aa. uterinae and to obtain flow velocity waveforms at defined times (Days 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20) during 4 estrous cycles. Blood flow reflected by the resistance index (RI) was determined for both arteries on 120 occasions. As there was no significant difference and a high correlation in the RI values between the left and right arteries (paired Student's t-test, correlation coefficient r > 0.94; P < 0.05), the average RI value was used for subsequent analyses. There were correlations between RI valu...
Knych HK, Steffey EP, McKemie DS.The objective of the current study was to describe the pharmacokinetics of morphine and its metabolites following intravenous administration to the horse. A total of eight horses (two per dose group) received a single intravenous dose of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.5 mg/kg morphine. Blood samples were collected up to 72 h postdrug administration, analyzed using LC-MS/MS and pharmacokinetic parameters determined. Behavior, step counts, and gastrointestinal activity were also assessed. The beta and gamma half-life for morphine ranged from 0.675 to 2.09 and 6.70 to 18.1 h, respectively, following admini...
Mariella J, Pirrone A, Gentilini F, Castagnetti C.The purposes of this study were to determine physiological changes occurring in hematologic and biochemical parameters in mares between the last month of gestation and the first week after parturition. If a significant change was observed with respect to the reference interval of an adult horse, a further aim of the study was to establish different reference intervals. Blood samples were collected from 62 healthy pregnant Standardbred mares. Seventeen nonpregnant and nonlactating mares were used as a control group. In pregnant mares, blood sampling was conducted every three days from 1 month b...
Jiang Z, Uboh CE, Chen J, Soma LR.Gene expression studies in equine research involve the use of whole blood samples as a vital source of RNA. To determine the optimal method for RNA isolation from equine whole blood, we compared three RNA isolation strategies using different commercially available kits to evaluate the yield and quality of equine RNA. All 3 methods produced RNA with high quality. Though it did not produce the highest yield, combining the quality, yield and the need for the downstream application in our project, LeukoLOCK™ total RNA isolation system was the best RNA extraction method.
Baker H, Schor SM, Murphy BD, DeAngelis B, Feingold S, Frank O.Blood concentrations of thiamin, biotin, nicotinates, pantothenates, folates, riboflavin, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, E, beta-carotene and choline were analyzed in healthy animals (23 horses, 25 dogs, and 29 cats). B-Complex vitamins and choline also were analyzed in the liver of the dogs and cats. Vitamin concentrations in the blood and livers of dogs were similar; however, blood vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations were lower in the cat than in the dog. Horses had a higher B12 blood concentration than did the dogs and cats. These data can be useful for detecting overt and hidden vitamin de...
