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.
Drozdzewska K, Winter J, Barton AK, Merle R, Gehlen H.The basal (bACTH) and post-thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation concentration of adrenocorticotropin (pACTH) are recommended for diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Many factors influence bACTH (e.g., disease, age, month) and some affect the results only in autumn (e.g., breed, colour, sex). There are discrepancies about the impact of feeding on b/pACTH. Objective: To determine whether feeding, month, age, breed, colour, sex and body condition score affect b/pACTH. Methods: Prospective crossover. Methods: Sixty-one animals were divided into groups: healthy, PPID, tr...
Kwak YB, Lee E, Choi H, Park T, Kim A, Kim J, Yoon J, Yoo HH.Red ginseng (RG) is a popular ingredient in traditional Korean medicine that has various health benefits. It is commonly taken orally as a dietary supplement; however, its potential interactions with concomitantly administered drugs are unclear. In this study, we examined the pharmacokinetic interaction between furosemide and RG in equine plasma. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis was performed to evaluate ginsenosides in the plasma of horses after feeding them RG and furosemide and validate the results. A single bolus of furosemide (0.5 mg/kg) was administered intr...
Al-Ansari AS, Golding E, Walshe N, Mooney CT, Duggan V.Equine obesity combined with insulin dysregulation (ID) is a major risk factor associated with laminitis. Some pony breeds appear to be at increased risk. However, little is known regarding the prevalence of obesity or hyperinsulinaemia as evidence of ID in Irish ponies. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of obesity and associated endocrine/metabolic disease conditions in Connemara ponies and to determine if hyperinsulinaemia in these ponies could be predicted by morphometric or metabolic markers. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The study population included registered Connemara...
Magalhaes HB, Dell'Aqua JA, Canisso IF.This study assessed luteolysis and side effects in jennies receiving standard horse-recommended doses of cloprostenol and dinoprost. Sixteen cycles of eight jennies were randomly assigned in a sequential crossover design to receive dinoprost (5 mg, i.m.) and cloprostenol (0.25 mg, i.m.) at 5-d post-ovulation. B-mode and Doppler ultrasonography were employed to assess luteal tissue size and blood flow before (-15 min and 0h) and after (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 24, and 48h) administering PGF. Immunoreactive progesterone concentrations were assayed at similar timepoints via RIA. Side effe...
Arias-Esquivel AM, Vasco ACCM, Lance J, Warren LK, Rodriguez-Campos LA, Lee MC, Rodriguez CN, Wickens CL.Cribbing, a stereotypic oral behavior observed in horses, involves placing incisors on a fixed object, arching the neck, pulling against the object, and emitting an audible grunt. This behavior has been associated with gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction and gastric ulceration. In this randomized crossover study, we investigated the impact of a GI support supplement (SPL) on the GI environment and physiology of four cribbing (CB) and four non-cribbing horses (NCB). Mature Quarter Horses, acclimated to individual stalls for 16 hours daily with paddock turnout in pairs for 8 hours per day, were ra...
Hallman I, Tapio H, Raekallio M, Karikoski N.To assess the effects of an α-adrenoceptor agonist (detomidine) constant rate infusion (CRI) with and without an α-adrenoceptor antagonist (vatinoxan) CRI on blood insulin and glucose concentrations, heart rate, intestinal borborygmi, and sedation during and after infusion in horses. Methods: Randomized, blinded, crossover, experimental study. Methods: A total of nine healthy, adult Finnhorse mares. Methods: Horses were treated with an intravenous (IV) detomidine loading dose (0.01 mg kg), followed by CRI (0.015 mg kg hour), and the same doses of detomidine combined with an IV vatinoxan load...
Burron S, Richards T, McCorkell TC, Trevizan L, Puttick D, Ma DWL, Pearson W, Shoveller AK.Camelina (Camelina sativa) is a hardy, low-input oilseed crop that provides a rich source of the n-3 fatty acid, α-linolenic acid (ALA). The primary purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of dietary camelina oil (CAM) consumption on various health parameters, as compared to horses fed canola oil (OLA) or flax oil (FLX). Secondly, to determine how dietary CAM, FLX, and OLA alter circulating plasma total lipids across time. Thirty horses, from three separate herds, were used for this study [14.9 years ± 5.3 years; 544 ± 66 kg calculated BW (mean ± SD)]. After a 4-wee...
Pieroni C, Grassi A, Pantoli M, Berretti M, Messina S, Giovannini C, Lubas G, Diamanti D.The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a widely used diagnostic assay in human medicine but nowadays poorly applied in veterinary medicine. This test measures the speed (millimeters per hour) at which red blood cells settle in a whole anticoagulated blood tube. In human medicine, high ESR values are associated with various disorders, including infections, rheumatoid arthritis, oncologic diseases, and other inflammatory conditions. The ESR can also be influenced by some factors such as age and gender. In veterinary medicine, the ESR with the Westergren manual method was almost forgotten ov...
Taylor SD, Hart KA, Vaughn S, Giancola SC, Serpa PBS, Santos AP.Ascorbic acid (AA) is an antioxidant that might be beneficial for adjunctive treatment of sepsis in horses. The optimal dose and effects on oxidative status are unknown. Objective: Ascorbic acid administration will increase plasma AA concentrations and decrease determinants of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROM), basal and stimulant-induced intraerythrocytic reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations, and stimulant-induced neutrophil ROS production, and increase plasma antioxidant capacity (PAC) in a dose-dependent manner. Methods: Eight healthy horses. Methods: Randomized placebo-controlled ...
Mukai K, Ohmura H, Takahashi Y, Ebisuda Y, Yoneda K, Miyata H.The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute high-intensity interval exercise or sprint interval exercise induces greater physiological and skeletal muscle responses compared to moderate-intensity continuous exercise in horses. Unassigned: In a randomized crossover design, eight trained Thoroughbred horses performed three treadmill exercise protocols consisting of moderate-intensity continuous exercise (6 min at 70% VOmax; MICT), high-intensity interval exercise (6 × 30 s at 100% VOmax; HIIT), and sprint interval exercise (6 × 15 s at 120% VOmax; SIT). Arterial bloo...
Richards T, Burron S, McCorkell TC, Trevizan L, Patterson K, Minikhiem D, Ma DWL, Pearson W, Shoveller AK.Camelina oil is derived from a low-input, high-yield crop and, in comparison to many other dietary fat sources currently used in equine diets, provides a greater amount of α-linolenic acid [ALA; (n-3)], than linoleic acid [LA; (n-6)]. However, no research exists assessing the effects of feeding camelina oil to horses in contrast to other commonly used oils. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of supplementing camelina oil to that of flaxseed and canola oil supplementation, on outcomes related to skin and coat health in horses. Thirty adult horses [23 mares, 7 geldings; 14.9 ...
Zimmermann E, Ros KB, Pfarrer C, Distl O.Malformations of the equine cervicothoracic junction affect the C6 and C7 cervical vertebrae, the T1 thoracic vertebra and in variable extent the first and second sternal ribs. To date, the clinical impact of this malformation, its prevalence and mode of inheritance in equine populations are not yet determined. We examined five skeletons for signs of malformation of the cervicothoracic junction, including three skeletons from widely used Thoroughbred stallions affected with the malformation and two skeletons serving as a comparison. The three affected historical horses were the Thoroughbred st...
Cappelli K, Mecocci S, Porceddu A, Albertini E, Giontella A, Miglio A, Silvestrelli M, Verini Supplizi A, Marconi G, Capomaccio S.With his bicentennial breeding history based on athletic performance, the Thoroughbred horse can be considered the equine sport breed. Although genomic and transcriptomic tools and knowledge are at the state of the art in equine species, the epigenome and its modifications in response to environmental stimuli, such as training, are less studied. One of the major epigenetic modifications is cytosine methylation at 5' of DNA molecules. This crucial biochemical modification directly mediates biological processes and, to some extent, determines the organisms' phenotypic plasticity. Exercise indeed...
Schäfer J, May A, Wittenberg J, Hahn K, Graubner C, Gerber V, Drögemüller C, Unger L.SCC (squamous cell carinomas) are among the most common eye neoplasms in horses. In recent studies Haflinger horses with a homozygous genotype for a missense variant in the DDB2 gene (damage specific DNA binding protein 2) had a significant increased risk of developing ocular SCC. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of the SCC-associated risk allele in the DDB2 gene in Swiss and Austrian Haflinger populations and to validate the previously described phenotypic correlation. For this purpose, Haflingers presented at various horse clinics in Switzerland (n = 21, including 1...
Ugulu I, Khan ZI, Ahmad K, Bashir H, Mehmood N, Zafar A.The present study aimed to determine the accumulation levels of arsenic in pasture soil, forage and animals. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentration of metals in the samples of soil, forage and blood plasma of horses. The level of arsenic ranged between 4.26 mg/kg (summer) and 4.66 mg/kg (winter) in soil samples and 2.67 mg/kg (summer) and 2.94 mg/kg (winter) in forage samples. In blood plasma samples, the mean arsenic (As) values varied between 1.38 and 1.52 mg/L. In the blood plasma samples, the mean As values varied between 1.38 and 1.52 mg/L. No...
Knych HK, Katzman S, McKemie DS, Arthur RM, Blea J.Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that is sometimes administered in combination with epinephrine. The addition of epinephrine increases the time lidocaine remains at the site of administration, thus prolonging the duration of effect. Due to their potential to prevent the visual detection of lameness, the administration of local anesthetics is strictly regulated in performance and racehorses. Recent reports of positive regulatory findings for lidocaine in racehorses suggests a better understanding of the behavior of this drug is warranted. The objective of the current study was to describe serum ...
Massie SL, Bezugley RJ, McDonald KJ, Léguillette R.Arrhythmias are commonly reported in exercising horses, however due to regulatory constraints electrocardiograms (ECGs) are acquired during training but not competition, raising questions about the repeatability of findings. The aims were (1) compare training and competition arrhythmias and (2) describe the repeatability of arrhythmias during maximal-intensity exercise. A convenience sample of 52 healthy Thoroughbreds (aged 8.7 ± 2.5 years) competing in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association were obtained, totaling 152 training or competition ECGs (2-7 ECGs/horse). Speed, heart rate ...
Dąbrowska I, Grzędzicka J, Niedzielska A, Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O.Green coffee extract is currently of great interest to researchers due to its high concentration of chlorogenic acid (CGA) and its potential health benefits. CGA constitutes 6 to 10% of the dry weight of the extract and, due to its anti-inflammatory properties, is a promising natural supplement and agent with therapeutic applications. The purpose of our study was to discover the effects of CGA on peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation, and the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines as well as reactive oxidative species (ROS) in horses during exercise. According to the find...
White JM, Colbath AC, Schott HC.Treatment with phenylbutazone (nonselective COX inhibitor) decreases the diuretic and natriuretic effects of furosemide by nearly 30% but the effects of COX-2 specific inhibitors (firocoxib) and atypical NSAIDs (dipyrone) are unknown. Objective: Furosemide-induced diuresis after pretreatment with firocoxib or dipyrone is diminished to a lesser extent than after pretreatment with phenylbutazone. Methods: Eight healthy mares. Methods: Each mare received 4 treatments in a prospective experimental crossover study using a replicated 4 × 4 Latin Square design: furosemide alone (FU), furosemide an...
Chien RC, Mingqun L, Yan Q, Randolph N, Huang W, Wellman M, Toribio R, Rikihisa Y.The tick-borne obligatory intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum infects humans as well as domesticated and wild animals, causing a febrile disease collectively called granulocytic anaplasmosis. The epidemiology and the host species specificity and zoonotic potential of A. phagocytophilum strains remain unclear. In this study, ankA (encoding ankyrin A) and p44 gene sequences of A. phagocytophilum were determined in clinical specimens from horses in Ohio and compared with those found in A. phagocytophilum strains from various hosts and geographic regions. With increasing numbers of s...
Reißmann M, Rajavel A, Kokov ZA, Schmitt AO.RNA sequencing makes it possible to uncover genetic mechanisms that underlie certain performance traits. In order to gain a deeper insight into the genetic background and biological processes involved in endurance performance in horses, the changes in the gene expression profiles induced by endurance runs over long (70 km) and short (15 km) distances in the blood of Kabardian horses () were analyzed. For the long-distance runs, we identified 1484 up- and 691 downregulated genes, while after short-distance runs, only 13 up- and 8 downregulated genes (FC > |1.5|; < 0.05) were found. These...
Molazadeh S, Tukmechi A, Hadian M, Dalir-Naghadeh B.This study aimed to determine the prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of Ehrlichia spp. in horses and dogs in Iran. Blood samples were collected from 400 animals, including 200 horses and 200 dogs, from five different provinces in Iran. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect Ehrlichia spp. based on amplification of the 16S rRNA gene. The semi-nested PCR method was used to amplify the dsb, TRP36, and gltA genes. The results showed that 4.5 % of the samples (3 % horses and 6 % dogs) were positive for Ehrlichia sp. The highest prevalence was observed in Kerman and Khuzestan, while th...
Frampton A, Floriano D, Simpson K, Hopster K.To evaluate the agreement between the Tafonius large animal ventilator-integrated volumetric capnography (vCap) software and the Respironics NICO noninvasive cardiac output monitor reference system. Methods: Data were collected from 56 healthy adult horses undergoing general anesthesia. Methods: Animals were placed under general anesthesia and connected to the Tafonius large animal ventilator circle system. A flow partitioning device with CO2 and flow sensors was utilized to couple the endotracheal tube to the NICO monitor. Tafonius CO2 and flow sensors are incorporated into the Y-piece of the...
Barnabé MA, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.The hormones insulin and adiponectin are commonly measured in equids because of their involvement in endocrinopathic laminitis. These are currently measured in serum/plasma, although jugular venipuncture can cause stress in some animals and may be impossible in needle-shy individuals. However, both hormones can be measured in saliva in other species. Objective: To determine whether [insulin] and [total adiponectin] are detectable in equine saliva using automated assays and whether saliva collection is associated with changes in stress indicators. Additionally, the correlation between serum and...
Titotto AC, Santos MM, Ramos GV, Adão MDS, Benvenuto GV, De Lacerda LCC, Lisbôa JAN, Lacerda-Neto JC.The effect of lactate minimum speed (LMS)-guided training on horses' homeostasis is still unknown. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of an LMS-guided training program on the fluid, electrolyte and acid-base status of horses. Ten untrained Arabian horses were submitted to an LMS test on a treadmill before and after six weeks of training. The training intensity was 80% of the LMS in the first three sessions and 100% of the LMS in the other sessions. The venous blood was collected before (T-1) and after (T-2) training at rest, during and after the LMS test for lactate, pH, pCO, HCO, a...
Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Stancari G, Conturba B, Bozzola C, Zucca E, Ferrucci F.In racehorses, the associations between physiological parameters obtained by exercise testing and racing results have been questioned. We hypothesized that fitness variables measured during a treadmill incremental test may be related with racing outcomes and lifetime career. Our study aimed to investigate the role of fitness parameters obtained during a treadmill test in performance evaluation and career prediction in poorly performing Standardbreds, through a retrospective review of the clinical records of 245 trotters that underwent an incremental treadmill test. Several fitness parameters w...
Scantamburlo G, Nofziger C, Paulmichl M, Vanoni S.Because of their importance as companion animals or as racehorses, horses can be treated with various drugs. Although it is known that drug withdrawal times can vary for each horse, pharmacogenetics for these animals has not been adequately studied and requires further development. Since is responsible for the metabolism of 25-30% of drugs in humans, including some used to treat horses, a study of the family in horses was conducted to define its genetic structure as well as its expression pattern in the liver. Unassigned: Genomic DNA extracted from venous blood and mRNA from fresh liver tiss...
Cecchini Gualandi S, Di Palma T, Boni R.Ceruloplasmin (Cp) assessment in biological samples exploits the oxidase activity of this enzyme against several substrates, such as -phenylenediamine (-P), -dianisidine (-D) and, most recently, ammonium iron(II) sulfate (AIS). Once developed in humans, these assays are often used in veterinary medicine without appropriately optimizing in the animal species of interest. In this study, two assays using AIS and -D as substrates have been compared and validated for Cp oxidase activity assessment in horse's plasma. The optimization of the assays was performed mainly by varying the buffer pH as wel...
Carlier S, Depuydt E, Suls M, Bocqué C, Thys J, Vandenberghe A, Martens A, Saunders J, Hellmann K, Braun G, Beerts C, Spaas JH.Mesenchymal stem cells are an innovative therapeutic for various equine orthopaedic diseases, including soft tissue injuries. Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of tenogenic primed equine allogeneic peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (tpMSCs) in horses with naturally occurring superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and suspensory ligament (SL) injuries. Methods: Multicentre, blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Methods: One hundred client-owned horses with SDFT and SL injuries were randomised to receive an intralesional tpMSC (66) or saline (34) in...
Viterbo L, Hughes J, Milner PI, Bardell D.The study aimed to investigate if arterial blood analysis in conscious horses presenting with signs of colic and breathing ambient air had diagnostic or prognostic value. Arterial blood samples from 352 horses presenting with colic at a university equine referral hospital were analysed for pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2), partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), concentrations of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), ionised calcium (Ca2+) and chloride (Cl-), actual and standardised plasma bicarbonate concentration (HCO3- (P) and HCO3- (P, st)), blood and extracellular fluid base excess (Base...
Blythe LL, Hultgren BD, Craig AM, Appell LH, Lassen ED, Mattson DE, Duffield D.A clinical, viral, hematologic , and genetic study was conducted over a 4-year period on a family of Appaloosas with high incidence of clinical ataxia and pathologic features of equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Marginal to deficient serum vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and blood selenium values were the only other consistent antemortem abnormalities in the affected horses. Members of this family were all descendants of a clinically normal mare and were raised in 3 separate environments with variable quality of feed. All horses had access to pasture grasses. Normal chromosomal karyotypes ...
Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Freeman SL, Bowen IM, Aliabadi FS, Weller R, Huhtinen M, Clarke KW.Currently available sedatives depress cardiopulmonary function considerably; therefore, it is important to search for new, less depressive sedatives. The study was performed to assess duration and intensity of cardiopulmonary side effects of a new sedative, dexmedetomidine (DEX), in horses. Objective: To study pharmacokinetics and cardiopulmonary effects of i.v. DEX. Methods: Pharmacokinetics of 3.5 microg/kg bwt i.v. DEX were studied in a group of 8 mature (mean age 4.4 years) and 6 old ponies (mean age 20 years). Cardiopulmonary data were recorded in mature ponies before and 5, 10, 20, 30, 4...
Harris M, Nolen-Walston R, Ashton W, May M, Jackson K, Boston R.Blood samples banked for up to 1 month are typically used to perform pretransfusion testing in humans and small animals, but this has not been validated using blood from horses. Objective: Compatibility of equine blood samples is repeatable using fresh samples, and reproducible using donor blood samples stored for up to 4 weeks. Methods: Six healthy adult horses. Methods: Randomized, blinded experimental study. Immunologic compatibility of the blood of all horses was assessed using a major and minor saline agglutination and hemolysin crossmatch using blood samples refrigerated for 0-4 weeks an...
Sinclair MD, Mealey KL, Matthews NS, Peck KE, Taylor TS, Bennett BS.To determine the disposition of a bolus of meloxicam (administered IV) in horses and donkeys (Equus asinus) and compare the relative pharmacokinetic variables between the species. Methods: 5 clinically normal horses and 5 clinically normal donkeys. Methods: Blood samples were collected before and after IV administration of a bolus of meloxicam (0.6 mg/kg). Serum meloxicam concentrations were determined in triplicate via high-performance liquid chromatography. The serum concentration-time curve for each horse and donkey was analyzed separately to estimate standard noncompartmental pharmacokinet...
Giguère S, Knowles HA, Valverde A, Bucki E, Young L.The objectives of this study were to assess, in anesthetized neonatal foals, the accuracy of 2 automated indirect oscillometric monitors for measurement of mean arterial pressure (MAP), to determine the optimal site of cuff placement for MAP monitoring, and to determine the relationship between arterial blood pressure and cardiac output. Ten neonatal foals were anesthetized and instrumented with a catheter in the metatarsal artery for direct MAP monitoring and measurement of cardiac output by lithium dilution. Concurrent MAP measurements were obtained with Cardell and Dinamap oscillometric mon...
Lauková A, Styková E, Kubašová I, Gancarčíková S, Plachá I, Mudroňová D, Kandričáková A, Miltko R, Belzecki G, Valocký I, Strompfová V.Probiotic bacteria or their antimicrobial proteinaceous substances called bacteriocins (enterocins) hold promising prophylactic potential for animal breeding. This study present the results achieved after application of Enterocin M in horses. Enterocin M has never been applied to horses before. Clinically healthy horses (10) were involved in this pilot experiment. They were placed in the stables of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovakia, with the approval of the University Ethics Committee. The animals were fed twice a day with hay and oats, or alternatively graz...
Eaton MD, Hodgson DR, Evans DL, Rose RJ.This experiment was undertaken to determine whether there were differences in cardiorespiratory, haematological and muscular responses in horses trained at either low or moderate intensities. Ten Thoroughbred horses previously rested in paddocks for 4 months were trained 5 days/week for 9 weeks. Horses were allocated randomly into fast or slow groups and exercised the same distance each day. Training distances were 1600 m in Weeks 0 and 1 up to 4000 m in Week 9. The fast group were trained at an intensity inducing a post training blood lactate of 4-8 mmol/l. This intensity was determined for e...
Kim CH, Casey JW.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a lentivirus that infects and persists in the monocyte/macrophage populations of blood and tissues. We employed polymerase chain reaction to investigate the distribution and the level of genome variability of EIAV DNA in different tissues of a horse infected with a highly virulent variant of the Wyoming strain of the virus. Long terminal repeat, gag, and pol primer pairs were used to direct the amplification of EIAV DNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and from cells, presumably the macrophage subtypes, of the kidney, spleen, liver, lymph nod...
McFarlane D, Sellon DC, Gaffney D, Hedgpeth V, Papich M, Gibbs S.To compare hematologic and serum biochemical variables and plasma ACTH concentration between healthy horses 5 to 12 years old and those more than 20 years old. Methods: 30 healthy horses 5 to 12 years old and 30 healthy horses more than 20 years old. Methods: Venous blood was collected from all horses, and CBC and serum biochemical analysis were performed for each horse. Plasma ACTH concentration was determined by radioimmunoassay. Student's paired t-test or the Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used to compare values between control and aged horse groups. Results: Compared with values for contro...
Flethøj M, Kanters JK, Haugaard MM, Pedersen PJ, Carstensen H, Balling JD, Olsen LH, Buhl R.OBJECTIVE To evaluate heart rate, heart rate variability, and arrhythmia frequency as well as changes in cardiac biomarker values and their association with heart rate in horses before and after an endurance ride. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 28 Arabian horses competing in a 120- or 160-km endurance ride. PROCEDURES ECG recordings were obtained from each horse before (preride) and after (recovery) an endurance ride to evaluate changes in heart rate and the SD of normal R-R intervals (SDNN) during the initial 12 hours of recovery. Frequencies of supraventricular and ventricular prematu...
Irvine CH, Evans MJ.Total tyhroxine (TT4), free thyroxine (FT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) concentrations in foal umbilical cord blood were respectively 14, 5 7 and 3 times the concentrations of these hormones in adult horse blood. The TT4 levels in foals declined rapidly to reach adult concentrations by Day 16 and FT4 levels declined steadily during the first 3 months of life. Foal TT3 levels rose during the first 10 hr after birth and thereafter declined, although they were still X2-5 higher than adult levels at 3 months of age. Levels of FT3 similarly increased after birth be...
Hewetson M, Sykes BW, Hallowell GD, Tulamo RM.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is common in adult horses, particularly those involved in performance disciplines. Currently, detection of EGUS by gastroscopy is the only reliable ante mortem method for definitive diagnosis; however it is unsuitable as a screening test because it is expensive, time consuming, and is not readily available to most veterinarians. Sucrose permeability testing represents a simple, economical alternative to gastroscopy for screening purposes, and the feasibility of this approach in the horse has been previously reported. The aim of this study was to determine t...
Ujvari S, Schwarzwald CC, Fouché N, Howard J, Schoster A.Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests with good sensitivity and specificity are needed for diagnosing failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) in foals. Turbidimetric immunoassays (TIA) have these characteristics and provide quantitative results. A commercially available TIA-based POC test (POC-TIA) has not been validated in horses. Objective: To validate a POC-TIA and compare results of POC-TIA, a POC-ELISA, and radial immunodiffusion (RID). Methods: Heparinized blood samples (n = 127) from 48 hospitalized foals (<12 hour to 48 days). Methods: Prospective validation study. IgG concentrat...
Steffey EP, Eisele JH, Baggot JD.To quantitate dose- and time-related magnitudes of interactive effects of morphine (MOR) and isoflurane (ISO) in horses and to characterize pharmacokinetics of MOR in plasma and the ventilatory response to MOR during administration of ISO. Methods: 6 adult horses. Methods: Horses were anesthetized 3 times to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of ISO in O2 and then to characterize the change in anesthetic requirement as defined by the alteration in ISO MAC following IV administration of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution and 2 doses of MOR (low dose, 0.25 mg/kg; high dose, 2.0 mg/kg). ...
McCraw BM, Slocombe JO.Pony foals inoculated with infective Strongylus edentatus larvae were monitored for clinical signs and selected blood changes and were examined at necropsy from two to 56 days postinfection. Larvae penetrated the intestine and reached the liver intravenously before 40 hours postinfection. Occasional thrombi and larval tracks associated with the intima of cecal and colic veins suggested aberrant paths. Larvae in the liver doubled in width between seven and 15 days postinfection and a sudden increment in circulating eosinophils occurred between 11 and 15 days. These changes were probably associa...
Ozubek S, Aktas M.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a protozoon disease caused by Babesia caballi and Theileria equi transmitted by ticks from the Ixodidae family. This study investigated the genetic heterogeneity and diversity of piroplasm genotypes using the Reverse Line Blotting (RLB) technique for piroplasm species in equids in Turkey. A total of 233 blood samples from 142 horses and 91 donkeys were collected in Şanlıurfa, Tunceli, and Iğdır. The RLB assay was performed for simultaneous detection of piroplasm species. The prevalence of piroplasm infection was 33.5% (95% CI; 27.4-39.9). T. equi was the most c...
Art T, Kirschvink N, Smith N, Lekeux P.To test the hypothesis that reactive oxygen species could be associated to the lower airway disorders occurring in horses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), indices of oxidative stress were studied in blood and pulmonary epithelium lining fluid in 5 RAO horses either in clinical remission or 24 h after the onset of a crisis of bronchospasm and in 5 healthy horses. Venous blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected and analysed for reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidised glutathione (GSSG), total glutathione (TGSH), glutathione redox ratio (GRR) in blood hae...
Satué K, Fazio E, Ferlazzo A, Medica P.The aim of this study was to verify the existence of possible cross-talk between biochemical contents of follicular fluid (FF) and systemic concentrations according to the follicular development of the metabolites: glucose (GLU), lactate (LACT), cholesterol (CHOL), triglycerides (TG), total bilirubin (T BIL), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (CREAT); enzymatic activities: gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST); electrolytes: calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), potassium (K), ...
Takasu M, Nagatani N, Tozaki T, Kakoi H, Maeda M, Murase T, Mukoyama H.To establish blood and biochemical references for the endangered Kiso horse, blood samples were collected from 111 adult Kiso horses, 74.5% of the existing breed. The samples were analyzed for 23 hematological and biochemical parameters to determine their means and standard deviations (SD). We compared the mean ± 2SD with the reference values cited in one of the most commonly used veterinary textbooks in Japan. The hematology of Kiso horses is characterized by lower erythrocyte count and hematocrit and hemoglobin levels. In addition, their serum biochemistry showed lower levels of aspartate t...
Horn R, Bertin FR.The thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test and the 2-step insulin sensitivity test are commonly used methods to diagnose, respectively, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) and insulin dysregulation (ID). Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of combining the TRH stimulation test and the 2-step insulin sensitivity test to diagnose PPID and ID simultaneously. Methods: Twenty-seven adult horses, 10 control horses without PPID or ID, 5 horses with PPID only, 5 horses with ID only, and 7 horses with PPID and ID. Methods: Randomized prospective study. Horses underwent...
Kingston JK, Bayly WM, Sellon DC, Meyers KM, Wardrop KJ.To investigate the effects of sodium citrate, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on aggregation, fibrinogen binding, and enumeration of equine platelets. Methods: Blood samples obtained from 4 Thoroughbreds. Methods: Blood was collected into syringes in the ratio of 9 parts blood:1 part anticoagulant. Anticoagulants used were sodium citrate, LMWH, sodium citrate and LMWH, or 300 nM PGE1/ml of anticoagulant. Platelet aggregation in response to ADP, collagen, and PGE1 was assessed, using optical aggregometry. Platelet activation was evaluated, using flow cytometry, ...
Fugler LA, Eades SC, Moore RM, Koch CE, Keowen ML.To establish an in vivo method for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 induction in horses via IV administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and to evaluate the ability of doxycycline, oxytetracycline, flunixin meglumine, and pentoxifylline to inhibit equine MMP-2 and MMP-9 production. Methods: 29 adult horses of various ages and breeds and either sex. Methods: In part 1, horses received an IV administration of LPS (n = 5) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (5). Venous blood samples were collected before and at specified times for 24 hours after infusion. Plasma was harvested and analyzed f...
Mendez-Angulo JL, Mudge MC, Vilar-Saavedra P, Stingle N, Couto CG.To evaluate the use of citrated recalcified (nonactivated) thromboelastography (TEG) in healthy horses and horses with colitis and suspected coagulopathies. Methods: Prospective, observational study conducted between October 2007 and June 2009. Methods: Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Methods: Forty-five healthy adult horses and 12 sick adult horses with colitis and prolonged prothrombin time (PT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Methods: None. Results: Whole blood was collected on admission. Coagulation profile (PT, aPTT, platelet count, and fibrinogen concentration) and citrate...
Høyer-Nielsen AK, Gaini S, Kjerulf A, Kollslíð R, Steig TÁ, Stegger M, Jóanesarson J. subspecies () is mostly known as an opportunistic pathogen found in horses and as a rare human zoonosis. An 82-year-old male, who had daily contact with horses, was admitted in a septic condition. The patient presented with dyspnea, hemoptysis, impaired general condition, and severe pain in a swollen left shoulder. Synovial fluid from the affected joint and blood cultures showed growth of subsp. . Transesophageal echocardiography showed a vegetation on the aortic valve consistent with endocarditis. Arthroscopic revision revealed synovitis and erosion of the rotator cuff. Technetium-99m scin...
Unger L, Gerber V, Pacholewska A, Leeb T, Jagannathan V.Serum and whole blood microRNA (miRNA) fingerprints have been proposed as a new class of non-invasive human cancer biomarkers. In this study, we compared equine sarcoid (ES) disease-specific serum and whole blood miRNA fingerprints and correlated them to miRNA expression in sarcoid tissue. After high throughput sequencing, miRNA differential expression analysis between six ES-affected and five control horses was carried out in serum and whole blood using a DESeq algorithm, accounting for the influence of hemolysis and the white blood cell count. Target gene, pathway prediction and enrichment a...
Alexander SL, Roud HK, Irvine CH.To study the effect of hypoglycaemia on secretion rates of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and ACTH in a non-ruminant species, a non-surgical method was used to collect pituitary venous (PitVen) blood every 0.5 or 1 min from seven horses before and after insulin administration (0.4 U/kg i.v.). To assess the effect of PitVen cannulation on results, peripheral hormones were also measured before and after insulin in five horses without PitVen cannulae. Insulin administration lowered plasma glucose in all horses (P < 0.0001; paired t-test). Cortisol concentrat...
Erickson BK, Erickson HH, Coffman JR.This study investigated changes in packed cell volume (PCV), pulmonary artery and aortic pressures, and the interaction between oesophageal pressure and pulmonary artery and aortic pressures during strenuous exercise in the horse. It was hypothesised that oesophageal pressure changes summate with pulmonary artery and aortic pressures during exercise and contribute to exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH). Acute treadmill exercise (10 m/sec, 3 degrees incline) produced increases in heart rate (HR) from 50 to 202 beats/min; mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) from 28 to 80 mmHg; mean ao...
Guan F, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Birks E, Chen J, Mitchell J, You Y, Rudy J, Xu F, Li X, Mbuy G.Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) and darbepoetin alpha (DPO) are protein-based drugs for the treatment of anemia by stimulating red blood cell production. Consequently, they are abused in human and equine sports. To deter their abuse in the horse racing industry, a sensitive and reliable method for confirmation of these agents in equine plasma has been in urgent need. Such a method by LC-MS/MS is described in this paper. The method involved analyte enrichment by immunoaffinity separation using anti-rhEPO antibody linked to magnetic beads, digestion by trypsin, and analysis by LC-MS/MS....
Bazzano M, Giudice E, Rizzo M, Congiu F, Zumbo A, Arfuso F, Di Pietro S, Bruschetta D, Piccione G.The aim of this study was to investigate whether a combined global positioning system (GPS)/heart rate (HR) monitoring system is a valuable tool to assess, step by step, the physiological response of HR and its relationship with speed in healthy horses competing in an official show jumping class. Six mares performing a standardised warm-up and jumping course were monitored using a HR/GPS device. Venous blood lactate (BL), assessed before and after exercise, showed a significant increase (P = 0.0004) following the physical effort. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant changes ...
Goehring LS, Soboll Hussey G, Gomez Diez M, Benedict K, Maxwell LK, Morley PS, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Lunn DP.Central nervous system blood vessel thrombosis is a part of the pathogenesis of equid herpesvirus-associated myeloencephalopathy (EHM). D-dimers (DD) are stable breakdown products of cross-linked fibrin, and increased DD-plasma concentrations could reflect the degree of systemic coagulation during EHV-1 infection. Objective: We hypothesized that blood DD concentrations will be increased during periods of EHV-1 fever and viremia, reflecting an activated coagulation cascade with fibrinolysis. Methods: Twenty-eight equids were infected with EHV-1 in 3 experimental infection studies. Three (uninfe...
