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.
Stefanovski D, Robinson MA, Van Eps A.Insulin dysregulation (ID) is the most important risk factor for the development of laminitis in horses and therapies to control it are needed. Objective: To assess the effects of a single dose of the synthetic GLP-1 analog exenatide on postprandial insulin dynamics. We hypothesized that exenatide would improve insulin sensitivity and lower postprandial blood insulin concentrations. Methods: Randomized, crossover, experimental study. Methods: Six horses (3 mares, 3 geldings; 2 with normal insulin regulation [NIR] and 4 with mild ID). Methods: Horses completed both study arms: subcutaneous admi...
Miglio A, Maslanka M, Di Tommaso M, Rocconi F, Nemkov T, Buehler PW, Antognoni MT, Spitalnik SL, D'Alessandro A.The use of omics technologies in human transfusion medicine has improved our understanding of the red blood cell (RBC) storage lesion(s). Despite significant progress towards understanding the storage lesion(s) of human RBCs, a comparison of basal and post-storage RBC metabolism across multiple species using omics technologies has not yet been reported, and is the focus of this study. Blood was collected in a standard bag system (CPD-SAG-Mannitol) from dogs (n=8), horses, bovines, and donkeys (n=6). All bags were stored at 4°C for up to 42 days (i.e., the end of the shelf life in Italian vete...
St Blanc MP, Chapman AM, Keowen ML, Garza F, Liu CC, Gray L, Andrews FM.Supplements containing Cannabidiol (CBD) are available for horses, however, few studies have been published on their effects on behavior and health parameters. The purpose of this study was to determine if a daily oral supplement containing CBD would cause sedation, ataxia or alterations in other health parameters during administration for 56 days. Twenty clinically healthy adult Thoroughbred horses were housed in stalls. Before treatment was initiated, a complete physical examination, complete blood count (CBC) and biochemical panel were evaluated. In addition, horses were examined for sedati...
Lindinger MI, Waller AP.The present study determined the independent contributions of temperature, strong ion difference ([SID]), total weak acid concentration ([Atot]) and PCO2 to changes in arterial and mixed venous [H+] and total carbon dioxide concentration ([TCO2]) during 37 min of moderate intensity exercise (~50% of heart rate max) and the first 60 min of recovery. Six horses were fitted with indwelling carotid and pulmonary artery (PA) catheters, had PA temperature measured, and had blood samples withdrawn for immediate analysis of plasma ion and gas concentrations. The increase in core temperature during exe...
Alpoim-Moreira J, Fernandes C, Rebordão MR, Costa AL, Bliebernicht M, Nunes T, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Collagen pathological deposition in equine endometrium (endometrosis) is responsible for infertility. Kenney and Doig's endometrial biopsy histopathological classification is the gold standard method for endometrosis evaluation, whereby blood biomarkers identification would be less invasive and could provide additional information regarding endometrosis diagnosis and fertility prognosis. This study aimed to identify blood biomarkers for endometrosis diagnosis (42 mares were used in experiment 1), and fertility assessment (50 mares were used in experiment 2). Reproductive examination, endometri...
Schnuelle ML, Hopster K, Toribio RE, Hurcombe SD.To compare the effects of 7.2% hypertonic and 0.9% isotonic saline (sodium chloride) solutions on cardiovascular parameters and plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations in healthy, isoflurane-anesthetized horses. Methods: 8 healthy horses. Methods: In a prospective, randomized, crossover study, horses were anesthetized with isoflurane twice with a 14-day washout period between anesthetic episodes. While anesthetized, horses received a bolus (4 mL/kg) of 7.2% hypertonic saline solution (HS) or 0.9% isotonic saline solution (IS). Heart rate; systolic, mean, and diastolic arterial blood p...
Fazio F, Aragona F, Piccione G, Arfuso F, Giannetto C.Lithium (Li) represent a substance particularly used for human psychiatric disorders but its therapeutic effect is not well documented for equine specie. For its neurotrophic effect, it may be used as a possible doping substance in horses sports competitions. The purpose of the present study was to determine the different bioaccumulation of lithium concentrations in different biological substrates (blood, serum, mane, and tail), in 30 horses (15 geldings and 15 mares) and hematological parameters as blood biomarkers for lithium bioaccumulation. (RBC, WBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC). The lithium...
Senderska-Płonowska M, Siwińska N, Zak-Bochenek A, Rykała M, Słowikowska M, Madej JP, Kaleta-Kuratewicz K, Niedźwiedź A.Obesity is a common problem in horses. The associations between obesity and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and between EMS and laminitis are known. However, there is a lack of data on whether obesity itself can affect hoof lamellae. Forelimbs and blood from 12 draft horses (six obese and six lean) from a slaughterhouse were acquired. To exclude laminitis and EMS horses, insulin concentration was measured, and hooves were radiographed. Histological evaluation was performed. The shape of the primary and secondary epidermal lamellae (PEL and SEL) was evaluated, and the length of the keratinized ...
Scheidegger MD, Gerber V, Dolf G, Burger D, Flammer SA, Ramseyer A.Early recognition of lameness is crucial for injury prevention. Quantitative gait analysis systems can detect low-grade asymmetries better than the human eye and may be useful in early lameness recognition. The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the frequency of gait asymmetries based on head and pelvic movement in elite eventing horses using inertial mounted measurement units and (2) to assess the association between asymmetries and muscle enzymes and blood lactate (LA) levelspost-exercise. Movement asymmetry of the head, wither, and pelvis were quantified in 33 elite eventing horses ...
Inoue Y, Ono T, Hisaeda K, Yamada Y, Hata A, Shimokawa T, Miyama , Shibano K, Ohzawa E, Kitagawa H, Iwata E.The objective of this study is to analyze the relationships between the age and blood test results or body sizes in Noma horses by using the results of periodical health examination. Out of 45 hematological or physical items examined, statistically significant, but loose correlations were observed in 14 items. Red blood cell count, activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and creatinine kinase, concentrations of calcium and inorganic phosphorus decreased with aging. Conversely, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, lipase activity, γ-globulin and chlorid...
Finding EJT, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.Previously laminitic (PL) ponies are reported to have higher blood pressure than non laminitic (NL) ponies. This relative hypertension may be related to endothelial cell dysfunction, similar to humans with metabolic syndrome. To investigate the relationship between laminitis predisposition and endothelial dysfunction, the effect of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition on the change in circulating nitric oxide (NO) concentrations and systemic blood pressure (BP) was determined. An intravenous NO sensor was used to measure changes in blood NO concentration during and after intravenous infusion...
Rojas-Núñez I, Gomez AM, Palmer S, Mohammed HO.Neurofilaments are structural proteins that are concentrated in the body and axons of neurons. Damage to the neurons or axons as a result of trauma or infectious diseases leads to the release of neurofilaments into blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This case-control study was carried out to compare serum levels of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNF-H) between clinically healthy Thoroughbred (TB) horses and TB horses that suffered catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries (cMSI), and to investigate the correlation between putative risk factors and serum concentrations of pNF-H in inju...
Protection against infectious diseases can be obtained with vaccines generating immunogenic response through a combination of humoral and cellular immunity. In this study haematological and serum protein electrophoretic profiles of horses vaccinated against herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4) were evaluated. Blood samples were collected from 16 horses before (T0), after 24h, 48h, 72h, 1st week, 2nd week and 3rd week (T1I, T2I, T3I, T7I, T14I and T21I) from the first EHV vaccine-dose administration as well as before (TPRE), and after 24h, 48h, 72h, 1st week, 2nd week, 3rd week and 4th week (T1I...
Yoon J, Park T, Sohn Y, Lee SK, Park BJ, Ahn HS, Go HJ, Kim DH, Lee JB, Park SY, Song CS, Lee SW, Choi IS.Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen causing hepatitis worldwide. Despite the prevalent evidence of interspecies HEV infection in various animal species, the role of horses in HEV epidemiology remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of HEV infection in 283 blood and 114 fecal samples from 397 horses using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Among the 283 serum samples, 35 were positive for anti-HEV antibodies (12.4%; 95% confidence interval: 8.8-16.8), and four of the five sampling reg...
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...
Timoney JF, Suther P, Velineni S, Artiushin SC.Resistance to phagocytosis is a crucial virulence property of Streptococcus equi (Streptococcus equi subsp. equi; Se), the cause of equine strangles. The contribution and interdependence of capsule and SeM to killing in equine blood and neutrophils were investigated in naturally occurring strains of Se. Strains CF32, SF463 were capsule and SeM positive, strains Lex90, Lex93 were capsule negative and SeM positive and strains Se19, Se1-8 were capsule positive and SeM deficient. Phagocytosis and killing of Se19, Se1-8, Lex90 and Lex93 in equine blood and by neutrophils suspended in serum were sig...
Chen CL, Riley AM.Serum thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3) concentrations were assayed in neonatal foals (1.5 to 4 months) and mature horses (2 to 25 years old) by a modified radioimmunoassay procedure. Blood was collected from 52 clinically healthy foals and horses of various breeds (Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, American Saddle Horses, and a single cross-bred horse). Neonatal foals had high serum concentrations of T-4 (mean, 4.02 microgram/dl) and T-3 (192.9 ng/dl) as compared with the values in mature horses (T-4, mean of 1.76 microgram/dl; T-3, mean of 98.69 ng/dl). Stallions had slightly higher T-...
Cook VL, Jones Shults J, McDowell MR, Campbell NB, Davis JL, Marshall JF, Blikslager AT.To investigate effects of lidocaine hydrochloride administered IV on mucosal inflammation in ischemia-injured jejunum of horses treated with flunixin meglumine. Methods: 24 horses. Methods: Horses received saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (SS; 1 mL/50 kg, IV [1 dose]), flunixin meglumine (1 mg/kg, IV, q 12 h), lidocaine (bolus [1.3 mg/kg] and constant rate infusion [0.05 mg/kg/min], IV, during and after recovery from surgery), or both flunixin and lidocaine (n = 6/group). During surgery, blood flow was occluded for 2 hours in 2 sections of jejunum in each horse. Uninjured and ischemia-injured jejun...
Kamr AM, Dembek KA, Hildreth BE, Morresey PR, Rathgeber RA, Burns TA, Zaghawa AA, Toribio RE.Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) and klotho are key regulators of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) synthesis as well as phosphorus and calcium homeostasis; however, information on the FGF-23/klotho axis in healthy and hospitalised foals is lacking. Objective: The aims of this study were to measure serum FGF-23 and klotho concentrations and determine their association with serum phosphorus, total calcium (TCa), vitamin D metabolite [25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2 D], PTH, and aldosterone concentrations, disease severity, and mortality in hospitalised foals. Methods: Prospective, multicentre, cro...
Macieira S, Rivard GE, Champagne J, Lavoie JP, Bédard C.An 18-month-old Oldenbourg filly was presented with a bleeding diathesis. Laboratory testing included platelet count, gingival bleeding time, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), von Willebrand factor (vWf) antigen, clottable fibrinogen, clot retraction time, PFA-100 closure time, platelet aggregometry (on platelet-rich plasma), and thrombelastography (TEG). TEG was performed by using kaolin and tissue factor as coagulation activators. Expression of the platelet receptor for fibrinogen was assessed by flow cytometry by using anti CD41 (alpha(IIb) or glycoprotein...
Barnes A, Kingston J, Beetson S, Kuiper C.This study investigated the physiology of endurance horses competing in warm weather over technical terrain, a situation where horses may become metabolically compromised. Objective: There will be changes in physiological, haematological and biochemical variables as horses progress through the 160 km ride and horses detected clinically at the veterinary inspections as metabolically compromised will have significant differences in measured laboratory variables compared to horses that complete the ride successfully. Methods: Forty-eight horses competing in the Australian Tom Quilty 160 km endura...
Ringmark S, Lindholm A, Hedenström U, Lindinger M, Dahlborn K, Kvart C, Jansson A.Training of Standardbred race horses aims to improve cardiovascular and metabolic functions but studies on the effects of different training strategies from breaking till racing are lacking. Sixteen horses with the goal to race as 3-year-olds were studied from breaking (1-year-olds) to December as 3-year-olds. Horses were allocated to either a control (C) or reduced (R) training program from 2 years of age. The aim was to evaluate the effect of reducing the distance of high intensity exercise by 30% with respect to velocity at lactate concentration 4 mmol/l (VLa4), blood lactate and cardiovasc...
Prescott JF, Ogilvie TH, Markham RJ.A lymphocyte stimulation test using antigens of Corynebacterium equi was used to compare the response of peripheral blood lymphocytes from foals with C equi pneumonia with those of clinically normal foals and adult horses. The test clearly distinguished infected foals from normal foals when tested in animals less than or equal to 2 months old. After the 2nd month, stimulation response from individual normal foals sometimes exceed those from infected foals, but mean stimulation response to C equi antigens was significantly (P less than 0.025) greater in 3- to 5-month-old infected foals when com...
Shrestha HK, Beg MA, Burnette RR, Ginther OJ.Horses are about five times more sensitive to the luteolytic effect of prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF) than cattle, as indicated by a recommended clinical dose of 5 mg in horses and 25 mg in cattle. Novel evaluations of the PGF plasma disappearance curves were made in mares and in heifers, and the two species were compared. Mares and heifers (n = 5) of similar body weight were injected (Min 0) intravenously with PGF (5 mg per animal). Blood was sampled every 10 sec until Min 3, every 30 sec until Min 5, every 10 min until Min 60, and every 30 min until Min 240. The mean PGF concentration was great...
Parashar R, Singla LD, Gupta M, Sharma SK.The haemato-biochemical indices and oxidative stress markers in horses naturally infected with Trypanosoma evansi were evaluated by analyzing the level of these parameters between T. evansi infected (microscopically positive patent group and PCR positive latent group) and infection free horses. To compare the hemato-biochemical indices and oxidative stress indicators, horses were divided into three categories based on diagnostic test employed and positive results obtained. These included Romanowsky stained slide positive group (Group I; n = 6), PCR positive group (group II; n = 28) and negativ...
Tünsmeyer J, Hopster K, Feige K, Kästner SB.To determine the agreement of high definition oscillometry (HDO) with direct arterial blood pressure measurements in normotensive, hypotensive and hypertensive horses during general anaesthesia. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Seven healthy warmblood horses, aged 3-11 years, weighing 470-565 kg. Methods: Measurements from a HDO device with the cuff placed around the base of the tail were compared with pressures measured invasively from the facial artery. High blood pressures were induced by intravenous (IV) administration of dobutamine (5 μg kg(-1) minute(-1)) over ten minutes followed ...
Sellon DC, Walker KM, Russell KE, Perry ST, Covington P, Fuller FJ.Equine infectious anemia virus is a lentivirus that replicates in mature tissue macrophages of horses. Ponies were infected with equine infectious anemia virus. During febrile episodes, proviral DNA was detectable, but viral mRNA was not detectable. As cultured blood monocytes from these ponies differentiated into macrophages, viral expression was upregulated. In situ hybridization confirmed that viral transcription occurred in mature macrophages.
Non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV) is a homolog of hepatitis C virus and has been isolated from dogs and horses. Data on NPHV prevalence and distribution are not complete, and there is a particular lack of reports from the African continent. The present study represents the first investigation of NPHV prevalence in horses and dogs in North Africa. Blood was collected from 172 horses and 36 dogs at different locations in Morocco, and screened for NPHV RNA using nested PCR targeting 5'UTR and NS3 regions and analyzed for anti-NPHV NS3 antibody using a Gaussia luciferase immunoprecipitation system-to...
Manohar M, Hutchens E, Coney E.Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is a common occurrence in race horses. Although blood in cases of EIPH has been suspected to originate from the bronchial circulation, which receives approximately 1% of the left ventricular output, physiological evidence has recently emerged to indicate that the pulmonary circulation, which receives the entire output of the right ventricle, is a more likely source. High transmural pulmonary capillary pressures have been shown to cause breaks in the capillary endothelium, basement membrane as well as in the alveolar epithelium. Blood constituents e...
Kirsch K, Detilleux J, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.Portable blood gas analyzers are used to facilitate diagnosis and treatment of disorders related to disturbances of acid-base and electrolyte balance in the ambulatory care of equine patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether 2 portable analyzers produce results in agreement with a stationary analyzer. Blood samples from 23 horses hospitalized for various medical reasons were included in this prospective study. Blood gas analysis and electrolyte concentrations measured by the portable analyzers VetStat and epoc were compared to those produced by the cobas b 123 analyzer via conco...
Furr M, McKenzie H.Bloodstream infections (BSI) are common in sick foals and increase foal morbidity and mortality when they occur. Recognition of risk factors for BSI could be an important means to limit their occurrence, but studies on this topic are limited. Objective: Historical as well as maternal and foal physical examination findings will predict risk of BSI in neonatal foals. Methods: Foals <14 days of age admitted to a referral equine hospital for care. Methods: Retrospective case-control study with univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Four hundred twenty-nine (143 cases...
Satué K, Hernández Á, Lorente C, Fazio E, Medica P.The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that age and sex significantly modulate the changes in hematological parameters of physiologically healthy Spanish Purebred horse, establishing the reference values. Blood samples were obtained on a total of 159 horses (n = 77 males and n = 82 females), classified in four age groups: group A (1-2 years; n = 39), group B (>2-3 years; n = 38), group C (>3-4 years; n = 41), and group D (>4-7 years; n = 41). By means ADVIA 2020i, red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin concentration (HB), packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mea...
Cheung HW, Wong KS, Lin VYC, Wan TSM, Ho ENM.The misuse of genetic manipulation technology to enhance athletic performance is termed gene doping which is prohibited in human sports, horseracing, and equestrian sports. Although many qPCR assays have been developed, most assays employ genomic DNA (gDNA) from humans, non-human primates, and mice as a background and they may not be applicable for testing horse samples. This study aimed to develop a qPCR assay for the detection of human erythropoietin (hEPO) transgene in horse blood cells where the viral vectors used in gene therapy can reside for months. For the detection of hEPO transgene, ...
Schmucker S, Preisler V, Marr I, Krüger K, Stefanski V.Domestic horses are currently often subject to management practices that can entail social stressors, which in turn can negatively influence immunocompetence and disease susceptibility. The present study therefore aimed to characterize the number of various blood leukocyte subsets in horses, focusing on two potentially stressful housing environments: changes in group composition and relocation to individual stabling. Immune measurements were conducted before as well as one and eight days after changes were made. They were complemented by an assessment of plasma cortisol concentrations as well ...
Arroyo LG, Costa MC, Guest BB, Plattner BL, Lillie BN, Weese JS.Duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ) is an acute sporadic gastrointestinal disorder of horses of unknown cause. Objective: We hypothesize that Clostridium difficile toxins are involved in the pathogenesis of DPJ in horses. The objective of this study was to determine whether experimentally delivered C. difficile toxins cause clinical signs and histologic lesions similar to those of naturally occurring DPJ. Methods: Six healthy mature mixed breed horses. Methods: Experimental study: animal model of animal disease. Fasted horses were administered crude C. difficile toxins via gastroscopy and moni...
Kirschvink N, de Moffarts B, Farnir F, Pincemail J, Lekeux P.There is increasing evidence that the equine athlete is exposed to exercise-induced changes of its oxidant/antioxidant balance and antioxidant supplementation is frequently recommended. However, it is unknown whether there is a specific need for antioxidants according to performance, breed, gender or age. Objective: To assess whether breed-, gender- and age-related differences of blood oxidant/antioxidant markers occur in competition horses. Methods: Healthy horses (n = 493) underwent oxidant/ antioxidant blood marker determination. Vitamin E, lipophilic antioxidant capacity (ACL), ascorbic ac...
Motloang MY, Thekisoe OM, Alhassan A, Bakheit M, Motheo MP, Masangane FE, Thibedi ML, Inoue N, Igarashi I, Sugimoto C, Mbati PA.The prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in the north-eastern Free State Province of South Africa was determined by examination of thin and thick Giemsa-stained blood smears, IFAT and PCR. No parasites were detected by microscopy from any blood samples collected at five study sites, Qwaqwa, Kestell, Harrismith, Vrede and Warden. Of the tested serum samples, 28/29 (96.5%), 20/21 (95.2%) and 42/42 (100%) were positive by IFAT for T. equi infections in Harrismith, Kestell and Qwaqwa, respectively, and 5/29 (17.2%), 13/21 (61.9%) and 30/42 (71.4%) were sero-positive for B. c...
Jerele S, Davis E, Mapes S, Pusterla N, Navas González FJ, Iglesias Pastrana C, Abdelfattah EM, McLean A.Feral donkey removal from state land has raised concerns in terms of disease transmission between equine species. Disease outbreaks may occur as a result of the relocation of animals to new environments. Virus and bacteria DNA load and serum amyloid A derived from the pathogenic processes that they involve were measured in recently captured donkeys. Blood and nasal swabs were collected from 85 donkeys (Death Valley National Park, Shoshone, California); 24 were retested after 30/60 days in the Scenic (Arizona) long-term holding facility co-mingled with feral donkeys from Arizona and Utah. Quant...
Knight DA, Tyznik WJ.Fifteen Shetland ponies were used in a 7-wk trial to study the effect of supplemental Se on humoral antibody production. Four 3-yr-old, five 2-yr-old and six yearling ponies were depleted of Se before being assigned randomly to either a low Se (.02 ppm) or higher Se (.22 ppm) diet. Each pony was challenged antigenically with 2 ml of sheep packed red blood cells upon receiving its respective diet and again 2 wk post-treatment. Blood samples were drawn weekly and assayed for glutathione peroxidase activity, Se and immunoglobulin concentration and antibody titers. Compared with those ponies recei...
Marcilla M, Muñoz A, Satué K.Systemic physiological changes required for placental and fetal development during pregnancy are associated with an activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) in women, but this fact has not been investigated in mares. Venous blood samples were taken monthly from 31 successful Spanish mares during the 11months of pregnancy. During the first 4months of pregnancy, adrenaline (AD), dopamine (DOPA) and ACTH increases, whereas 5-hydroxitryptamine (5-HT) decreased, and noradrenaline (NAD) and cortisol (CORT) did not change. Serum NAD increase...
Miglio A, Morelli C, Maresca C, Felici A, Di Gianbattista A, Antognoni MT.Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) reference intervals (RIs) have been evaluated in different horses, but no specific values are shown for equine breeds as previously described in other species (dogs, cats), and no studies have been performed on SPE in draft horses. Objective: This study aimed to determine RIs for SPE in heavy draft horses (Italian Heavy Draft Horse-IHDH) living in central Italy. A comparison between different physiologic states (pregnancy and no pregnancy) and ages (foals and adults) was executed. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 215 apparently healthy horses (mare...
Parks CM, Manohar M.Transmural distribution of myocardial blood flow and coronary vasodilator reserve (15-microns-diam radionuclide-labeled microspheres) was studied in 11 adult, healthy ponies at rest and during moderate and severe exercise performed on a treadmill (heart rate 56 +/- 4, 154 +/- 3, and 225 +/- 7 beats . min-1, respectively.). Exercise resulted in a marked increase in cardiac output, mean aortic pressure, right ventricular (RV) systolic and end-diastolic pressure, left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure, and the maximum rate of rise of LV pressure LV (dP/dtmax). Accompanying these changes was...
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...
Steffey EP, Howland D.Cardiovascular effects of venous alveolar concentrations of halothane in oxygen were studied in 8 young, healthy horses under conditions of constant arterial carbon dioxide tension. The alveolar concentration of halothane was expressed as a multiple of the minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) which was known for each animal. Increasing alveolar halothane concentrations to MAC 2.0 resulted in a progressive and significant (P less than 0.05) decline in systemic arterial pressure and left ventricular work. Cardiac output decreased between MAC 1.0 and MAC 2.0 as a result of a significant (P less t...
Dong JB, Zhu W, Cook FR, Goto Y, Horii Y, Haga T.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) has posed a major challenge and caused significant losses to the equine industry worldwide. PCR detection methods have considerable potential as an adjunct to conventional serological diagnostic techniques. However, most published PCR methods, including that recommended by the OIE, were designed using laboratory-adapted virus strains and do not function with field isolates of EIA virus (EIAV). In the present study, a nested PCR assay for detection of EIAV proviral DNA in peripheral blood cells of naturally infected horses was developed. Primer sets were designed ...
