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Topic:Clinical Pathology
Clinical pathology in horses involves the study and analysis of biological samples to diagnose and monitor diseases and health conditions. This discipline encompasses various laboratory tests and procedures that assess the physiological and biochemical status of equines. Common analyses include hematology, biochemistry, urinalysis, and cytology, each providing insights into different aspects of equine health. Hematology evaluates blood components, such as red and white blood cells and platelets, to identify conditions like anemia or infection. Biochemistry tests measure enzymes, electrolytes, and metabolites to assess organ function and metabolic status. Urinalysis examines urine samples for indicators of renal function and systemic diseases. Cytology involves the microscopic examination of cells from tissues or fluids to detect abnormalities. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, applications, and diagnostic value of clinical pathology in equine medicine.
Haemoperitoneum in horses: a retrospective review of 54 cases. This retrospective study was conducted in the UK and identifies the most frequent causes, diagnoses, treatment and prognoses for short- and long-term survival in 54 cases of horses with haemoperitoneum. Clinical signs of haemorrhagic shock and colic were common, and abdominal ultrasound was very useful for the identification of haemoperitoneum. Causes of haemoperitoneum included uterine injury (22 per cent), involvement of specific blood vessels (20 per cent), splenic injury (19 per cent), neoplasia (13 per cent) and other (4 per cent). No source was identified in 22 per cent of cases. Fifty-s...
Clinical assessment and outcome of a single-layer technique for anastomosis of the small intestine in horses. In order to assess postoperative outcome in horses undergoing end-to-end anastomosis of the small intestine, performed using a one-layer technique, 15 horses that underwent exploratory coeliotomy, resection of the small intestine and end-to-end anastomosis using a continuous Lembert pattern were studied. Information on the age, breed, sex, diagnosis, treatment, complications and outcome of each case were obtained from medical records. Follow-up information was obtained via telephone conversations with clients and trainers. Five of the horses had short-term postoperative complications: one had ...
Optic axis determination by fibre-based polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography. We describe a fibre-based variable-incidence angle (VIA) polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography (PS-SS-OCT) system to determine the 3D optical axis of birefringent biological tissues. Single-plane VIA-PS-OCT is also explored which requires measurement of the absolute fast-axis orientation. A state-of-the-art PS-SS-OCT system with some improvements both in hardware and software was used to determine the apparent optical birefringence of equine tendon for a number of different illumination directions. Polar and azimuthal angles of cut equine tendon were produced by the ...
Rhabdomyosarcoma in 8 horses. This multi-institutional report describes 8 cases of rhabdomyosarcoma in horses. Four neoplasms were in the tongue and other areas of the mouth or head, 2 were in the abdominal wall, and 1 each was in right shoulder muscles and heart. Four rhabdomyosarcomas that were less than 10 cm in diameter were treated by surgical excision or radiation with no recurrence. Two neoplasms greater than 10 cm in diameter in the abdominal wall and the right shoulder were considered inoperable and led to decisions to euthanize the horses. Two neoplasms were incidental findings at necropsy. All the neoplasms were...
Diagnostic value of the neutrophil myeloperoxidase index in horses with systemic inflammation. The myeloperoxidase index (MPXI) was investigated as a diagnostic indicator of systemic inflammation in a retrospective study using data from 859 hospitalised horses. A reference interval of 8.5-10.4 for the MPXI was established. In horses with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), the MPXI was significantly lower than in healthy horses, those with localised inflammation and those with sepsis. The MPXI in horses with sepsis was also significantly lower than in healthy animals and those with localised inflammation. Horses in the SIRS group with leucopenia, white blood cell (WBC) count...
Thoracic emphysematous lymphadenitis in a foal. Emphysema of lymph nodes is a rare finding that has been described in different anatomical locations and related to specific diseases in different animal species. Herein is described a foal with Rhodococcus equi infection that presented with emphysema and granulomatous inflammation of the bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes. This is the first report of emphysematous lymphadenitis in a horse.
The timeline of lamellar basement membrane changes during equine laminitis development. The timing of lamellar basement membrane (BM) changes occurring during laminitis development is incompletely understood. Objective: To determine the temporal progression of lamellar BM changes and whether laminin-332 (Ln-332) γ2 cleavage products are generated during laminitis development. Methods: Eight clinically normal Standardbred horses were allocated into treatment (n = 5) or sham (n = 3) groups. The treatment group received, via nasogastric intubation, an oligofructose (OF) bolus (10 g/kg bwt) while the sham group was given water. Laminitis induction proceeded for 48 h followed by euth...
Preliminary safety and biological efficacy studies of ethyl pyruvate in normal mature horses. Endotoxaemia causes substantial morbidity and mortality in horses with colic and sepsis. Ethyl pyruvate is a novel anti-inflammatory medication that improved survival in preclinical models of severe sepsis endotoxaemia and intestinal ischaemia and reperfusion in rodents, swine, sheep and dogs and may be a useful medication in horses. Objective: Ethyl pyruvate has no adverse effects in normal horses and is biologically active based on suppression of proinflammatory gene expression in endotoxin stimulated whole blood, in vitro. Methods: Physical and neurological examinations, behaviour scores, e...
Morphological changes in the small intestinal smooth muscle layers of horses suffering from small intestinal strangulation. Is there a basis for predisposition for reduced contractility? Intestinal strangulation often leads to enterectomy after which ileus can develop. This has prompted research to look into possible pathophysiological processes triggering equine ileus. However, morphological changes of the small intestinal smooth muscle in relation to equine colic have not yet been studied. Objective: The presence of some smooth muscle proteins was morphologically assessed and quantified in control and colic horses. In addition, the up- or down-regulation of heat shock proteins (HSP20 and HSP27) influencing the contractility of smooth muscles was studied. Methods: Cranial res...
Evaluation of ethyl alcohol for use in a minimally invasive technique for equine proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis. To determine whether intra-articular 70% ethyl alcohol alone (IAEA) or in combination with 2 percutaneously placed transarticular lag screws (EA-TLS) would result in arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Healthy horses (n=6), aged 1.5-3 years, free of lameness, diagonally paired front and hind PIP joints. Methods: Six milliliters 70% ethyl alcohol was injected into randomly selected diagonally paired front and hind PIP joints. Thirty days later, 2 parallel 5.5 mm cortical screws were inserted in lag fashion across the hind PIP joints an...
Immunocytochemical detection of Rhodococcus equi in tracheal washes of foals. The aim of the present study was to develop an immunocytochemical procedure for the early detection and demonstration of Rhodococcus equi in smears of tracheal aspirates taken from live foals in field conditions. Tracheal wash samples were collected from thoroughbred foals, aged 1-5 months and located in studs around Bursa and Istanbul, Turkey. Some foals were suspected of having R. equi infection on the basis of clinical examination (n=56) and others were unaffected control animals (n=54). Serum samples were also collected from each foal for testing for the presence of R. equi-specific antibo...
Thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing in horses: a review. This review evaluates the thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing techniques that have been used in horses and discusses them with reference to their applications, limitations and the factors which can influence both the testing procedure itself and the animal's responses. Methods to optimise the reliability and repeatability of the testing procedures are suggested and the potential clinical applications discussed. Methods: Web of Science and Medline. Conclusions: Thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing techniques have valuable roles in both the identification of alte...
Glomus tumours in the skin and subcutis of three horses. Three horses presented with variably painful, nonulcerated masses of the head or neck that were diagnosed as glomus tumours. Grossly, they were fleshy, pink to tan masses ranging from 0.4 to 9 cm in diameter, involving either the deep dermis and subcutis or the subcutis and underlying skeletal muscle. Microscopically, neoplastic epithelioid cells were arranged in sheets, cords and packets within lobules. The neoplastic cells frequently abutted and formed nodular bulges into large endothelium-lined vascular spaces, especially around the tumour periphery. Large nerve branches were associated wit...
Association between navicular bone fragmentation and shape in Belgian Warmblood horses. To investigate whether in navicular bones (NB) from warmbloods, distal border fragmentation is associated with the shape of the proximal articular border or other radiological findings. Methods: Radiographs of the front feet of 325 normal, subadult horses presented for admission as breeding stallions were reviewed. Results: The proximal articular border of the total of 650 NB was classified as straight (n = 278), convex (n = 184), undulating (n = 147) or concave (n = 41). Distal border fragments were present in 57 NB (8.8%). They were significantly more prevalent in NB with a concave (9/41; 22...
Evaluation of gastric pressures as an indirect method for measurement of intraabdominal pressures in the horse. To develop an indirect method for measurement of intraabdominal pressures in the standing horse using measurement of gastric pressures as a less invasive technique, and to compare this method with direct intraabdominal pressures obtained from the peritoneal cavity. Methods: Prospective, experimental study. Methods: University-based equine research facility. Methods: Ten healthy adult horses, 7 geldings and 3 mares. Methods: Gastric pressures were measured using a nasogastric tube with a U-tube manometry technique, while intraperitoneal pressures were measured with a peritoneal cannula. Measure...
Assessment of synovial fluid biomarkers in healthy foals and in foals with tarsocrural osteochondrosis. Although alterations in biomarkers of cartilage turnover in synovial fluid (SF) have been demonstrated in horses with osteochondrosis (OC), there have been few investigations of such alterations in animals <1 year old. In this study tarsocrural SF samples from foals aged 18, 22 and 52 weeks of age were assessed for: (1) 'turnover' biomarkers of type II collagen (CPII and C2C) and proteoglycan (CS846 and glycosaminoglycans [GAG]); (2) matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity; (3) insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1; (4) transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1; (5) prostaglandin (PG) E(2...
Longitudinal study of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system in purebred Spanish broodmares during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the coordinated interaction of the components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a vital role in accommodating the cardiovascular, haemodynamic and haematological needs imposed by foetal development and the placenta. This significantly influences the birth weight of the neonate and foetal viability. Although the evolution of each of the components of this system has been widely described in various species, it has not yet been clarified in the mare. Thus, the objectives of the present research were: 1) to establish reference values for renin (REN), angio...
Aqueous humor and plasma concentrations of a compounded 0.2% solution of terbinafine following topical ocular administration to normal equine eyes. To determine the transcorneal penetration and systemic absorption of a compounded 0.2% terbinafine solution following repeated topical administration to normal equine eyes. Sample population Six healthy adult horses with normal ocular examinations. Methods: One eye of each horse received 0.2 mL of a compounded 0.2% terbinafine solution every 4 h for seven doses. During the 1 h following administration of the final dose, multiple peripheral blood samples were obtained, and a single aqueous humor (AH) sample was collected at the end of the hour. AH and plasma concentrations of terbinafine wer...
A case of facial deformity due to bilateral developmental maxillary cheek teeth displacement in an adult horse. A 7-year-old mare presented with facial deformities associated with oral discomfort and weight loss was found to have bilateral, palatal, developmental displacements of the maxillary 08s, with secondary diastema. Following repulsion of both displaced teeth, the horse regained weight and resumed training. Bony deformities remained visible 9 mo after discharge. Une jument de 7 ans présentée avec des déformations faciales associées à de l’inconfort oral et à une perte de poids a montré, après examen, des déplacements développementaux, bilatéraux, du coté palatal des 4 prémolaires ...
In vivo confocal microscopy of equine fungal keratitis. To describe in vivo corneal confocal microscopy of horses with fungal keratitis and correlate findings with clinical, histopathological, and microbiological evaluations of clinical cases and an ex vivo experimental equine fungal keratitis model. Methods: A total of 12 horses with naturally-acquired fungal keratitis and ex vivo equine corneas experimentally infected with clinical fungal isolates. Methods: Horses with naturally-acquired fungal keratitis were examined with a modified Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II and Rostock Cornea Module. Confocal microscopy images of clinical isolates of Asper...
Epidemiology of equine sarcoids in horses in western Canada. Sarcoids are the most common tumor of the equine skin but only 1 study describing the epidemiology of sarcoids in Canadian horses has been published. The records of 5 veterinary diagnostic laboratories in western Canada were searched to identify submissions of sarcoids from horses. The submission records and diagnostic reports of 802 separate submissions of equine sarcoids were reviewed for age, breed, and gender of the horse and the number, location, and clinical type of sarcoid. From these records, the 307 submissions to laboratories in Saskatchewan were compared to a reference group to test...
Finite element analysis of a novel pin-sleeve system for external fixation of distal limb fractures in horses. The transfixation pin cast (TPC) is an external skeletal fixation technique used to treat horses with distal limb fractures, but its use is often associated with pin-loosening and an increased risk of treatment failure. To address implant loosening, the pin sleeve cast system (PSC) was recently designed and consists of a pin-sleeve unit inserted into the bone. Each pin runs through a sleeve placed in the bone, making contact at two fixed points only within the sleeve. Each pin is attached to a ring embedded in a resin cast. In this report, the mechanical performance of a traditional TPC pin ar...
West Nile virus and its emergence in the United States of America. Zoonotic West Nile virus (WNV) circulates in natural transmission cycles involving certain mosquitoes and birds, horses, humans, and a range of other vertebrates are incidental hosts. Clinical infections in humans can range in severity from uncomplicated WNV fever to fatal meningoencephalitis. Since its introduction to the Western Hemisphere in 1999, WNV had spread across North America, Central and South America and the Caribbean, although the vast majority of severe human cases have occurred in the United States of America (USA) and Canada. By 2002-2003, the WNV outbreaks have involved thousa...
Electrosurgical tenoscopic desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor muscle (proximal check ligament) in horses. To report a tenoscopic technique using monopolar electrosurgery to transect the accessory ligament of superficial digital flexor muscle (AL-SDFM) and outcome in 33 horses. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=33). Methods: Medical files and surgery video recordings of horses that had AL-SDFM desmotomy performed by tenoscopy with monopolar electrosurgical electrodes were reviewed. Results: Of 33 horses, 24 were Standardbred racehorses with surgery performed bilaterally for superficial digital flexor tendonitis and 9 horses had flexural deformity. Severe (n=6) and mild (6) intrathecal hemorr...
BPV-1 infection is not confined to the dermis but also involves the epidermis of equine sarcoids. In equids, bovine papillomaviruses of type 1 (BPV-1) and less frequently type 2 induce common, locally aggressive skin tumours termed sarcoids. Whereas BPV infection in cattle usually involves the epidermis and is productive in this skin layer, infection in equids is currently thought to be abortive, with virus solely residing as multiple episomes in dermal fibroblasts. Based on recent observations that do not agree with this assumption, we hypothesised that BPV also infects equid epidermis and is active in this skin layer. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a proof-of-principle study on ei...
Hepatic and metabolic changes in surgical colic patients: a pilot study. To determine: (1) changes in blood ammonia, bile acid (BA), bilirubin, triglyceride, and glucose concentrations and liver enzyme activities in perioperative colic patients and (2) the association between these laboratory findings and short-term survival. Methods: Prospective observational clinical study. Methods: Thirty-two adult horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy for colic. Methods: None. Results: Blood samples were collected preoperatively and at 24-36 and 72-84 hours postoperatively and analyzed for blood ammonia, BA, bilirubin, triglyceride, and glucose concentrations and sorbitol deh...
Properties of an equine herpesvirus 1 mutant devoid of the internal inverted repeat sequence of the genomic short region. The 150 kbp genome of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is composed of a unique long (UL) region and a unique short (Us) segment, which is flanked by identical internal and terminal repeat (IR and TR) sequences of 12.7 kbp. We constructed an EHV-1 lacking the entire IR (vL11ΔIR) and showed that the IR is dispensable for EHV-1 replication but that the vL11ΔIR exhibits a smaller plaque size and delayed growth kinetics. Western blot analyses of cells infected with vL11ΔIR showed that the synthesis of viral proteins encoded by the immediate-early, early, and late genes was reduced at immediate-early...
Quantitative analysis of collagen fiber organization in injured tendons using Fourier transform-second harmonic generation imaging. Fourier transform-second harmonic generation (FT-SHG) imaging is used as a technique for evaluating collagenase-induced injury in horse tendons. The differences in collagen fiber organization between normal and injured tendon are quantified. Results indicate that the organization of collagen fibers is regularly oriented in normal tendons and randomly organized in injured tendons. This is further supported through the use of additional metrics, in particular, the number of dark (no/minimal signal) and isotropic (no preferred fiber orientation) regions in the images, and the ratio of forward-to-...
External characteristics of the lateral aspect of the hoof differ between non-lame and lame horses. During a pre-purchase examination (PPE) there is always a debate about how clinical findings of the hoof different from ideal should be interpreted in relation to future lameness risk and/or unsuitability of the horse for the potential purchaser. The objectives of this study were to describe and compare external angular measurements, linear ratios and hoof capsule characteristics of non-lame and lame feet. Photographs of feet from 300 horses with foot pain and 25 non-lame horses were analysed. Hoof wall, heel and coronary band angles and hoof wall length and height, weight-bearing length, coro...
