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.
Concomitant melanoma and keratoma affecting the equine digit: clinical, pathological, and long-term follow-up findings. This case report details a long-term follow-up of a hoof melanoma with dermo-epidermal activity (resembling Spreading Superficial Melanoma (SSM)) in a bay horse with a history of a right front hoof keratoma. Melanomas involving the horse's foot are seldom reported and usually diagnosed as anaplastic melanomas based on signalment and post-mortem examination. The clinical-pathological characteristics of the foot melanoma in this bay horse are consistent with SSM-like described in humans, which is considered an intermediate malignant tumour attending their biological behaviour. However, a definit...
A multi-task learning model for clinically interpretable sesamoiditis grading. Sesamoiditis is a common equine disease with varying severity, leading to increased injury risks and performance degradation in horses. Accurate grading of sesamoiditis is crucial for effective treatment. Although deep learning-based approaches for grading sesamoiditis show promise, they remain underexplored and often lack clinical interpretability. To address this issue, we propose a novel, clinically interpretable multi-task learning model that integrates clinical knowledge with machine learning. The proposed model employs a dual-branch decoder to simultaneously perform sesamoiditis grading ...
Initial development of a rapid, portable, stall-side ELISA for the measurement of equine adrenocorticotropic hormone. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a neurodegenerative disease of senior horses. Loss of dopaminergic inhibition of the melanotropes of the pars intermedia leads to increased concentrations of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides. Diagnosis is challenging due to pre-analytical variables, such as sample storage, handling, and time to analysis. Our objective was to develop an ELISA for ACTH measurement, which could ultimately form the basis for a stall-side equine ACTH test. We selected 2 ACTH-specific monoclonal antibodies, CBL57 and EPR20361-248, based on the recognition o...
Assessment of health impacts in retired antisera-producing horses: Blood biochemistry and serum amyloid A analysis. Horses used for antisera production are repeatedly hyperimmunized to produce high levels of specific antibodies. This prolonged process can lead to various health issues, including amyloidosis, which involves the accumulation of amyloid proteins in organs and tissues, potentially causing organ dysfunction and failure. These horses are often retired when they no longer produce adequate antibody levels. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of prolonged antisera production on the health of retired horses by examining their blood biochemistry and serum amyloid A (SAA) levels, which are indicato...
Clinical variability of equine asthma phenotypes and analysis of diagnostic steps in phenotype differentiation. Equine asthma is a common, non-infectious, chronic lung disease that affects up to 80% of the horse population. Strict phenotyping and identification of subclinically asthmatic horses can be challenging. The aim of this study was to describe equine asthma phenotypes (mild, moderate, and severe asthma) defined by BALF cytology and occurrence of clinical signs in a population of privately owned horses and to identify the variables and examination steps with best discriminative potential. The standardised examination protocol included clinical examinations, blood work, airway endoscopy with bronc...
Unusual Equine Tumors. There are a number of unusual tumors in the horse. Gross tumor characteristics, anatomical location, and signalment may assist with identification. Clinical pathology is often unrewarding with non-specific findings, while fine needle aspirates may not obtain sufficient tissue material to confirm a diagnosis. Although regular staining of biopsy material may be sufficient, immunohistochemistry markers may be required, especially in less differentiated tumors. The prognosis is dependent on the type, location, tumor size as well as on metastatic spread. A selection of unusual and rare tumors that ...
Lymphoma & Myeloproliferative Disease. Lymphoma and myeloproliferative diseases in horses are relatively uncommon. The clinical signs, prognosis, and treatment options depend upon the anatomic location and subtype. Significant gaps in knowledge remain regarding prevalence, pathogenesis of different subtypes, antemortem diagnostic tests, response to treatment, and standardized treatment protocols. However, treatment options are available, accessible on the farm, and could improve quality of life and prolong survival.
Transdermal carbon dioxide may accelerate hoof growth in healthy, sound horses in a short-term, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Slow hoof growth poses a clinical challenge when hoof wear exceeds natural growth. Many treatment options have been reported without controlled prospective trials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of transdermal CO2 on the rate of growth in treated hooves. Methods: A prospective, randomized, blinded, crossover study of 14 Warmblood mares. Horses were randomly assigned a number and allocated for treatment of the front feet with room air or CO2 for 30 minutes 3 times per week, and groups were switched after 5 weeks. Hoof growth was measured on the dorsal midline and the qua...
Outbreak of dermatophilosis in horses possibly transmitted by sharing riding equipment. The aim of this study is to describe an outbreak of dermatophilosis at an equestrian center in Castilla la Mancha (central Spain), which affected 16.6% (5/30) of the animals. Research was carried out to establish the mode of transmission and spread to other horses in the herd. Clinical features, diagnostic methods and treatment are also described. O objetivo deste estudo é descrever um surto de dermatofilose em um centro equestre em Castilla la Mancha (centro da Espanha), no qual 16,6% (5/30) dos animais foram afetados. Foi realizada uma pesquisa para estabelecer o modo de transmissão e a di...
Diagnostic utility of acute phase proteins and their ability to guide antibiotic usage in pigs, horses, and cattle: a mapping review. To mitigate the use of antibiotics for many of the multifactorial diseases seen in pigs, horses and cattle, new diagnostic tools are needed. Acute phase protein (APP) measurements can, in humans, be used to guide antibiotic treatment initiation, evaluate treatment efficacy, and make a prognosis. The aim of this review is to collect evidence on the clinical functionality of APP measurements as a tool to guide antibiotic treatment in pigs, horses, and cattle. Literature was retrieved using Medline, CAB Abstracts and Google Scholar. The acute phase response has been investigated for a plethora of...
Intra-uterine injection of amnion-derived acellular bioscaffold product in mares, a description of systemic and intra-uterine effects over 21 days. Amnion-derived acellular bioscaffold (ADABP) products demonstrate interesting anti-inflammatory and healing properties which could be beneficial for intrauterine use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of intrauterine injection of ADABP on systemic and uterine health. The study design randomly assigned subjects to one of two groups, control mares (n = 3) which received 3 mL injection of sterile saline in the base of each uterine horn, and treatment mares (n = 9) which received 3 mL of ADABP in the base of one uterine horn and 3 mL injection of sterile saline in the base of ...
Acute leptospirosis in horses: A retrospective study of 11 cases (2015-2023). Reports of leptospirosis in horses are limited. Objective: To describe the clinical and diagnostic findings of acute systemic leptospirosis in horses. Methods: Eleven client-owned horses presented to an equine hospital because of acute onset of disease between 2015 and 2023. Methods: Retrospective case series. Horses diagnosed with leptospirosis by 1 or more of urine PCR, serologic microscopic agglutination test (MAT), and histopathology. Results: Common clinical signs included lethargy (10), anorexia (10), fever (9), tachypnea (9), abnormal lung sounds (9), and epistaxis (6). Acute kidney inj...
Explainable machine learning for assessing upper respiratory tract of racehorses from endoscopy videos. Laryngeal hemiplegia (LH) is a major upper respiratory tract (URT) complication in racehorses. Endoscopy imaging of horse throat is a gold standard for URT assessment. However, current manual assessment faces several challenges, stemming from the poor quality of endoscopy videos and subjectivity of manual grading. To overcome such limitations, we propose an explainable machine learning (ML)-based solution for efficient URT assessment. Specifically, a cascaded YOLOv8 architecture is utilized to segment the key semantic regions and landmarks per frame. Several spatiotemporal features are then ex...
Radiotherapy in Equine Practice. Radiotherapy is a valuable treatment option for equine tumors that have a high rate of recurrence or where complete surgical resection may damage vital structures. Teletherapy, brachytherapy, and plesiotherapy have been used successfully for the treatment of a variety of tumors and locations in the horse. Radiobiology, treatment protocols, side effects, and patient management are reviewed, with a focus on linear accelerator-based teletherapy. There is evidence of good success rates for treatment of periocular sarcoids and squamous cell carcinoma but teletherapy treatment is often limited to tu...
Equine Gastrointestinal Neoplasia. Gastrointestinal neoplasia is uncommon in horses. Clinical signs can be vague and advanced testing, including biopsy, exploratory surgery, and/or advanced imaging may be required for diagnosis. Prognosis varies by location, organ involved and is frequently poor to grave.
An updated description of bacterial pneumonia in adult horses and factors associated with death. Available descriptive studies on equine pneumonia are outdated or focus on specific horse or bacterial populations. Objective: To describe the clinical presentation and bacterial isolates of adult horses with bacterial pneumonia and identify factors associated with death. Methods: One hundred sixteen horses >2 years old with bacterial pneumonia. Methods: Retrospective case series. Data regarding history, physical examination, clinicopathologic features, treatment, bacterial culture and sensitivity, and outcome were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Results: Historical risk factors w...
Allergen-specific immunoglobulin-Es for dermatitis in the Japanese native Noma horses. Noma horses are native Japanese horses. Health checkups revealed that many Noma horses developed dermatitis during summer, which subsided in winter. Seasonal development and signs of itching, suggestive of allergic dermatitis, were observed. In this study, allergen-specific IgE was measured using blood samples collected from 15 Noma horses in summer and winter to identify allergens highly associated with dermatitis. The presence of dermatitis in the subject individuals was recorded during blood sample collection. White blood cell and eosinophil counts, serum total IgE concentration, and serum ...
Complete Blood Count and Biochemistry Reference Intervals for Healthy Adult Donkeys in the United States. Previous hematologic and serum biochemistry reference interval (RI) values have been established for donkeys in various geographic regions, life-stages, or for specific donkey breeds. The last extensive investigation establishing RIs for adult donkeys in the United States (U.S.) was published over three decades ago. We aimed to establish updated robust RIs using a reference population of apparently healthy adult donkeys from across the U.S. Standard sized ( = 102), miniature ( = 17), and mammoth ( = 1) donkeys from four different states were enrolled, with 20% of the study population including...
Characterisation of phenotypic patterns in equine exercise-associated myopathies. Equine exercise-associated myopathies are prevalent, clinically heterogeneous, generally idiopathic disorders characterised by episodes of myofibre damage that occur in association with exercise. Episodes are intermittent and vary within and between affected horses and across breeds. The aetiopathogenesis is often unclear; there might be multiple causes. Poor phenotypic characterisation hinders genetic and other disease analyses. Objective: The aim of this study was to characterise phenotypic patterns across exercise-associated myopathies in horses. Methods: Historical cross-sectional study, w...
Serum amino acid profiles in clinically normal Noma horses. Plasma or serum amino acids are used to evaluate nutritional status and metabolic disorders. In this study, we aimed to set reference values of serum amino acid concentrations in the Noma horse, a Japanese native horse. Thirty-one horses were classified into six age groups: neonatal foal (0-4 days), foal (0.5-1 years), youth (5 years), middle age (10 years), old (15 years), and extra-old (>20 years). Horses >5 years of age were analyzed together as the adult group. In the adult horses, there were no significant differences among the serum amino acid concentrations of each age group. The ...
Lyophilization as an alternative for conservation of equine plasma as a source of immunoglobulin G for neonatal foals. Providing plasma with immunoglobulins is essential for the health of foals with failure of passive transfer of immunity. The use of lyophilized plasma (LP) offers a simple and affordable option in terms of transportation and storage. This study aimed to measure the concentrations of immunoglobulin G (IgG), total protein (TP), and total solids (TS) in fresh equine plasma before and after lyophilization. Plasma was collected from six healthy male horses. The samples underwent freeze-drying and were reconstituted in deionized water to their original volume. The concentrations of IgG in both fresh...
PON1 enzyme activity assays for serum and heparinized plasma in horses and stability evaluation of the enzyme activity over different freeze-thaw cycles and mimic transportation. Consistent information and standardization procedures regarding the time of storage for frozen samples and the effects of storage time on enzyme activity are still missing in the literature. Thus, we evaluated the effects of different storage temperatures (-20 °C and - 80 °C), three repetitive freeze/thaw cycles, and 24-h mimic transportation on the activities of PON1 (paraoxonase and arylesterase), enzymes involved in the protection and detoxification processes of reactive molecules. PON1 enzymes' activity was validated on serum and heparinized plasma in horses. The results revealed tha...
Suspected envenomation by the common European adder (Vipera berus berus) in 28 horses in Finland. Vipera berus berus is the only venomous snake present in the Nordic countries and cases of envenomation in horses are reported during the warmer months. Little is known about the presentation, treatment and survival of horses with common European adder envenomation. Clinical and laboratory findings, treatment and outcome are reported for 28 horses admitted to Helsinki University Equine Hospital in 2008-2023 due to suspicion of snake bite. Eleven of these horses received antivenom treatment. Other common treatments included non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (22/28), antimicrobials (19/28), intr...
Computed tomographic angiography of a presumed acquired transhepatic portosystemic shunt in a miniature horse filly. A 1-year-old Miniature Horse filly was presented for chronic lethargy and hyporexia. Elevated liver enzymes, bile acids, and ammonia were noted on bloodwork. The primary differential diagnosis was a portosystemic shunt (PSS). Three-phase computed tomographic angiography findings were consistent with a transhepatic portosystemic shunt. Percutaneous liver biopsy confirmed severe diffuse hepatic changes, most likely due to chronic pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis, and medical management was elected. Based on an extensive literature review, this is the first report of a transhepatic portosystemic ...
Evaluation of vasovagal tonus index and electrocardiographic parameters in horses using a new modified base apex lead method. Vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) serves as a straightforward assessment tool for autonomic function during both physiological and pathological conditions, including pregnancy, in horses. Obtaining VVTI through a modified base apex lead system could be a practical and comfortable solution. In this study, we assessed VVTI in horses with respect to training status and electrocardiographic measurements utilizing a novel modified base apex lead technique. Unassigned: A total of 12 Thai native crossbred horses and 12 Arabian horses, all free of cardiac abnormalities, were enrolled in the study. Animals ...
On the faecal detection of Halicephalobus gingivalis in equines in Iran. The life-cycle of the parasitic forms of Halicephalobus gingivalis is yet to be fully understood. In cases where there is evidence to support the presence of eggs from this parasite or its DNA in the faeces of equines, a thorough investigation of the clinical status and gastro-intestinal tract of the affected animals is warranted, as well as detailed descriptions of the employed coprological technique. Since reports of the identification of H. gingivalis eggs in faeces are sparse, objective measurements and high-quality images must be provided, in order to ensure optimal criteria for classific...
Evaluating insulindysregulation in horses: A two-step insulin-tolerance test using porcine zinc insulin. In insulin dysregulation, hyperinsulinemia (HI) can be accompanied by peripheral insulin resistance (IR) in horses, which can be diagnosed with an insulin-tolerance test (ITT). The administration of 0.1 IU/kg body weight of recombinant regular human insulin (RHI) should elicit a 50 % reduction of the initial blood glucose concentration at 30 min after insulin administration in insulin sensitive horses. Compared to RHI, porcine zinc insulin (PZI) is veterinary-approved and therefore easier accessible for many practitioners. The aim of this study was to compare the insulin and glucose dynami...
Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Clinico-Pathological Findings, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Management. Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) is a tick-borne disease affecting horses worldwide, caused by . The disease ranges from non-specific clinical signs to fatal outcomes. This paper aimed to analyze EGA cases reported in peer-reviewed journals, particularly on clinico-pathological findings, diagnosis, and therapeutic management. Overall, 189 clinical cases from 31 publications were included in the study. Extensive symptomatology for the EGA cases was reported, of which mostly was fever (90.30%), followed by limb edema (48.51%), anorexia (41.79%), depression (32.84%), icterus (22.39%), ataxi...