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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.
Femoral epiphyseal cartilage matrix changes at predilection sites of equine osteochondrosis: Quantitative MRI, second-harmonic microscopy, and histological findings. Osteochondrosis is an ischemic chondronecrosis of epiphyseal growth cartilage that results in focal failure of endochondral ossification and osteochondritis dissecans at specific sites in the epiphyses of humans and animals, including horses. The upstream events leading to the focal ischemia remain unknown. The epiphyseal growth cartilage matrix is composed of proteoglycan and collagen macromolecules and encases its vascular tree in canals. The matrix undergoes major dynamic changes in early life that could weaken it biomechanically and predispose it to focal trauma and vascular failure. Subre...
Cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic responses to apnea induced by atlanto-occipital intrathecal lidocaine injection in anesthetized horses. To determine physiologic responses to apnea-induced severe hypoxemia in anesthetized horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Six university-owned horses with a median (range) body weight of 500 (220-510) kg and aged 13.5 (0.8-24.0) years scheduled for euthanasia. Methods: Xylazine-midazolam-ketamine-anesthetized horses breathing room air spontaneously were instrumented with a facial artery catheter for pressure measurement and blood sampling, and were made apneic with atlanto-occipital intrathecal lidocaine (4 mg kg ). Cardiopulmonary, biochemical and hematologic variable...
Circadian rhythm of calciotropic hormones, serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium during the shortest and longest days of the year in horses in New Zealand. A study was conducted to determine the circadian rhythms and trends of vitamin D metabolites including 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 , 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 , 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone, in addition to serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium concentrations in horses over 48 h on the shortest and longest days of the year in 2013. Five healthy adult horses (Equus caballus) were on a constant pasture feeding regimen, and blood samples were collected from each horse every 3 h over a 48-h period, starting at 07:00 PM on day one and finishing at 07:00 PM on day three, for the measurem...
Modified penetrating keratoplasty with Acell® bioscaffold implant in seven horses with deep full-thickness corneal stromal abscess. To describe and evaluate a modified penetrating keratoplasty technique utilizing ACell® for management of equine deep stromal or full-thickness corneal stromal abscesses (SA). Methods: Cases presenting to the University of Georgia Ophthalmology service for surgical management of SA necessitating penetrating keratoplasty (PK) were included in the study population. Surgery entailed the use of an ACell® disk sutured within the deep level of a stepped full-thickness corneal incision with an overlying conjunctival pedicle flap placed in the superficial step incision. Patients were evaluated for s...
Idiopathic Fibrosis of the Tunica Muscularis of the Large Intestine in Five Horses with Colic. Histological evidence of fibrosis affecting the outer layer of the large intestinal tunica muscularis was identified in five of 32 horses affected by colic. In three cases, foci of pale eosinophilia and vacuolation of myocytes were observed. These findings are suggestive of a degenerative and fibrotic abnormality in the outer layer of the tunica muscularis of the large intestinal smooth muscle of some horses with colic.
Campylorrhinus lateralis, Bilateral microphthalmia and odontoma temporalis in an Oldenburg Foal. An Oldenburg colt with wry nose was autopsied after having lived for only 30 min. It presented cyanotic oral mucosae, underdeveloped eyes and a right-sided temporal osseous mass. The applicable nomenclature for the defects is discussed, and the potential etiopathogenesis is explored by describing the normal embryonic development of the affected body parts.
Immunohistochemistry for the detection of neural and inflammatory cells in equine brain tissue. Phenotypic characterization of cellular responses in equine infectious encephalitides has had limited description of both peripheral and resident cell populations in central nervous system (CNS) tissues due to limited species-specific reagents that react with formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue (FFPE). This study identified a set of antibodies for investigating the immunopathology of infectious CNS diseases in horses. Multiple commercially available staining reagents and antibodies derived from antigens of various species for manual immunohistochemistry (IHC) were screened. Several techni...
Age-related Qualitative Histological and Quantitative Stereological Changes in the Equine Pituitary. The aim of this study was to characterize the age-related morphological changes in the equine pituitary and to identify features that allow distinction between pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID)-associated and non-functional/age-associated pars intermedia (PI) adenoma. Pituitary glands of all horses submitted for necropsy examination at the Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, between 2008 and 2012 were examined. The pituitary glands of 124 horses were weighed, cut into ∼2 mm slices and examined histologically. A slightly modified grading scheme...
Differences in the vascular tree of the femoral trochlear growth cartilage at osteochondrosis-susceptible sites in foals revealed by SWI 3T MRI. Focal ischemic chondronecrosis of epiphyseal growth cartilage (EGC) during endochondral ossification is believed to be a key early event on the pathway to osteochondrosis (OC) in both animals and humans. The lateral ridge of the equine trochlea is a site where severe osteochondritis dissecans lesions frequently arise and is a model for the study of naturally occurring disease. Non-invasive imaging to investigate EGC vascularity may help elucidate why focal ischemia occurs. 3T MRI susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) of femoral trochlea of OC predisposed (n = 10) and control (n = 6) da...
Assessing aortic regurgitation severity from 2D, M-mode and pulsed wave Doppler echocardiographic measurements in horses. Aortic regurgitation (AR) in horses can lead to left ventricular (LV) eccentric hypertrophy, ventricular arrhythmia and heart failure. Objective quantification of the severity of regurgitation is difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate dimensional measurements, systolic time intervals and blood flow velocities, acquired by standard 2D, M-mode and pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography, for quantification of AR. Echocardiography was performed in 32 healthy horses and 35 horses with AR that were subdivided in three groups (mild, moderate or severe AR). From the recorded images LV, left at...
Effect of Arthroscopic Lavage on Systemic and Synovial Fluid Serum Amyloid A in Healthy Horses. To evaluate the effect of arthroscopic lavage on systemic serum amyloid A (SAA) and SAA, total protein, nucleated cell count, and percentage of neutrophils in synovial fluid in healthy horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Healthy adult horses (n = 6). Methods: Middle carpal joints were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: arthrocentesis (controls) or arthroscopic lavage, with 30 day washout period between treatments. Synovial fluid and blood samples were collected at 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours. Measurements included systemic and synovial fluid SAA, as well as ...
Prosthetic Mesh for Obliteration of the Nephrosplenic Space in Horses: 26 Clinical Cases. To report surgical complications, occurrence of post-obliteration colic, long term outcome, and return to previous function for horses treated with prosthetic mesh obliteration of the nephrosplenic space. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses (n = 26) having nephrosplenic space obliteration using prosthetic mesh. Methods: Horses undergoing mesh obliteration between January 2006 and May 2013 were included. A Proxplast™ mesh was secured to the nephrosplenic space with titanium helical coils in standing horses using laparoscopic technique. Perioperative data were obtained from the m...
Computed Tomographic Appearance of the Temporomandibular Joint in 1018 Asymptomatic Horses: A Multi-Institution Study. Published descriptions of nonseptic arthritis of the equine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are rare and large studies investigating variations in the TMJ for asymptomatic horses are lacking. The objectives of this cross-sectional, retrospective, multi-institutional study were to describe anatomical variations in the TMJ detected using computed tomography (CT) in an equid population asymptomatic for TMJ disease and determine whether these variations were associated with patient signalment, reason for CT examination, or CT slice width. Medical records at eight hospitals were searched for horses t...
Abnormal coagulation factor VIII transcript in a Tennessee Walking Horse colt with hemophilia A. Hemophilia A is an X-chromosome-linked disorder caused by a deficiency in factor VIII (FVIII). Although foals have been diagnosed with hemophilia A based on deficiency in FVIII activity, causative gene mutations have not been identified. The genomic DNA and cDNA encoding FVIII of a Tennesee Walking Horse colt affected with hemophilia A and the genomic DNA of his dam and a normal unrelated horse were analyzed with no splice site or coding sequence abnormalities identified in any of the horses. Polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were then performed on hepatic cDNA from the affected colt and an unr...
[Reference ranges of insulin, insulin like growth factor-1 and adrenocorticotropic hormone in ponies]. The aim of this study was to validate a chemiluminescence immunometric assay using the IMMULITE 2000® for the determination of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) from which reference ranges were calculated for ponies. Methods: Blood samples of 130 ponies aged 3-32 years were collected in the afternoon. The reference ranges were calculated according to the Guideline EP28-A3C of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) from 2010. Results: The determined intraday precision for insulin was 3.28%, for ACTH 3...
Relationship between uterine biopsy score, endometrial infection and inflammation in the mare. Endometrial biopsy score is an accepted marker of uterine health and predicted fertility, and it has been suggested that endometrial alternations are correlated with susceptibility to persistent infectious endometritis. The objective of this study was to investigate associations of endometrial biopsy score with: 1) presence of polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) in the epithelium and stratum compactum in histopathology; 2) presence of PMNs in cytology and 3) presence of infection in microbiology. Methods: The material for examination was collected from 69 mares suspected for subclinical endometriti...
Initial analytic quality assessment and method comparison of an immunoassay for adrenocorticotropic hormone measurement in equine samples. Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) may be diagnosed by measuring baseline plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). The Immulite 1000 analyzer uses an automated chemiluminescence enzyme assay, previously validated for measuring equine ACTH. Recently, an automated bench-top immunoassay analyzer (AIA-360), designed for analytes in people, became available for veterinary use. Objective: Objectives were to evaluate analytic performance of the AIA immunoassay for measuring equine ACTH, and compare the results with those obtained by the Immulite. Methods: Adrenocorticotrophic horm...
Equine grass sickness, but not botulism, causes autonomic and enteric neurodegeneration and increases soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor protein expression within neuronal perikarya. Equine grass sickness (EGS) is of unknown aetiology. Despite some evidence suggesting that it represents a toxico-infection with Clostridium botulinum types C and/or D, the effect of EGS on the functional targets of botulinum neurotoxins, namely the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor (SNARE) proteins, is unknown. Further, while it is commonly stated that, unlike EGS, equine botulism is not associated with autonomic and enteric neurodegeneration, this has not been definitively assessed. Objective: To determine: 1) whether botulism causes autonomic and enteric neurodeg...
Effect of repeated through-and-through joint lavage on serum amyloid A in synovial fluid from healthy horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of through-and-through joint lavage on systemic and synovial serum amyloid A (SAA), total protein, nucleated cell count and percentage of neutrophils in the synovial fluid of six healthy horses. A prospective experimental study was performed where one healthy tarsocrural joint of each horse was randomly assigned to receive repeated through-and-through joint lavage at 0, 48 and 96 h. Synovial fluid and blood samples were collected at 0 (baseline), 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h. Systemic and synovial SAA, total protein, nucleated cell count a...
Isolation of a lytic bacteriophage against virulent Aeromonas hydrophila from an organized equine farm. A bacteriophage (VTCCBPA6) against a pathogenic strain of Aeromonas hydrophila was isolated from the sewage of an organized equine breeding farm. On the basis of TEM analysis, phage belonged to family Myoviridae. PCR amplification and sequence analysis of gp23 gene (encoding for major capsid protein) revealed phylogenetic resemblance to T4 like virus genus. Protein profiling by SDS-PAGE also indicated its resemblance to T4 like phage group. However, the comparison of its gp23 gene sequence with previously reported phages showed similarity with T4-like phages infecting Enterobacteriaceae instea...
Intra-arterial versus intra venous contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the equine head. The anatomical complexity of the horse's head limits the abilities of radiography. Computed tomography (CT) in combination with contrast enhanced CT is used more often for diagnosing various head pathology in horses. The objective of this study was to compare intravenous and intra-arterial contrast-enhancement techniques and describe normal and abnormal contrast enhancement in the horse's head. Results: All 24 horses included in the study recovered without complication from the procedures. Compared to the pre-contrast studies, post-contrast studies showed significant contrast enhancement in th...
Evaluation of coagulation and fibrinolysis in horses with atrial fibrillation. To evaluate horses with atrial fibrillation for hypercoagulability; plasma D-dimer concentrations, as a marker of a procoagulant state; and a relationship between coagulation profile results and duration of atrial fibrillation or presence of structural heart disease. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: Plasma samples from 42 horses (25 with atrial fibrillation and 17 without cardiovascular or systemic disease [control group]). Methods: Results of hematologic tests (ie, plasma fibrinogen and D-dimer concentrations, prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times, and antithrombin activ...
A Retrospective Study of the Effectiveness of Four Different Treatments of Periodontal Disease in Equine Cheek Teeth. Periodontal disease of equine cheek teeth is common and may lead to tooth loss if left untreated. Limited information is available comparing the effectiveness of treatment methods. The objective of this study was to retrospectively compare the effectiveness of 4 commonly used treatments in reducing periodontal pocket depth (in addition to routine dental treatment and occlusal equilibration). The 4 treatments compared were (1) removal of feed material, lavaging the pocket with dilute chlorhexidine, and then rinsing the mouth with chlorhexidine-containing mouthwash (CL); (2) CL plus placement of...
Qualitative and Quantitative Characteristics of the Electroencephalogram in Normal Horses during Administration of Inhaled Anesthesia. The effects of anesthesia on the equine electroencephalogram (EEG) after administration of various drugs for sedation, induction, and maintenance are known, but not that the effect of inhaled anesthetics alone for EEG recording. Objective: To determine the effects of isoflurane and halothane, administered as single agents at multiple levels, on the EEG and quantitative EEG (qEEG) of normal horses. Methods: Six healthy horses. Methods: Prospective study. Digital EEG with video and quantitative EEG (qEEG) were recorded after the administration of one of the 2 anesthetics, isoflurane or halothane...
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia with concurrent aplasia of the pericardium in a foal. In veterinary medicine congenital abnormalities of the diaphragm and pericardium are rare, idiopathic malformations, being reported mainly in dogs. This report documents an unusual case of developmental defects in a foal consisting of diaphragmatic hernia concurrent with pericardial aplasia. Methods: Following a normal delivery, a full term, female Friesian stillborn foal with the placenta was presented for necropsy. External morphological examination indicated a normally developed foal. At necropsy, a large oval defect (approximately 20 × 15 cm in size) was observed in the left-dorsal si...
Production of serum amyloid A in equine articular chondrocytes and fibroblast-like synoviocytes treated with proinflammatory cytokines and its effects on the two cell types in culture. To investigate the role of the major equine acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) in inflammation of equine intraarticular tissues. Methods: Articular chondrocytes and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) from 8 horses (4 horses/cell type). Methods: Chondrocytes and FLSs were stimulated in vitro for various periods up to 48 hours with cytokines (recombinant interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, or a combination of all 3 [IIT]) or with recombinant SAA. Gene expression of SAA, IL-6, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-1 and -3, and cartilage-derived retinoic acid-sensitive protein...
Assessment of distribution of ventilation by electrical impedance tomography in standing horses. The aim was to evaluate the feasibility of using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) in horses. Thoracic EIT was used in nine horses. Thoracic and abdominal circumference changes were also measured with respiratory ultrasound plethysmography (RUP). Data were recorded during baseline, rebreathing of CO2 and sedation. Three breaths were selected for analysis from each recording. During baseline breathing, horses regularly took single large breaths (sighs), which were also analysed. Functional EIT images were created using standard deviations (SD) of pixel signals and correlation coefficients (...
