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Topic:Comparative Study
Comparative studies in equine research involve the systematic analysis of different horse breeds, management practices, or physiological responses to identify variations and similarities. These studies are instrumental in understanding how different factors influence health, performance, and behavior in horses. Common areas of comparison include genetic traits, nutritional requirements, disease resistance, and response to training. By evaluating these differences, researchers can develop targeted strategies for breeding, healthcare, and training. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that focus on the methodologies, findings, and implications of comparative studies in the context of equine science.
The pathology of vitamin D deficiency in domesticated animals: An evolutionary and comparative overview. Although vitamin D is critical to calcium/phosphorus homeostasis, bone formation and remodeling, there is evolution-based variation between species in vitamin D metabolism and susceptibility to rickets and osteomalacia. Most herbivores produce vitamin D3 in response to sunlight, but dogs and cats have generally lost the ability as carnivore diets are rich in vitamin D. Nutritional deficiencies and/or poor exposure to sunlight can induce rickets in birds, swine, cattle and sheep, but horses are less susceptible as they have evolved a calcium homeostasis that is quite different than other animal...
Domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus) fail to intuitively reason about object properties like solidity and weight. From early infancy, humans reason about the external world in terms of identifiable, solid, cohesive objects persisting in space and time. This is one of the most fundamental human skills, which may be part of our innate conception of object properties. Although object permanence has been extensively studied across a variety of taxa, little is known about how non-human animals reason about other object properties. In this study, we therefore tested how domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus) intuitively reason about object properties like solidity and height, to locate hidden food. Horses were ...
Structure-Function relationships of equine menisci. Meniscal pathologies are among the most common injuries of the femorotibial joint in both human and equine patients. Pathological forces and ensuing injuries of the cranial horn of the equine medial meniscus are considered analogous to those observed in the human posterior medial horn. Biomechanical properties of human menisci are site- and depth- specific. However, the influence of equine meniscus topography and composition on its biomechanical properties is yet unknown. A better understanding of equine meniscus composition and biomechanics could advance not only veterinary therapies for meni...
Macroscopic characteristics of the umbilical cord in Standardbred, Thoroughbred and Warmblood horses. The umbilical cord (UC), the connection between mother and fetus via the umbilical vessels, carries nutrients and oxygenated blood to the fetus through the umbilical vein and removes deoxygenated blood and waste products via the umbilical arteries. It is designed to protect blood flow to the fetus during pregnancy. In equine medicine, only a few studies have described the UC, and most of these involved Thoroughbreds. The present study describes and compares the macroscopic features of the equine umbilical cord in three different breeds and in relation to the foal's gender. In addition, a possi...
Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Comparing Human and Horse. Wharton's jelly (WJ) is an important source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) both in human and other animals. The aim of this study was to compare human and equine WJMSCs. Human and equine WJMSCs were isolated and cultured using the same protocols and culture media. Cells were characterized by analysing morphology, growth rate, migration and adhesion capability, immunophenotype, differentiation potential and ultrastructure. Results showed that human and equine WJMSCs have similar ultrastructural details connected with intense synthetic and metabolic activity, but differ in growth, migration, a...
Trypanosoma equiperdum Low Molecular Weight Proteins As Candidates for Specific Serological Diagnosis of Dourine. The diagnosis of dourine can be difficult because the clinical signs of this disease in horses are similar to those of surra, caused by . Moreover, and are closely related and, so far, they cannot be distinguished using serological tests. In a previous work, the protein pattern recognized by antibodies from dourine-infected horses and the humoral immune response kinetics were investigated by immunoblotting assay; a total of 20 sera from naturally and experimentally infected horses and from healthy animals were tested. Immunoblotting analysis showed that antibodies from infected horses speci...
B-mode and power Doppler ultrasonography of the equine suspensory ligament branches: A descriptive study on 13 horses. Ultrasonography is routinely used to achieve the diagnosis of equine suspensory ligament desmopathy. In human medicine, power Doppler ultrasonography has also been found to be useful for the diagnosis of tendon/ligament injuries. The aim of this prospective, pilot study was to assess the presence or absence of power Doppler signal in suspensory ligament branches and compare B-mode findings with power Doppler findings in suspensory ligament branches of lame and non-lame limbs. Thirteen horses were used (eight lame horses, with lameness related to pain in the suspensory ligament branches, and fi...
Trabecular and subchondral bone development of the talus and distal tibia from foal to adult in the warmblood horse. Horses are precocial animals and able to stand and walk within hours after birth. To cope with associated loading, intrauterine bone development has shown to be anticipative. This study provides further insight into the post-natal development of structurally important features of trabecular and subchondral bone of the talus and sagittal ridge of the tibia of warm-blooded horses. In all areas studied, the average bone volume fraction showed a gradual increase over time, which was the result of a significant increase in trabecular thickness, without significant changes in the degree of anisotrop...
Effects of Combined Estradiol-Sulpiride Treatment and Follicle Ablation on Vernal Transition in Mares: Evaluation of Plasma and Follicular Fluid Hormones and Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Gene Expression. This experiment assessed the hormonal production, secretory aspects, and changes in luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor gene expression of early induced ovulatory-sized follicles relative to the first ovulatory-sized follicles occurring naturally in the spring. Anovulatory mares were treated on January 21 with (1) 50 mg of estradiol cypionate (ECP, n = 8) alone or (2) with ECP followed by two 3-g sulpiride injections (n = 8), 5 and 12 days later. Half of each group also received complete follicle ablation via transvaginal aspiration before ECP treatment. Ovaries were scanned regularly until ...
Lipidomic analysis of immune activation in equine leptospirosis and Leptospira-vaccinated horses. Currently available diagnostic assays for leptospirosis cannot differentiate vaccine from infection serum antibody. Several leptospiral proteins that are upregulated during infection have been described, but their utility as a diagnostic marker is still unclear. In this study, we undertook a lipidomics approach to determine if there are any differences in the serum lipid profiles of horses naturally infected with pathogenic Leptospira spp. and horses vaccinated against a commercially available bacterin. Utilizing a high-resolution mass spectrometry serum lipidomics analytical platform, we demo...
Effect of a syringe aspiration technique versus a mechanical suction technique and use of N-butylscopolammonium bromide on the quantity and quality of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples obtained from horses with the summer pasture endophenotype of equine asthma. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of 2 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sampling techniques and the use of N-butylscopolammonium bromide (NBB) on the quantity and quality of BAL fluid (BALF) samples obtained from horses with the summer pasture endophenotype of equine asthma. ANIMALS 8 horses with the summer pasture endophenotype of equine asthma. PROCEDURES BAL was performed bilaterally (right and left lung sites) with a flexible videoendoscope passed through the left or right nasal passage. During lavage of the first lung site, a BALF sample was collected by means of either gentle syringe aspirati...
Use of high-field and low-field magnetic resonance imaging to describe the anatomy of the proximal portion of the tarsal region of nonlame horses. OBJECTIVE To use high-field and low-field MRI to describe the anatomy of the proximal portion of the tarsal region (proximal tarsal region) of nonlame horses. SAMPLE 25 cadaveric equine tarsi. PROCEDURES The proximal portion of 1 tarsus from each of 25 nonlame horses with no history of tarsal lameness underwent high-field (1.5-T) and low-field (0.27-T) MRI. Resulting images were used to subjectively describe the anatomy of that region and obtain measurements of the collateral ligaments of the tarsocrural joint. RESULTS Long and short components of the lateral and medial collateral ligaments of...
Comparison of Analgesic Effects of a Constant Rate Infusion of Both Tramadol and Acetaminophen Versus those of Infusions of Each Individual Drug in Horses. The choice of analgesic agents for the horse is limited, and many have side effects that can restrict their use for chronic and prolonged pain. Little information has been published on tramadol and acetaminophen use in the horse. The study evaluated the analgesic effects of coadministration of tramadol and acetaminophen compared to those of each drug individually in a crossover study. The study was performed on six healthy horses each infused with the following over 1 hour: control (normal saline), tramadol, acetaminophen, or both (acetaminophen and tramadol infused together). Nociception (usi...
Cycle-specific female preferences for visual and non-visual cues in the horse (Equus caballus). Although female preferences are well studied in many mammals, the possible effects of the oestrous cycle are not yet sufficiently understood. Here we investigate female preferences for visual and non-visual male traits relative to the periodically cycling of sexual proceptivity (oestrus) and inactivity (dioestrus), respectively, in the polygynous horse (Equus caballus). We individually exposed mares to stallions in four experimental situations: (i) mares in oestrus and visual contact to stallions allowed, (ii) mares in oestrus, with blinds (wooden partitions preventing visual contact but allow...
How is the Morphometry of Stallions and Mares Show-Winning and Nonwinning Campolina Brazilian Breed with Batida and Picada Gaits? The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphometric measurements of stallion and mares show-winning and nonwinning Campolina breed with batida and picada gaits. A total of 167 horses (74 stallions and 93 mares), consisting of 102 batida and 65 picada gait animals, were used. Among these horses, 96 were awarded and 71 were not. Twenty linear, seven angular, and 11 girth measurements were taken. Results from the judging sessions were collected, and awards were observed in both sexes and both gaits. A descriptive statistical analysis and an analysis of variance were performed using the MEANS s...
Microsatellite markers for evaluating the diversity of the natural killer complex and major histocompatibility complex genomic regions in domestic horses. Genotyping microsatellite markers represents a standard, relatively easy, and inexpensive method of assessing genetic diversity of complex genomic regions in various animal species, such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and/or natural killer cell receptor (NKR) genes. MHC-linked microsatellite markers have been identified and some of them were used for characterizing MHC polymorphism in various species, including horses. However, most of those were MHC class II markers, while MHC class I and III sub-regions were less well covered. No tools for studying genetic diversity of NKR com...
A simple method of equine limb force vector analysis and its potential applications. Ground reaction forces (GRF) measured during equine gait analysis are typically evaluated by analyzing discrete values obtained from continuous force-time data for the vertical, longitudinal and transverse GRF components. This paper describes a simple, temporo-spatial method of displaying and analyzing sagittal plane GRF vectors. In addition, the application of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) is introduced to analyse differences between contra-lateral fore and hindlimb force-time curves throughout the stance phase. The overall aim of the study was to demonstrate alternative methods of eva...
Analytical validation of a new point-of-care assay for serum amyloid A in horses. Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major acute phase protein in horses. A new point-of-care (POC) test for SAA (Stablelab) is available, but studies evaluating its analytical accuracy are lacking. Objective: To evaluate the analytical performance of the SAA POC test by 1) determining linearity and precision, 2) comparing results in whole blood with those in serum or plasma, and 3) comparing POC results with those obtained using a previously validated turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA). Methods: Assay validation. Methods: Analytical validation of the POC test was done in accordance with American Society o...
Modeling asthma: Pitfalls, promises, and the road ahead. Asthma is a chronic, heterogeneous, and recurring inflammatory disease of the lower airways, with exacerbations that feature airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Asthma has been modeled extensively via disease induction in both wild-type and genetically manipulated laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Antigen sensitization and challenge strategies have reproduced numerous important features of airway inflammation characteristic of human asthma, notably the critical roles of type 2 T helper cell cytokines. Recent models of disease induction have advanced to include physiologic aero...
Species-specific regulation of angiogenesis by glucocorticoids reveals contrasting effects on inflammatory and angiogenic pathways. Glucocorticoids are potent inhibitors of angiogenesis in the rodent in vivo and in vitro but the mechanism by which this occurs has not been determined. Administration of glucocorticoids is used to treat a number of conditions in horses but the angiogenic response of equine vessels to glucocorticoids and, therefore, the potential role of glucocorticoids in pathogenesis and treatment of equine disease, is unknown. This study addressed the hypothesis that glucocorticoids would be angiostatic both in equine and murine blood vessels.The mouse aortic ring model of angiogenesis was adapted to assess...
Cultured equine satellite cells as a model system to assess leucine stimulated protein synthesis in horse muscle. Leucine has been shown to stimulate the mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway which plays numerous key regulatory roles in cell growth, survival, and metabolism including protein synthesis in a number of species. However, previous work with equine satellite cells has suggested distinct species differences in regards to physiological effects and the magnitude of responses to growth factors and regulators. Because there is limited research available regarding the role of leucine in regulating equine skeletal muscle protein synthesis, the objective of this study was t...
Plasma and peritoneal fluid concentrations of ceftriaxone after intravenous and intraperitoneal administration in horses. Intraperitoneal (IP) use of antimicrobial agents may lead to therapeutic effects with better clinical results than intravenous (IV) administration. The aim of this study was to compare plasma and peritoneal fluid concentrations of ceftriaxone after IP and IV administration in horses, and to evaluate possible adverse effects. One group of five horses received 25mg/kg ceftriaxone diluted in 1L saline solution by IP catheter once daily for 5 days, while a second group of five horses received 25mg/kg ceftriaxone diluted in 250mL saline solution by IV injection once daily for 5days and 1L saline so...
Development of an antigen-capture ELISA for the quantitation of equine arteritis virus in culture supernatant. Quantitation of virions is one of the important indexes in virological studies. To establish a sensitive and rapid quantitative detection method for equine arteritis virus (EAV), an antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (AC-ELISA) was developed by using two EAV nucleoprotein monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 2B9 and 2B3, prepared in this study. After condition optimization, mAb 2B9 was used as the capture antibody, and HRP-labeled 2B3 was chosen as the detecting antibody. The AC-ELISA had a good standard curve when viral particles of the Bucyrus EAV strain were used as a reference stan...
Chondrogenic Differentiation of Defined Equine Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Umbilical Cord Blood for Use in Cartilage Repair Therapy. Cartilage engineering is a new strategy for the treatment of cartilage damage due to osteoarthritis or trauma in humans. Racehorses are exposed to the same type of cartilage damage and the anatomical, cellular, and biochemical properties of their cartilage are comparable to those of human cartilage, making the horse an excellent model for the development of cartilage engineering. Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiated into chondrocytes with chondrogenic factors in a biomaterial appears to be a promising therapeutic approach for direct implantation and cartilage repair. Here, we cha...
Palmar annular ligament desmotomy in horses with the Arthrex-Centerline™ : An ex-vivo study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a single-portal endoscopic desmotomy of the PAL with the use of Arthrex - Centerline™. Ten horse distal front limbs from horses free of PAL disease were prepared for tenoscopy of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS). A dual-port endoscopic desmotomy with a hook knife was performed in 5 specimens (Group A) and single port Arthrex-Centerline™ Desmotomy was performed in another 5 specimens (Group B). The performing time, judgments of the surgeon, number of blade passages, and gross anatomy were evaluated. The performing time and surgeon judg...
Equid herpesvirus 8: Complete genome sequence and association with abortion in mares. Equid herpesvirus 8 (EHV-8), formerly known as asinine herpesvirus 3, is an alphaherpesvirus that is closely related to equid herpesviruses 1 and 9 (EHV-1 and EHV-9). The pathogenesis of EHV-8 is relatively little studied and to date has only been associated with respiratory disease in donkeys in Australia and horses in China. A single EHV-8 genome sequence has been generated for strain Wh in China, but is apparently incomplete and contains frameshifts in two genes. In this study, the complete genome sequences of four EHV-8 strains isolated in Ireland between 2003 and 2015 were determined by I...
Morphofunctional diversity of equine of varied genetic compositions raised in the Pantanal biome of Brazil. Evaluating phenotypic diversity makes it possible to identify discrepancies in aptitudes among animals of different genetic bases, which is an indicator of adaptive or selective differences between populations. The objective of this work was to evaluate the morphofunctional diversity of 452 male and female adult equines (Arabian, Quarter Mile, Pantaneiro, and Criollo breeds, and undefined crossbreeds of horses and mules) raised in the Pantanal biome (Brazil). Linear measurements were performed to estimate conformation indexes. Initially, a discriminant analysis was performed, regardless of the...
Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations in ponies measured by two different assays suggests seasonal cross-reactivity or interference. Analysis of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentration [ACTH] aids diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Comparisons of the validated chemiluminescent-immunoassay (CI) and immunofluorescent (IF) assays are limited. Objective: To compare the results of [ACTH] analysis by CI and IF methods of samples collected in autumn and spring and assess cross-reactivity. Methods: Method comparison. Methods: Plasma from nonlaminitic ponies was analysed concurrently using the IF and CI methods in autumn and the following spring. Diagnostic thresholds for the IF method were derived u...
Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis in a Purebred Spanish Horse Foal: Pathology and Genetic Studies on PKHD1 Gene Mutations. A 1-month-old Purebred Spanish Horse (PSH) foal presented with progressive hepatic failure culminating in death. Hepatic lesions were consistent with congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF). Genetic studies in the PKHD1 gene in the affected foal revealed that it was heterozygous for the 2 previously described single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to CHF in Swiss Franches-Montagnes (SFM) horses. In addition, 2 novel mutations were detected, the foal being homozygous for one of them and heterozygous for the other. Genetic studies in a healthy PSH population ( n = 35) showed a 3-fold higher gen...
Identification of a staphylococcal complement inhibitor with broad host specificity in equid Staphylococcus aureus strains. Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen capable of causing a broad range of diseases in many different hosts. S. aureus can adapt to its host through modification of its genome (e.g. by acquisition and exchange of mobile genetic elements that encode host-specific virulence factors). Recently, the prophage φSaeq1 was discovered in S. aureus strains from six different clonal lineages almost exclusively isolated from equids. Within this phage, we discovered a novel variant of staphylococcal complement inhibitor (SCIN), a secreted protein that interferes with activation of the human complem...
