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Topic:Diagnosis
Diagnosis in horses involves the systematic identification of diseases and conditions affecting equine health. This process relies on a combination of clinical evaluations, laboratory tests, imaging techniques, and other diagnostic tools to assess the health status of horses. Veterinarians utilize these methods to identify symptoms, determine the underlying causes of health issues, and formulate appropriate treatment plans. Diagnostic procedures in equine medicine can include blood tests, ultrasound, radiography, endoscopy, and more specialized tests such as genetic screening or advanced imaging modalities like MRI and CT scans. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various diagnostic techniques, their applications, and advancements in the field of equine veterinary medicine.
Seroprevalence of St. Louis encephalitis virus and West Nile virus (Flavivirus, Flaviviridae) in horses, Uruguay. St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) belong to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex (Flavivirus genus, Flaviviridae family). They show antigenic close relationships and share many similarities in their ecology. Both are responsible for serious human diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of neutralizing antibodies to these viruses in horses from Uruguay. To do this, 425 horse sera were collected in 2007 and analyzed by plaque reduction neutralization tests. As a result, 205 sera (48.2%) were found positive for SLEV, with titers ranging b...
Measurement of Carbonic Anhydrase I and II Isozymes in Feces as a Marker of Occult Blood in Horses with Intestinal Tract Bleeding. Although endoscopy is the definitive diagnostic method for the detection of colonic ulcers, the equipment required for performing the test is costly and difficult to use. Therefore, a simple cost-effective and reliable screening test for intestinal tract bleeding is needed. To this end, we measured carbonic anhydrase isozymes (CA-I and CA-II) originating from erythrocytes by ELISA in order to determine if they could be used as markers of occult blood in feces. For fecal extract preparation, 2 g of feces were mixed with 4 ml of 0.01 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) containing 0.01% thimerosal. The concentra...
Hematological and biochemical reference values for the endangered kiso horse. To establish blood and biochemical references for the endangered Kiso horse, blood samples were collected from 111 adult Kiso horses, 74.5% of the existing breed. The samples were analyzed for 23 hematological and biochemical parameters to determine their means and standard deviations (SD). We compared the mean ± 2SD with the reference values cited in one of the most commonly used veterinary textbooks in Japan. The hematology of Kiso horses is characterized by lower erythrocyte count and hematocrit and hemoglobin levels. In addition, their serum biochemistry showed lower levels of aspartate t...
Improving a Complement-fixation Test for Equine Herpesvirus Type-1 by Pretreating Sera with Potassium Periodate to Reduce Non-specific Hemolysis. Non-specific hemolysis has often been observed during complement-fixation (CF) tests for equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1), even when the sera have virus-specific CF antibodies. This phenomenon has also been reported in CF tests for various infectious diseases of swine. We found that the sera from 22 of 85 field horses (25.9%) showed non-specific hemolysis during conventional CF testing for EHV-1. Because pretreatment of swine sera with potassium periodate (KIO4) improves the CF test for swine influenza, we applied this method to horse sera. As we expected, horse sera treated with KIO4 did not...
Comparing the genetic diversity of ORF30 of Australian isolates of 3 equid alphaherpesviruses. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been previously associated with EHV-1 neurological disease in several countries around the world. This disease is very uncommon in Australia and little information is available about the presence of this SNP in Australian EHV-1 isolates. The ORF30 sequence of 66 Australian EHV-1 isolates was determined and the genotype was compared to the disease manifestation of the case from which the virus was isolated. Of the 66 isolates, 61 were from cases of abortion and 5 were cases associated with equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). There was no asso...
Detection and quantitation of equid gammaherpesviruses (EHV-2, EHV-5) in nasal swabs using an accredited standardised quantitative PCR method. Equid gammaherpesviruses-2 and -5 are involved in respiratory problems, with potential clinical manifestations such as nasal discharge, pharyngitis and swollen lymph nodes. These viruses are sometimes associated with a poor-performance syndrome, which may result in a significant and negative economic impact for the horse industry. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate quantitative PCR methods for the detection and quantitation of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in equine respiratory fluids. Two distinct tests were characterised: (a) for the qPCR alone and (b) for the whole method (extractio...
Development of a surveillance scheme for equine influenza in the UK and characterisation of viruses isolated in Europe, Dubai and the USA from 2010-2012. Equine influenza viruses are a major cause of respiratory disease in horses worldwide and undergo antigenic drift. Several outbreaks of equine influenza occurred worldwide during 2010-2012, including in vaccinated animals, highlighting the importance of surveillance and virus characterisation. Virus isolates were characterised from more than 20 outbreaks over a 3-year period, including strains from the UK, Dubai, Germany and the USA. The haemagglutinin-1 (HA1) sequence of all isolates was determined and compared with OIE-recommended vaccine strains. Viruses from Florida clades 1 and 2 showed c...
Dominant obligate anaerobes revealed in lower respiratory tract infection in horses by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Obligate anaerobes are important etiological agents in pneumonia or pleuropneumonia in horses, because they are isolated more commonly from ill horses that have died or been euthanized than from those that survive. We performed bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing for obligate anaerobes to establish effective antimicrobial therapy. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify 58 obligate anaerobes and compared the results with those from a phenotypic identification kit. The identification results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing were more reliable than those of the comm...
Comprehensive analysis of the overall codon usage patterns in equine infectious anemia virus. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is an important animal model for understanding the relationship between viral persistence and the host immune response during lentiviral infections. Comparison and analysis of the codon usage model between EIAV and its hosts is important for the comprehension of viral evolution. In our study, the codon usage pattern of EIAV was analyzed from the available 29 full-length EIAV genomes through multivariate statistical methods. Results: Effective number of codons (ENC) suggests that the codon usage among EIAV strains is slightly biased. The ENC-plot analysis d...
Plasma cortisol concentration increases within 6 hours of stabling in RAO-affected horses. In many inflammatory diseases plasma cortisol concentration (CORT) increases at the onset of acute inflammation, but the situation in recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) of horses is unknown. Methods: Split-plot repeated measures design with one grouping factor (disease) and two repeated factors (day and 3-hour intervals). Objective: To test the hypothesis that CORT increases as acute exacerbations of RAO develop. Methods: Four RAO-susceptible and 4 control horses were placed in a low dust environment (LDEnv) for 2 days followed by 2 days in a high dust environment (HDEnv). Exacerbations of RAO...
Primary intraparotid peripheral nerve sheath tumour with characteristics of benign schwannoma in a horse. Schwannomas arising in the parotid gland are rare in man and are not documented in domestic animals. This report describes the clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical findings of a benign schwannoma in the parotid gland of a 12-year-old warmblood gelding. A slow-growing mass was surgically excised from the parotid gland and did not recur within the following 6 months. The tumour was well circumscribed and was composed of densely packed spindle cells partly arranged in an Antoni A pattern and intermixed with hypocellular areas resembling the Antoni B pattern. Tumour cells expressed vime...
Cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse from northern Portugal. The first case of cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse from the north of Portugal, with a 1.5 cm in diameter ulcerated nodular lesion on the left face, is reported. The skin nodule was surgically excised and assessed by histopathology, including an immunohistochemistry method applied for the first time to equine tissues which clearly demonstrated leishmanial amastigote forms. Two serological determinations with the direct agglutination test performed 13 months apart showed seroconversion specific for Leishmania from a <25 to a 200 antibody titre. Polymerase chain reaction followed by kinetopl...
Scopolamine in racing horses: trace identifications associated with dietary or environmental exposure. Scopolamine (L-hyoscine) identifications, often in small-number clusters, have been reported worldwide in performance horses over the last 30 years. Scopolamine is an Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) class 3, penalty class B, substance with potential to affect performance. As such, scopolamine identification(s) in race or performance horses can result in significant penalties for the connections of the horse(s). Reviewed here is the worldwide distribution of scopolamine containing plants (primarily Datura spp.), with estimates of their potential toxicity to horses throu...
IgE and IgG epitope mapping by microarray peptide-immunoassay reveals the importance and diversity of the immune response to the IgG3 equine immunoglobulin. The presence of whole horse IgG in therapeutic snake antivenom preparations of high purity is a contamination that can cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions in patients. In this study, the immunodominant IgE and IgG-binding epitopes in horse heavy chain IgG3 were mapped using arrays of overlapping peptides synthesized directly onto activated cellulose membranes. Pooled human sera from patients with and without horse antivenom allergies were used to probe the membrane. We have demonstrated that, for both cases, individuals produce antibodies to epitopes of sequential amino acids of horse heavy ...
Comparison of paired serum and lithium heparin plasma samples for the measurement of serum amyloid A in horses using an automated turbidimetric immunoassay. This study aimed to evaluate whether equine serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations could be reliably measured in plasma with a turbidimetric immunoassay previously validated for equine SAA concentrations in serum. Paired serum and lithium-heparin samples obtained from 40 horses were evaluated. No difference was found in SAA concentrations between serum and plasma using a paired t test (P=0.48). The correlation between paired samples was 0.97 (Spearman's rank P<0.0001; 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.99). Passing-Bablok regression analyses revealed no differences between paired samples. Bland-A...
Evaluation of a diagnostic ELISA for insect bite hypersensitivity in horses using recombinant Obsoletus complex allergens. Culicoides spp. of the Obsoletus complex belong to the most important species of midge, involved in causing insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in horses in The Netherlands. The aim of the current study was to evaluate seven different Obsoletus complex-derived recombinant allergens (Cul o 1-Cul o 7) and to compare these with Obsoletus complex whole body extract (WBE) in an IgE ELISA, using sera of 194 clinically-confirmed cases of IBH and 175 unaffected horses. The highest test accuracy was obtained with WBE, followed by Cul o 2, 3 and 5. Two ELISAs with a combination of recombinant allergens, ...
In vitro reproduction of the life cycle of Pythium insidiosum from kunkers’ equine and their role in the epidemiology of pythiosis. Pythium insidiosum is an important pathogen of mammals' species, including humans. Equine is the main species affected by this oomycete. P. insidiosum requires an aquatic environment to develop its life cycle, and the susceptible hosts are contaminated when they contact the microorganism in swampy areas. The equine pythiosis is characterized by the formation of irregular masses within the cutaneous lesions, called kunkers, which easily detach from the lesion. From these structures, it is possible to isolate P. insidiosum in pure cultures. The present study aimed to reproduce in vitro the life ...
Weissella confusa septicemia in a foal. Weissella confusa is a Gram-positive bacterium that has been identified in environmental and food samples from around the world. Rare cases of bacteremia in immunocompromised people have been reported. A 2-day-old foal was presented for weakness and suspected sepsis. Blood culture yielded pure growth of a Gram-positive coccobacillus, which was identified as W. confusa through sequencing of the 16S ribosomal DNA. Although the foal initially responded to antimicrobial therapy with ceftiofur and metronidazole, it later developed septic complications of the right tarsocrural joint and right digita...
Three-dimensional anatomy of equine incisors: tooth length, enamel cover and age related changes. Equine incisors are subjected to continuous occlusal wear causing multiple, age related changes of the extragingival crown. It is assumed that the occlusal wear is compensated by continued tooth elongation at the apical ends of the teeth. In this study, μCT-datasets offered the opportunity to analyze the three-dimensional appearance of the extra- and intraalveolar parts of the enamel containing dental crown as well as of the enamel-free dental root. Multiple morphometric measurements elucidated age related, morphological changes within the intraalveolar part of the incisors. Results: Equine i...
Detection of papillomavirus in equine periocular and penile squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common tumor arising in the periocular and penile areas of horses. Both ultraviolet radiation and papillomaviruses have been implicated in the pathogenesis of SCC in various species, including the horse. This retrospective study used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect papillomavirus DNA in archival biopsy samples from equine periocular and penile SCC from 3 different geographic areas (northeast, southeast, and central United States). Forty-two periocular SCCs were tested; none contained papillomavirus DNA. Twenty-two penile SCCs were tested, and...
Comparison of two sampling and culture systems for detection of Salmonella enterica in the environment of a large animal hospital. Nosocomial salmonellosis is an important problem in veterinary hospitals that treat horses and other large animals. Detection and mitigation of outbreaks and prevention of healthcare-associated infections often require detection of Salmonella enterica in the hospital environment. Objective: To compare 2 previously published methods for detecting environmental contamination with S. enterica in a large animal veterinary teaching hospital. Methods: Hospital-based comparison of environmental sampling techniques. Methods: A total of 100 pairs of environmental samples were collected from stalls us...
