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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.
Presumed immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in two foals with Rhodococcus equi infection. To describe the clinical presentation, case management, and outcome in 2 foals with Rhodococcus equi infection associated with presumptive severe immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. Methods: Two foals diagnosed with R. equi pneumonia on the basis of tracheal wash cultures, thoracic radiographs, and thoracic ultrasonography were concurrently diagnosed with hemolytic anemia. Both foals required whole blood transfusions, and were treated with the antimicrobial combination of rifampin and a macrolide (eg, clarithromycin, erythromycin, or azithromycin). Dexamethasone was used to prevent further hemol...
African horse sickness in The Gambia: circulation of a live-attenuated vaccine-derived strain. African horse sickness virus serotype 9 (AHSV-9) has been known for some time to be circulating amongst equids in West Africa without causing any clinical disease in indigenous horse populations. Whether this is due to local breeds of horses being resistant to disease or whether the AHSV-9 strains circulating are avirulent is currently unknown. This study shows that the majority (96%) of horses and donkeys sampled across The Gambia were seropositive for AHS, despite most being unvaccinated and having no previous history of showing clinical signs of AHS. Most young horses (<3 years) were seropo...
Direct detection of equine herpesvirus type 1 DNA in nasal swabs by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). We evaluated loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) as a means of detecting equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) DNA directly from nasal swabs. To increase the sensitivity, we added a step in which the samples were heat-treated to the original LAMP procedure. The detection limit of the LAMP assay with heat treatment was 10 times more sensitive than the original LAMP assay even when the DNA extraction step was omitted. In addition, the LAMP assay with heat treatment was more sensitive than the original LAMP assay and the polymerase chain reaction using clinical samples. The LAMP assay with ...
A survey of health care and disease in geriatric horses aged 30 years or older. This study reports on aspects of preventive health care and on the prevalence of disease in geriatric (≥30 years old) horses and ponies in North-West England and North Wales. Of 128 questionnaires mailed to horse owners, 87 useable responses were received and 69 horses were subject to veterinary examination. Of the animals examined, 16% were underweight with body condition scores (BCS)3/5). This contrasted with the owner responses that reported 23% of the animals surveyed to be underweight and only 3% to be overweight. When assessed at trot, 77% of the horses were lame on at least one limb, ...
Presence and distribution of fungi and bacteria in the reproductive tract of healthy stallions. A saprophytic bacterial flora is present on the penis and the distal part of the urethra of stallions. Little is known about the fungal flora of their reproductive tract. As micro organisms play an important role in mares fertility, the aim of the study was to describe the distribution of fungi and bacteria in the normal genital apparatus of stallions. The microbic flora of the reproductive tract of 11 healthy, fertile stallions was evaluated, collecting samples from 5 different locations: urethral fossa, penis/internal lamina of the prepuce, urethra pre- and post-ejaculation, and semen. For f...
Patterns of scintigraphic uptake in the fetlock joint of Thoroughbred racehorses and the effect of increased radiopharmaceutical uptake in the distal metacarpal/tarsal condyle on performance. The effect of palmar osteochondral disease lesions on performance of Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses is unclear. There is a need to describe patterns of radiopharmaceutical uptake (IRU) in fetlock joints of TB racehorses and to evaluate post scintigraphy performance. Objective: IRU in the metacarpal (MC) and metatarsal (MT) condyles is more common than IRU in the parasagittal grooves and is associated with poorer post diagnosis performance than controls. Methods: Location of IRU within the fetlock region was identified and graded subjectively in TB racehorses. Performance variables were determine...
Preliminary investigation of somatosensory evoked potentials in equine headshaking. The aim of this study was to develop a technique for recording electrical activity of the equine cerebral cortex following application of a noxious electrical stimulus to the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve in order to investigate trigeminal nerve neurophysiology in control and headshaking horses. Triphasic somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were recorded using subcutaneous needle electrodes in four control and four headshaking horses under general anaesthesia. Dural electroencephalography electrodes were used to record SEPs in one further control and one further headshaking horse...
Clinical relevance of abnormal scintigraphic findings of adult equine ribs. Horses with cranial rib abnormalities may exhibit severe acute lameness and may have unusual gait deficits characterized by forelimb abduction during protraction at the walk. Horses with caudal rib abnormalities may resent being saddled and ridden. In a retrospective evaluation of 20 horses with a documented rib lesion, 25 sites of increased radiopharmaceutical uptake were found in one or more ribs. Thirteen (52%) scintigraphic lesions involved the first rib; four were located immediately dorsal to the sternal articulation, eight were near the costochondral junction and one was at the costover...
Syringohydromyelia in horses: 3 cases. Syringomyelia and hydromyelia are cavitary lesions of the spinal cord that may be acquired or congenital. These lesions are not frequently reported in large animal species. The presenting complaints, clinical, gross pathological, and histopathologic findings of 2 cases of syringomyelia and 1 case of hydromyelia in horses are described. La syringomyélie et l’hydromyélie sont des lésions cavitaires de la colonne vertébrale qui peuvent être acquises ou congénitales. Ces lésions ne sont pas fréquemment signalées chez les espèces de grands animaux. Les plaintes de présentation et les ...
Therapy resistant septic enteritis due to a jejunal malformation in a 5-day-old Thoroughbred colt. A 5-day-old Thoroughbred colt was presented with profuse watery diarrhea, hypovolemic shock, and a patent urachus. Despite intensive medical therapy, the colt was euthanized 15 d later due to poor clinical response. Necropsy revealed a small intestinal structural abnormality that formed a closed jejunal ring. Although rare, intestinal malformations should be considered in neonatal foals with clinical signs resembling enteritis. Entérite septique résistante au traitement causée par une malformation jéjunale chez un poulain Thoroughbred âgé de 5 jours. Un poulain Thoroughbred âgé de 5 jo...
Expression of cyclooxygenase genes in the jejunum of horses during low-flow ischemia and reperfusion. To determine expression of cyclooxygenase (COX) genes 1 and 2 (also called prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthases 1 and 2) and stability of housekeeping gene expression during low-flow ischemia and reperfusion in the jejunum of horses. Methods: 5 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses were anesthetized, and two 30-cm segments of jejunum were surgically exteriorized. Blood flow was maintained at baseline (untreated) values in 1 (control) segment and was decreased to 20% of baseline (low-flow ischemia) for 75 minutes, followed by 75 minutes of reperfusion, in the other (experimental) segment. Biops...
Effects of industrial polystyrene foam insulation pads on the center of pressure and load distribution in the forefeet of clinically normal horses. To evaluate the ability of industrial polystyrene foam insulation pads to redistribute loads placed on clinically normal weight-bearing structures of the foot and shift the location of the center of pressure palmarly in horses. Methods: 25 nonlame mature horses. Methods: Both forefeet from each horse were evaluated. Center of pressure data and solar load distribution patterns were recorded during a 5-second trial by use of a commercial pressure measurement system prior to placement of foam sole support and at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after placement. Total contact surface area, contact press...
Does examination of fecal samples 24 hours after cestocide treatment increase the sensitivity of Anoplocephala spp. detection in naturally infected horses? Fecal samples were examined immediately before and 24 to 48 h after cestocide treatment for a comparative detection of tapeworm-positive horses. In early winter, 17 weanlings, 20 yearlings, 15 2-year-old horses, 24 breeding mares, and 2 stallions were treated with praziquantel in combination with a macrocyclic lactone. The horses were presumed to be naturally infected with tapeworms after pasture grazing. Fecal samples were collected before treatment (Day 0), at 24 or 48 h after treatment (Day 1-2), and 16 to 21 d after treatment (Day 16-21). A Wisconsin test was done on all fecal samples. Odd...
A brief history of equine private practice in South Africa. Horse breeding in South Africa started in 1652, shortly after the 1st European settlement in the Cape. African horsesickness posed a serious problem and after a devastating outbreak of the disease in 1719, horses were largely replaced by oxen for agricultural and transport purposes but remained important from a sporting and military point of view. Examples of the latter are the export of horses for military use to India in the mid-19th century and for use in the Crimean War in 1854, reaching a zenith in the Anglo-Boer war in which an estimated 450 000 horses succumbed. Research and disease con...
The impact of ultrasound during emergency after-hour admissions of horses. Clinical use of diagnostic ultrasound at point-of-care or emergency situations, although common, has not been well documented in veterinary medicine. Medical records of after-hour emergency equine admissions during a 10-year period were reviewed and horses that received ultrasound scans were identified. Data sheets for each ultrasound scan performed during emergency clinical evaluation were collected and reviewed. Data extracted included anatomical region imaged, body system affected, documented ultrasonographic diagnosis and final diagnosis. Six hundred and nine records were available of whic...
Clinical evaluation of serum alcohol dehydrogenase activity in horses with acute intestinal obstruction. To measure serum alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in horses with acute intestinal obstruction and to determine the diagnostic and prognostic utility of this analyte. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: University Veterinary Hospital. Methods: Thirty healthy horses (control group) and 77 horses with acute intestinal obstruction, including 36 horses with nonstrangulating obstruction (23 with left ventral colon impaction and 13 with left dorsal displacement [G1], 22 with small intestinal strangulation [G2], and 19 with colon torsion [G3]). Methods: Serum ADH activity was assaye...
Corneal invasion by hemangiosarcoma in a horse. A 15-year-old gray Arabian gelding presented for evaluation of a lateral limbal mass extending across approximately 30% of the cornea. Grossly, the raised mass appeared nonpigmented, smooth, and irregular in shape, with an area of central necrosis and serosanguinous discharge. The mass was removed via lamellar keratectomy and histopathologic evaluation revealed features characteristic of hemangiosarcoma (HSA), including irregular vascular channels lined by a plump spindle cell population. Immunohistochemistry results showed that the neoplastic cells lining the vascular channels present diffuse...
Toxic equine parkinsonism: an immunohistochemical study of 10 horses with nigropallidal encephalomalacia. Chronic ingestion of yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) or Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) causes nigropallidal encephalomalacia (NPE) in horses with an abrupt onset of neurologic signs characterized by dystonia of lips and tongue, inability to prehend food, depression, and locomotor deficits. The objectives of this study were to reexamine the pathologic alterations of NPE and to conduct an immunohistochemistry study using antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase and α-synuclein, to determine whether NPE brains show histopathologic features resembling those in human Parkinson disease...
Conjunctival bacterial and fungal flora in healthy horses in the UK. To describe the bacterial and fungal flora of the normal conjunctiva of horses in the UK; to determine the effect of horse age, sex, geographic location, and housing on this flora; and to determine the most appropriate antimicrobial drug(s) for prophylactic treatment of corneal ulcers. Methods: A total of 60 adult healthy horses were studied. Methods: Swabs of the conjunctiva were obtained from 60 horses housed in two locations within the UK. Specimens were cultured for aerobic bacteria and fungi, and sensitivity against six ophthalmic antimicrobials assessed. The effect of age, sex, location ...
Development of an antigen-capture ELISA for the detection of equine influenza virus nucleoprotein. An antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (AC-ELISA) was developed for the detection of the equine influenza virus (EIV), employing monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against the A/equine/Xingjiang/2007 (H3N8) nucleoprotein (NP). Immunoglobulin G antibodies were purified and used as capture or detector antibodies. The specificity of the optimized AC-ELISA was evaluated using EIV, equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4), equine arteritis virus (EAV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), resulting in only EIV specimens yielding a strong signal. A minimal concentr...
[Molecular basis and applicability in equine color genetics]. Coat color can be used not only in identifying individuals and species, but also in diagnosing certain diseases. The coat color of horse mainly depends on the distribution and proportion of eumelanin and phaeomelanin, generated by melanocytes, which are regulated by the genes such as MC1R, ASIP, KIT, TYRP, and EDNRB. In addition, STX17, MATP, and PMEL17 also play a role in the formation of coat color of horse. In this review, the action mechanism of candidate genes for coat color and association of DNA sequence polymorphism of these candidate genes with color pattern phenotypes and melanoma we...
Treatment of a coxofemoral luxation in a pony using a prosthetic capsule technique. To report open reduction and joint stabilization using a prosthetic capsule technique for treatment of a craniodorsal coxofemoral luxation in a lightweight pony. Methods: Clinical report. Methods: Pony stallion (8 years old, 113 kg). Methods: A craniodorsal approach to the coxofemoral joint was performed under general anesthesia. After open reduction, a prosthetic capsule technique was used. Four 3.5 mm self-tapping cortical anchor screws were implanted: 2 screws were inserted above the cranial aspect of the dorsal acetabular rim, and 2 screws were inserted into the femoral neck. Subsequently,...
Prevalence of Clostridium difficile in horses. Fecal samples were collected to establish the apparent prevalence of Clostridium difficile shedding in Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses housed at 4 racetracks and 2 breeding facilities, and in horses admitted to a referral large animal clinic. Forty-one (7.59%) of 540 racetrack horses, seven (5.83%) of 120 breeding farm horses, and four (4.88%) out of 82 horses admitted to the referral clinic were culture-positive for C. difficile. An overall fecal culture prevalence of 7.01% for C. difficile was identified in 742 fecal samples. PCR-ribotyping and toxin gene identification was performe...
Genetic analysis of the matrix and non-structural genes of equine influenza virus (H3N8) from epizootic of 2008-2009 in India. India faced an epizootic of equine influenza in 2008-2009. The isolated viruses were typed as H3N8 and grouped with the clade 2 viruses of Florida sublineage on the basis of haemagglutinin (HA) gene sequence analysis. This report describes the genetic analysis and selection pressure of matrix (M) and non-structural 1 (NS1) genes of the Indian isolates. All isolates shared 98.41% and 99.54% homology with other clade 2 viruses of Asian origin for M1 and M2 amino acid (aa) sequences, respectively. There were 3 and 4 unique aa residue changes respectively in M1 and M2 proteins in all Asian isolate...
Molecular characterization and analysis of equine rotavirus circulating in Japan from 2003 to 2008. Using a total of 2018 fecal samples collected between 2003 and 2008 from foals with diarrhea, the molecular epidemiology of group A equine rotaviruses circulating in Japan was investigated by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) typing and sequence analysis of the VP4 (P type) and VP7 (G type) genes. A total of 1149 samples showed positive reactions with RT-PCR, of which 462 samples (40.2%) were positive for G3 type, 502 samples (43.7%) were positive for G14 type, and 185 samples (16.1%) were positive for both G3 and G14 types. To examine P types, 59 G3 and 56 G14 posit...
In-vitro hypocoagulability on whole blood thromboelastometry associated with in-vivo expansion of red cell mass in an equine model. In several species, there is a strong correlation between indicators of red cell mass (RCM) and thromboelastometry results. The horse has a reliable, temporary, polycythemia in response to phenylephrine infusion. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of an in-vivo increase in circulating RCM on thromboelastometry results in an equine model of transient polycythemia. Six healthy research horses had whole blood thromboelastometry with contact activator and tissue factor initiation after recalcification of citrated samples. Additional samples were frozen for thrombin-antithrombin (TAT). Compl...
Kinetics of Equid herpesvirus type 2 infections in a group of Thoroughbred foals. The significance of infection with Equid herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) remains unresolved, mainly due to its widespread distribution, and frequent isolation of the virus not only from diseased animals, but also from clinically normal horses. It has been suggested that EHV-2 exerts its effects on the host indirectly, through predisposition to secondary infections. The aim of this study was to determine kinetics of EHV-2 infection among foals and to investigate the role that EHV-2 may play in development of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia on one farm. Serial blood samples were collected from 43 foals over a ...
