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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.
Nucleotide structure of equine platelet-derived growth factor-A and -B and expression in horses with induced acute tendinitis. To characterize the nucleotide sequence of equine platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-A and -B and analyze temporal expression of these genes in equine tendon after induced tendinitis injury. Animals-18 mature horses. Methods: Genes for equine PDGF-A and -B were reverse transcribed and sequenced from synovial tissue mRNA obtained from a 3-year-old horse. Collagenase-induced lesions were created in the tensile region of the superficial digital flexor tendon in 14 horses; 3 horses served as uninjured control animals. Tendons were harvested and total RNA was isolated from experimental horses 1,...
Cartilage-derived biomarkers and lipid mediators of inflammation in horses with osteochondritis dissecans of the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia. To assess whether reported alterations in metabolism of cartilage matrix in young (0 to 24 months old) horses with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) may also be found in older (24 to 48 months old) horses with clinical signs of OCD and to investigate the role of eicosanoids in initiating these clinical signs. Methods: Synovial fluid was collected from 38 tarsocrural joints of 24 warmblood horses with (22 joints of 16 horses) or without (16 joints of 8 horses) clinical signs and a radiographic diagnosis of OCD of the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia. Methods: Turnover of type II collagen wa...
Temporal relationship between proliferating and apoptotic hormone-producing and endothelial cells in the equine corpus luteum. The temporal relationship between endothelial cell death, vascular regression and the death of hormone-producing cells in the mare has not been established. To determine the dynamics of cell proliferation and death throughout the luteal phase, corpora lutea were studied at the early, mid- and late luteal phase, and after treatment with cloprostenol in the mid-luteal phase to induce premature luteolysis. Changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis were investigated utilising specific markers (phosphorylated histone-3 and activated caspase-3 respectively). Histone-3 positive cells were most abun...
Idiopathic immune-mediated polysynovitis in three horses. This paper describes the clinical, laboratory and histological findings in three horses with immune-mediated polysynovitis; they had lost weight, suffered intermittent fever, were lethargic and stiff, and had effusions in several joints. Laboratory abnormalities included anaemia, leucocytosis, hyperfibrinogenaemia and hyperglobulinaemia. The diagnosis was based on the presence of a suppurative, non-septic inflammation in at least two different joints in each of the horses and the presence of immunoglobulins in the synovial membrane of one of them. The horses were treated with a combination of ...
Clinical, cytogenetic and hormonal findings in a stallion with hypospadias–a case report. This case report describes a three-year-old Friesian stallion with hypospadias. Physical examination revealed a ventrocaudal deviation of the shaft of the penis and an incomplete glans penis. The urethral opening was 4 cm in length, slit-like and had a mucous membrane covering. A short fold ran from the ventral aspect of the anus and ended with a non-pigmented hairless area of skin. A human choriongonadotropin (hCG)-stimulation test resulted in an increase in the plasma levels of estrogen sulfate and testosterone, indistinguishable from that of a normal stallion. The karyogram had a normal num...
Sebaceous adenitis in a 7-year-old Arabian gelding. A 7-year-old Arabian gelding was presented with a 9-month history of progressive patches of nonpruritic scaling, crusting, alopecia, and leukoderma of the periocular areas and muzzle, becoming generalized over time. Sebaceous adenitis was diagnosed on histopathologic examination. Lesions resolved without treatment, coinciding with regression of a sarcoid on the neck. Un cheval Arabe castré âgé de 7 ans a été présenté pour une histoire de 9 mois de plaques de desquamation, de croutes, d’alopécie et de leucodermie sur les régions périoculaire et sur le nez, devenant généralisées ...
Measurement of skin desmosine as an indicator of altered cutaneous elastin in draft horses with chronic progressive lymphedema. Chronic progressive lymphedema in Clydesdale and Shire draft horses causes severe disability of the limbs which leads to premature death of these horses. Since appropriate function of lymph vessels is dependent on the presence of viable elastin fibers, the goal of this study was to document differences in skin elastin fibers in affected horse breeds, compared to a nonaffected draft horse breed. Results: Biochemical analysis of cutaneous desmosine, a cross-linking amino acid found only in elastin, was used to measure elastin in the skin from 110 draft horses. This included 7 normal, 38 mildly a...
Eastern equine encephalitis–New Hampshire and Massachusetts, August-September 2005. During August-September 2005, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported seven cases of human eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) disease, the first laboratory-confirmed, locally acquired cases of human EEEV disease reported from New Hampshire in 41 years of national surveillance. Also during August--September 2005, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported four cases of human EEEV disease, five times the annual average of 0.8 cases reported from Massachusetts during the preceding 10 years. Four of the 11 patients from New Hampshire and Massachusetts d...
Equine trypanosomosis in the Central River Division of The Gambia: a study of veterinary gate-clinic consultation records. The objective of this study was to provide epidemiological information of equine trypanosomosis in the Central River Division (CRD) of The Gambia. Therefore, 2285 consultations records of equines, admitted in a gate-clinic at Sololo in CRD, were studied retrospectively. The data were recorded in the period between September 1995 and July 2002 and comprised consultations of 2113 horses and 172 donkeys. 'Trypanosome infection' was the most frequently diagnosed condition and accounted for 61% of the cases. Horses were more frequently diagnosed with trypanosome infections than donkeys (p1 year) we...
An unusual mucinous osteoma with features of an ossifying fibroma in the nasal cavity of a horse. A 4-month-old Warm-blooded colt presented with facial distorsion and an abnormal respiratory noise of 2 weeks' duration. A proliferative mass was found endoscopically and by computer tomography. Clinical differential diagnosis included cyst formation of the concha, malformation and neoplasia. Euthanasia was followed by post-mortem examination, which revealed a well-circumscribed, semi-solid, jelly like structure, measuring 14.5 x 9.0 x 12.0 cm, in the left posterior nasal cavity extending into the left frontal and maxillary sinus. Histologically, the mass consisted of trabeculae of woven bone,...
Equine laminitis: bites by Bothrops spp cause hoof lamellar pathology in the contralateral as well as in the bitten limb. The envenoming caused by Bothrops snakebite includes local symptoms, such as pronounced edema, hemorrhage, intense pain, vesicles, blisters and myonecrosis. The principal systemic symptom consists in the alteration of blood clotting, due to fibrinogen consumption and platelet abnormalities. The horses involved in this study had this symptomatology and one of them exhibited symptoms consistent with laminitis in the bitten and in the contralateral limbs. Laminitis lesions were characterized by separation of the hoof lamellar basement membrane (BM) from basal cells of the epidermis. These results...
Syndromic surveillance in the Netherlands for the early detection of West Nile virus epidemics. West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropod-borne flavivirus that is endemic in Africa, Europe, and Eastern Asia. The recent introduction and rapid dissemination of the virus in the United States as well as an increase in WNV outbreaks in Europe, has raised concerns for its spread in Europe. A surveillance system was developed to allow timely detection of an introduction of WNV infections in The Netherlands. This program focuses on cases presenting with neurological disease and includes the monitoring of hospital discharge diagnoses, trends in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diagnostic requests, laborator...
Identification of Taylorella equigenitalis responsible for contagious equine metritis in equine genital swabs by direct polymerase chain reaction. A direct-PCR assay was developed for the rapid detection of Taylorella equigenitalis, a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for contagious equine metritis (CEM) in Equidae. The bacteria may be detected in equine genital swabs without need for a preliminary step of DNA extraction or bacterial isolation. Specificity was determined with 125 isolates of T. equigenitalis, 24 isolates of Taylorella asinigenitalis, five commensal bacteria of the genital tract and a facultative intracellular pathogen of foals found in large concentration in soil. Our PCR is specific and amplified a 413-bp 16S ribosoma...
Equine insect bite hypersensitivity: immunoblot analysis of IgE and IgG subclass responses to Culicoides nubeculosus salivary gland extract. Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an allergic dermatitis of horses caused by IgE-mediated reactions to bites of Culicoides and sometimes Simulium spp. The allergens causing IBH are probably salivary gland proteins from these insects, but they have not yet been identified. The aim of our study was to identify the number and molecular weight of salivary gland extract (SGE) proteins derived from Culicoides nubeculosus which are able to bind IgE antibodies (ab) from the sera of IBH-affected horses. Additionally, we sought to investigate the IgG subclass (IgGa, IgGb and IgGT) reactivity to thes...
Inability of kaolin treatment to remove nonspecific inhibitors from equine serum for the hemagglutination inhibition test against equine H7N7 influenza virus. The hemagglutination inhibition test is used by many diagnostic and surveillance laboratories for detection of antibodies to influenza viruses. It is well known that the hemagglutination inhibition test is affected by nonspecific inhibitors present in equine serum. Several serum treatments are in use to remove these inhibitors, including treatment with kaolin. Discrepant results were observed in the authors' laboratories when using kaolin treatment before testing equine sera for antibodies against equine influenza virus (EIV) subtype-1 (H7N7). It is demonstrated here that kaolin treatment lead...
Rapid, multiwell colorimetric assay for measuring neutrophil chemoattractant activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of horses with recurrent airway obstruction. The criteria used to diagnose recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in affected horses include demonstration of reversible lower airway obstruction and greater than 25% neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Additional objective laboratory tests are needed to improve diagnostic accuracy and to monitor response to treatment. The goal of this study was to determine if neutrophil chemoattractant activity of BALF could be measured by using a previously described, rapid, multiwell colorimetric assay for chemotaxis. In this assay, neutrophils that have migrated through a membrane filter ar...
Evaluation of nephelometry for albumin measurement in serum and cerebrospinal fluid: experiences with an indwelling subarachnoidal catheter system for repetitive cerebrospinal fluid collection in horses. The measurement of albumin concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum for albumin quotient (AQ) calculations in normal horses was performed by 2 methods: 1) total protein measurement, followed by electrophoresis of the samples to obtain an albumin percentage; and 2) albumin immunoprecipitation quantitated by nephelometry. The results of both methods correlated well, and nephelometry was chosen to determine the albumin concentrations in CSF samples obtained from an indwelling subarachnoidal catheter for daily sampling. Because the use of an indwelling catheter to collect repetitive C...
Onchocercosis of an intervertebral joint capsule causing cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy in a horse. A novel case where onchocercosis was identified as a cause of cervical myelopathy in the horse is described. A 15-year-old Connemara mare was euthanized due to progressive locomotion disturbance. Postmortem examination revealed soft-tissue swelling in the intervertebral joint capsule of C6-7 with narrowing of the vertebral canal. On light microscopy, axonopathy was pronounced in the corresponding segment of the spinal cord. Fibrous tissue and eosinophilic granulomas were found in the joint capsule, together with parasites identified histologically as Onchocerca sp.
Age-related expression of molecular regulators of hypertrophy and maturation in articular cartilage. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in the expression of regulatory molecules in normal equine articular cartilage throughout development up to 18 months of age. The hypothesis was that expression of these regulatory molecules would decrease from birth to postpubescence. Cartilage was harvested from normal femoropatellar or scapulohumeral joints from 34 fresh horse cadavers. Horses were placed in four age groups [prenatal (n = 5); prepubertal, 0-6 months (n = 11); pubertal, 7-14 months (n = 13); and postpubertal, 15-18 months (n = 5)]. Indian hedgehog (Ihh), Gli1, Gli3, Patched1...
Increased interleukin-1beta mRNA expression in skin biopsies of horses with Culicoides hypersensitivity following challenge with Culicoides nubeculosus extract. Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is a primary cytokine of the skin that has a pivotal role in keratinocyte differentiation, epidermal wound healing and host defense. Pathological increase of cutaneous IL-1beta is associated with edema formation, epidermal hyperproliferation and atopic dermatitis in humans. However, in horses the role of cutaneous IL-1beta in edema formation and allergic skin disease has not been characterised so far. Particularly in Culicoides hypersensitivity (CHS), intradermal injection of Culicoides extract may be associated with enhanced transcription of local IL-1beta. To exa...
Pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, and clinical implications of erythrocyte enzyme deficiencies in dogs, cats, and horses. Deficiencies of enzymes involved in erythrocyte metabolism can have significant effects on erythrocyte function and survival. Animals with pyruvate kinase (PK) or phosphofructokinase (PFK) deficiencies have shortened erythrocyte life spans and regenerative anemia. PK-deficient dogs (but not PK-deficient cats) develop progressive myelofibrosis and osteosclerosis of bone marrow and hemochromatosis and cirrhosis of the liver. PFK-deficient dogs have sporadic episodes of hyperventilation-induced intravascular hemolysis and hemoglobinuria. Cytochrome b5 reductase (Cb5R) deficiency in dogs and cats ...
Diarrhea and hyperammonemia in a horse with progressive neurologic signs. A 2-year-old, Quarter Horse filly was referred to Michigan State University, Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a 2-3 day history of depression and partial anorexia progressing to severe, watery diarrhea with severe neurologic abnormalities, including repetitive muscle fasciculations, muscle stiffening, and collapse. Laboratory findings included severe polycythemia, neutropenia, metabolic acidosis, and electrolyte and fluid loss, consistent with watery diarrhea and endotoxic shock. Increased creatine kinase and aspartate transaminase activities were consistent with recent transport and the musc...
Neurologic signs and hyperammonemia in a horse with colic. A 23-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was referred for the evaluation of acute onset of ataxia and depression, and a 2-day history of fever. On physical examination, the gelding was profoundly depressed and 10-12% dehydrated. The horse appeared very unstable, with a wide-based stance in the hind limbs, severe symmetric ataxia in all 4 limbs, and proprioceptive deficits in both hind limbs. Nasogastric intubation produced 4 L of brown, fetid reflux, and rectal examination revealed mild small intestinal and cecal distention. Hematologic abnormalities included neutropenia with toxic change, compatibl...
Pathomorphological and immunohistochemical study of selected markers of tumour cell proliferation in equine sarcoids. The purpose of the study was a pathomorphological and immunohistochemical analysis of tumour cells and connective tissue in equine sarcoids. Investigations were performed using histopathological, ultrastructural, immunohistochemical (PCNA, p53, cytokeratin, vimentin) and histochemical (Ag-NORs) methods. The study was conducted on 50 sarcoids originating from 36 horses and classified as occult, verrucous, fibroblastic and a mixed type of sarcoid based on their clinical appearance. Most of the tumours were located on the girth (30%), neck (24%), head (12%), and legs (12%). The average age of the...
The effect of hoof trimming on radiographic measurements of the front feet of normal Warmblood horses. The understanding of the normal position of the third phalanx (P3) and the distal sesamoid bone in relation to the size and shape of the hoof capsule in sound horses is helpful in the diagnosis of equine foot lameness. Some measurements on radiographs used to define the position of the pedal bone within the hoof capsule are significantly influenced by hoof trimming and the height of the withers. In this study, the front hooves of 40 Warmblood horses were radiographed twice, eight weeks apart, both before and after their hooves were trimmed by an experienced farrier. Using the software programm...
10.1093/jn/136.7.2090S. Treatment of clinical laminitis usually fails to prevent some degree of persistent disability; thus, intervention should aim at avoiding risk factors and preventing the disease. Efficiency of intervention would be improved by identifying predisposed horses and ponies. A herd of 160 healthy ponies included 54 previously laminitic (PL) and 106 never laminitic (NL). Pedigree analysis was consistent with dominant inheritance partially suppressed in males. Blood analysis revealed higher plasma concentrations of insulin and triglycerides but not cortisol, glucose, or free fatty acids in the PL group...
Pasture nonstructural carbohydrates and equine laminitis. Fresh forages constitute a majority of the diet for many horses and ponies that graze on pastures during the growing season in many parts of the world. Grasses generally predominate in such pastures, with varying proportions of legumes. Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) (simple sugars, starch, and fructan) can induce laminitis experimentally, and NSC can accumulate to >400 g/kg of dry matter (DM) in pasture grasses. In this article we discuss the environmental factors affecting NSC accumulation in pastures and estimate the potential daily intakes of pasture NSC by grazing horses. We also di...
Insulin resistance in equids: possible role in laminitis. Insulin is a major regulatory hormone in glucose and fat metabolism, vascular function, inflammation, tissue remodeling, and the somatotropic axis of growth. Insulin resistance alters insulin signaling by decreasing insulin action in certain resistant pathways while increasing insulin signaling in other unaffected pathways via compensatory hyperinsulinemia. In humans, altered insulin signaling is implicated in reduced glucose availability to insulin-sensitive cells, vasoconstriction and endothelial damage, and inflammatory response. Although no direct evidence exists for insulin's role in thes...
A type II-collagen derived peptide and its nitrated form as new markers of inflammation and cartilage degradation in equine osteochondral lesions. Markers of cartilage breakdown enable studying the degradation of cartilage matrix in equine joint pathologies. This study was designed to determine the levels of Coll2-1, a peptide of the triple helix of type II collagen, and Coll2-1NO(2), its nitrated form in the plasma of healthy horses (controls; n=37) and horses suffering from osteochondrosis (n=34). Clinical and arthroscopic scores were attributed reflecting the severity of lesions and were related to the plasma levels of Coll2-1 and Coll2-1NO(2). The median of Coll2-1 was significantly higher in the control group, whereas the mean of Co...
