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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.
A vaginal mucosal pedicle flap technique for repair of rectovaginal fistula in mares. To describe the use of a vaginal mucosal pedicle flap for repair of rectovaginal fistulae (RVF) in mares. Methods: Clinical case report. Methods: Three mares with RVF. Methods: After debriding the RVF, a dorsally based U-shaped mucosal and submucosal pedicle flap (2-4 mm thick) was dissected from the vaginal wall, rotated approximately 90 degrees angle to close the ventral aspect of the fistula and sutured in position with 10-13 single sutures that did not penetrate the rectal mucosa. This positioned the vaginal mucosa so that it was continuous with the rectal mucosa. Results: Two RVF healed b...
Assessment of Sarcocystis neurona sporocyst viability and differentiation between viable and nonviable sporocysts using propidium iodide stain. Sarcocystis neurona has become recognized as the major causative agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in the Americas. At least 3 pathogenic species of Sarcocystis, including S. neurona, can be isolated from opossums. Methods are needed to ascertain whether these isolates are viable and capable of causing infections. In this study, the nuclear stain propidium iodide (PI) was used to differentiate between live (viable) and heat-killed (nonviable) S. neurona sporocysts. PI was excluded by live sporocysts but penetrated compromised sporocyst membrane and stained sporozoite nuclei of ...
Development of an in vivo Himar1 transposon mutagenesis system for use in Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. Streptococcus equi subsp. equi is the causative agent of the equine disease strangles. In this study we describe the development of an in vivo Himar1 transposon system for the random mutagenesis of S. equi and, potentially, other Gram-positive bacteria. We demonstrate efficient and random transposition of a modified mini-transposon onto the chromosome by Southern blot analysis and insertion site sequencing. Non-haemolytic mutants were isolated at a frequency of 0.2%, and acapsular mutants at a frequency of 0.04%. Taken together, these data demonstrate that in vivo Himar1 mutagenesis can be use...
Comparison of TGF-beta 1 concentrations in bronchoalveolar fluid of horses affected with heaves and of normal controls. Airway remodeling may play an important role in heaves pathophysiology. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) is a potent profibrotic cytokine, which might contribute to airway wall thickening and fibrosis of bronchiolar and alveolar submucosa. An ELISA designed for the measurement of human TGF-beta1 was used to measured total TGF-beta1 released in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of normal horses and of those affected with heaves in remission. The specificity of the assay for TGF-beta1 of the horse was confirmed using recombinant equine TGF-beta1. The influence of hay exposure on T...
Multifocal pleural cystic squamous metaplasia in a horse with chronic obstructive bronchopneumonia. A 10-year-old Knabstrupper stallion was euthanatized because of severe dyspnea and exercise intolerance. Postmortem examination revealed diffuse severe alveolar emphysema and chronic fibrosing pleuritis of the caudal lung. Parts of both caudal lung lobes were covered with multiple raised firm gray to yellow plaques. Histologically, these areas consisted of circumscribed pleural fibroses and cysts of metaplastic keratinizing squamous epithelium. Immunohistochemistry revealed intense labeling for cytokeratins 5/6 and 10. In addition, caudal lung lobes were severely affected by a chronic partiall...
Congenital fetal rhabdomyoma in a foal. An Appaloosa filly was born with a ventral midline, approximately 8 x 12 x 15 cm subcutaneous cervical mass. The nonencapsulated mass was composed of interlacing and haphazard bundles of spindle cells on moderate to abundant loose myxomatous stroma. A moderate number of cells showed cross striations with minor nuclear variation and a low mitotic rate. Immunohistochemical staining for myoglobin, desmin, actin, vimentin, and S-100 was positive and negative for glial fibrillar antigen and keratin. Rhabdomyomas are rare benign tumors of striated muscle. Rhabdomyomas described previously in the vet...
Leukoencephalitis associated with selective viral replication in the brain of a pony with experimental chronic equine infectious anemia virus infection. Neurologic disease occurs sporadically in horses infected with the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). This report describes a case of clinically severe neurologic disease in a pony experimentally infected with EIAV. This pony did not have fever or anemia, which are the characteristic clinical signs of disease. The histopathologic changes were characterized as lymphohistiocytic periventricular leukoencephalitis. Polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization data showed that the brain lesions were directly associated with viral replication and that high-level viral replication occurred...
[Primary liver disease in the horse]. The clinical signs of liver disease are highly variable and non-specific. Irrespective of the cause or the duration of liver disease, more specific clinical signs, e.g. hepatic encephalopathy, become apparent in the advanced stages of the disease. Due to the non-specific clinical signs, the possible diagnosis of liver disease is frequently not taken into consideration. However, measurement of the plasma or serum concentrations of total bile acids and gamma glutamyl transferase (gamma GT) may provide valuable diagnostic information. The specific diagnosis can be confirmed by ultrasound examinat...
[Subperitoneal cyst in a Friesian mare]. The case of a 5-year-old Friesian mare with a mass in her abdomen and a gait irregularity of the left hind limb is discussed. At rectal ultrasonogrphic examination the mass appeared to be a thin-walled, anechogenic cavity in the left abdomen. By means of laparoscopy the mass could be visualized as a smooth structure, covered by peritoneum and fat. Under laparoscopic guidance the mass was punctured and fluid was aspirated. Cytological and bacteriological findings of the fluid were indicative of a cyst. After drainage of the cyst the locomotion disorder of the left hind limb disappeared. It is c...
Use of the meridian test for the detection of equine herpesvirus type 1 infection in horses with decreased performance. To evaluate use of the acupuncture meridian test for detection of recent or recently reactivated equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection in horses with decreased performance. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: 40 horses. Methods: Physical and neurologic examinations were performed, and acupuncture points on the bladder meridian were tested for sensitivity reactions in case and control horses. Polymerase chain reaction assays were performed to determine whether EHV-1 or equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) DNA could be detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Complement fixation (CF)...
Extracellular matrix changes in early osteochondrotic defects in foals: a key role for collagen? Osteochondrosis (OC) is the most important developmental orthopaedic disease in the horse. Despite some decades of research, much of the pathogenesis of the disorder remains obscure. Increasing knowledge of articular cartilage development in juvenile animals led to the presumption that the role of collagen in OC might be more important than previously thought. To study collagen characteristics of both cartilage and subchondral bone in young (5 and 11 months of age) horses, samples were taken of subchondral bone and articular cartilage from a group of 43 Dutch Warmblood foals and yearlings that...
Risk of postnatal exposure to Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi in horses. To estimate risk of exposure and age at first exposure to Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi and time to maternal antibody decay in foals. Methods: 484 Thoroughbred and Warmblood foals from 4 farms in California. Methods: Serum was collected before and after colostrum ingestion and at 3-month intervals thereafter. Samples were tested by use of the indirect fluorescent antibody test; cutoff titers were > or = 40 and > or = 160 for S neurona and N hughesi, respectively. Results: Risk of exposure to S neurona and N hughesi during the study were 8.2% and 3.1%, respectively. Annual rate...
Insulin-like growth factors-I and -II and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-2 in dominant equine follicles during spring transition and the ovulatory season. The period between seasonal anoestrus and cyclicity is characterized in many mares by cyclical growth and regression of large dominant follicles. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system plays a key role in follicular growth and regression; therefore, we hypothesized that changes in the IGF system and its binding proteins would modulate onset of cyclicity in mares. Ovaries were obtained from pony mares on the day after detection of an actively growing 30 mm transitional anovulatory follicle, and also at the second or third oestrus of the breeding season on the day after the preovulatory fol...
Hypercalcemia and high serum parathyroid hormone-related protein concentration in a horse with multiple myeloma. A 13-year-old gelding was examined because of weight loss, hyperglobulinemia, and hypercalcemia. Possible causes of hypercalcemia that were considered included renal failure, primary hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D toxicosis, and malignancy. There was no history of vitamin D ingestion, and serum creatinine and parathyroid hormone concentrations were normal, making renal failure and primary hyperparathyroidism unlikely. The hypercalcemia was suspected to be a result of malignancy, but thorough testing did not reveal any neoplastic disease. Eight months later, serum parathyroid hormone-related pr...
Anticorrelated motions as a driving force in enzyme catalysis: the dehydrogenase reaction. Molecular dynamics and cross-correlation analysis of the horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase HLADH.NAD(+).PhCH(2)O(-) complex has established anticorrelated motions between the NAD(+)-binding domain and other portions of the enzyme. Four pairs of anticorrelated interactions are (i and ii) cofactor-binding domain: C(alpha) of V292 and the CG1 of V203 with C7 of PhCH(2)O(-); (iii) cofactor-binding domain: amide carbonyl oxygen of I318 with amide N of H67; and (iv) cofactor domain: C(alpha) of T178 with carbonyl oxygen of L141. The average distances between pairs are 9.2 A for i, 8.2 A for ii, 14.7...
Phylogenetic analysis of West Nile virus, Nuevo Leon State, Mexico. West Nile virus RNA was detected in brain tissue from a horse that died in June 2003 in Nuevo Leon State, Mexico. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the premembrane and envelope genes showed that the virus was most closely related to West Nile virus isolates collected in Texas in 2002.
Outcome of equids with clinical signs of West Nile virus infection and factors associated with death. To determine outcome of equids in the western United States with clinical signs of West Nile virus (WNV) infection and identify factors associated with risk of death in infected equids. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 484 equids in Nebraska and Colorado. Methods: Owners of 484 equids with laboratory-confirmed West Nile virus infection in Nebraska and Colorado were contacted by telephone, and a questionnaire was used to obtain information on signalment, management, clinical signs, date of disease onset, duration of disease, WNV vaccination status, and health status at the time of the i...
Epidemiology of Trichinella infection in the horse: the risk from animal product feeding practices. A discovery in 2002 of a Trichinella spiralis-infected horse in Serbia offered an opportunity to conduct needed epidemiological studies on how horses, considered herbivores, acquire a meat-borne parasite. This enigma has persisted since the first human outbreaks from infected horse meat occurred in then 1970s. The trace back of the infected horse to a farm owner was carried out. Interviews and investigations on the farm led to the conclusion that the owner had fed the horse food waste in order to condition the horse prior to sale. Further investigations were then carried out to determine the f...
Risk factors associated with fecal Salmonella shedding among hospitalized horses with signs of gastrointestinal tract disease. To estimate prevalence of and identify risk factors for fecal Salmonella shedding among hospitalized horses with signs of gastrointestinal tract disease. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 465 hospitalized horses with gastrointestinal tract disease. Methods: Horses were classified as positive or negative for fecal Salmonella shedding during hospitalization by means of standard aerobic bacteriologic methods. The relationship between investigated exposure factors and fecal Salmonella shedding was examined by means of logistic regression. Results: The overall prevalence of fecal Salmonella ...
The diagnostic and prognostic value of alkaline phosphatase activity in serum and peritoneal fluid from horses with acute colic. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an enzyme present in intestinal mucosa, bile, bone, and renal tubule cells. We sought to assess the diagnostic and prognostic relationships of total ALP (ALPt) activity and that of intestine-derived ALP (ALPi) in serum and peritoneal fluid of 126 horses with colic. ALPt and ALPi activities were measured in both serum and peritoneal fluid by using both standard and L-phenylalanine-based buffers, respectively. Neither ALPt nor ALPi activity were useful in classifying type or severity of intestinal damage. ALPt and ALPi activities in peritoneal fluid were lowest in h...
Idiopathic prolapse of 1 uterine horn in a yearling filly. A yearling filly was presented for protrusion of a mass at the vulvar margins. A diagnosis of prolapse of the right uterine horn was made after vaginoscopy, transrectal palpation, and ultrasonography. It was confirmed later by biopsy of the tissue. Recovery was uneventful after easy replacement of the uterine horn. Une pouliche yearling fut présentée pour la protrusion d’une masse au pourtour de la vulve. Un diagnostic de prolapsus de la corne utérine droite fut établi à la suite de la vaginoscopie, de la palpation transrectale et de l’échographie. Le diagnostic fut confirmé par la...
In-vitro contraction of the equine aortic valve. The equine aortic valve is subject to non-inflammatory degenerative changes, associated with aortic valvular regurgitation (AR). This disease shares pathological and epidemiological features with AR in humans, and may serve as a useful model to study in-vitro functional responses associated with aging and disease. The study aim was to determine the contractile properties of the normal equine aortic valve. Methods: The contractile responses of equine aortic valves to angiotensin II, the thromboxane-mimetic U44069, endothelin-1, 5-hydroxytryptamine and the alpha-adrenoceptor agonists medetomidin...
Adaptive immunity is the primary force driving selection of equine infectious anemia virus envelope SU variants during acute infection. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a lentivirus that causes persistent infection in horses. The appearance of antigenically distinct viral variants during recurrent viremic episodes is thought to be due to adaptive immune selection pressure. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated envelope SU cloned sequences from five severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) foals infected with EIAV. Within the SU hypervariable V3 region, 8.5% of the clones had amino acid changes, and 6.4% had amino acid changes within the known cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope Env-RW12. Of all the SU clones, only 3.1% ...
Alopecia areata with lymphocytic mural folliculitis affecting the isthmus in a thoroughbred mare. A 13-year-old, thoroughbred mare was presented with an 8-year history of multifocal, generalized, noninflammatory alopecia and a 3-month history of alopecia, erythema and scaling of the white star on the forehead and muzzle. Histopathological examination of biopsy samples from multiple sites on the body (mane, neck, shoulder, flank and gluteal region) showed a subtle lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate affecting and surrounding the anagen hair bulbs, consistent with a diagnosis of alopecia areata. The biopsy sample from the star on the forehead showed atrophic hair follicles with perifollicula...
Equine abortion and premature birth associated with Cellulosimicrobium cellulans infection. During the 2002 and 2003 foaling seasons, Cellulosimicrobium (Cellumonas) cellulans (formerly Oerskovia xanthineolytica) was the principal microorganism isolated from fetal tissues or placentas from cases of equine abortion, premature birth, and term pregnancies. Significant pathologic findings included chronic placentitis and pyogranulomatous pneumonia. In addition, microscopic and macroscopic alterations in the allantochorion from 4 of 7 cases of placentitis were similar to those caused by Crossiella equi and other nocardioform bacteria. This report confirms a causative role of C. cellulans ...
