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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.
Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract during treadmill exercise: a clinical study of 100 horses. Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract was performed in 100 horses during high speed treadmill exercise. Reasons for endoscopy were a history of an abnormal noise during exercise in 75 horses, poor performance in 17 horses and to evaluate the results of upper respiratory tract surgery in 8 horses. Of the 75 horses with a history of an abnormal noise during exercise the cause was determined in 67 (89%). Endoscopic abnormalities were detected at rest in 40 of these 75 horses (53%). In these 40 horses, a similar diagnosis as to the cause of the abnormal noise was made at rest and during exercis...
Spontaneous equine pulmonary granular cell tumors: morphologic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical characterization. Spontaneous equine pulmonary granular cell tumors were diagnosed in six mature horses at slaughter. These tumors were grossly recognized as multiple (5/6) or single (1/6) creamy white, firm nodules. The tumors, located adjacent to bronchi and bronchioles, often invaded airways, resulting in partial to complete occlusion of the lumina. Neoplastic cells were rounded to polyhedral with numerous eosinophilic cytoplasmic granules that reacted uniformly positive with S-100 and neuron-specific enolase antibodies and multifocally with glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies. These cells were negati...
Development of a colic severity score for predicting the outcome of equine colic. Thirty-two physical examination and laboratory variables were recorded during examination of 165 horses admitted for acute abdominal disease. Univariate analyses were performed to determine which of the variables were significantly different between horses that lived or died. Stepwise logistic regression was performed to identify variables with the best predictive value. Four variables (heart rate, peritoneal fluid total protein concentration, blood lactate concentration, and abnormal mucous membrane) remained significant when entered into the model. Histograms for each significant variable we...
Evaluation of Directigen Flu A assay for detection of influenza antigen in nasal secretions of horses. The Directigen Flu A assay (Becton Dickinson, Microbiology Systems, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) is a commercially available immunoassay designed for rapid in vitro recognition of influenza A nucleoprotein. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this assay for detection of influenza virus in nasal secretions of naturally infected horses. The assay was shown to react with representative strains of influenza virus which cause disease in horses and did not react with nasal secretions from uninfected horses kept in isolation. Between 33% and 45% of nasal secretions specimens obtained from clin...
Large colon impaction in horses: 147 cases (1985-1991). Medical records from all horses with large colon impaction admitted between 1985 and 1991 were examined. Large colon impaction was diagnosed in 147 of 1,100 (13.4%) horses with colic. One hundred thirty horses were admitted for further evaluation of acute onset of abdominal pain after having been examined and treated by referring veterinarians, and 17 horses that were hospitalized for unrelated medical problems developed large colon impaction. Female horses (92/147; 62.6%) were more commonly affected than males. The age ranged from 1 to 29 years (median, 7.1 years). Mean duration of clinical s...
Anti-collagen antibodies and immune complexes in equine joint diseases. An investigation was made into the possible contribution of autoimmune mechanisms to equine arthropathies. Serum and synovial fluid (SF) immune complexes and anti-collagen Type II antibodies were measured, by ELISA, in groups of horses with naturally occurring osteoarthritis (OA), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), bone fracture, traumatised joints, synovitis, infected joints and non-diseased (control) joints. Significantly raised anti-collagen Type II antibodies were found in osteoarthritic (P < 0.02) and traumatised joint synovial fluids (P < 0.01) compared with the control, where ten of...
Identification of the causative agent of granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Swedish dogs and horses by direct solid phase sequencing of PCR products from the 16S rRNA gene. Seven Swedish isolates of Ehrlichia species from the blood of four dogs and three horses with clinical granulocytic ehrlichiosis, were identified by direct solid phase DNA sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products from the 16S rRNA gene. The amplified DNA fragments were produced with primers complementary to the universal regions, U1, U2, U5 and U8 of the 16S rRNA molecule. Identical sequences were obtained from all seven isolates. This nucleotide sequence was similar to the sequences deposited in GenBank for Ehrlichia phagocytophila and E equi. The sequence of the Swedish ehrlich...
Influence of stochastic events on the phenotypic variation of common white leg markings in the Arabian horse: implications for various genetic disorders in humans. One method of assessing the influence of stochastic events on phenotypic variation is to study morphological differences in paired limbs of the same individual. These limbs have identical genotypes and similar intra-uterine environments and are analogous to monozygotic twins. Common white leg markings have a multifactorial mode of inheritance in the Arabian horse. Asymmetry occurs frequently for these markings. Using computerized registration records obtained from the Arabian Horse Registry of America, Inc., the types of markings were quantified in the left foreleg and left hind leg of bay and...
Clinical pathology and hemostatic abnormalities in experimental African horsesickness. Infection of naive North American horses with 10(4) cell culture infectious doses (CCID50) of virulence variants of African horsesickness virus (AHSV), designated AHSV/4SP, AHSV/9PI, and AHSV/4PI, reproduced three classical forms of African horsesickness: acute (pulmonary), subacute (cardiac), and febrile, respectively. Distinct clinicopathologic and hemostatic abnormalities were associated with each form of disease. Hemostatic abnormalities included increased concentration of fibrin degradation products and prolongation of prothrombin, activated partial thromboplastin, and thrombin clotting t...
Enhanced sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies in a variant of equine infectious anemia virus is linked to amino acid substitutions in the surface unit envelope glycoprotein. Serial passage of the prototype (PR) cell-adapted Wyoming strain of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) in fetal donkey dermal (FDD) rather than fetal horse (designated fetal equine kidney [FEK]) cell cultures resulted in the generation of a variant virus strain which produced accelerated cytopathic effects in FDD cells and was 100- to 1,000-fold more sensitive to neutralizing antibodies than its parent. This neutralization-sensitive variant was designated the FDD strain. Although there were differences in glycosylation between the PR and FDD strains, passage of the FDD virus in FEK cells di...
The equine endometrial cup reaction: a review. The function of eCG in equine pregnancy is far from clear but it has become evident that eCG has little or no FSH activity in the horse and is therefore probably not responsible for the secondary ovulations. eCG does have luteotrophic activity and it could play a role in the resurgence of the primary corpus luteum (1,7,44). Some evidence exists that the receptor population on the equine gonads is heterogenous in a way that makes it possible to distinguish eCG from eLH, resulting in different post-receptor effects (7). There is also evidence that eCG itself is heterogenous, both in glycosylatio...
Distribution of inspired gas to each lung in the anaesthetised horse and influence of body shape. The distribution of inspired gas to each lung, time constants of the lungs and parameters of gas exchange were studied in 2 groups of horses (mean bwt 606 kg), anaesthetised using thiopentone and chloral hydrate and breathing room air. One group (n = 4) had a downward curved abdominal contour (round-bellied) and the other group (n = 4) had an upward curved abdominal contour (flat-bellied). An equal distribution of inspired gas between the lungs existed in both groups in dorsal recumbency. Flat-bellied horses maintained this equal distribution in lateral recumbency whereas in round-bellied hors...
[The fist detection of Giardia spp. in horses in the Czech Republic]. The first occurrence of Giardia spp. in horses in the Czech Republic is reported. During preventive examination of 360 five-month up to 14-year horses from various parts of the region of Central Bohemia carried out from January 1993 to June 1994 in the parasitological laboratory of the State Veterinary Institute in Prague, the Giardia cysts were detected in the excrements of 18 (5%) horses, mostly 2-4 years of age, and in two foals 3 and 6 weeks old. During the period between March 1993 and June 1994, systematic and repeated observation was aimed at a group of 38 racing horses two up to four y...
Acremonium in fescue and ryegrass: boon or bane? A review. Acremonium coenophialum Morgan-Jones and Gams, an endophytic fungus commonly found in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), has been identified as the cause of poor performance of beef cattle and horses on tall fescue. Ryegrass staggers, a neurological disorder of sheep, has been linked to the presence of a similar fungus, A. lolii Latch, Christensen and Samuels, in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Renovation of endophyte-infected (E+) pastures with endophyte-free (E-) cultivars of tall fescue or perennial ryegrass has resulted in improved animal performance, but productivity and s...
Replication of equid herpesvirus 4 in endothelial cells and synovia of a field case of viral pneumonia and synovitis in a foal. Equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) infection was diagnosed as the cause of interstitial pneumonia in a 6-week-old conventionally reared Welsh pony foal, by cocultivation and immunolabelling with specific monoclonal antibodies, EHV-4 specific amplification of viral DNA, and immunohistological examination of infected tissues. The case was novel in that replication of the EHV-4 isolate in endothelial cells and in the synovial epithelium was a feature. Restriction digests of this isolate were compared with those of seven respiratory and one abortigenic EHV-4 isolate, and no differences in restriction pat...
Copper deficiency in cattle, sheep and horses caused by excess molybdenum from fly ash: a case report. A case of copper deficiency or molybdenum toxicosis in cattle, sheep and horses after heavy pollution of a pasture with fly ash is described. If the pastures had not been grazed by cattle and sheep as well as the horses, it would have been difficult to identify the reason for the intoxication in the horses. It is argued that molybdenum intoxication, although seldom seen in non-ruminants, was the cause of the deaths of the horses. It is suggested that the bioavailability of molybdenum in fly ash is high and therefore can cause equine intoxication.
Amphotericin B treatment of Candida arthritis in two horses. Infectious arthritis caused by Candida spp was diagnosed in 2 horses. Source of infection was by direct inoculation in 1 horse and was presumed to be hematogenous in the other horse. On microbial culturing of synovial fluid and synovial membrane specimens, the organisms were isolated in both horses. In both horses, the joint infections resolved after i.v. administration of amphotericin B and joint drainage; however, 1 horse was eventually euthanatized because of signs of cervical pain and progressively worsening ataxia. Fungal organisms isolated on microbial culturing of joint specimens in hor...
Efficacy of moxidectin oral gel against Onchocerca cervicalis microfilariae. During a series of dose-titration experiments designed to evaluate the efficacy of moxidectin oral gel against equine gastrointestinal parasites, infection with Onchocerca cervicalis was diagnosed in 25 of 82 ponies prior to treatment. Microfilariae were identified in full-thickness skin biopsies taken from the ventral midline. Treatment with moxidectin in single doses of 300, 400, or 500 micrograms/kg of body weight was 100% effective in eliminating microfilariae from 20 skin biopsies taken 14 days posttreatment, whereas 5 microfilaria-positive ponies in 2 control groups remained positive fol...
Inflammation and increased numbers of bacteria in the lower respiratory tract of horses within 6 to 12 hours of confinement with the head elevated. Confinement of horses with their heads elevated for periods up to 24 hours was used to evaluate the extent and the effects of bacterial contamination of the equine lower respiratory tract. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in bacterial numbers (up to 10(9) colony forming units/mL in transtracheal aspirate derived samples) occurred within 6 or 12 hours in most horses. Pasteurella/Actinobacillus spp and Streptococcus spp were most commonly isolated. Lowering of the head for 30 minutes every 6 hours to facilitate postural drainage did not prevent multiplication of organisms to levels equivalent...
Determination of carbonic anhydrase III isoenzyme concentration in sera of racehorses with exertional rhabdomyolysis. The concentration of carbonic anhydrase III isoenzyme (CA-III) in serum samples from 216 clinically normal Thoroughbreds was determined by use of an enzyme immunoassay. The concentration range of CA-III was from 16.0 to 254.5 ng/ml (mean, 56.5 +/- 11.9 ng/ml). Significant differences were not detected according to age or sex. To confirm whether serum CA-III concentration was high in horses with muscle disease, serum samples of 11 horses with exertional rhabdomyolysis were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay. Their serum CA-III concentration was about 56 times (3,136 +/- 2,610 ng/ml) that of healthy...
[Radiologic follow-up examination of podotrochlosis]. X-rays of 205 horses having navicular disease and having been reexamined up to six times are evaluated. For this, the x-rays of each foreleg are evaluated in the dorsopalmar (Oxspring) and lateromedial view. Additionally to changes of the navicular bone, changes of the distal part of the toe are also assessed. Differences can be found in the radiographic process in view of the limitation of vascular foramina and cyst-like lesions. Vascular foramina with sclerotic rim grow less frequent than poorly defined ones and therefore allow for easier prognostication. Cyst-like lesions with sclerotic rim...
