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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.
Development of neutralizing antibody in horses infected with Ehrlichia risticii. The role of the humoral immune response in ehrlichial infection is unknown. Development of neutralizing antibodies during a course of Ehrlichia risticii infection in a pony was examined in vitro by determining the inhibition of E. risticii infection of P388D1 cells in the presence of the sera. The pony experimentally infected with E. risticii developed significant neutralizing activity in the sera by 15 days postinfection when parasitemia started to decline. Neutralizing activity continued to rise after recovery from the disease up to 34 days postinfection at which time the experiment was term...
Persistent hyperbilirubinemia in a healthy thoroughbred horse. Persistent hyperbilirubinemia and icterus are described in a healthy 4-year-old Thoroughbred horse. Hyperbilirubinemia was not related to food intake and was not associated with evidence of increased hemolysis or with acquired hepatic disease. The hyperbilirubinemia was thought to be a result of inappropriate conjugation of bilirubin rather than any abnormality in bilirubin uptake or excretion. The bilirubinemia in this horse appears most similar to a human syndrome, caused by a familial deficiency of bilirubin-uridine diphosphate glucuronyl transferase.
The dangers of disease transmission by artificial insemination and embryo transfer. This review summarizes the major infectious diseases of the three major agricultural species (cattle, sheep and pigs) and horses, and presents the evidence for and against the possibility of infectious agents being transmitted between animals via the venereal route or by the use of semen or early embryos in commercial artificial insemination (AI) or embryo transfer (ET). Cattle feature most prominently in the widespread distribution of frozen semen, and national and international organizations have set out guidelines to work towards disease-free bull studs with semen free from potential pathog...
Clinical pharmacokinetics of amikacin in hypoxic premature foals. The pharmacokinetics of amikacin, administered iv at 7 mg/kg, every 8 h, were evaluated over the first 48 h of hospitalisation in 7 critically ill hypoxic premature foals and compared with those in 8 full-term nonhypoxic critically ill neonatal foals. The pharmacokinetic data were used to calculate dosage schedules that would maintain the plasma amikacin concentrations in individual foals within a target range of > or = 15 micrograms/ml but < 30 micrograms/ml for peak values and < or = 3 micrograms/ml for trough values. The results indicated a statistically significant increase in the amikacin...
Use of ultrasound in horses for diagnosis of left dorsal displacement of the large colon and monitoring its nonsurgical correction. During a 28 month period, 82 horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain were examined for left dorsal displacement of the large colon (LDDLC) using percutaneous ultrasound. Left dorsal displacement of the large colon was diagnosed when a gas echo dorsal to the spleen obliterated the dorsal splenic border, or when the colon was observed lateral to the spleen. In 42 horses, ultrasound confirmed a diagnosis of LDDLC and 40 horses had no evidence of LDDLC. There were five false negative results and no false positives. In four horses with LDDLC, the colon was displaced between the spleen and body...
Hypersensitivity of horses in British Columbia to extracts of native and exotic species of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Six horses from British Columbia severely affected by Culicoides hypersensitivity, a seasonal dermatitis caused by the bites of Culicoides spp., were inoculated intradermally with extracts of six species or forms of Culicoides from British Columbia, United States, and Israel. Two native and four exotic species were thought to cause the disease in their own geographical area. The horses developed large welts within 20 min after injection of any of the six extracts, indicating an immediate (type I) reaction. The skin reactions caused by each extract peaked at or after 24 h, indicating an additio...
Examination of frozen cross sections of cervical spinal intersegments in nine horses with cervical vertebral malformation: lesions associated with spinal cord compression. Nine horses with clinical and radiographic findings of cervical vertebral malformation that were necropsied and examined using frozen cervical spinal cord cross sections were reviewed. Only cases with actual distortion of the spinal cord due to compression were selected. The goal of the study was to determine the morphologic features responsible for narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord. In individual cases, bony changes are associated with osteochondrosis and osteomyelitis of the dorsal articular facets and osteosclerosis of the dorsal cervical lamina. Soft tissue p...
Development of a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of bovine, ovine, porcine, and equine antibodies to vesicular stomatitis virus. Two competitive (C) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed for the detection of antibodies to vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in animal sera. The assays are based upon the availability of polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) from mouse ascitic fluids prepared against the New Jersey (NJ) and the Indiana (IN) VSV serotypes. The assays were performed by the immobilization of VSV-NJ and VSV-IN antigens on a solid phase (microtiter plate). Appropriately diluted test serum mixed with an equal volume of serotype-specific PAb was allowed to incubate in the presence of the relevant VSV ant...
Responses of horses affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to inhalation challenges with mould antigens. Eight control and 8 asymptomatic COPD-affected horses were given, on separate occasions, inhalation challenges with extracts of Micropolyspora faeni, Aspergillus fumigatus and Thermoactinomyces vulgaris. All horses were also given nebulised phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) challenges and 'natural challenges' (NCs), i.e. exposure to hay and straw, as control challenges. Responses were assessed by clinical, pulmonary mechanics, arterial blood gas tensions, arterial blood pH and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytological examinations. PBS challenges had no effect on control or COPD-affected horses, ...
Effects of sample collection and handling on concentration of osteocalcin in equine serum. A commercially available radioimmunoassay kit for measurement of human osteocalcin was validated for use in horses. For accurate measurement of equine serum osteocalcin, blood samples may be collected at a temperature between 20 and 25 C, then centrifuged within 90 minutes; serum may be stored at -20 C in plastic tubes for up to 26 weeks. Serum may be thawed and refrozen up to 5 times without significant change in measured equine serum osteocalcin concentration. Assay sensitivity was 0.16 ng/ml. Recovery of bovine osteocalcin standard added to equine serum was linear. Intra-assay coefficient o...
In-vitro susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs of bacterial isolates from horses in The Netherlands. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 30 antimicrobial agents (including the hitherto unreported antimicrobial agents doxycycline, minocycline, vanomycin, 3 quinolones and 3 combinations of antimicrobial agents) for isolates of Salmonella spp. (20), Escherichia coli (17), Klebsiella spp. (8), Proteus spp. (7), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7), Actinobacillus equuli (5), Rhodococcus equi (4), Streptococcus zooepidemicus (23), Streptococcus equisimilis (6), Streptococcus equi (4), coagulase-positive Staphylococcus spp. (20) and Taylorella equigenitalis (19) were determined using the agar dilutio...
Polycystic hepatic disease, thoracic granular cell tumor and secondary hypertrophic osteopathy in a horse. A 13-year-old American Saddlebred mare was presented with a 4-day history of anorexia. Physical examination revealed increased inspiratory effort and bony enlargement of the distal limbs. Radiographs indicated a thoracic mass and periosteal proliferations on the distal limbs consistent with hypertrophic osteopathy. Gastric endoscopy revealed distal esophageal and gastric ulceration, and functional pyloric stenosis. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination revealed multiple large, cystic structures associated with the liver. A percutaneous biopsy indicated the thoracic mass to be a granular cell ...
Lateral patellar luxation in miniature horses. Bilateral luxation of the patella in four Miniature Horses was corrected by a lateral release incision and medial imbrication of the parapatellar fascia to the tendon of the sartorius muscle. Before surgery, the four horses had a grade 3 to 4 lateral patellar luxation bilaterally and had difficulty walking. Trochlear ridge hypoplasia was evident on radiographs in each horse. Follow-up information varied from 11 months to 4 years after surgery. Three horses had no patellar luxation or lameness. The other horse had a normal right stifle, but patellar luxation (grade 3) had recurred on the left.
Phylogenetic position of Taylorella equigenitalis determined by analysis of amplified 16S ribosomal DNA sequences. The 16S ribosomal DNA sequence of Taylorella equigenitalis (formerly Haemophilus equigenitalis), the causative organism of contagious equine metritis, was determined. A phylogenetic analysis of this sequence revealed a phylogenetic position of T. equigenitalis in the beta subclass of the class Proteobacteria apart from the position of Haemophilus influenzae, which belongs to the gamma subclass of Proteobacteria. A close phylogenetic relationship among T. equigenitalis, Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, and Bordetella bronchiseptica was detected; Spirillum volutans and Chromobacterium fluviatile (Iodob...
Immunohistochemical study to demonstrate Sarcocystis neurona in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. A 5-year (1985-1989) retrospective immunohistochemical study was conducted using an avidin-biotin complex (ABC) immunoperoxidase method to demonstrate Sarcocystis neurona in histologically suspect cases of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Primary antibodies against S. neurona and S. cruzi were utilized for the ABC technique. The findings were compared with those from cases in which the organisms were detected by examination of hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained neuronal sections. HE-stained sections detected the presence of the organisms in 20% of the suspect cases; whereas the ABC te...
Enteric neuropathy in horses with grass sickness. The degeneration of enteric neurones has been recorded in grass sickness, but the distribution of the lesions in the gut and their possible relationship with the severity of the clinical signs has not been established. Samples obtained from 11 anatomically defined sites along the gastrointestinal tract of eight control horses without gastrointestinal disease, five horses with acute grass sickness and three horses with chronic grass sickness were examined histologically. The organisation of the enteric ganglia was similar to that in other large mammalian species. Minor exceptions included the p...
[Selected ectoparasitoses in animals]. Selected ectoparasitoses of animals are reviewed with special reference to the situation in Switzerland. The review contains information on the parasitoses leishmaniasis of dogs, parafilariasis of equines and cattle, onchocercosis of cattle and horses, ixodiosis, demodicosis of dogs and scabies of domestic animals, fly infestation, myiasis, and infestation with fleas and black flies (simuliidiosis). In addition to information on prevalence, biology and pathogenic effects of ectoparasites, the review provides indications on diagnosis and control.
Suspected red maple (Acer rubrum) toxicosis with abortion in two Percheron mares. Horses develop severe and often fatal hemolytic anemia after ingesting dried leaves from red maple (Acer rubrum) trees. Toxicosis appears related to an unknown oxidant present in the dried or wilted leaves. This case report describes 2 horses that aborted and developed fatal hemolytic anemia after consuming wilted leaves from red maple (Acer rubrum). While an absolute diagnosis was not confirmed due to lack of proper antemortem and postmortem examinations, red maple toxicosis appeared a reasonable diagnosis based on clinical signs and laboratory findings. Other differentials include equine inf...
[Bilateral blindness after injury in a riding horse]. Bilateral blindness was diagnosed in a 5-year-old Hanoverian gelding presented for evaluation of a corneal opacity in one eye. About 12 months prior to the examination, the gelding had fallen head over, hitting his head and the cornea. Clinical and electroretinographic findings as well as pathohistologic and ultrastructural lesions of both eyes including the optic nerves are presented. Ophthalmoscopically visible pigment disruption of the non-tapetal fundus adjacent to the optic discs correlated morphologically with foci of degeneration and atrophy of the retina, whereas ophthalmoscopically vi...
Gastric pH monitoring in healthy, suckling pony foals. Gastric pH was monitored in neonatal foals from birth to 3 months of age. Background pH decreased, especially during the first week of life. Milk had complex effects that depended on pH prior to sucking, confounded by the age of the foal: nearly neutral background pH tended to be acidified after milk intake; moderately acid background pH tended to be neutralized; low background pH was only slightly increased by milk. Absolute magnitude of the effects of milk decreased with age. Existence of a proulcerative intragastric environment in preweaning foals is postulated, but this must be considered ...
Besnoitiosis in a horse. Besnoitiosis was confirmed in a pony which presented with inspiratory dyspnoea, scleroderma and ventral oedema. Numerous cysts were visible in the sclerae. Histological examination of the skin confirmed the presence of numerous cysts. The parasite could not be transmitted by subcutaneous injection of homogenised skin from the infected horse to rabbits and a horse. Ultrastructural morphology of the crescent-shaped bradyzoites was not compatable with Besnoitia besnoiti or B. jellisoni and it is proposed that the infection was caused by B. bennetti.
An occurrence of equine transport pneumonia caused by mixed infection with Pasteurella caballi, Streptococcus suis and Streptococcus zooepidemicus. An acute death occurred in a racehorse with pneumonia after long-distance transportation in December, 1990. Pasteurella caballi, Streptococcus suis and Streptococcus zooepidemicus were isolated from the lung at high rate. Specific antigens of these bacteria were also demonstrated immunohistologically in the pneumonic lesion. These findings indicated that the disease is equine transport pneumonia caused by a mixed infection of the three bacterial species. This is the first report on the isolation of P. caballi and S. suis from a racehorse in Japan.
Critical tests of thiabendazole, oxibendazole, and oxfendazole for drug resistance of population-B equine small strongyles (1989 and 1990). Critical tests were conducted in horses (n = 11) with naturally acquired infections of benzimidazole (BZ)-resistant population-B small strongyles in 1989 and 1990. Anthelmintics administered were thiabendazole (44 mg/kg of body weight, n = 4), oxibendazole (10 mg/kg, n = 3), and oxfendazole (OFZ, 10 mg/kg; n = 4). All compounds were paste formulations administered orally except for 1 of the OFZ treatments, which was a suspension formulation given by stomach tube. Aggregate mean efficacy was calculated for all species of small strongyles, drug-resistant and non-resistant. The highest efficacy w...
Surgical correction of an equine deviated anterior maxilla. The surgical correction of midfacial deformities of the horse have rarely been undertaken. This article describes the successful management of a submucous cleft of the maxilla in a young colt. Details of the operative and perioperative medical and surgical management are described. The horse, now 5 years of age, has sired eight normal progeny.
Equine influenza virus from the 1991 Swedish epizootic shows major genetic and antigenic divergence from the prototype virus. The antigenic properties of H3N8 equine influenza virus from the Swedish epizootic of 1991 differ from those of A/eq 2/Fontainebleau/79 (representative of the Swedish vaccine strain) in hemagglutination inhibition tests. The amino acid sequence of the hemagglutinin (HA) of an isolate from the 1991 outbreak was deduced from the nucleotide sequence and comparison was made to the A/eq 2/Fontainebleau/79 strain. Twenty-three amino acid substitutions were found, 10 mapping onto areas of the HA known to bind antibodies in human H3 influenza viruses. The amino acid changes together with the serologic...
Isolation of an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-mediated cytotoxicity liberated from chemotaxin-stimulated equine white blood cell populations. Objectives of this investigation were to extract and isolate protein fractions inhibitory to the cytotoxic properties of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). In this context, mixed populations of WBC were harvested from equine blood and were stimulated with a combination of a synthetic chemotactic peptide and a calcium ionophore. Several methods were subsequently applied for the initial preparation of cell-free crude protein extracts, including fractional precipitation with gradient concentrations of ammonium sulfate and preparative-scale isoelectric focusing. In addition, protein fraction...
[Foal diseases and foal loss]. An investigation was carried out upon occurrence and course of infectious and non infectious diseases as well as the mortality in foals born and raised at the State Stud Marbach/Lauter between 1982 and 1991. The foals have been investigated from birth to weaning, they consisted of 177 Thoroughbred Arabians and 285 German Warmblood foals (total 462 foals). The diseases were divided into pre-, peri- and postnatal according to their known or assumed cause and onset. There was a preponderance of prenatal diseases (11.25%) whereas the perinatal rate was 1.30% and the postnatal rate of diseases was ...
