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Topic:Diagnostic Technique
Diagnostic techniques in equine medicine encompass a range of procedures and tools used to identify diseases, injuries, or other health conditions in horses. These techniques include imaging methods such as radiography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as laboratory tests like blood work and tissue biopsies. Each diagnostic method provides specific information that can aid in the assessment and management of equine health issues. Radiography is commonly used for evaluating bone structures, while ultrasonography is useful for soft tissue examination. MRI offers detailed images of both soft and hard tissues, though its use is limited by cost and availability. Laboratory tests can detect biochemical and hematological changes indicative of disease. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the development, application, and efficacy of various diagnostic techniques in equine veterinary practice.
Evaluation of tests for anthelmintic resistance in cyathostomes. Resistance, especially to the anthelmintic benzimidazoles (BZ), has been reported in horse cyathostomes world-wide. Diagnosis of resistance has traditionally been made by faecal egg count reduction (FECR) trials, however, this technique has limitations. Some of the shortcomings may be resolved by refining the test or by using an in vitro test. FECR tests and the larval development assay (LDA) were performed on adult horses held on 15 different horse properties across a wide geographical area of NSW, Australia. FECR were measured before and 10-14 after days treatment with oxibendazole (OBZ), mo...
Hematology of equine fetuses with comparisons to their dams. The Hematologic values of 19 equine fetuses between 202 and 238 days gestation were compared with those of their dams. The red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were significantly lower in fetal blood, while the mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and red cell distribution width were significantly higher. Mares had a significantly higher nucleated blood cell count than fetuses, and all nucleated cells were leukocytes (WBC). Most WBC in mare blood were segmented neutrophils and lymphocytes. In contrast, ...
Analysis of feline, canine and equine hemograms using the QBC VetAutoread. Blood samples form 120 consecutive clinical cases (40 cats, 40 dogs and 40 horses) were analyzed on the QBC VetAutoread analyzer and the results compared with those obtained by a Baker 9000 electronic resistance cell counter and a 100-cell manual differential leukocyte (WBC) count. Packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and platelet, total WBC, granulocytes, and lymphocyte plus monocyte (L+M) counts were determined. Indistinct separation of red blood cell and granulocytes layers on the QBC VetAutoread was observed in samples from fiv...
Artifactually increased serum bicarbonate values in two horses and a calf with severe rhabdomyolysis. Extremely high bicarbonate (HCO3-) and anion gap values were measured in two horses and a calf using the Hitachi 911 automated serum biochemistry analyzer. All three animals had severe muscle disease as evidenced by markedly increased aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase activities. Laboratory error was suspected as the source of the increased HCO3- because values calculated from blood gas analysis were normal. It was hypothesized that increased serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and pyruvate concentration overwhelmed the oxamate LDH inhibitor in the enzymatic HCO3- assay, re...
[A multicenter study of a new Helicobacter pylori selective medium. Columbia horse blood agar HP]. We conducted a study for the growth of and selectivity for the desired microorganisms using a newly developed selective culture medium for Helicobacter pylori, Columbia horse blood agar HP (CHBHP), at three different Japanese clinical laboratories, Hokkaido, Kanto and Kyusyu. When standard strains and clinical isolates of H. pylori were examined, the recovery of the organism on the CHBHP media was comparable to that of conventional selective and nonselective media. However, colonies were obviously larger on the CHBHP media. These media yielded the highest H. pylori positive rate for clinical s...
Validation of the Coulter AcT Diff hematology analyzer for analysis of blood of common domestic animals. The objective of this study was to compare and assess the agreement between the Coulter AcT Diff hematology analyzer (CAD) and the Bayer Technicon H1 (H1) using blood samples from 391 animals of 4 species. The H1 has been used in veterinary laboratories for many years. Recently, Coulter modified the CAD and added veterinary software for hematologic analysis of feline, canine, and equine samples. A comparison of hemograms from dogs, cats, horses, and cattle was made using EDTA-anticoagulated blood samples. Both instruments were calibrated using human blood products. Performance characteristics ...
Immunohistochemical characterization of estrogen and progesterone receptors in lymphoma of horses. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to examine 29 cases of equine lymphoma for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression. The lymphomas examined included T-cell-rich large B-cell lymphomas, B-cell neoplasms, and T-cell lymphomas. The individual cases were also classified according to the anatomic location of the tumors. One normal equine lymph node was also examined for ER and PR expression. All of the cases of equine lymphoma and the normal lymph node were negative for Er. A total of 16/29 (55%) PR-positive lymphomas were identified. Seven of the 12 (58%) T-cell-ri...
Demonstration of continuously seropositive population against Borna disease virus in Misaki feral horses, a Japanese strain: a four-year follow-up study from 1998 to 2001. Borna disease virus (BDV)-specific antibodies were monitored in Misaki feral horses annually for 4 years using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA). Among 130 horses examined, 35 (26.9%) with an ECLIA count above 1000 once or more were judged as BDV seropositive. Throughout the study period, p24 antibodies were more frequent than p40 antibodies in almost all positive animals. Among the 35 seropositive horses, the ECLIA count was consistently high in 12 cases. Eleven horses seroconverted from negative to positive and 7 underwent reversal. The count in the remaining 95 horses (73.1%) ...
Neuromuscular blocking agents. In summary, with proper vigilance, neuromuscular blocking agents can be used safely in anesthetized equine patients to optimize conditions for certain surgical procedures. By appropriate use of neuromuscular monitoring techniques and reversal agents, residual blockade and muscle weakness should be avoided, allowing the horse to recover to standing without difficulty. Research is ongoing to develop the ideal muscle relaxant, one that has a rapid onset, predictable duration and recovery times, and negligible hemodynamic effects. As newer agents become available, they should be evaluated for thei...
Luteal blood flow during the estrous cycle in mares. Transrectal color Doppler ultrasound was used for the noninvasive investigation of luteal blood flow during the estrous cycle in six mares. Color was displayed in Power-Mode, in which the number of color pixels on the ultrasound image is related to the number of moving blood cells. Three pictures with a maximum number of color pixels of the corpus luteum (CL) during an examination period of about 20 min were selected and digitized on a laptop equipped with an external frame grabber card. The intra-class correlation coefficient for the number of color pixels was 0.90. In all estrous cycles simi...
Electromyographic changes of motor unit activity in horses with induced hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia. To determine whether electromyographic abnormalities are evident in skeletal muscles in horses with induced hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia. Methods: 7 healthy adult Dutch Warmblood horses. Methods: Electromyographic examination was performed in the lateral vastus, triceps, and subclavian muscles before and after IV infusion of EDTA. An initial dose (mean +/- SD, 564+/-48 ml) of a 10% solution of sodium EDTA was administered IV during a period of 21+/-73 minutes to establish a blood concentration of ionized calcium of approximately 0.5 mmol/L. Average rate of EDTA infusion to maintain ionized ...
Characterization of lipoproteins in cerebrospinal fluid of mares during pregnancy and lactation. To measure apolipoproteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from healthy mares and to determine whether CSF concentrations of apolipoproteins change during pregnancy and lactation. Methods: 5 healthy pregnant mares. Methods: 2 sets of CSF samples were obtained; initial samples were obtained 10 to 30 days before parturition (mean, 18 days; median, 17 days), and second samples were obtained 19 to 26 days after parturition (mean, 23 days; median, 23 days). Cerebrospinal fluid was collected from the lumbosacral subarachnoid space of standing horses by use of routine collection techniques. Cerebrospina...
Seroprevalence of Neospora, Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona antibodies in horses from Jeju island, South Korea. Parasite-specific antibody responses to Neospora spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, antigens were detected using the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and immunoblot analysis in a korean equine population located on Jeju island, South Korea (126 degrees 12' E and 33 degrees 34' N). For comparison, a naturally infected Neospora hughesi horse and an experimentally inoculated T. gondii equid (pony) were used. In addition, all samples were tested for antibodies to Sarcocystis neurona by immunoblot analysis. A total of 191 serum samples from clinically normal horses were evaluated. Only 2% (4 out ...
Antigen-specific IgG(T) responses in natural and experimental cyathostominae infection in horses. Equine clinical larval cyathostominosis is caused by simultaneous mass emergence of previously inhibited larvae from the mucosa of the colon. Clinical signs include diarrhoea, colic, weight loss and malaise, and in up to 50% of cases, the disease results in death. Cyathostominae spend a large part of their life cycle as larval stages in the intestinal mucosa. Definitive diagnosis is difficult due to the lack of diagnostic methods for pre-patent infection. In the present study, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to investigate isotype responses to larval cyathostominae somat...
The isomeric metabolites of doxepin in equine serum and urine. Due to its tranquilizing properties, the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin may be misused as a doping agent in competition horses. Therefore, efficient analytical procedures are required to detect this drug in samples submitted for doping control. To screen for parent doxepin in equine blood and urine, a less specific method has been accepted employing gas chromatography (GC) combined with electron impact (EI) mass spectrometry (MS). The aim of this study was identification of doxepin metabolites providing more specific MS data to verify positives resulting from screening. Thus, after a horse w...
High-avidity human serum antibodies recognizing linear epitopes of Borna disease virus proteins. The recent observation that Borna disease virus (BDV)-reactive antibodies from psychiatric patients exhibit only low avidity for BDV antigen called into question their diagnostic value and raised the possibility that antigenically related microorganisms or self antigens caused the production of these antibodies. We further characterized the specificity of these antibodies. Methods: We established a peptide array-based screening test that allows the identification of antibodies directed against linear epitopes of the two major BDV proteins, the nucleoprotein (N) and the phosphoprotein (P). Resu...
Prevalence of equine herpesvirus types 2 and 5 in horse populations by using type-specific PCR assays. Equineherpesvirustypes 2 and 5 (EHV-2andEHV-5)have a rather unclearpathogenicity and distribution within the equid population. In order to gain more information on the prevalence of these two viruses, type-specific PCR assays were developed to detect viral DNA in nasal specimens and in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of adult horses and foals from various regions of Europe, i.e. Sweden, Hungary and the United Kingdom. In adult horses, the prevalence of EHV-2 in PBLs was up to 68% in Sweden and 71% in the United Kingdom. EHV-2 DNA was detected in the PBLs from all the foals tested in all cou...
Isolation of Salem virus, a novel equine paramyxovirus, and assessment of its etiologic role in a disease outbreak. Salem virus (SalV) is a recently identified equine virus belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae. The only known isolate was obtained from a horse that was involved in a disease outbreak of undetermined nature and the circumstances of its isolation suggested an etiologic role. However, the experimental infection of a colostrum-deprived foal failed to reproduce the disease; only mild neutropenia and temperature elevation were recorded. An additional attempt to establish an etiological relationship with the disease was made by conducting a retrospective evaluation of the serological profiles of ...
Culture, isolation and propagation of Babesia caballi from naturally infected horses. Thirteen blood samples of horses from South Africa, five of which were seropositive for Babesia caballi and eight for both B. caballi and Theileria equi, were subjected to in vitro culture to identify carrier animals. None of the animals had a detectable parasitaemia on Giemsa-stained blood smears before culture initiation. Cultures were initiated in L-cysteine-enriched medium, either in an oxygen-reduced gas mixture or in a 5% CO2-in-air atmosphere. All five animals seropositive for B. caballi were identified as carrier animals using an oxygen-reduced atmosphere, whereas only four samples bec...
Inhibin concentrations in mares with granulosa cell tumors. The hormone-producing equine granulosa cell tumor (GCT) may secrete high levels of inhibin. Measurement of inhibin concentrations may be useful in the diagnosis and conformation of mares with GCT. Inhibin may be measured using RIA, which recognizes dimeric alphabetaA-inhibin as well as the monomeric (free) inhibin alpha-subunit, or using a two-site immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) specific for alphabetaA-inhibin. The objective of this study was to examine concurrent relationships among alpha-inhibin (as measured using RIA), alphabetaA-inhibin (as measured using IRMA), and other hormones (testost...
Alveolar macrophage graded hemosiderin score from bronchoalveolar lavage in horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage and controls. The objective of this study was to determine if a quantitative scoring system for evaluation of hemosiderin content of alveolar macrophages obtained by bronchoalevolar lavage provides a more sensitive test for the detection of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in horses than does endoscopy of the lower airways. A sample population composed of 74 Standardbred racehorses aged 2-5 years was used. Horses were grouped as either control (EIPH-negative) or EIPH-positive based on history and repeated postexertional endoscopic evaluation of the bronchial airways. Bronchoalveolar lavage was p...
Paecilomycosis in dogs and horses and a review of the literature. We reviewed 14 cases of paecilomycosis in a tertiary care veterinary hospital and all reports of the disease in the veterinary literature. Paecilomycosis is a rare disease primarily of dogs, horses, reptiles, and humans. Clinical manifestations in veterinary patients vary but include disseminated disease and diskospondylitis, particularly in dogs: pneumonia in dogs, horses, and reptiles; keratitis in horses; and miscellaneous local infections. It is important to have an appropriate index of suspicion because the diagnosis can be difficult, particularly in localized disease where it is difficul...
Artifactual changes in equine blood following storage, detected using the Advia 120 hematology analyzer. Delayed analysis of blood samples may be caused by restricted access to laboratories. Artifactual changes may occur in the measured analytes as a consequence of delayed analysis and may complicate interpretation of the data. Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize artifactual changes in equine blood, due to storage, using the Advia 120 hematology analyzer. Methods: Samples of blood from 5 horses were analyzed using the Advia 120 soon after collection and again after 24 and 48 hours of storage at either 4 degrees C or ambient laboratory temperature ( approximately 24 degrees C)...
High prevalence of mycoplasmas in the genital tract of asymptomatic stallions in Austria. Mycoplasma equigenitalium and M. subdolum have been implicated in genital disorders and infertility of horses. The reported cytopathic effects of M. equigenitalium observed in vitro underscore its potential pathogenic role in reproductive dysfunction in mares. This study was initiated to determine the prevalence of mycoplasmas in the genital tract of stallions in relationship to age, clinical signs, geographic location and semen quality. For this purpose the mycoplasma flora of the genital tract of 116 stallions of the Noric breed was determined by isolation and colony immunoblotting and by po...
Values of urine specific gravity for thoroughbred horses treated with furosemide prior to racing compared with untreated horses. The distribution of specific gravity values for 2,599 urine samples collected from racing Thoroughbred horses that were known to have received furosemide prior to racing was compared with that for 1,669 urine samples from racing Thoroughbred horses that reportedly had not received furosemide. Values of specific gravity for furosemide-treated horses were significantly lower (P < 0.001) than those for horses that had not received furosemide, and the proportion of horses with urine specific gravity either <1.010 or <1.012 was significantly greater (P < 0.001) among the furosemide-trea...
Validity of pulmonary function indices derived from the volumetric capnogram in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy with which pulmonary function indices derived from the volumetric capnogram can diagnose different degrees of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in 63 warmblood horses. The sensitivity, specificity, the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), optimal cut-off values and predictive values of the indices were calculated. The results obtained have shown that there is no single index characterised by specificity and sensitivity to differentiate with an accuracy of >90 per cent between the different degrees of RAO compared to the cl...
Comparison of refractometer and biuret methods for total protein measurement in body cavity fluids. Most hand-held medical refractometers have internal scales that limit protein measurement to results >/=2.5 g/dL. Tables for conversion of refraction (r) to protein concentration for values as low as 0.1 g/dL were published in the 1960s, but their accuracy for use on body fluids has not been established. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of body cavity fluid protein determination by refractometry. We compared the protein concentration of 25 body cavity fluids as determined by 2 Goldberg type hand-held refractometers with results obtained by the biuret method. Published...
