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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 mare endometrial cytology using the novel cytotape technique. The cytobrush is considered the method of choice to obtain endometrial samples. Rigid brush fibers, however, may induce endometrial irritation and bleeding, or cell fragmentation, decreasing quality and diagnostic value of the samples. It was hypothesized that samples collected using a novel cytotape would provide sample smears of greater quality and less blood contamination than the cytobrush. Endometrial samples were collected with a cytotape and a cytobrush from ten mares without endometritis. Endometritis was then induced with artificial insemination, and samples were again collected 6 h a...
The effect of ischaemic postconditioning on mucosal integrity and function in equine jejunal ischaemia. Ischaemic postconditioning (IPoC) has been shown to ameliorate ischaemia reperfusion injury in different species and tissues. Objective: To assess the feasibility of IPoC in equine small intestinal ischaemia and to assess its effect on histomorphology, electrophysiology and paracellular permeability. Methods: Randomised in vivo experiment. Methods: Experimental jejunal ischaemia was induced for 90 min in horses under general anaesthesia. In the control group (C; n = 7), the jejunum was reperfused without further intervention. In the postconditioning group (IPoC; n = 7), reocclusion was im...
Establishment of a post-race biomarkers database and application of pathway analysis to identify potential biomarkers in post-race equine plasma. In the context of doping control, conventional direct chemical testing detects only a limited scope of target substances in equine biological samples. To expand the ability to detect doping agents and their detection windows, metabolomics has recently become a common approach for monitoring alteration of biomarkers caused by doping agents in relevant metabolic pathways. In horse racing, remarkable changes in metabolic profiles between the rest state and racing are likely to affect the identification of doping biomarkers. Previously, we reported a limited number of significantly upregulated met...
Hemodynamic changes in cytokines, chemokines, acute phase proteins and prostaglandins in mares with subclinical endometritis. Apparently healthy mares with conception failure or embryonic loss may have subclinical endometritis (SE). Our objective was to document evidence of systemic immune responses against SE in mares. In apparently healthy (control) mares as well as those with chronic endometritis (ChE) or subacute suppurative endometritis (SSE), both considered classes of SE, serum concentrations of cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF), chemokines (IL-8), acute phase protein (SAA), and plasma concentrations of prostaglandins (PGF and PGE) were measured using validated enzyme linked immunoassays (EIA). Mixed-bre...
The use of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to evaluate pulse rate in anaesthetised horses. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) provides clinically useful lung images; however, it would be an advantage to extract additional cardiovascular information from the data. The aim of this study was to evaluate if cardiac-related changes measured by EIT can be used to measure pulse rate (PR) under physiological as well as high and low blood pressure states in anaesthetised horses. Electrical impedance tomography data and PR from seven horses anaesthetised in dorsal recumbency were recorded over 1 min during mechanical ventilation and 1 min of apnoea. Data were collected at four measurement ...
Development and performance of an automated fecal egg count system for small ruminant strongylids. An automated equine fecal egg count test, known as the Parasight System, was modified for use with small ruminants. Modifications included the introduction of a short centrifugation step in a floatation medium, an adjustment in pre-test sample filtering, and training of an image analysis-based egg counting algorithm to recognize and enumerate trichostrongylid eggs. In preliminary assessments, the modified method produced trichostrongylid egg counts comparable to manual McMaster analyses of the same samples from both ovine and caprine sources. The coefficient of determination (R) for the linear...
Multidetector CT and cone-beam CT have substantial agreement in detecting dental and sinus abnormalities in equine cadaver heads. The performance of cone-beam CT (CBCT) systems compared to conventional helical multidetector CT (MDCT) imaging of the equine head is unknown. The aim of this prospective, method-comparison study was to compare the ability of CBCT and MDCT to detect abnormalities in equine cadaver heads. Eleven equine cadaver heads were scanned using a CBCT scanner and a 64-slice MDCT scanner. Consensus evaluations for CBCT and MDCT scans were performed by three observers. Identified abnormalities were grouped into subcategories with a focus on dental abnormalities. Kappa agreement values between detected abno...
Can bronchoconstriction and bronchodilatation in horses be detected using electrical impedance tomography? Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) generates images of the lungs based on impedance change and was able to detect changes in airflow after histamine challenge in horses. Objective: To confirm that EIT can detect histamine-provoked changes in airflow and subsequent drug-induced bronchodilatation. Novel EIT flow variables were developed and examined for changes in airflow. Methods: Bronchoconstriction was induced using stepwise histamine bronchoprovocation in 17 healthy sedated horses. The EIT variables were recorded at baseline, after saline nebulization (control), at the histamine concentra...
Use of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) to Estimate Tidal Volume in Anaesthetized Horses Undergoing Elective Surgery. This study explores the application of electric impedance tomography (EIT) to estimate tidal volume (VT) by measuring impedance change per breath (∆Z). Seventeen healthy horses were anaesthetised and mechanically ventilated for elective procedures requiring dorsal recumbency. Spirometric VT (VT) and ∆Z were recorded periodically; up to six times throughout anaesthesia. Part 1 assessed these variables at incremental delivered VT of 10, 12 and 15 mL/kg. Part 2 estimated VT (VT) in litres from ∆Z at three additional measurement points using a line of best fit obtained from Part 1. During pa...
Serum and cerebrospinal fluid phosphorylated neurofilament heavy protein concentrations in equine neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, there is little information regarding the concentrations of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy protein (pNfH) in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of horses with neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, pNfH concentrations have not yet been evaluated in horses with equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM). Objective: To determine pNfH concentrations using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum and CSF from control horses and horses with eNAD/EDM, cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) and Shivers. Metho...
hCG is more effective than the GnRH agonist buserelin for inducing the first ovulation of the breeding season in mares. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) and Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone agonists (GnRHa) are routinely used to induce ovulation in mares. However, GnRHa efficacy in transitional mares has been suggested to be low. Objective: The aims of this study were as follows: (a) to compare the efficacy of hCG and GnRHa in inducing the first ovulation of the breeding season and (b) to evaluate the correlation between ovulatory response, uterine oedema and teasing score at the time of treatment during the early or late transitional phase. Methods: Randomised controlled superiority trial. Methods: Mares in wi...
The Use of Molecular Profiling to Track Equine Reinfection Rates of Cyathostomin Species Following Anthelmintic Administration. Cyathostomins are a multispecies parasite ubiquitous in Equids. Cyathostomins have developed resistance to all but one class of anthelmintics, but species-level sensitivity to anthelmintics has not been shown. This study measured reinfection rates of cyathostomin species following the administration of three commercial dewormers. Nine treated horses were compared with 90 untreated controls during June-September 2017-2019. Ivermectin (IVM) (n = 6), Moxidectin (MOX) (n = 8) or Pyrantel (PYR) (n = 8) were orally administered. Fecal samples were collected every 14 d for 98 d. Fecal egg count reduc...
Parascaris spp. eggs in horses of Italy: a large-scale epidemiological analysis of the egg excretion and conditioning factors. Equine ascariosis, caused by Parascaris spp., is a worldwide endoparasitic disease affecting young horses in particular. Despite the great number of horses reared in Italy, large-scale epidemiological surveys dealing with ascariosis prevalence in the country are not reported in the current literature. For this reason, the present survey aims to describe, for the first time, the spread and infestation of Parascaris spp. in a large population of Italian horses (6896 animals) using faecal egg counts, and further to identify risk factors associated with ascarid egg shedding. Methods: Individual re...
Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Helminthiasis in Horses and Donkeys of Hawassa District, Southern Ethiopia. Gastrointestinal helminth parasite infection is a major influencing factor against the profitability of working equines all over the world. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal tract (GI) helminths and assess the associated risk factors in donkeys and horses in the Hawassa district. A total of 214 fecal samples were collected from randomly selected equines (112 donkeys and 102 horses) and examined for the presence of eggs of GI helminths using standard coprological techniques. Results: According to the current study, the prevalence of G...
Detection and inhibition of IgE antibodies reactive with cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants in an ELISA for allergen-specific IgE in horses. It has been demonstrated that immunoglobulin (Ig)E specific for cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCD) is present in the serum of sensitized humans, dogs and cats, and that these CCD-specific antibodies might confound serological testing. Objective: The objective was to determine whether or not CCD-reactive antibodies occur in horses and to investigate the prevalence of CCD-reactive IgE antibodies in equine sera using a monoclonal cocktail-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay designed to detect allergen-specific IgE in horses, and to evaluate a means for successful inhibition of the...
A study of ultrasound-guided perineural injection of the caudal cervical spinal nerve roots in equine cadavers. To develop an ultrasound-guided cervical perineural injection technique for horses and to evaluate and compare the distribution of contrast agent among perineural, intra-articular and periarticular injections. Methods: Prospective, experimental cadaveric study. Methods: A total of 14 equine cadaveric necks. Methods: Bilateral ultrasound-guided perineural injection technique for the caudal cervical spinal nerve roots (CSNRs 5-7) was developed. Paramagnetic or iodinated contrast was injected and the distribution of contrast was evaluated using magnetic resonance (MR) or computed tomography (CT) ...
Antimicrobial resistance in clinical bacterial isolates from horses in the UK. Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in horses is important to aid empirical treatment decisions and highlight emerging AMR threats. Objective: To describe the AMR patterns of common groups of bacteria from clinical submissions from horses in the UK during 2018, and to determine how this varies by sample site and type of submitting veterinary practice. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: All data on bacterial culture and subsequent antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) collected in 2018 from six large equine diagnostic laboratories were included. Resistance patter...
Nicoletella semolina in the airways of healthy horses and horses with severe asthma. Nicoletella semolina was identified in the airways of horses and its low prevalence could be because of its difficult differentiation from other Pasteurellaceae. Objective: To develop a molecular method for the identification of N. semolina and to evaluate its prevalence in the mouth and the airways of healthy and severe asthmatic horses. Methods: Six healthy and 6 severely asthmatic horses in phase I, 10 severely asthmatic horses in phase II, and 10 healthy horses in phase III. Methods: Cohort (phases I and II) and cross-sectional (phase III) studies. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction pr...
miRNAs detection in equine plasma by quantitative polymerase chain reaction for doping control: Assessment of blood sampling and study of eca-miR-144 as potential erythropoiesis stimulating agent biomarker. Short half-life doping substances are, quickly eliminated and therefore difficult to control with traditional analytical chemistry methods. Indirect methods targeting biomarkers constitute an alternative to extend detection time frames in doping control analyses. Gene expression analysis (i.e., transcriptomics) has already shown interesting results in both humans and equines for erythropoietin (EPO), growth hormone (GH), and anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) misuses. In humans, circulating cell-free microRNAs in plasma were described as new potential biomarkers for control of major doping agen...
Development of a 3′:5′ digital PCR assay to determine horse mRNA integrity. Accurate tools to measure RNA integrity are essential to obtain reliable gene expression data. The reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) based 3':5' assay permits a direct determination of messenger RNA (mRNA) integrity. However, the use of standard curves and the possible effect of PCR inhibitors make this method cumbersome and prone to variation, especially in small samples. Here we developed a triplex digital PCR (dPCR) 3':5' assay for assessing RNA integrity in equine samples as rapid and simple alternative to RT-qPCR. This dPCR assay not only provides a straight forward analysi...
Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) Proteomic Analysis of Saliva in Horses with Acute Abdominal Disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the salivary proteome in horses with acute abdominal disease (AAD) using a tandem mass tags (TMT)-based proteomic approach. The saliva samples from eight horses with AAD were compared with six healthy horses in the proteomic study. Additionally, saliva samples from eight horses with AAD and eight controls were used to validate lactoferrin (LF) in saliva. The TMT analysis quantified 118 proteins. Of these, 17 differed significantly between horses with AAD and the healthy controls, 11 being downregulated and 6 upregulated. Our results showe...
First isolation of Trichophyton bullosum from a horse with dermatophytosis in Japan. Trichophyton bullosum is a zoophilic dermatophyte that has been rarely isolated from horses and humans in Africa and Europe. This is the first reported isolation of T. bullosum from a horse with dermatophytosis in Japan. The isolate from a skin lesion formed a cream-colored and waxy colony that was slightly elevated in the center. Sequencing of the internal transcribe spacer region of the isolate revealed that it was 100% identical to that of T. bullosum.
Standing trans-nasal endoscopic guided CO2 laser fenestration of the palatine bone to access the sphenopalatine sinus in a horse. To describe a novel standing trans-nasal endoscopic guided CO2 laser fenestration approach to access the sphenopalatine sinus (SPS) in the horse. Methods: Case report. Methods: Cadaver study and client-owned 20-year-old Warmblood gelding. Methods: The rostral palatine bone within the nasopharynx was investigated as a possible site for fenestration to access the SPS in cadavers. The ability to fenestrate the SPS was tested in cadavers using a flexible endoscope and CO2 laser fiber inserted via biopsy channel. The fenestration procedure was then performed in a clinical case presented for unilate...
Robustness of Digital PCR and Real-Time PCR in Transgene Detection for Gene-Doping Control. Gene doping is banned in human sports, horseracing, and equestrian sports. One possible form of gene doping is to administer exogenous genes, called transgenes. Several transgene detection methods based on quantitative PCR have been developed. In this study, we investigated the robustness of digital PCR and real-time PCR in transgene detection using primers and probes that matched (P-true) or incompletely matched (P-false) the template DNA. Fluorescence intensity was significantly reduced when substituted probes were used compared to that using the matched probe in both digital and real-time P...
Molecular identification and subtype distribution of Blastocystis sp. in farm and pet animals in Turkey. A total of 1340 fresh fecal samples from farm and pet animals in Central Anatolia and the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey were investigated using a PCR assay targeting the SSU rRNA of Blastocystis sp. An overall Blastocystis sp. prevalence of 19.4% (183/940) was found in farm animals, including cattle, sheep, water buffaloes, and chickens. Fecal samples of dogs, cats, and horses were negative. The highest prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was found in sheep (38.2%) among the farm animals. The SSU rRNA sequence analysis revealed two animal-specific subtypes, including ST10 in cattle and sheep an...
Evaluation of transpalpebral ultrasonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter for indirect assessment of intracranial pressure in anesthetized and standing healthy adult horses. To determine whether an association exists between direct intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement and ultrasonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in anesthetized and standing horses. Methods: Cross-sectional study performed on a convenience sample of healthy adult horses. Methods: University teaching hospital. Methods: Eight adult horses donated to the University. Enrolled horses were free of abnormalities on physical examination, CBC, neurological evaluation, and ophthalmological examination. Results: Horses were anesthetized in lateral recumbency for placement of an IC...
A Fast PCR Test for the Simultaneous Identification of Species and Gender in Horses, Donkeys, Mules and Hinnies. Having considered that the current methods are costly and time-consuming, we designed an only 3 pairs primer-based PCR test to accurately identify the species and gender in horses, donkeys, mules and hinnies. Through a thorough sequence comparison between horse and donkey's highly similar genomes, and a vast amount of preliminary confirmation, we found that three fragments, CNGB3 gene on an autosome, displacement loop region on mitochondrial DNA and SRY genes on chromosome Y, within these equine DNA, are enough to enable us achieving our goal. The PCR test described here would be an economical...
Capturing Beneficial Changes to Racehorse Veterinary Care Implemented during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In March 2020, the World Health Organisation called for countries to take urgent and aggressive action against a global pandemic caused by COVID-19. Restrictions were introduced in many countries to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and ultimately deaths. Such restrictions have been colloquially referred to as "lockdown". Anecdotal evidence of the beneficial practices that facilitated safe veterinary treatment and equine care had been reported together with an increase in the use of electronic communication and information technologies during the first "lockdown". Thus, the aim of this qualitati...
