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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.
Influence of multiple factors on hematologic reference intervals in horses residing in livery yards in Spain. The hemogram is a routine analysis for equine veterinary practitioners in the assessment of patient clinical status. Reference intervals (RIs) of hematologic constituents vary according to different horse populations and are often described for a particular breed or horse type. The aims of this study were to determine RIs for hematologic constituents in a mixed-breed horse population residing in livery yards in central Spain and evaluate the associations between estimated RIs and multiple phenotypic and management characteristics. A total of 122 healthy horses from different breeds in central ...
Elastosonographic features of the metacarpophalangeal joint capsule in horses. Capsulitis leads to the release of inflammatory mediators in the joint, causing capsular fibrosis and osteoarthritis (OA). Strain elastosonography (SE) measures the elasticity of tissue by evaluating its strain in operator-dependent deformation. The aims of the study were to assess the feasibility, repeatability, and reproducibility of SE for imaging the distal attachment of the joint capsule (DJC) of metacarpophalangeal joints in sound horses (Group S) and in horses with metacarpophalangeal OA (Group P) and to evaluate differences in the elastosonographic patterns of these horses. After a who...
Sevoflurane or isoflurane anaesthesia? A prospective, randomised blinded clinical trial in horses undergoing elective surgery. Isoflurane is the only volatile anaesthetic agent licensed for equine use in the United Kingdom, but sevoflurane is also commonly used. The two agents have rarely been compared for use in clinical elective surgery. Methods: This single centre, prospective, randomised, blinded clinical investigation recruited 101 healthy client owned horses undergoing elective surgery. Anaesthesia was standardised and horses randomly assigned to receive isoflurane (I) or sevoflurane (S) for maintenance of anaesthesia in 100% oxygen. Horses were ventilated to normocapnia and received intravenous fluid therapy an...
Biplanar High-Speed Fluoroscopy of Pony Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon (SDFT)-An In Vivo Pilot Study. The superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is the most frequently injured structure of the musculoskeletal system in sport horses and a common cause for early retirement. This project's aim was to visualize and measure the strain of the sound, injured, and healing SDFTs in a pony during walk and trot. For this purpose, biplanar high-speed fluoroscopic kinematography (FluoKin), as a high precision X-ray movement analysis tool, was used for the first time in vivo with equine tendons. The strain in the metacarpal region of the sound SDFT was 2.86% during walk and 6.78% during trot. When injured...
Clinical, pathologic, and epidemiologic features of nocardioform placentitis in the mare. Placentitis is the leading cause of infectious abortion in the horse and contributes to roughly 19% of all abortions in the United States. A type of placental infection, nocardioform placentitis (NP) is associated with gram-positive branching actinomycetes localized within the ventral body of the feto-maternal interface to create a lymphoplasmacytic mucoid lesion. While the etiology of this disease is poorly described, this placental infection continues to cause episodic abortions in addition to weak and/or growth retarded neonates. The goal of the present study was to perform a comprehensive ...
Renal Resistive Index as A Potential Indicator of Acute Kidney Injury in Horses. Reliable and simple tests are constantly being sought to enable the quick detection of acute kidney injury in humans and animals. Diagnosis of subclinical AKI in horses, mainly in field practice, is difficult. An ultrasound scan is a routine test performed when kidney disease is suspected. The aim of the study was to establish the value of the renal resistive index (RRI) in intrarenal arteries in horses with clinical AKI and compare it to that of healthy horses. The second goal was to determine whether potentially nephrotoxic agents can influence RRI. The kidney ultrasonography examination was...
Construction and Application of an In-House Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) Database Specific to Bacteria From Horses. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is used for identification of bacterial species isolated from horses. However, because of insufficiencies in the reference database, some bacterial species isolated from horses are difficult to identify with MALDI-TOF MS, and enriching the databases is expected to enhance the accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS identification. Here we created an in-house database including 271 bacterial isolates from horses. Furthermore, we used an enhanced database (our in-house database plus a commercially provided database) to ...
Relationship between endogenous plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentration and reproductive performance in Thoroughbred broodmares. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is an endocrine disorder the clinical signs of which include infertility, but few reports have examined the relationship between PPID and reproductive performance in broodmares. Objective: Broodmares with infertility of unknown etiology were screened for PPID using baseline endogenous plasma ACTH concentrations, and its relationship with subsequent reproductive performance was analyzed. Methods: Sixty-seven Thoroughbred broodmares. Methods: Adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations were measured in autumn. The broodmares were divided into 3 groups ...
Association between the Area of the Highest Flank Temperature and Concentrations of Reproductive Hormones during Pregnancy in Polish Konik Horses-A Preliminary Study. Determination of the pregnancy status is one of the most important factors for effective pregnancy management. Knowledge of the stage of pregnancy is important to interpret many of the reproductive hormones' concentrations, including progesterone (P4), estrone sulfate (E1S), 17-ß estradiol (E2), and relaxin (REL). However, it is limited in wildlife or captive equids that cannot be handled. Reproductive hormones affect regional blood flow, the proliferation of tissues, and local metabolism intensity. Therefore, this preliminary study aimed to assess changes in thermal features of the abdomen l...
Three Manual Noncommercial Methods to Prepare Equine Platelet-Rich Plasma. In light of PRP's increasing popularity in veterinary practice, this study aimed to compare three manual methods to prepare and cool equine PRP. The blood of 18 clinically healthy mares was collected via venipuncture in a blood transfusion bag (method 1), blood tubes (method 2), and a syringe (method 3). In method 1, samples were double centrifuged; method 2 involved one centrifugation, and in method 3 the syringe was kept in an upright position to sediment for 4 h. After processing with three methods, PRP and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were extracted and assessed for red (RBC) and white blood...
Novel Algorithms for Comprehensive Untargeted Detection of Doping Agents in Biological Samples. To address the limitations of current targeted analytical methods that can only detect known doping agents, a novel methodology that permits untargeted drug detection (UDD) has been developed to help in the fight against doping in sports. Fifty-seven drugs were spiked into blank equine plasma and were treated as unknowns since their exact masses and chromatographic retention times were not utilized for detection. The spiked drugs were extracted from the plasma samples and were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The acquired LC-HRMS raw ...
Extracranial guiding structures for navigation to specific topographical sectors of the equine neopallium: an anatomical investigation performing three-dimensional distance measurements in adult warm-blooded horses. This basically anatomical study focuses on two items; firstly, the establishment of a system for the cartographic subdivision of the neopallium; secondly, the topographical correlation of extracranial landmarks and intracranial sites on the neopallium. Methods: The surface of the neopallium was subdivided into 15 sectors with reference to a newly introduced pattern of Primary Sulci. The topographical link between extracranial landmarks and certain intracranial sites (i.e. neopallium sectors) was elaborated by using a simple stereotactic device and a computer-assisted measurement device. Measur...
Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of basal plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone concentration for diagnosing pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction in horses: A systematic review. Measurement of basal adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) is currently used to diagnose pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in horses, yet a systematic review of the evidence for its use has not been undertaken. This study aimed to systematically review evidence regarding the sensitivity and specificity of the basal ACTH diagnostic test. Electronic databases were systematically searched in January 2019, September 2020 and January 2021, for English language publications published prior to these dates. Screening, data extraction and quality assessment of publications was undertaken by th...
Circovirus in Blood of a Febrile Horse with Hepatitis. Circoviruses infect vertebrates where they can result in a wide range of disease signs or in asymptomatic infections. Using viral metagenomics we analyzed a pool of five sera from four healthy and one sick horse. Sequences from parvovirus-H, equus anellovirus, and distantly related to mammalian circoviruses were recognized. PCR identified the circovirus reads as originating from a pregnant mare with fever and hepatitis. That horse's serum was also positive by real time PCR for equine parvovirus H and negative for the flavivirus equine hepacivirus. The complete circular genome of equine circovi...
Screening and detection of chromosomal copy number alterations in the domestic horse using SNP-array genotyping data. Chromosomal abnormalities are a common cause of infertility in horses. However, they are difficult to detect using automated methods. Here, we propose a simple methodology based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-array data that allows us to detect the main chromosomal abnormalities in horses in a single procedure. As proof of concept, we were able to detect chromosomal abnormalities in 33 out of 268 individuals, including monosomies, chimerisms, and male and female sex-reversions, by analyzing the raw signal intensity produced by an SNP array-based genotyping platform. We also demonstrat...
ANCHOR-tagged equine herpesvirus 1: A new tool for monitoring viral infection and discovering new antiviral compounds. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a causative agent of respiratory disorders, abortion and myeloencephalopathy in horses and has an important impact on equine health and economy. Several bacterial artificial chromosomes have already been developed and enabled identification and functional characterization of EHV-1 genes. Unfortunately, little is known about its replication. Here, the ANCHOR system was inserted by targeted homologous recombination into the equine herpesvirus genome. This insertion led to the conversion of EHV-1 DNA to auto-fluorescent spots easily detectable by fluorescence micro...
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...
