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Topic:Disease Diagnosis
Disease diagnosis in horses involves the identification and characterization of illnesses through various diagnostic methods and tools. This process is essential for effective veterinary care and management of equine health. Techniques used in diagnosing diseases in horses include clinical examinations, laboratory tests, imaging modalities such as ultrasonography and radiography, and molecular diagnostics. Blood tests are frequently utilized to assess parameters such as complete blood count and biochemical profiles, which can indicate underlying health issues. Additionally, advancements in genetic testing and biomarker identification have enhanced the ability to detect specific diseases early. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore diagnostic methodologies, their applications, and their impact on equine health management.
Compounds commonly used in equine medicine inhibits the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv11.1. The voltage-gated K-channel K11.1 has a central role in cardiac repolarization. Blockage of K11.1 has been linked to severe cardiovascular side effects, such as acquired long QT syndrome (aLQTS), torsade de pointes arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD). K11.1 is susceptible to unspecific drug interactions due to the presence of two aromatic amino acids residing in the inner vestibule of the pore. These aromatic residues are also present in the equine orthologue of K11.1. This suggests that equine K11.1 may also be prone to high-affinity block by a range of different chemical entities, whic...
Communication between the distal interphalangeal joint and the navicular bursa in the horse at Computed Tomography Arthrography. Diffusion of drugs injected into the distal interphalangeal joint or the navicular (podotrochlear) bursa can influence diagnosis and treatment of foot pain. Previous anatomical and radiographic studies of the communication between these synovial structures have produced conflicting results and did not identify the location of any communication if present. This anatomic study aimed to assess the presence and site of communication between the distal interphalangeal joint and the navicular bursa in the horse by computed tomography arthrography. Sixty-six pairs of cadaver forelimbs were injected w...
Evaluation of standing low-field magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis of advanced distal interphalangeal primary degenerative joint disease in horses: 12 cases (2010-2014). OBJECTIVE To report history, findings from clinical examinations and diagnostic imaging, treatment, and outcomes associated with distal interphalangeal primary degenerative joint disease (DIP-PDJD) and to evaluate diagnostic usefulness and limitations of standing low-field MRI, relative to radiography and ultrasonography, for the diagnosis of DIP-PDJD in horses. DESIGN Retrospective case series with nested evaluation study. ANIMALS 12 client-owned horses. PROCEDURES Medical records were reviewed, and data were collected regarding signalment, history, results of physical and diagnostic imaging ...
Outcome following computed tomographic imaging and subsequent surgical removal of keratomas in equids: 32 cases (2005-2016). OBJECTIVE To describe the use of CT in the diagnosis of and presurgical planning for equids with keratomas treated by hoof wall resection and determine postoperative complications and outcome. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 29 horses and 3 mules with keratomas treated by partial or complete hoof wall resection following CT imaging of the distal portion of the affected extremity from 2005 through 2016. PROCEDURES For each equid, physical examination and lameness evaluation were performed, followed by imaging of the distal portion of the affected extremity. A tentative diagnosis of ke...
The reliability and forensic soundness of the equine shin circumference measurement in living animals versus post‑mortem examination. Catastrophic injuries in racehorses mostly involve the metacarpal region. Although many studies describe fractures of equine limbs, few examine the relationship between bone morphometrics and musculoskeletal problems in racing horses. And yet, according to the regulation of some Italian traditional races, the shin circumference represents a qualifying prerequisite for horses to be admitted to races. This study aims to evaluate the conformity of the shin circumference measurement in living animals and in post‑mortem examinations, in order to evaluate the forensic reliability of these measurem...
ECHINOCOCCUS EQUINUS HYDATID CYST IN THE LIVER OF A PRZEWALSKI’S HORSE ( EQUUS PRZEWALSKII) IN A CANADIAN ZOO. A 23-yr-old captive-born Przewalski's horse mare ( Equus przewalskii) was euthanized at a Canadian zoo because of severe colic resulting from rupture of a jejunal pseudodiverticulum. An incidental finding of an encysted larval cestode within a hepatic granuloma was diagnosed on histopathology. Gel-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on liver tissue was positive for Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, and deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing of the PCR product was 100% homologous with Echinococcus equinus. This appears to be the first molecular confirmation of E. equinus in North America, and the...
Anti-Horse Podoplanin Monoclonal Antibody PMab-219 is Useful for Detecting Lymphatic Endothelial Cells by Immunohistochemical Analysis. Podoplanin (PDPN) is expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells, where it induces platelet aggregation through C-type lectin-like receptor-2 (CLEC-2). This protein has been characterized for a number of animal species using specific anti-PDPN monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We recently established the mAb against horse PDPN (horPDPN) named PMab-219. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether PMab-219 can detect lymphatic endothelial cells in horse tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that PMab-219 strongly stained lymphatic endothelial cells in horse colon tissues, indicating ...
Measurement of plasma endothelin-1 concentration in healthy horses and horses with cardiac disease during rest and after exercise. Cardiac biomarkers are important tools for monitoring disease progress and can monitor progression of therapy. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) has been studied for its use as a cardiac biomarker in human and small animal medicine while in horses with cardiac disease it has not been evaluated yet. The objective of the present study was to determine the concentration of plasma ET-1 in healthy horses and compare it with ET-1 concentration in horses with cardiac disease during rest and after exercise. Fifty four horses admitted to the Equine Clinic of Free University of Berlin were used in the present study, ...
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Trypanosoma evansi from Northern India based on 18S ribosomal gene. Six Trypanosoma evansi isolates were collected from ponies (PH1 and PK6), camel (CB2), donkeys (DJ3 and DH4) and cattle (CK5) from different States of Northern India (Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat) for molecular characterization based on 18S rRNA gene. The 18S rRNA gene (2251 bp) of different isolates was amplified, cloned and custom sequenced separately. Based on sequence and phylogenetic analysis of all six isolates, collected from different hosts as well as geographical areas, were having high identity among Indian T. evansi strains (99.7%) and with other strains of T. eva...
Predictive value of plasma and peritoneal creatine kinase in horses with strangulating intestinal lesions. To determine the ability of plasma and peritoneal creatine kinase (CK) to predict the presence of a strangulating lesion in horses presented for colic. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Ten healthy control horses and 61 clinical colic cases. Methods: Creatine kinase activity was measured in peritoneal fluid and plasma of 10 healthy horses and 61 horses presenting for colic (40 horses with nonstrangulating lesions and 21 horses with strangulating lesions). Information on other blood and peritoneal fluid variables, signalment, results from the physical examination, outcome, requireme...
Comparison of the reliability of snap foal Ig test, Gamma-Check E test, refractometry and electrophoresis for determining the immune status of newborn foals in the first hours of life. Twenty-eight warmblood mares were monitored during their late pregnancy in the Teaching Hospital of Ghent University. The reliability of two commercial assays (enzyme immunoassay and glutaraldehyde coagulation test) used for determining the IgG concentrations of their newborn foals was tested. Mammary secretions were examined at the time of foaling (T0), and then 4 (T1) and 8 (T2) hours after foaling by refractometry and electrophoresis. The foals' blood IgG levels were measured at T1 and T2 as a routine clinical diagnostic examination using two different commercial test kits (SNAP Foal Ig and...
An immuno polymerase chain reaction screen for the detection of CJC-1295 and other growth-hormone-releasing hormone analogs in equine plasma. CJC-1295 is a 30 amino acid peptide-based drug that stimulates the release of growth hormone (GH) from the pituitary gland. It is unique among performance-enhancing peptides due to the presence of a reactive maleimidopropionic acid group that covalently links the peptide to free thiols on the surface of plasma proteins. Once conjugated, CJC-1295 remains active in the bloodstream for significantly longer than non-conjugated peptide-based drugs that are rapidly excreted. Conjugation of CJC-1295 to plasma proteins prevents its detection by top-down mass-spectrometry-based peptide screening protoc...
Fungi in respiratory samples of horses with inflammatory airway disease. Fungi contribute to the inflammatory response of lungs in horses with recurrent airway obstruction and in some forms of asthma in humans. The role of fungi in inflammatory airway disease (IAD) has not been assessed. Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of fungi in the respiratory samples of horses diagnosed with IAD, describe clinical signs associated with the presence of fungi in respiratory samples, and assess the risk factors associated with IAD and with the presence of fungi in the airways. Methods: Seven-hundred thirty-one active horses referred to a specialized ambulatory practice for sign...
Serological diagnosis of equine infectious anemia in horses, donkeys and mules using an ELISA with a gp45 synthetic peptide as antigen. Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a disease caused by a Lentivirus that is currently controlled exclusively by identification of seropositive animals. In most countries, including Brazil, the official diagnostic test for EIA is the agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID). Although this assay has a high specificity it can produce false negative reactions or equivocal results due to weak precipitation lines, especially in samples from donkeys, mules or newly infected equids. In this pioneering study, it was used overlapping synthetic peptide pools to map and identify a consensus, widely recognised ...
Long live the worms: methods for maintaining and assessing the viability of intestinal stages of Parascaris spp. in vitro. In vitro maintenance of helminth parasites enables a variety of molecular, pharmaceutical and immunological analyses. Currently, the nutritional and environmental in vitro requirements of the equine ascarid parasite, Parascaris spp., have not been determined. Additionally, an objective method for assessing viability of Parascaris spp. intestinal stages does not exist. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the in vitro requirements of intestinal stages of Parascaris spp., and to develop a viability assessment method. A total of 1045 worms were maintained in a total of 212 cultures. Worms o...
Viral Enrichment Methods Affect the Detection but Not Sequence Variation of West Nile Virus in Equine Brain Tissue. West Nile virus (WNV), a small, positive sense, single stranded RNA virus continues to encroach into new locales with emergence of new viral variants. Neurological disease in the equine can be moderate to severe in the face of low to undetectable virus loads. Physical methods of virus enrichment may increase sensitivity of virus detection and enhance analysis of viral diversity, especially for deep sequencing studies. However, the use of these techniques is limited mainly to non-neural tissues. We investigated the hypothesis that elimination of equine brain RNA enhances viral detection without...
Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Capsid Implicated in Infection-Induced Cell Cycle Delay in vitro. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus and member of the New World alphaviruses. It causes a biphasic febrile illness that can be accompanied by central nervous system involvement and moderate morbidity in humans and severe mortality in equines. The virus has a history of weaponization, lacks FDA-approved therapeutics and vaccines in humans, and is considered a select agent. Like other RNA viruses, VEEV replicates in the cytoplasm of infected cells and eventually induces apoptosis. The capsid protein, which contains a nuclear localization and...
Equus caballus papillomavirus 8 (EcPV8) associated with multiple viral plaques, viral papillomas, and squamous cell carcinoma in a horse. Equus caballus papillomavirus 8, a recently discovered virus, has been reported to cause generalised papillomavirus in horses. Objective: To describe a case in which multiple viral plaques, viral papillomas, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC) were associated with EcPV8 in a horse. Methods: Case report. Methods: A 16-year-old mixed breed horse presented with dozens of raised crusted papular to nodular lesions over a course of 4 years. Masses had been surgically excised four times and cisplatin beads and emulsion were implanted on three different ...
The relationship between sagittal hoof conformation and hindlimb lameness in the horse. Lameness can be multifactorial and may result from the accumulation of multiple seemingly unrelated causes. The identification of factors associated with lameness could be one method to decrease incidence of lameness and prolong the equine athlete's competitive life. Objective: To determine if there is an association between hoof balance in the sagittal plane and hindlimb lameness. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: Eighty client-owned horses with hindlimb lameness (cases) and 80 horses with no detectable hindlimb lameness (controls) were prospectively enroled following lameness evaluation ...
Continued Evidence of Decline in the Enzootic Activity of Western Equine Encephalitis Virus in Colorado. Western equine encephalitis (WEE) was once prevalent and routinely isolated from mosquitoes in Colorado; however, isolations of Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) have not been reported from mosquito pools since the early 1990s. The objective of the present study was to test pools of Culex tarsalis (Coquillett) mosquitoes sampled from Weld County, CO, in 2016 for evidence of WEEV infection. Over 7,000 mosquitoes were tested, but none were positive for WEEV RNA. These data indicate that WEEV either was not circulating enzootically in Northern Colorado, was very rare, and would require muc...
Histological examination of the interspinous ligament in horses with overriding spinous processes. The equine interspinous ligament (ISL) consists of an oblique crossing arrangement of collagenous bundles which are thought to counteract the tensile and rotational forces of distraction between the spinous processes (SPs) in the caudal thoracic and cranial lumbar spine. The aim of this controlled histological study was to assess the structural anatomy and innervation of the ISL in horses with clinically significant overriding (dorsal) SPs (ORSPs) and to compare the findings with the ISL of normal horses. Samples of the ISL were obtained from 10 horses that underwent subtotal ostectomy for tre...
Genome-wide association study of equine herpesvirus type 1-induced myeloencephalopathy identifies a significant single nucleotide polymorphism in a platelet-related gene. Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1)-induced myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a neurologic disease of horses that represents one outcome of infection. The neurologic form of disease occurs in a subset of infected horses when virus-induced endothelial cell damage triggers vasculitis and subsequent ischemic insult to the central nervous system. EHM causes considerable animal suffering and economic loss for the horse industry. Virus polymorphisms have been previously associated with disease outcome but cannot fully explain why only some horses develop EHM. This study investigated the role of host geneti...
Adherence to treatment recommendations and short-term outcome of pleasure and sport horses with equine asthma. Treatments for mild forms of equine asthma are extrapolated from those recommended for severe equine asthma (heaves), but little is known about owner's adherence to recommendations and treatment efficacy. The objective was to determine which recommendations are implemented by owners and their perception of the clinical response to treatment. Medical records of 43 horses diagnosed with moderate asthma between 2010 and 2012 were retrieved from the Université de Montréal database. Treatments and perceived responses were recorded by telephone survey, 2 to 35 months after diagnosis. All 33 owners...
Data on whole genome sequencing of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum strain CBS 101555 from a horse with pythiosis in Brazil. The oomycete Pythium insidiosum infects humans and animals worldwide, and causes the life-threatening condition, called pythosis. Most patients lose infected organs or die from the disease. Comparative genomic analyses of different P. insidiosum strains could provide new insights into its pathobiology, and can lead to discovery of an effective treatment method. Several draft genomes of P. insidiosum are publicly available: three from Asia (Thailand), and one each from North (the United States) and Central (Costa Rica) Americas. We report another draft genome of P. insidiosum isolated from Sout...
Utilizing ticks as forensic indicators in a livestock investigation. Although forensic parasitology remains in its infancy compared with more developed fields like forensic entomology, parasites can be useful forensic indicators. We present the case of an individual who disobeyed animal health legislation and crossed animal quarantine boundaries and two state lines with a cattle tick (Rhipicephalus australis) infested horse. Following recognition of the infestation by animal health officers, the individual asserted that the infestation had occurred either during transport or upon arrival at the site of discovery, and that they had not contravened quarantine leg...
Prevalence of osteochondral lesions in the fetlock and hock joints of Standardbred horses that survived bacterial infection before 6 months of age. Young Standardbred horses frequently develop fragments in joints. Some fragments represent osteochondrosis; others are considered developmental, but it is uncertain whether they result from preceding osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis occurs as a consequence of failure of the cartilage canal blood supply and ischaemic chondronecrosis. In heritably predisposed foals, failure was associated with incorporation of vessels into bone. However, bacterial vascular failure was also recently documented in foals suffering spontaneous infections, proving that bacteria can cause osteochondral lesions in foal...
Comprehensive characterization of horse genome variation by whole-genome sequencing of 88 horses. Whole-genome sequencing studies are vital to gain a thorough understanding of genomic variation. Here, we summarize the results of a whole-genome sequencing study comprising 88 horses and ponies from diverse breeds at 19.1× average coverage. The paired-end reads were mapped to the current EquCab3.0 horse reference genome assembly, and we identified approximately 23.5 million single nucleotide variants and 2.3 million short indel variants. Our dataset included at least 7 million variants that were not previously reported. On average, each individual horse genome carried ∼5.7 million single n...
