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.
Saps M, Miranda A.There is little evidence for most of the medications currently used to treat functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) in children. Not only are there very few clinical trials, but also most have significant variability in the methods used and outcomes measured. Thus, the decision on the most appropriate pharmacological treatment is frequently based on adult studies or empirical data. In children, peppermint oil, trimebutine, and drotaverine have shown significant benefit compared with placebo, each of them in a single randomized clinical trial. A small study found that cyproheptadine was be...
Holzhauer M, Bremer R, Santman-Berends I, Smink O, Janssens I, Back W.Information is scarce on the prevalence of hoof disorders in horses. In this study, we examined the prevalence of and risk factors for hoof disorders in a population of horses in The Netherlands. In a group of 942 randomly selected horses, hoof health was scored during regular foot trimming (one horse/farm). Hooves were assessed for the occurrence of one of 12 hoof disorders by a group of 21 certified farriers in two periods i.e. winter and summer of 2015. The mean age of the group of horses was 11.2±5.6years. They were mainly used for recreation (28.2%), dressage (26.8%), other disciplines (...
Chan J, Doyle B, Branley J, Sheppeard V, Gabor M, Viney K, Quinn H, Janover O, McCready M, Heller J.In November 2014, New South Wales Health was notified of a cluster of respiratory illness in a veterinary school. Active case finding identified another case at a local equine stud. All cases had exposure to the equine fetal membranes of Mare A. This tissue subsequently tested positive for Chlamydia psittaci using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We conducted a cohort study of the university and stud farm staff to determine risk factors for disease. Nine people were exposed to the fetal membranes of Mare A. Of these, five cases of psittacosis were identified. Two required hosp...
Mosing M, Marly-Voquer C, MacFarlane P, Bardell D, Böhm SH, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Waldmann AD.To evaluate the regional distribution of ventilation in horses during spontaneous breathing and controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Methods: Prospective, experimental case series. Methods: Four anaesthetized experimental horses. Methods: Horses were anaesthetized with isoflurane in an oxygen-air mixture and medetomidine continuous rate infusion, placed in dorsal recumbency with an EIT belt around the thorax, and allowed to breathe spontaneously until PaCO reached 13.3 kPa (100 mmHg), when volume CMV was started. For each horse, the EIT signal wa...
Hopster K, Rohn K, Ohnesorge B, Kästner SBR.To compare the effects of controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) and constant positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and interposed recruitment manoeuvres (RMs) with those of CMV without PEEP on gas exchange during general anaesthesia and the early recovery period. Methods: Prospective, randomized clinical trial. Methods: A total of 48 Warmblood horses undergoing elective surgery in lateral (Lat) (n = 24) or dorsal (Dors) (n = 24) recumbency. Methods: Premedication (romifidine), induction (diazepam and ketamine) and maintenance (isoflurane in oxygen) were identical in all horses. Groups La...
Kolus CR, MacLeay JM, Hackett ES.A foal born with assisted delivery developed rib fractures and a diaphragmatic hernia. The hernia was repaired using surgical mesh. The filly was healthy 42 months later. Dystocia is a risk factor for rib fractures and traumatic acquired diaphragmatic herniation. Surgical mesh repair is an option for diaphragmatic defects. Un poulain né lors d’une parturition assistée a développé des fractures des côtes et une hernie diaphragmatique. La hernie a été réparée à l’aide d’un treillis chirurgical. La pouliche était en santé 42 mois plus tard. La dystocie est un facteur de risque ...
Sykes BW, Underwood C, Mills PC.Esomeprazole warrants further investigation as a treatment for equine gastric ulcer syndrome. Objective: To investigate the duration of intraday acid suppression achieved with two doses of esomeprazole under two dietary conditions. Methods: A four way crossover design. Methods: Six adult Thoroughbreds instrumented with percutaneous gastrotomy tubes were used. Intragastric pH was measured for continuous 23 h periods (08.00-07.00 h) for 6 consecutive days (Days 0-5). Baseline data was recorded on Day 0 and esomeprazole was administered on Days 1-5. Two doses (0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg bwt/day per os onc...
Chromosomal abnormalities in the sex chromosome pair (ECAX and ECAY) are widely associated with reproductive problems in horses. However, a large proportion of these abnormalities remains undiagnosed due to the lack of an affordable diagnostic tool that allows for avoiding karyotyping tests. Hereby, we developed an STR (single-tandem-repeat)-based molecular method to determine the presence of the main sex chromosomal abnormalities in horses in a fast, cheap and reliable way. The frequency of five ECAX-linked (LEX026, LEX003, TKY38, TKY270 and UCDEQ502) and two ECAY-linked (EcaYH12 and SRY) mar...
Mendez DH, Büttner P, Kelly J, Nowak M, Speare Posthumously R.Communication skills are essential for veterinarians who need to discuss animal health related matters with their clients. When dealing with an emerging zoonosis, such as Hendra virus (HeV), veterinarians also have a legal responsibility to inform their clients about the associated risks to human health. Here we report on part of a mixed methods study that examined the preparedness of, and difficulties experienced by, veterinarians communicating about HeV-related risks with their clients. Methods: Phase 1 was an exploratory, qualitative study that consisted of a series of face-to-face, semi-st...
Brinkman EL, Weed BC, Patnaik SS, Brazile BL, Centini RM, Wills RW, Olivier B, Sledge DG, Cooley J, Liao J, Rashmir-Raven AM.OBJECTIVE To compare biomechanical and histologic features of heart valves and echocardiographic findings between Quarter Horses with and without heritable equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA). DESIGN Prospective case-control study. ANIMALS 41 Quarter Horses. PROCEDURES Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of aortic and mitral valve leaflets was assessed by biomechanical testing in 5 horses with HERDA and 5 horses without HERDA (controls). Histologic evaluation of aortic and mitral valves was performed for 6 HERDA-affected and 3 control horses. Echocardiography was performed in 14 HERDA-affected...
Stover SM.Racehorses are susceptible to bone fractures when damage from repetitive, high-magnitude loads incurred during training and racing exceed concurrent damage removal and replacement, resulting in transient periods of focal osteoporosis and bone weakening. Clinically, these events correspond to cortical stress fractures and subchondral bone stress remodeling. Evidence of these preexisting lesions include periosteal callus, endosteal callus, and intracortical focal hyperemia for cortical stress fractures; and subchondral focal hyperemia located superficial to sclerotic compacted trabecular bone ti...
Tamura N, Nukada T, Kato T, Kuroda T, Kotoyori Y, Fukuda K, Kasashima Y.The objective assessment of the mechanical properties of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) could provide useful information for the rehabilitation of horses with SDFT injuries. Assessment of strain ratio (the strain of a standard reference divided by that of lesions) is a quantitative method in sonoelastography for evaluating tissue stiffness in vivo. As yet, no longitudinal studies have used strain ratio to evaluate the progression of stiffness in SDFT injuries. Objective: To test the hypothesis that strain ratio can evaluate the recovery of stiffness during the healing of SDFT inj...
Crispe EJ, Lester GD, Secombe CJ, Perera DI.Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is commonly implicated as a cause of poor athletic performance but there is limited and conflicting evidence for this association. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if EIPH, based on endoscopic examination after racing, is associated with a variety of novel and established performance parameters. Methods: Prospective, observational cross-sectional study. Methods: Thoroughbred racehorses competing between 2012 and 2015 were examined on-course no earlier than 30 min after racing. Examinations were recorded and graded blindly by experi...
Lascola KM, Vander Werf K, Freese S, Morgera A, Schaeffer DJ, Wilkins P.To compare blood gas, electrolyte, and metabolic analysis results between blood obtained by jugular and transverse facial venous sinus (TFVS) venipuncture in healthy adult horses and sick adult horses presented for emergency evaluation. Methods: Prospective, experimental study, from June 2012 to October 2013. Methods: Large animal university teaching hospital. Methods: Ten healthy adult University-owned horses and 48 client-owned adult horses (≥2 years old) presenting to the large animal hospital emergency service for medical or surgical evaluation of systemic illness. Methods: Venipunctures...
Olive J, Videau M.Macroscopic studies have suggested a link between distal border synovial invaginations of the navicular bone and the distal interphalangeal joint. However, many practitioners consider that these invaginations are directly and solely related to navicular disease. The objective was to investigate the communication pattern of these synovial invaginations with the synovial compartments of the distal interphalangeal joint and the navicular bursa, using minimally invasive imaging techniques. Methods: In a prospective observational study, 10 cadaveric limbs with radiographically evident distal border...
Nauwelaerts S, Hobbs SJ, Back W.Ground reaction forces in sound horses with asymmetric hooves show systematic differences in the horizontal braking force and relative timing of break-over. The Center Of Pressure (COP) path quantifies the dynamic load distribution under the hoof in a moving horse. The objective was to test whether anatomical asymmetry, quantified by the difference in dorsal wall angle between the left and right forelimbs, correlates with asymmetry in the COP path between these limbs. In addition, repeatability of the COP path was investigated. Methods: A larger group (n = 31) visually sound horses with variou...
Kwok WH, Choi TLS, Tsoi YYK, Leung GNW, Wan TSM.A fast method for the direct analysis of enzyme-hydrolysed horse urine using an automated on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled to a liquid-chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometer was developed. Over 100 drugs of diverse drug classes could be simultaneously detected in horse urine at sub to low parts per billion levels. Urine sample was first hydrolysed by β-glucuronidase to release conjugated drugs, followed by centrifugal filtration. The filtrate (1mL) was directly injected into an on-line SPE system consisting of a pre-column filter and a SPE cartridge column for the separa...
Tapprest J, Morignat E, Dornier X, Borey M, Hendrikx P, Ferry B, Calavas D, Sala C.Quantitative information about equine mortality is relatively scarce, yet it could be of great value for epidemiological purposes. In France, data from rendering plants are centralised in the Fallen Stock Data Interchange database (FSDI), managed by the French Ministry of Agriculture, while individual equine data are centralised in the French equine census database, SIRE, managed by the French horse and riding institute (IFCE). Objective: To evaluate whether the combined use of the FSDI and SIRE databases can provide representative and accurate quantitative information on mortality for the Fre...
Wong DM, Ruby RE, Eatroff A, Yaeger MJ.A newborn foal was presented because it was unresponsive and in cardiopulmonary arrest. Aggressive cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation was administered to the foal, which revived the foal; however, acute renal failure developed. Fluid retention and azotemia occurred although the foal was alert and able to suckle. A 6-hour renal replacement therapy session using hemodiafiltration and a continuous renal replacement therapy machine was administered to the foal at 3 days of age which lowered the foal's azotemia and facilitated removal of some of the excess body fluid. Despite therapy, the foal ...
Silva GTA, Guest BB, Gomez DE, McGregor M, Viel L, O'Sullivan ML, Runciman J, Arroyo LG.Calcification of the tunica media of the axial pulmonary arteries (PA) has been reported in a large proportion of racehorses. In humans, medial calcification is a significant cause of arterial stiffening and is implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac, cerebral, and renal microvascular diseases. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) provides a measure of arterial stiffness. This study aimed to develop a technique to determine PA-PWV in horses and, secondarily, to investigate a potential association between PA-PWV and arterial fibro-calcification. A dual-pressure sensor catheter (PSC) was placed in the ma...
Citek J, Vostry L, Vostra-Vydrova H, Brzakova M, Prantlova V.The objective of this study was to assess the genetic parameters of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in the Old Grey Kladruber horse, an original Czech warmblood horse breed. Insect bite hypersensitivity is a recurrent allergic skin disease affecting horses worldwide. Its etiology is multifactorial. The defect is genetically controlled, and the starting impulse is a bite by midges of the spp. and less frequently spp. Knowledge about the associated genes is limited. Horses were kept by the National Stud in Kladruby (1,146 measurements) and by 10 private breeders (63 measurements). The horses ...
Sano Y, Okamoto M, Ootsuka Y, Matsuda K, Yusa S, Taniyama H.A 29-year-old stallion presented with bilateral blindness following the chronic purulent nasal drainage. The mass occupied the right caudal nasal cavity and right paranasal sinuses including maxillary, palatine and sphenoidal sinuses, and the right-side turbinal and paranasal septal bones, and cribriform plate of ethmoid bone were destructively replaced by the mass growth. The right optic nerve was invaded and involved by the mass, and the left optic nerve and optic chiasm were compressed by the mass which was extended and invaded the skull base. Histologically, the optic nerves and optic chia...
Espinosa P, Le Jeune SS, Cenani A, Kass PH, Brosnan RJ.To determine if preoperative and intraoperative physiologic variables, and surgical factors correlate with survival to anesthetic recovery or hospital discharge, repeat celiotomy, and postoperative nasogastric intubation (NGT) in horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy for small intestinal (SI) strangulating lesions. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Horses that had surgical correction of SI strangulating lesions (n = 258). Methods: Medical records (January 2000-December 2014) of horses that had surgical correction of SI strangulating lesions were reviewed. Data collection inclu...
Payne VK, Mbafor FL, Wabo Pone J, Tchoumboué J.To evaluate the prevalence of infestation of ectoparasites of horses, a total of 894 horses (367 males and 527 females), aged 1-7 years old were examined. Horses were groomed for collection of ectoparasites. Out of the horses examined, 164 came from Fundong, 80 from Acha, 30 from Fongo-Tongo, 30 from Fokoue and 17 from Dschang, all of which were infested with ectoparasites. Five hundred and seventy-three (573) horses came from Banso and 99.48% were infested by ectoparasites. From the results obtained, three species of hard ticks ( and ) and one species of biting lice () were identified. (66%...
Broström H, Fahlbrink E, Dubath ML, Lazary S.The distribution of equine leucocyte antigens (ELA) in Swedish Halfbreds affected by sarcoid tumors was determined and compared with that of control horses of the same breed. ELA-haplotype A3W13 appeared more frequently in affected horses, resulting in a chi 2 value of 4.45 (P = 0.034) for A3 and 9.05 (P = 0.0026) for W13, respectively. The relative risk factor (RR) could be estimated to 2.13 and 3.00 for A3 and W13, respectively. The etiology fraction (EF) was calculated to 28% and 37% for A3 and W13, respectively. Thus, in the population of Swedish Halfbreds approximately 40% (at least) of t...
Sant C, Allicock OM, d'Abadie R, Charles RA, Georges K.The agents of equine piroplasmosis, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, are endemic in Trinidad, West Indies. While transmission is mainly by ixodid ticks, transplacental transmission of T. equi has also been reported. This disease has contributed to foetal losses as well as morbidity and mortality of neonatal foals and adult horses. Previous 18S rRNA-based phylogenetic studies indicated a noticeable degree of variation within and among B. caballi and T. equi isolates from different geographical regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity of T. equi and B. caballi obtain...
Bennet ED, Parkin TDH.To identify risk factors associated with race-related sudden death in Thoroughbred racehorses in the US and Canada. 4,198,073 race starts made by 284,387 Thoroughbred horses at 144 racetracks in the US and Canada between 2009 and 2021. Study data were extracted from the Equine Injury Database, which contains detailed records of 92.2% of all official race starts made in the US and Canada during the study period. Forty-nine potential risk factors were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Cases were defined as race starts that resulted in fatality within 3 days of rac...
Salvagni CA, Dagnone AS, Gomes TS, Mota JS, Andrade GM, Baldani CD, Machado RZ.Ehrlichiosis is a zoonotic disease caused by gram-negative and intracellular obligatory bacterial organisms. Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis - EGA (formerly Equine Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis, EGE) is a seasonal disease, normally self-limited in horses. There are few reports in Brazil about this ehrlichial agent, as well as its natural vectors. Nowadays, veterinarians are considering the suspicion of EGA in horses with suggestive symptoms of ehrlichiosis and which do not respond to piroplasmosis treatment. The aim of the present study was to identify horses exposed to the agent A. phagocytophil...
Ibrahim ES, Kinoh M, Matsumura T, Kennedy M, Allen GP, Yamaguchi T, Fukushi H.Equine herpesvirus 1 was isolated from an onager in 1985, a zebra in 1986 and a Thomson's gazelle in 1996 in USA. The genetic relatedness and pathogenicity of these three viruses were investigated based on the nucleotide sequences of the glycoprotein G (gG) gene, experimental infection in hamsters, and comparison with horse isolates. The gG gene sequences of EHV-1 from onager and zebra were identical. The gG gene sequences of the gazelle isolate showed 99.5% identity to those of onager and zebra isolates. The gG gene sequences of EHV-1 isolated from horses were 99.9-100% identical and 98, 98 a...
Bottoms GD, Templeton CB, Fessler JF, Johnson MA, Roesel OF, Ewert KM, Adams SB.This study had 2 objectives: (i) to correlate plasma thromboxane and prostaglandin I2 (epoprostenol) concentrations with hemodynamic changes occurring in equine endotoxin shock, and (ii) to determine the effects of flunixin meglumine on plasma concentrations of these prostaglandins relative to hemodynamic changes. Shock was induced in 2 groups, each of 4 anesthetized ponies, and in a 3rd group of 2 ponies. Group A ponies were given endotoxin only (and were not treated), and group B ponies were given endotoxin and then treated with flunixin meglumine. Group C ponies were treated with flunixin m...
Malik P, Khurana SK, Dwivedi SK.Glanders, a notifiable highly contagious disease primarily of equids, is a disease of high zoonotic importance. Caused by gram-negative bacillus, Burkholderia mallei, the disease was restricted to certain pockets of India with sporadic cases. Recently, a major outbreak of glanders occurred in India starting from Maharashtra. Following clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory investigations on serum, nasal swab and pus swab samples, it was confirmed as glanders among equines in Pune and Panchgani areas of Maharashtra. One pus sample and three nasal swabs yielded B. mallei isolates while 23 se...
Huang X, Xuan X, Yokoyama N, Xu L, Suzuki H, Sugimoto C, Nagasawa H, Fujisaki K, Igarashi I.The gene encoding a truncated merozoite antigen-2 (EMA-2t) of Babesia equi was cloned and highly expressed in Escherichia coli as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein (G-rEMA-2t). Both G-rEMA-2t and rEMA-2t (after the removal of glutathione S-transferase) had good antigenicity. Either Western blot analysis with rEMA-2t or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with G-rEMA-2t clearly discriminated the sera of horses experimentally infected with B. equi from sera of horses infected with Babesia caballi and healthy horses, although rEMA-2t was not suitable for ELISA, probably owing to it...
Bellone RR, Ocampo NR, Hughes SS, Le V, Arthur R, Finno CJ, Penedo MCT.Catastrophic fractures are among the most common cause of fatalities in racehorses. Several factors, including genetics, likely contribute to increased risk for fatal injuries. A variant in the procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase1 gene (PLOD1 c.2032G>A) was shown to cause Warmblood fragile foal syndrome type 1 (WFFS), a fatal recessive defect of the connective tissue. Screening of multiple horse breeds identified the presence of the WFFS allele in the Thoroughbred. PLOD1 is involved in cross-linking of collagen fibrils and thus could potentially increase the risk of catastrophic b...
Zientara S, Sailleau C, Moulay S, Cruciere C.A single tube reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for detection of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) in splenic tissues from infected horses is described. Double stranded RNA was extracted from infected organs of horses and used to produce complementary DNA (cDNA) with the two primers selected for the PCR. The 1179 bp amplified product (the segment 7 which encodes for VP 7), detected by electrophoresis on agarose gel and ethidium bromide staining, was hydrolysed with eight restriction endonucleases for characterization of the AHSV. The sensitivity of this method i...
Pirie RS, McLachlan G, McGorum BC.Currently, heaves is investigated by exposing susceptible horses to dusty hay. Consequently, the response will be dependent on the organic dust content and composition of the hay. It was hypothesised that the use of a hay dust suspension (HDS) would reduce the variability of the challenge and therefore standardise experimental protocols. Furthermore, analysis of HDS would also permit further investigation of the organic dust components responsible for the response. Three hay dust suspensions (HDS-1, 2 and 3) were prepared for use in the diagnosis and investigation of heaves. HDS were produced ...
Nemoto M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kondo T.A Getah virus strain isolated during an outbreak in racehorses in Japan in 2014 (14-I-605) was compared with the vaccine strain isolated in 1978 (MI-110). A comparison of the genome sequences of these strains revealed seven amino acid substitutions in non-structural protein 3, and one or two substitutions in each of other non-structural proteins. In contrast, the structural proteins were highly conserved (99.8-99.9 % amino acid sequence identity). Horse antisera raised against the MI-110 strain showed similar virus-neutralization titers against both MI-110 and 14-I-605 strains (512 and 256, r...
Wagner B, Goodman LB, Rollins A, Freer HS.Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by infected ticks (Ixodes spp.). Reports on Lyme disease in horses have increased in recent years. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of Lyme disease in horses is still challenging owing to its vague clinical presentation and the limitations of diagnostic tests. Objective: This study used a new serological Lyme multiplex assay to examine antibody responses to 3 antigens of B. burgdorferi, outer surface protein (Osp) C, OspF and C6, and to verify their use as markers for early and late infection stages in horses. Methods: Multiplex...
Ruby R, Magdesian KG, Kass PH.To compare clinical, microbiologic, and clinicopathologic findings among horses infected with Clostridium difficile that had toxin A in their feces, horses with evidence of C difficile infection that were negative for toxin A in their feces, and horses with diarrhea that were negative for C difficile infection. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 292 horses and foals with diarrhea. Methods: Feces were submitted for microbial culture and tested for the C difficile antigen glutamate dehydrogenase and for toxin A with a commercial ELISA. Results: Horses with toxin A in their feces had higher...
du Toit N, Burden FA, Dixon PM.Dental disease has been shown to be a risk factor for weight loss and colic in horses. No extensive clinical studies in donkeys have investigated the potential relationship between different dental disorders, or between dental disease and systemic disorders. Objective: To determine possible associations between dental disease and body condition score, weight loss, the need for supplemental feeding and prevalence of colic in donkeys of all ages, and to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of dental disease by the determination of associations between different dental disorders. Metho...
Hamond C, Martins G, Bremont S, Medeiros MA, Bourhy P, Lilenbaum W.A strain of Leptospira kirschneri (serogroup Grippotyphosa) was cultured from urine of a mare post-abortion in Brazil and characterized by serogrouping, multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis, PGFE, and sequencing of genes rrs and secY. Strains of L. kirschneri have apparently never been recovered from horses in tropical area, only in Europe and USA. Knowledge of local epidemiology is important to interpret genetic profiles of leptospires circulating in an area.
Miglio A, Morelli C, Maresca C, Felici A, Di Gianbattista A, Antognoni MT.Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) reference intervals (RIs) have been evaluated in different horses, but no specific values are shown for equine breeds as previously described in other species (dogs, cats), and no studies have been performed on SPE in draft horses. Objective: This study aimed to determine RIs for SPE in heavy draft horses (Italian Heavy Draft Horse-IHDH) living in central Italy. A comparison between different physiologic states (pregnancy and no pregnancy) and ages (foals and adults) was executed. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 215 apparently healthy horses (mare...
Wilkerson MJ, Davis E, Shuman W, Harkin K, Cox J, Rush B.Classes of antibody bound to erythrocytes were determined using direct immunofluorescence (DIF) flow cytometry in 3 horses and 12 dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Background levels of antibody binding were determined in samples from 12 horses and 12 dogs that were free of clinical disease. The range of nonspecific binding of a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated goat anti-equine immunoglobulin G (IgG) was 19.9-36.7%, but was eliminated by the use of the F(ab')2 fragment of FITC-conjugated goat anti-equine IgG. Background binding by other class-specific antibodies to ...
Ma CL, Ye YL, Wen T, Huang ZM, Pan J, Hu JJ, Tao JP, Song JL.Three cyst-forming Sarcocystis species have been identified in horsemeat; however, there exists considerable confusion concerning their relationships. Here, 74% (34/46) of the examined tissue samples from horses contained sarcocysts based on examination by light microscopy (LM), and the organism was identified as Sarcocystis bertrami based on cyst structure. The S. bertrami cysts were microscopic (up to 6750 μm in length) and exhibited a striated wall with 2.0-5.1 μm villar protrusions (vps) under LM. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations showed that the vps were tightly pack...
van Hamel SE, Bergman HJ, Puchalski SM, de Groot MW, van Weeren PR.Distal deep digital flexor tendinopathy is an important cause of foot lameness in horses that is difficult to diagnose with radiography and ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging is a well-accepted and validated technique for the identification of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions, but has some practical and financial drawbacks. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) has been proposed as a suitable alternative, but validation studies are currently lacking. Objective: To assess the accuracy of CECT for the identification and characterisation of deep digital flexor tendinopath...
Kitai Y, Kondo T, Konishi E.A complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assay was established to measure antibodies to the West Nile virus (WNV) nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) in horses. Sera collected from a WNV-infected horse mediated lysis of WNV NS1-expressing cells in a dose-dependent manner at higher percentages than sera from a Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)-infected horse. The percentages of specific lysis for sera diluted 1:10 to 1:80 were <19.8% (assay cutoff) for almost all of the 100 JEV-infected or uninfected horses tested, in contrast to 55 to 76% in WNV-infected horses. Experimental infection revealed t...
Jean D, Laverty S, Halley J, Hannigan D, Léveillé R.In a report describing life ending fractures (255 horses) from the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center, Kentucky (1993 and 1994), 32 foals had rib fractures. The purpose of our study was to examine the incidence of rib fractures in newborn foals on a Thoroughbred studfarm by physical and radiographic examination, to determine factors which may contribute to the problem and to document any clinical consequences. All foals (263) included were examined within 3 days of birth. The thoracic cage was palpated externally for abnormalities and all foals were placed in dorsal recumbency to evaluate tho...
Demircan K, Onder Z, Duzlu O, Yildirim A, Okur M, Ciloglu A, Yetismis G, Inci A.The goal of our study was to investigate the molecular prevalence of Giardia intestinalis in naturally infected horses in Kayseri, Central Anatolia Region in Turkey, to determine the molecular characterization of the obtained isolates and to exhibit the potential role of horses in zoonotic transmission of G. intestinalis. Fecal samples were randomly collected from totally 150 horses with clinically healthy between March and June of 2018. After the genomic DNA extractions, 25 (16.6%) of the 150 fecal samples, were found positive for G. intestinalis by nested PCR analyses of β-giardin gene. P...
Wills JM, Watson G, Lusher M, Mair TS, Wood D, Richmond SJ.This paper describes the isolation and characterisation of a strain of Chlamydia psittaci obtained from a nasal swab taken from a horse with serous nasal discharge. Initial isolation was achieved in cycloheximide-treated McCoy cell monolayers. Chlamydial inclusions stained by immunofluorescence either with a rabbit antiserum raised against C. psittaci or with a monoclonal antibody directed against the genus-specific lipopolysaccharide antigen were single and compact. They did not stain with iodine or with a monoclonal antibody reactive against Chlamydia trachomatis. The agent was re-isolated i...
Haspeslagh M, Vlaminck LE, Martens AM.OBJECTIVE To evaluate outcomes following treatment of sarcoids in equids and to identify risk factors for treatment failure in these patients. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 230 equids with 614 sarcoids. PROCEDURES Records were searched to identify equids treated for ≥ 1 sarcoid between 2008 and 2013. A standardized protocol was used to determine treatment choice (electrosurgery, electrosurgery with intralesional placement of cisplatin-containing beads, topical administration of imiquimod or acyclovir, cryosurgery, bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine injection, or intralesional injec...
Borgsteede FH, Boersma JH, Gaasenbeek CP, van der Burg WP.The reappearance of nematode eggs in faeces after ivermectin treatment was studied in 104 horses on 10 farms during the stabling period. Faecal samples were taken at weekly intervals. Sampling was discontinued when the mean egg output per farm was > 10% of the pre-treatment egg output. This point was reached after 63 days, when the mean output of eggs had decreased to 70.3%. Before treatment, 95.9% of the cultured larvae were of the cyathostome type, the others belonged to Gyalocephalus capitatus, Strongylus vulgaris, S. edentatus, Oesophagodontus/Poteriostomum spp., Triodontophorus spp. an...
Van Hoogmoed L, Snyder JR, Pascoe JR, Olander H.To determine if morphologic evaluation of intraoperative biopsies of the large colon could be used to accurately predict outcome in horses with large colon torsion. Methods: Clinical study. Methods: Fifty-four horses with large colon torsion. Methods: A full-thickness biopsy was collected from the pelvic flexure of the ascending colon after correction of naturally occurring colonic torsion. Morphologic changes were evaluated and graded for interstitial tissue to crypt ratio (I:C ratio), percentage loss of superficial and glandular epithelium, and the degree of hemorrhage and edema. These varia...
Dong JB, Zhu W, Cook FR, Goto Y, Horii Y, Haga T.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) has posed a major challenge and caused significant losses to the equine industry worldwide. PCR detection methods have considerable potential as an adjunct to conventional serological diagnostic techniques. However, most published PCR methods, including that recommended by the OIE, were designed using laboratory-adapted virus strains and do not function with field isolates of EIA virus (EIAV). In the present study, a nested PCR assay for detection of EIAV proviral DNA in peripheral blood cells of naturally infected horses was developed. Primer sets were designed ...
Desjardins I, Theoret C, Joubert P, Wagner B, Lavoie JP.Airway remodeling may play an important role in heaves pathophysiology. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) is a potent profibrotic cytokine, which might contribute to airway wall thickening and fibrosis of bronchiolar and alveolar submucosa. An ELISA designed for the measurement of human TGF-beta1 was used to measured total TGF-beta1 released in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of normal horses and of those affected with heaves in remission. The specificity of the assay for TGF-beta1 of the horse was confirmed using recombinant equine TGF-beta1. The influence of hay exposure on T...
Sullivan SL, Anderson GA, Morley PS, Hinchcliff KW.Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is associated with impaired short-term race performance but consequences to long-term race performance of Thoroughbred racehorses are unknown. Knowledge of effects of EIPH on performance over a prolonged time would inform the need for management and treatment of this disorder. Objective: To determine the relationship between EIPH detected on a single occasion and long-term athletic performance in Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Prospective, longitudinal, observational epidemiological study conducted from 2003 to 2012. Methods: Seven hundred and f...
