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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.
Mitochondrial function is altered in horse atypical myopathy. Equine atypical myopathy in Europe is a fatal rhabdomyolysis syndrome that results from the ingestion of hypoglycin A contained in seeds and seedlings of Acer pseudoplatanus (sycamore maple). Acylcarnitine concentrations in serum and muscle OXPHOS capacity were determined in 15 atypical myopathy cases. All but one acylcarnitine were out of reference range and mitochondrial respiratory capacity was severely decreased up to 49% as compared to 10 healthy controls. The hallmark of atypical myopathy thus consists of a severe alteration in the energy metabolism including a severe impairment in muscl...
Equine antibody response to larval Parascaris equorum excretory-secretory products. Parascaris equorum is an intestinal nematode of foals and young horses that can produce mild to severe pathology. Current diagnosis is limited to detection of patent infections, when parasite eggs are identified during fecal examinations. This study examined the use of larval P. equorum excretory-secretory (ES) products in a western blot test for diagnosis of prepatent equine P. equorum infection. Sera from adult mares negative for patent P. equorum infections, foals prior to consuming colostrum, and P. equorum infected foals were used as controls in this study. Study samples included sera fro...
Optimized methods for extracting circulating small RNAs from long-term stored equine samples. Circulating miRNAs in body fluids, particularly serum, are promising candidates for future routine biomarker profiling in various pathologic conditions in human and veterinary medicine. However, reliable standardized methods for miRNA extraction from equine serum and fresh or archived whole blood are sorely lacking. We systematically compared various miRNA extraction methods from serum and whole blood after short and long-term storage without addition of RNA stabilizing additives prior to freezing. Time of storage at room temperature prior to freezing did not affect miRNA quality in serum. Fur...
Effects of withholding feed on thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test results and effects of combined testing on oral sugar test and thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test results in horses. OBJECTIVE To assess effects of withholding feed on thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test results used in diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction in horses and determine effects of combined testing on results of the TRH stimulation test and the oral sugar test (OST) used in diagnosis of equine metabolic syndrome. ANIMALS 30 adult horses. PROCEDURES All horses underwent TRH stimulation tests under fed and nonfed conditions, an OST alone, and an OST combined with TRH stimulation testing. For TRH stimulation tests, plasma ACTH concentrations were measured before (baseline...
First report of angio-oedema subsequent to the administration of allergen specific sublingual immunotherapy for the management of equine hypersensitivity dermatitis. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) offers an alternative mode of allergen delivery to subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) with the aim of inducing immunological tolerance. Currently, there are no published reports regarding the efficacy or safety of SLIT in horses. Objective: To describe the first case of several adverse events occurring in a horse subsequent to the repeat administration of SLIT. Methods: A seven-year-old, warmblood mare with a confirmed diagnosis of equine hypersensitivity dermatitis (EHD). Results: Immunotherapy was recommended for management of EHD. Due to the temperament of the...
[Detection of leptospira by culture of vitreous humor and detection of antibodies against leptospira in vitreous humor and serum of 225 horses with equine recurrent uveitis]. In the ongoing discussion regarding the aetiopathogenesis of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) it was the aim of the present study to elucidate the relationship of leptospira infection and ERU. In a population of 225 horses leptospira were examined in vitreous humor by culture and leptospira antibody were detected in vitreous humor and serum samples. Preoperative serum samples were collected from 221/225 ERU patients of different age, gender and breed. Undiluted vitreous humor was aseptically taken from 198/225 patients that underwent pars plana vitrectomy at the beginning of surgery and from 27/...
Cytological and bacteriological evaluation of transendoscopic guttural pouch lavages in clinically healthy horses. Thirty-eight guttural pouch lavages from 19 clinically healthy horses were collected transendoscopically. Cytological examination and bacteriological culture of the samples were carried out. All 38 lavages assessed for cytology contained less than five per cent neutrophils and could be termed as cytologically 'normal'. In none of the lavages did the neutrophil count vary between five and 25 per cent or exceed 25 per cent, which are the borderlines for being termed 'reactive' or 'pathological', respectively. Epithelial cells were the most commonly represented cell type in all lavages. Bacteriol...
Effects of repetition within trials and frequency of trial sessions on quantitative parameters of vertical force peak in horses with naturally occurring lameness. OBJECTIVE To analyze the effects of vertical force peak (VFP) of repition within trials and between trial sessions in horses with naturally occurring appendicular lameness. ANIMALS 20 lame horses acclimated to trotting over a force plate. PROCEDURES Kinetic gait data were collected by use of a force plate regarding affected and contralateral limbs of lame horses that completed 5 valid repetitions in each of 5 sessions performed at 0, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours, constituting 1 trial/horse. Data were compared within and among repetitions and sessions, and factors influencing VFP values were identifi...
Nociceptive and sympathetic innervations in the abaxial part of the cranial horn of the equine medial meniscus: an immunohistochemical approach. In athletic horses, diseases leading to lameness are of great importance due to the loss of performance and the resultant economic concerns. Although stifle lesions are frequent in the hindlimb, due to the large size and complexity of the joint, and although meniscal tears have been identified as the most common soft tissue injuries in this joint, little is known about the mechanism that causes the painful sensation and thus the lameness. The aim of our study was to highlight any peripheral fibres involved in meniscal nociception in five macroscopically sound cranial horns of the equine medial...
Equine herpesvirus type 1 modulates inflammatory host immune response genes in equine endothelial cells. Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a disease caused by equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), is characterized by severe inflammation, thrombosis, and hypoxia in central nervous system (CNS) endothelial cells, which can result in a spectrum of clinical signs including urinary incontinence, ataxia, and paralysis. Strains of EHV-1 that contain a single point mutation within the viral DNA polymerase (nucleotide A2254>G2254: amino acid N752→D752) are isolated from EHM afflicted horses at higher frequencies than EHV-1 strains that do not harbor this mutation. Due to the correlation betw...
Seroepidemiology of Sarcocystis neurona, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp. among horses in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The present study used the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) to determine the seroprevalence of Sarcocystis neurona, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp., and evaluated the variables associated with these infections among 506 apparently healthy horses, reared in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This study was conducted between April 2012 and October 2013. Among the horses, the true prevalence of S. neurona was 26% (95% CI: 22.0-30.4%), T. gondii 19.9% (95% CI: 15.5-24.8%) and Neospora spp. 23.9% (95% CI: 19.9-28.1%); and among the farms, 88.3% (95% CI: 74.4-91.6%), 71.6% ...
Horses Auto-Recruit Their Lungs by Inspiratory Breath Holding Following Recovery from General Anaesthesia. This study evaluated the breathing pattern and distribution of ventilation in horses prior to and following recovery from general anaesthesia using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Six horses were anaesthetised for 6 hours in dorsal recumbency. Arterial blood gas and EIT measurements were performed 24 hours before (baseline) and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 hours after horses stood following anaesthesia. At each time point 4 representative spontaneous breaths were analysed. The percentage of the total breath length during which impedance remained greater than 50% of the maximum inspiratory impeda...
Descriptive epidemiology of veterinary events in flat racing Thoroughbreds in Great Britain (2000 to 2013). To date, no large scale studies have reported race-day events requiring veterinary attention in British Thoroughbreds racing on the flat. Quantifying and describing common injuries and health conditions affecting racehorses will enable targeted risk factor analysis aimed at reducing their occurrence. Objective: To describe the type and incidence of race-day veterinary events experienced by Thoroughbred racehorses participating in flat racing in the UK. Methods: Retrospective cohort study (2000 to 2013). Methods: Veterinary events recorded by race-day veterinarians were retrieved and linked to ...
Estimating the incidence of equine viral arteritis and the sensitivity of its surveillance in the French breeding stock. Equine viral arteritis (EVA) may have serious economic impact on the equine industry. For this reason, it is monitored in many countries, especially in breeding stock, to avoid its spread during breeding activities. In France, surveillance is mainly based on serological tests, since mares are not vaccinated, but difficulties in interpreting certain series of results may impair the estimation of the number of outbreaks. In this study, we propose specific rules for identifying seroconversion in order to estimate the number of outbreaks that were detected by the breeding stock surveillance compon...
A retrospective study of radiographic abnormalities in the repositories of 2-year-old Thoroughbred in-training sales in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of radiographic abnormalities of 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses that were listed at in-training sales in Japan, on whether they started to race or not at 2-3 years of age. Radiographs of 850 2-year-old Thoroughbreds in the in-training sales repository from 2007 to 2010 were reviewed, and 26 categories of radiographic abnormalities were found. Forty-three horses (5.1%, 43/850) did not start a race at 2-3 years of age. In accordance with the racing results for this age category, as determined by Fisher's exact test and multiple logistic regression analy...
Evaluation of the Honey-Card Technique for Detection of Transmission of Arboviruses in Florida and Comparison With Sentinel Chicken Seroconversion. Zoonotic mosquito-borne viruses, such as the West Nile virus (WNV) and eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), are major public health threats in the United States. Early detection of virus transmission and targeted vector management are critical to protect humans against these pathogens. Sentinel chickens and pool screening of mosquitoes, the most widely used methods of arbovirus early detection, have technical time-lags that compromise their early-detection value. The exploitation of sugar-feeding by trapped mosquitoes for arbovirus surveillance may represent a viable alternative to other ...
Redundant contribution of a Transient Receptor Potential cation channel Member 1 exon 11 single nucleotide polymorphism to equine congenital stationary night blindness. Congenital stationary night-blindness (CSNB) is a recessive autosomal defect in low-light vision in Appaloosa and other horse breeds. This condition has been mapped by linkage analysis to a gene coding for the Transient Receptor Potential cation channel Member 1 (TRPM1). TRPM1 is normally expressed in the ON-bipolar cells of the inner nuclear layer of the retina. Down-regulation of TRPM1 expression in CSNB results from a transposon-like insertion in intron 1 of the TRPM1 gene. Stop transcription signals in this transposon significantly reduce TRPM1 primary transcript levels in CSNB horses. Thi...
Infection with Possible Novel Parapoxvirus in Horse, Finland, 2013. A horse in Finland exhibited generalized granulomatous inflammation and severe proliferative dermatitis. After euthanization, we detected poxvirus DNA from a skin lesion sample. The virus sequence grouped with parapoxviruses, closely resembling a novel poxvirus detected in humans in the United States after horse contact. Our findings indicate horses may be a reservoir for zoonotic parapoxvirus.
Ophthalmologic Disorders in Aged Horses. Ocular abnormalities are a common finding in aged horses. Although these seldom cause overt visual deficits detected by their owners, they can be a source of chronic or acute discomfort so early detection, and treatment when available, is essential. Some of these abnormalities are specific to old horses, whereas others are a result of ongoing disease or inflammation that started earlier in life but that becomes more evident when the damage sustained to the eye is advanced. If vision is significantly affected, consideration of human safety and animal welfare is paramount.
Integumentary Disorders Including Cutaneous Neoplasia in Older Horses. Few skin diseases specifically or exclusively affect older horses and donkeys. Hypertrichosis (hirsutism) associated with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction is probably the most recognized and best understood exception and is the most common age-related skin condition in equids. Many other conditions are known to be more serious in older horses. Horses affected with immune-compromising conditions can be more severely affected by infectious diseases of the skin or heavy and pathologically significant parasitism. Neoplasia of the skin is probably more prevalent and worse in older horses, alth...
Nutritional Management of the Older Horse. Leisure animals now comprise the majority of working horses in industrialized nations; a shift that has decreased workloads yet improved veterinary care and lifetime health. Although many horses now progress well into their 20s without any requirement for dietary modification, age-related changes are insidious, and older animals benefit from regular veterinary monitoring to identify, address, and ameliorate the inevitable onset of age-related "disease." Basal metabolic rate decreases with age; older animals expend less energy on controlled exercise, and there can be an increased propensity tow...
Interval prevalence of and factors associated with colic in horses hospitalized for ocular or orthopedic disease. OBJECTIVE To determine interval (1-year) prevalence of and factors associated with colic in horses hospitalized for ocular or orthopedic disease. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 105 horses with ocular disease and 197 horses with orthopedic disease admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012. PROCEDURES Medical records were reviewed to determine whether colic (abnormal behavior prompting abdominal palpation per rectum or nasogastric intubation) was observed during hospitalization. Data were collected on putative risk factors for colic, including reas...
Detection and differentiation of wild-type and a vaccine strain of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi using pyrosequencing. Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), the causative agent of strangles, is an important equine pathogen. Strangles is a highly contagious disease and a commercial modified live vaccine (MLV) is used for protection, which although effective, may also result in clinical signs of the disease. A rapid means to differentiate between the MLV and wild-type infection is crucial for quarantine release and limiting the disease spread. This study describes the use of a pyrosequencing assay targeting a single nucleotide deletion upstream of the SzPSe gene to distinguish between the wild-type and v...
Release kinetics of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in the equine whole blood. Horses are much predisposed and susceptible to excessive and acute inflammatory responses that cause the recruitment and stimulation of polymorphnuclear granulocytes (PMN) together with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the release of cytokines. The aim of the study is to develop easy, quick, cheap and reproducible methods for measuring tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in the equine whole blood cultures ex-vivo time- and concentration-dependently. Results: Horse whole blood diluted to 10, 20 and 50 % was stimulated with lipopolysa...
Evaluation of a caudolateral approach for arthrocentesis and injection of the equine elbow joint. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the likelihood of successful arthrocentesis of the equine elbow joint using the caudolateral approach and to determine if the deep branch of the radial nerve (DBRN) varies in its proximity to the site of centesis. Methylene blue (MB) was injected into 71 elbow joint specimens immediately caudal to the lateral collateral ligament using a 3.8-cm needle advanced to its hub. The elbow joints were dissected, staining of the synovial structures assessed and the proximity of DBRN to the site of centesis evaluated. The articular cartilage of all 71 joints ...
The Diagnosis of West Nile Virus Infection in Horses. This letter refers to the Veterinary Pathology brief communication “West Nile Virus Infection in Horses: Detection by Immunohistochemistry, In Situ Hybridization, and ELISA” by Toplu et al.5 The authors attempt to describe the clinicopathologic findings in naturally occurring West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses. WNV was diagnosed in a foal by immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization techniques, and the presence of WNV antibodies was detected in 5 other horses with clinical signs suggestive of WNV infection. The foal was the only animal that received a complete postmortem and his...
A serological study of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome using a virus neutralization test and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). The SFTSV appears to have a wide host range, as SFTSV-positive ticks have been isolated from both farm animals and wild rodents. Therefore, it is important to monitor SFTSV-positive animals to prevent the transmission of SFTSV from animals to humans. Previously, we developed a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) to detect SFTSV-specific antibodies from field animals and compared the cELISA results to those from an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). In this study, cELISA results were...
