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.
Verwoerd DW.In the early colonial history of South Africa, horses played an important role, both in general transportation and in military operations. Frequent epidemics of African horsesickness (AHS) in the 18th century therefore severely affected the economy. The first scientific research on the disease was carried out by Alexander Edington (1892), the first government bacteriologist of the Cape Colony, who resolved the existing confusion that reigned and established its identity as a separate disease. Bluetongue (BT) was described for the first time by Duncan Hutcheon in 1880, although it was probably ...
Biggi M, Dyson S.The distribution of lesions detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of hind feet has not been reported. Objective: To evaluate type and distribution of lesions detected using MRI in hind feet of lame horses and to compare the findings with those reported in front feet; to document follow-up information. Methods: Horses were selected if hindlimb lameness was abolished by plantar nerve blocks performed at the base of the proximal sesamoid bones. Magnetic resonance images were acquired using either a low-field or a high-field magnet, and all images were evaluated retrospectively by both a...
Wauters J, Pille F, Martens A, Franck T, Serteyn D, Gasthuys F, Meyer E.Equine joint infection is a life-threatening disorder, and confirmation of the diagnosis can be difficult. Synovial fluid biomarkers may assist the discrimination between infectious and noninfectious joint disease. Objective: This study investigates whether the immunological detection of total and enzymatically active myeloperoxidase (MPO) assists the diagnosis of joint infection in horses. Methods: The following 4 sample groups were included: healthy; osteochondritis dissecans (OCD); traumatic synovitis; and culture-confirmed infected joints. Synovial fluid was analysed for total MPO by a hor...
Thomsen LN, Berg LC, Markussen B, Thomsen PD.Cervical synovial folds have been suggested as a potential cause of neck pain in humans. Little is known about the extent and characteristics of cervical synovial folds in horses. Objective: The objective of this explorative study was to determine the frequency of synovial folds in equine cervical articular process joints and to provide a characterisation of the size and morphology of the synovial folds. Methods: Equine cervical articular process joints from 6 horses were included in the study, ranging from cervical vertebra 2 (C2) to cervical vertebra 7 (C7) bilaterally. The articular process...
Andersen UV, Howe DK, Olsen SN, Nielsen MK.Parasites infecting horses are ubiquitous and clinically important across the world. The major parasitic threats to equine health are cyathostomins, Parascaris equorum, Anoplocephala perfoliata, and Strongylus vulgaris. Increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance reported world wide in equine parasites have led to recommendations of constructing sustainable parasite control programmes based on systematic surveillance of parasite levels. Regulations at the European Union level now make anthelmintics available on prescription-only basis and disallow prophylactic treatment. This emphasizes the n...
Altamura G, Strazzullo M, Corteggio A, Francioso R, Roperto F, D'Esposito M, Borzacchiello G.Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) types 1 and 2 are the only known papillomaviruses able to jump the species. In fact, BPVs 1/2 induce neoplasia in their natural bovine host but infection is also associated to neoplastic skin lesions in equids termed sarcoids. The equine sarcoid is considered to be the most common equine cutaneous tumour worldwide for which no effective therapy is available. Very little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying tumourigenesis, although genes contributing to sarcoid development have been identified. Several studies associate the development of cancer to t...
Kappmeyer LS, Thiagarajan M, Herndon DR, Ramsay JD, Caler E, Djikeng A, Gillespie JJ, Lau AO, Roalson EH, Silva JC, Silva MG, Suarez CE, Ueti MW....Transmission of arthropod-borne apicomplexan parasites that cause disease and result in death or persistent infection represents a major challenge to global human and animal health. First described in 1901 as Piroplasma equi, this re-emergent apicomplexan parasite was renamed Babesia equi and subsequently Theileria equi, reflecting an uncertain taxonomy. Understanding mechanisms by which apicomplexan parasites evade immune or chemotherapeutic elimination is required for development of effective vaccines or chemotherapeutics. The continued risk of transmission of T. equi from clinically silent,...
Santín M.Cryptosporidium spp. are frequent parasites of livestock and companion animals, raising questions about the clinical significance of such infections. Cryptosporidium infections have a wide spectrum of clinical signs that can vary from asymptomatic to serious infection to death. In neonatal ruminants, cryptosporidiosis is considered an important disease characterised by diarrhoea and mortality. In companion animals most infections are asymptomatic but severe clinical illness has also been reported in dogs, cats and horses. In birds, three main clinical forms of cryptosporidiosis are primarily s...
Brinkmann L, Gerken M, Riek A.Outdoor group housing is increasingly recognized as an appropriate housing system for domesticated horses. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of potential feed shortage in semi-natural horse keeping systems in winter on animal health and welfare. In 10 female Shetland ponies blood concentrations (NEFA, total protein (TP), total bilirubin (TB), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and thyroxine (T4)), body mass and the body condition score (BCS) were monitored for 7 months including a 4 months period of feed restriction in five of the 10 ponies. Restrictively fed animals ...
BMC research notesNovember 8, 2012
Volume 5 626 doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-5-626
Boudko SP, Ishikawa Y, Lerch TF, Nix J, Chapman MS, Bächinger HP.Hyperelastosis cutis is an inherited autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder. Affected horses are characterized by hyperextensible skin, scarring, and severe lesions along the back. The disorder is caused by a mutation in cyclophilin B. Results: The crystal structures of both wild-type and mutated (Gly6->Arg) horse cyclophilin B are presented. The mutation neither affects the overall fold of the enzyme nor impairs the catalytic site structure. Instead, it locally rearranges the flexible N-terminal end of the polypeptide chain and also makes it more rigid. Conclusions: Interactions of th...
Sutton GA, Dahan R, Turner D, Paltiel O.A validated tool for assessing the severity of acute abdominal pain is needed for the effective management of colic in horses. Two behaviour-based colic pain scales were constructed by combining together mathematical and judgemental approaches. The mathematical approach identified easily-recognised pain behaviours to select as items. The judgemental approach further modified the items and weighted them based on expert-opinion. Thirty equine practitioners assessed the level of pain demonstrated in 23 film clips of clinical cases exhibiting signs of acute abdominal pain prospectively using a 10c...
Rioja E, Cernicchiaro N, Costa MC, Valverde A.This study investigated associations between perioperative factors and probability of death and length of hospitalization of mares with dystocia that survived following general anesthesia. Demographics and perioperative characteristics from 65 mares were reviewed retrospectively and used in a risk factor analysis. Mortality rate was 21.5% during the first 24 h post-anesthesia. The mean ± standard deviation number of days of hospitalization of surviving mares was 6.3 ± 5.4 d. Several factors were found in the univariable analysis to be significantly associated (P < 0.1) with increased probabi...
Farley DC, Bannister R, Leroux-Carlucci MA, Evans NE, Miskin JE, Mitrophanous KA.The release of lentiviral vectors for clinical use requires the testing of vector material, production cells, and, if applicable, ex vivo-transduced cells for the presence of replication-competent lentivirus (RCL). Vectors derived from the nonprimate lentivirus equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) have been directly administered to patients in several clinical trials, with no toxicity observed to date. Because EIAV does not replicate in human cells, and because putative RCLs derived from vector components within human vector production cells would most likely be human cell-tropic, we previous...
Lamb L, Zubrod C, Hague B, Brakenhoff J, Major M.The significance of collateral ligament desmitis of the tarsocrural joint is often clinically underestimated, because it is an uncommon injury with a guarded prognosis for athletic soundness. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical presentation, treatment, and outcome of 12 horses with collateral ligament desmitis, along with tarsocrural joint synovitis secondary to hemarthrosis. Criteria for inclusion in this study included clinical signs of tarsocrural joint synovitis and sonographic evidence of collateral ligament desmitis. This retrospective study evaluated horses over an ...
Mata F.Several growth models are commonly used in the biological sciences, to model the follicle growth occurring in the estrous cycle. The aim of this project was to find the model that best fit the follicular size growth data for Lusitano mares. Retrospective data collected from reproduction book records of n=84 mares and n=124 cycles was used to find the series to be fitted to the models. The exponential, Gompertz, logistic, von Bertalanffy, Richards and Weibull models were used, and the most parsimonious and best fit was achieved with the logistic model (r(2)=0.999). The logistic model fits the L...
Charles EM, Rantanen NW.Tremendous growth and advancement in equine diagnostic imaging necessitates a systematic approach to the application of these modalities to lameness diagnosis. This systematic approach must include attention to the history, physical and clinical examinations, and parameters set forth by the client. It also must include an understanding of which imaging modality is most appropriate given the details of the case. This article presents a basic framework with an underlying algorithmic foundation that can be applied when selecting imaging modalities during lameness evaluation and includes case exam...
Saveraid TC, Judy CE.The use of intravenous gadolinium contrast during equine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new technique that has been infrequently used in clinical imaging. This article describes the development of an effective contrast dose and the use of gadolinium contrast in clinical equine MRI. Gadolinium contrast improves lesion conspicuity across a broad range of lesion types. Contrast-enhanced MRI is potentially a valuable imaging tool in the assessment of the equine athlete.
De Pedro P, Wilkins PA, McMichael MA, Dirikolu L, Lascola KM, Clark-Price SC, Boston RC.To determine endogenous production of L-lactate and the clearance of exogenous sodium L-lactate (ExLC) in healthy adult horses. Methods: A sodium L-lactate solution (1 mmol/kg body weight qs to 500 mL final volume in 0.9% NaCl) was adminstered IV over 15 minutes. Blood samples for L-lactate concentration [LAC] measurement were collected immediately prior to infusion, at 5, 10, and 15 minutes during infusion and at 1 minute intervals for 15 minutes, at 30, 45, 60, 120, and 180 minutes postinfusion. Disposition modeling and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using proprietary software. Metho...
McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD, Kawcak CE.Osteoarthritis (OA) is an important cause of pain, disability and economic loss in humans, and is similarly important in the horse. Recent knowledge on post-traumatic OA has suggested opportunities for early intervention, but it is difficult to identify the appropriate time of these interventions. The horse provides two useful mechanisms to answer these questions: 1) extensive experience with clinical OA in horses; and 2) use of a consistently predictable model of OA that can help study early pathobiological events, define targets for therapeutic intervention and then test these putative thera...
Hurcombe SD, Matthews AL, Scott VH, Williams JM, Kohn CW, Toribio RE.To determine the predictive value of serum concentrations of total protein (sTP), albumin (sAlb), and globulin (sGlob) measured by automated calorimetric assays to estimate serum immunoglobulin G (sIgG) concentrations in neonatal foals and identify failure of transfer of passive immunity when compared to turbidoimmunometric assay determinations of sIgG. Methods: Retrospective and prospective analysis of laboratory data. Methods: University tertiary care facility. Methods: Group 1 (retrospective): foals (n = 45) ≤7 days of age in which sIgG, sGlob, sAlb, and sTP concentrations were measured o...
Gilliam LL, Holbrook TC, Ownby CL, McFarlane D, Sleeper MM, Martin S, Levis K, Payton ME.Cardiac abnormalities are reported in rattlesnake-bitten horses. The prevalence and cause are unknown. Objective: To detect cardiac damage in rattlesnake-bitten horses by measuring cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and evaluating ECG recordings for presence of arrhythmias, and explore causes of this cardiac damage by measuring venom excretion, anti-venom antibodies, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Methods: A total of 20 adult horses with a clinical diagnosis of rattlesnake bite and 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: In a prospective clinical study, bite site swabs, blood samples, and urine samp...
Dobesova O, Schwarz B, Velde K, Jahn P, Zert Z, Bezdekova B.The medical records of 28 horses with guttural pouch mycosis were reviewed. The most commonly observed clinical signs were nasal discharge, epistaxis, dysphagia and/or cough. All 28 horses had the disease unilaterally, however, in five of them, it had spread into the contralateral pouch via the mesial septum. Three horses were treated medically, 11 horses underwent surgery and seven horses were treated both medically and surgically. Fifty percent of horses (14/28) were euthanased or died, fifty percent of horses (14/28) survived. There was no significant correlation between treatment method (m...
Symons JE, Entwistle RC, Arens AM, Garcia TC, Christiansen BA, Fyhrie DP, Stover SM.To determine morphological and mechanical properties of trabecular bone of horses with a bone fragility syndrome (BFS; including silicate-associated osteoporosis). Methods: Cylindrical trabecular bone samples from the distal aspects of cadaveric third metacarpal bones of 39 horses (19 horses with a BFS [BFS bone samples] and 20 horses without a BFS [control bone samples]). Methods: Bone samples were imaged via micro-CT for determination of bone volume fraction; apparent and mean mineralized bone densities; and trabecular number, thickness, and separation. Bone samples were compressed to failur...
Eckert RE, Sharief Y, Jones SL.Equine laminar tissues do not contain resident neutrophils and have less superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity than other equine tissues, which makes them inherently more vulnerable to damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by neutrophils that enter the tissues. In the advanced clinical stages of acute laminitis, pathologic events in affected feet include a breakdown in the basement membrane, neutrophil infiltration, and platelet-neutrophil aggregates in laminar dermal veins, highlighting the contribution of neutrophils to the pathophysiology of the disease. The aim of this stu...
Ramos RT, Silva A, Carneiro AR, Pinto AC, Soares Sde C, Santos AR, Almeida SS, Guimarães LC, Aburjaile FF, Barbosa EG, Dorella FA, Rocha FS....The bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is of major veterinary importance because it affects livestock, particularly sheep, goats, and horses, in several countries, including Australia, Brazil, the United States, and Canada, resulting in significant economic losses. In the present study, we describe the complete genome of the Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Cp316 strain, biovar equi, isolated from the abscess of a North American horse.
Metcalfe LV, More SJ, Duggan V, Katz LM.Weight loss despite a good appetite is a frequent diagnostic challenge for equine veterinarians; however, there are few objective reports and little descriptive information regarding risk factors and prognostic indicators. Objective: To provide a descriptive epidemiological analysis of horses evaluated for weight loss despite a good appetite and evaluate relationships between historical and clinicopathological findings and final outcome (survival vs. nonsurvival) to identify risk factors and prognostic indicators. Methods: Medical records of horses referred for investigation of weight loss des...
Mizukoshi F, Maeda K, Hamano M, Iwata H, Matsumura T, Kondo T, Sugiura T.In this study, IgG subclass responses against equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a type-specific region of EHV-4 glycoprotein G (gG). ELISA using sera collected from horses experimentally infected with EHV-4 revealed that IgGa and IgGb antibodies were detected at high level, but IgGc and IgG(T) antibody responses were detected at low level or were undetectable. The IgGa antibody response reached its peak on day 10 post-infection, and then dropped. The IgGb antibody response reached its maximum level on day 12 post-infection, and t...
Huber L, Giguère S, Hart KA, Slovis NM, Greiter ME, Dailey CA, Cohen ND.To compare soil concentrations of macrolide- and rifampicin-resistant strains (MRRE) on horse-breeding farms that used thoracic ultrasonographic screening (TUS) to identify foals with subclinical pneumonia combined with subsequent administration of macrolides and rifampin to affected foals (TUS farms) versus soil concentrations on farms that did not (non-TUS farms), determine whether the combined use of TUS and antimicrobial treatment of subclinically affected foals was associated with soil concentration of MRRE, and assess whether there were temporal effects on soil concentrations of MRRE du...
Howard-Martin M, Morton RJ, Qualls CW, MacAllister CG.A 1-day old, full-term foal with a history of colic died 2 hours after admission. Necropsy revealed an extremely flaccid, fluid-filled intestinal tract. Histopathologically, the superficial intestinal mucosa was completely necrotic, with minimal inflammatory response. Numerous large, gram-positive rods covered the villi. Clostridium perfringens was isolated on bacteriologic culturing of the intestinal tract contents and was identified as type C by toxin neutralization tests.
Niilo L.Eleven Clostridium perfringens type C strains isolated from fatal cases of hemorrhagic enterotoxemia of Canadian calves, a piglet, and a foal were studied for the production of soluble antigens. All the isolates from calves and a foal failed to produce delta toxin, but were capable of producing large amounts of lethal beta toxin. A strain isolated from a piglet produced delta, but very little beta toxin. Other differences were relatively minor. The results indicated that young domestic animals may be susceptible to all subtypes of C. perfringens type C. A simple method of using blood agar plat...
Chaffin MK, Schmitz DG, Brumbaugh GW, Hall DG.Splenic and hepatic ultrasonography were beneficial for diagnosis of lymphosarcoma in 3 horses with anorexia, weight loss, and lethargy. Ultrasonographic abnormalities of the spleen included a large, complex, hypoechoic mass in 1 horse, multiple well-marginated, hypoechoic nodules in 1 horse, and diffuse hyperechogenicity in another horse. Ultrasonographic abnormalities of the liver included a spherical, hypoechoic nodule in 1 horse and diffuse hyperechogenicity in another. Histologic examination of ultrasound-guided biopsy specimens or aspirates revealed lymphosarcoma. Necropsy findings confi...
Olitsky PK, Kligler IJ.With the methods which have been described we have separated an exotoxin and an endotoxin from cultures of the Shiga dysenteric bacillus. The study of the nature and effect of the poison of this microorganism is thus simplified. The two toxins are physically and biologically distinct. The exotoxin is relatively heat-labile, arises in the early period of growth, and yields an antiexotoxic immune serum. The endotoxin, on the other hand, is heat-stable, is formed in the later period of growth, and is not neutralized by the antiexotoxic serum. The exotoxin exhibits a specific affinity for the cent...
Reilly GA, Cassidy JP, Taylor SM.Detailed pathological examinations of two horses with subacute fatal diarrhoea suggested an association between the diarrhoea and damage to the colonic and caecal mucosae caused by large numbers of cyathostome larvae (larval cyathostomiasis). The affected animals deteriorated rapidly, and died after a short illness.
Halldórsdóttir S, Lazary S, Gunnarsson E, Larsen HJ.Three hundred and three horses, exported from Iceland to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland or Germany were tested for their distribution of leucocyte antigens. One hundred and thirty-six horses were affected with summer eczema. The panel of sera recognised the internationally accepted ELA-specificities A 1 to A10, and the nine work shop specificities W 11 to W 15 and W 18 to W 21. Also, some local specificities, characterised in Switzerland (Be I, Be III, Be 8, Be 25, Be 26, Be 27), and two non major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-linked antigens (Ely 1:1, Ely 2) were included. Only one a...
Matczuk AK, Skarbek M, Jackulak NA, Bażanów BA.Equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is one of the main infectious causative agents of abortion in mares and can also be associated with stillbirth, neonatal foal death, rhinopneumonitis in young horses and a neurological disorder called equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The neuropathogenicity of the virus was shown to be significantly higher in EHV-1 strains that carry a single nucleotide point (SNP) mutation in the ORF30, which encodes a catalytic subunit of viral DNA polymerase (ORF30 D). Another gene, ORF68 is frequently used for phylogenetic analysis of EHV-1. 27 EHV-1 strains iso...
Fukai K, Saito T, Fukuda O, Hagiwara A, Inoue K, Sato M.In this study, equine group A rotavirus (RV-A), Nasuno, isolated from foal diarrhoea in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan was characterised genetically by sequence analysis of the genome segments encoding VP4 and VP7. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences revealed high homology with P[12] RV-As (94.0-99.3% and 94.9-99.4%) and G3 RV-As (86.9-99.5% and 91.1-99.4%). Nasuno was also classified into P[12] and G3 in the phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the genome segments encoding VP4 and VP7.
Matuschka FR.The dog is the final host for sarcosporidia cysts from the oesophagus and diaphragm of donkeys from Sardinia. The prepatent period lasted 9 to 10 days. Sporocysts measured 12.2-13.8 X 9.2-9.9 microns. Infection of a horse with 10(5) donkey/dog sporocysts increased the rectal temperature to more than 40 degrees C on days 10 and 20 after infection. On day 138 p.i. predominantly immature cysts containing metrocytes were found, especially in the oesophagus. Infection on day 117 p.i. with 2 X 10(5) horse/dog sporocysts did not give rise to a temperature increase during the following 21 days. The fi...
Machado G, Corbellini LG, Frias-De-Diego A, Dieh GN, Dos Santos DV, Jara M, de Freitas Costa E.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a transboundary disease affecting a large number of equines worldwide. In this study, we assessed the transmission risk of EIAV in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Serum samples from 1010 animals from 341 farms were initially analyzed using agar gel immunodiffusion to detect viral antibodies, and no antibody-positive animals were found. A risk assessment stochastic model was applied to generate the expected number of potential infections per month and to estimate the time to new infections. Our results estimated 6.5 months as the interval for new infections i...
Zhu Y, Chen S, Yi Z, Holyoak R, Wang T, Ding Z, Li J. subsp. equi () is the pathogen causing strangles, a highly infectious disease that can affect equids including donkeys of all ages. It can persistently colonize the upper respiratory tract of animals asymptomatically for years, which serves as a source of infection. Several strangles outbreaks have been reported in the donkey industry in China in the last few years and pose a great threat to health, production, and the welfare of donkeys. Nasopharyngeal swab samples for culture and PCR are used widely in strangles diagnosis. Additionally, microbiomes within and on the body are essential to ho...
Ayala I, Rodríguez MJ, Martos N, Zilberschtein J, Ruíz I, Motas M.Fatal brodifacoum poisoning in a pony is described; this condition has not previously been reported in ponies. Discussion of what factors in the pony's history and treatment may have predisposed to the severity and ultimate death is provided. Cet article décrit un empoisonnement mortel au brodifacoum chez un poney, condition jamais rapportée auparavant. La discussion porte sur les liens entre les divers éléments de l’anamnèse et les traitements reçus par rapport à la sévérité de la condition et ultimement à la mort de l’animal. (Traduit par Docteur André Blouin)
Honnas CM, Liskey CC, Meagher DM, Brown D, Luck EE.A 24-year-old horse had a malignant melanoma of the right forefoot. Because surgical excision of the melanoma was incomplete, as determined by histologic examination of the excised tissue margins, the tumor margins were injected with a matrix therapeutic implant containing cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, epinephrine, and purified bovine collagen matrix. The foot healed and the horse remained clinically free of disease for 26 months before recurrence of malignant melanoma. Surgical exploration of the digit revealed extensive involvement of the foot, and the horse was euthanatized.
Townsend NB, Cotton JC, Barakzai SZ.To (1) describe a tangential radiographic projection of the equine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and (2) optimize the radiographic angle and determine its use in standing sedated horses. Methods: Descriptive study. Methods: Cadaveric equine skulls (n=11); 8 horses with a history of quidding or headshaking. Methods: Tangential radiographic projections were taken of a TMJ of a cadaveric skull before and after intra-articular injection of radiographic contrast. Additional tangential radiographic projections were taken after TMJ dissection and placement of a wire along the articular surface of the...
Semevolos SA.This article reviews current knowledge of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) development in horses, including normal cartilage development, early osteochondrosis pathogenesis, and factors that result in healing or advancement to OCD fragments. Discussion includes current theories, detection, and therapeutic options.
Toishi Y, Tsunoda N, Kirisawa R.Equine coital exanthema (ECE) has been reported in many countries, but equine herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3) has been isolated only once in Japan. In 2015, symptoms of ECE were found, and EHV-3 was isolated in two stallions. Valacyclovir, an anti-herpesvirus agent, was administered orally. The stallions rested from mating for more than two weeks, causing enormous financial losses because of their high fees. This is the first study in which valacyclovir was administered for ECE. Though valacyclovir treatment did not shorten the duration of healing, the affected area did not expand after administration o...
Chapuis RJJ, Smith JS, French HM, Toka FN, Peterson EW, Little EL.Doxycycline (DXC) is a broad-spectrum antibacterial antimicrobial administered to horses for the treatment of bacterial infections which may also affect donkeys. Donkeys have a different metabolism than horses, leading to differences in the pharmacokinetics of drugs compared to horses. This study aimed to describe the population pharmacokinetics of DXC in donkeys. Five doses of DXC hyclate (10 mg/kg) were administered via a nasogastric tube, q12 h, to eight non-fasted, healthy, adult jennies. Serum, urine, synovial fluid and endometrium were collected for 72 h following the first administratio...
Cox VS.Traditionally, the downer cow has been considered a metabolic problem. This viewpoint cannot account for the pelvic limb predilection of the condition. Whatever the primary cause of recumbency, all recumbent animals are susceptible to pressure damage. The extensive literature on pressure damage in human beings and horses is reviewed. Miscellaneous causes of and contributing factors to bovine recumbency are reviewed. Concepts and details of diagnosis, prevention, management, and therapy are discussed.
Dik KJ, van den Broek J.From progeny lists of 30 Dutch Warmblood sires, 586 3-year-old females by these stallions were randomly selected, each progeny group aimed at 20 animals for statistical reasons. The front feet of the sires and female progeny were examined radiographically using lateromedial and dorsopalmar upright pedal projections. The radiological features associated with navicular disease were classified 0-4 using a standardised classification, grades 3 and 4 representing the more severe changes. The shape of the proximal articular border of the navicular bone outline on the dorsopalmar view was classified ...
Weller R, Livesey L, Maierl J, Nuss K, Bowen IM, Cauvin ER, Weaver M, Schumacher J, May SA.Scintigraphy, with 99mTechnetium methylenediphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) and 99mTc-labelled leucocytes, was compared to radiography in the diagnosis of dental disease in the horse in a prospective case-controlled study, comprising 30 horses with clinical signs of dental disease and 30 control horses. In each case, right and left lateral, ventral and dorsal soft tissue and bone phase scintigraphic images were obtained after i.v. injection of 1 GBq/100 kg bwt 99mTc-MDP, using a gamma camera. The same views were acquired in 10 horses with clinical signs of dental disease and 12 control horses after in...
Lefebvre R, Theoret C, Doré M, Girard C, Laverty S, Vaillancourt D.An 8-year-old Arabian mare was admitted for a large ovarian anovulatory follicle. A clinical diagnosis of ovarian tumor and endometritis was established. Histological examinations revealed an ovarian teratoma and a grade II endometritis. Three months after unilateral ovariectomy, the mare was confirmed pregnant and eventually gave birth uneventfully. Une jument Arabe de 8 ans fut présentée pour un gros ovaire. Un diagnostic de tumeur ovarienne et d’endométrite fut posé. L’examen histologique confirma un tératoma ovarien et une endométrite grade II. Trois mois après une ovariectomie...
Dumoulin M, Pille F, Van den Abeele AM, Haesebrouck F, Oosterlinck M, Gasthuys F, Martens A.The objective of this study was to evaluate an automated blood culture system for the isolation of microorganisms from infected equine synovial fluid (SF). Samples were collected from 220 severely inflamed synovial joints and classified as either presumably infected (group A: n=149) or not infected (group B: n=71), based on a combination of clinical history, clinical signs and cytological analysis of the SF. Samples were inoculated into blood culture bottles and after incubation were subcultured onto agar media to confirm the results and to facilitate full bacterial identification. Microorgani...
Graham RJTY, Anderson JR, Phelan MM, Cillan-Garcia E, Bladon BM, Taylor SE.Palmar osteochondral disease (POD) is a common cause of lameness in competition horses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most sensitive diagnostic modality currently available, however it may not be financially or logistically practical for routine screening of POD. There is increasing interest in the use of metabolomics for diagnosis prior to progression to irreversible damage. Objective: To determine metabolite levels in synovial fluid (SF) of horses with a clinical diagnosis of POD based on diagnostic analgesia and MRI, with the hypothesis that metabolomic profiles differ between dis...
Keir AA, Stämpfli HR, Crawford J.Exposure of a group of horses to tetracycline-contaminated feed resulted in acute colitis and subsequent death in one horse and milder diarrhea in 3 others. The most severely affected animal demonstrated clinical and pathological findings typical of colitis X. The other herdmates responded well to administration of zinc bacitracin.
Blanke A, Aupperle H, Seeger J, Kubick C, Schusser GF.Clinical, anatomical and histological aspects of the equine acoustic organ have been poorly investigated and illustrated in literature so far. It is understood that an intact acoustic organ and hearing function are of vital importance for the well-being of flight animals like horses. The knowledge of the acoustic organ is usually transferred analogously from other mammals to horses. The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed and complete histological description of the healthy equine auditory organ, and to determine its congruity to other mammalians. Anatomical dissections and histolo...
