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.
Borchers A, Wilkins PA, Marsh PM, Axon JE, Read J, Castagnetti C, Pantaleon L, Clark C, Qura'n L, Belgrave R, Trachsel D, Levy M, Bedenice D....Admission L-lactate concentration is a useful and commonly measured biomarker not previously prospectively evaluated in a large multicentre study of critically ill neonatal foals. Objective: To evaluate overall outcome and the association of survival and L-lactate concentration at admission ([LAC]ADMIT) by periparturient history, presenting complaint and clinicians' major diagnosis for ill neonatal foals. Methods: Thirteen university and private equine referral hospitals enrolled 643 foals over the 2008 foaling season. Case details, historical, clinical and clinicopathological data were entere...
Jose-Cunilleras E, Viu J, Corradini I, Armengou L, Cesarini C, Monreal L.Nutritional support in critically ill neonatal foals is of great importance given their high metabolic rate and minimal stores of energy and protein. Nutrient requirements of healthy growing foals have been estimated based on daily milk intake; however, little is known about the resting energy expenditure (REE) of sick foals. Objective: To determine REE in critically ill neonatal foals (sepsis and/or hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy [HIE] and compare this with REE in control foals. Methods: Critically ill newborn foals admitted to the Fundació Hospital Clinic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma...
Himler M, Hurcombe SD, Griffin A, Barsnick RJ, Rathgeber RA, MacGillivray KC, Toribio RE.Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis dysfunction is associated with morbidity and mortality in critically ill people. To date, investigations of HPT axis in critically ill foals are limited. Objective: To document the occurrence of low thyroid hormone concentrations (presumptive nonthyroidal illness syndrome; NTIS) in critically ill newborn foals and investigate whether NTIS is associated with severity of disease and outcome. Objective: NTIS occurs frequently in foals with sepsis and is associated with sepsis score and outcome. Reverse T3 (rT3) concentrations will be increased in septic f...
Ollivett TL, Divers TJ, Cushing T, Priest H, Dawson DR, Peters R, Stokol T.Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in foals is rare and treatment has not been documented. This paper describes the clinical, haematological and ultrasonographic findings as well as attempted treatment of SAP in two 5-day-old Appaloosa fillies. Clinical signs, including colic, diarrhoea and coma, may be mistaken for sepsis or neonatal encephalopathy. Hyperlipaemic serum and peritoneal fluid, and elevated serum and peritoneal fluid amylase and lipase activities aided the diagnosis. Severe acute pancreatitis should be included as a differential in an acutely ill foal with diarrhoea, colic, cerebral...
Ousey JC, Fowden AL.Prostaglandins play an essential role during the perinatal period in the mare. Prostaglandin concentrations are low for the majority of pregnancy due to the regulatory action of progestagens on those enzymes responsible for metabolism of prostaglandins. Towards term, prostaglandin concentrations gradually increase, closely associated with upregulation of the fetal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, stimulation of the prostaglandin synthesising enzyme PGHS-2 and changes in the ratio of progestagens and oestrogens. Recent evidence in the mare indicates that proinflammatory cytokines are key med...
Elfenbein JR, Sanchez LC.Gastric ulcer disease is reported to be a significant cause of morbidity in foals, but the prevalence of ulcers in this population has not recently been evaluated. Objective: To determine the prevalence of gastric and duodenal ulceration in nonsurviving foals, and the association of ulceration with the body system of primary diagnosis. Secondary objectives were to evaluate a potential association between age and ulcer prevalence and to evaluate the use of antacid medication in the neonatal hospital population during the study years. Methods: Necropsy records were searched for all equine access...
Haggett EF, Foote AK, Head MJ, McGladdery AJ, Powell SE.A 4-week-old Thoroughbred filly foal with a history of sepsis was evaluated for right hindlimb lameness. Bilateral femoropatellar and femorotibial joint effusions were detected. Ultrasonography and radiography of the right stifle revealed signs of joint collapse and periarticular swelling. Computed tomography revealed abnormalities in the bone density of the medial femoral condyle of the right hindlimb and lateral femoral condyle of the left hindlimb. Euthanasia was recommended based on the severity of the lesions. Gross and microscopic examinations revealed extensive separation of the articul...
Fowden AL, Forhead AJ, Ousey JC.In adapting to life ex utero, the foal encounters a number of physiological challenges. It has to assume the nutritional, respiratory and excretory functions of the placenta and activate full regulatory control over its own internal environment for the first time. To achieve this, there must be structural and functional changes to a wide range of tissues including several endocrine glands. In most species, including the horse, these maturational changes begin in late gestation and continue into the first few days of neonatal life. Consequently, during this perinatal period, there are major cha...
Viu J, Monreal L, Jose-Cunilleras E, Cesarini C, Añor S, Armengou L.Bacterial meningoencephalitis is a severe complication in septic foals and there is scarce and often unclear information in the equine literature. Objective: To report the most frequent clinical signs, clinicopathological findings, causative agents, treatments given and outcome of a group of foals with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis. Methods: Foals aged < 6 months of age admitted to the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (2004-2009) with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis were retrospectively included in the study Diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis was made by cerebrospina...
McCue PM, Ferris RA.An understanding of the normal events of foaling, causes of dystocia and clinical outcomes is important for equine practitioners. Objective: The goals of the present study were to: 1) evaluate factors that influence gestation length; 2) report duration of Stage II labour; 3) determine the frequency of dystocia and premature placental separation; and 4) determine the relationship between problems at foaling and foal survival. Methods: Foaling records of 1047 mare births were evaluated. Results: The average gestation length was 342.7 days [corrected] +/- 0.4 days, with no effect of mare age or b...
Holcombe SJ, Hurcombe SD, Barr BS, Schott HC.Dysphagia due to pharyngeal dysfunction occurs in human neonates and is associated with prematurity and hypoxic episodes. This syndrome probably occurs in neonatal foals but has not been reported. Objective: The objectives of this study were to describe 1) a series of neonatal foals with dysphagia due to pharyngeal dysfunction; 2) the progression, treatment and resolution of the dysphagia; 3) the comorbidities; and 4) the prognosis for life and athleticism for affected foals. Methods: Records from 3 referral equine hospitals were reviewed from neonatal foals with dysphagia of pharyngeal origin...
Furr M, Cohen ND, Axon JE, Sanchez LC, Pantaleon L, Haggett E, Campbell R, Tennent-Brown B.The use of anti-ulcer medication in the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) is common due to the concern for development of catastrophic gastric ulcerdisease. In man, however, the use of acid-suppressive medication has been shown in some studies to be a substantial riskfactorfor the development of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD), bacteraemia and neonatal sepsis. Objective: The purpose of the study reported herein is to evaluate the influence of anti-ulcer medications on the development of diarrhoea in the neonatalfoal. Objective: The use of anti-ulcer medication does not alter...
Foote AK, Ricketts SW, Whitwell KE.Significant progress has been made in understanding and monitoring the causes of equine abortion over past decades. However, not all in utero pathology results in abortion. It has long been recognised that some in utero pathology, such as twinning or chronic placentitis, can result in the birth of live but growth-retarded foals and there is historical evidence that birth weight may influence future athletic performance. Clinical experience (e.g. from twins) and experimental studies (pony-Thoroughbred embryo transfer) have highlighted the importance of reduced functional placental area in limit...
Pisano MB, Seco MP, Ré VE, Farías AA, Contigiani MS, Tenorio A.Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) complex belongs to alphavirus genus in the family Togaviridae. Several species of this complex are pathogenic to humans. VEE infections can produce severe or mild disease, and many cases remain undiagnosed. A specific and sensitive reverse transcriptase nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-Nested PCR) method was developed for the detection of all VEE subtypes, including Rio Negro Virus (RNV) (subtype VI), which circulates only in Argentina. Degenerated primers were designed and thermal cycling parameters were standardized. This technique is suitable for rap...
Funk RA, Wooldridge AA, Stewart AJ, Behrend EN, Kemppainen RJ, Zhong Q, Johnson AK.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is an increasingly recognized problem in adult horses. Affected horses are often obese and predisposed to the development of laminitis, especially in the spring and summer months. In addition, in the summer and fall months, increases in endogenous insulin concentrations, a marker of EMS, have been reported. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate seasonal changes in results of the combined glucose-insulin tolerance test (CGIT), a diagnostic test for EMS. Methods: Nine healthy, aged horses with no history of laminitis and no clinical signs of EMS. Me...
McGowan TW, Pinchbeck GP, McGowan CM.Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is an ageing-related neurodegenerative disorder. The prevalence and risk factors for PPID using seasonally adjusted basal adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations in aged horses have not been previously reported. Objective: To determine the prevalence, risk factors and clinical signs predictive for PPID in a population of horses aged ≥ 15 years in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Owner-reported data was obtained using a postal questionnaire distributed to an equestrian group. A subgroup of surveyed owners were visited and a veterina...
Cuervo-Arango J, Newcombe JR.The most common pathological anovulatory condition that occurs spontaneously during the breeding season in the mare is the haemorrhagic anovulatory follicle (HAF). A relatively high proportion of mares, soon after ovulation, develop a corpus haemorrhagicum (CH) with a central lacuna. This type of corpora lutea may resemble an HAF, which may complicate the accurate diagnosis of ovulation. The main objective of this study was to compare the ultrasound data of mares examined frequently with HAFs and CHs to elucidate whether it is possible to distinguish them from each other. A total of 135 ovulat...
Burgess HJ, Lockerbie BP, Czerwinski S, Scott M.A 12-year-old female Argentinean Warmblood mare was evaluated because of respiratory noise. The horse resided in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but had been imported from Argentina 28 months prior to presentation. Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract revealed a single polypoid mass on the left arytenoid. The mass was surgically excised and was diagnosed histologically as rhinosporidiosis. Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing were used to confirm the etiological agent. Four weeks postoperatively, endoscopy was repeated, revealing recurrence of the original lesion with multiple additional...
Manole V, Laurinmäki P, Van Wyngaardt W, Potgieter CA, Wright IM, Venter GJ, van Dijk AA, Sewell BT, Butcher SJ.African horsesickness (AHS) is a devastating disease of horses. The disease is caused by the double-stranded RNA-containing African horsesickness virus (AHSV). Using electron cryomicroscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction, we determined the architecture of an AHSV serotype 4 (AHSV-4) reference strain. The structure revealed triple-layered AHS virions enclosing the segmented genome and transcriptase complex. The innermost protein layer contains 120 copies of VP3, with the viral polymerase, capping enzyme, and helicase attached to the inner surface of the VP3 layer on the 5-fold axis,...
Wang CC, Hartmann-Fischbach P, Krueger TR, Wells TL, Feineman AR, Compton JC.3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a psychoactive drug with potent stimulant properties and potential for abuse and drug dependency. MDPV was recently classified as a Class I drug by Racing Commissioners International, indicating that it is a banned substance in equine athletes because it lacks therapeutic value in horses. To enforce this ban, a sensitive and fast liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was needed. It is for this reason that this method was developed for quantification and confirmation of MDPV in equine plasma. Sample preparation involved liquid-liquid extr...
Marqués FJ, Hehenberger E, Dickinson R, Wojnarowicz C, Lohmann K.A 9-year-old, 1494-lb (679-kg) Quarter horse gelding in good body condition was admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), University of Saskatchewan, for evaluation and treatment of acute respiratory distress. On a trail ride 26 days before presentation, the gelding had been exposed to a horse with clinical signs of an upper respiratory tract infection. The gelding performed well on the trail ride but, 4 days later, developed a mild swelling in the retropharyngeal area and a slight bilateral mucoid nasal discharge. The gelding was examined at ...
Dupuis MC, Zhang Z, Durkin K, Charlier C, Lekeux P, Georges M.We used the data from a recently performed genome-wide association study using the Illumina Equine SNP50 beadchip for the detection of copy number variants (CNVs) and examined their association with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), an important equine upper airway disease compromising performance. A total of 2797 CNVs were detected for 477 horses, covering 229 kb and seven SNPs on average. Overlapping CNVs were merged to define 478 CNV regions (CNVRs). CNVRs, particularly deletions, were shown to be significantly depleted in genes. Fifty-two of the 67 common CNVRs (frequency ≥ 1%) we...
Douthit TL, Bormann JM, Gradert KC, Lomas LW, DeWitt SF, Kouba JM.This experiment was conducted to evaluate if consumption of endophyte-infected fescue alters digital circulation in the distal thoracic limb of the horse and to assess if soundness of the hooves of horses is affected by consumption of endophyte-infected fescue. Twelve American Quarter Horses (mean initial BW 459 ± 31 kg), 6 mares and 6 geldings, were used in this 90-d study that comprised high-endophyte (E+) and low-endophyte (E-) treatment groups. Fescue seed was integrated into the E+ diet at a rate sufficient to bring total ergovaline to 200 μg/kg, and endophyte-free fescue seed was incor...
Berlin D, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Ereqat S, Abdeen Z, Eyal O, Baneth G.Trypanosoma evansi is the cause of surra in horses, camels and other domestic animals. Following the first outbreak of surra in horses and camels in Israel in 2006, a survey of the prevalence of the parasite in the Israeli horse population was conducted using serology, PCR followed by the reverse dot blot (RDB) technique and blood smear microscopy. In total, 614 horses from 7 regions were sampled. The CATT/T. evansi kit was used for serology for all the horses. Horses from the Arava and Dead Sea region, where the first outbreak occurred, were sampled again one year later and both samples were ...
Szóstek AZ, Siemieniuch MJ, Lukasik K, Galvão AM, Ferreira-Dias GM, Skarzynski DJ.Accurate regulation of the reproductive cycle and successful implantation depend on proper functioning of the endometrium. The aim of this study was to determine whether mRNA transcription of specific enzymes responsible for prostaglandin (PG) synthesis (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase, PTGS-2; prostaglandin F(2α) synthase, PGFS; and prostaglandin E(2) synthases, PGES) and PG concentrations in endometrial extracts would change in moderate (Kenney's Category II) and severe phases of fibrosis (Kenney's Category III; endometrosis), compared with healthy endometrium (Kenney's Category I), dur...
Scherrer NM, Lassaline M, Engiles J.To determine the characteristics of and prognosis for ocular and periocular hemangiosarcoma in horses. Methods: Six horses treated for ocular or periocular hemangiosarcoma. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records from 2007 to 2015 was performed to identify horses with a histologic diagnosis of ocular or periocular hemangiosarcoma. Signalment (age, sex, breed), duration of clinical signs, prior treatment, tumor size and location, medical and surgical treatment including postoperative chemotherapy, follow-up time, and outcome were obtained from medical records. Histopathology was revi...
Lavoie JP, Couture L, Higgins R, Laverty S.Bacterial isolations were reviewed from equine trachea, guttural pouch, uterus, wounds, abscesses, blood, synovial fluid, and abdominal fluid submitted to the Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal for aerobic bacterial culture from 1986 to 1988. Of the 733 samples submitted, 324 (44%) were positive for bacterial growth, and 233 antimicrobial sensitivity tests were performed. Seventy-six percent of all positive samples yielded one bacterial species and two were isolated from 22% of positive samples. Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Esche...
Hendrickson EHS, Lykkjen S, Dolvik NI, Olstad K.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...
Gomez DE, Biermann NM, Sanchez LC.The quantitative effect of strong electrolytes, unmeasured strong anions (UAs), pCO2, and plasma protein concentrations in determining plasma pH can be demonstrated using the physicochemical approach. Plasma anion gap (AG) and strong ion gap (SIG) are used to assess UAs in different species. Objective: Strong ions are a major factor influencing changes in plasma pH of hospitalized foals. AG and SIG accurately predict severe hyper-L-lactatemia ([L-lac(-)] > 7 mmol/L). Methods: Seven hundred and ninety three hospitalized foals < 7 days old. Methods: Retrospective study. The relationship be...
Xiong Q, Bekebrede H, Sharma P, Arroyo LG, Baird JD, Rikihisa Y.Neorickettsia (formerly Ehrlichia) risticii is an obligatory intracellular bacterium of digenetic trematodes. When a horse accidentally ingests aquatic insects containing encysted trematodes infected with N. risticii, the bacterium is transmitted from trematodes to horse cells and causes an acute and often fatal disease called Potomac horse fever (PHF). Since the discovery of N. risticii in the United States in 1984, using immunofluorescence and PCR assays, PHF has been increasingly recognized throughout North America and South America. However, so far, there exist only a few stable N. ristici...
Williams DM, Smith BJ, Donahue JM, Poonacha KB.Blood and urine samples from horses on 3 central Kentucky horse farms with prior histories of leptospiral abortions were analysed. Blood samples were obtained from all available horses on each farm and tested for antibodies to 6 leptospira serovars. Urine samples were collected from non-gravid mares with serum antibody titres > or = 1:800 and examined for leptospires by dark-field microscopy, fluorescent antibody testing and culture. Adult horses had the greatest serological evidence of exposure to leptospira, followed by yearlings, then foals. Of horses with anti-leptospiral antibodies, 76...
Dacquet C, Loirand G, Rakotoarisoa L, Mironneau C, Mironneau J.1. Specific binding of the calcium-antagonist dihydropyridine derivative, (+)-[3H]-PN 200-110 (isradipine), to cell membranes of equine portal vein smooth muscle was compared with binding to intact strips isolated from rat portal veins. 2. Specific binding to vascular smooth muscle membranes was of high affinity, saturable and reversible. The dissociation constant obtained from association and dissociation kinetics of (+)-[3H]-PN 200-110 was similar to that obtained from equilibrium binding and competition experiments. 3. Specific binding of (+)-[3H]-PN 200-110 was completely displaced by unla...
Tydén E, Löfgren M, Hakhverdyan M, Tjälve H, Larsson P.In the present study, we examined the gene expression of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) isoenzymes in the tracheal and bronchial mucosa and in the lung of equines using TaqMan probes. The results show that all seven CYP3A isoforms identified in the equine genome, that is, CYP3A89, CYP3A93, CYP3A94, CYP3A95, CYP3A96, CYP3A97 and CYP3A129, are expressed in the airways of the investigated horses. Though in previous studies, CYP3A129 was found to be absent in equine intestinal mucosa and liver, this CYP3A isoform is expressed in the airways of horses. The gene expression of the CYP3A isoenzymes varied...
Nielsen MK, Betancourt A, Lyons ET, Horohov DW, Jacobsen S.Cyathostomins can cause a severe inflammation of equine large intestine characterized by substantial ventral edema and pronounced protein loss. Anthelmintic treatment of horses can result in a localized inflammatory response in the colonic mucosa of clinically normal horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the systemic inflammatory response of ponies naturally infected with cyathostomins to single dose representatives of three anthelmintic drug classes, namely, oxibendazole, pyrantel pamoate, and moxidectin. Thirty ponies aged between 1 and 18 years of age were allocated to one of three ...
Murray MJ.Of 183 foals examined by use of gastroendoscopy during 1987 and 1988, 94 had gastric lesions. Sixty-eight of 120 foals in the 1- to 85-day-old age range had endoscopically confirmed gastric lesions, and 26 of 63 foals in the 90- to 310-day-old age range had gastric lesions. Lesions were observed most frequently in the stratified squamous mucosal epithelium, particularly adjacent to the margo plicatus. Lesions were observed in the gastric glandular mucosa in 26 of the 94 foals with gastric lesions, and with a greater frequency in foals with a clinical disorder than in foals with no disorder (27...
Brownlow MA, Hutchins DR.Osmolality is an indication of the osmotic pressure of plasma and depends on the amount of solute and solvent (water) present. The mean (+sd) plasma osmolality of 100 clinically normal animals was 282 (+6) mOsm/kg using lithium heparin as anticoagulant. The equation, osmolality=1.86 (sodium + potassium) +glucose +blood urea nitrogen + 9, was found to predict only crudely plasma osmolality. The plasma sodium: osmolality ratio was 0.49. Water and electrolyte disorders are classified into 3 types based on the measurement of electrolytes and osmolality: (1) Hypertonic dehydration (true dehydration...
Meschter CL, Tyler DE, White NA, Moore J.Thirty horses were admitted to the University of Georgia Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital with colic severe enough to warrant surgery and/or euthanasia. Gastrointestinal tracts of these 30 horses were histologically examined for morphologic changes. The horses were grouped according to cause of the colic (ie, simple obstruction, strangulation obstruction, thromboemboli, and inflammation). Lesions were graded as to severity, and grade scores were correlated with survival or nonsurvival. Mucosal changes developed distal and proximal to the primary lesion site and, although there were some di...
Park KD, Kim H, Hwang JY, Lee CK, Do KT, Kim HS, Yang YM, Kwon YJ, Kim J, Kim HJ, Song KD, Oh JD, Kim H, Cho BW, Cho S, Lee HK.Copy number variations (CNVs), important genetic factors for study of human diseases, may have as large of an effect on phenotype as do single nucleotide polymorphisms. Indeed, it is widely accepted that CNVs are associated with differential disease susceptibility. However, the relationships between CNVs and gene expression have not been characterized in the horse. In this study, we investigated the effects of copy number deletion in the blood and muscle transcriptomes of Thoroughbred racing horses. We identified a total of 1,246 CNVs of deletion polymorphisms using DNA re-sequencing data from...
Alhassan A, Iseki H, Kim C, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I.Rapid, efficient, and reproducible procedures for isolating DNA before PCR gene amplification are essential for the diagnosis of piroplasms. In this study, we evaluated the ease and reliability of detecting Theileria equi by PCR using pre-extracted DNA samples (by QIAamp DNA Mini Kit and phenol-chloroform methods) compared with blood spotted on FTA cards as PCR templates. Although minimal variations in limit of detection were observed among the methods compared, overall, the use of pre-extracted DNA samples and blood spotted on FTA cards had comparable detection limits. These results indicate ...
Ricotti S, Garcia MI, Veaute C, Bailat A, Lucca E, Cook RF, Cook SJ, Soutullo A.Molecular and serological techniques for Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) diagnosis were compared using samples from 59 clinically normal horses stabled on five farms in the Santa Fe Province of Argentina. Of these 26 (44.1%) were positive in official AGID tests and/or gp45/gp90-based ELISA. Surprisingly 18 of the 33 seronegative horses were positive in a PCR against viral sequences encoding gp45 (PCR-positive/AGID-negative) with all but one remaining EIAV-antibody negative throughout a two year observation period. The gp45 PCR results are supported by fact that 7/18 of these horses were ...
da Silva KM, Otaka JNP, Gonçalves CAP, Silva EGA, de Alencar NX, Lessa DAB.The respiratory system is essential for health and high athletic performance in horses. Respiratory diseases have been recognized as having a major impact on training equine animals and are commonly cited as the second most common cause of wasted training time. Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is an important cause of poor performance in young racehorses. Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is considered a major issue for the equine industry because of its high prevalence and association with reduced athletic performance. In Brazil, polo is a growing equestrian sport, but studies on ...
Fidalgo-Carvalho I, Craigo JK, Barnes S, Costa-Ramos C, Montelaro RC.EIAV is a monocyte/macrophage tropic virus. To date, even though EIAV has been under investigation for numerous years, very few details have been elucidated about EIAV/macrophage interactions. This is largely due to the absence of an equine macrophage cell line that would support viral replication. Herein we describe the spontaneous immortalization and generation of a clonal equine macrophage-like (EML) cell line with the functional and immunophenotype characteristics of differentiated equine monocyte derived macrophage(s) (eMDM(s)). These cells possess strong non-specific esterase (NSE) activ...
Kannegieter NJ, Schaaf KL, Lovell DK, Simon CD, Stone BM.We describe a fibrosarcoma in a 12-year-old Quarterhorse x Arabian gelding as a sequela to equine influenza vaccination. Shortly after the second vaccination, swelling at the site was noticed by the owner and it continued to increase in size over the following 6 months. Biopsy of the mass indicated a fibrosarcoma had developed at the vaccination site. It was approximately 20 cm in diameter and elevated well above the level of the skin. There was no clinical evidence of metastases to the lungs or local lymph nodes. Surgical resection of the mass was performed and the wound healed by first and s...
Ramery E, Closset R, Bureau F, Art T, Lekeux P.Environmental causes of heaves are well described, but the molecular mechanisms of the disease remain unclear. Previous studies have highlighted the implications of variations in gene expression, most using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This well-known technique limits the number of genes that can be studied in a single assay. Microarray appears to be a valuable tool to by-pass this limitation, but so far there has been no equine-specific microarray available on the market. The present study was performed to determine whether a human microarray could be used to stud...
Oliveira Filho JP, Badial PR, Cunha PHJ, Cruz TF, Araújo JP, Divers TJ, Winand NJ, Borges AS.Equine serum or plasma iron concentration drops quickly during inflammation. Accumulation of iron inside macrophages and reduction of the intestinal absorption of this element cause hypoferremia during systemic inflammatory processes. These mechanisms are mediated by hepcidin, a 25 amino acids peptide synthesized mainly in the liver in response to iron stores and inflammation. Hepcidin is an important peptide for systemic iron homeostasis and also has antibacterial and antifungal activities. Hepcidin up-regulation is particularly useful during acute inflammation, especially before adaptive imm...
Olds AM, Stewart AA, Freeman DE, Schaeffer DJ.To determine the rate of development of septic arthritis after elective arthroscopy and evaluate associations between various factors and development of this complication in horses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 682 horses that underwent arthroscopic procedures at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital from 1994 to 2003. Methods: Information pertaining to signalment, joints treated, whether antimicrobials were administered, and development of postoperative septic arthritis was collected from medical records. Horses with a primary problem of septic arthritis or w...
Higgins R, Biberstein EL, Jang SS.Of 24 isolates of nutritionally variant streptococci recovered from equine corneal ulcers, 22 were tested for growth requirements, physiological and biochemical reactions, and susceptibility to different antimicrobial agents. Satisfactory growth was obtained by supplementing blood agar and Todd-Hewitt broth with pyridoxal hydrochloride, and all of the media for the culture and the biochemical testing were supplemented with 0.002% of this substance. Biochemical patterns of 12 of the isolates resembled those of two viridans streptococcal species, Streptococcus intermedius and Streptococcus const...
Höglund N, Nieminen P, Mustonen AM, Käkelä R, Tollis S, Koho N, Holopainen M, Ruhanen H, Mykkänen A.Equine asthma (EA) is an inflammatory disease of the lower airways driven by mediators released from cells. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vehicles for lipid mediators, which possess either pro-inflammatory or dual anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving functions. In this study, we investigated how the respiratory fatty acid (FA) profile reflects airway inflammatory status. The FA composition of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), BALF supernatant, and bronchoalveolar EVs of healthy horses (n = 15) and horses with mild/moderate EA (n = 10) or severe EA (SEA, n = 5) was determined w...
Parrilla-Hernandez S, Ponthier J, Franck TY, Serteyn DD, Deleuze SC.Intraluminal fluid and excessive abnormal hyperedema are regularly used for the diagnosis of endometritis in the mare, which is routinely confirmed by the presence of neutrophils on endometrial smears. Studies show a relation between neutrophils and myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme contained in and released by neutrophils during degranulation or after cell lysis. This enzyme has been found in many fluids and tissues, and associated with different inflammatory pathologies in the horse. The aims of this study were to assess the presence and concentration of MPO in the equine uterus, and to inves...
Rassoli A, Fatouraee N, Guidoin R.The benefit of bioprosthetic aortic valve over mechanical valve replacements is the release of thromboembolism and digression of long-term anticoagulation treatment. The function of bioprostheses and their efficiency is known to depend on the mechanical properties of the leaflet tissue. So it is necessary to select a suitable tissue for the bioprosthesis. The purpose of the present study is to clarify the viscoelastic behavior of bovine, equine, and porcine pericardium. In this study, pericardiums were compared mechanically from the viscoelastic aspect. After fixation of the tissues in glutara...
Grosche A, Morton AJ, Polyak MM, Matyjaszek S, Freeman DE.The cytosolic protein complex, calprotectin, is abundant in neutrophils and could be used to improve the ability to localise and assess neutrophil infiltration in the equine intestine during ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R), but further study is required. Objective: To assess the number of calprotectin-containing cells by immunohistochemistry in correlation with direct counting and scoring of neutrophils in the equine colon during I/R. Methods: One and 2 h ischaemia of the left dorsal colon were induced, followed by 30 min reperfusion under general anaesthesia or by 18 h reperfusion after anaes...
Slocombe JO.Aims of this study with 43 equids naturally infected with Anoplocephala perfoliata in two dose titration trials were to document (i) the usefulness of a critical test with a 48 h treatment to necropsy period, (ii) efficacy of an oral paste of 0.5-2.0 mg praziquantel/kg body weight, and (iii) when after treatment would fecal egg counts provide best estimates of the tapeworm's prevalence in a herd. All feces passed by an equid after treatment and collected in successive 12 h batches were examined for tapeworms. At necropsy, tapeworms were identified as attached to the mucosa or unattached. Tapew...
Bayly WM, Reed SM, Leathers CW, Brown CM, Traub JL, Paradis MR, Palmer GH.Five Arabian or half-Arabian foals with suspected multiple cardiac anomalies were examined. Various combinations of clinical examination, electrocardiography, angiocardiography, cardiac catheterization, blood gas analysis, radiography, and echocardiography resulted in clinical data that allowed accurate antemortem diagnoses to be made. In 4 cases, the clinical diagnosis was substantiated by postmortem findings. The confirmed diagnoses were: pseudotruncus arteriosus, a combination of patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis, and tricuspid stenosis, pentalogy of Fallot, and tricuspid atresia....
Audigié F, Tapprest J, George C, Didierlaurent D, Foucher N, Faurie F, Houssin M, Denoix JM.The purpose of this paper was to correlate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of a mature brain abscess in a horse with histopathologic alterations of brain tissue. Eight months after the onset of clinical signs, MRI of the brain of a 10-month-old filly was performed. A large space-occupying lesion in the right cerebral hemisphere was identified. This space-occupying lesion was delineated by a thick and well-defined capsule that was isointense to brain parenchyma on the T1-weighted images and with a markedly hypointense on the T2-weighted images. The identification of such a ...
Rola J, Larska M, Rola JG, Belák S, Autorino GL.The aim of the study was to determine the situation of equine arteritis virus (EAV) infections in hucul horses. A total of 176 horses (154 mares and 22 stallions) from the biggest hucul horse stud in Poland were tested. Antibodies against EAV were detected in 97 (55.1%) horses. The EAV seroprevalence among mares was 53.2% while in stallions - 68.2%. The percentage of positive mares increased with their age, thus amongst the mares of less than 2 years of age the percentage was 32.5%, while in the group of 3-5 years old increased to 59.4% and in the mares in the age of 6-10 years and older than ...
