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.
Drabbe A, Janssens S, Blott S, Ducro BJ, Fontanel M, Francois L, Schurink A, Stinckens A, Lindgren G, Van Mol B, Pille F, Buys N, Velie BD.Osteochondrosis (OC) is an important skeletal disease causing profound welfare concerns in horses. Although numerous studies have explored the genetics underlying OC in various breeds, the Belgian Warmblood (BW) remains unstudied despite having a concerning prevalence of 32.0%. As a result, this study aimed to conduct genome-wide association (GWA) analyses to identify candidate variants associated with OC in BWs. To achieve this, blood samples and radiographs were collected from 407 Belgian Warmbloods registered to one of two BW studbooks (Belgisch Warmbloedpaard and Zangersheide), and genotyp...
Scardia A, Mariani Pimenta EL, Ross Russell RI, Jones GJ, Staffieri F.The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the SpO/FiO diagram in estimating gas exchange in horses under general anaesthesia. In this prospective, controlled clinical study were included 10 horses under general anaesthesia. FiO was progressively reduced with the following steps: 0.6, 0.4, 0.3 and 0.21; SpO was recorded at each step. An arterial blood sample was collected at the steps of 1.0 and 0.21, to calculate intrapulmonary shunt with the Fshunt formula. The Fshunt value calculated at 0.21 FiO was defined as "Fshunt 0.21", the one calculated at 1.0 FiO as "Fshunt 1.0". The FiO ...
Xue C, Cavanaugh SM.Reports of ante-mortem diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases in donkeys (Equus asinus) are rare. This case report describes the echocardiographic findings of suspected mitral valve dysplasia in a 3-year-old Nevisian donkey jenny presented for evaluation of a grade III/VI left-sided systolic murmur. Pertinent findings on transthoracic echocardiography included double mitral regurgitant jets and a bridge of tissue between the septal and mural mitral leaflets. Based upon the mild degree of cardiac remodeling and absence of clinical signs, therapeutic intervention was deemed unnecessary, and the je...
Aleman M, Sheldon SA, Jospin G, Coil D, Stratton-Phelps M, Eisen J.Trigeminal-mediated headshaking (TMHS) in horses is a form of neuropathic pain of undetermined cause that often results in euthanasia. The role of microbiota in TMHS has not been investigated in diseased horses. To investigate if gastrointestinal microbiota in the cecum is different in horses with TMHS compared to a control population, during a summer season with clinical manifestations of disease. Ten castrated horses: five with TMHS and five neurologically normal controls. All horses were sourced from our institution and kept under the same husbandry and dietary conditions. All horses were f...
Radcliffe RM, Liu SY, Cook VL, Hurcombe SDA, Divers TJ.Interpreting changes in peritoneal fluid helps clinicians manage colic and other diseases in horses. During abdominal problems in the horse, abdominal fluid characteristics such as color, turbidity, total nucleated and red blood cell counts, cytology, total protein, and l-lactate change in predictable ways, helping the clinician characterize the disease. Methods: Normal abdominal fluid in horses is odorless, clear to light yellow in color, and transparent. Peritoneal fluid becomes more turbid with increasing levels of protein, number of WBCs or RBCs, or with gross contamination following intes...
Radcliffe RM, Bookbinder LC, Liu SY, Tomlinson JE, Cook VL, Hurcombe SDA, Divers TJ.Blood transfusion is a lifesaving treatment for horses with acute hemorrhage and other causes of anemia. Transfusions improve oxygen delivery to the tissues via increased blood volume and hemoglobin concentration. Certain aspects of equine blood transfusion are challenging, especially in the field situation, and practitioners may be unfamiliar or feel overwhelmed with the process. An understanding of the indications, materials, methods, and techniques as well as donor selection and possible complications will help practitioners successfully implement blood transfusion in clinical practice. Met...
Maniego J, Pesko B, Hincks P, Taylor P, Stewart G, Proudman C, Scarth J, Ryder E.The misuse of gene therapy by the introduction of transgenes via plasmid or viral vectors as a doping agent is an increasing concern in human and animal sports, not only in consideration to fair competition but also in potential detrimental effects to welfare. Doping events can be detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a transgene-specific region of DNA. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is particularly suited to confirmatory investigations where precise limits of detection can be calculated. To fully validate a qPCR experiment, it is highly desirable to confirm the ident...
Radcliffe RM, Hill JA, Liu SY, Cook VL, Hurcombe SDA, Divers TJ.Abdominocentesis is commonly used to evaluate the abdominal cavity of the horse. This technique provides valuable diagnostic information as well as the means to monitor patients with abdominal diseases being managed medically and to determine their need for surgical management. Complications are uncommon and include trauma to the gastrointestinal tract or spleen, septic peritonitis, or abdominal wall infection. Methods: This review describes the indications, utility, patient preparation, and instructions for performing abdominocentesis as well as possible complications reported in horses. Step...
Thane K, Uricchio C, Frank N.Diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) using the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test requires blood collection 10 minutes after TRH injection; it is unknown if small differences in timing affect test results. Objective: To determine whether early or late sampling results in a significant (≥10%) difference in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration compared to standard 10-minute sampling. Methods: Twenty-four healthy adult horses with unknown PPID status. Methods: In this prospective study, subjects underwent a single TRH stimulation test, ...
Frosth S, Morris ERA, Wilson H, Frykberg L, Jacobsson K, Parkhill J, Flock JI, Wood T, Guss B, Aanensen DM, Boyle AG, Riihimäki M, Cohen ND....Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S equi) is the cause of Strangles, one of the most prevalent diseases of horses worldwide. Variation within the immunodominant SeM protein has been documented, but a new eight-component fusion protein vaccine, Strangvac, does not contain live S equi or SeM and conservation of the antigens it contains have not been reported. Objective: To define the diversity of the eight Strangvac antigens across a diverse S equi population. Methods: Genomic description. Methods: Antigen sequences from the genomes of 759 S equi isolates from 19 countries, recovered between 1...
Ibrahim S, Hedia M, Taqi MO, Derbala MK, Mahmoud KGM, Ahmed Y, Sosa AS, Saber YHA, Hasanain MH, Nawito MF, Seidel GE.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a promising biomarker and play a vital role in cell-cell communication. This study aimed (I) to identify and characterize EVs from low volume uterine lavage (LVL) and serum in mares with endometritis, compared to healthy controls and (II) to measure serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), and prostaglandins (PGF and PGE). Mares were divided into 30 sub-fertile (endometritis) and 20 fertile (controls). Serum and LVL was collected for EV isolation, and determination of serum levels of inflammatory mediators. Characterization and visualization of EVs were done by el...
Minamijima Y, Tozaki T, Kuroda T, Urayama S, Nomura M, Yamamoto K.Equine colitis is a diarrhoeal disease caused by inflammation of the large bowel and can potentially be life-threatening due to its rapid progression. Pathogenesis is multifactorial and pathophysiology is highly complicated, therefore, reliable diagnostic biomarkers are needed in the veterinary field. Objective: Serum is one of the most commonly used diagnostic tools in equine clinical investigation. To discover diagnostic or prognostic protein markers for colitis in horse serum, comprehensive and comparative proteomic analysis was conducted using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry...
Olstad K, Aasmundstad T, Kongsro J, Grindflek E.Computed tomography (CT) is used to evaluate body composition and limb osteochondrosis in selection of breeding boars. Pigs also develop heritably predisposed abnormal curvature of the spine including juvenile kyphosis. It has been suggested that osteochondrosis-like changes cause vertebral wedging and kyphosis, both of which are identifiable by CT. The aim of the current study was to examine the spine from occiput to sacrum to map changes and evaluate relationships, especially whether osteochondrosis caused juvenile kyphosis, in which case CT could be used in selection against it. Whole-body ...
Fitzgerald AH, Magnin G, Pace E, Bischoff K, Pinn-Woodcock T, Vin R, Myhre M, Comstock E, Ensley S, Coetzee JF.Marijuana toxicosis is typically seen by companion animal veterinarians. However, with increased marijuana availability, there is a greater potential for toxicosis in other species. Herein we describe a case of suspected marijuana toxicosis in a female and a male American Mammoth donkey, aged 8 y and 20 y, respectively, fed cannabis buds. Both cases were presented because of depression and lethargy. However, the jenny had ataxia, mild colic, tachycardia, tachypnea, and decreased tongue tone. Plasma samples from the jenny on presentation and 3 d following hospitalization were submitted to...
Schreeg ME, Radkin M, Haugland J, Murphy BG, Rushton S, Linder KE.Ameloblastic carcinoma is a malignant odontogenic neoplasm that has been reported only rarely in veterinary species. A 16-y-old Arabian crossbred mare was presented for evaluation of a hard mass on the body of the mandible, with evidence of osteolysis on radiographs. Incisional biopsies revealed an invasive neoplasm comprised of spindloid epithelial cells with a high mitotic count and partial dual cytokeratin-vimentin immunoreactivity. The horse was euthanized because of rapid tumor progression 3 mo after presentation. Postmortem evaluation revealed partial obliteration of the mandible by a ...
Górski K, Stefanik E, Bereznowski A, Polkowska I, Turek B.Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a stress-free, relatively safe method supporting the treatment of many different diseases. Although it is widely used in human medicine (including dentistry), in veterinary medicine, especially in the treatment of horses, there are not many scientifically described and documented cases of its use. Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis syndrome is a disease that affects older horses and significantly reduces their quality of life. The only effective treatment for this condition is extraction of the incisors. The described case compares the...
Sahu A, Dhanze H, Singh V, Mehta D, Gupta M, Singh M, Vinod VK, Gulati BR.Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a re-emerging mosquito borne disease, for which equines are most susceptible amongst all animals. Detection of specific immunoglobulin 'M' (IgM) is considered as an ideal way to diagnose recent JE virus infection in equines due to low virus load and short-term viremia. The present study was undertaken to develop a sensitive and specific recombinant NS1 protein based indirect IgM-ELISA and IgM capture (MAC) ELISA to diagnose recent infection of JEV in equines. Indirect IgM ELISA was standardized with relative diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 88.5%...
Câmara ACL, de Sousa Argenta VL, de Moraes DDA, Fonseca EF, Fino TCM, Paludo GR, Soto-Blanco B.Determining the prognosis of poisoning by plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids is usually challenging. This study aimed to identify important prognostic parameters that can determine the severity of spontaneous poisoning by in horses. Blood samples from 42 horses spontaneously poisoned by oats contaminated with seeds were evaluated. Complete blood counts (CBC) and serum biochemical tests [urea, creatinine, total protein, albumin, total and direct bilirubin concentrations, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and creatine kinase (CK) activities] were performed...
Pearce CJ, Brooks N.Caries of the infundibula of equine cheek teeth can lead to significant dental disease including increased attritional wear, pulpar and apical disease, secondary sinusitis, and dental fracture. Restorations of cavities of equine cheek teeth infundibula have been performed since 1889. Recent advances in dental materials, instrumentation, and techniques have facilitated the use of dental restoration techniques by equine veterinary practitioners. No studies to date have demonstrated the safety or efficacy of restorations of equine cheek teeth infundibula. Objective: To assess the long-term result...
Kinsella HM, Hostnik LD, Snyder HA, Mazur SE, Kamr AM, Burns TA, Mossbarger JC, Toribio RE.The equine neonate is considered to have impaired glucose tolerance due to delayed maturation of the pancreatic endocrine system. Few studies have investigated insulin sensitivity in newborn foals using dynamic testing methods. The objective of this study was to assess insulin sensitivity by comparing the insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (I-FSIGTT) between neonatal foals and adult horses. This study was performed on healthy neonatal foals (n = 12), 24 to 60 hours of age, and horses (n = 8), 3 to 14 years of age using dextrose (300 mg/kg IV) and insulin (0....
Buhl R, Hesselkilde EM, Carstensen H, Hopster-Iversen C, van Loon G, Decloedt A, Van Steenkiste G, Marr CM, Reef VB, Schwarzwald CC, Mitchell KJ....The recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) in horses after cardioversion to sinus rhythm (SR) is relatively high. Atrial fibrillatory rate (AFR) derived from surface ECG is considered a biomarker for electrical remodelling and could potentially be used for the prediction of successful AF cardioversion and AF recurrence. Objective: Evaluate if AFR was associated with successful treatment and could predict AF recurrence in horses. Methods: Retrospective multicentre study. Methods: Electrocardiograms (ECG) from horses with persistent AF admitted for cardioversion with either medical treatmen...
Gonzlez CR, Elgueta M, Krolow TK, Henriques AL.A catalog of the Tabanidae from Chile is provided. All valid names and synonyms for the 116 species and 25 genera known for the country including information about name, author, year of publication, page number, type species, type locality and references are listed. The species Dasybasis albohirta (Walker) is cited for the first time for Chile. The type locality of Dasybasis nigrifrons (Philippi) is corrected to Chile (Todos Los Santos Lake). The dates of the description of Tabanus nigrifrons Philippi (now Dasybasis), and Pangonia australis Philippi (now Pseudoscione) are corrected from their ...
Malik CE, Wong DM, Dembek KA, Wilson KE.To determine the accuracy of 2 interstitial glucose-monitoring systems (GMSs) for use in horses compared with a point-of-care (POC) glucometer and standard laboratory enzymatic chemistry method (CHEM). Methods: 8 clinically normal adult horses. Methods: One of each GMS device (Dexcom G6 and Freestyle Libre 14-day) was placed on each horse, and blood glucose concentration was measured via POC and CHEM at 33 time points and compared with simultaneous GMS readings. An oral glucose absorption test (OGAT) was performed on day 2, and glucose concentrations were measured and compared. Results: Glucos...
Fairbanks EL, Brennan ML, Mertens PPC, Tildesley MJ, Daly JM.African horse sickness (AHS) is a vector-borne disease transmitted by Culicoides spp., endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. There have been many examples of historic and recent outbreaks in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. However, not much is known about infection dynamics and outbreak potential in these naive populations. In order to better inform a previously published ordinary differential equation model, we performed a systematic literature search to identify studies documenting experimental infection of naive (control) equids in vaccination trials. Data on the time until the onset of viraemia...
Engiles JB, Uzal FA, Navarro MA, Reef VB, Bender SJ.Phlegmonous gastritis was diagnosed in 2 yearling fillies that were presented with a 1-wk history of fever, lethargy, and hypoproteinemia, associated with a previous diagnosis of equine proliferative enteropathy based on clinical signs and PCR assay detection of Lawsonia intracellularis in fecal samples. Abdominal ultrasound revealed enlargement of the stomach and expansion of its submucosal layer with hypoechoic fluid, as well as thickened hypomotile small intestinal segments. Given the poor prognosis and poor response to treatment, both horses were euthanized, one on the day of presentation ...
Hardeman AM, Egenvall A, Serra Bragança FM, Swagemakers JH, Koene MHW, Roepstorff L, van Weeren R, Byström A.Quantitative gait analysis offers objective information to support clinical decision-making during lameness workups including advantages in terms of documentation, communication, education, and avoidance of expectation bias. Nevertheless, hardly any data exist comparing outcome of subjective scoring with the output of objective gait analysis systems. Objective: To investigate between- and within-veterinarian agreement on primary lame limb and lameness grade, and to determine relationships between subjective lameness grade and quantitative data, focusing on differences between (1) veterinarians...
Raisi A, Davoodi F.The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive comparison of spermatic cord torsion in domestic animals. Spermatic cord torsion leads to occlusion of testicular blood flow resulting in ischemia and tissue hypoxia. Spermatic cord torsion has been reported in all domestic mammals but dogs and horses are overrepresented. Abdominal pain (colic), anorexia, vomiting, lameness, and stiff gait are the most common clinical signs reported. The condition may be asymptomatic in cases of a low degree of spermatic cord torsion. In dogs, spermatic cord torsion is most commonly reported in undescend...
Hwang H, Dong HJ, Han J, Cho S, Kim Y, Lee I.Gastric ulcer is one of the prevalent diseases in racehorses. However, it has not been recognized as important in Korea, and drugs used to treat gastric ulcers are included in the doping test list, so they are not allowed to be administered to racehorses in training. Objective: This study was performed 1) to investigate the prevalence and the severity of gastric ulcers in Thoroughbred racehorses in Korea, 2) to confirm the therapeutic effect of ranitidine and omeprazole, and 3) to compare the efficacy between ranitidine and omeprazole. Methods: Forty-nine horses were randomly recruited, and ga...
Spadari A, Gialletti R, Gandini M, Valle E, Cerullo A, Cavallini D, Bertoletti A, Rinnovati R, Forni G, Scilimati N, Giusto G.The occurrence of colic could be influenced by the characteristics of a population, geographical area, and feeding management. The aim of this study was to report the short-term postoperative complications and survival rates and to identify factors that might affect the outcome of horses that underwent colic surgery in three Italian surgical referral centres. Data of horses subjected to colic surgery in three referral centres (2018-2021) were analysed. Comparisons of the outcomes were performed using a Mann-Whitney or a Chi square test. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) c...
Rosales R, Rangel-Rivas A, Escalona A, Jordan LS, Gonzatti MI, Aso PM, Perrone T, Silva-Iturriza A, Mijares A.The focus of this study was the detection of equine piroplasmosis in Distrito Capital, Miranda, Aragua, Guárico and Apure States from Venezuela, using two methods: Competitive-Inhibition ELISA and multiplex PCR and the analysis of the possible differences in occurrence in relation to the primary purpose of the horses, which is related to varied degrees of exposure to tick. Antibody levels to Babesia caballi and Theileria equi were assessed in 694 equine serum samples using Competitive-Inhibition ELISA, while PCR assays were performed in 136 horses, using two sets of oligonucleotides to establ...
Denwood MJ, Love S, Innocent GT, Matthews L, McKendrick IJ, Hillary N, Smith A, Reid SW.The faecal egg count (FEC) is the most widely used means of quantifying the nematode burden of horses, and is frequently used in clinical practice to inform treatment and prevention. The statistical process underlying the FEC is complex, comprising a Poisson counting error process for each sample, compounded with an underlying continuous distribution of means between samples. Being able to quantify the sources of variability contributing to this distribution of means is a necessary step towards providing estimates of statistical power for future FEC and FECRT studies, and may help to improve t...
Beech J, Boston RC, McFarlane D, Lindborg S.To measure plasma ACTH, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (aloha-MSH), and insulin concentrations during various photoperiods between February and October in horses and ponies with and without pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Methods: Cohort study. Methods: 13 clinically normal (control) ponies, 14 clinically normal (control) horses, 7 ponies with PPID, and 8 horses with PPID. Methods: Blood samples were collected from February through October during 8 photoperiods: 1, February 13 through March 2; 2, April 4 through 6; 3, June 19 through 22; 4, August 6 through 7; 5, August 14 ...
Guo Y, Wang M, Zheng GS, Li WK, Kawaoka Y, Webster RG.In May 1993, a severe epidemic of respiratory disease began in horses in Inner Mongolia and spread throughout horses in China. The disease affected mules and donkeys as well as horses but did not spread to other species, including humans. The severity of the disease raised the question of whether the outbreak might have been caused by the new avian-like influenza viruses detected in horses in China in 1989 or by current variants ofA/equine/Miami/1/63 (H3N8) (equine-2) or by a reassortant between these viruses. Antigenic and sequence analysis established that all gene segments of the influenza ...
Mshelia PW, Kappmeyer L, Johnson WC, Kudi CA, Oluyinka OO, Balogun EO, Richard EE, Onoja E, Sears KP, Ueti MW.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an infectious, tick-borne disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites, Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and a recently reported new species, T. haneyi. Infections by these apicomplexan parasites limit performance and cause economic losses for the horse industry. Equine piroplasmosis is widespread in the northern regions of Nigeria, where an increasing portion of the animal population is composed of horses. This disease has remained epidemiologically challenging, especially as the movement of horses increases across Nigeria. In this study, blood samples from 300 h...
Smith S, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.The in-feed oral glucose test (OGT) and oral sugar test (OST) are advocated as field tests of insulin sensitivity in horses and ponies but have not been directly compared. Objective: To compare the insulin response to OGT and OST in 8 ponies and 5 horses of unknown insulin sensitivity. Methods: Experimental, randomised crossover study. Methods: Animals were fasted for 8 h overnight before and throughout testing. They were fed 1 g/kg bwt glucose powder with chaff (OGT) or 0.15 ml/kg bwt corn syrup (Karoâ„¢ Light Syrup; OST) was administered per os in a randomised crossover study with 48â€...
McGowan CM, Frost R, Pfeiffer DU, Neiger R.Serum insulin concentration and its use as a prognostic indicator in horses with equine Cushing's syndrome (ECS) have been poorly documented. Objective: To examine daily insulin variations in horses with ECS and the effect of treatment using trilostane, a competitive inhibitor of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Further, we aimed to examine the relationship between baseline serum insulin concentration and survival in horses with ECS. Methods: Basal serum insulin concentrations were measured in 20 confirmed ECS cases by taking blood at regular 4 h intervals for 24 h (1200, 1600, 2000, 2400, ...
Schurink A, da Silva VH, Velie BD, Dibbits BW, Crooijmans RPMA, FranÒ«ois L, Janssens S, Stinckens A, Blott S, Buys N, Lindgren G, Ducro BJ.Many common and relevant diseases affecting equine welfare have yet to be tested regarding structural variants such as copy number variations (CNVs). CNVs make up a substantial proportion of total genetic variability in populations of many species, resulting in more sequence differences between individuals than SNPs. Associations between CNVs and disease phenotypes have been established in several species, but equine CNV studies have been limited. Aim of this study was to identify CNVs and to perform a genome-wide association (GWA) study in Friesian horses to identify genomic loci associated w...
Keegan KG, Pai PF, Wilson DA, Smith BK.In horses at a trot, the head moves up and down twice in one stride. In horses with unilateral forelimb lameness this movement is asymmetric. Computer-assisted kinematic analysis of vertical head movement can be used to quantify objectively lameness in horses in clinical trials. However, in mild lameness, absolute measurements of vertical head height may not be sensitive enough to detect small differences in lameness, and extraneous head movement by the horse due to curiosity, excitement or nervousness interferes with the accurate measurement of vertical head movement asymmetry. We describe a ...
Hübert PH, Birkenmaier S, Rziha HJ, Osterrieder N.The equine herpesvirus type-1 modified live-vaccine strain RacH (256th passage on porcine embryonic kidney cells) was investigated by restriction-enzyme analysis and compared to representative plaque isolates of the 12th passage (RacL11, RacL22) and 185th passage (RacM24, RacM36). The restriction patterns of all Rac plaque isolates differed compared with reference strain Ab4. The left UL terminus was shortened by 0.1 kbp and a missing BamHI site led to the fusion of the f and t fragments. In some Rac derivatives, losses of restriction sites without deletions were observed: 1. One BamHI site lo...
Novilla MN.Monensin, lasalocid, salinomycin, narasin and maduramicin are carboxylic ionophores intended for use as anticoccidial drugs for poultry and as growth promotants for ruminants. Generally, ionophores have been found safe and effective in the target animals receiving recommended dosage levels. However, toxic syndromes can result from overdosage and misuse situations. More information and reports of adverse reactions are available for monensin than the other ionophores because of monensin's longstanding and widespread use in the poultry and livestock industries. Care must be exercised in the diagn...
Keller RL, Hendrix DV.Bacterial ulcerative keratitis is a common and often vision-threatening problem in horses. Emerging bacterial resistance to commonly used topical antibiotics has been demonstrated. Previous antibiotic use may alter the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates. Objective: To document aerobic bacterial isolates and associated bacterial susceptibilities from horses with ulcerative keratitis treated at the University of Tennessee between January 1993 and May 2004 and determine whether prior antibiotic therapy affected antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates. Methods: Medical records...
Hedges JF, Balasuriya UB, MacLachlan NJ.Open reading frame 3 (ORF 3) of equine arteritis virus (EAV) is predicted to encode a glycosylated membrane protein (GP3) that is uncharacterized. ORF 3 of the American Type Culture Collection strain of EAV was in vitro transcribed and the encoded GP3 protein was in vitro translated with and without canine microsomal membranes. The GP3 protein was approximately 17 kDa after in vitro translation without canine microsomal membranes whereas the glycosylated form, after translation with microsomal membranes, was a diffuse band of 36-42 kDa, indicating that the GP3 protein is extensively glycosylat...
Greve L, Dyson SJ.We have observed saddle slip consistently to one side because of a crooked rider, an ill-fitting saddle, asymmetry in a horse's thoracolumbar shape and lameness. Currently, there are no objective data to permit assessment of the relative importance of each factor. Objective: To document the frequency of occurrence of saddle slip in horses with hindlimb lameness compared with other horses. To describe the effect of lameness characteristics and grade, the abolition of lameness by diagnostic analgesia, breed, size, thoracolumbar shape and symmetry and the rider's weight. Methods: One hundred and ...
Durand B, Lecollinet S, Beck C, MartÃnez-López B, Balenghien T, Chevalier V.Live animal trade is considered a major mode of introduction of viruses from enzootic foci into disease-free areas. Due to societal and behavioural changes, some wild animal species may nowadays be considered as pet species. The species diversity of animals involved in international trade is thus increasing. This could benefit pathogens that have a broad host range such as arboviruses. The objective of this study was to analyze the risk posed by live animal imports for the introduction, in the European Union (EU), of four arboviruses that affect human and horses: Eastern and Western equine enc...
Bullone M, Beauchamp G, Godbout M, Martin JG, Lavoie JP.Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) revealed differences in the thickness of the layer representing subepithelial tissues (L2) between human asthmatics and controls, but whether this measurement correlates with airway smooth muscle (ASM) remodeling in asthma is unknown. In this study, we sought to determine the ability of EBUS to predict histological ASM remodeling in normal and equine asthmatic airways. We studied 109 isolated bronchi from the lungs of 13 horses. They underwent EBUS examination using a 30 MHz radial probe before being processed for histology. ASM remodeling parameters were e...
Hernandez J, Hawkins DL, Scollay MC.To identify race-start characteristics associated with catastrophic musculoskeletal (MS) injury in Thoroughbred racehorses at 2 racetracks in Florida during 1995 through 1998. Methods: Matched case-control study. Methods: 97 Thoroughbreds (case horses) that incurred a catastrophic MS injury during racing and 388 Thoroughbreds (control horses) randomly selected from noninjured participants and matched on the basis of racetrack and year. Methods: Incidence of MS injury was calculated for all race meets at 2 racetracks in Florida from 1995 through 1998. Race-start characteristics were compared am...
van Biervliet J, Scrivani PV, Divers TJ, Erb HN, de Lahunta A, Nixon A.Different criteria have been described based on height reduction of the total myelographic contrast column and components of it as tests for compression of the spinal cord due to cervical stenotic myelopathy (CSM). Fifty percent height reduction of the dorsal myelographic column (DMC), <2 mm empiric height of the DMC and a 40% reduction of the ratio of stenosis calculated based on the height reduction of the entire dural diameter (DD) have been described as decision criteria for considering the test result positive. The reasons for selecting these decision criteria or their accuracies have ...
Peek SF, Semrad SD, Perkins GA.Previous reports of clostridial myonecrosis have either focused on individual case reports or have been small retrospective studies reporting very high mortality rates. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the outcome of cases of clostridial myonecrosis submitted to 2 referral equine hospitals in the United States over a 15 year period. Methods: A retrospective study of case material selected on the basis of positive Clostridium spp. culture or the identification of Clostridium spp. by specific fluorescent antibody testing from soft tissue wounds was performed at Cornell and ...
Leon IM, Lawhon SD, Norman KN, Threadgill DS, Ohta N, Vinasco J, Scott HM.Although Salmonella enterica can produce life-threatening colitis in horses, certain serotypes are more commonly associated with clinical disease. Our aim was to evaluate the proportional morbidity attributed to different serotypes, as well as the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Salmonella isolates from patients at an equine referral hospital in the southern United States. A total of 255 Salmonella isolates was obtained from clinical samples of patients admitted to the hospital between 2007 and 2015. Phenotypic resistance to 14 antibiotics surveilled by the U.S. Nati...
Gothe LMR, Ganzenberg S, Ziegler U, Obiegala A, Lohmann KL, Sieg M, Vahlenkamp TW, Groschup MH, Hörügel U, Pfeffer M.Since 2018, autochthonous West Nile virus (WNV) infections have been regularly reported in eastern-central Germany. While clinically apparent infections in humans and horses are not frequent, seroprevalence studies in horses may allow the tracing of WNV and related flaviviruses transmission, such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Usutu virus (USUV), and consequently help to estimate the risk of human infections. Hence, the aim of our study was to follow the seropositive ratio against these three viruses in horses in Saxony, Saxony Anhalt, and Brandenburg and to describe their geograp...
Rieger M, Kochleus C, Teschner D, Rascher D, Barton AK, Geerlof A, Kremmer E, Schmid M, Hartmann A, Gehlen H.In human medicine, procalcitonin (PCT) is a very common and well-established biomarker for sepsis. Even though sepsis is also a leading cause of death in foals and adult horses, up to now, no data about the role of equine PCT in septic horses has been available. Based on monoclonal antibodies targeted against human PCT, we report here the development of a sandwich ELISA for the quantification of equine PCT in equine plasma samples. The ELISA was characterized for intra- and interassay variance and a working range from 25 to 1,000 ng mL(-1) was defined as within this range; both intra- and in...
Ndiva Mongoh M, Hearne R, Dyer NW, Khaitsa ML.This study estimated economic impacts associated with the West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak in horses for North Dakota in 2002. The 2002 epidemic in the United States was the largest meningoencephalitis epidemic reported in the Western Hemisphere. Over 15,257 horse cases were reported in 43 states with most cases occurring in central United States. North Dakota reported over 569 horse cases, with a mortality rate of 22%. The total costs incurred by the state were approximately US$1.9 million. The costs incurred by horse owners were about US$1.5 million. Of the US$1.5 million, about US$781,203 and...
Pisello L, Rampacci E, Stefanetti V, Beccati F, Hyatt DR, Coletti M, Passamonti F.This study aimed to describe bacteria isolated from the reproductive tract of mares and to identify changes in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns to those antibiotics commonly used for the treatment of equine endometritis. A total of 4122 equine uterine swabs were collected from mares suffering from reproductive tract disorders in the period 2010-2017. Aerobic culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using agar disc diffusion were performed on each sample. Aerobic bacteria were isolated from 3171 of 4122 (76.9 per cent) samples. The most frequently isolated microorganisms were (885...
Risner K, Ahmed A, Bakovic A, Kortchak S, Bhalla N, Narayanan A.Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a category B select agent pathogen that can be aerosolized. Infections in murine models and humans can advance to an encephalitic phenotype which may result in long-term neurological complications or death. No specific FDA-approved treatments or vaccines are available for the treatment or prevention of VEEV infection. Neurotropic viral infections have two damaging components: neuronal death caused by viral replication, and damage from the subsequent inflammatory response. Reducing the level of inflammation may lessen neurological tissue damage tha...
Levine JM, Adam E, MacKay RJ, Walker MA, Frederick JD, Cohen ND.Cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) is a common cause of myelopathy in horses aged 6 months to 4 years. Little information is available regarding the types of lesions, treatment, and outcomes in horses with CVCM that are > or =4 years old. Methods: Twenty-two affected horses (10 with a confirmed diagnosis of CVCM and 12 presumptive cases) and 210 contemporaneous control horses. Methods: Horses > or =4 years old that were diagnosed with CVCM between January 1992 and January 2004 were identified from medical records at Texas A&M University and the University of Florida. Data analyze...
Wagner HM, Balasuriya UB, James MacLachlan N.In an effort to further characterize the humoral immune response of horses to equine arteritis virus (EAV), direct and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (c-ELISAs) were developed using monoclonal and polyclonal anti-sera to structural (G(L), N and M) and non-structural (nsp1) viral proteins. A nsp1-specific monoclonal antibody was produced to facilitate development of a c-ELISA to this protein. Data obtained using the various c-ELISAs confirm that the M protein is a major target of the antibody response of horses to EAV. However, none of the c-ELISAs that were developed were as se...
Bellone RR, Forsyth G, Leeb T, Archer S, Sigurdsson S, Imsland F, Mauceli E, Engensteiner M, Bailey E, Sandmeyer L, Grahn B, Lindblad-Toh K, Wade CM.Leopard Complex spotting occurs in several breeds of horses and is caused by an incompletely dominant allele (LP). Homozygosity for LP is also associated with congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) in Appaloosa horses. Previously, LP was mapped to a 6 cm region on ECA1 containing the candidate gene TRPM1 (Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel, Subfamily M, Member 1) and decreased expression of this gene, measured by qRT-PCR, was identified as the likely cause of both spotting and ocular phenotypes. This study describes investigations for a mutation causing or associated with the Le...
Pacholewska A, Drögemüller M, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Lanz S, Hamza E, Dermitzakis ET, Marti E, Gerber V, Leeb T, Jagannathan V.Complete transcriptomic data at high resolution are available only for a few model organisms with medical importance. The gene structures of non-model organisms are mostly computationally predicted based on comparative genomics with other species. As a result, more than half of the horse gene models are known only by projection. Experimental data supporting these gene models are scarce. Moreover, most of the annotated equine genes are single-transcript genes. Utilizing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) the experimental validation of predicted transcriptomes has become accessible at reasonable costs. To...
