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Topic:Disease Diagnosis
Disease diagnosis in horses involves the identification and characterization of illnesses through various diagnostic methods and tools. This process is essential for effective veterinary care and management of equine health. Techniques used in diagnosing diseases in horses include clinical examinations, laboratory tests, imaging modalities such as ultrasonography and radiography, and molecular diagnostics. Blood tests are frequently utilized to assess parameters such as complete blood count and biochemical profiles, which can indicate underlying health issues. Additionally, advancements in genetic testing and biomarker identification have enhanced the ability to detect specific diseases early. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore diagnostic methodologies, their applications, and their impact on equine health management.
Albumin and immunoglobulins G, A and M in aqueous humour from clinically normal equine eyes. The levels of albumin, immunoglobulin G (including IgG [T]), IgA and IgM in the serum and aqueous humour of 47 horses and ponies with no ophthalmic abnormalities were determined by single radial immunodiffusion. There was a linear relationship between serum and aqueous albumin levels. No relationship of serum and aqueous IgG levels was observed. IgA was detected in only one aqueous sample. IgM was not detected in aqueous humour from any eye in this study. The factors which may influence albumin and immunoglobulin levels in normal aqueous humour are discussed.
Species-specific serodiagnosis of equine piroplasma infections by means of complement fixation test (CFT), immunofluorescence (IIF), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The increasing horse trade requires a reliable immunodiagnosis of equine piroplasma infections due to import restrictions imposed by various countries, including the United States of America. It was the aim of our investigations to establish the suitability of serological tests for the detection of parasite carriers and, eventually, to differentiate between Babesia caballi and B. equi infections. The investigations were carried out on 11 ponies with experimentally-induced B. caballi and/or B. equi infection. The infections were confirmed by the demonstration of parasites in blood smears 2-13 d...
Desmitis of the fetlock annular ligament in the horse. Desmitis of the fetlock annular ligament was diagnosed in 30 horses during a period of eight years. Most of the horses had been lame for a prolonged period and had chronically distended digital flexor tendon sheaths. Air tendograms demonstrated thickened palmar or plantar annular ligaments. In 25 horses the ligament was cut longitudinally; of these, 16 horses returned to full work without any difficulty and one became sound after a second operation. Follow up time varied from three months to seven-and-a-half years. None of the five untreated horses returned to work.
Immunodiagnosis of autoimmune skin disease in the dog, cat and horse. Skin biopsies from 47 dogs, 6 cats and 5 horses with suspected autoimmune skin disease were submitted for immunofluorescence from 1978 to 1985. These cases were predominantly Western Australian in origin, although a number were also referred from Queensland and Victoria. In 5 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses immunoglobulin binding to intercellular cement substance and/or basement membrane was demonstrated by direct immunofluorescence. Antinuclear antibody was also demonstrated in several of these cases. Immunofluorescence was used in combination with histopathological examination to confirm the clini...
Effectiveness of oxfendazole against early and later 4th-stage Strongylus vulgaris in ponies. Twenty pony foals (reared worm free), 6.5 to 10 weeks of age, were inoculated with Strongylus vulgaris and allocated to 5 groups, each with 4 foals. One week after inoculation, 1 group of 4 foals was given oxfendazole (OFZ) at a dosage rate of 10 mg/kg of body weight, another group was given 2 such treatments 48 hours apart, and a 3rd group was given a placebo. All treatments were administered by stomach tube. Three weeks later, foals were euthanatized and necropsied in a test for efficacy against early 4th-stage larvae. Oxfendazole was 80% and 94.9% effective against early 4th-stage S vulgari...
Anatomic distribution of encysted cyathostome larvae in the horse. The large intestines of 6 horses were divided by length into 12 segments, and each segment was washed and weighed. At least 5% by weight of each segment was examined by mural transillumination, and encysted cyathostome larvae were counted. Total numbers of larvae in each segment were calculated. Encysted larvae (98%) were present in the proximal 7 segments of the large intestine (cecum and proximal 75% of the ventral colon), and 2% were present in the distal 25% of the ventral colon and entire dorsal colon. Encysted larvae (6%) were located in the dorsal colon of 1 heavily infected horse. Larv...
Equine intravenous glucose tolerance test: glucose and insulin responses of healthy horses fed grain or hay and of horses with pituitary adenoma. Intravenous glucose tolerance testing (0.5 g/kg of body weight) was done on 2 groups of healthy horses maintained with hay (group 1, n = 5) and with hay plus grain supplementation (group 2, n = 5) and on a group of horses with clinically diagnosed pituitary adenoma (group 3, n = 10). Healthy horses showed an immediate increase of plasma glucose concentration after the IV glucose injection, with return of values to base line in 1 hour. Group 3 horses showed resting hyperglycemia and a delayed return of glucose values to base line (3 hours). Group 3 horses showed resting hyperinsulinemia and a f...
Histologic findings in the gastrointestinal tract of horses with colic. 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...
Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in ponies and Standardbred horses. The existence of an innate insulin insensitivity in ponies was investigated and compared with the situation in larger breeds of horse. Ponies that were fat or had previously suffered laminitis were found to be far more intolerant to oral glucose loading (1 g/kg bodyweight [bwt]) than normal ponies or Standardbreds. These ponies also exhibited a far greater response in plasma insulin levels after glucose loading. Insulin response tests (0.4 iu/kg bwt insulin intravenously) showed only a minimal and very protracted response in both the fat and laminitic groups. The relevance of these findings in...
Congenital malformation of the large colon causing colic in a horse. An abnormal mesocolic attachment which resulted in a stellate malformation of the left colon adjacent to the pelvic flexure was suspected to be the cause of intermittent episodes of colic in a horse. Resection and side-to-side anastomosis of the large colon at the level of the sternal and diaphragmatic flexures was performed and the horse made an uneventful recovery from surgery. Only minor serum biochemical changes were observed in the initial postoperative period. The abnormal mesocolic attachment was probably a congenital anomaly.
Relationship between spinal biomechanics and pathological changes in the equine thoracolumbar spine. The relationship between spinal biomechanics and pathological changes occurring in functionally normal equine thoracolumbar spines was studied in 23 horses. Ventrolateral vertebral body osteophytes occurred in 36 per cent of the spines. The majority occurred between the 10th and 17th thoracic vertebrae with the largest being found between the 11th and 13th thoracic vertebrae, the region of the thoracic spine where the greatest amount of lateral bending and axial rotation occurs. Impingement of the dorsal spinous processes was detected in 86 per cent of the spines with most lesions occurring be...
Airway responses to aerosolized methacholine and citric acid in ponies with recurrent airway obstruction (heaves). We measured lung function and airway reactivity in response to methacholine and citric acid administered by aerosol in 2 groups of ponies (principal and control). Principal ponies had a history of heaves, a disease characterized by recurrent airway obstruction. Control ponies had no history of respiratory disease. Both principal and control ponies were paired (principal and control), and measurements were made when principal ponies were in clinical remission (Period A), following barn exposure when principal ponies had acute airway obstruction (Period B), and 1 and 2 wk after they were returne...
Acute postoperative diarrhoea in colic horses. A retrospective study on surgical cases of colic in horses (n = 216) revealed that 42 (19.4%) developed post-surgical diarrhoea. Salmonella spp. were isolated in 6 (16.2%) of the cases (n = 37) exhibiting diarrhoea. In 35.7% of the cases (n = 42) recovery from surgery was disturbed by other complications; 23.8% (10/42) died, 2 of which from primary acute diarrhoea due to salmonellosis. Most of the outbreaks of diarrhoea occurred in winter and spring. From the associated variables examined, the duration of colic signs revealed a significant difference between the cases which developed acute pos...
Intestinal atresia and stenosis: a review comparing its morphology. A review of the literature on intestinal atresia of domestic animal species and humans was done. The 5 types of intestinal occlusions described in human infants are atresia type 1, atresia type 2, atresia type 3, stenosis, and the "apple peel" or "Christmas tree" deformity. The intestinal defects described in domestic animal species such as the bovine, equine and porcine are similar to those of human infants. The "T-formation", an intestinal defect of the bovine resembling atresia type 3, and rectal stricture, an acquired intestinal defect of the porcine resembling stenosis, were described rec...
Comparison of two techniques for quantitation of encysted cyathostome larvae in the horse. Haustral portions of intestine of 6 horses were isolated by excising the taeniae coli from the cecum and the ventral colon. Uniform 5-cm X 5-cm sections were cut from the haustra and were illuminated from the serosal side with a strong light source (mural transillumination). Cyathostome larvae encysted in the mucosa and submucosa were observed at 15 X magnification and counted. Two separate counts of the larvae in 80 replicates of tissue by the mural transillumination technique (MTT) revealed no significant (P less than 0.05) difference between sample means. Larvae in tissue sections were coun...
Isolation of eastern equine encephalitis virus from Aedes sollicitans during an epizootic in southern New Jersey. Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE) was isolated from the salt marsh mosquito, Aedes sollicitans, collected from coastal areas of New Jersey on 3 occasions during the late summer and fall of 1982. The isolations were made at a time when local Culiseta melanura were either undergoing a population increase or exhibiting high levels of EEE virus. Although no human cases were reported during the epizootic period, the data lend support to the hypothesis that Ae. sollicitans is capable of functioning as an epidemic vector in the coastal areas of New Jersey where human cases of EEE have been most...
Pulmonary lobar hypertrophy in a foal. Pulmonary lobar hypertrophy was diagnosed in a 4-hour-old Quarter Horse full-term foal that had respiratory arrest shortly after birth. The gross and microscopic appearances were consistent with polyalveolar lobe, a congenital anomaly of human infants.
The sympatho-adrenal system and plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol and catecholamines in equine grass sickness. Plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and catecholamines were used to study the role of the sympatho-adrenal system in equine grass sickness. Statistical evaluation determined differences of hormone levels between seven horses with grass sickness (one acute, five subacute and one chronic), six horses with colic (one with laminitis) and 16 control horses before and after mild stress. Plasma levels of the hormones were higher in horses with acute and subacute grass sickness than in the other groups. No differences were detected between horses with colic and stressed contr...
American dog tick (Acari: Ixodidae), summer activity on equine premises enzootic for Potomac horse fever in south-central Maryland. The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say), was the only ixodid tick found feeding on horses in Montgomery County, Md., from May to August. Average tick burdens were low (less than one tick per horse per week), but >80% of 33 horses examined weekly were exposed to tick feeding during the summer. Of the 98 ticks collected, 78% were attached to the tail and 12% were present in the mane. Host-seeking adult D. variabilis were active on vegetation in pastures from May to early August, with most specimens along hedgerows, woods margins, and horse paths.
Malignant melanoma of the coronary band in a horse. A malignant melanoma developed in the digit of a horse. Metastasis was extensive.
Eikenella corrodens osteomyelitis of the axis in a foal. Eikenella corrodens, a previously unrecognized pathogen in the horse, was isolated from the spinous process of the axis of a colt with signs of severe neck pain. Dorsal laminectomy (excising the infected spinous process and lamina) was performed and the colt was treated with antibiotics for 6 weeks. Recovery was uncomplicated.
Indolent-like corneal ulcers in 3 horses. Three horses were admitted with indolent-like corneal ulcers. All horses were treated topically with antibiotics. Two horses had ulcers with redundant epithelial borders, which were debrided with cotton-tipped applicators after topical anesthesia was induced. One ulcer healed after 2 debridements. Of 2 horses treated surgically, one had complications.
Detection of antibodies to Mycoplasma felis in horses. Mycoplasma felis has been isolated from horses with pleuritis, and limited research indicates that mycoplasma pleuritis can be reproduced in horses. The serodiagnostic potential of the indirect hemagglutination and the metabolism-inhibition tests was evaluated by testing 177 horses for antibodies to M felis. Seven horses with M felis pleuritis developed antibodies, and 6 horses with sterile or bacterial pleuritis had high titers suggesting a previous M felis infection. Six horses with pleuritis (one sterile and five bacterial) had low or no titers to M felis. Only one of 30 horses with conditi...
Eyeworms (Thelazia lacrymalis) in one- to four-year-old Thoroughbreds at necropsy in Kentucky (1984 to 1985). From Mar 1, 1984, to Feb 28, 1985, both eyes from 189 one- to four-year-old Thoroughbreds (88 males, 90 females, and 11 geldings) in Kentucky were examined at necropsy for eyeworms. Thelazia lacrymalis was recovered from 45% of 1-year-old horses, 26% of 2-year-old horses, 45% of 3-year-old horses, and 50% of 4-year-old horses; overall, 43% of 1- to 4-year old horses were infected. Prevalence of eyeworms in horses in the present study was comparable with that in horses of similar ages examined at necropsy in Kentucky in 2 previous studies (1975 to 1976 and in 1979), except for the lower percent...
Effects of lateral recumbency on regional lung function in anesthetized horses. Six horses were anesthetized and placed in lateral recumbency for 1 hour and then were turned to the opposite side for an additional hour. A short-lived radioactive gas, 81mKr, was used to determine the relative spatial distribution of ventilation (V) and perfusion (Q) in these horses. Effects of time, side down, and turning on the distribution were evaluated. A consistent gradient of V/Q was found at all times, with the highest V/Q values at the top (non-dependent) portion of the lung field and the lowest at the bottom (dependent). This gradient was also present within each lung, as well as b...
Iron deficiency and pseudo-iron deficiency in hospitalized horses. Values for serum ferritin, serum iron, and serum total-iron binding capacity were determined in 100 hospitalized horses. Six foals had iron deficiency, as indicated by low serum ferritin and iron concentrations. Twenty-eight horses had low serum iron content and normal or high serum ferritin content and were considered to have pseudo-iron deficiency, possibly in response to infection. Ten horses had serum ferritin concentrations that were quite high, probably indicating iron overload.
