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.
Palozzo A, Traversa D, Marruchella G, Celani G, Morelli S, Petrizzi L.Cutaneous habronemosis in horses is caused by larvae of the spirurid nematodes Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae. These lesions, also known as "summer sores'', are often severe and disfiguring. Although Habronema-caused lesions at the coronary grooves have been described, cases of hoof cracks with secondary summer sores have never been reported. The present case describes clinic-pathological and surgical features of a quarter crack case complicated by cutaneous habronemosis at the dermal layers. A 15-year-old, Andalusian stallion was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the ...
Delvescovo B, Tomlinson J, DeNotta S, Hodge E, Bookbinder L, Mohammed HO, Divers TJ.Serum biochemistry results and presence of fibrosis on liver biopsies are frequently used as prognostic indicators in horses with liver dysfunction. The objective of this retrospective multicenter study was to determine if the magnitude of abnormal liver specific biochemical tests such as bile acids (BA), direct bilirubin and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), or the presence of fibrosis reported on liver biopsies was associated with prognosis in horses with liver dysfunction. Eighty-two horses older than one year, examined at four referral hospitals in the eastern United States, with BA values ...
Hellman S.Enteroid cultures are three-dimensional in vitro models that reflect the cellular composition and architecture of the small intestine. One limitation with the enteroid conformation is the enclosed lumen, making it difficult to expose the apical surface of the epithelium to experimental treatments. The present study was therefore conducted to generate cultures of equine enteroids and to develop methods for culture of enteroid-derived cells on a two-dimensional plane, enabling easy access to the apical surface of the epithelium. Equine enteroids were established from small intestinal crypts with...
Berreta A, Burbick CR, Alexander T, Kogan C, Kopper JJ.Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host when administered in adequate amounts, therefore the presence of viable microorganisms is essential. Previous studies reported inconsistencies when comparing contents of probiotics marketed for use in animals with label claims. However, to the author's knowledge the variability of the same product between different lots has yet to be evaluated. The objective of this observational study was to evaluate the content and inter-lot variability of commercial equine probiotic products using culture dependent and in...
Altan E, Hui A, Li Y, Pesavento P, Asín J, Crossley B, Deng X, Uzal FA, Delwart E.Six foals with interstitial pneumonia of undetermined etiology from Southern California were analyzed by viral metagenomics. Spleen, lung, and colon content samples obtained during necropsy from each animal were pooled, and nucleic acids from virus-like particles enriched for deep sequencing. The recently described equine copiparvovirus named eqcopivirus, as well as three previously uncharacterized viruses, were identified. The complete ORFs genomes of two closely related protoparvoviruses, and of a bocaparvovirus, plus the partial genome of a picornavirus were assembled. The parvoviruses were...
Sebastian PS, Benitez-Ibalo AP, Flores FS, Debárbora VN, Martinez EI, Thompson CS, Mangold AJ.To investigate the presence of Theileria equi in an endemic area of equine piroplasmosis 42 horses (Equus caballus) from Corrientes City, Argentina were sampled. Eighty-one percent (34 blood samples) of the analyzed horses were tested positive to the presence of piroplasmid 18S rDNA. All these samples could be identified as T. equi by amplifying the specific EMA-1 (merozoite antigen 1) gene of this species. Phylogenetic analysis of an obtained 18S rDNA complete sequence from one strain resulted in the identification of this sample as T. equi sensu stricto (genotype A). This study presents the ...
De Jonge B, Dufourni A, Oosterlinck M, Chiers K.We report a 9-year-old Thoroughbred gelding that had sudden onset lameness of the right forelimb with episodes of lateral decubitus and generalized pain after completion of a normal training session. The clinical signs subsequently became less pronounced with only mild right forelimb lameness. However, after further orthopaedic examination, it developed severe, acute ataxia and paraplegia, the Schiff-Sherrington phenomenon and risus sardonicus. At necropsy, a partial duplication of the cervical spinal cord was identified, consistent with split spinal cord malformation type II or diplomyelia. H...
Kopper JJ, Willette JA, Kogan CJ, Seguin A, Bolin SR, Schott HC.Rates of detecting ≥1 potential enteric pathogens (PEP) or toxins (PEP-T) in feces, blood, or both of horses ≥6 months of age with enteric disease and impact of multiple detections on outcome of horses with colitis has not been reported. Objective: To determine detection rates of PEP/PEP-T in feces, blood, or both of horses with enteric disease and effect of detecting multiple agents on outcome of horses with colitis. Methods: Thirty-seven hundred fifty-three fecal samples submitted to IDEXX Laboratories and 239 fecal and blood samples submitted to Michigan State University's Veterinary D...
Zehetner V, Cavalleri JV, Klang A, Hofer M, Preining I, Steinborn R, Ramsauer AS.There is strong evidence that equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) is associated with the onset of Theiler's disease, an acute hepatic necrosis, in horses. However, the impact of this virus on other hepatopathies remains unknown. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence and quantify the viral loads of EqPV-H in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded equine and donkey livers with various histopathologic abnormalities. The pathologies included cirrhosis, circulatory disorders of the liver, toxic and metabolic hepatic diseases as well as neoplastic and inflammatory dise...
Richards B, Sage Jacobson S, James Aquino YS.The introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into health care has been accompanied by uncertainties and regulatory challenges. The establishment of a regulatory framework around AI in health is in its infancy and the way forward is unclear. There are those who argue that this represents a concerning regulatory gap, while others assert that existing regulatory frameworks, policies and guidelines are sufficient. We argue that perhaps the reality is somewhere in between, but that there is a need for engagement with principles and guidelines to inform future regulation. However, this cannot be...
Ghafar A, Abbas G, King J, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, El-Hage C, Beasley A, Bauquier J, Wilkes EJA, Hurley J, Cudmore L, Carrigan P, Tennent-Brown B....Faecal egg counting techniques (FECT) form the cornerstone for the detection of gastrointestinal parasites in equines. For this purpose, several flotation, centrifugation, image- and artificial intelligence-based techniques are used, with varying levels of performance. This review aimed to critically appraise the literature on the assessment and comparison of various coprological techniques and/or modifications of these techniques used for equines and to identify the knowledge gaps and future research directions. We searched three databases for published scientific studies on the assessment an...
von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Janssen IJI, Ramünke S, Goday C, Borges FA, Koudela B, Niedźwiedź A, Tomczuk K, Studzińska MB, Kornas S, Krücken J.Equines were over decades considered to be infected by two morphologically virtually indistinguishable ascarid species, Parascaris univalens and Parascaris equorum. Reliable species discrimination is only possible using enzyme isoelectric focussing and karyotyping with P. univalens having one and P. equorum two chromosome pairs. However, presumably the complexity of both methods prevented their routine use in nearly all previous studies about prevalence and drug resistance of Parascaris spp. These have barely been performed on the species level although most studies stated presence of one or t...
Ginther OJ.The equine embryo or embryonic vesicle on Days 11-15 postovulation travels with profound physiologic purpose throughout the lumen of the two uterine horns and uterine body making 12 to 22 trips between the two uterine horns per day. This phenomenon is termed embryo mobility and is unique in equids among domestic species. Apparently, the embryo first reaches the uterine body on Days 8 or 9. Mobility increases to maximum by Days 11 or 12 and continues until an abrupt cessation of mobility (fixation) on Days 15 (ponies) or 16 (horses and donkeys). The embryo is propelled by uterine contractions i...
Moore C, Stefanovski D, Luethy D.Antemortem definitive diagnosis of lymphoma in horses is often difficult. Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) assay is a potentially useful biomarker for lymphoma in horses. Objective: To report the clinical performance of a commercially available TK1 assay for diagnosis of lymphoma in horses. We hypothesized that there would be no association between serum TK1 activity and a diagnosis of lymphoma in horses. Methods: Forty-two hospitalized horses, 14 with a definitive diagnosis of lymphoma, 4 with other neoplasia, and 24 with inflammatory disease. Methods: Retrospective medical record review, groups were...
Fortin JS, Hetak AA, Duggan KE, Burglass CM, Penticoff HB, Schott HC.Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a common endocrine disease of aged horses that shows a similar pathophysiology as Parkinson's Disease (PD) with increased levels of α-synuclein (α-syn). While α-syn is thought to play a pathogenic role in horses with PPID, it is unclear if α-syn is also misfolded in the pars intermedia and could similarly promote self-aggregation and propagation. Consequently, α-syn was isolated from the pars intermedia from groups of healthy young and aged horses, and aged PPID-afflicted horses. Seeding experiments confirmed the prion-like properties...
Laus F, Corsalini J, Mandara MT, Bazzano M, Bertoletti A, Gialletti R.Equine grass sickness (EGS) has been reported in several European and extra-European countries. Despite this, no scientific paper about clinical cases of EGS in Italy has been published. EGS is a disease affecting almost exclusively horses kept on pasture, characterized by clinical signs related to lesions in autonomic nervous system (ANS), particularly in the enteric nervous system (ENS). According to clinical presentation, acute, subacute and chornic syndromes can be observed, with various sympthoms including dullness, anorexia, dysphagia, drooling of saliva, tachycardia, ptosis, patchy swea...
Jota Baptista C, Sós E, Szabados T, Kerekes V, Madeira de Carvalho L.The Pentezug Wildhorse Reserve, located in the Hortobágy National Park, Hungary, has one of the biggest ex situ populations of Przewalski's horses and aims to preserve its landscape and to study this subspecies. Between September and November 2018, 79 faecal samples were collected from Przewalski's horses. The McMaster, Willis flotation, natural sedimentation and coproculture methods were applied to all the samples. Results showed an average level of 1287 eggs per gram (EPG), which is a high faecal egg-shedding level. All the samples were positive for strongyle-type eggs (100%). There were no...
Souto EPF, Maia LA, Neto EGM, Kommers GD, Junior FG, Riet-Correa F, Galiza GJN, Dantas AFM.The epidemiologic, clinical, pathologic, microbiological and immunohistochemical findings of pythiosis in equidae in northeastern Brazil are described. From January 1985 to December 2020 the Laboratory of Animal Pathology of the Federal University of Campina Grande received 1,331 tissue samples of equidae, 202 (15.17%) of which were diagnosed as pythiosis. Equidae of both sexes with ages varying from 4 months to 25 years were affected. Most animals were mixed breed (79.7%) and reared in an extensive system (73.26%). The disease occurred throughout the year but the highest incidence (70.29%) wa...
Paul LJ, Ericsson AC, Andrews FM, Keowen ML, Morales Yniguez F, Garza F, Banse HE.The role of the gastric microbiome in development or persistence of equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) remains to be investigated. Objective: The objective was to characterize the glandular mucosal and gastric fluid microbiomes of horses with and without EGGD. It was hypothesized that differences in the mucosal microbiome are associated with EGGD. Methods: Twenty-four horses were enrolled. Methods: Gastroscopy was performed and EGGD scores recorded (score 0, n = 6; score 1, n = 8; score ≥2, n = 10). Gastric fluid and pinch biopsies of healthy glandular mucosa and EGGD lesions were...
Sacks M, Byrne DP, Herteman N, Secombe C, Adler A, Hosgood G, Raisis AL, Mosing M.Left-sided cardiac volume overload (LCVO) can cause fluid accumulation in lung tissue changing the distribution of ventilation, which can be evaluated by electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Objective: To describe and compare EIT variables in horses with naturally occurring compensated and decompensated LCVO and compare them to a healthy cohort. Methods: Fourteen adult horses, including university teaching horses and clinical cases (healthy: 8; LCVO: 4 compensated, 2 decompensated). Methods: In this prospective cohort study, EIT was used in standing, unsedated horses and analyzed for convent...
Menchetti L, Dalla Costa E, Minero M, Padalino B.Regulation EC 1/2005 has stricter rules for transportation of unbroken (untamed) vs. broken (tamed) horses, but does not provide adequate tools for their identification. This study aimed to develop and validate such a tool. A behavioural test (Broken/Unbroken Test (BUT)) based on approaching, haltering, and leading was applied to 100 horses. Physiological and additional behavioural data were also collected, and the horses' status (broken/unbroken) was assessed by the expert who administered the BUT. Each horse's behaviour during the BUT was scored by four trained observers blinded to the horse...
Quam V, Yardley J, Quam M, Paz C, Belknap J.The analgesic effect of cryotherapy in an induced lameness model was evaluated. Lameness was induced with solar pressure from a custom-made shoe in a 10-horse, cross-over study. The degree of lameness was recorded with a commercial non-invasive inertial sensor. The distal limbs were maintained in an ice and water slurry (cryotherapy) or at ambient temperature (control) for 1 hour. Lameness was assessed serially over the following hour. Lameness at each time point was compared to the baseline induced lameness, within and between groups. Lameness had improved significantly in all horses 5 minute...
Borowska A, Wolska D, Niedzwiedz A, Borowicz H, Jaworski Z, Siemieniuch M, Szwaczkowski T.Current knowledge of the genetic and environmental backgrounds of equine asthma seems to be insufficient, especially for primitive horse breeds. The main objectives of this study were to estimate the effects of sex, birth period, stud, parentage line and inbreeding on asthma morbidity in Polish Konik horses. Records of 274 horses (housed in two studs) were analysed. These animals were allocated to maternal and paternal lines. Individual inbreeding coefficients were extracted from the additive relationship matrix. Horses underwent diagnosis based on observation of the basic symptoms (high frequ...
Vitale V, Vezzosi T, Tognetti R, Fraschetti C, Sgorbini M.Recently, the use of smartphone ECG devices has been reported in humans and animals. Nevertheless, as the electrodes of these devices are inseparable, they can create only a precordial reading in veterinary species. Thus, although the smartphone ECG devices are considered valuable as a screening tool for the detection of some common arrhythmias, they are not always a reliable method for the measurement of the duration of the electrical deflections. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of a novel smartphone ECG device, to report the readings obtained recorded simultaneo...
Ortega-García MV, Salguero FJ, García N, Domínguez M, Moreno I, Berrocal A.Cutaneous forms of leishmaniosis due to Leishmania braziliensis have been reported in horses in the New World. Domestic animals play a role in the transmission of the disease. In Costa Rica, human cases of L. braziliensis, L. panamensis and L. infantum have been reported. The present report describes five cases of equine cutaneous leishmaniosis in Costa Rica. The aetiological diagnosis was based on the presence of the parasite within the lesions. Skin biopsies were used to perform histopathological analyses of the lesions. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the presence of the Leishmania ...
Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Kakoi H, Hirota K, Kusano K, Nagata S.Gene doping is prohibited in horseracing. In a previous study, we developed a method for non-targeted transgene detection using DELLY, which is based on split-read (SR) and paired-end (PE) algorithms to detect structural variants, on WGS data. In this study, we validated the detection sensitivity of DELLY using artificially generated sequence data of 12 target genes. With DELLY, at least one intron was detected as a deletion in eight targeted genes using the 150 bp PE read WGS data, whereas all targeted genes were detected by DELLY using the 100 bp PE read data. The detection sensitivity was h...
Hales EN, Habib H, Favro G, Katzman S, Sakai RR, Marquardt S, Bordbari MH, Ming-Whitfield B, Peterson J, Dahlgren AR, Rivas V, Ramirez CA, Peng S....Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with a vitamin E deficiency within the first year of life. Vitamin E consists of 8 isoforms metabolized by the CYP4F2 enzyme. No antemortem diagnostic test currently exists for eNAD/EDM. Objective: Based on the association of α-tocopherol deficiency with the development of eNAD/EDM, we hypothesized that the rate of α-tocopherol, but not γ-tocopherol or tocotrienol metabolism, would be increased in eNAD/EDM-affected horses. Methods: Vitamin E metabolism: Proof...
Hasan SS, Dey D, Singh S, Martin M.Alphaviruses are arboviruses that cause arthritis and encephalitis in humans. Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that is implicated in severe encephalitis in humans with high mortality. However, limited insights are available into the fundamental biology of EEEV and residue-level details of its interactions with host proteins. In recent years, outbreaks of EEEV have been reported mainly in the United States, raising concerns about public safety. This review article summarizes recent advances in the structural biology of EEEV based mainly on single-par...
Bedenice D, Avila B, Paradis MR.Species-related differences in the prevalence, manifestation, and outcome of neonatal illness may impact management practices of neonatal intensive care. The study aimed to elucidate similarities between disease manifestations and mortality risks of critically ill (CI) neonatal crias and foals admitted to the same referral center. Methods: A comparative, retrospective cohort evaluation of two species (camelid and equine). Methods: The study was conducted in a University hospital. Methods: Two hundred and forty-six CI neonatal crias (January 1999 to May 2016) and 356 neonatal foals (February 20...
McNabb L, Barr J, Crameri G, Juzva S, Riddell S, Colling A, Boyd V, Broder C, Wang LF, Lunt R.Hendra and Nipah viruses (HeV and NiV) are closely related zoonotic pathogens of the Paramyxoviridae family. Both viruses belong to the Henipavirus genus and cause fatal disease in animals and humans, though only HeV is endemic in Australia. In general and due to the acute nature of the disease, agent detection by PCR and virus isolation are the primary tools for diagnostic investigations. Assays for the detection of antibodies against HeV are fit more readily for the purpose of surveillance testing in disease epidemiology and to meet certification requirements in the international movement of...
Traversa D, Giangaspero A, Galli P, Paoletti B, Otranto D, Gasser RB.Gastric or cutaneous habronemosis caused by Habronema microstoma Creplin, 1849 and Habronema muscae Carter, 1865 is a parasitic disease of equids transmitted by muscid flies. There is a paucity of information on the epidemiology of this disease, which is mainly due to limitations with diagnosis in the live animal and with the identification of the parasites in the intermediate hosts. To overcome such limitations, a molecular approach, based on the use of genetic markers in the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal DNA, was established for the two species of Habronema. Charact...
Hietala SK, Ardans AA, Sansome A.An enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay was developed to measure naturally occurring Corynebacterium equi specific antibody in horse serum. Antibody against C equi was demonstrated in normal adults and was passively transferred to foals. Adult levels of specific antibody were reached by 5 to 6 months of age in healthy foals. Decreased early antibody levels were demonstrated in a limited number of foals with confirmed C equi infection.
de Lagarde M, Larrieu C, Praud K, Schouler C, Doublet B, Sallé G, Fairbrother JM, Arsenault J.Although antimicrobial resistance is increasingly common in equine medicine, molecular and epidemiological data remains scarce. Objective: We estimated the prevalence of, and risk factors for, shedding of multidrug resistant (MDR), extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing, and AmpC β-lactamase-producing, or some combination of these in Escherichia coli in horses in France. We characterized ESBL/AmpC isolates for antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of virulence and ESBL/AmpC-associated resistance genes. Methods: Fecal samples from healthy adult horses at 41 premises were colle...
van Loon JP, Van Dierendonck MC.This study validates a recently described pain scale, the Equine Utrecht University scale for facial assessment of pain (EQUUS-FAP), in horses with acute or postoperative pain originating from the head, including dental pain, ocular pain, or trauma to the skull. This cohort study of 23 horses with head-related pain and 23 normal, healthy controls revealed significant differences in EQUUS-FAP scores between control horses and horses with acute or postoperative pain (P <0.001). Moreover, pain scores after surgery decreased significantly over time (P <0.001). The scale showed good inter...
Pusterla N, Hussey SB, Mapes S, Johnson C, Collier JR, Hill J, Lunn DP, Wilson WD.Recrudescence of latent equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) with subsequent viral shedding via nasal secretions is a potential source of infection for susceptible horses and has been implicated in outbreaks occurring in closed populations. Objective: To describe the viral kinetics of reactivated EHV-1 in blood and nasal secretions from latently infected horses after administration of corticosteroids, and to study the infectious nature of reactivated EHV-1 to sentinel horses. Methods: Eight healthy horses. Methods: Four horses infected 4 months previously with EHV-1 received dexamethasone on 5 consecu...
Delesalle C, Dewulf J, Lefebvre RA, Schuurkes JA, Proot J, Lefere L, Deprez P.Intestinal hypoperfusion can lead to increased lactate concentrations in plasma and peritoneal fluid of horses with colic. Objective: The purposes of this study were to (1) evaluate the reliability of the Accusport analyzer to assess peritoneal fluid lactate (PFL) concentrations in healthy horses and those with colic, (2) identify clinical features associated with abnormal blood plasma lactate (BPL) and PFL concentrations, and (3) evaluate the prognostic value of BPL and PFL. Methods: BPL and PFL were determined in 20 healthy horses and in 106 horses with colic. Results: The Accusport was reli...
Carossino M, Lee PY, Nam B, Skillman A, Shuck KM, Timoney PJ, Tsai YL, Ma LJ, Chang HF, Wang HT, Balasuriya UB.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA), a respiratory and reproductive disease of horses. Most importantly, EAV induces abortion in pregnant mares and can establish persistent infection in up to 10-70% of the infected stallions, which will continue to shed the virus in their semen. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a reverse transcription insulated isothermal polymerase chain reaction (RT-iiPCR) for the detection of EAV in semen and tissue samples. The newly developed assay had a limit of detection of 10 RNA copies and a 10-fol...
Garré B, van der Meulen K, Nugent J, Neyts J, Croubels S, De Backer P, Nauwynck H.Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is an important equine pathogen that causes respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death and paralysis. Although vaccines are available, they are not fully protective and outbreaks of disease may occur in vaccinated herds. Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective antiviral treatment. For three abortigenic (94P247, 97P70 and 99P96) and three neuropathogenic isolates (97P82, 99P136 and 03P37), the effect of acyclovir, ganciclovir, cidofovir, adefovir, 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP) and foscarnet on plaque number was studied. Addition...
Flanagan J, Collin N, Timoney J, Mitchell T, Mumford JA, Chanter N.The haemolytic activity of Streptococcus equi, the cause of equine strangles, was characterized. Production of haemolysin in Todd Hewitt broth was dependent on an equine serum supplement and the logarithmic phase of growth after which activity declined sharply. RNA core also induced haemolysin production from cells harvested at the end of the logarithmic phase of growth. Haemolysis was not affected by cholesterol, was only slightly increased in reducing conditions and was completely inactivated by trypan blue, identifying the haemolytic activity as streptolysin S-like (SLS-like). Purification ...
Magdesian KG, Williams DC, Aleman M, Lecouteur RA, Madigan JE.To evaluate deafness in American Paint Horses by phenotype, clinical findings, brainstem auditory-evoked responses (BAERs), and endothelin B receptor (EDNBR) genotype. Methods: Case series and case-control studies. Methods: 14 deaf American Paint Horses, 20 suspected-deaf American Paint Horses, and 13 nondeaf American Paint Horses and Pintos. Methods: Horses were categorized on the basis of coat color pattern and eye color. Testing for the EDNBR gene mutation (associated with overo lethal white foal syndrome) and BAERs was performed. Additional clinical findings were obtained from medical reco...
van der Meulen KM, Nauwynck HJ, Pensaert MB.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) may cause abortion in vaccination- and infection-immune horses. EHV-1-infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) play an important role in virus immune evasion. The mechanisms by which infected PBMCs can avoid destruction by EHV-1-specific antibody and equine complement were examined. The majority of EHV-1-infected PBMCs (68.6 %) lacked surface expression of viral antigens and these cells were not susceptible to complement-mediated lysis. In infected PBMCs with surface expression of viral antigens, 63 % showed focal surface expression, whereas 37 % showed ...
Paillot R, Prowse L, Montesso F, Stewart B, Jordon L, Newton JR, Gilkerson JR.Equine influenza (EI) is a major respiratory disease of horses. Recent outbreaks of EI have demonstrated the ease with which EI virus (EIV) can be transmitted internationally. This study aimed to improve our understanding of EIV shedding after infection of vaccinated horses, which would inform possible changes to current quarantine requirements. Our objectives were to compare commonly used diagnostic tests and to evaluate the relative merits of nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs for detection of EIV in vaccinated and unvaccinated ponies following EIV infection and to use these data to inform optim...
Janssen P, Tosi I, Hego A, Maréchal P, Marichal T, Radermecker C.Asthma encompasses a spectrum of heterogenous immune-mediated respiratory disorders sharing a similar clinical pattern characterized by cough, wheeze and exercise intolerance. In horses, equine asthma can be subdivided into severe or moderate asthma according to clinical symptoms and the extent of airway neutrophilic inflammation. While severe asthmatic horses are characterized by an elevated neutrophilic inflammation of the lower airways, cough, dyspnea at rest and high mucus secretion, horses with moderate asthma show a milder neutrophilic inflammation, exhibit intolerance to exercise but no...
Lightbody KL, Davis PJ, Austin CJ.Tapeworm infections pose a significant threat to equine health as they are associated with clinical cases of colic. Diagnosis of tapeworm burden using fecal egg counts (FECs) is unreliable, and, although a commercial serologic ELISA for anti-tapeworm antibodies is available, it requires a veterinarian to collect the blood sample. A reliable diagnostic test using an owner-accessible sample such as saliva could provide a cost-effective alternative for tapeworm testing in horses, and allow targeted deworming strategies. Objective: The purpose of the study was to statistically validate a saliva ta...
Navas de Solis C.Arrhythmias are common in equine athletes during and immediately after exercise. Many of these rhythm variations are not clinically relevant. In horses, a link between different exercising arrhythmias and poor performance or between exercising arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) is strongly suspected but not fully understood or proven. SCD during races or competitions is rare, but has catastrophic consequences for the safety of the human partner and public perceptions of welfare during equestrian sports. This review summarises current knowledge of equine exercise arrhythmias and their i...
Snyder RE, Feiszli T, Foss L, Messenger S, Fang Y, Barker CM, Reisen WK, Vugia DJ, Padgett KA, Kramer VL.The California Arbovirus Surveillance Program was initiated over 50 years ago to track endemic encephalitides and was enhanced in 2000 to include West Nile virus (WNV) infections in humans, mosquitoes, sentinel chickens, dead birds and horses. This comprehensive statewide program is a function of strong partnerships among the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the University of California, and local vector control and public health agencies. This manuscript summarizes WNV surveillance data in California since WNV was first detected in 2003 in southern California. From 2003 through ...
Raidal SL, Love DN, Bailey GD.Confinement of horses with their heads elevated for periods up to 24 hours was used to evaluate the extent and the effects of bacterial contamination of the equine lower respiratory tract. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in bacterial numbers (up to 10(9) colony forming units/mL in transtracheal aspirate derived samples) occurred within 6 or 12 hours in most horses. Pasteurella/Actinobacillus spp and Streptococcus spp were most commonly isolated. Lowering of the head for 30 minutes every 6 hours to facilitate postural drainage did not prevent multiplication of organisms to levels equivalent...
Gomez DE, Arroyo LG, Stämpfli HR, Cruz LE, Oliver OJ.The quantitative effect of strong electrolytes, pCO2 , and plasma protein concentration in determining plasma pH and bicarbonate concentrations can be demonstrated with the physicochemical approach. Plasma anion gap (AG) and strong ion gap (SIG) are used to assess the presence or absence of unmeasured anions. Objective: The physicochemical approach is useful for detection and explanation of acid-base disorders in horses with colitis. AG and SIG accurately predict hyperlactatemia in horses with colitis. Methods: Fifty-four horses with acute colitis and diarrhea. Methods: Retrospective study. Ph...
Cohen ND, Martin LJ, Simpson RB, Wallis DE, Neibergs HL.To compare the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with microbiological culture for detecting salmonellae in equine fecal samples and equine environmental swab specimens. Methods: Samples and specimens were tested by PCR and microbiological culture. Methods: A fecal sample from each of 152 horses admitted consecutively to the clinic for evaluation by the outpatient service, 282 fecal samples from 110 hospitalized horses that had been submitted to the clinical microbiology laboratory, and 313 environmental swab specimens were examined. Methods: Each sample and specimen in the study w...
Archer DF, Dorin M, Lewis V, Schneider DL, Pickar JH.To evaluate vaginal bleeding profiles with lower doses of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) as continuous combined therapy. Methods: The Women's Health, Osteoporosis, Progestin, Estrogen (Women's HOPE) study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Study centers across the United States. Methods: Two thousand six hundred seventy-three healthy, postmenopausal women. Methods: Women received CEE, 0.625 mg/d; CEE, 0.625 mg/d, plus MPA 2.5 mg/d; CEE, 0.45 mg/d; CEE, 0.45 mg/d, plus MPA, 2.5 mg/d; CEE 0.45 mg/d, plus MPA, 1.5 mg/d; CEE, 0....
Khatibzadeh SM, Gold CB, Keggan AE, Perkins GA, Glaser AL, Dubovi EJ, Wagner B.To compare antibody responses of horses naturally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) and those vaccinated against WNV, to identify whether vaccination interferes with the ability to diagnose WNV infection, and to determine the duration of antibody responses after vaccination. Methods: Sera from horses naturally infected with WNV (n = 10) and adult WNV-naïve horses before and after vaccination with a live canarypox virus-vectored vaccine (7) or a killed virus vaccine (8). Methods: An established WNV IgM capture ELISA was used to measure IgM responses. Newly developed capture ELISAs were used ...
Mhadhbi M, Sassi A.Infection of equids by Leishmania (L.) parasites was previously described in both the Old and New World, particularly in Central and South America. Equine cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by the Leishmania species, L. Viannia (V.) braziliensis and L. infantum, previously identified in humans and other parasite hosts living in the same geographic endemic areas. Sporadic autochthonous clinical cases, with no travel history, were documented in several countries including Germany, Portugal, Spain, Texas and Brazil; L. infantum and L. (Mundinia) martiniquensis were the infectious species....
Abedi V, Razmi G, Seifi H, Naghibi A.Equine piroplasmosis is a hemoprotozoan tick-borne disease with worldwide distribution that is caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. However, the geographical distribution of equine piroplasmosis in Iran is unknown. The aim of the current study was to determine the causative agents and vector ticks of equine piroplasmosis in horses in the North Khorasan Province. In the year 2011, 100 horses were randomly selected from 14 villages. Blood samples and ixodid ticks were collected and examined using microscopical, molecular, and serological methods. Theileria equi infection was microscopic...
Chuma T, Le Blois H, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM, Diaz-Laviada M, Roy P.The major core protein, VP7, of African horsesickness virus serotype 4 (AHSV-4), the aetiological agent of a recent outbreak of the disease in southern Europe, was expressed in insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus containing a cloned copy of the relevant AHSV gene (S7). Analyses of its biochemical and antigenic properties confirmed the authenticity of the protein expressed. The high-level expression of VP7 under the control of the strong polyhedrin promoter of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus induced disc-shaped crystals in infected insect cells. This enabled u...
Morris MD, Matousek P, Towrie M, Parker AW, Goodship AE, Draper ER.Picosecond time-resolved Raman spectroscopy in equine cortical bone tissue is demonstrated. Using 400-nm pulsed laser excitation (1 ps at 1 kHz) it is shown that Kerr cell gating with a 4-ps window provides simultaneously time-resolved rejection of fluorescence and time-resolved Raman scatter enabling depth profiling through tissue. The Raman shifts are the same as those observed by conventional cw Raman spectroscopy using deep-red or near-infrared lasers. The time decay of Raman photons is shown to fit an inverse square root of time function, suggesting propagation by a diffusive mechanism. U...
Azab W, Bedair S, Abdelgawad A, Eschke K, Farag GK, Abdel-Raheim A, Greenwood AD, Osterrieder N, Ali AAH.Equid herpesviruses (EHVs) threaten equine health and can cause significant economic losses to the equine industry worldwide. Different equid herpesviruses, EHV-1, EHV-2, EHV-4 and EHV5 are regularly detected among horse populations. In Egypt, monitoring is sporadic but EHV-1 or EHV-4 have been reported to circulate in the horse population. However, there is a lack of reports related to infection and health status of horses, likely due to the absence of regular diagnostic procedures. In the current study, the circulation of four infectious equid herpesviruses (EHV-1, EHV-2, EHV-4 and EHV-5) am...
Jang HK, Albrecht RA, Buczynski KA, Kim SK, Derbigny WA, O'Callaghan DJ.The sole immediate-early (IE) gene of equine herpesvirus 1 encodes a 1,487-amino-acid (aa) regulatory phosphoprotein that independently activates expression of early viral genes. Coimmunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the IE protein physically interacts with the general transcription factor TFIIB. Using a variety of protein-binding assays that employed a panel of IE truncation and deletion mutants expressed as in vitro-synthesized or glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins, we mapped a TFIIB-binding domain to aa 407 to 757 of the IE protein. IE mutants carrying internal deletions of ...
Hunter LC, Miller JK, Poxton IR.The cause of grass sickness, an equine dysautonomia, is unknown. The disease usually results in death. Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is a common clinical manifestation in all forms of the disease. It is generally thought that equine grass sickness (EGS) is caused by an ingested or enterically produced neurotoxin which is absorbed through the GI tract. Clostridium botulinum was first implicated as a causative agent when it was isolated from the GI tract of a horse with EGS in 1919. The aim of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that EGS results from toxicoinfection with C. b...
HAMMON WM, REEVES WC.In three cases of encephalitis in humans that occurred in the area where the newly described California virus was isolated from mosquitoes, serological evidence seemed to indict the California virus as the etiological agent. In the case of an infant with very severe disease, the serological evidence was convincing; the evidence was almost as strong in the case of a seven-year-old boy; the results in an adult were equivocal. Inapparent infection in man is quite common as indicated by neutralization tests on the sera of nearly 600 residents of California, but encephalitic manifestations of infec...
