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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.
Cellular constituents of clinically normal foal bronchoalveolar lavage fluid during postnatal maturation. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed 5 times, sequentially, on 3 healthy foals when each was between 2 and 63 days of age. Total and differential counts were performed on recovered cells. The lungs of foals less than 19 days of age contained few alveolar macrophages recoverable by bronchoalveolar lavage. This number increased sharply during the first 2 to 3 weeks of life, but remained relatively constant subsequently. Approximately 86% of the alveolar cells in the lungs of foals up to 3 weeks of age were alveolar macrophages. During the first 2 months of life, this number decreased to approxim...
The comparative pathology of equine cutaneous phycomycosis. Pythiosis (204 cases, 77%), basidiobolomycosis (48 cases, 18%), and conidiobolomycosis (14 cases, 5%) were diagnosed morphologically from 266 horses with phycomycosis. All lesions were cutaneous ulcerative granulomas and three horses with pythiosis had metastatic lesions in regional lymph nodes. Lesions of pythiosis contained characteristic yellow, coral-like coagula and had a fibrotic surface containing sinus tract openings. Basidiobolomycosis was characterized by infrequent small yellow coagula and a yellow line of fungal invasion beneath an edematous surface. Lesions of conidiobolomycosis h...
Ultrasonographic detection of fistulous tracts and foreign objects in muscles of horses. The results from water-bath studies on equine muscle in which foreign material had been inserted and then scanned ultrasonographically were compared with the results from scanning of the muscles of horses hospitalized for diagnosis of suspected foreign objects embedded in muscle. The water-bath studies showed that bone, wood, and large tendons all will demonstrate acoustic shadowing, but that subtle differences in the characteristics of the relative hyperechogenicity and acoustic shadows facilitate elimination of certain considerations in the differential diagnosis. Ultrasonography was effecti...
Transtracheal aspiration in the horse: a photo essay. Transtracheal aspiration is used to obtain samples for culture and cytologic examination of respiratory tract secretions and exudates. A 15-cm-long area of the ventral midcervical region is surgically prepared, a small site infiltrated SC with 2-3 ml lidocaine, and a stab incision made in the skin. A trocar with cannula is inserted through the incision and annular ligament into the trachea and the trocar removed. An 8-Fr polypropylene catheter is inserted about 35-40 cm down the trachea and attached to a 30-ml syringe, containing 20 ml sterile saline, with a 3-way stopcock . The saline is rapi...
Relationship between paired plasma and serum viscosity and plasma proteins in the horse. The relationship between paired plasma and serum viscosity measurements and plasma proteins, including fibrinogen, were compared in 106 horses with both normal and abnormal serum protein levels. There is a highly significant positive correlation between serum viscosity and total serum proteins and total globulin levels. The difference between plasma and serum viscosity correlated well with clottable fibrinogen concentration. Albumin levels showed a negative correlation with plasma and serum viscosity, globulins and fibrinogen. Simultaneous estimation of serum and plasma viscosity improves the ...
Leucocyte counts in the healthy English Thoroughbred in training. Total and differential leucocyte counts have been determined by electronic counting techniques in 474, two-to-four-year-old healthy Thoroughbreds in training. The ranges of values observed (particular those for neutrophils and lymphocytes) were narrower than previously described. Absolute and percentage lymphocyte values were significantly decreased with advancing age causing a relative increase in percentage neutrophils. The fall in absolute lymphocyte numbers was the main cause for a significant decrease in total leucocytes with age. Frequency plots for each variable showed that, with the ex...
Bone strain in the equine tibia: an in vivo strain gauge analysis. Rosette strain gauges were bonded to the cranial, caudal, and medial surfaces of the tibia in the middiaphyseal region of 6 adult ponies. While the ponies were walking, the cranial side was mainly subjected to tension, and the caudal side, to compression. The compression strain on the caudal side was 1.5 times greater than the tension strain on the cranial side. None of these principal strains was aligned along the long axis of the bone; both deviated laterally from the long axis. On the medial surface, the principal strain deviated caudally about 40 degrees from the long axis. From analysis o...
Spread of equine lungworm (Dictyocaulus arnfieldi) larvae from faeces by Pilobolus fungi. Between 10 and 25% of the Dictyocaulus arnfieldi larvae excreted in faeces from a naturally infected donkey were harvested as infective stages from faecal cultures by means of Pilobolus fungi. The faeces were collected between 24 and 56 hours after drenching the donor animal with Pilobolus spores and kept at 16 +/- 2 degrees C. Most larvae were collected between the 5th and the 8th day of culturing during which period fructification and sporangium discharge also peaked. The sporangia and the adhering larvae were collected in Petri dishes inserted between the faecal mass and a light source. All...
Uterine culture in mares. A guarded, sterile swab is used to obtain samples for uterine culture. With the mare in stocks, the tail bandage and the perineum washed, the culture rod is introduced into the vagina with a gloved hand. After the rod is guided through the cervix, the guard cap is dislodged and the swab is rubbed along the endometrium, after which the rod is extracted. Samples for uterine culture should only be obtained during full estrus. Swabs should be directly plated onto agar within 2 hours of collection. Blood agar is appropriate for initial screening, but use of specialized types of agar expedites ident...
Renal disease associated with colic in horses. Renal dysfunction secondary to GI disorders may be relatively common in horses. Persistent dehydration of 8-10% of body weight can lead to prerenal azotemia, which may result in renal ischemia and renal disease if uncorrected. Dehydrated azotemic horses with a urine specific gravity less than 1.018 may have renal disease. Urine specific gravity readings greater than 1.025 usually indicate normal kidney function. A urine Na level less than 20 mEq/L and a urine/plasma creatinine ratio greater than or equal to 20:1 indicate prerenal problems. Use of nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided in septicem...
Prevalence of Anoplocephala perfoliata and lesions of Draschia megastoma in Thoroughbreds in Kentucky at necropsy. A total of 396 Thoroughbreds (86 males, 293 females, and 17 geldings) in Kentucky, 1 to 30 years of age, were examined at necropsy for presence of Anoplocephala perfoliata (2 female horses were not examined) in the cecum for lesions of Draschia megastoma in the stomach, during the 1-year period of Mar 1, 1982 through Feb 28, 1983. Prevalence of A perfoliata was 53% and of lesions of D megastoma was 63%. All lesions of D megastoma were partially or entirely in the glandular region of the stomach. Distances of the midpoint of these lesions from the margo plicatus varied from 0 to 290 mm. The cen...
Computer processing of transaortic valve blood pressures in the horse using the first derivative of the left ventricular pressure trace. A method is described of processing transaortic valve pressures in the horse using the first derivative of the left ventricular pressure to define the beginning and end of each systolic complex. To determine the beginning of each systole three definitions of left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP), based on a 100, 150 or 200 mmHg/sec rate of left ventricular diastolic pressure rise, were evaluated. These definitions were also evaluated for their ability to determine isovolumic contraction time (ICT) and pulse interval. The best of these, LVEDP 150, was defined as the last point in dias...
[Immunodiagnosis of gasterophilosis]. Research into the immunological diagnosis of gasterophilosis. So far there have been no reliable methods of diagnosing equine gasterophilosis intra vitam. Horses from the G.D.R. and the M.P.R. spontaneously infected with Gasterophilus spp. were tested for antibodies by the immunotechniques of counterimmunoelectrophoresis after Pesendorfer, passive haemagglutination and the intradermal test using antigen made from larvae of all 6 Gasterophilus spp. present in the palaearctis. All 3 techniques produced positive results. The intradermal injection produced an immediate reaction. A correlation betw...
[Roentgenological aspects of polyarthritis in foals]. Radiographically, joint ill in foals is subdivided into four different types: Type P - osteomyelitis in the meta- and/or epiphysis adjacent to the physis. Type E - osteomyelitis in the epiphyseal subchondral bone. Type S - synovitis confined to the joint itself. Type T - osteomyelitis in the small tarsal bones. The radiographical features corresponding with the different types, the relationship between the radiological, pathological, bacterial and clinical findings, and the recommended radiographic procedure are discussed in detail.
Cecal impaction in the horse. During a 3-year period, cecal impaction was diagnosed in 21 horses (mean age, 8 years) at exploratory celiotomy or necropsy. In 7 horses, typhlotomy was used to remove the impaction; 2 horses treated by fluid injection of the impaction did not survive. The 12 other horses had cecal rupture. Surgical correction was not possible in those horses because of inaccessibility of the rupture site. Postmortem examination of the rupture sites did not reveal a cause other than cecal impaction. The duration of clinical signs before rupture ranged from 4 to 96 hours.
Trials of an inactivated equid herpesvirus 1 vaccine: challenge with a subtype 2 virus. Serological responses following two and three doses of an inactivated equid herpesvirus 1 ( EHV -1) vaccine containing a subtype 1 strain were examined in yearling ponies. Complement fixing antibody responses were significantly higher against the subtype 1 vaccine strain than against a subtype 2 virus. Complement fixing antibody responses declined rapidly after the second dose of vaccine and had returned to almost pre-vaccination levels eight weeks after the second dose of vaccine. Complement fixing antibody titres to the heterologous subtype 2 strain increased after each successive dose of va...
Splenic lymphosarcoma in a horse. A 10-year-old Tennessee Walker gelding, with a history of progressive weight loss, intermittent colic and lethargy, had a slight fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, pallor, ascites and marked ventral edema. Blood analyses revealed anemia, leukocytosis, neutrophilia with a left shift, lymphopenia, monocytosis, hypoproteinemia and a slightly increased SDH level. Abdominocentesis produced red-orange fluid with many RBC and an increased fibrinogen content. Rectal palpation revealed a large mass in the left caudal abdominal quadrant. The animal died shortly after resection of the mass. The histopatholog...
Plaque assay of equine influenza virus. ESK cells, a stable cell line derived from a swine embryo kidney, were found to be a good medium for plaque formation of the Prague and Miami strains of equine influenza virus. Factors influencing the plaque formation were investigated and a plaque assay for these viruses was worked out. The method is not only simple enough for routine use, but also is as sensitive as the egg inoculation method. The method was readily adapted for a neutralization test.
Choledocholithiasis in a horse. Choledocholithiasis was diagnosed in a five-year-old gelding on the basis of laboratory results and histopathology. Surgery was performed to relieve the obstruction. The horse responded favorably and at 39 days postoperatively was clinically and clinicopathologically normal.
Xenogeneic monoclonal antibodies to cell surface antigens of equine lymphocytes. Monoclonal antibodies to equine lymphocyte antigens were produced, using normal peripheral blood lymphocytes as the immunogen and standard hybridoma techniques. Antibody producing hybridomas were detected by a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibodies produced by 6 cloned hybrids were characterized further by microlymphocytotoxicity, indirect immunofluorescence, and agglutination assays on peripheral blood lymphocytes, platelets, and erythrocytes. Reaction patterns on leukocytes indicated that these antibodies may recognize at least 3 different cell-surface antigens: (1) an ant...
Alpha 2-macroglobulin from horse plasma. Purification, properties and interaction with certain serine proteinases. alpha 2-macroglobulin was isolated by polyethylene glycol precipitation, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 and DE-52 cellulose chromatography, with 20% yield. The preparation obtained was homogenous as tested by biochemical and immunological criteria. Its molecular mass was estimated at 800,000, comprising of four identical subunits. The isoelectric point of our preparation was 4.8 and two molecules of serine proteinases per 1 molecule of inhibitor were bound.
