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.
Nogueira BCF, Campos AK, Alves RS, de Cássia Vieira Faria R, Sarandy MM, Fonseca E Silva F, Gonçalves RV.Amblyomma sculptum is frequently observed parasitizing horses, responsible for economic losses, damage to the host''s skin and transmission of pathogens. The oxidative stress profile and inflammatory mechanisms involved in this parasitism remain poorly studied. Thus, this study aimed to assess the histopathological changes and oxidative profile responses of horses in the attachment site of A. sculptum to find variations that indicate resistance and susceptibility between the breeds to this tick, based on the hypothesis that resistant animals have a greater inflammatory response and lesser numb...
Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a viral disease, caused by the Equine Infectious Anemia virus (EIAV) belonging to the Retroviridae family, genus Lentivirus. Horses (or equids) infected with EIAV are lifelong carriers and they remain contagious for other horses even in the absence of clinical signs. So far, EIAV infection has been reported among horses in North and South America, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Romania, with no publication regarding the presence of EIAV in horses in Serbia. To determine the circulation of EIAV among, approximately, the 5000 horses of the Vojvodina region,...
Dărăbuş G, Badea C, Oprescu I, Morariu S, Mederle N, Ilie M, Suici T, Imre M.Resistance of cyathostomins to benzimidazole (BZ) anthelmintics is widespread in horses in many parts of the world. This study compared three methods for the determination of benzimidazole resistance of Cyathostominae in 18 horses from a stud farm in Romania. The horses were treated with Fenbendazole. The resistance test was performed by FECRT, ERP and PCR. On Day 0, larvae of species belonging to the Cyathostominae subfamily, types A, B, C, D and Gyalocephalus, as well as Strongylus vulgaris species of the Strongylinae subfamily, were identified. At 42 days post treatment with fenbendazole on...
Maśko M, Domino M, Jasiński T, Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O.Blood testing is one of the most important ways to improve performance, facilitate recovery and monitor the training of endurance and race horses. However, little is known about the physical activity-dependent changes of blood parameters in horses used for pleasure and in riding schools. This study aimed to perform routine blood tests for training monitoring of sport horses in three different horse types of use. Then the values of blood indicators were compared between school, endurance and race horses to find similarities in the physical activity-dependent profile. The study was carried out o...
Wenker C, Hoby S, Steck BL, Ramsauer AS, Blatter S, Tobler K.Equine sarcoids (ES) were diagnosed in 12 Somali wild asses (SWA) () from 10 different institutions of the SWA European Endangered Species Programme from 1976 to 2019. Samples of surgically excised masses, biopsies, or necropsy samples were submitted for histologic and virologic analysis. In addition, tissue samples from one onager (), one kulan (), and two Hartmann's mountain zebras (HMZ) () were examined. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of ES exhibiting the typical microscopic features. Polymerase chain reaction detected bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1) DNA in eight SWA samples and bovi...
Capistrano da Silva E, Gibson DJ, Jeong S, Zimmerman KL, Smith-Fleming KM, Martins BDC.Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9 are present in corneal ulcers, and an imbalance between MMPs and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) leads to further corneal degradation. Amniotic membrane homogenate (AMH) has proteolytic properties beneficial for corneal healing, but it is unknown whether AMH possesses TIMPs or effectively inhibits MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity. Objective: To determine if bovine and equine AMH reduce in vitro MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities associated with the presence of TIMPs. Methods: Undiluted and diluted twofold series (0-fold to 16-fold dilutions) of equine ...
Kaiser-Thom S, Hilty M, Axiak S, Gerber V.Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD), a multifactorial syndrome, manifests as skin lesions of variable severity in the pastern area. Despite the widespread use of antibacterial therapy for treating this condition, little is known about the contributing bacteria. Objective: To investigate the bacterial skin microbiota in EPD-affected and unaffected (control) pasterns. Methods: Case-control study with 80 client-owned horses; each with at least one EPD-affected and one control pastern. Methods: Horses were grouped by the form of EPD (mild, exudative or proliferative), the assigned severity grade and t...
Costa F, Brunsting J, Corrêa F.This case report describes a 16-year-old jumping stallion that had a marked swelling over the left antebrachial area along with substantial lameness after a fall. The horse was weight bearing but lame (4/5; AAEP scale) at the walk with marked enlargement in the caudal aspect of the antebrachial region. After a static musculoskeletal examination, radiography and ultrasonography the horse was diagnosed with flexor muscle myopathy and presumptive extremity compartment syndrome. Following medical treatment, the horse improved clinically over several days. Six-months post injury the horse showed fl...
Drážovská M, Vojtek B, Mojžišová J, Koleničová S, Koľvek F, Prokeš M, Korytár Ľ, Csanady A, Ondrejková A, Vataščinová T, Bhide MR.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis. It affects humans and several wild and domesticated mammals, including horses. The aim of our study was a preliminary survey of the occurrence of these re-emerging pathogens in horses in Slovakia. The sera from 200 animals of different ages and both sexes were tested for the presence of A. phagocytophilum antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Subsequently, detection of the 16S rRNA gene fragment of A. phagocytophilum was attempted by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in each blood sample. Our results confir...
Punsmann S, Hellige M, Hoppe J, Freise F, Venner M.Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) in foals is a rare but challenging syndrome. Diagnostic imaging is crucial for its diagnosis. While there are some reports on radiographic findings, ultrasound is sparsely described. Variability in the evaluation of radiographs in AIP has been well described in human literature. Part one of this study is a prospective, observational, observer agreement study investigating inter- and intraobserver agreement in the assessment of thoracic radiographs. Part two is a prospective, controlled, descriptive study on thoracic ultrasonography in foals with AIP. Eighteen...
Hellige M, Warnken T, Puff C, Feige K.An 8-year-old Warmblood gelding presented with a history of progressive ataxia for 6 weeks. Intra- and intervertebral ratios measured from lateral radiographs of the cervical spine were within normal limits. Computed tomographic myelography of the cervical spine revealed focal compression of the dorsal and the ventral contrast column as well as a ventral displacement of the spinal cord within the spinal canal due to a bulging of soft tissue attenuating material in the dorsal half of the intervertebral junction of C6 and C7. Post-mortem histopathological examination confirmed chondroid metapla...
Li S, Hart K, Norton N, Ryan CA, Guglani L, Prausnitz MR.The sweat test is the gold standard for the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF). The test utilizes iontophoresis to administer pilocarpine to the skin to induce sweating for measurement of chloride concentration in sweat. However, the sweat test procedure needs to be conducted in an accredited lab with dedicated instrumentation, and it can lead to inadequate sweat samples being collected in newborn babies and young children due to variable sweat production with pilocarpine iontophoresis. We tested the feasibility of using microneedle (MN) patches as an alternative to iontophoresis to administer ...
Hébert L, Polledo G, Lecouturier F, Giorgi M, Beck C, Lowenski S, Laroucau K, Büscher P, Hans A, Becù T.Northern Argentina hosts equine populations living under preserved natural areas and extensive breeding conditions, with limited access to veterinary care. Horses can be in contact with i) wildlife considered to be a potential reservoir of horse pathogens (e.g. capybara, coatis and pampas deer) and/or ii) potential disease vectors such as ticks, horse flies, Culicidae and vampire bats. In this context, the aim of this study was to assess the exposure of horses from a herd in northern Argentina to different vector-borne pathogens. Serum samples were collected from 20 horses on a farm in Chaco p...
Smith RKW, McIlwraith CW.Tendinopathy remains one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders affecting both human and equine athletes and presents a considerable therapeutic challenge. The following workshop report comes from the third Dorothy Havemeyer Symposium of Tendinopathy which provided a unique overview of our current understanding of both the basic science and the clinical challenges for diagnosing and treating tendinopathy in both species. Pathologically, tendon demonstrates alterations in both cellular, molecular, structural, and biomechanical features, leading to a spectrum of pathological endotypes. To ...
Slowikowska M, Bajzert J, Miller J, Stefaniak T, Niedzwiedz A.Non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers of equine asthma syndrome (EAS) from blood or urine are sought. The aim of this study was to assess the absorbance of circulating immune complexes (CICs) during the exacerbation, remission, and treatment of an asthma episode and assess the potential usefulness of CIC levels in the diagnosis and monitoring of the disease. The control group, asthma group, and treated asthma group each contained six horses. Following an initial examination and group classification, the horses were kept in a dusty environment for seven days and then moved to an asthma-friendly en...
Romo-Sáenz CI, Tamez-Guerra P, Olivas-Holguin A, Ramos-Zayas Y, Obregón-Macías N, González-Ochoa G, Zavala-Díaz de la Serna FJ....Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a highly infectious disease in members of the family, caused by equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). The disease severity ranges from subclinical to acute or chronic, and causes significant economic losses in the equine industry worldwide. Serologic tests for detection of EIAV infection have some concerns given the prolonged seroconversion time. Therefore, molecular methods are needed to improve surveillance programs for this disease. We attempted detection of EIAV in 6 clinical and 42 non-clinical horses in Nuevo Leon State, Mexico, using the agar gel immu...
Kang HW, Lee EY, Lee KK, Ko MK, Park JY, Kim YH, Lee K, Choi EJ, Kim J, So B, Park CK, Jeoung HY.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is an important pathogen in horses. It affects horses worldwide and causes substantial economic losses. In this study, for the first time, we characterized EHV-1 isolates from South Korea at the molecular level. We then aimed to determine the genetic divergences of these isolates by comparing them to sequences in databases. In total, 338 horse samples were collected, and 12 EHV-1 were isolated. We performed ORF30, ORF33, ORF68, and ORF34 genetic analysis and carried out multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) of 12 isolated EHV-1. All isolated viruses were confirmed as ...
Wall GV, Wright IM, Barnardo C, Erasmus BJ, van Staden V, Potgieter AC.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) non-structural protein NS4 is a nucleocytoplasmic protein that is expressed in the heart, lung, and spleen of infected horses, binds dsDNA, and colocalizes with promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML-NBs). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of AHSV NS4 in viral replication, virulence and the host immune response. Using a reverse genetics-derived virulent strain of AHSV-5 and NS4 deletion mutants, we showed that knockdown of NS4 expression has no impact in cell culture, but results in virus attenuation in infected horses. RNA sequencing (RN...
Quam VG, Altmann NN, Brokken MT, Durgam SS.Intrasynovial deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) injuries occur frequently and are often implicated in cases of navicular disease with poor outcomes and reinjuries. Cell-based approaches to tendon healing are gaining traction in veterinary medicine and ultimately may contribute to improved DDFT healing in horses. However, a better understanding of the innate cellular characteristics of equine DDFT is necessary for developing improved therapeutic strategies. Additionally, fibrocartilaginous, intrasynovial tendons like the DDFT are common sites of injury and share a poor prognosis across species,...
Tirosh-Levy S, Baum M, Schvartz G, Kalir B, Pe'er O, Shnaiderman-Torban A, Bernstein M, Blum SE, Steinman A.Leptospirosis has been reported in both humans and animals in Israel but has not been reported in horses. In 2018, an outbreak of Leptospira spp. serogroup Pomona was reported in humans and cattle in Israel. In horses, leptospirosis may cause equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). This report describes the first identification of Leptospira serogroup Pomona as the probable cause of ERU in horses in Israel, followed by an epidemiological investigation of equine exposure in the area. Serologic exposure to Leptospira was determined by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using eight serovars. In 2017, s...
Camargo Garbin L, Lopez C, Carmona JU.In the 1990s, the role of platelets in inflammation and tissue healing was finally recognized. Since then, the clinical use of platelet-derived products (hemocomponents), such as, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), markedly increased. The promise of a more economical option of a disease-modifying treatment led to the intensive and continuous research of PRP products and to its widespread clinical use. A number of protocols and commercial kits have been developed with the intention of creating a more practical and reliable option for clinical use in equine patients. Still, the direct comparison betwee...
Lopes KFC, Delai RM, Fazoli KGZ, Rey LMR, Lopes-Mori FMR, Benitez ADN, Borges Neto A, Bernardes JC, Caldart ET, Mitsuka-Breganó R, Navarro IT....The presence of DNA and anti- spp. antibodies in the serum of 112 healthy horses was investigated by evaluating the physical examination, from a rural society located in the north central region of Paraná. The antigens of , , and were used to perform the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, where it was possible to detect the reaction in 27.67% of the samples. These were also subjected to the real-time quantitative PCR, which confirmed the presence of spp. DNA in 67.34% of the tested samples. The results show that the tested animals were previously exposed to the protozoan. Thus, the...
Toh X, Wang Y, Rajapakse MP, Lee B, Songkasupa T, Suwankitwat N, Kamlangdee A, Judith Fernandez C, Huangfu T.African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly infectious and deadly disease despite availability of vaccines. Molecular characterization of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) detected from the March 2020 Thailand outbreak was carried out by whole-genome sequencing using Nanopore with a Sequence-Independent Single Primer Amplification (SISPA) approach. Nucleotide sequence of the whole genome was compared with closest matching AHSV strains using phylogenetic analyses and the AHSV-1 virus shared high sequence identity with isolates from the same outbreak. Substitution analysis revealed non-synonymous...
Crabtree NE, Epstein KL.Despite the frequent inclusion of fluid therapy in the treatment of many conditions in horses, there are limited studies available to provide evidenced-based, species-specific recommendations. Thus, equine fluid therapy is based on the application of physiology and extrapolation from evidence in other veterinary species and human medicine. The physiologic principles that underly the use of fluids in medicine are, at first glance, straightforward and simple to understand. However, in the past 20 years, multiple studies in human medicine have shown that creating recommendations based on theory i...
Badenhorst M, de Heus P, Auer A, Tegtmeyer B, Stang A, Dimmel K, Tichy A, Kubacki J, Bachofen C, Steinmann E, Cavalleri JMV.Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) research is in its infancy. Information regarding prevalence, geographical distribution, genetic diversity, pathogenesis and risk factors enhances understanding of this potentially fatal infection. Objective: Determining the prevalence of EqPV-H in Austrian equids. Investigating factors increasing probability of infection, liver-associated biochemistry parameters, concurrent equine hepacivirus (EqHV) infection and phylogenetic analysis of Austrian EqPV-H variants. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Sera from 259 horses and 13 donkeys in Austria were a...
Yu F, Liu B, Chen S, Yi Z, Liu X, Zhu Y, Li J.A 5-year-old Mongolian mare (Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758) was observed to have corneal opacity and excessive ocular discharge. An ophthalmic examination revealed a moving thread-like cylindrical worm in the anterior chamber of the right eye. The parasite was successfully removed surgically. The worm was observed under light microscopy and confirmed as Setaria digitata by 12S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated similarity with Setaria digitata in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank database isolated from other Asian countries...
Hooper-McGrevy KE, Wilkie BN, Prescott JF.Rhodococcus equi causes severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in foals and in immunocompromised humans. Replication of virulent isolates within macrophages correlates with the presence of a large plasmid which encodes a family of seven virulence-associated proteins (VapA and VapC to VapH), whose functions are unknown. Although cell-mediated immunity is thought to be crucial in eliminating R. equi infection, antibody partially protects foals. The antibody response to both VapA and VapC was similar in six adult horses and six naturally exposed but healthy foals, as well as in eight foals with R. equ...
Rafati N, Andersson LS, Mikko S, Feng C, Raudsepp T, Pettersson J, Janecka J, Wattle O, Ameur A, Thyreen G, Eberth J, Huddleston J, Malig M, Bailey E....Skeletal atavism in Shetland ponies is a heritable disorder characterized by abnormal growth of the ulna and fibula that extend the carpal and tarsal joints, respectively. This causes abnormal skeletal structure and impaired movements, and affected foals are usually killed. In order to identify the causal mutation we subjected six confirmed Swedish cases and a DNA pool consisting of 21 control individuals to whole genome resequencing. We screened for polymorphisms where the cases and the control pool were fixed for opposite alleles and observed this signature for only 25 SNPs, most of which we...
Sponseller BT, Valberg SJ, Schultz NE, Bedford H, Wong DM, Kersh K, Shelton GD.Seasonal pasture myopathy (SPM) is a highly fatal form of nonexertional rhabdomyolysis that occurs in pastured horses in the United States during autumn or spring. In Europe, a similar condition, atypical myopathy (AM), is common. Recently, a defect of lipid metabolism, multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD), has been identified in horses with AM. Objective: To determine if SPM in the United States is caused by MADD. Methods: Six horses diagnosed with SPM based on history, clinical signs, and serum creatine kinase activity, or postmortem findings. Methods: Retrospective descriptive ...
Diallo AA, Souley MM, Issa Ibrahim A, Alassane A, Issa R, Gagara H, Yaou B, Issiakou A, Diop M, Ba Diouf RO, Lo FT, Lo MM, Bakhoum T, Sylla M....Since November 2018, several countries in West and Central Africa have reported mortalities in donkeys and horses. Specifically, more than 66,000 horses and donkeys have succumbed to disease in Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal. Strangles caused by Streptococcus equi subsp equi, African Horse Sickness (AHS) virus, and Equine influenza virus (EIV) were all suspected as potential causative agents. This study reports the identification of EIV in field samples collected in Niger and Senegal. Phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin and neuraminida...
Teymournejad O, Lin M, Bekebrede H, Kamr A, Toribio RE, Arroyo LG, Baird JD, Rikihisa Y.Potomac horse fever (PHF), a severe and frequently fatal febrile diarrheal disease, has been known to be caused only by , an endosymbiont of digenean trematodes. Here, we report the cell culture isolation of a new species found in two locations in eastern Ontario, Canada, in 2016 and 2017 (in addition to 10 variable strains of ) from PCR-negative horses with clinical signs of PHF. Gene sequences of 16S rRNA and the major surface antigen P51 of this new species were distinct from those of all previously characterized strains and species, except for those from an uncharacterized species cu...
Corbin LJ, Kranis A, Blott SC, Swinburne JE, Vaudin M, Bishop SC, Woolliams JA.Despite the dramatic reduction in the cost of high-density genotyping that has occurred over the last decade, it remains one of the limiting factors for obtaining the large datasets required for genomic studies of disease in the horse. In this study, we investigated the potential for low-density genotyping and subsequent imputation to address this problem. Results: Using the haplotype phasing and imputation program, BEAGLE, it is possible to impute genotypes from low- to high-density (50K) in the Thoroughbred horse with reasonable to high accuracy. Analysis of the sources of variation in imput...
Fenger CK, Granstrom DE, Gajadhar AA, Williams NM, McCrillis SA, Stamper S, Langemeier JL, Dubey JP.Sarcocystis sp. sporocysts isolated from eight feral opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were pooled and fed to 18 commercially reared budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), 14 wild-caught sparrows (Passer domesticus), one wild-caught slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis) and five weanling horses (Equus caballus). All budgerigars died within 5 weeks post inoculation (wpi). Histologic examination revealed meronts within the pulmonary epithelia and typical Sarcocystis falcatula sarcocysts developing in the leg muscles. Sparrows were euthanized 13 and 17 wpi and their carcasses were fed to four labora...
Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Unterer S, Whitehead AE, Prescott JF.The role of type A in canine acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome and foal necrotizing enteritis is poorly characterized. However, a highly significant association between the presence of novel toxigenic and these specific enteric diseases has been described. These novel toxigenic strains produce 3 novel putative toxins, which have been designated NetE, NetF, and NetG. Although not conclusively demonstrated, current evidence suggests that NetF is likely the major virulence factor in strains responsible for canine acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome and foal necrotizing enteritis. NetF is a be...
Leegwater PA, Vos-Loohuis M, Ducro BJ, Boegheim IJ, van Steenbeek FG, Nijman IJ, Monroe GR, Bastiaansen JW, Dibbits BW, van de Goor LH, Hellinga I....Inbreeding and population bottlenecks in the ancestry of Friesian horses has led to health issues such as dwarfism. The limbs of dwarfs are short and the ribs are protruding inwards at the costochondral junction, while the head and back appear normal. A striking feature of the condition is the flexor tendon laxity that leads to hyperextension of the fetlock joints. The growth plates of dwarfs display disorganized and thickened chondrocyte columns. The aim of this study was to identify the gene defect that causes the recessively inherited trait in Friesian horses to understand the disease proce...
Theoret CL.The equine practitioner who is presented with a wounded horse should fully understand the physiologic mechanisms involved in repair so as to design an appropriate treatment plan. In the following articles of this issue,experienced authors share their thoughts on the management of specific injuries, and the reader should benefit from acquisition of knowledge about the different phases of healing as well as the cytokines that regulate them,because these data dictate the approach to follow, particularly in com-plicated wounds, such as those afflicted by chronic inflammation and/or an excessive pr...
Johnson AL, McAdams SC, Whitlock RH.The objective of the current retrospective study was to describe naturally occurring type A botulism in horses in the United States. In the past 10 years, the Botulism Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine has identified 3 isolated cases and 8 outbreaks of type A botulism in horses via samples positive for Clostridium botulinum type A toxin or spores using the mouse bioassay test. Additional information was obtained by review of submission forms and by telephone or email interviews. Almost all type A cases and outbreaks occurred in the western United Stat...
Timoney JF, Kumar P.Little is known about entry and subsequent multiplication of Streptococcus equi following exposure of a susceptible horse. This information would have value in design of intranasal vaccines and understanding of shedding and protective immune responses. Objective: To determine entry points and sites of subsequent replication and dispersion of S. equi at different times after intranasal infection or commingling exposure. Methods: Previously unexposed horses and ponies were subjected to euthanasia 1, 3, 20 or 48 h following intranasal inoculation with biotin labelled or unlabelled S. equi CF32. S...
Chénier S, Côté G, Vanderstock J, Macieira S, Laperle A, Hélie P.Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) was diagnosed in 19 horses and a flock of emus in the province of Quebec in fall 2008. The EEE virus caused unusual gross lesions in the central nervous system of one horse. This disease is not usually present in Quebec and the relation between the outbreak and favorable environmental conditions that summer are discussed. Une éclosion d’encéphalomyélite équine de l’Est (ÉÉE) s’est produite chez 19 chevaux et dans un troupeau d’émeus au Québec à l’automne de 2008. Un cheval présentait une lésion macroscopique anormale dans le système...
Daly K, Shirazi-Beechey SP.Nine oligonucleotide probes complementary to conserved regions of small subunit rRNA from phylogenetically defined clusters of intestinal anaerobic bacteria were designed and evaluated for use in quantitative analysis of intestinal microflora. Optimum wash temperatures (T(w)) were determined according to the temperature of dissociation (T(d)) of each probe and target group specificity was demonstrated by comparing hybridisation to target and non-target rRNA immobilised on nylon membranes. Three probes are targeted to phylogenetic clusters of Clostridiaceae, clusters III, IV and IX, with three ...
Wagner B.Since the initial characterization of IgE by Ishizaka et al. (1966), IgE was described in several mammalian species. In horses, a single gene encoding the IgE heavy chain constant region (IGHE gene) exists per haploid genome and several allelic variants of the equine IGHE gene were found. IgE occurs in its soluble form in equine serum and physiological concentrations of total IgE are around 1000-fold higher in normal horse than in normal human serum. Maternal IgE is enriched in the colostrum and transferred to the neonatal foal after birth. Foals do not produce detectable concentrations of end...
Nielsen MK, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Kuzmina TA, van Doorn DCK, Meana A, Rehbein S, Elliott T, Reinemeyer CR.This guideline have been developed to assist in the design, execution, and interpretation of studies to assess the efficacy of anthelmintic drugs against internal parasites of equines, including nematodes, cestodes, and larval instars of Gasterophilus spp. The design and execution of critical and controlled studies are outlined, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Unique considerations for specific target parasites are included. Information is also provided on selection of animals, procedures for randomization, housing, feeding, dosage titration, dosage confirmation and field...
Crans WJ, McNelly J, Schulze TL, Main A.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...
Barba M, Fairbanks EL, Daly JM.Members of several different virus families cause equine viral encephalitis, the majority of which are arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) with zoonotic potential. The clinical signs caused are rarely pathognomonic; therefore, a clinical diagnosis is usually presumptive according to the geographical region. However, recent decades have seen expansion of the geographical range and emergence in new regions of numerous viral diseases. In this context, this review presents an overview of the prevalence and distribution of the main viral causes of equine encephalitis and discusses their impact an...
Alloway E, Linder K, May S, Rose T, DeLay J, Bender S, Tucker A, Luff J.Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common neoplasm of the equine stomach. However, the mechanisms underlying malignant transformation are unknown. As papillomavirus-2 (EcPV-2) is a likely cause of some genital SCCs, we hypothesized that EcPV-2 is associated with a subset of equine gastric SCCs. To this aim, we performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) for EcPV-2 E6/ E7 oncogenes on 11 gastric SCCs and on gastric samples from 15 control horses with no SCC. PCR for EcPV-2 was positive in 7/11 (64%) gastric SCCs; non-SCC gastric samples were all negative. I...
Dyson S, Murray R, Schramme M, Branch M.Foot pain is a common cause of equine lameness and there have been significant limitations of the methods available for the diagnosis of the causes of foot pain (radiography, nuclear scintigraphy and ultrasonography). Until recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the horse has been limited to examination of cadaver limbs. Objective: Our purpose was to 1) describe MRI of the foot in live horses, 2) describe MRI findings in horses with foot pain in which a definitive diagnosis could not be established by alternative means and 3) correlate MRI findings with other methods of clinical investi...
Kelmer G, Keegan KG, Kramer J, Wilson DA, Pai FP, Singh P.To characterize compensatory movements of the head and pelvis that resemble lameness in horses. Methods: 17 adult horses. Methods: Kinematic evaluations were performed while horses trotted on a treadmill before and after shoe-induced lameness. Lameness was quantified and the affected limb determined by algorithms that measured asymmetry in vertical movement of the head and pelvis. Induced primary lameness and compensatory movements resembling lameness were assessed by the Friedman test. Association between induced lameness and compensatory movements was examined by regression analysis. Results...
Thomas E, Thomas V, Wilhelm C.Cefquinome is known for its use as an antibacterial drug in cattle and pigs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of cefquinome against equine pathogenic bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cefquinome was determined for a total of 205 strains, which had recently been isolated in Europe from diseased horses (respiratory infection, foal septicaemia). The bactericidal activity was tested against 19 strains using the time killing method. The post-antibiotic effect (PAE) and post-antibiotic sub-MIC effect (PA SME) were determined against 12 stra...
Broux B, De Clercq D, Decloedt A, Ven S, Vera L, van Steenkiste G, Mitchell K, Schwarzwald C, van Loon G.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common pathological arrhythmia in horses. After successful treatment, recurrence is common. Heart rate monitors are easily applicable in horses and some devices offer basic heart rate variability (HRV) calculations. If HRV can be used to distinguish between AF and sinus rhythm (SR), this could become a monitoring tool for horses at risk for recurrence of AF. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess whether in horses AF (before cardioversion) and SR (after cardioversion) can be differentiated based upon HRV parameters. Methods: Cohort study with in...
Herd RP.Seasonal rises in mean faecal egg output were observed in grazing ponies in spring (578 eggs per gram) and in summer (930 epg) on 30 April and 2 September, respectively, in untreated ponies. Pasture infectivity reached a peak of 18,486 third stage larvae (L3)/kg on 17 September, two weeks after peak egg counts, coincidental with abundant September rainfall (103.0 mm). Differentiation of infective larvae from pasture showed the cyathostomes (small strongyles) to be predominant, but Trichostrongylus axei assumed major importance from late August to October. The large strongyles were rarely detec...
Ambrisko TD, Schramel JP, Adler A, Kutasi O, Makra Z, Moens YP.The aim was to evaluate the feasibility of using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) in horses. Thoracic EIT was used in nine horses. Thoracic and abdominal circumference changes were also measured with respiratory ultrasound plethysmography (RUP). Data were recorded during baseline, rebreathing of CO2 and sedation. Three breaths were selected for analysis from each recording. During baseline breathing, horses regularly took single large breaths (sighs), which were also analysed. Functional EIT images were created using standard deviations (SD) of pixel signals and correlation coefficients (...
Balasuriya UB, Crossley BM, Timoney PJ.Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is one of the most economically important equine viral pathogens. Its clinical manifestations in horses vary from acute upper respiratory tract disease, abortion, or neonatal death, to neurological disease termed equine herpesviral myeloencephalopathy, which may lead to paralysis and a fatal outcome. Successful identification of EHV-1 infection in horses depends on a variety of factors such as suitable case selection with emphasis on timing of sample collection, selection of appropriate sample(s) based on the clinical manifestations, application of relevant diagnost...
Hinchcliff KW, Morley PS, Jackson MA, Brown JA, Dredge AF, O'Callaghan PA, McCaffrey JP, Slocombe RF, Clarke AF.Risk factors for occult exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) are poorly defined or quantified. Objective: To investigate the importance of putative risk factors for EIPH amongst Thoroughbred racehorses in Australia. Methods: Tracheobronchoscopy was used to determine EIPH status of 744 Thoroughbred racehorses after flat racing in Melbourne, Australia. Horses were identified for study before racing, and over 50% of horses racing during the study period were examined. Statistical analysis included use of bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to account for simultaneous ...
Cook SJ, Cook RF, Montelaro RC, Issel CJ.Most in vivo studies with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) have been performed in horses and ponies (Equus caballus) with little published information available detailing the clinical responses of donkeys (Equus asinus) to infection with this virus. Consequently, donkeys were inoculated with two strains of EIAV (EIAV(PV) and EIAV(WY)) which have been documented to produce disease in E. caballus. Four ponies, 561, 562, 564 and 567 and two donkeys, 3 and 5 were infected with EIAV(PV) and one horse (94-10) and one donkey (4) were infected with EIAV(WY). Although the horse and ponies all expe...
Parbhakar OP, Duke T, Townsend HG, Singh B.Horses are unique in their extreme sensitivity to endotoxin-induced cardio-pulmonary shock and mortality. The mechanisms behind increased sensitivity of the horse to endotoxin remain unknown. Pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs) are pro-inflammatory cells occurring in horses. Because the functions of equine PIMs in endotoxemia remain unknown, we studied the role played by equine PIMs in endotoxin-induced pulmonary pathophysiology. We achieved this by using a recently developed protocol to deplete PIMs in order to compare lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pulmonary responses in horses with...
Ogłuszka M, Starzyński RR, Pierzchała M, Otrocka-Domagała I, Raś A.Equine sarcoid is the most common skin tumor of horses. Clinically, it occurs as a locally invasive, fibroblastic, wart-like lesion of equine skin, which has 6 clinical classes: occult, verrucose, nodular, fibroblastic, mixed, and malignant. Sarcoids may be single but multiple lesions are more frequent. The typical histological feature is increased density of dermal fibroblasts which form interlacing bundles and whorls within the dermis. Lesions are mostly persistent, resist therapy, and tend to recur following treatment. In general, sarcoids are not fatal but their location, size, and progres...
