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.
Wilks CR, Studdert MJ.The immunological and virological status of 3 foals in respect of equine herpesviruses (EHV) was established and the foals were sequentially infected with EHV2, EHV3 and EHV1. Following experimental infection with EHV2, no clinical signs of disease were observed in any foal. The inoculation of EHV3 into the genital tract resulted in lesions of the mucous membrane and perineal skin that were considered typical of equine coital exanthema. Following intransal inoculation of EHV3 extensive ulceration and pustule formation on the nasal mucosa was observed by day 5 accompanied at day 7 by a profuse,...
Wilks CR, Coggins L.Twenty-two ponies were examined for serum-neutralizing (SN) antibody to equine herpesvirus type 1 and for in vitro lymphocyte transformation in the presence of viral antigen. Six ponies had undetectable levels of neutralizing antibody (titer less than 1:2) and had lymphocytes which did not respond in culture with viral antigen (stimulation index less than 2.0). Four ponies which had SN antibody to equine herpesvirus type 1 did not manifest lymphocyte transformation in vitro. The 12 remaining seropositive ponies had lymphocyte transformation with viral antigen in vitro (stimulation indexes from...
Palmer AC, Rossdale PD.A neuropathological investigation was carried out on the brains of 18 foals suffering from the neonatal maladjustment syndrome and results were compared with those obtained from the brains of nine foals dying from other causes. Necrosis of the cerebral cortex of an ischaemic nature was found in nine of the neonatal maladjustment foals, frequently accompanied by local haemorrhage. In three of this group of foals there was also necrosis in the diencephalon and brain stem. In the brains of the nine other affected foals there was haemorrhage in the cerebrum and sometimes in the brain stem and cere...
Hatch C, McCaughey WJ, O'Brien JJ.During the months October-May inclusive 90-8% of horses slaughtered at an abattoir near Dublin and 66-9% of those at an abattoir near Belfast were infected with Gasterophilus intestinalis; 28-6% of horses at the former abattoir harboured G nasalis while none of the horses examined at the latter abattoir was found to be infected with this species.
Moore JN, Owen RR, Lumsden JH.Blood lactate levels were evaluated in 36 horses (43 cases) presented with colic. A correlation between increasing blood lactate levels and decreasing percentage survival has been shown. An appreciable anion gap was found in 7 of 10 cases analyzed in detail but in each case the entire gap could not be accounted for by lactate alone. Proposals are offered to account for the unmeasured anions. Blood lactate determination is suggested as a prognostic rather than a diagnostic aid for the equine practitioner and should be used to augment other clinical findings in the horse exhibiting colic.
Bolton JR, Merritt AM, Cimprich RE, Ramberg CF, Streett W.The D-xylose absorption test was applied to clinically normal horses and to horses with signs of gastrointestinal disease. A dosage of 0.5 grams of xylose per kilogram of bodyweight was useful in detecting horses that absorbed the pentose abnormally. The clinical findings were correlated with gross and microscopic findings by biopsy and at necropsy. Gastrointestinal lesions associated with abnormal xylose absorption were classified as: 1) villous atrophy; 2) edema of the lamina propria or 3) necrosis of the lamina propria.
Kramer JW, Nickels FA, Bell T.Examination of effusions from body cavities must include a search for neoplastic as well as inflammatory cells. Neoplastic cells found in the thorax are generally derived from adenocarcinomas or mesotheliomas. Mesotheliomas are relatively uncommon and the neoplastic cells found in effusions are difficult to differentiate from activated cells in inflammatory effusions. An ante-mortem diagnosis of mesothelioma was made in a mare on the basis of the large volume of fluid produced, the pleomorphic mesothelial cells, the polyp formation and the absence of PAS staining material after digestion of th...
Groman EV, Schultz RM, Engel LL, Orr JC.In the reduction of 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androstan-3-one to the 3beta-alcohol, horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase utilizes the 4-pro-R hydrogen of NADH whereas the 3(17)beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas testosteroni utulized the 4-pro-S hydrogen. These observations provide an exception to the rule proposed by Alworth and Bentley that with regard to the paired methylene hydrogens at C-4 of NADH and NADPH "the stereospecificity of a particular reaction is fixed and does not vary with the source of the enzyme preparation". It is also apparent that for these two enzymes, the selecti...
Wilkinson JS.The normal plasma osmotic pressure was established in 205 Thoroughbred horses. Samples taken from horses suffering from a variety of diseases showed that measurement of this parameter might prove a valuable non specific test for assessing the severity of some diseases in which there are alterations in metabolism.
Ricketts SW, Peace CK.The report describes a case of abdominal neoplasia in a mare diagnosed ante-mortem by the technique of paracentesis abdominis. Histopathological findings suggest that the lesion was a mesothelioma, primarily involving the greater omentum.
Thomson GR, Mumford JA, Campbell J, Griffiths L, Clapham P.An investigation was made of 3 serological tests (virus neutralization, complement fixation and indirect immunofluorescence), which are applicable to epidemiological studies of infections by Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1). Sera from gnotobiotic foals inoculated intranasally with various strains of EHV-1 were unable in some cases to neutralize heterologous strains and these results were not consistent with the existence of clearly-defined subtypes of EHV-1, as previously proposed. The cross-reactions in complement-fixation tests paralleled those with neutralization but immunofluorescence tests wer...
Morse EV, Duncan MA, Page EA, Fessler JF.Salmonellosis in Equidae is a serious global problem. The prevalence may range from 0.36% to 27%. Probably 5% to 10% of the equine population in the U.S. is or has been infected. Over 40 serotypes of Salmonella have been cultured from Equidae. S. typhimurium (66.31%), S. enteritidis (9.6%), S. newport (5.16%) and S. heidelberg (4.89%) have been the most common equine isolates. The clinical and bacteriological studies of 23 naturally occurring infections in a large veterinary hospital were studied. Nine patients were infected with S. typhimurium, 8 with S. anatum, 1 with S. newport, 4 with dual...
Stirk SA.A 5 year old Thoroughbred stallion with diarrhoea of unknown aetiology was referred to Davis. Treatment was aimed at terminating diarrhoea and restoring normal fluid status. Laboratory aids were utilised to establish where inbalance and deficits were present. Antibiotics and corticosteroids were used as an adjunct to fluid therapy. The case history and rationale of treatment of fluid disorders resulting from diarrhoea are discussed.
Goto I, Kamada M, Inaba M, Maede Y.A protein A-hemolytic plaque assay was applied to detect immunoglobulin (Ig)-producing cells in horse peripheral blood, using pokeweed mitogen as a B lymphocyte activator. A maximum number of Ig-secreting cells was obtained when horse peripheral blood lymphocytes were cultured in a medium containing horse serum. The number of Ig-secreting cells in young horses (2 years old) was lower than that in adult horses (6 to 23 years old). In addition, the plaque formation was unchanged from blood samples kept at 4 degrees C for 24 hours, while blood samples kept for 72 hours did not yield plaques. Thes...
Saroglu M, Aktas M, Olgun D, Arun SS.A tumor-like tissue mass of lateral-limbal site in the right eye of a 12-year-old Cob Pony mare was presented for surgical removal. The mass, covering the lateral limbus, bulbar conjunctiva and part of the cornea, was surgically removed, and the corneal defect repaired with a pedicle bulbar conjunctival graft. The mass was inflammatory in nature containing mononuclear cells. No recurrence or complication occurred at 6- and 12-month follow-up examination.
Kawamura S, Hirayama K, Mitsuoka T.Two chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate systems were evaluated for the measurement of endotoxic activity in feces of normal horses. Fecal extracts had neither non-specific nor inhibitory effect on the test reaction, and the two systems with different specificity showed equivalent results. Endotoxic activities in feces of healthy horses averaged 5.7 +/- 2.8 microns/g wet weight. Correlation between the endotoxin levels and the fecal microbial flora could not be determined.
Johnstone AC.Congenital vascular tumours in the skin of the legs of two horses showed histological features at biopsy which were consistent with capillary haemangioma but, at necropsy, one tumour had invaded the superficial digital flexor tendon and was therefore classified as a haemangiosarcoma.
Molenda J.Using the indirect hemagglutination test, antibodies against Enterobacteriaceae common antigen (CA) were tested in the sera of 123 horses, 142 cows, 108 sheep, 142 mature pigs and 60 piglets (3-4 weeks of age). Anti CA antibody level and antibody titers for somatic antigens (phenol-water extracts) various serogroups of E. coli (0149, 0138, 0115, 078, 09) and S. typhimurium were compared. Ca antibodies in titer equal or higher than 1:15 were found to occur in 100% of the examined horses and cows, while in the sera of 92% sheep, 80% of mature pigs and 60% of piglets antibodies to the common Ente...