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.
Henderson B, Diaz M, Martins C, Kenney D, Baird JD, Arroyo LG.Medical records of 20 horses with a confirmed diagnosis of valvular endocarditis at the Ontario Veterinary College between January 1, 1993 and February 3, 2020 were reviewed. The diagnosis was based on physical examination findings, complete blood (cell) count (CBC), serum biochemistry, echocardiography, blood culture, and post-mortem findings. Common presenting signs included tachycardia, pyrexia, weight loss, lameness/joint distension, and a heart murmur. Clinicopathological findings included leukocytosis, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperglobulinemia, and elevated inflammatory markers. Culture...
Cassimeris L, Engiles JB, Galantino-Homer H.Supporting Limb Laminitis (SLL) is a painful and crippling secondary complication of orthopedic injuries and infections in horses, often resulting in euthanasia. SLL causes structural alterations and inflammation of the interdigitating layers of specialized epidermal and dermal tissues, the lamellae, which suspend the equine distal phalanx from the hoof capsule. Activation of the interleukin-17A (IL-17A)-dependent inflammatory pathway is an epidermal stress response that contributes to physiologic cutaneous wound healing as well as pathological skin conditions. As a first test of the hypothesi...
Sears K, Knowles D, Dinkel K, Mshelia PW, Onzere C, Silva M, Fry L.Control of , the primary cause of equine theileriosis, is largely reliant on acaracide use and chemosterilization with imidocarb dipropionate (ID). However, it is currently unknown if ID is effective against , the recently identified second causative agent of equine theileriosis, or if the drug maintains effectiveness against in the presence of co-infection. The purpose of this study was to address these questions using ID treatment of the following three groups of horses: (1) five infected horses; (2) three - infected horses; and (3) three - infected horses. Clearance was first evaluated u...
Gehlen H, Schwarz B, Bartmann C, Gernhardt J, Stöckle SD.Appropriate medical care for donkeys is challenging despite being important working animals in non-industrialized countries and pets in first world countries. Although the same principles of diagnosis and therapy as in horses are commonly applied, there are differences in reference values and physiologic reaction to dynamic tests. However, donkeys seem to suffer from typical equine diseases, such as metabolic syndrome and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Asinine metabolic syndrome (AMS) comprises obesity, insulin dysregulation, and laminitis. The principles of diagnosis are simila...
Brown KA, Davidson EJ, Johnson AL, Wulster KB, Ortved K.Standing cone beam computed tomography (CT) provides cross-sectional imaging of the caudal cervical articular process joints (CAPJs) in the sedated horse, though the clinical implications of osteoarthritis (OA) identified on CT in this location are unknown. Increases in concentrations of intra-synovial cytokines could lend support to the clinical significance of CAPJ OA identified on this imaging modality. Objective: Investigate the presence and concentration of intra-synovial inflammatory cytokines in CAPJs with and without standing cone beam CT evidence of OA using an equine specific multipl...
Lattimer J, Roberts H, Barnard M, Paterson A, Bell I, Hepple R, Holland S, George A.In early 2019, four stallions in the south of England tested positive for equine viral arteritis following routine prebreeding screening. Here, a team from Defra and the APHA describe the epidemiological investigation that was carried out to determine the origin of infection and the potential for its transmission across the country.
Wise JC, Wilkes EJA, Raidal SL, Xie G, Crosby DE, Hale JN, Hughes KJ.Grading of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is undertaken in clinical and research settings, but the reliability of EGUS grading systems is poorly understood. Objective: Investigate interobserver and intraobserver reliability of an established ordinal grading system and a novel visual analog scale (VAS), and assess the influence of observer experience. Methods: Sixty deidentified gastroscopy videos. Methods: Six observers (3 specialists and 3 residents) graded videos using the EGUS Council (EGUC) system and VAS. Observers graded the videos three 3 for each system, using a cross-over design...
Armando F, Godizzi F, Razzuoli E, Leonardi F, Angelone M, Corradi A, Meloni D, Ferrari L, Passeri B.Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most frequent tumors of skin and muco-cutaneous junctions in the horse. Equine papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) has been detected in equine SCC of the oral tract and genitals, and recently also in the larynx. As human squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (SCCL), it is strongly etiologically associated with high-risk papillomavirus (h-HPV) infection. This study focuses on tumor cells behavior in a naturally occurring tumor that can undergo the so-called epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). A SCCL in a horse was investigated by immunohistochemistr...
Swink JM, Rings LM, Snyder HA, McAuley RC, Burns TA, Dembek KA, Gilsenan WF, Browne N, Toribio RE.Information on steroids derived from the adrenal glands, gonads, or fetoplacental unit is minimal in newborn foals. Objective: To measure androgen concentrations in serum and determine their association with disease severity and outcome in hospitalized foals. Methods: Hospitalized (n = 145) and healthy (n = 80) foals. Methods: Prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study. Foals of ≤3 days of age from 3 hospitals and horse farms were classified as healthy and hospitalized (septic, sick nonseptic, neonatal maladjustment syndrome [NMS]) based on physical exam, medical history, and laborato...
Hughes K.An understanding of the anatomy, histology, and development of the equine mammary gland underpins study of the pathology of diseases including galactorrhoea, agalactia, mastitis, and mammary tumour development. This review examines the prenatal development of the equine mammary gland and the striking degree to which the tissue undergoes postnatal development associated with the reproductive cycle. The gland is characterised by epithelial structures arranged in terminal duct lobular units, similar to those of the human breast, supported by distinct zones of intra- and interlobular collagenous s...
Crausaz M, Launois T, Smith-Fleming K, McCoy AM, Knickelbein KE, Bellone RR.Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common cancer affecting the equine eye. A missense variant within the gene damage-specific DNA binding protein 2 (DDB2 c.1013C>T, p.Thr338Met) was previously identified as a causal recessive genetic risk factor for the development of ocular SCC within Haflingers, Belgian Draft horses, and Rocky Mountain Horses, but not in the Appaloosa or Arabian breeds. This study aimed to evaluate three cases of ocular SCC in additional breeds and determine if DNA testing for the DDB2 variant in warmblood horses and Connemara ponies is warranted. Histopathology confi...
Walshe N, Mulcahy G, Hodgkinson J, Peachey L.The importance of the gut microbiome for host health has been the subject of intense research over the last decade. In particular, there is overwhelming evidence for the influence of resident microbiota on gut mucosal and systemic immunity; with significant implications for the outcome of gastrointestinal (GI) infections, such as parasitic helminths. The horse is a species that relies heavily on its gut microbiota for GI and overall health, and disturbances in this complex ecosystem are often associated with life-threatening disease. In turn, nearly all horses harbour parasitic helminths from ...
Fielding CL, Mayer JR, Dechant JE, Epstein KL, Magdesian KG.Trauma from dog attacks has been associated with mortality rates as high as 23% in some species. However, the prognosis and clinical features of this type of injury have not been described in equids. Objective: To describe survival rate, signalment, clinical features, and biochemical results in equids presented for emergency care after presumed dog attacks. We hypothesized there would be differences between survivors and nonsurvivors. Methods: A total of 28 equids presented for presumed dog attacks from 3 referral centers. Methods: A retrospective study was performed using data from 3 hospital...
Hesselkilde EM, Isaksen JL, Petersen BV, Carstensen H, Jespersen T, Pehrson S, Kanters JK, Buhl R.In equine medicine, 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) rarely are used, which may in part be a result of shortcomings in the existing guidelines for obtaining 12-lead ECGs in horses. The guidelines recommend placing the limb leads on the extremities, which is inappropriate because the ventricular mean electrical axis is then perpendicular to the limb leads, leading to large variations in ECG configuration even among healthy horses. From an electrophysiological point of view, the leads instead should be parallel to the electrical axis to minimize variability. Objective: Develop an improved metho...
Cianci J, Boyle AG, Stefanovski D, Biddle AS.Anecdotal accounts correlate equine colic onset to changing weather conditions; however, atmospheric effects on colic have not been studied extensively. We hypothesized that changes in barometric pressure would increase the likelihood of a colic diagnosis compared with other noncolic sick events. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to look for associations between colic diagnosis and barometric pressure. The University of Pennsylvania Field Service electronic medical records were searched by identifiable examination type via billing procedure codes collecting 3,108 emergent and...
Benvegnen J, De Breuyn B, Gerber V, Rottenberg S, Koch C.The aim of the study was to assess the expression of the immune checkpoint inhibitor programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in equine sarcoids (ES). Programmed death-ligand 1 is expressed by various cancer cells to block T cell-mediated elimination of tumor cells. Antibodies targeting human PD-L1 were tested by immunohistochemistry for their cross-reactivity with equine PD-L1 using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Our results do not support an important role of PD-L1-mediated immune evasion in ES disease and hence do not offer a rationale for anti-PD-1/PD-L1-based immunotherapy against ES...
Mitchell KJ, Schwarzwald CC.Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis has been performed on ECG-derived data sets for more than 170 years but is currently undergoing a rapid evolution, thanks to the expansion of the human and veterinary medical technology sector. Traditional HRV analysis was initially performed to identify changes in vago-sympathetic balance, while the most recent focus has expanded to include the use of complex computer algorithms, neural networks and machine learning technology to identify cardiac arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation (AF). Some of these techniques have recently been translated for...
Christen G, Precht C, van der Kolk J, Fouché N, Gerber V.Endocrinopathic laminitis occurs as a consequence of hormonal derangements like pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). The objective of the present study was to assess the occurrence of radiographic changes associated with chronic laminitis in elderly, clinically sound horses. Fifty-one horses were included in the study. Horses were assigned to different age groups, in groups according to their BCS and CNS as well as to groups with different ACTH concentrations in order to assess their risk of chronic laminitis (reported as odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI)). Horses assigne...
Farchati H, Merlin A, Saussac M, Dornier X, Dhollande M, Garon D, Tapprest J, Sala C.Accurate demographic knowledge of the equine population is needed to assess and model equine health events. France is one of the few European countries with an operational centralized database (SIRE) recording individual data on all declared equines living in France and on their owners and keepers. Our study aimed to assess SIRE database quality concerning the updating of information by equine owners and keepers with a view to its improvement and use in surveillance and research. Two online surveys were conducted with the participation of 6244 registered keepers and 13,869 owners. Results show...
Easton-Jones CA, Estell KE, Magdesian KG.Information concerning clinical presentation, conditions associated with immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA) and thrombocytopenia (IMTP) and outcome in equids is lacking. Previous case reports suggest that immune-mediated disease and neoplasia are associated. Objective: Characterise the clinical presentation, clinicopathologic data, underlying conditions, treatment and outcome of IMHA and IMTP cases in equids. We hypothesise that IMHA with concurrent thrombocytopenia occurs more often than IMHA or IMTP alone, and that neoplasia is commonly associated with these immune diseases and cases ...
Zilch TJ, Lee JJ, Bressan GC, McDonough SP, Mohammed HO, Divers TJ, Chang YF.The current gold standard diagnostic test for leptospirosis is the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), which has many drawbacks; therefore, the development of a better and easier serological test for leptospirosis is needed. Objective: To apply reverse vaccinology (RV) and antigenic selection on the assortment of leptospiral targets and evaluate their potential for use as reagents for the diagnosis of equine leptospirosis. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The antigenic selection parameters were: proteins with antigenicity score ≥0.5 (VaxiJen), at least one B cell epitope and size b...
Silva MG, Bastos RG, Stone Doggett J, Riscoe MK, Pou S, Winter R, Dodean RA, Nilsen A, Suarez CE.The most common apicomplexan parasites causing bovine babesiosis are Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, while B. caballi and Theileria equi are responsible for equine piroplasmosis. Treatment and control of these diseases are usually achieved using potentially toxic chemotherapeutics, such as imidocarb diproprionate, but drug-resistant parasites are emerging, and alternative effective and safer drugs are needed. The endochin-like quinolones (ELQ)-300 and ELQ-316 have been proven to be safe and efficacious against related apicomplexans, such as Plasmodium spp., with ELQ-316 also being effective aga...
Kang H, Zsoldos RR, Woldeyohannes SM, Gaughan JB, Sole Guitart A.Accurately measuring body temperature in horses will improve the management of horses suffering from or being at risk of developing postrace exertional heat illness. PTSM has the potential for measuring body temperature accurately, safely, rapidly, and noninvasively. This study was undertaken to investigate the relation between the core body temperature and PTSM temperatures prior to, during, and immediately after exercise. The microchips were implanted into the nuchal ligament, the right splenius, gluteal, and pectoral muscles, and these locations were then compared with the central venous te...
Akter R, Sansom FM, El-Hage CM, Gilkerson JR, Legione AR, Devlin JM. is primarily a pathogen of birds but can also cause disease in other species. Equine reproductive loss caused by has recently been identified in Australia where cases of human disease were also reported in individuals exposed to foetal membranes from an ill neonatal foal in New South Wales. The prevalence of in association with equine reproductive over time and in different regions of Australia is not known. This study was conducted to detect in equine abortion cases in Australia using archived samples spanning 25 years. We tested for in 600 equine abortion cases reported in Australia ...
Oertly M, Gerber V, Anhold H, Chan DS, Pusterla N.Transportation of sporthorses increases their susceptibility to infectious diseases. Before, caretakers relied on rectal temperature together with their clinical impression to detect travel-associated infections. This study's aim was to assess and compare serum amyloid A (SAA) to rectal temperature as an indicator of early inflammation in sporthorses after air transportation. One hundred and twenty-two Warmblood horses were followed during the Longines Global Champions Tour 2016 to three destinations where the horses flew to compete. Clinical health checks and SAA measurements were performed b...
Sears WJ, Qvarnstrom Y, Dahlstrom E, Snook K, Kaluna L, Baláž V, Feckova B, Šlapeta J, Modry D, Jarvi S, Nutman TB.Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Ac), or the rat lungworm, is a major cause of eosinophilic meningitis. Humans are infected by ingesting the 3rd stage larvae from primary hosts, snails, and slugs, or paratenic hosts. The currently used molecular test is a qPCR assay targeting the ITS1 rDNA region (ITS1) of Ac. In silico design of a more sensitive qPCR assay was performed based on tandem repeats predicted to be the most abundant by the RepeatExplorer algorithm. Genomic DNA (gDNA) of Ac were used to determine the analytical sensitivity and specificity of the best primer/probe combination. This assay...
Hisey EA, Hermans H, Lounsberry ZT, Avila F, Grahn RA, Knickelbein KE, Duward-Akhurst SA, McCue ME, Kalbfleisch TS, Lassaline ME, Back W, Bellone RR.Distichiasis, an ocular disorder in which aberrant cilia (eyelashes) grow from the opening of the Meibomian glands of the eyelid, has been reported in Friesian horses. These misplaced cilia can cause discomfort, chronic keratitis, and corneal ulceration, potentially impacting vision due to corneal fibrosis, or, if secondary infection occurs, may lead to loss of the eye. Friesian horses represent the vast majority of reported cases of equine distichiasis, and as the breed is known to be affected with inherited monogenic disorders, this condition was hypothesized to be a simply inherited Mendeli...
Samuelson DA, Andresen TL, Gwin RM.Conjunctival swab specimens were obtained from both eyes of 43 horses, 25 cows, 50 dogs, and 25 cats without keratitis or other ophthalmologic problems. Fungi were isolated from 95% of the horses, 100% of the cows, 22% of the dogs, and 40% of the cats. Aspergillus spp were isolated from 56% of the horses, 12% of the cows, 8% of the cats, and none of the dogs. Penicillium spp and Cladosporium spp were isolated ubiquitously. Collectively, 28 species from 209 isolants were identified.
Sykora S, Samek L, Schönthaler K, Palm F, Borzacchiello G, Aurich C, Brandt S.Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) are malignant tumours arising from keratinocytes. In horses, there is increasing evidence for Equus caballus papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV-2) being causally involved in SCC development. However, only little is known regarding intralesional transcription of the virus, and sparse information on the incidence of EcPV-2 infection in healthy equids is available so far. Using RT-PCR, total mRNA from 8 EcPV-2 DNA-positive and 1 EcPV-2 negative SCC/SCC precursor lesions was screened for the presence of EcPV-2 E6 and E1 transcripts. Using PCR, we tested 193 sample specimens...
Massanyi P, Stawarz R, Halo M, Formicki G, Lukac N, Cupka P, Schwarcz P, Kovacik A, Tusimova E, Kovacik J.Environmental pollution results in serious health hazards to animals and blood analysis serves as a good alternative for health status assessment. The target of this study was to analyze the concentration of selected metals in equine blood, to analyze the blood parameters and to find possible correlations. Blood samples were collected from the vena jugularis of healthy adult horses. The highest concentration of all elements was found in whole blood (Cu 3.84 ± 0.90 mg L(-1); Cd = 0.81 ± 0.90 mg L(-1); Zn 26.67 ± 14.12 mg L(-1); Pb 9.33 ± 5.76 mg L(-1)). Higher concentrations of copper, ...
Delgado MA, Monreal L, Armengou L, Ríos J, Segura D.Plasma D-dimer concentration is a useful marker to assess systemic coagulation and fibrinolytic activities in humans, dogs, and horses. Peritoneal fibrinolytic activity increases in horses with colic, especially in horses with endotoxin in the peritoneal fluid. Objective: Peritoneal D-dimer concentration can be used to assess peritoneal fibrinolytic activity in horses with severe gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and altered peritoneal fluid. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-one colic horses and 15 control horses. Methods: Prospective observational clinical study. Blood and peritoneal fluid were ...
Kaneene JB, Ross WA, Miller R.A prospective study was designed to document the frequencies of equine health problems in the state of Michigan, USA. A total of 2469 horses from a random sample of 138 equine operations were monitored in the study in two 12-month periods: 1992-1993 and 1993-1994. All the major breeds of horses in the state were proportionately represented in the sample. Using weighted annual incidence densities as measures of disease frequencies, the 10 most frequently observed groups of health problems were (from most to least frequent) leg lameness, dermatological problems, respiratory problems, hoof and fo...
Fowden AL, Forhead AJ, Ousey JC.In adapting to life ex utero, the foal encounters a number of physiological challenges. It has to assume the nutritional, respiratory and excretory functions of the placenta and activate full regulatory control over its own internal environment for the first time. To achieve this, there must be structural and functional changes to a wide range of tissues including several endocrine glands. In most species, including the horse, these maturational changes begin in late gestation and continue into the first few days of neonatal life. Consequently, during this perinatal period, there are major cha...
Whitwell KE, Greet TR.A flexible endoscope was used to obtain 223 tracheal washes from 191 horses in three clinical categories. Total cell counts, cytological and bacteriological examinations are reported and the features of the main cell types encountered described. The presence and degree of inflammatory airway disease was determined by a semiquantitative assessment of the neutrophil response and was an important consideration in the interpretation of the bacteriological results. Potential pathogens were isolated from approximately 30 per cent of samples. Cytological changes suggestive of lungworm infestation, vi...
Patton KM, McGuire TC, Hines MT, Mealey RH, Hines SA.Rhodococcus equi is an important cause of pneumonia in young horses; however, adult horses are immune due to their ability to mount protective recall responses. In this study, the hypothesis that R. equi-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are present in the lung of immune horses was tested. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)-derived pulmonary T lymphocytes stimulated with R. equi lysed infected alveolar macrophages and peripheral blood adherent cells (PBAC). As with CTL obtained from the blood, killing of R. equi-infected targets by pulmonary effectors was not restricted by equine lymphocyte all...
Diab SS, Rodriguez-Bertos A, Uzal FA.Clostridium difficile is commonly associated with diarrhea and colitis in humans and other mammals, including horses. To this date, the epidemiologic, microbiologic, clinical, and diagnostic aspects of C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD) in horses have been thoroughly described. However, reports describing the enteric pathology of this disease in horses are limited. This study presents a comprehensive description of the pathologic characteristics of CDAD in 21 horses and discusses the criteria for the diagnosis of the disease. Case selection was based on C. difficile A/B toxins detection (e...
Petroski RJ, Powell RG, Clay K.Stipa robusta (= Stipa vaseyi) is a perennial grass found in certain areas of the southwestern United States. It is commonly known as sleepygrass, as horses that ingest this grass may become profoundly somnolent or stuporous for periods of time lasting up to several days. In an attempt to determine the active principle(s), fractionation of a methanolic extract of sleepygrass infected with an Acremonium endophyte has yielded lysergic acid amide (20 micrograms/g dry wt), isolysergic amide (8), 8-hydroxylsergic acid amide (0.3), ergonovine (7), chanoclavine-I (15), and N-formylloline (18). Relate...
Arencibia A, Vázquez JM, Jaber R, Gil F, Ramírez JA, Rivero M, González N, Wisner ER.The purpose of this investigation was to define the magnetic resonance imaging anatomy of the rostral part of the equine head. 10 mm-thick, T1-weighted images of two isolated equine cadaver heads were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla magnet and a body coil. MR images were compared to corresponding frozen cross-sections of the cadaver head. Relevant anatomic structures were identified and labeled at each level. The resulting images provided excellent anatomic detail of the oral and nasal cavities, paranasal sinuses and associated structures. Annotated MR images from this study are intended as a refer...
Zhu H, Damdinjav B, Gonzalez G, Patrono LV, Ramirez-Mendoza H, Amat JAR, Crispell J, Parr YA, Hammond TA, Shiilegdamba E, Leung YHC, Peiris M....Virus ecology and evolution play a central role in disease emergence. However, their relative roles will vary depending on the viruses and ecosystems involved. We combined field studies, phylogenetics and experimental infections to document with unprecedented detail the stages that precede initial outbreaks during viral emergence in nature. Using serological surveys we showed that in the absence of large-scale outbreaks, horses in Mongolia are routinely exposed to and infected by avian influenza viruses (AIVs) circulating among wild birds. Some of those AIVs are genetically related to an avian...
Hébert L, Moumen B, Duquesne F, Breuil MF, Laugier C, Batto JM, Renault P, Petry S.Taylorella equigenitalis is the causative agent of contagious equine metritis (CEM), a sexually transmitted infection of horses. We herein report the genome sequence of T. equigenitalis strain MCE9, isolated in 2005 from the urethral fossa of a 4-year-old stallion in France.
Diez de Castro E, Lopez I, Cortes B, Pineda C, Garfia B, Aguilera-Tejero E.Equine pituitary pars intermedia function can be assessed by the measurement of baseline and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)-induced concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH); however, these measurements may be affected by the environment. Therefore, a prospective observational study evaluated the influence of feeding, time of the day, and season on baseline and TRH-induced concentrations of ACTH in healthy horses. Baseline ACTH was measured in 50 horses before and 2 h after feeding. Six research horses were subjected to a crossover study in which 6 TRH tests were performed in ...
Meana A, Luzon M, Corchero J, Gómez-Bautista M.Three coprological methods were tested to establish the reliability of in vivo diagnosis of Anoplocephala perfoliata. A total of 107 faecal samples were analyzed, and the presence of tapeworms were confirmed postmortem in 24 animals with burdens that ranged from 1 to 248 worms; most of them (71%) with less than 100 parasites. Best results were obtained with a combination of two sedimentation/flotation methods, detecting only half the parasitized animals (54% sensitivity). No relationship could be established between tapeworm burden and egg detection, but results indicate that coprological meth...
Vinardell T, Dejica V, Poole AR, Mort JS, Richard H, Laverty S.The mechanisms leading to degeneration of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA) are complex and not yet fully understood. Cathepsin K (CK) is a cysteine protease which can also cleave the triple helix of type II collagen. This exposes a neoepitope that can now be identified by specific antibodies. The aim of this study was to obtain evidence suggesting a role for CK in naturally occurring equine OA in both lesional and peri-lesional regions. Methods: Articular cartilages (n=12 horses; 5 healthy, 7 OA) were harvested from animals postmortem. A gross macroscopic examination, histologic (Saf...
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...
Foley JE, Spier SJ, Mihalyi J, Drazenovich N, Leutenegger CM.To characterize isolates of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis from horses, cattle, and sheep in Colorado, Kentucky, Utah, and California in samples collected during perceived epidemics of infection (increased numbers of cases identified) in 2002 and 2003, and determine how closely isolates were related and their possible source. Methods: 54 isolates of C pseudotuberculosis from 49 horses, 4 cattle, and 1 sheep. Methods: Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, PCR assay for the gene encoding the phospholipase D (PLD) toxin, biochemical analyses, and tests...
Santinelli I, Beccati F, Arcelli R, Pepe M.There are scant data on the incidence of different anatomical variants of the equine caudal cervical spine, despite interest in cervical pathology. Objective: To identify morphological radiographic variation in the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebra in horses of different breeds and to determine whether there are breed- and sex-related differences. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study. Methods: Radiographs of the cervical spine of 270 horses were assessed retrospectively. The Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test when appropriate, was used to test for associat...
Moore RM, Schneider RK, Kowalski J, Bramlage LR, Mecklenburg LM, Kohn CW.Bacterial culture and susceptibility results were analysed from 233 horses with septic arthritis/tenosynovitis or osteomyelitis that developed after fracture repair. Antibiotics were deemed highly effective, effective or ineffective if > or = 85%, 70-84.9% or < 70% of the isolates were susceptible respectively. In total, 424 bacterial types were isolated; 386 were aerobic or facultative and 38 were anaerobic. Enterobacteriaceae (28.8%) were the most common bacterial group isolated, followed by non-beta-haemolytic streptococci (13.0%), coagulase-positive staphylococci (11.8%), beta-haemol...
Broström H, Larsson A, Troedsson M.A survey of allergic dermatitis (sweet itch) in Sweden contained information on 441 Icelandic horses. Results of a questionnaire indicated that approximately 15 per cent of the country's Icelandic horses suffered from the disease. The prevalence of allergic dermatitis was significantly higher among horses imported from Iceland (26.2 per cent) compared to that of Swedish-born animals (6.7 per cent). In addition, horses born in Iceland were significantly more severely affected than horses born in Sweden. The risk of allergic dermatitis in Sweden appeared to be more than six times higher for hors...
Hesselkilde EM, Isaksen JL, Petersen BV, Carstensen H, Jespersen T, Pehrson S, Kanters JK, Buhl R.In equine medicine, 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) rarely are used, which may in part be a result of shortcomings in the existing guidelines for obtaining 12-lead ECGs in horses. The guidelines recommend placing the limb leads on the extremities, which is inappropriate because the ventricular mean electrical axis is then perpendicular to the limb leads, leading to large variations in ECG configuration even among healthy horses. From an electrophysiological point of view, the leads instead should be parallel to the electrical axis to minimize variability. Objective: Develop an improved metho...
Takai S, Kawazu S, Tsubaki S.An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to diagnose Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi infection in foals. In tests done with different antigen-extraction procedures (sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium deoxycholate, polyoxy-ethylene [9] p-tert-octylphenol, polyoxy-ethylene [9-10] p-tert-octylphenol, sonification, homogenization, and heat treatment at 121 C), Tween 20 was a satisfactory reactive antigen. Using hyperimmune rabbit sera or infected foal sera, we investigated the specificity and the sensitivity of the ELISA with the Tween 20 antigen of the different serotypes or of the is...
Gonçalves S, Julliand V, Leblond A.Many factors have been identified as risk factors for colic in horses in several epidemiological studies. The aim of our paper was to review the results of 12 epidemiological studies, in order to assess the impact of each risk factor for colic. According to the literature, the factors that increase the risk of colic are feeding practices (type and quality of food, type and changes of feeding), the intrinsic factors of horses (sex, age and breed), management (type and changes of housing and activity), medical history (a previous colic, administration of a medical treatment) and parasite control...
Shawaf T, El-Deeb WM, Elgioushy M.The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnostic efficiency of gastrin, pepsinogen, proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), and oxidative stress biomarkers in horses with equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Thirty horses diagnosed with gastroscopic EGUS and 15 clinically healthy horses were selected for this study. The serum levels of gastrin, pepsinogen showed nonsignificant changes in horses with EGUS when compared with healthy horses. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 revealed a significant increase in horses with EGUS when compared with healthy ones. Oxidative stress is evident in...
Smith MR, Wright IM.Until recently, the pathogenesis of noninfected tenosynovitis of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) has been considered obscure. With the advent of tenoscopy some inciting causes have been described, but to date few cases with a precise diagnosis have been reported. Objective: Tenoscopic surgery enables accurate diagnosis and facilitates treatment of noninfected tenosynovitis of the DFTS. Methods: The case records of all horses with noninfected tenosynovitis of the DFTS admitted to a referral clinic over a 7-year period were evaluated retrospectively. Follow-up information was obtained by...
Balasuriya UBR, Hedges JF, Nadler SA, McCollum WH, Timoney PJ, MacLachlan NJ.An imported carrier stallion (A) from Europe was implicated in causing an extensive outbreak of equine viral arteritis (EVA) on a Warmblood breeding farm in Pennsylvania, USA. Strains of equine arteritis virus (EAV) present in the semen of two carrier stallions (A and G) on the farm were compared to those in tissues of foals born during the outbreak, as well as viruses present in the semen of two other stallions that became persistently infected carriers of EAV following infection during the outbreak. The 2822 bp segment encompassing ORFs 2-7 (nt 9807-12628; which encode the G(S), GP3, GP4, G(...
Raphel CF, Soma LR.Thoroughbred horses (n = 191) were examined with a flexible fiberoptic endoscope within 2 hours of racing on a dirt track; 147 (75.4%) had evidence of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), and 13 (9.0%) had blood at the nostrils. Of 107 Thoroughbreds examined within the same period after breezing, 41 (38.3%) had evidence of EIPH. One horse (2.4%) of this group had blood at the nostrils. Statistical analysis of frequency data showed that a relationship existed between EIPH and the horse's age or distance raced or breezed. Relationship did not exist between EIPH and sex or finishing posi...
de Mestre AM, Miller D, Roberson MS, Liford J, Chizmar LC, McLaughlin KE, Antczak DF.The objective of this study was to identify transcription factors associated with differentiation of the chorionic girdle, the invasive form of equine trophoblast. The expression patterns of five transcription factors were determined on a panel of conceptus tissues from early horse pregnancy. Tissues from Days 15 through 46 were tested. Eomesodermin (EOMES), glial cells missing homologue 1 (GCM1), heart and neural crest derivatives expressed transcript 1 (HAND1), caudal type homeobox 2 (CDX2), and distal-less homeobox 3 (DLX3) were detected in horse trophoblast, but the expression patterns for...
Donahue JM, Williams NM.The clinical signs, laboratory findings, diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention and control of two emerging causes of placentitis and abortion in horses are described in this article. Leptospirosis has been reported as a significant cause of fetal loss in horses in Kentucky, Northern Ireland, and England. Most abortions result from infection by serovars kennewicki or bratislava. Nocardioform placentitis has become the most common cause of placentitis in central Kentucky horses. Nocardioform placentitis is associated with infection by unnamed, gram-positive, filamentous, branching b...
