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.
Garner A, Griffiths P.The purpose of this paper is to describe congenital defects, having no direct counterpart in
the literature, that affected both eyes of a new-born foal of pedigree racing stock, which
otherwise appeared to be entirely healthy as were both the sire and the dam.
Van den Oord AH, Wesdorp JJ, Van Dam AF, Verheij JA.In commercial samples of equine myoglobin and samples of equine and bovine myoglobin prepared in the laboratory, a small amount of the protein was present as an aggregate. The presence of the myoglobin aggregate could be demonstrated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 Superfine, which also provided a means of isolating it. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 showed the molecular weights of the equine and bovine moyglobin aggregates to be about 35000 and 34000 respectively, thus supporting the hypothesis that they are dimers. This was confirmed for the equine myoglobin by ultracentrifugation meas...
Steward SKT, Hassel DM, Martin H, Doddman C, Stewart A, Elzer EJ, Southwood LL.Duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ) is an idiopathic and potentially fatal disease of horses characterized by abdominal pain, proximal intestinal inflammation, and subsequent gastric and small intestinal fluid accumulation. Although this disease is known to be costly and life threatening in the equine industry, the severity of clinical signs can vary widely, and an exact etiology has yet to be elucidated. This study looked to identify differences in clinical parameters of horses with DPJ between geographic regions in an effort to corroborate anecdotal reports and support theories of differing ...
Sarkar P, McIntosh JM, Leavitt R, Gouthro H.Nimesulide is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug recently detected in equine blood and urine samples taken at the race track. The detection of the drug in a blood sample led to the identification of an unknown thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) spot in track urine samples as a metabolite of nimesulide. Characterization of the unknown TLC spot and comparison with the synthesized compound shows that the unknown TLC spot is a previously unreported equine metabolite of nimesulide. The metabolite was identified as resulting from the reduction of the nitro group on nimesulide to an amino group. Thi...
Musselman EE, LoGuidice RJ.A necropsy diagnosis of hypoplastic left ventricular syndrome was made in a day-old foal. The cardiac abnormalities included mitral and aortic valve atresia, patent ductus arteriosus, and a secundum atrial septal defect. The left ventricle was hypoplastic and nonfunctional. The brief survival of the foal was a consequence of left-to-right shunting through the atrial septal defect and right-to-left shunting through the patent ductus. The information is presented to demonstrate the existence of the syndrome as a congenital defect in the horse and to clarify the necropsy findings for the practiti...
Onishi JC, Park JW, Prado J, Eades SC, Mirza MH, Fugaro MN, Häggblom MM, Reinemeyer CR.Carbohydrate overload models of equine acute laminitis are used to study the development of lameness. It is hypothesized that a diet-induced shift in cecal bacterial communities contributes to the development of the pro-inflammatory state that progresses to laminar failure. It is proposed that vasoactive amines, protease activators and endotoxin, all bacterial derived bioactive metabolites, play a role in disease development. Questions regarding the oral bioavailability of many of the bacterial derived bioactive metabolites remain. This study evaluates the possibility that a carbohydrate-induc...
Parkinson TJ, Mogg TD, Dykgraaf S, Collett MG.An aged pony gelding presented with sudden onset of neck pain, depression and ataxia and weakness of the hindlegs, together with longer-term weight loss. Diagnostic procedures failed to isolate the cause of these signs and, despite symptomatic treatment, the animal's condition deteriorated until it required euthanasia. Unassigned: Post mortem examination revealed the presence of multiple splenic and hepatic haemangiosarcomata, with metastases to the lung and dorsal cervical muscles overlying C1 and C2 vertebrae. No lesions were present in the spinal cord, spinal column or brain. Conclusions: T...
Kydd J, Nielsen M, Waller A.Julia Kydd, Martin Nielsen and Andrew Waller highlight some of the key presentations given at last year's 11th International Equine Infectious Diseases Conference, which was held virtually.
Adams R, Nixon A, Hager D.Real-time ultrasound was used to identify a foreign-body abscess causing an extraluminal esophageal obstruction in the neck of a horse. Surgical exploration to remove the foreign body and drain the abscess was performed after 2 months of medical management that had failed to resolve the problem. The abscess could not be visualized because there was no draining tract or other localizing sign of inflammation. Ultrasound was used aseptically to guide surgical dissection to the walled off abscess with minimal damage to adjacent vital structures in the surgical field. The signs of esophageal obstru...
Roberts MC, Kelly WR.A four-year-old thoroughbred was presented with clinical manifestations of purpura haemorrhagica. Evidence of renal involvement consistent with glomerulopathy and nephrotic syndrome, characterised by heavy proteinuria and azotaemia, became apparent and may have been exacerbated by diuretic therapy. Autopsy revealed membrano- and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and chronic pleuritis. Circulating immune complexes may have been responsible for the renal diseases and the purpura.
Noschka E, Moore JN, Peroni JF, Lewis TH, Lewis SJ, Robertson TP.To provide insights into the role of prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (PGF(2 alpha)) in the developmental stages of laminitis induced in horses by ingestion of black walnut heartwood extract (BWHE). Methods: 10 adult mixed-breed horses. Methods: Horses were separated into 2 groups and were euthanatized at 12 hours after placebo (water) administration (control horses) or after BWHE administration and development of Obel grade 1 laminitis. Blood samples were obtained to determine plasma PGF(2 alpha) concentrations hourly for the first 4 hours and subsequently every 2 hours after substance administration...
Valdez H, Adams OR, Peyton LC.Of 124 horses determined to have navicular disease during a 5-year period, 6 had clinical and radiographic signs of the disease in both hindlimbs. These 6 were all castrated males, ranging in age from 3 to 12 years, and were used for work of similar nature: roping, cutting, and pleasure. Treatment consisted of posterior digital neurectomy and corrective shoeing in 2 cases, posterior digital neurectomy alone in 2 cases, and corrective shoeing alone in 2 cases. Following treatment, lameness subsided, and all 6 horses were returned to full use.
McD￮ LA, Dart AJ, Schiffman P, Parrot JJ.Enterolithiasis, as a cause of colic, was diagnosed and treated during surgical intervention in 2 Grant's zebras (Equus burchelli bohmi). The zebras were part of a wild herd in a zoo in the western United States. The clinical signs of enterolithiasis in both zebras were similar to those reported for horses. Analysis of the enterolith from 1 zebra revealed a composition identical to enteroliths that have been analyzed from horses. Three other zebras from this herd had enteroliths at necropsy. Enterolithiasis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for zebras with low-grade obstructive ...
Mayr B, Resch S, Hepperle S, Brem G, Reifinger M, Schaffner G.Tumour suppressor p53 is critical in a broad panel of tumour types in human, mouse and other mammals. Regions of the promoter and exon 1 play an important role in expression of p53. In the present study, the DNA sequences of promoter and exon 1 regions of four domestic animal species (dog, cat, horse and cattle) are determined and compared with experimental rodents (mouse, rat and hamster) and man. A broad panel of tumour types have been investigated for mutations in this regulatory area in 90 canine, 136 feline, 25 equine and 10 bovine patients. No mutation was detected in any of the tumours ...
Lammers TW, Roussel AJ, Boothe DM, Cohen ND.To evaluate the effect of an indwelling nasogastric tube on gastric emptying of liquids in horses. Methods: 9 healthy adult horses. Methods: A randomized block crossover design was used. For treatment group horses, a nasogastric tube was placed and 18 hours later, acetaminophen was administered; the nasogastric tube remained in place until the experiment was complete. For control group horses, a nasogastric tube was passed into t stomach, acetaminophen was administered, and the nasogastric tube was removed immediately. Serial blood samples were collected 15 minutes before and after administrat...
Maniego J, Pesko B, Habershon-Butcher J, Hincks P, Taylor P, Stewart G, Proudman C, Ryder E.Gene doping in horses is a threat to the fairness in sport and has serious implications for animal welfare. To investigate the effect of long-term storage on the detection of AAV in plasma and whole blood, samples from an administration study using an adeno-associated virus serotype 6 expressing green fluorescence protein (AAV6-GFP) were stored at -20°C for 8 months before analysis. The AAV vector was detected in stored plasma samples, following the same detection profile as the fresh plasma samples. The stored blood showed lower overall DNA detection but followed the same detection profile ...
Takizawa T, Ito T.Supposing two mathematical models, additive and multiplicative, the authors estimated the secular trends of annual morbidities (1949 approximately 1975) of twelve infectious diseases of domestic animals. For each diseases ten different trend curves were fitted. It was found that five regression equations, namely, those for bovine trichomoniasis, bovine tuberculosis, equine infectious anemia, pullorum disease in chickens, and foulbrood, gave the coefficient of determination of 97.9, 92.7, 91.0, 93.5, and 85.2%, respectively. Four of them were multiplicative, and the remaining one for equine inf...
Daicker B, Gywat L, Keller M, Spiess B, Brückner R.The authors describe peculiar tumors with brown-white piebald anterior surface, which had grown bilaterally from the corpora nigra (C.N.) of an adult horse and occluded the pupils. The surgical procedure for removing the larger tumor and the postoperative treatment are described. The findings by light and electron microscopy suggest that the tumor represent a so-called adenoma of the iris pigment epithelium. The white patches on its surface consist of newly formed Descemet-like material produced by displaced corneal endothelial cells, which have probably grown on the tumor after contact with t...
Gregg AS, Jones RS, Snowdon SL.A fault in the assembly of a Matrix Large Animal Circle anaesthetic machine resulted in reversal of fresh gas flow through the vaporizer. The fault was discovered only after the sudden development of excessive depth of anaesthesia in two equine patients. Laboratory investigations were conducted to determine the effect of flow reversal on vaporizer output. Results indicated that output concentration was approximately doubled under these conditions.
Fischer A, Lechner J, Kraft W, Hirschberger J.The QBC is a centrifugal haematology system. Modified haematocrit capillaries are measured optically. The parameters haematocrit, total leukocyte count, relative and absolute values of granulocyte and lympho-/monocyte fractions, and total thrombocyte count are stated. The microhaematocrit method, the counting chamber, and the differential blood count are reference methods. Blood samples of the dog, cat and horse were used for the study. As a screening method the QBC analysis meets all requirements for the veterinary practice.
Beinlich CP, Nixon AJ.In this study, the radiographic and histologic appearance of lateral palmar intercarpal ligament (LPICL) avulsion in the horse was characterized. Thirty-seven horses with radiographic evidence of avulsion fragments originating from the medial palmar aspect of the ulnar carpal bone were examined. The dorsolateral to palmaromedial projection was useful for evaluating the size and shape of the avulsed bone fragment, and the dorsopalmar projection added information on the relative proximity of the fragment to its fracture bed. Radiographic features that differentiated LPICL avulsion from subchondr...
Walsh DM.The author has completed 40 years as a veterinarian treating horses with laminitis. The article is a recollection of his experiences with laminitis and the various treatment methods he came across while trying to treat the disease.
Hay AN, Potter A, Lindsay D, LeRoith T, Zhu J, Cashwell S, Witonsky S, Leeth C.Sarcocystis neurona is the predominant etiological agent of the infectious equine neurologic disease, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), which is prevalent in the United States. A wealth of knowledge about S. neurona biology and its life cycle has accumulated over the last several decades. However, much remains unknown about the aberrant equine host's immune response to S. neurona and the relatively high prevalence of exposure to the protozoa but relatively infrequent occurrence of clinical neurologic disease. Mouse models simulating EPM are commonly used to study the disease due to num...
Ginther OJ, Pinaffi FL, Silva LA, Beg MA.Hourly blood samples were collected from 10 mares during 24 h of each of the preluteolytic, luteolytic, and postluteolytic periods. The autocorrelation function of the R program was used to detect pulse rhythmicity, and the intra-assay CV was used to locate and characterize pulses of prolactin (PRL) and a metabolite of prostaglandin F2α (PGFM). Rhythmicity of PRL and PGFM concentrations was detected in 67% and 89% of mares, respectively. Combined for the three periods (no difference among periods), the PRL pulses were 5.2±0.4 h (mean±SEM) at the base, 7.5±1.5 h between nadirs of adjacent p...
Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis(HYPP) is characterized by intermittent episodes of muscular tremor, weakness, and collapse, and is probably caused by abnormal electrolyte transport in the muscle cell membrane. During an episode of HYPP, most animals are severely hyperkalaemic. HYPP is a hereditary disease and occurs only in American Quarter horses or crossbreds. Because these horses are now being imported into the Netherlands, HYPP should be included in the differential diagnosis of horses showing signs of muscle tremor, paresis, or paralysis. The present article reviews the literature on HYP...
Terhaar HM, Henriksen ML, Mehaffy C, Hess A, McMullen RJ.The objective of this study was to use shotgun label-free tandem mass spectrometry (LF-MS/MS) to evaluate aqueous humor (AH) from horses with uveitis (UH) compared to ophthalmologically healthy horses (HH). Methods: Twelve horses diagnosed with uveitis based on ophthalmic examination and six ophthalmologically healthy horses (postmortem) purchased for teaching purposes. Methods: All horses received a complete ophthalmic examination and physical exam. Aqueous paracentesis was performed on all horses and AH total protein concentrations were measured with nanodrop (TPn) and refractometry (TPr). A...
Waelchli RO, Lutz H, Hermann M, Rüegg C, Eggenberger E.Hematologic reference values were established in 18 healthy foals in the first two months of life. Blood samples were collected prior to colostrum consumption and at 30 hours, 1 week, 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks of age. PCV, Hb and RBC decreased during the first week and RBC, but not PCV and Hb, increased toward the end of the second month. With the exception of the sample at 1 week, the foals had mean RBC values significantly higher than those of controls. Mean MCV and MCH did not change during the first week, but decreased slightly thereafter; all means were smaller than in controls. The numbers of ...
Molini U, Franzo G, Rautenbach I, Otto HV, Khaiseb S, Di Gennaro A, Ntahonshikira C, Baines I, Monaco F, Savini G, D'Alterio N.West Nile virus (WNV) is a vector-borne virus maintained in nature by a bird-mosquito cycle. However, it can occasionally and accidentally infect horses and human beings, leading to sometimes severe or even fatal outcomes in these species. Therefore, the monitoring of its circulation and disease occurrence is of relevance. Unfortunately, it is underdiagnosed or not diagnosed in several African counties, including Namibia, where no data is currently available for horses. In this study, 98 horses in three different stables in the Windhoek city area were investigated. They were found to have a se...
Williamson CC, Herr S.The distribution of positive dourine cases found on the complement fixation test at the Veterinary Research Institute, Onderstepoort from 1981 to 1984, is recorded. Within the Republic of South Africa, foci of infection occurred in the Johannesburg, Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Upington, Lichtenburg, Kroonstad, Louis Trichardt, Middelburg (Cape) and Mossel Bay state veterinary districts. In Bophuthatswana, Transkei, Lesotho, South West Africa and Swaziland, positive cases were also recorded. Anti-complementary activity of horse sera does not present a problem. In donkey and mule sera, ...
Poulos PW.Adequate radiographic evaluation of the horse relevant to purchase examination requires the successful integration of technique, interpretation, and reporting. A thorough knowledge of lameness and disease can be masked by incorrect interpretation resulting from poor-quality films or an incomplete examination. Thus, care must be taken to produce an adequate number of high-quality films on which to base a report, which allows you to describe changes that are present. This information, coupled with your physical examination, other laboratory data, and the knowledge of the expressed use of the hor...
Morse EV, Duncan MA, Fessler JF, Page EH.Among 23 Equidae in which various treatment or management regimens for salmonellosis were observed and evaluated, 9 horses were infected with Salmonella typhimurium and 8 with S anatum; an aged mule harbored S newport, and 1 isolant was not identified. Four dual sero-type infections occurred: 3 typhimurium/anatum and 1 anatum/newington. The results obtained with various antimicrobials in therapy of peracute, acute, and chronic infections were discouraging or questionable with regard to efficacy against salmonellae per se. The antimicrobial resistance patterns of the salmonellae and coliforms f...
Sanderson GN, O'Callaghan MW.This article describes the gross radiographic anatomy of the equine thorax observed on the lateral radiographic projection. The descriptions presented were derived from a retrospective study of a large number of thoracic radiographs of cases referred to the Massey University clinic in conjunction with research studies in bronchography, angiography and in vitro contrast techniques. The characteristics of the thoracic bony structures, the vasculature, and the airways are examined separately; followed by a discussion of the relative contribution of the various structures to the overall thoracic r...
