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.
Holmes JR, Alps BJ.The paper describes observations on the distributions of the P, QRS and T cardiac vectors in the horizontal plane, comparing healthy horses with those with arrhythmia and cardiac murmurs. Deviation of the T vector from the normal range appeared to occur most commonly in association with cardiac murmurs, particularly those involving the semilunar valves and aorta.
Holmes JR, Alps BJ.The paper describes observations on the distributions of the P, QRS and T cardiac vectors in the horizontal plane in 377 apparently healthy horses. The possible usefulness of vectorcardiography in the clinical evaluation of cardiac function is briefly discussed.
Meyer S, Ptok M.The term 'laryngeal neuropathy' (LN) has first been used in veterinary medicine to describe an idiopathic and typically exercise induced inspiratory noise in horses.Nowadays, the term is often used in relation with intermittent vocal cord pareses in humans. Some authors use the term 'irritable larynx syndrome' (ILS) in a similar context. This article reviews the state of knowledge regarding LN and ILS and discusses the somewhat confusing terminology.For this systematic review a selective literature research in PubMed has been carried out.35 articles were found, which report on LN in animals an...
Kotzé SH, Soley JT.The ileocaecal junction mucosal surface morphology of 5 horses and 1 donkey was examined using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Based on differences in surface morphology, the junction could be divided into 4 distinct regions. The distal extremity of the ileum was characterized by the presence of typical finger-like villi followed by a narrow zone displaying short, stubby villi which gradually merged into a 3rd region representing the true transitional zone between the small and large intestine. In this region the villi fused, forming low ridges arranged in circular, semi-cir...
Archer DC, Cotton JC, Boswell JC.Gamma scintigraphy is an established imaging modality in the horse and is principally utilised to investigate skeletal disease using bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals. However, depending on the radiopharmaceutical and imaging sequence, scintigraphy can be used to investigate disease in virtually any organ system. In this article the indications and validity of scintigraphy as a clinical diagnostic tool to investigate non-skeletal disease in the horse are reviewed. These indications include: investigation of dental disease, identification of inflammatory foci, vascular lesions, muscle and tendo...
Ekstrand C, Nostell K, Gehring R, Bondesson U, Bröjer J.Septicaemia in the neonatal foal is caused by both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The life-threatening nature of this condition requires treatment to be initiated with broad spectrum antimicrobial drugs pending antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Potentiated sulphonamides, for example, trimethoprim combined with sulfadiazine, could be clinically relevant options but their pharmacokinetics in the neonatal foal are unknown. To describe the plasma disposition of trimethoprim and sulfadiazine in neonatal foals and to relate the results to patterns in the minimum inhibitory concentrati...
Ricketts SW, Rossdale PD.Endometrial biopsy samples before and after treatment were obtained from 10 mares naturally infected and one Pony mare experimentally infected with Contagious Equine Metritis in 1977. The histopathological features were a short-lived polymorphonuclear cell infiltration of the luminal epithelium and stroma followed by a very early and marked mononuclear cell infiltration of the stroma, including many plasma cells. The luminal epithelium responded with cellular proliferation which may have reflected a regenerative response. Following the initial acute response, intercellular basal vacuoles conta...
Drummond WH, Sanchez IR, Kosch PC, Webb AI.Adult ponies develop pulmonary hypertension at altitude (Bisgard, Orr and Will 1975), but the neonatal response to acute hypoxaemia is unknown. Seven foals aged five days were instrumented with a systemic and a Swan-Ganz pulmonary artery catheter while anesthetised and intubated. Cardiac index, pulmonary (PAP) and systemic (SAP) vascular pressures were measured as the foals breathed gas mixtures with FI02 of 8 to 94 per cent. Because foramen ovale or ductus arteriosus shunts might have altered thermodilution cardiac index measurements in the stressed foals, the ratio, PAP/SAP was calculated to...
Miyakoshi D, Senba H, Shikichi M, Maeda M, Shibata R, Misumi K.This study aimed to evaluate the influence of radiographic abnormalities of 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses that were listed at in-training sales in Japan, on whether they started to race or not at 2-3 years of age. Radiographs of 850 2-year-old Thoroughbreds in the in-training sales repository from 2007 to 2010 were reviewed, and 26 categories of radiographic abnormalities were found. Forty-three horses (5.1%, 43/850) did not start a race at 2-3 years of age. In accordance with the racing results for this age category, as determined by Fisher's exact test and multiple logistic regression analy...
Greenaway EC, Cunningham FM, Goode NT.Phorbol esters, which activate protein kinase C (PKC), stimulate equine eosinophil superoxide production and adherence. After showing that superoxide production could be inhibited by the nonselective PKC inhibitors, staurosporine and bisindolymaleimide I, the PKC isotypes in equine eosinophils were characterized, because evidence suggests that individual isotypes may play distinct roles in regulating eosinophil function. Western blots demonstrated that equine eosinophils expressed PKC alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, iota, and zeta. However, unlike the equine neutrophil, the majority of the PKC wa...
Yamanouchi K, Hirasawa K, Hondo E, Hasegawa T, Ikeda A, Sugawara Y, Matsuyama S, Miyazawa K, Sawasaki T, Tojo H, Tachi C, Takahashi M.The expression of inhibin alpha-subunit mRNA in equine fetal gonads during pregnancy (Days 90 to 300) was examined by means of Northern blot analysis. In all samples examined, a single species of transcript was detected at the size of 1.5 kb. A digoxigenin-labeled antisense cRNA probe specific to equine inhibin alpha-subunit was synthesized and in situ hybridization analysis to locate the inhibin alpha-subunit mRNA positive cells was performed using frozen tissue sections of equine fetal ovary (day 150 of pregnancy) and equine fetal testis (day 180 of pregnancy). In the fetal ovary, positive c...
Woods WE, Chay S, Houston T, Blake JW, Tobin T.The efficacy of testing for illegal drugs in race horses was surveyed by evaluating 27 questionnaires received from 28 racing jurisdictions polled. Large variations in the number of samples tested and drugs detected were reported. Some jurisdictions reported only illegal medications, whereas others also reported permitted medications. To facilitate comparison, stimulants, depressants, local anesthetics, narcotic analgesics, and tranquilizers were classified as hard drugs. Other drugs, which are legal in some jurisdictions, were classified as soft. To evaluate the efficacy of testing, positive ...
Christley RM, Rose RJ, Hodgson DR, Reid SW, Evans S, Bailey C, Hodgson JL.This study evaluated a questionnaire investigating the attitudes and behaviours of veterinarians regarding the cause, diagnosis and treatment of lower respiratory-tract disease in racehorses. The questionnaire was sent to all non-student members (648) of the Australian Equine Veterinary Association: two mailings and a single telephone contact (each separated by four weeks). Subsequent phases were only administered to those who had not responded to earlier phases. In total, 467 (72.1%) of the 648 mailed questionnaires were returned. Of these, 354 were usable. The remaining 113 respondents gave ...
Tangkawattana P, Karkoura A, Muto M, Yamano S, Taniyama H, Yamaguchi M.Numerous rod bodies were found in a heart sample from a 33-year-old pony by a conventional electron-microscopic technique. The rod bodies were concentrated in localized areas of both atria and ventricles, without a specific pattern of distribution. The rods appear to have a typical crystalline-like structure which presumably contains actin backbone filaments and alpha-actinin as major protein constituents. Diminution, fragmentation, and disorganization of the myofibrils, random expansion of electron-dense materials, especially at the fasciae adherens of the intercalated disc, an increase of in...
Dwyer AE.Equine practitioners examine patient eyes on a daily basis. Indications range from inspection of normal anatomy to treatment of traumatized eyes to workups of sight threatening inflammatory or neoplastic ocular conditions. Assessment of equine eyes requires practitioners to take time to create a good "exam room" in the field and administer appropriate restraint, sedation and/or regional anesthesia to facilitate thorough examination. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of equine eye problems requires skill in ocular surface staining and cytology, and basic proficiency in standing surgery. Expertis...
Olson NC, Meyer RE, Anderson DL.The effects of endotoxemia on cardiopulmonary parameters, before and after cyclooxygenase blockade, were determined in anesthetized ponies spontaneously breathing a mixture of halothane and 100% O2. Escherichia coli endotoxin was infused intravenously at 20 micrograms/kg for 1 h followed by 10 micrograms X kg-1 X h-1 the subsequent 4 h. By 15 min endotoxin increased mean pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and alveolar dead space ventilation (VDA/VT), and these were followed by a return to base-line values by 30 min. A second increase in PVR occurred by 5 h ...
Winder NC, Pellegrini A, von Fellenberg R.Alpha 2-beta 1-glycoprotein may be found free in horse serum or complexed with alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor to form pre-alpha 2-elastase inhibitor. There has been little information published concerning alpha 2-beta 1-glycoprotein and its possible tissue sources in horses. A peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique was used to identify alpha 2-beta 1-glycoprotein in buffy coat and bone marrow neutrophils of healthy horses. Macrophages and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage samples from clinically normal horses and from horses with chronic pulmonary disease also were positive for alpha 2-beta 1-g...
Knowles EJ, Hyde C, Harris PA, Elliott J, Menzies-Gow NJ.A chemiluminescent immunoassay is commonly employed to measure adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) concentrations to assist pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction diagnosis. In a previous study, seasonally-dependent assay cross-reactivity to endogenous equine corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP, ACTH 18-39) was suspected. The present study aimed to demonstrate binding of endogenous equine CLIP to the capture antibody of the ACTH chemiluminescent immunoassay. Liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LCMS) methods were optimised to identify selected ions from synthetic human ACTH...
Rebhun WC, Cho JO, Gaarder JE, Peek SF, Patten VH.Microscopic examination of Gram-stained tissue specimens collected from severe corneal ulcers in 2 horses revealed large gram-positive rods suggestive of Clostridium spp. Clostridium perfringens was isolated from specimens collected from horse 1; anaerobic organisms were not detected in specimens from horse 2. Aerobic bacterial culture revealed Aeromonas hydrophila and Enterobacter cloacae in specimens collected from horses 1 and 2, respectively. An insect exoskeleton was presumed to be the underlying cause of ulceration in horse 1. Cause of ulceration in horse 2 was not determined. Antibiotic...
Auer JA.Bilateral angular limb deformities of the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal regions in 2 foals are discussed. Periosteal transection was used to correct the deformity in both foals. In one foal, only the right forelimb was treated because the deformity in the left forelimb did not appear to warrant surgery. Subsequently, an angular limb deformity, which could have been prevented, developed in the left forelimb. A third foal developed a deformity in the proximal phalanx after periosteal transection of the distal third metatarsal bone.
Raz T, Amorim MD, Stover BC, Card CE.The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of purified equine- and porcine-FSH treatment regimes in mares in early vernal transition. Mares (n = 22) kept under ambient light were examined ultrasonographically per-rectum, starting January 30th. They were assigned to one of two treatment groups using a sequential alternating treatment design when a follicle >or= 25 mm was detected. In the eFSH group, mares were treated twice daily with equine-FSH, and in the pFSH group mares were treated twice daily with porcine-FSH; treatments were continued until follicle(s) >or= 35 mm, and 24 h l...
Pollock PJ, Kelly PG, Reardon RJ, Kelly GM.The objectives of this report were to describe the occurrence and features of dynamic ventrorostral displacement of the dorsal laryngeal mucosa (VRDDLM) in a group of Thoroughbred horses presented for investigation of poor performance and/or abnormal respiratory noise. Records from 600, dynamic, endoscopic examinations of the upper respiratory tract of horses were reviewed. Horses with VRDDLM were identified as those in which the dorsal laryngeal mucosa progressively obscured the interarytenoid notch and dorsoaxial portion of the corniculate processes of the arytenoid cartilages during high-sp...
Guerri G, Palozzo A, Straticò P, Varasano V, Celani G, Di Francesco P, Vignoli M, Petrizzi L.(1) Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) employs an ultrasound impulse to produce transversely oriented shear waves, which travel through the surrounding tissue according to the stiffness of the tissue itself. The study aimed to assess the reliability of 2D-SWE for evaluating the elastosonographic appearance of the distal attachment of the fetlock joint capsule (DJC) in sound horses and in horses with osteoarthritis (OA) (2). According to a thorough evaluation of metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ), adult horses were divided in a sound Group (H) and in OA Group (P). Thereafter, a 2D-S...
Hondalus MK, Lofstedt J.A 16-year-old pony with signs of intermittent abdominal pain was treated with phenylbutazone in excess of the recommended dosage. Endoscopy revealed ulceration of the esophagus, stomach, and proximal portion of small intestine. The pony developed diarrhea. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from the blood and feces. Treatment included fluids, trimethoprim-sulfadiazine, sucralfate, and ranitidine hydrochloride. The diarrhea resolved, as did the gastrointestinal ulceration. This case was unusual because septicemia with salmonellosis is an uncommon finding in adult equids. Also, complications co...
Louie EW, Streeter R, Story M, Scrivani PV, Barrett M, Mullen KR.A neonatal Dutch Warmblood colt was evaluated for inability to stand, incoordination and intention tremor. Despite partial improvement in clinical signs during the first 4 days of hospitalization, neurological deficits remained. Magnetic resonance imaging identified a unilateral infratentorial arachnoid cyst-like lesion with ipsilateral compression and displacement of the cerebellar hemisphere, absent corpus collosum, polymicrogyria, suspect leukoencephalopathy, and noncompressive occipitoatlantal malformation. Improvement in clinical signs during the first 6 months of life suggests that ho...
Stefancíková A, Derdáková M, Stepánová G, Pet'ko B, Szestáková E, Skardová I, Cisláková L.Geographically different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto Ir 105, B. burgdorferi s.s. + B. afzelii V 123, B. garinii Ir 112 - isolates from eastern Slovakia, B. garinii K24 - isolate from western Slovakia and B. burgdorferi s.s. B 31 - American strain) were compared as antigens for serological study of Lyme borreliosis by IgG ELISA on a group of horses from eastern Slovakia. In a set of 101 horse serum samples, positivity with the use of Ir 105 strain was 53 (52.4%), with V 123 51 (51.49%), with Ir 112 48 (47.5%), with K 24 47 (46.5%) and with B 31 only ...
Bertone AL, VanSoest PJ, Johnson D, Ralston SL, Stashak TS.Fecal excretion of a particulate marker, ytterbium (Yb), was evaluated in 9 horses before surgery and 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months (4 trials) after sham-operation (group 1; n = 3) or extensive large colon resection (group 2; n = 6). Fecal excretion curves of total Yb excretion, loge Yb excretion, % Yb excretion, loge % Yb excretion, and cumulative % Yb excretion were evaluated, and kinetic analysis was performed on the loge Yb excretion curves to detect mixing pools and to calculate the fractional rate of particulate passage, turnover rate, and pool size. Calculations were performed to dete...
Kampl B, Dominis-Kramaric M, Bacar-Huskic L.The activities of leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (l-AP) and serum gamma-glutamil transferase (gamma-GT), and total leukocyte counts were determined in horses submitted to the production of hyper immune sera against tetanus (Clostridium tetani). The purpose of this work was to investigate the prospective changes of mentioned parameters in horses under the described circumstances. In addition, the suitability of these parameters in assessing the health condition of the same horses had to be evaluated. The average total leukocyte count increased in one month from the values considered as physiolo...
Breuer D.In spite of regular vaccinations against equine influenza we are still observing a high rate of patients with respiratory problems in the equine practice. In our practice in Munich Riem, into which a horse clinic has been integrated, 4000 horses have been treated in 1985 alone. 874 of these showed some form of respiratory disease (= 22%). All of the 4000 horses have only been treated curatively, i.e. preventive forms of treatment such as vaccinations, deworming and examinations for insurance companies and prior to selling have not been taken into account. From 1983 until today in our clinic 25...
Newquist JM, Baxter GM.To determine whether high plasma fibrinogen concentration (> or = 900 mg/dL) is a valid indicator of physeal or epiphyseal osteomyelitis in foals. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 17 foals with physeal or epiphyseal osteomyelitis with or without septic arthritis, 17 foals with septic arthritis alone, 20 foals with non-Rhodococcus equi pneumonia, and 22 healthy foals. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for information regarding signalment and total WBC count, segmented neutrophil count, and plasma fibrinogen concentration measured when foals were initially evaluated at the ho...
Wiedenheft AM, Traub-Dargatz JL, Gillette SC, O'Keefe GJ, Rao S, Salman MD.The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of two different methods of online education using the knowledge base of African horse sickness (AHS) among US equine veterinarians as a model. An e-mail was sent to US veterinary members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), inviting them to participate in a complementary online educational opportunity. We determined participants' baseline knowledge of AHS by their responses in an AHS case scenario. Participants were then randomly assigned to either a Webinar module or a text-formatted module, followed by an educa...
Joó K, Duque Betancourt D, Vasquez Marin T, Parra Moyano LA.The dynamic upper airway functional (URT) problems of Colombian paso horses (CPH) have not been investigated in literature up to date. These horses perform special walking gaits with high poll flexion of the neck. Our goal is to evaluate the upper airway mechanics in CPH, showing abnormal respiratory sounds and poor performance during exercise. Resting and overground endoscopy was performed in 40 CPHs. Statistical analyses were performed using the sciPy package. One-tailed Fisher exact tests were used to check for positive contingency between each pair of upper respiratory tract disorder (P < ...
