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.
Marcus LC, Ross JN.The hearts of 23 aged equids (18 horses and 5 mules) were examined histologically. Major findings included arteriolosclerosis and intimal bodies in small muscular arteries, myocarditis, myocardial fibrosis, fatty metamorphosis of myocardial and Purkinje fibers, myocytolysis, and basophilic (mucinous) degeneration of myocardium. Lesions less frequently seen included chronic fibrotic valvulitis, acute myocardial necrosis, sarcosporidiosis, and hemosiderosis. Single cases of malignant melanoma, cartilaginous metaplasia of the I-V septum, mineralization of connective tissue in the I-V septum, and ...
Irfan M.Studies have been made on the effect of storage and temperature on factor V in animals and a method for its assay is described. There was a decrease of the factor with age in oxalated plasma of cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, rabbits and one elephant. This deterioration was very rapid in plasma kept at 37C. as compared with that stored at 4C. Rabbit plasma had the highest concentration of factor V followed by dogs, horses, cattle and sheep. Mixing various dilutions of aged plasma kept at 4C. wlth fresh plasma would enable the percentage prothrombin activity to be determined for the assay of facto...
Bornstein S.Two intersex horses were characterized externally by vulva and “enlarged clitoris-hypoplastic penis” and internally by uterus and testicles. Both had a normal female karyotype 64/XX. One of the horses whose body measurements were in accordance with mares of the same breed, showed a distinct stallion behaviour.
Waller T, Rubarth S.The study comprises 49 dogs, 2 horses, and 2 cows with haemangioendothelioma, which have been subjected to autopsy over a period of 26 years. Most of the dogs were old, and there is an over-representation of male dogs. The results also indicate that the Alsation breed of dog is particularly susceptible to these tumours, as is the Boxer to some extent. The disease was in most cases of short duration and the most common clinical symptoms were sluggishness, fever, generalized anaemia, breathing difficulties, increased thirst, and leuco-cytosis. Most of the dogs fell ill and were subjected to auto...
Friis NF, Bech J.Döhle bodies were observed in a horse suffering from a chronic pleurisy. The bodies were demonstrated in about 80 % of the neutro-phils in blood smears prepared during an acute flare-up of the disease. One to 4 bodies were found in each cell, situated in the periphery of the cytoplasm. The size of the bodies was 1–3 μ and the shape rodlike or oval. They stained blue with M-G-G. Blood smears were examined from 50 horses suffering from various diseases, but Döhle bodies could not be demonstrated in any of these cases. Döhle-Körperchen wurden bei einem Pferd mit chronischer Pleuritis beoba...
Yasine A, Ashenafi H, Geldhof P, Bekana M, Tola A, Van Brantegem L, Van Soom A, Duchateau L, Goddeeris BM, Govaere J.Trypanosoma equiperdum (T. equiperdum) causes dourine, a venereally transmitted infection in horses. Purification of semen by single layer centrifugation (SLC) has been proven to be successful in reducing venereally transmitted diseases when dealing with other pathogens. The objective of this study was to evaluate the purification of T. equiperdum spiked semen by SLC. Semen was spiked using cryopreserved T. equiperdum stabilates (Dodola strain isolate 943). In total, 6 concentrations, varying from 10 to >5 × 10 trypanosomes, were added to semen samples. Subsequently, SLC was performed ...
Jørgensen RJ, Andersen S.Between 10 and 25% of the Dictyocaulus arnfieldi larvae excreted in faeces from a naturally infected donkey were harvested as infective stages from faecal cultures by means of Pilobolus fungi. The faeces were collected between 24 and 56 hours after drenching the donor animal with Pilobolus spores and kept at 16 +/- 2 degrees C. Most larvae were collected between the 5th and the 8th day of culturing during which period fructification and sporangium discharge also peaked. The sporangia and the adhering larvae were collected in Petri dishes inserted between the faecal mass and a light source. All...
Whisenant KD, Ruggles AJ, Stefanovski D, Woodie JB, Hopper SA, Embertson RM.Haematogenous septic arthritis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in foals. Previous research has demonstrated a variable prognosis for athletic performance in foals diagnosed with septic arthritis. Objective: To determine the racing prognosis for Thoroughbred foals, 6 months of age or less with single septic joint of presumed haematogenous origin without recognised systemic sepsis or other serious comorbidity compared with a group of maternal sibling controls. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Data were collected from Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in-patient records fro...
Bienert-Zeit A, Gietz C, Staszyk C, Kietzmann M, Stahl J, Ohnesorge B.To monitor concentrations of sulfadimidine in the paranasal sinus mucosa (PSM) of unsedated horses following IV administration of trimethoprim-sulfadimidine via in vivo microdialysis. Methods: 10 healthy adult horses. Methods: Concentric microdialysis probes were implanted into the subepithelial layers of the frontal sinus mucosa of standing sedated horses. Four hours after implantation, trimethoprim-sulfadimidine (30 mg/kg) was administered IV every 24 hours for 2 days; dialysate and plasma samples were collected at intervals during that 48-hour period and analyzed for concentrations of sulfa...
Simon V, Dyson SJ.We compared the radiographic and scintigraphic findings in the third carpal bone of horses performing different work disciplines and investigated their relationship with lameness. Horses had undergone carpal radiography including acquisition of a dorsoproximal-dorsodistal oblique (DPr-DDiO) image of the distal row of carpal bones and/or scintigraphic examination of the carpi. Cause of lameness, breed, age, and work discipline were recorded. Increased opacity in the third carpal bone was graded, ratio of radiopharmaceutical uptake calculated objectively, and increased radiopharmaceutical uptake...
Morandi F, Frank N, Avenell J, Daniel GB.99mTc-mebrofenin is used in humans and small animals to assess hepatic function. This study was undertaken to measure hepatic clearance of 99mTc-mebrofenin in healthy horses and to determine whether feed deprivation and increased serum total bilirubin (TBIL) concentration alter 99mTc-mebrofenin clearance. Plasma clearance of 99mTc-mebrofenin was determirned in 7 healthy horses at 0, 48, and 96 hours of feed withholding. Serum TBIL and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations were measured every 24 hours. 99mTc-mebrofenin (4.16 +/- 0.62 mCi, mean +/- SD) was injected into a jugular vein, ...
Iff I, Mosing M, Lechner T, Moens Y.To determine the usefulness of an acoustic device to confirm correct placement of extradural needles in horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Twelve adult healthy horses weighing between 434 and 640 kg. Methods: Horses were sedated, placed in stocks and subjected to caudal extradural anaesthesia using lidocaine 2%. For extradural puncture an 18 gauge Tuohy needle connected to an acoustic device via an electronic pressure transducer was used. This device allowed recording of the extradural pressure profile and the transformation of pressure changes into an audible signal. Ex...
Simpson CF, Taylor WJ, Kitchen H.Four splenectomized Welsh ponies were infected with Babesia equi. Two ponies were treated with imidocarb dipropionate, and two were not treated. By light microscopic examination, 1% to 2% of the parasitized erythrocytes of treated ponies contained crystalline inclusions. The crystals were rectangular, diamond, or burr shaped. They occupied most of the erythrocytic cytoplasm, and, as a result, the remainder of the pale staining cytoplasm was inconspicuous in Wright-Giemsa-stained blood smears. The size and shape of intraerythrocytic inclusions varied when examined by electron microscopy, but in...
Manohar M, Thurmon JC, Tranquilli WJ, Shawley RV, Froelich P.A technique was developed for long-term catheterization of the coronary sinus in calves and ponies. A catheter with a 10 to 12 cm-long stiff segment was implanted via right lateral thoracotomy. Catheters were kept patent up to 10 weeks after the surgical procedure. At that time, location of the catheter tip was confirmed both by determining oxygen tension of the anaerobically sampled blood and by radiography. Base-line values of oxygen venous blood of non-anesthetized calves and ponies are reported.
Diaw OT, Bayssade-Dufour C, Pino De Morales LA, Albaret JL, Vassiliades G.Cercarial chaetotaxy of Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus (Paramphistomoidea), parasite of the Horse, is described. Cercariae were shed by experimentally infected Bulinus forskalii. This description is the first one of a Gastrodiscidae. The cercarial chaetotaxy of the Gastrodiscidae is quite different from those of Paramphistomoidea and Diplodiscidae.
Ma Z, Mizukoshi T, Khatlani TS, Okuda M, Onishi T.The serum amyloid A (SAA) protein is a characteristic and sensitive acute phase reactant in all vertebrates investigated. We molecularly cloned the equine cDNA encoding SAA from the liver of a healthy horse by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The cloned cDNA is 480 bases in length, and contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 387 nucleotides encoding a precursor SAA protein of 128 amino acids. The precursor of horse SAA seems to have an 18-residue signal peptide and differs from the reported amino acid sequences of the horse SAA by substitution of valine at residue 81. It shows high homology wi...
Garcia F, Sanromán F, Llorens MP.A total of 44 experimental endodontic treatments were performed in incisors of eight horses of different ages. Four different endodontic pastes were used: Cloropercha, AH26 De Trey, Eugenol-Endometasone, and Universal N2. Gutta-percha points were also included in the last two treatments. Access to the pulp cavity of incisors was gained through their vestibular and occlusal faces. Holes drilled in vestibular faces were sealed with composite and those drilled in occlusal faces were sealed with Amalgama. Animals were observed during eighteen months at least after endodontics. Radiographic control...
Skrabalak DS, Cuddy KK, Henion JD.Micro-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (micro-LC-MS) was utilized to quantitatively determine betamethasone and its major unconjugated metabolite, 6 beta-hydroxybetamethasone, in equine plasma and urine. The advantage of micro-LC-MS over conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in corticosteroid determination is illustrated and the reliable, steadfast nature of micro-LC-MS is demonstrated through example.
Pietra M, Guglielmini C, Forni M, Cinotti S.The viscosity of the mucus, its DNA concentration and the size range of the DNA were determined on tracheobronchial samples from 11 horses with lower airway diseases before and after incubation with recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (rhDNase). The horses were divided into two groups on the basis of the cytology of the samples: group A (five horses) with more than 60 per cent neutrophils and group B (six horses) with fewer than 50 per cent neutrophils. The mean mucus viscosity and DNA concentration in the preincubation samples were significantly higher in group A than in group B, and there wa...
Baum B, Hewicker-Trautwein M, Wohlsein P.A 10-year-old Knabstrupper stallion was euthanatized because of severe dyspnea and exercise intolerance. Postmortem examination revealed diffuse severe alveolar emphysema and chronic fibrosing pleuritis of the caudal lung. Parts of both caudal lung lobes were covered with multiple raised firm gray to yellow plaques. Histologically, these areas consisted of circumscribed pleural fibroses and cysts of metaplastic keratinizing squamous epithelium. Immunohistochemistry revealed intense labeling for cytokeratins 5/6 and 10. In addition, caudal lung lobes were severely affected by a chronic partiall...
Shirer HW, Orr JA, Loker JL.To determine if CO2-sensitive airway receptors are important in the control of breathing, CO2 was preferentially loaded into the respiratory airways in conscious ponies. The technique involved adding small amounts of 100% CO2 to either the latter one-third or latter two-thirds of the inspiratory air in an attempt to raise CO2 concentrations in the airway dead space independent of the arterial blood. Arterial blood gas tensions (PCO2 and PO2) and pH, as well as respiratory output (minute volume, tidal volume, and respiratory rate), were measured in a series of 20 experiments on 5 awake ponies. ...
Işık R.Lactoferrin (LTF), also called lactotransferrin, is an iron-binding protein and member of transferrin family, whereas β-LG is an important milk protein and belongs to the ligand-binding protein family of lipocalins and binds retinol. Beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG) is a major whey protein and it is a member of lipocalins family. β-LG is also known as a major allergen reason of cow milk protein allergy. Yet, no information has been reported about β-LG and LTF genes in donkeys. In this study, the genetic variation of β-LG and LTF genes were analyzed via DNA sequencing in 77 donkeys, which were in...
Gaskin JM, Neal FC, Rubin HL.Precipitin lines not associated with equine infectious anemia (EIA) were observed in routine agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) testing for the infection. The serums which produced these lines were obtained from horses which had been given multiple vaccinations with commercially available cell culture-origin equine virus vaccines as part of a comprehensive herd health program. The lines formed against cell culture-derived, but not spleen-derived EIA viral antigens. Investigation revealed that bovine serum proteins in the vaccines induced precipitating antibodies which reacted with bovine serum pr...
Zicker SC, Rogers QR.Temporal changes, as well as differences in distribution, in concentrations of 24 amino acids in plasma and whole blood of neonatal foals were determined from birth to 2 days of age. In addition, differences in concentrations of amino acids in plasma between mare and foal pairs were determined at birth. Significant (P < 0.05) hypoaminoacidemia existed for 15 amino acids in plasma of foals at birth, compared with mares (paired t-test). Concentrations of 7 amino acids (aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, hydroxyproline, phenylalanine, proline) in plasma of foals were higher (P 0.05). S...
Roussel AJ, Lin YC, Strait JR, Modransky PD.Radioimmunoassay for parathyroid hormone (PTH) in equids was performed on blood samples from healthy equids and equids with hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia. The assay was validated for equine carboxy-terminal PTH. Manipulation of serum ionized Ca in healthy equids by infusing Na2 EDTA and CaCl2 produced an expected increase and decrease, respectively, in measurable immunoreactive PTH. Intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation were 2.6% and 11.7%, respectively. The range of PTH valves for healthy mature horse mares and geldings maintained on pasture was less than 0.27 ng/ml to 0.9...
Anthauer K, Mülling C, Budras KD.This study aimed to carry out a comprehensive morphological examination of the structure and ultrastructure of the membrane-coating granules (MCG) and membrane-coating material (MCM) common to all hoof segments as well as segment-specific features in the MCG and MCM regarding their synthesis, structure and biochemical composition. Tissue samples from the hooves of the left front and right hind limb of 20 adult riding horses were used. Samples were preserved and embedded for histological routine methods as well as for histochemical techniques and tracer techniques for light and electron microsc...
Kawahisa-Piquini G, Bass L, Pezzanite LM, Moorman VJ.The role of hoof morphology is increasingly recognized as a factor associated with lameness incidence in performance horses. The primary objective was to evaluate effect of training initiation on hoof unevenness in Quarter Horses (n = 42; 29 2-year-olds, 13 3-year-olds) over 6-months (m) in training (m0, m2, m4, and m6). Horses were objectively assessed for lameness (inertial sensor system) and photographs and radiographs of feet were taken. Hoof measurements were taken (palmar/plantar angles, frog base width/length, toe length/angle, heel length/angle, heel/foot width, wall height/angle), a...
Blanchard T, Fantinati M, Domange C, Priymenko N.The present report describes two novel cases of suspected intoxication with Galega officinalis in 6- and 21-year-old Arabian mares displaying acute respiratory signs. Both animals showed signs of pulmonary edema at physical examination, with the oldest of the two also manifesting severe dyspnea and foamy nasal discharge. The mares were grazing on the same meadow with hay available ad libitum. Botanical analysis of the latter showed traces of the toxic plant Galega officinalis (L.), which has been daily ingested at a dose of around 14 g of dry matter for three days. Based on the respiratory sig...
Havelka B, Skarková A.During the period from 1985 to 1988 we determined 228 strains of streptococci isolated from samples of various sorts of biomaterials, mainly animals. From this set of streptococci we classified 207 strains into serological groups according to the Lancefield classification and about 30% strains into species by means of serological and biochemical methods. Most of the strains were allocated to group C (37.28%) and group Q (17.39%). 89 streptococci strains originated from pigs, 40 strains from horses, 13 from cattle, 12 from dogs, 9 from poultry and 8 from coypu. The other streptococci strains or...
Webbon PM.The radiography of horses on behalf of a purchaser has become an inevitable part of a veterinarian's work. Radiography should, in theory, pose no more problems than a general clinical examination. In practice, difficulties arise when insufficient or inadequate films are taken or the films are misinterpreted. Radiographs of a diagnostic quality need to be taken and interpreted by a veterinarian who is reasonably well versed in radiological interpretation. Occasionally a lesion will be overlooked or misinterpreted and the radiographs will be retained so that the veterinarian's judgement can be c...
Rosenfeld G, Reichmann CE, Jaria LJ, Andrade SO.Hematological studies were developed on two mares and twelve adults castrate sheeps of "Ideal" breed. The animals had been on a pasture formed with Brachiaria radicans Napper for one and two months respectively. This experiment was developed in winter time, so the leaves of the graminea had a yellow-green color. Clinical and hematological observations were made weekly. The typical symptoms of intoxication failed to present as observed in the former investigation when the plant was green (3). The hematological exames showed only for ovines a slight anemia, it was also characterized as being mac...
Cullimore AM, Lester GD, Secombe CJ, Campbell K.A 7-year-old Clydesdale gelding was referred with a history of progressive lethargy and ventral oedema. The horse developed diarrhoea after treatment with antibiotics by the referring veterinarian. History, clinical signs, imaging and laboratory findings were consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy complicated by antibiotic-associated colitis. Progression of clinical signs prompted euthanasia and the antemortem diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was confirmed at postmortem examination. Conclusions: Primary HCM is reported as rare in horses, but specific descriptions are lacking. The ...
Szeredi L, Makrai L, Dénes B.The first objective of this study was to develop an immunohistochemical procedure for rapid detection of Rhodococcus equi in impression smears from affected organs of foals on postmortem examination. The second aim was to demonstrate whether R. equi can be detected in smears of tracheal exudates collected from the same foals using an immunohistochemical method. Impression smears and cryostat and paraffin-embedded sections were made from the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes of three foals (A, B and C) that had died of respiratory disease caused by R. equi, and also from the caudal mesenteric l...
Keller H, Grundmann S.X-rays of 205 horses having navicular disease and having been reexamined up to six times are evaluated. For this, the x-rays of each foreleg are evaluated in the dorsopalmar (Oxspring) and lateromedial view. Additionally to changes of the navicular bone, changes of the distal part of the toe are also assessed. Differences can be found in the radiographic process in view of the limitation of vascular foramina and cyst-like lesions. Vascular foramina with sclerotic rim grow less frequent than poorly defined ones and therefore allow for easier prognostication. Cyst-like lesions with sclerotic rim...
Dudan F, Hirni H.Since 1980 techniques specifically designed to treat human neonatal diseases have also started to be applied to ill or premature equine newborns. These techniques will be described and their application to the most common equine neonatal disorders will be discussed. Such techniques include: post-natal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, exogenous thermal support, administration of broad spectrum antibiotics after diagnostic studies, supplemental oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation, intravenous fluid and electrolyte therapy, blood component transfusion and total parenteral nutrition.
