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.
BAER H, KABAT EA, KNAUB V.Blood group substances have been isolated from the saliva of human beings of blood group B and from the linings of individual horse stomachs. The properties of the human B substances are similar to those of hog and human blood group substances previously isolated. The horse substances showed lower hexosamine and reducing sugar and higher total and non-hexosamine nitrogen than do the materials from the other species. Materials isolated from individual horse stomachs possess either A or B activity or both. Certain stomachs yielded products of identical analytical composition but with neither blo...
Viitanen M, Bird J, Makela O, Schramme M, Smith R, Tulamo RM, May S.The purpose of this study was to investigate biochemical changes in synovial fluid in navicular disease, and to establish if synovial fluid from the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) could be used diagnostically to assess alterations in the synovial fluid of the navicular bursa. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), total glycosaminoglycans (GAG), hyaluronan (HA), metalloproteinases 2 and -9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) and total protein (TP) levels were determined in synovial fluids obtained from 18 navicular bursae and 35 DIP -joints from animals suffering from navicular disease, and the same sy...
Kapustian VA, Matokhina AG, Perelygina OV.Comparative assessment of efficacy of homologous and heterologous diphtheria antitoxins on the example of diphtheria intoxication. Methods: Homologous hyperimmune sera were obtained through immunization of rabbits and guinea-pigs with diphtheria toxoid according to schedule. Immune rabbit sera contained 70 - 100 IU/mL of antitoxin antibodies and guinea-pig sera contained 60 - 80 IU/mL. Equine diphtheria antitoxin was used as a heterologous one. Measurement of antitoxin level using experimental animals is based on quantitative assessment of ability of studied sera to neutralize specific dermone...
Leder L, Bosshard HR.It has long been known that antibodies to cytochrome c can distinguish between closely sequence-related cytochromes c. Because the 3-D-structure of the polypeptide chain is virtually identical among eukaryotic cytochromes c, antibody specificity is directed against amino acid substitutions within a common polypeptide folding pattern. The question arises if the specificity is observed at the level of the 3-D-structure (conformational epitopes) and/or at the level of the primary structure (sequential epitopes). Using rabbit sera to horse cytochrome c, we show that discrimination against the host...
Ekman S, Skiöldebrand E, Heinegård D, Hultenby K.One of the most common causes of lameness in racehorses is osteoarthritis (OA). Pathogenesis is not clear and pathological processes of the different joint tissues interact in often progressive events. The interface between cartilage and newly synthesised bone has been shown to be particularly enriched in bone sialoprotein (BSP), a cell-binding matrix protein. Objective: To establish whether changes in the concentration of BSP may serve as a marker for early biochemical changes of the subchondral bone. Methods: Articular cartilage, cartilage/bone interface and subchondral bone of the proximal ...
Sparks HD, Nixon AJ, Boening KJ, Pool RR.To describe the clinical symptoms, treatment, and outcome of meniscal cysts in horses. These structures have not been previously described in the literature as a potential cause of lameness in the horse. Objective: Meniscal cysts are an uncommon condition of the femorotibial joint but can be a significant cause of lameness. Symptoms can be resolved by arthroscopic excision. Methods: Records of horses diagnosed with meniscal cysts and treated by cyst excision and meniscal debridement at 2 surgical practices were reviewed. Clinical outcome was determined by repeat veterinary examination and cont...
Lunney JK, Kai C, Inumaru S, Onodera T.This special issue of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology summarizes the Proceedings of the 9th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (9th IVIS) held August 2010, in Tokyo, Japan. Over 340 delegates from 30 countries discussed research progress analyzing the immune systems of numerous food animals and wildlife, probing basic immunity and the influence of stress, genetics, nutrition, endocrinology and reproduction. Major presentations addressed defense against pathogens and alternative control and prevention strategies including vaccines, adjuvants and novel biotherapeutics. A spe...
Glathe H, Strittmatter HU, Kunze M, Sinnecker H.The influence of acidic pH on the infectivity and neuraminidase activity of human, equine and avian type A influenza virus strains has been studied. Following exposure to pH 3 human and equine strains lost their infectivity completely, whereas all investigated strains of the subtypes Hav6N2 and Hav7Neq2 retained a certain amount of infectivity. In contrast to human and equine strains the avian strains retained also 38% of their original neuraminidase activity after acidic treatment. Partial retention of infectivity and the relative stability of the neuraminidase following exposure to acidic pH...
Huby-Chilton F, Murphy J, Chilton NB, Gajadhar AA, Blais BW.Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of amplicons produced from a mitochondrial DNA region between the tRNA(Lys) and ATPase8 genes was applied for the detection of animal product within livestock feeds. Identification of prohibited animal (cattle, elk, sheep, deer, and goat) and nonprohibited animal (pig and horse) products from North America was possible based on the differential display of the single-stranded DNA fragments for the different animal species on SSCP gels. This method allowed specific detection and identification of mixed genomic DNA from different animal spec...
Lemos KR, Marques LC, Deaquino LP, Alessi AC, Machado RZ.An histochemical and immunohistochemical study was carried out to evaluate the mechanisms of immune response of horses experimentally infected by Trypanosoma evansi. For this purpose the HE histochemical stain and the avidin biotin peroxidase method were used. To determine the presence and immunoreactivity of immune cells we used anti-major histocompatibility complex II antibodies. Cellular infiltration phenotype was characterized with the aid of anti-CD3 antibody for T lymphocytes and by anti-BLA 36 antibodies for B lymphocytes. Macrophages were marked with an antibody against myeloid/histyoc...
Pearson GB, Ysebaert MP, Papa B, Reesink HL.This article, as part of the Currents in One Health series, reviews the current state of diagnostics for synovial sepsis. Synovial sepsis is a condition that affects veterinary and human medicine and requires coordinated efforts from both parties, as well as environmental considerations to accurately diagnose and preserve effective treatments. The article discusses best practices to identify the causative agent in septic synovitis, trends in bacterial identification and antimicrobial resistance patterns across common bacterial species, and a one-health perspective to optimize diagnostics acros...
Barnard BJ.The most obvious symptoms of rabies in farm animals and pets in South Africa and South-West Africa are discussed in the light of information obtained during routine examination of specimens for the 10-year-period 1967--1976. More than 55% of the cases encountered were cattle in which the most obvious symptoms were salivation (92%), bellowing (69%), aggressiveness (47%), paresis or paralysis (30%) and straining (12%). Unlike cattle, the most obvious symptom in goats was aggressiveness (83%). Salivation was observed in ony 29% of goats but, like bellowing in cattle, bleating was very obvious in ...
Singleton MD, Breheny PJ.In this paper, we propose a nonlinear hierarchical model (NLHM) for analyzing longitudinal experimental infection (EI) data. The NLHM offers several improvements over commonly used alternatives such as repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) and the linear mixed model (LMM). It enables comparison of relevant biological properties of the course of infection including peak intensity, duration and time to peak, rather than simply comparing mean responses at each observation time. We illustrate the practical benefits of this model and the insights it yields using data from experimental i...
McDonald J, Gall R, Wiedenbach P, Bass VD, DeLeon B, Brockus C, Stobert D, Wie S, Prange CA, Ozog FJ.A one step enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for morphine was evaluated as part of a panel of pre- and post-race tests for narcotic analgesics in racing horses. This ELISA test is very sensitive to morphine with an I-50 for morphine of about 400 pg/ml. The test is also rapid, and ten samples, a normal pre-race complement, can be analyzed in about thirty minutes. The test can be read with an inexpensive spectrophotometer, or even by eye. The test readily detects the presence of morphine or its metabolites in equine blood for up to six hours after administration of sub-therapeutic d...
Ribbeck R, Ilchmann G, Hiepe T.Research into the immunological diagnosis of gasterophilosis. So far there have been no reliable methods of diagnosing equine gasterophilosis intra vitam. Horses from the G.D.R. and the M.P.R. spontaneously infected with Gasterophilus spp. were tested for antibodies by the immunotechniques of counterimmunoelectrophoresis after Pesendorfer, passive haemagglutination and the intradermal test using antigen made from larvae of all 6 Gasterophilus spp. present in the palaearctis. All 3 techniques produced positive results. The intradermal injection produced an immediate reaction. A correlation betw...
Ball AN, Hoaglund EL, Pool R, Barrett MF, Bass LD.Lameness remains a common cause of retirement in the equine athlete and among hobby enthusiasts. The distal limb is one of the most frequently imaged areas, and recent advances in diagnostic imaging capabilities help practicing veterinarians differentiate normal variants from informative pathology. Although acute, non-weight-bearing lameness is commonly associated with etiologies, such as fractures, abscesses, and laminitis, other uncommon differentials such as cystic lesions and neoplasia might also be considered. This report describes the characterization of a large, cystic lesion in the thi...
Gerard M, Pruitt A, Thrall DE.An aged pony with extensive paranasal sinus and nasal passage B-cell lymphoma was treated with palliative radiation therapy. Sixteen gray were administered in two fractions, 7 days apart. A lateral field was used for the first fraction and a dorsal field for the second. Because of tumor being present in the left frontal sinus, gross tumor was knowingly excluded from the treated volume in the lateral field. The tumor regressed within 2 months and the pony remained free of clinical disease for 2.5 years. Acute, temporary blindness developed shortly after the second radiation fraction, but a dire...
Roth TL, White KL, Thompson DL, Barry BE, Capehart JS, Colborn DR, Rabb MH.In this experiment we have identified and partially characterized the immunosuppressive activity of preimplantation horse conceptus-conditioned medium (HCCM). Horse conceptuses were nonsurgically flushed from mares at Days 9-10 (n = 6), 15-16 (n = 3), and 25-26 (n = 3). After incubating the conceptuses for 24 h in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 15% fetal calf serum (FCS) and 1% penicillin/streptomycin, HCCM was obtained from cultures and tested for immunosuppressive activity in lymphocyte proliferation assays. Peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from randomly selected mares were stimulated with...
Burba DJ, Collier MA, Debault LE, Walls RC.An in vivo biopsy technique was developed to harvest cylindrical osteochondral core samples (2 mm diameter x 2 mm depth) from the articular surfaces of radial carpal bones in adult horses for use in osteoarthritis drug kinetic studies. A 25 degree arthroscope was introduced into the midcarpal joint through the dorsolateral surface, and a custom-built motorized core drill was introduced through the dorsomedial surface to create the osteochondral core samples. A total of 24 core samples were sequentially harvested in vivo, and 16 at postmortem, from eight horses on four different occasions withi...
Ablett JM, Fairbairn SM, Page CP, Lees P, Cunningham FM.A role for platelets in allergic airways disease has been postulated and changes in the responsiveness of circulating platelets have been demonstrated following antigen challenge of asthmatic human subjects. In this study agonist-induced aggregation of equine platelets in vitro has been compared before and after exposure of horses to a controlled hay and stray challenge. Prior to challenge the response of platelets, from horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and normal animals, to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and platelet activating factor (PAF) did not differ. Five hours aft...
Miller SM.Otobius megnini has been associated with certain clinical conditions in horses in both California and Mexico. A number of cases similar to those described previously have been identified by the author in South Africa. This case report summarises these cases to demonstrate that the clinical condition occurs readily in South Africa and may be increasing in occurrence. The disease has minimal coverage in the literature making it more likely that a veterinarian, unfamiliar with the disease, will miss the diagnosis. The author would like to make veterinarians aware of this as a potential differenti...
Meijer AE, van den Hoven R, Wensing T, Breukink HJ.Needle biopsies from m. gluteus medius of 22 horses which had suffered from repeated attacks of exertional myopathy were studied at various times after an attack, to determine if metabolic alterations can be demonstrated by enzyme histochemistry. Morphological changes and activity of 25 enzymes were studied. Immediately after onset of an attack, some large rounded fibres with a defect of the oxidative phosphorylation were seen. After some hours these fibres lost their glycolytic enzyme activity, followed by disappearance of mitochondrial enzyme activity with accumulation of Ca2+-containing sub...
Meyer H.Animal nutrition is not a main subject in veterinary medicine training, nevertheless it has been taught in the Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover since its foundation in 1778. In the very beginning only a few lectures about feedstuffs and toxic plants for horses and feeding technique have been presented. During the 19th century animal nutrition was taught about 20 h under the general topic: Gesundheitspflege or Dlätetik. Diätetik included in that time all factors which are important for health as soil, water, climate, stable, hamess and nutrition, too. Textbooks about "Gesundheitspflege" fro...
Katkiewicz M, Witkowski L, Kita J.The aim of this study was to investigate the structure of lymphatic organs in foals which died due to Rhodococcus equi infection. The material for this study consisted of 9 foals, of both genders, various breeds, 6-14 weeks old. The routine histopathological examination and immunocytochemical reaction for cytokeratine-3 receptors revealed the disturbances in the thymus epithelial cells development. This was manifested by a complete lack of cells expressing cytokeratine-3 receptors, as well as absence of normal thymocytes differentiation. The supposed thymus epithelial cells were very few, expr...
Uldahl M, Bundgaard L, Dahl J, Clayton HM.This study addresses the presence and location of natural pigmentation, potentially pathological changes in pigment, interruptions of the natural lining (scars), roughness, and erosions/contusion (bruising) in and around the corners of the lips of 206 horses presented to a veterinarian for routine preventative dental treatment. After sedation, photographs were taken and later evaluated for the presence of lesions. During the photographic analysis, the Oral Commissure Assessment (OCA) protocol was developed to map precisely the areas of skin and mucosa around the corners of the lips, and the pr...
Fidani M, Gamberini MC, Pasello E, Palazzoli F, Dimasi T, Montana M.A development of a rapid and sensitive LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous detection of active ingredients of the euthanasic veterinarian drug Tanax mixture is described. The method proposed, with a retention time of few minutes (6 min) was developed for an equine serum sample with solid-phase extraction (S.P.E). This S.P.E. procedure has been revealed useful for the determination of very low concentrations of Tanax analytes (0.05-1 ng/ml). The method was validated in terms of specificity/selectivity, sensitivity, recovery and precision.
Büttner J, Brehm W, Gittel C.In horses, colic is associated with relatively high mortality rates. Identification of parameters associated with poor outcome may aid in providing a more accurate prognosis. This study aimed to assess the early prognostic value towards survival of the horse based on parameters of the clinical examination. Methods: In a retrospective study (2013-2017), results of the clinical examination of horses with colic were analyzed. Obtained parameters were categorized from physiologic up to different pathophysiologic manifestations. The risk of death was calculated as odds ratios in comparison to norma...
Erickson GA, Maré CJ.Goat Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) antiserum and normal serum were conjugated and evaluated for staining sensitivity and specificity. Cross-staining with either eastern or western equine encephalomyelitis virus-infected cells did not occur. The baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cell line when combined with highly specific VEE conjugate detected 100 medium suckling mouse intracerebral lethal doses (suckling mouse LD-50/IC) of the 1B subtype of VEE virus per milliliter of equine tissue suspension. Conjugated goat antiserum was assayed for sensitivity for detection of VEE virus-infected eq...
Brimijoin S, Mintz KP, Prendergast FG.Interactions between dansylarginine N-(3-ethyl-1,5-pentanediyl)amide (DAPA) and the cholinesterases were examined by the techniques of enzyme kinetics and fluorescence spectroscopy. When tested with partially purified enzyme preparations, DAPA was a potent inhibitor of butyrylcholinesterase (IC50 = 2 x 10(-7) M) but not of acetylcholinesterase (IC50 = 4 x 10(-4) M). For a detailed study of the effects of DAPA on butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), the enzyme was purified to homogeneity from horse serum, with the aid of affinity chromatography on N-methyl acridinium. The kinetics of the inhibition o...
Broström H, Hellström U, Hammarström S, Obel N, Perlmann P.Untreated and neuraminidase-treated equine peripheral blood lymphocytes were analysed for binding of the A hemagglutinin of the snail Helix pomatia (HP). For optimal staining by direct immunofluorescence, the concentration of neuraminidase had to be increased as compared to that needed for other species. Moreover, higher concentrations of HP were required for optimal staining of equine lymphocytes as compared to lymphocytes from other species. Even so, the maximal number of equine lymphocytes exhibiting positive staining was only about 20%. No, or very few, HP-positive lymphocytes were seen wh...
Cerva L, Cerná Z.A description is given of the preparation of antigen from Sarcocystis dispersa cystozoites and the procedure of the indirect haemagglutination test (IHA). The antibodies against this antigen were detected in experimentally infected mice from day 20 p.i. (1: 640). In the following weeks the antibody titres reached the value of 1: 40,960. The sera of pigs, sheep and horses spontaneously infected with other Sarcocystis species reacted with this antigen in low titres only. The bovine sera gave negative reactions even in cases when Sarcocystis cysts were present in the muscles of the examined anima...
