Disease etiology in horses refers to the study of the causes and development of diseases within equine populations. It encompasses various factors, including genetic predisposition, environmental influences, infectious agents, and nutritional imbalances, that contribute to the onset and progression of diseases in horses. Understanding disease etiology is essential for identifying risk factors and implementing preventative measures in equine health management. This topic includes research on pathogen-host interactions, the impact of management practices on disease incidence, and the role of genetic and environmental factors in disease susceptibility. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, contributing factors, and implications of disease etiology in horses.
Leise BS, Faleiros RR, Watts M, Johnson PJ, Black SJ, Belknap JK.A significant proinflammatory response is known to occur in the forelimb lamina after carbohydrate administration. As the hindlimbs are often less affected by laminitis compared with the forelimbs, we assessed hindlimb inflammatory response in the early stages of carbohydrate-induced laminitis to determine whether differences in the response existed. Objective: To determine whether a similar proinflammatory response occurs in the hindlimb laminae to that previously reported for the forelimb. Methods: Archived laminar samples from 12 horses administered 17.6 g of starch (85% corn starch, 15% wo...
de Laat MA, Kyaw-Tanner MT, Sillence MN, McGowan CM, Pollitt CC.Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer, inflammatory conditions and diabetic complications. An interaction of AGEs with their receptor (RAGE) results in increased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing damage to susceptible tissues. Laminitis, a debilitating foot condition of horses, occurs in association with endocrine dysfunction and the potential involvement of AGE and RAGE in the pathogenesis of the disease has not been previously investigated. Glucose transport in lamellar tissue is thought to be l...
Scacchia M, Cammà C, Di Francesco G, Di Provvido A, Giunta R, Luciani M, Marino AM, Pascucci I, Caporale V.In May 2011, dourine was reported in Italy following the declaration of a positive result observed in a stallion undergoing routine testing for stud purposes. Clinical signs, anatomo-histopathological findings and laboratory results that resulted in the confirmation of diagnosis of dourine in a clinically affected mare, which was the likely source of infection in the stallion, are described.
Wijnberg ID, Owczarek-Lipska M, Sacchetto R, Mascarello F, Pascoli F, Grünberg W, van der Kolk JH, Drögemüller C.A 7-month-old New Forest foal presented for episodes of recumbency and stiffness with myotonic discharges on electromyography. The observed phenotype resembled congenital myotonia caused by CLCN1 mutations in goats and humans. Mutation of the CLCN1 gene was considered as possible cause and mutation analysis was performed. The affected foal was homozygous for a missense mutation (c.1775A>C, p.D592A) located in a well conserved domain of the CLCN1 gene. The mutation showed a recessive mode of inheritance within the reported pony family. Therefore, this CLCN1 polymorphism is considered to be a...
Aleman M, Pickles KJ, Simonek G, Madigan JE.Trigeminal neuralgia or neuropathic pain has been regarded as a putative cause of idiopathic headshaking in horses. Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection and resultant postherpetic pain have been suggested as a possible cause of such neuropathic pain. Objective: To determine the presence of EHV-1 in the trigeminal ganglia of horses with idiopathic headshaking. Methods: Nineteen horses: control (n = 11, 9 geldings, 2 mares, median age 11 years) and headshaking (n = 8, all geldings, median age 11.5 years) horses were sourced from the equine research herd and caseload at the Veterinary Medical T...
Madani H, Casal J, Alba A, Allepuz A, Cêtre-Sossah C, Hafsi L, Kount-Chareb H, Bouayed-Chaouach N, Saadaoui H, Napp S.Antibodies against bluetongue virus were detected in cattle, sheep, goats, and camels in Algeria in 2008. Antibodies against epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus were detected in cattle, but antibodies against African horse sickness virus were not detected in horses and mules. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease in northern Africa poses a major risk for the European Union.
Oura CA, Batten CA, Ivens PA, Balcha M, Alhassan A, Gizaw D, Elharrak M, Jallow DB, Sahle M, Maan N, Mertens PC, Maan S.Prior to the recent outbreak of equine encephalosis in Israel in 2009, equine encephalosis virus (EEV) had only been isolated from equids in South Africa. In this study we show the first evidence for the circulation of EEV beyond South Africa in Ethiopia, Ghana and The Gambia, indicating that EEV is likely to be freely circulating and endemic in East and West Africa. Sequence analysis revealed that the EEV isolate circulating in The Gambia was closely related to an EEV isolate that was isolated from a horse from Israel during the EEV outbreak in 2009, indicating that the two viruses have a com...
Lacombe VA, Mayes M, Mosseri S, Reed SM, Fenner WR, Ou HT.In contrast with reports in man and small animals, a systematic classification of seizures in horses is lacking. Objective: The purpose of this study was to classify seizures based on their aetiology and to characterise epilepsy in 104 horses presented for seizures at the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center between 1988 and 2009. Methods: In a retrospective observational study, seizures were classified by aetiology based on history, clinical observations, diagnostic investigations (e.g. electroencephalograms, cerebrospinal fluid and computed tomography imaging of the head) and post...
Fowlie JG, Arnoczky SP, Lavagnino M, Stick JA.To identify potential functional-anatomical characteristics of the cranial horn attachment of the medial meniscus (MM) that may help explain the pathogenesis of the common tear patterns that have been reported. Objective: Full extension of the stifle generates a significant increase in tensile forces within the cranial meniscotibial ligament (CrMTL) of the MM, which may predispose this structure to injury. Methods: The effect of femorotibial angle (160°, 150°, 140° and 130°) on tensile forces in the axial and abaxial components of the CrMTL was examined in 6 mature cadaver stifles using an...
Field H, de Jong C, Melville D, Smith C, Smith I, Broos A, Kung YH, McLaughlin A, Zeddeman A.Hendra virus is a recently emerged zoonotic agent in Australia. Since first described in 1994, the virus has spilled from its wildlife reservoir (pteropid fruit bats, or 'flying foxes') on multiple occasions causing equine and human fatalities. We undertook a three-year longitudinal study to detect virus in the urine of free-living flying foxes (a putative route of excretion) to investigate Hendra virus infection dynamics. Pooled urine samples collected off plastic sheets placed beneath roosting flying foxes were screened for Hendra virus genome by quantitative RT-PCR, using a set of primers a...
Panzani S, Comin A, Galeati G, Romano G, Villani M, Faustini M, Veronesi MC.Thyroid hormones, insulin growth factor I (IGF-I) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) represent important hormonal and metabolic factors associated with perinatal growth and maturation. Their action could be influenced by the type of parturition and the health status of the foal and therefore the aim of this work is to evaluate their plasma concentrations in newborn foals during the first 2 wks of life. Three groups of subjects were enrolled: 15 healthy foals born by spontaneous parturition, 24 healthy foals born by induced parturition and 26 pathologic foals. From each of the healthy foals,...
Hertsch B, Teschner D.Objective of the study was to investigate whether a correlation between rotation and/or sinking of the third phalanx (P3) and changes of horn growth on the hoof wall exists. Methods: In 117 hooves of euthanatized or slaughtered horses with chronic laminitis the rotating angle to palmar/plantar and medial/lateral and a sinking of P3 were assessed on radiographs. Defined distances were measured on the dorsal hoof wall as well as in the heel to assess the horn growth of a hoof. On the basis of saw cuts of the hooves, the course of the horn tubes was judged. Results: A rotation angle of approximat...
Dicht S, Del Chicca F, Fürst A.Ectopic teeth occur because of failure of the first branchial cleft to close during development and are found mostly in young horses. Such dentigerous cysts are often located at the base of the ear, forming a notable swelling with a fistula, as it was the case with the two year old Iceland mare «Runa». In order to confirm the diagnosis, x-ray images were taken, which is also necessary to locate the ectopic tooth correctly. While operating, the whole cystic membrane should be removed and it is important to prevent adjacent nerves and blood vessels from damage. Prognosis for complete healing a...
Wobeser BK, Hill JE, Jackson ML, Kidney BA, Mayer MN, Townsend HG, Allen AL.Equine sarcoids are the most common tumor of horses. Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) has been suggested as the cause of sarcoids. Studies have shown that BPV is present in swabs or biopsies from nonsarcoid-bearing equine skin. Skin biopsies from a variety of different conditions and normal skin from horses with no reported history of sarcoids were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of BPV, which was found in all different types of skin conditions as well as normal skin. Forty-one out of 86 skin biopsies from horses without sarcoids were found to contain BPV DNA. Laser mic...
Lillich JD, Ray-Miller W, Silver KS, Davis EG, Schultz BD.To determine hyaluronan concentrations in peritoneal fluid from healthy horses and horses with sudden signs of severe abdominal pain and to identify the cellular sources of hyaluronan within the peritoneal cavity. Methods: 7 client-owned horses that were evaluated for sudden signs of severe abdominal pain, 6 healthy teaching horses, and 13 euthanized horses (11 with no abdominal disease and 2 that had undergone abdominal surgery 2 weeks previously for a different study). Methods: Abdominal fluid was collected from the client-owned and teaching horses. Hyaluronan concentrations were determined ...
Suagee JK, Corl BA, Swyers KL, Smith TL, Flinn CD, Geor RJ.High glycaemic feeds are associated with the development of insulin resistance in horses. However, studies that evaluated the effect of high glycaemic feeds used horses that either ranged in body condition from lean to obese or were fed to increase body condition over a period of months; thus, the ability of high glycaemic feeds to induce insulin resistance in lean horses has not been determined. This study evaluated the insulin sensitivity of 18 lean horses fed a 10% (LO; n = 6), 20% (MED; n = 6) or 60% (HI; n = 6) non-structural carbohydrate complementary feed for 90 days. Alth...
Schwarz B, Brunthaler R, Hahn C, van den Hoven R.Equine grass sickness (EGS) occurs mainly in Great Britain, but has once been reported in Hungary. The stud which was affected by EGS in 2001 had no new cases until 2009/10, when 11 of 60 and five of 12 one- to three-year-old colts died or were euthanased due to EGS. Following a few hours in the high-risk field during the winter of 2010/11 further four cases of acute EGS were noted among these horses. The affected horses showed somewhat different clinical signs compared with the cases reported in Great Britain. Histopathological findings in these horses were consistent with EGS. In most examin...
Gardner RB.Evaluation and management of recumbent horses are challenging. Familiarity with disorders that can result in recumbency will facilitate more rapid diagnosis and more appropriate formulation of a prognosis. With rapid and appropriate diagnosis, appropriate treatment can be pursued and, with good nursing care, can result in a favorable outcome.
Capomaccio S, Cappelli K, Cook RF, Nardi F, Gifford R, Marenzoni ML, Passamonti F.Equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) is classified within the Retroviridae and, like other lentivirus, has the propensity for considerable antigenic variation. An extensive phylogenetic analysis in Bayesian fashion, with significant amounts of new EIAV gag sequence information, revealed a strong geographic compartmentalization clearly related to the phylogeographic history of modern horses, pointing out that New World EIAV strains form a distinct group with a potentially common origin. This evidence suggests that a single founder event may have occurred during the reintroduction of horses to...
Borges AS, Watanabe MJ.The close relationship between guttural pouches, cranial nerves, and sympathetic structures make neurologic abnormalities due to diseases of the guttural pouches (especially mycosis) possible. Recognition of epistaxis or mucopurulent nasal discharge, together with signs of dysfunction of the cranial nerves in contact with the guttural pouches, are important key points in order to consider a comprehensive evaluation of these structures and further definitive diagnosis. Diseases of the guttural pouches can also cause signs such as dysphagia, abnormal soft palate positioning, laryngeal paralysis,...
Wylie CE, Collins SN, Verheyen KL, Newton JR.Epidemiological studies into the risk factors for naturally-occurring equine laminitis are limited. There are a small number of such studies, although the results are inconsistent and remain disputed. The reasons for the conflicting results remain unclear. The aim of this review was to critically evaluate previous research in order to identify publications which provide the best evidence of risk factors for naturally-occurring equine laminitis. A systematic review of English language publications was conducted using MEDLINE (1950-2010), CAB Direct (1910-2010) and IVIS (1997-2010). Additional p...
Finno CJ, Higgins RJ, Aleman M, Ofri R, Hollingsworth SR, Bannasch DL, Reilly CM, Madigan JE.Equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) is a neurodegenerative disorder that has been previously associated with low vitamin E concentrations. Objective: To describe the clinical, electrophysiologic, and pathologic features of EDM in a group of related Lusitano horses. Methods: Fifteen Lusitano horses. Methods: Neurologic examinations were conducted, and serum vitamin E concentrations were measured. Three neurologically abnormal horses were further evaluated by ophthalmologic examination, electroretinography, electroencephalography, muscle and nerve biopsies, and post-mortem examination....
Kikuchi N, Iguchi I, Hiramune T.A survey of K. pneumoniae was performed on cervical swabs, feces and nasal swabs of mares and on samples from the genital tract of stallions from 1980 to 1986 in south-western Hokkaido, Japan. K1 was the predominant type (79 of 88, 89.8%) in the metritis cases due to K. pneumoniae in mares of racing breeds. The same type was isolated from semen and swabs of the fossa glandis of 6 of 20 (30.0%) of the stallions of racing breeds. Heavily encapsulated and less heavily encapsulated K1 strains were isolated from the stallions. Mares bred to stallions carrying heavily encapsulated strains developed ...
MacKay RJ.After inflammation is initiated by detection of antigen, plasma components and activated leukocytes are concentrated at the inflammatory site. Cellular and chemical effectors of inflammation are focused on the offending antigen, usually resulting in its destruction and elimination. Activation of endogenous counter-regulatory systems damps down the inflammatory process and is the first stage of repair. In addition to local effects, the inflammatory focus may initiate a continuum of systemic acute phase responses ranging from the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to generalized immu...
Neto AC, Ball BA, Browne P, Conley AJ.Elevated blood testosterone concentrations, often accompanied by male-typical behaviors, is a common signalment of mares with granulosa-theca cell tumors (GCTCs), but no definitive information exists regarding the cellular differentiation of tumors associated with androgen secretion. This study was conducted to localize and thereby define the cellular expression of 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase cytochrome P450 (P450c17), the enzyme most directly responsible for androgen synthesis, in 30 GTCTs and control tissues (gonads and adrenal glands) using immuno-histochemistry (IHC). Immuno-reactivity...
Grewar JD, Thompson PN, Lourens CW, Guthrie AJ.Thoroughbred foal body temperature data were collected from shortly after birth until shortly after weaning during the 2007/2008 season on a stud farm in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Equine encephalosis (EE) caused by EE virus (EEV) serotype 4 (EEV-4) occurred in the foal group during the first autumn after their birth (March and April 2008). A descriptive study was undertaken to provide data on the EEV maternal antibody status, the association between pyrexia and EEV infection, and the incidence of infection amongst the foals prior to and during the episode. This included the fr...
Schmidt GM, Krehbiel JD, Coley SC, Leid RW.Nuchal ligaments from midwestern U.S. horses infected with adult Onchocerca sp. were studied. The prevalence of Onchocerca sp. infection in horses increased with age. Ten percent of horses less than one year old were infected, 28% of horses one to five years old, 48% of horses six to 15 years old, and 90% of horses over 16 years old. Lesions in Onchocerca sp.-infected nuchal ligaments varied with age of the horse. Horses less than five years old had few or no lesions, whereas most horses six to 15 years old had focal mineralization and granuloma formation around adult worms. In infected nuchal...
Barba M, Daly JM.Equine influenza virus remains a serious health and potential economic problem throughout most parts of the world, despite intensive vaccination programs in some horse populations. The influenza non-structural protein 1 (NS1) has multiple functions involved in the regulation of several cellular and viral processes during influenza infection. We review the strategies that NS1 uses to facilitate virus replication and inhibit antiviral responses in the host, including sequestering of double-stranded RNA, direct modulation of protein kinase R activity and inhibition of transcription and translatio...
Alves RM, van Rensburg LJ, van Wyk JA.The faeces of 11 horses were examined for Fasciola spp. eggs. One of them was positive for Fasciola hepatica, a finding which was confirmed post-mortem. The 10 negative horses were subsequently infested with either F. hepatica or Fasciola gigantica, each animal receiving orally from 500-9,500 metacercariae. No clinical signs were observed and no fluke eggs were detected in the faeces, and neither immature nor adult Fasciola worms were recovered from the horses slaughtered 16-26 weeks post-infestation with F. hepatica and 28-34 weeks post-infestation with F. gigantica, respectively. The results...
Brys M, Claerebout E, Chiers K.Chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL) in draft horses is characterized by increased dermal thickness and fibrosis, with the development of skinfolds and nodules, hyperkeratosis, and ulcerations on the distal limbs of affected horses. Secondary bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infections frequently complicate and aggravate the lesions, as well as the progression of this disease. CPL has a particularly high prevalence of up to 85.86% in the Belgian draft horse breed. Due to the disease's progressive and incurable nature, affected horses are often euthanized prematurely. The treatment options are s...
Becht JL, Byars TD.Gastroduodenal ulceration is becoming recognised as an important disease in foals during the first few months of life. Aetiopathogenesis is presumed to be similar to peptic disease in humans associated with back diffusion of hydrogen ions into the mucosa. Many factors have been incriminated as predisposing foals to ulceration but few have been proven. To date, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents has been the only documented cause of gastroduodenal ulceration in foals. The clustering of affected foals on certain farms suggests an infectious aetiology but attempts to identify a causati...
Young BD, Samii VF, Mattoon JS, Weisbrode SE, Bertone AL.To evaluate and correlate patterns of subchondral bone density and articular cartilage degeneration (derived by use of gross, histologic, and computed tomographic [CT] examinations) in equine third metacarpal condyles with and without osteoarthritis. Methods: 8 metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints (n = 4 horses) without osteoarthritis and 6 osteoarthritis-affected MCP joints (4). Methods: Horses were euthanized. The third metacarpal condyles of the joints were examined grossly and via CT (3 slice images/condyle). For 6 condylar zones, mean bone density and pattern of density distribution were dete...
Isgren CM, Salem SE, Townsend NB, Timofte D, Maddox TW, Archer DC.There is limited information about bacterial isolates that are present on the equine midline incision during and following exploratory laparotomy. Objective: To investigate the bacterial species cultured from the ventral midline pre-, intra- and post- laparotomy, whether particular bacterial isolates are associated with the development of surgical site infections (SSIs) and to report the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of these isolates. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods: The ventral midline of 31 horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy was sampled for bacterial culture at set ti...
Medina-Torres CE, van Eps AW, Nielsen LK, Hodson MP.Lamellar bioenergetic failure is thought to contribute to laminitis pathogenesis but current knowledge of lamellar bioenergetic physiology is limited. Metabolomic analysis (MA) can systematically profile multiple metabolites. Applied to lamellar microdialysis samples (dialysate), lamellar bioenergetic changes during laminitis (the laminitis metabolome) can be characterised. The objectives of this study were to develop a technique for targeted MA of lamellar and skin dialysates in normal horses, and to compare the lamellar and plasma metabolomic profiles of normal horses with those from horses ...
Meireles MC, Corrêa B, Fischman O, Gambale W, Paula CR, Chacon-Reche NO, Pozzi CR.The mycoflora of 39 feed samples associated with 29 Equine Leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) outbreaks was studied from 1988 to 1990, in Brazil. Microbiological examination indicated Fusarium spp. as the most frequent mold which occurred in 97.4% of samples followed by Penicillium spp. in 61.5% and Aspergillus spp. in 35.9%. The moisture content of feed implicated in death of horses was above 15% which can favor the development of Fusarium spp. From the genus, F. moniliforme was the predominant species with an occurrence of 82.0%. Two additional species, not commonly associated with animal toxicosi...
Kullmann A, Weber PS, Bishop JB, Roux TM, Norby B, Burns TA, McCutcheon LJ, Belknap JK, Geor RJ.Hyperinsulinaemia is implicated in the pathogenesis of endocrinopathic laminitis. Insulin can bind to different receptors: two insulin receptor isoforms (InsR-A and InsR-B), insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and InsR/IGF-1R hybrid receptor (Hybrid). Currently, mRNA expression of these receptors in equine tissues and the influence of body type and dietary carbohydrate intake on expression of these receptors is not known. Objective: The study objectives were to characterise InsR-A, InsR-B, IGF-1R and Hybrid expression in lamellar tissue (LT) and insulin responsive tissues from horse...
O'Sullivan BM.The clinical signs and pathology of 6 field cases of a respiratory disease of horses which occurs in the coastal hinterland of south-eastern Queensland are described. The condition has occurred for many years and has been thought to have been associated with ingestion of Crofton weed (Eupatorium adenophorum). Coughing, rapid heaving respiration, decreased exercise tolerance and loss of condition were seen in affected horses. In longstanding cases fibrosis, alveolar lining cell proliferation, oedema, neutrophil infiltration and abscessation were seen. In some cases vascular thrombosis and infar...
Lowe RC.Uveitis in the equine population of the UK does not appear to be as prevalent or disastrous as seen across regions of Europe and the USA. Some cases perceived to be recurrent uveitis may be poorly resolved single episodes of uveitis and care should be taken not to make the diagnosis of recurrence without ensuring effective control of the initial episode. Leptospira spp. appear to play only a minor role ERU in the UK which is probably the main reason for the prevalence of the disease being much lower compared to the USA and mainland Europe. Actual data are relatively few on the ground as far as...
Orsini JA, Parsons CS, Capewell L, Smith G.This retrospective study investigated the factors associated with a poor outcome (death by euthanasia or from other causes) in horses treated for laminitis at a tertiary care hospital. Cases (n = 247) were defined as patients with laminitis that were euthanized or that died of other causes during hospitalization. Controls (n = 344) were patients with laminitis that survived to be discharged from the hospital. In the final multivariate analysis, the factors significantly associated with an increased risk for death and their respective odds ratios (OR) were as follows: Thoroughbred (OR = 1.57); ...
Gahan J, Garvey M, Gildea S, Gür E, Kagankaya A, Cullinane A.In 2013, there was an outbreak of acute respiratory disease in racehorses in Turkey. The clinical signs were consistent with equine influenza (EI). The aim was to confirm the cause of the outbreak and characterise the causal virus. A pan-reactive influenza type A real-time RT-PCR and a rapid antigen detection kit were used for confirmatory diagnosis of equine influenza virus (EIV). Immunological susceptibility to EIV was examined using single radial haemolysis and ELISA. Antigenic characterisation was completed by haemagglutinin inhibition using a panel of specific ferret antisera. Genetic cha...
Schoon HA, Wiegandt I, Schoon D, Aupperle H, Bartmann CP.Different types of endometrial maldifferentiation were investigated by histopathological (haematoxylin-eosin (HE), periodic acid Schiff-alcian blue and picro-sirius red staining) and immunohistological (oestrogen and progesterone receptors, Ki-67 antigen, intermediate filaments and laminin) analysis of endometrial biopsy specimens from mares (n=34), most of which had been barren for at least 1 year. Two major features were observed: (i) unequal differentiation, in which two functional stages are visible within a single biopsy sample: areas which are differentiated in accordance with the stage ...
Keller MD, Pollitt CC, Marx UC.NMR-metabonomics is an unbiased evaluation method, which allows to comprehensively study changes of the equine metabolic profile in early time point laminitis. This might give insight into the early stages of disease development. Objective: To detect hitherto unknown changes in blood metabolites during the development of oligofructose-induced laminitis by comparing pre- and post induction blood samples. Methods: Prior to laminitis induction blood was sampled to establish control values. Post oligofructose administration (POA) blood was collected every 3 h for 24 h. One-dimensional (1) H-NMR sp...
Wobeser BK, Hill JE, Jackson ML, Kidney BA, Mayer MN, Townsend HG, Allen AL.Equine sarcoids are the most common tumor of horses. Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) has been suggested as the cause of sarcoids. Studies have shown that BPV is present in swabs or biopsies from nonsarcoid-bearing equine skin. Skin biopsies from a variety of different conditions and normal skin from horses with no reported history of sarcoids were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of BPV, which was found in all different types of skin conditions as well as normal skin. Forty-one out of 86 skin biopsies from horses without sarcoids were found to contain BPV DNA. Laser mic...
El-Sheikh Ali H, Loux SC, Kennedy L, Scoggin KE, Dini P, Fedorka CE, Kalbfleisch TS, Esteller-Vico A, Horohov DW, Erol E, Carter CN, Smith JL, Ball BA.Nocardioform placentitis (NP) continues to result in episodic outbreaks of abortion and preterm birth in mares and remains a poorly understood disease. The objective of this study was to characterize the transcriptome of the chorioallantois (CA) of mares with NP. The CA were collected from mares with confirmed NP based upon histopathology, microbiological culture and PCR for Amycolatopsis spp. Samples were collected from the margin of the NP lesion (NPL, n = 4) and grossly normal region (NPN, n = 4). Additionally, CA samples were collected from normal postpartum mares (Control; CRL, nâ...
Arroyo LG, Gomez DE, Martins C.Duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ) is an inflammatory process of the proximal part of the small intestine and occurs sporadically in horses. It is clinically characterized by an acute onset of ileus and nasogastric reflux leading to systemic signs of toxemia. This review discusses the definition of the disease, potential etiologic agents, clinical findings, epidemiological features, histopathologic and clinico-pathological findings, and medical management of this condition. spp., mycotoxins, and have all been associated with the disease but there is limited supporting evidence for any agen...
Andersen MS, Clark L, Dyson SJ, Newton JR.Post anaesthetic colic is a recognised risk of general anaesthesia (GA), but causes are poorly understood. Objective: To identify risk factors for development of colic following GA for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or nonabdominal surgery and to test whether the use of perianaesthetic morphine was associated with an increased risk of post anaesthetic colic. Methods: A total of 553 anaesthetic and clinical records of 500 horses anaesthetised at the Animal Health Trust were analysed, 342 (62%) involved MRI and 211 (38%) nonabdominal, predominantly orthopaedic surgery. Multivariable logistic r...
Hassel DM, Aldridge BM, Drake CM, Snyder JR.Enteroliths are intestinal calculi that result in intestinal obstruction and colic in horses. Equine enterolithiasis occurs worldwide, but the disease is particularly prevalent in some geographic locations, including California. The objectives of this study were to evaluate dietary and environmental risk factors for the disease. This was accomplished through a case-control study by comparing horses with colic from enterolithiasis presenting to the University of California, Davis VMTH, to horses with colic of other causes. Data were collected on 61 horses with enterolithiasis and 75 controls vi...
Beadle RE, Horohov DW, Gaunt SD.We hypothesised that horses affected with summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD) react to an allergen or allergens in their summer environment that is either absent or present at lower levels in their winter environment; and that such allergens stimulate SPAOPD-affected horses to produce a different T helper lymphocyte cytokine profile from that of control horses. The primary objective of this study was to determine the cytokine mRNA profile of T helper lymphocytes obtained from summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD) affected horses when 1) t...
Dini P, Carossino M, Balasuriya UBR, El-Sheikh Ali H, Loux SC, Esteller-Vico A, Scoggin KE, Loynachan AT, Kalbfleisch T, De Spiegelaere W, Daels P....RTL1 (retrotransposon Gag-like 1) is an essential gene in the development of the human and murine placenta. Several fetal and placental abnormalities such as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and hydrops conditions have been associated with altered expression of this gene. However, the function of RTL1 has not been identified. RTL1 is located on a highly conserved region in eutherian mammals. Therefore, the genetic and molecular analysis in horses could hold important implications for other species, including humans. Here, we demonstrated that RTL1 is paternally expressed and is localized...
Levet T, Martens A, Devisscher L, Duchateau L, Bogaert L, Vlaminck L.There is a lack of evidence-based data on the prevalence, outcome and risk factors of distal limb cast sores, and no objective tool has been described for the early detection of cast sores. Objective: To investigate the prevalence, location, outcome and risk factors of cast sores after application of a distal limb cast and to determine whether static thermography of the cast is a valuable tool for the assessment of sores. Methods: A prospective study was conducted on horses treated with a distal limb cast. At each cast removal, cast sores were graded as superficial sores (SS), deep dermal sore...
