Disease management in horses encompasses the strategies and practices employed to prevent, control, and treat diseases affecting equine populations. This field involves understanding the etiology, transmission, and clinical presentation of various equine diseases, as well as implementing biosecurity measures and therapeutic interventions. Common diseases in horses include equine influenza, strangles, and equine herpesvirus. Effective disease management relies on accurate diagnosis, vaccination protocols, and the use of antimicrobials and other treatments. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, challenges, and advancements in managing diseases in equine health.
Parente A, Geburek F, Kästner S, Iversen C, Hopster K.Orotracheal intubation is commonly performed for inhalation anaesthesia in horses to ensure safe and reliable administration of volatile anaesthetics and to secure the airways. In human and equine medicine, the occurrence of intubation-associated complications has been described, which can range from mild mucosal irritation to severe necrosis. However, there are only sparse descriptions of mucosal alterations and the course of healing after elective surgery in horses. Objective: To investigate the prevalence and severity of tracheal lesions following endotracheal intubation associated with gen...
Primo ALM, Assis DM, Santos VGS, de Melo LRB, da Nóbrega LD, Medeiros Dantas AF, Maciel TA.Cerebellar abiotrophy is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, resulting in premature neuronal death. In horses, its occurrence has been reported mainly in the Arabian breed as a congenital mutation inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. The objective of this study was to describe the case of cerebellar abiotrophy in a Quarter Horse foal. An 8-day-old foal was treated after presenting signs of ataxia, hypermetria, difficulty maintaining a standing position, and decreased menace response. The foal was hospitalized for 26 days, received treatment wit...
Poizat E, Gérard M, Macaire C, De Azevedo E, Denoix JM, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Bertoni L, Tallaj A, Audigié F, Hatrisse C, Hébert C, Martin P....Lameness detection in horses is a critical challenge in equine veterinary practice, particularly when symptoms are mild. This study aimed to develop a predictive system using a support vector machine (SVM) to identify the affected limb in horses trotting in a straight line. The system analyzed data from inertial measurement units (IMUs) placed on the horse's head, withers, and pelvis, using variables such as vertical displacement and retraction angles. A total of 287 horses were included, with 256 showing single-limb lameness and 31 classified as sound. The model achieved an overall accuracy o...
Simões BP, Cerri FM, Takahira RK, Borges AS, Oliveira-Filho JP, Amorim RM.Chlorfenapyr is a pesticide that interferes with mitochondrial function, leading to cell death and mortality. Although poisoning is primarily documented in humans and dogs, it can result in severe clinical signs, including sweating, respiratory distress, and neurological dysfunction. This report describes the clinical and laboratory findings of a horse with suspected accidental intoxication with chlorfenapyr. A 4-year-old Quarter Horse mare was referred to the veterinary hospital with signs of excessive sweating, hyperthermia, tachypnea, muscle fasciculation, and fearful facial expression. The...
Noh H, Cho HU, Kim SH.The genus is widely distributed and includes species with ecological and biotechnological importance. In this study, morphological and phylogenetic analyses of the ITS and LSU rDNA sequences revealed two novel species, sp. nov. and sp. nov., as well as one previously unrecorded species in Korea, , from horse dung collected in Seopjikoji, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. sp. nov. is unique in producing conidia from conidiomata instead of teleomorphic structures, a feature not observed in any other known species of the genus. sp. nov. is morphologically distinguished by the absence of a nec...
Finno CJ, Rogers SL, Donnelly CG, Affolter VK, Woolard K, Miller AD, Bellone RR, Petersen JL.Equine spinal neurodegenerative conditions are frequently encountered in sport and racing horses and may be career-ending diagnoses. To further define the spatial transcriptomic landscape of equine dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in healthy adult horses, we investigated gene expression differences in distinct DRG regions using the GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling from NanoString. Four human cell markers demonstrated high fidelity for equine cells; microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), myelin basic protein (MBP), allograft inflammatory 104 factor 1/ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA1/A...
Tretow M, Hain AM, Bienert-Zeit A.Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a widespread dental disease with an unknown aetiology, mainly affecting the incisors and canine teeth of senior horses. Being clinically asymptomatic in early stages but progressively destructive and painful in many cases highlights the need for improvements in early diagnosis of EOTRH. This study describes how clinical and radiological findings correlate with distinguishing EOTRH-specific symptoms from non-specific findings. Clinical and radiographic examinations of the rostral oral cavity were performed in 154 Icelandic hor...
Firshman AM, Valberg SJ.Type 1 Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM1) is an autosomal dominant glycogen storage disorder affecting more than 20 breeds of horses that can present with a variety of signs, including exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER). It is diagnosed by genetic testing or muscle biopsies containing muscle fibers with abnormal amylase-resistant polysaccharide. Type 2 PSSM has recently been subdivided. PSSM2-ER is a glycogen storage disorder identified in Quarter Horses that causes ER and is diagnosed by muscle biopsy as its genetic basis is unknown. Both PSSM1 and PSSM2-ER respond well to a low nonstructura...
McKenzie E.The equine muscle system is complex and prone to a large range of hereditary and acquired diseases that often have overlapping clinical signs with orthopedic, neurologic, and other disorders. Obtaining a clinical history that fully outlines the client concerns and any known information about the disorder and following with a comprehensive physical examination and screening clinical pathology tests are fundamental to achieve definitive diagnosis. A methodical and comprehensive approach aids accurate diagnosis and development of an optimal treatment and management plan. This article describes th...
Rivera Maza S, Bishop RC, Austin SM, Foreman JH, Wilkins PA.Meconium impaction/retention is a significant cause of colic in foals. Historically, limitations of both medical and surgical treatment are noted. Outcomes of meconium impaction/retention have not recently been reported. Unassigned: To describe case characteristics and outcomes in foals with meconium impaction/retention. Unassigned: Retrospective, single referral hospital. Unassigned: Medical records from 2006 to 2024 were searched for foals ≤3 days old with a history of straining to defecate, abdominal distention, colic, weakness and/or tail flagging. Signalment, presenting complaint, treat...
Finno CJ.In the field of equine muscle disorders, many conditions have a genetic basis. Therefore, genetic testing is an important part of the diagnostic evaluation. Validated genetic tests are currently available for 5 equine muscle disorders: hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, malignant hyperthermia, glycogen branching enzyme disease, type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy, and myosin heavy chain myopathy. These diseases should be tested for in the appropriate breeds with clinical signs of disease or as part of breeding management. Genetic testing in veterinary medicine is not regulated, and therefore,...
Valberg SJ, Williams ZJ.Myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) is characterized by segmental disarray of myofibrils and ectopic accumulation of a protein called desmin. Previously thought to be a glycogen storage disease, MFM is now recognized as a stand-alone myopathy. Endurance Arabians with MFM usually present with exertional rhabdomyolysis (MFM-ER) at the end of races, elevated serum muscle enzymes, and myoglobinuria. Warmblood horses with MFM (MFM-WB) usually present with pain-associated behaviors such as exercise intolerance, reluctance to engage hind quarter muscles, shifting lameness and normal serum muscle enzymes. Bot...
Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Boklund A, Dippel S, Dorea F, Figuerola J, Herskin M, Miranda Chueca MA, Nannoni E, Nonno R, Riber A, Stahl K, Stegeman JA....Horses of different ages may have to be killed on-farm for purposes other than slaughter (where slaughter is defined as killing for human consumption) either individually (i.e. on-farm killing of unproductive, injured or terminally ill animals) or on a large-scale (i.e. depopulation for disease control purposes and other situations, such as environmental contamination, disaster management, etc.). The purpose of this opinion is to assess the hazards and welfare consequences associated with the on-farm killing of horses. The killing procedure is divided into Phase 1 (pre-killing), which includes...
Flood JA, Collins NM, Russell CM, Cuming RS, Carrick JB, Cudmore LA.Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals. Administration of appropriate antimicrobials and early aggressive supportive treatment is central to the efficacious treatment of neonatal sepsis and has proven to positively influence outcomes. The primary aim of our study was to evaluate microorganism results and antimicrobial sensitivities of neonatal foals with a positive blood culture submitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) during 2005-2022. The secondary aim was to compare the results to those of a similar previous study performed at the same ICU during 1999-2004....
Aleman M.Muscle disease has various clinical manifestations that range from exertional and non-exertional rhabdomyolysis, fasciculations, weakness, rigidity, stiffness, gait abnormalities, poor performance, and alterations in muscle mass and tone. Neurogenic disorders and non-neurogenic disorders such as primary muscle disease can cause muscle atrophy and changes in muscle tone. Myotonic disorders can have a genetic (eg, inherited channelopathies) or acquired (eg, electrolyte derangements) origin. Normal muscle enzyme activities do not rule out a myopathic disorder as the underlying cause of muscle atr...
Pagan JD, Valberg SJ.Many myopathies in horses can be managed by exercise regimes and dietary modifications. This includes modifying the amount of nonstructural carbohydrate, fat, amino acids, vitamin E, and selenium based on the horse's specific myopathy, metabolic status, exercise program, and optimal body weight. Because dietary recommendations differ substantially between myopathies, it is imperative to establish a specific diagnosis. A nutritionist will help practitioners select from the myriad of offered products to ensure a balanced diet. This article provides detailed recommendations for a variety of myopa...
Wang W, Gibson J, Horsman S, Mikkelsen D, Bertin FR.Altered gut microbiota has been associated with dopaminergic degenerative diseases in people, but studies on horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) are lacking. Objective: Investigate the effect of PPID on fecal microbiota in horses. Methods: Nine horses with PPID and 13 age-matched control horses. Methods: Prospective control study. Fecal samples were collected bimonthly. Microbial analysis used 16S rRNA sequencing to determine the relative abundance at genus and phylum levels, assess alpha and beta diversity and identify core microbiota. Results: Horses with PPID had decrea...
Shi Y, Maga EA, Mienaltowski MJ.Diarrhea is a common disease that could threaten the welfare of newborn foals. While there are several forms of foal diarrhea, the etiologies can be considered known pathogenic or non-pathogenic in nature. Moreover, there are likely differences in the composition of microbial populations in the gastrointestinal tracts of foals depending upon the etiology of diarrhea. Our study aims to examine the microbial population in the feces of foals with both pathogenic and non-pathogenic diarrheas to discern differences in their microbial compositions. Results: Foal diarrhea samples tested positive or n...
Stumpfe MC, Horch RE, Müller-Seubert W.Pressure ulcers are a persistent and growing challenge in modern medicine, with prevalence rates ranging from 3.4% to 32.4% globally. Demographic changes suggest an increasing number of patients at risk, emphasizing the need for effective prevention and advanced treatment strategies. These ulcers, particularly stages III and IV, often require surgical intervention due to severe tissue damage. Among the surgical options, the Posterior Thigh Flap has emerged as a reliable fasciocutaneous flap, frequently referred to as a "work-horse flap", for defect coverage in the ischial region. To improve ou...
Beasley A, Abbas G, Hughes K, El-Hage C, Jacobson C, Bauquier J, Wilkes E, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Hurley J, Beveridge I, Nielsen M, Jabbar A.Over the past few decades, the emergence of resistance amongst intestinal parasites of horses to all available anthelmintic classes has emphasised the need for a paradigm shift in parasite control approaches within the Australian equine industry. Findings of a recent Australia-wide research project have provided new insights into intestinal parasites (i.e. strongyles and ascarids) and parasite control from the perspectives of Australian horse breeders and equine veterinarians. The published data have revealed recent trends in parasite prevalence and distribution, breeders' and veterinarians' a...
Nugent Z, Jensen A, Owen N, Peffers AJ, Moothanchery M, Peffers MJ.Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a painful disorder primarily affecting the incisor teeth of horses over 15 years of age. Clinical signs of the disease include prehension problems, halitosis and in severe cases weight loss. The disease predominately affects the reserve crown and presents as a loss of dental tissue and excessive build-up of cementum. Objective: To determine the radiographic scores of horses with EOTRH and age-matched controls and to increase understanding of EOTRH using microCT to compare teeth from horses with EOTRH and age-matched control...
Parashar B, Malviya R, Sridhar SB, Wadhwa T, Talath S, Shareef J.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a lethal transmitted by mosquitoes that primarily cycles between birds. Although rare, infections in humans and horses are associated with high mortality rates and severe neurological effects. Climate change appears to be increasing the spread of this virus. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of EEEV, including its transmission dynamics, pathogenesis, induced host immune response, and long-term impacts on survivors. It also highlights the virus's unique immune evasion strategies that complicate disease management and contribute to ...
Shinn LT, Wagner CB, Desai R, Marini BL.Horse antithymocyte globulin carries a black box warning for life-threatening anaphylactic reactions, and prescribing information recommends test doses to identify patients at highest risk of this adverse effect. The predictive value of such test doses is not well validated, and practicality of use is unclear. Methods: This was a planned secondary analysis of a multicenter, retrospective cohort study in adults with severe aplastic anemia being managed with horse antithymocyte globulin as part of their treatment regimen. Qualitative and quantitative descriptions of test doses and infusion react...
Morales CJ, Costa LRR.Exercise intolerance, chronic cough, and hyperpnea are the clinical hallmarks of equine asthma. Diagnosis of severe equine asthma in horses is multistep; determination of the phenotype will help guide future recommendations. Management of equine asthma is largely reduction/elimination of triggering agents/conditions. Immunosuppressive therapies and bronchodilators are the mainstay of treatment of equine asthma. Rescue therapy with short-acting bronchodilators is the first goal when managing a horse with hyperpnea. The second goal is to control/reduce inflammation and airway remodeling. Immunos...
Birckhead EM, Raidal SL, Das S, Raidal SR.Sepsis is a main cause of death in neonatal foals. While the syndrome is not completely understood, sepsis is a dysregulated inflammatory response of the host to infection. It can be difficult to diagnose because of varying and non-specific clinical signs and imperfect diagnostic tests. Increased circulating nucleosome levels have been detected in humans and animals with sepsis, but this has not been documented in foals. Nucleosomes are released extracellularly during neutrophil extracellular trap formation, as well as from damaged and dead cells. We analysed plasma samples from clinically hea...
Jensen A, Clarke EJ, Nugent Z, Paice E, Gringel I, Yamamoto K, Rocchigiani G, Peffers AJ, Cooper L, Peffers MJ.Equine dental diseases significantly impact a horse's overall health, performance and quality of life. They can result in secondary infections and digestive disturbances, potentially leading to colic. A recently described disease affecting the incisors of horses is equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH). Understanding EOTRH is crucial for early diagnosis, effective management and prevention of its severe consequences. Objective: To determine proteomic differences in incisor cementum in horses with and without clinical EOTRH. Methods: Comparative and observational cli...
Cetintav B, Yalcin A.Colic is a leading cause of mortality in horses, demanding precise and timely interventions. This study integrates machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to predict survival outcomes in horses with colic, using clinical, procedural, and diagnostic data. Random forest and XGBoost emerged as top-performing models, achieving F1 scores of 85.9% and 86.1%, respectively. SHAP (Shapley additive explanations) was employed to provide interpretable insights, offering both global and local explanations for model predictions. The analysis revealed that key features, such as pulse r...
Albert E, Biksi I, Laczkó L, Miló L, Cseri K, Bőkényné Tóth R, Papp D, Halmay D, Bódai E, Bakos Z.Here we report the isolation of Streptococcus hillyeri from a thoracic sample from a horse. A 17-y-old Hungarian Sport Horse mare was referred to the equine clinic of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Hungary, with suspected pleuritis. Upon arrival, the horse was febrile and had tachycardia, severe inspiratory dyspnea, and tachypnea. Thoracic ultrasonography revealed severe bilateral pleural effusion, and a large area of lung consolidation. After sampling of both hemithoraces, 66 L of turbid exudate were drained. Based on these findings, a tentative diagnosis of septic pleuritis ...
Carvalho Serena G, Marchezan Piva M, Viezzer Bianchi M, Fernandes da Fonseca HC, Chitolina Pupin R, Martins Basso R, Secorun Borges A....In horses, systemic calcinosis is a rare syndrome characterised by muscle lesion associated with the mineralisation of large muscle groups or other organs, in the absence of an alternative cause for the calcification, such as toxic, enzootic or metabolic. Molecular and histopathological aspects of the disease are still poorly elucidated. Objective: To describe the epidemiological, pathological and molecular aspects of systemic calcinosis in a convenience sample of six horses submitted to necropsy in the Southern and Midwestern regions of Brazil. Methods: Retrospective exploratory study. Method...
Styková E, Valocký I, Kačírová J, Fecskeová LK.Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD) is a multifactorial disease with a change in the skin microbiome. The present study monitored the influence of Weissella cibaria Biocenol™ 4/8 D37 CCM 9015 stabilized on alginite on the skin microbiota of healthy horses and model patients with EPD. Based on clinical signs, EPD lesions were identified as exudative or proliferative forms. A comparison of the initial microbial community based on 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between healthy vs. exudative (R = 0.52, p = 0.003) and exudative vs. ...
Cêtre-Sossah C, Baldet T, Delécolle JC, Mathieu B, Perrin A, Grillet C, Albina E.Bluetongue (BT) and African Horse Sickness (AHS) are infectious arthropod-borne viral diseases affecting ruminants and horses, respectively. Culicoides imicola Kieffer, 1913, a biting midge, is the principal vector of these livestock diseases in Africa and Europe. Recently bluetongue disease has re-emerged in the Mediterranean Basin and has had a devastating effect on the sheep industry in Italy and on the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearics, but fortunately, has not penetrated onto mainland France and Spain. To survey for the presence of C. imicola, an extensive light-trap ...
Attoui H, Mohd Jaafar F.Many novel emerging orbiviruses have been isolated in the past 15 years. Important viruses include Peruvian horse sickness virus (PHSV) and Yunnan orbivirus (YUOV), pathogens of equids which were originally isolated almost simultaneously from 1997 to 1999 in the People's Republic of China, Australia and Peru. YUOV has also been isolated from cattle, sheep and a dog. The isolation of YUOVfrom a dog is not the first case of an orbivirus being isolated from a carnivore. Bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus were earlier detected in carnivores which fed on contaminated meat. PHSV and Y...
Wilson WD.Myeloencephalopathy is an uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), but it can cause devastating losses during outbreaks on individual farms. Clinical signs of neurologic disease reflect a diffuse multifocal hemorrhagic myeloencephalopathy secondary to vasculitis and thrombosis. Sudden onset and early stabilization of signs, including ataxia, paresis, and urinary incontinence; involvement of multiple horses on the premises; and recent history of fever, abortion, or viral respiratory disease in the affected horse or herdmates are typical features, although there is considerable va...
Negussie H, Gizaw D, Tessema TS, Nauwynck HJ.Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), it has the potential for causing devastating outbreaks in horses. Up till now, there were no reported EHM outbreaks in donkeys and mules. This study describes the isolation and molecular characterization of EHV-1 from clinically EHM-affected horses (n = 6), mules (n = 3) and donkeys (n = 82) in Ethiopia during outbreaks from May 2011 to December 2013. The incidence of EHM cases was higher from April to mid-June. EHM in donkeys was more severe and deat...
Sears K, Knowles D, Dinkel K, Mshelia PW, Onzere C, Silva M, Fry L.Control of , the primary cause of equine theileriosis, is largely reliant on acaracide use and chemosterilization with imidocarb dipropionate (ID). However, it is currently unknown if ID is effective against , the recently identified second causative agent of equine theileriosis, or if the drug maintains effectiveness against in the presence of co-infection. The purpose of this study was to address these questions using ID treatment of the following three groups of horses: (1) five infected horses; (2) three - infected horses; and (3) three - infected horses. Clearance was first evaluated u...
Bannai H, Nemoto M, Ochi A, Kikuchi T, Kobayashi M, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kondo T.To clarify the factors causing an outbreak in 2014 of Getah virus infection among racehorses at the Miho training center, Japan, we isolated virus strains and performed an epizootiological investigation of affected horses and related horse populations. Three Getah virus isolates were recovered from clinical samples, and one of them (14-I-605) was used in a virus-neutralizing test. Of the affected horses (n = 33), 20 (60.6%) were 2-year-olds. We investigated the histories of Getah virus vaccination of the affected horses and the whole population at the Miho training center. Among the 2-year-old...
Riet-Correa F, Rivero R, Odriozola E, Adrien Mde L, Medeiros RM, Schild AL.In the current study, mycotoxicoses of ruminants and horses are reviewed, with an emphasis on the occurrence of these diseases in South America. The main mycotoxicoses observed in grazing cattle include intoxications by indole-diterpenoid mycotoxins (Paspalum spp. contaminated by Claviceps paspali, Lolium perenne infected by Neotyphodium lolii, Cynodon dactylon infected by Claviceps cynodontis, and Poa huecu), gangrenous ergotism and dysthermic syndrome (hyperthermia) caused by Festuca arundinacea (syn. Festuca elatior) infected by Neotyphodium coenophialum (syn. Acremonium coenophialum), and ...
Nielsen MK, Banahan M, Kaplan RM.Anthelmintic resistance in equine cyathostomins is both widespread and highly prevalent in the benzimidazole and tetrahydropyrimidine classes; however, reports of resistance to macrocyclic lactone (ML) drugs are sparse and sporadic. This study reports a case of clear ML resistance in a group of Thoroughbred yearlings imported from Ireland to the US in 2019. Fecal egg count reduction (FECR) following ivermectin administered in February 2020 demonstrated 100% reduction in the US bred yearlings, but 93.5%, 70.5%, and 74.5% reduction in three groups of the imported yearlings. The two former groups...
Taylor J, Thompson K, Annand EJ, Massey PD, Bennett J, Eden JS, Horsburgh BA, Hodgson E, Wood K, Kerr J, Kirkland P, Finlaison D, Peel AJ, Eby P....In October 2021, the first contemporary detection of Hendra virus genotype 2 (HeV-g2) was made by veterinary priority disease investigation in a horse near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, as part of routine veterinary priority disease surveillance. This discovery followed an update of Hendra virus diagnostic assays following retrospective identification of this variant from 2015 via sentinel emerging infectious disease research, enabling timely detection of this case. The sole infected horse was euthanized in moribund condition. As the southernmost recognised HeV spill-over detection to...
Schaffartzik A, Marti E, Torsteinsdottir S, Mellor PS, Crameri R, Rhyner C.Salivary gland proteins of Culicoides spp. have been suggested to be among the main allergens inducing IgE-mediated insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), an allergic dermatitis of the horse. The aim of our study was to identify, produce and characterize IgE-binding salivary gland proteins of Culicoides nubeculosus relevant for IBH by phage surface display technology. A cDNA library constructed with mRNA derived from C. nubeculosus salivary glands was displayed on the surface of filamentous phage M13 and enriched for clones binding serum IgE of IBH-affected horses. Ten cDNA inserts encoding putat...
There is a paucity of information regarding the association between common disorders and outcome over time in a large population of ill equine neonates. Objective: To describe the relative frequency of neonatal disorders in a large population of foals admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, to determine the disorders and factors associated with nonsurvival and determine if the outcome of ill neonatal foals has improved over time. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Cases were selected from equine neonatal (≤14 days of age) admissions between 1982 and 2008. Multivariable logistic regre...
Cobb R, Boeckh A.This article reviews the current knowledge of the use of moxidectin (MOX) in horses, including its mode of action, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, efficacy, safety and resistance profile.Moxidectin is a second generation macrocyclic lactone (ML) with potent endectocide activity. It is used for parasite control in horses in an oral gel formulation. The principal mode of action of MOX and of other MLs is binding to gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) and glutamate-gated chloride channels. Moxidectin is different from other MLs in that it is a poor substrate for P-glycoproteins (P-gps) and ...
Artursson K, Gunnarsson A, Wikström UB, Engvall EO.For diagnosis of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis (EGE) serological testing of antibodies to Ehrlichia equi is frequently used. An elevated antibody level is often misinterpreted as confirmative of active infection and results in treatment with antibiotics. If only seropositivity is considered as the diagnostic criterium, many horses showing convalescence titres will be treated. This study was undertaken to obtain information about the kinetics of antibodies during the course of infection and, for this purpose, 45 horses with clinical signs of EGE and confirmed ehrlichiaemia were monitored ser...
van Galen G, Marcillaud Pitel C, Saegerman C, Patarin F, Amory H, Baily JD, Cassart D, Gerber V, Hahn C, Harris P, Keen JA, Kirschvink N, Lefere L....Improved understanding of the epidemiology of atypical myopathy (AM) will help to define the environmental factors that permit or support the causal agent(s) to exert toxicity. Objective: This European survey of AM aimed to describe spatiotemporal distribution, survival, clinical signs, circumstances in which AM develops and its different expressions between countries and over time. Methods: The spatiotemporal distribution, history and clinical features of AM cases reported to the Atypical Myopathy Alert Group from 2006 to 2009 were described. Comparisons of data from the most severely affecte...
Faye D, Pereira de Almeida PJ, Goossens B, Osaer S, Ndao M, Berkvens D, Speybroeck N, Nieberding F, Geerts S.In a study of the prevalence and incidence of trypanosomosis in horses and donkeys in two regions of the Gambia, surveys were carried out at Niamina east and Bansang south with a high and low to moderate tsetse challenge, respectively. Eleven horses and 67 donkeys were sampled monthly from August 1997 to September 1998. Blood samples were examined for trypanosomes using the buffy-coat (BC) method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three primer sets were used, specific for either Trypanosoma vivax (TVW), Trypanosoma congolense (GOL) or Trypanosoma brucei (ORPHON5J). The BC results showed that...
Firestone SM, Cogger N, Ward MP, Toribio JA, Moloney BJ, Dhand NK.The influences of relative humidity and ambient temperature on the transmission of influenza A viruses have recently been established under controlled laboratory conditions. The interplay of meteorological factors during an actual influenza epidemic is less clear, and research into the contribution of wind to epidemic spread is scarce. By applying geostatistics and survival analysis to data from a large outbreak of equine influenza (A/H3N8), we quantified the association between hazard of infection and air temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, and wind velocity, whilst controlling for prem...
Geary TG, Sangster NC, Thompson DP.Research in anthelmintic pharmacology faces a grim future. The parent field of veterinary parasitology has seemingly been devalued by governments, universities and the animal industry in general. Primarily due to the success of the macrocyclic lactone anthelmintics in cattle, problems caused by helminth infections are widely perceived to be unimportant. The market for anthelmintics in other host species that are plagued by resistance, such as sheep and horses, is thought to be too small to sustain a discovery program in the animal health pharmaceutical industry. These attitudes are both alarmi...
Young R, Taylor JE, Kurioka A, Becker M, Louis EJ, Rudenko G.African trypanosomes (including Trypanosoma brucei) are unicellular parasites which multiply in the mammalian bloodstream. T. brucei has about twenty telomeric bloodstream form Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) expression sites (BESs), of which one is expressed at a time in a mutually exclusive fashion. BESs are polycistronic transcription units, containing a variety of families of expression site associated genes (ESAGs) in addition to the telomeric VSG. These polymorphic ESAG families are thought to play a role in parasite-host adaptation, and it has been proposed that ESAG diversity might ...
Wild TF.Paramyxoviruses have been implicated in both animal and human infections. Some viruses, such as Morbilliviruses are responsible for large-scale epidemics. However, there are limited observations of these viruses crossing the host species barrier in nature. In 1994, in Australia a fatal infection in horses and humans was identified to be caused by a new Paramyxovirus, Hendra virus (HeV), and in 1998 in Malaysia, a closely related virus, Nipah virus (NiV) was responsible for fatal infections in pigs and humans. These two viruses were sufficiently different from previously described Paramyxovirus...
Kamath PL, Getz WM.Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes are central to vertebrate immune response and are believed to be under balancing selection by pathogens. This hypothesis has been supported by observations of extremely high polymorphism, elevated nonsynonymous to synonymous base pair substitution rates and trans-species polymorphisms at these loci. In equids, the organization and variability of this gene family has been described, however the full extent of diversity and selection is unknown. As selection is not expected to act uniformly on a functional gene, maximum likelihood codon-based models o...
Mayhew IG, Brown CM, Stowe HD, Trapp AL, Derksen FJ, Clement SF.Two horse farms, on which there was a high incidence of proven and suspected equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM), were studied. Symmetric ataxia and paresis, along with laryngeal adductor, cervicofacial, local cervical, and cutaneous trunci hyporeflexia, characterized the syndrome. Serum vitamin E concentration reflected a deficient state in affected and unaffected horses on both farms when compared with selected reference groups and with published values. A high incidence of the disease was evident in offspring of two particular sires on one farm. Vitamin E supplementation resulted ...
Lester HE, Spanton J, Stratford CH, Bartley DJ, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Coumbe K, Mair T, Swan B, Lemon G, Cookson R, Matthews JB.Cyathostomins are considered to be the most important group of helminths to affect equids due to their high prevalence, potential pathogenicity and ability to develop anthelmintic resistance. Their control relies almost exclusively on frequent anthelmintic use. Currently, fenbendazole (FBZ), pyrantel embonate (PYR), ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX) are licensed for use in horses in the UK. With no new anthelmintics likely to be licensed in the near future, it is essential that investigations into the efficacy of current anthelmintics in different locations are performed to help inform con...
Friedhoff KT, Soulé C.A review of the distribution of Babesia equi and Babesia caballi, the
transmission of these protozoa by ticks and the immune response of infected
horses, in addition to a brief survey of diagnostic. tests and chemotherapy.
Hurcombe SD, Toribio RE, Slovis N, Kohn CW, Refsal K, Saville W, Mudge MC.Sepsis is an important cause for neonatal foal mortality. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) responses to sepsis are well documented in critically ill humans, but limited data exist in foals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the HPAA response to sepsis in foals, and to associate these endocrine changes with survival. Objective: Blood concentrations of arginine vasopressin (AVP), adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), and cortisol will be higher in septic foals as compared with sick nonseptic and healthy foals. The magnitude of increase in hormone concentration will be negativ...
de Vos CJ, Hoek CA, Nodelijk G.African horse sickness (AHS) is a vector-borne viral disease of equines that is transmitted by Culicoides spp. and can have severe consequences for the horse industry in affected territories. A study was performed to assess the risk of introducing AHS virus (AHSV) into the Netherlands (P_AHS) by international equine movements. The goal of this study was to provide more insight into (a) the regions and equine species that contribute most to this risk, (b) the seasonal variation in this risk, and (c) the effectiveness of measures to prevent introduction of AHSV. Countries worldwide were grouped ...
Gildea S, Quinlivan M, Arkins S, Cullinane A.Antigenic and genetic drift of equine influenza (EI) virus is monitored annually by the Expert Surveillance Panel (ESP), which make recommendations on the need to update vaccines. Surveillance programmes are essential for this process to operate effectively and to decrease the risk of disease spread through the international movement of subclinically infected vaccinated horses. Not only is surveillance necessary to inform vaccine companies which strains are in circulation, but it serves as an early warning system for horse owners, trainers and veterinary clinicians, facilitating the implementa...
Yadav PD, Albariño CG, Nyayanit DA, Guerrero L, Jenks MH, Sarkale P, Nichol ST, Mourya DT.A virus isolated from a sick horse from India in 2008 was confirmed by next-generation sequencing analysis to be equine encephalosis virus (EEV). EEV in India is concerning because several species of Culicoides midge, which play a major role in EEV natural maintenance and transmission, are present in this country.
