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.
Valente JSS, Brasil CL, Braga CQ, Zamboni R, Sallis ESV, Albano APN, Zambrano CG, Franz HC, Pötter L, Panagio LA, Reis GF, Botton SA, Pereira DIB.Pythiosis is a rapidly progressing disease that can be lethal to affected individuals due to resistance to available therapeutic protocols. The disease affects mammals, with the largest number of reports in horses and humans. The present study investigated the activity of biogenic silver nanoparticles (bioAgNP) in the treatment of experimental pythiosis. The disease was reproduced in nine female 90-day-old New Zealand rabbits. Animals were divided into three groups: group1 (control, n = 3) daily and topically treated with a nonionized gel-based formulation and 1 ml of sterile distilled wate...
Menarim BC, Gillis KH, Oliver A, Mason C, Werre SR, Luo X, Byron CR, Kalbfleisch TS, MacLeod JN, Dahlgren LA.Synovial inflammation is a central feature of osteoarthritis (OA), elicited when local regulatory macrophages (M2-like) become overwhelmed, activating an inflammatory response (M1-like). Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMNC) are a source of naïve macrophages capable of reducing joint inflammation and producing molecules essential for cartilage metabolism. This study investigated the response of BMNC to normal (SF) and inflamed synovial fluid (ISF). Equine BMNC cultured in autologous SF or ISF (n = 8 horses) developed into macrophage-rich cultures with phenotypes similar to cells native to no...
Jenkins E, Backwell AL, Bellaw J, Colpitts J, Liboiron A, McRuer D, Medill S, Parker S, Shury T, Smith M, Tschritter C, Wagner B, Poissant J....Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada hosts one of few natural populations of feral horses (Equus caballus) never exposed to anthelmintics. Coproculture revealed cyathostomes, Strongylus equinus, S. edentatus, and S. vulgaris, with S. equinus (unusually) dominating in adult horses and cyathostomes dominating in young horses (<3 years of age). We examined 35 horses found dead in the springs of 2017 and 2018, as well as fecal samples from live horses in spring (n = 45) and summer 2018 (n = 236) using McMaster fecal flotation and Baermann larval sedimentation on fresh samples, and modified Wiscon...
Fenn MS, Bortsie-Aryee AD, Perkins GA, Mann S, Tomlinson JE, Wood EM, Mix SE, Stokol T.Crossmatching is used to prevent life-threatening transfusion reactions in horses. Laboratory methods are laborious and technically challenging, which is impractical during emergencies. Objective: Evaluate agreement between a stall-side crossmatch kit (KIT) and a laboratory method (LAB) in horses with known and unknown blood types. Methods: Twenty-four blood-typed and alloantibody-screened healthy adult horses (Aim 1) and 156 adult horses of unknown blood type (Aim 2). Methods: Prospective, blinded study. Expected positive (n = 35) and negative (n = 36) crossmatches among 24 antibody and blood...
Drozdzewska K, Potocnik E, Schwarz B.Placing a nasogastric tube can be a life-saving act for a horse but is considered an occupational hazard for veterinarians. An online questionnaire was performed to assess and specify potential risks. 123 equine veterinarians completed the survey, and the majority admitted using the mouth to handle the end of the nasogastric tube (sucking or blowing air) and having accidentally swallowed or aspirated stomach content or medications. This can potentially lead to aspiration pneumonia or pneumonitis. Mineral oil seems to be especially dangerous as aspiration may be asymptomatic at the beginning an...
Paillot R.The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recently estimated that the world equid population exceeds 110 million (FAOSTAT 2017).[...].
Walker NL, Patout AR, Cater M.Hereditary equine regional derma asthenia (HERDA), an autosomal-recessive trait, found in Quarter Horses, causes abnormal collagen structure. Owing to current breeding practices, 3.5% of registered quarter horses and 28.3% of the cow horse population are heterozygote carriers. Research demonstrated homozygote horses develop hyperextensible skin susceptible to injury and other abnormal tissues containing high fibrillar collagen content. No research exists determining the effects of the disease in heterozygote carriers. Currently, 30% of cutting sires are HERDA carriers, potentially increasing t...
Xie J, Tong P, Zhang A, Song X, Zhang L, Shaya N, Kuang L.In 2015, a novel equine parvovirus, equine parvovirus-cerebrospinal fluid (EqPV-CSF), was identified from cerebrospinal fluid of a horse with neurological signs and lymphocytosis in USA. In our study, an EqPV-CSF-like virus was detected from 15 serum samples of 65 imported thoroughbred horses during custom quarantine in north Xinjiang province, China. Further field investigation in several major horse-producing areas in Xinjiang using specific PCR showed that this virus was detected mainly in thoroughbred horses (39/154 positive) previously imported, not in local breeds (0/127 positive). Phylo...
Vitale V, Viu J, Armengou L, Ríos J, Jose-Cunilleras E.To evaluate the prognostic value of measuring heart rate variability (HRV) in horses with colic at the time of admission to a referral hospital. Methods: 51 horses > 1 year of age with colic (41 that survived [survivors] and 10 that died or were euthanized [nonsurvivors]). Methods: HRV was recorded within 1 hour after admission by use of heart rate sensors with horses restrained in stocks. A 5-minute recording period was analyzed to obtain HRV measurements (eg, SD of R-R intervals [SDRR], root mean square of successive differences between R-R intervals [RMSSD], and geometric SDs determined ...
Duquesne F, Merlin A, Pérez-Cobo I, Sedlák K, Melzer F, Overesch G, Fretin D, Iwaniak W, Breuil MF, Wernery U, Hicks J, Agüero-García M....The accurate identification of Taylorella equigenitalis strains is essential to improve worldwide prevention and control strategies for contagious equine metritis (CEM). This study compared 367 worldwide equine strains using multilocus sequence typing according to the geographical origin, isolation year and equine breed. The strains were divided into 49 sequence types (STs), including 10 described for the first time. Three major and three minor clonal complexes (CCs), and 11 singletons, were identified. The genetic heterogeneity was low (0.13 STs/strain) despite the wide diversity of geographi...
Simões J, Sales Luís JP, Tilley P.Severe equine asthma (SEA) syndrome is a chronic recurrent respiratory disease, common among adult horses. The disease occurs in genetically susceptible individuals after their exposure to organic dust. Thus, environmental management has proved essential in controlling airway challenge and disease exacerbation. This is a demanding process that can only be achieved through the horse owners' cooperation. One year after initial diagnosis of SEA in a group of 39 horses, owner compliance to an environmental management protocol was evaluated. The overall compliance to the protocol was poor and the h...
MacDonald ES, Barrett JG.One hallmark of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is the ability to differentiate into multiple tissue types which assists in tissue regeneration. Another hallmark of MSCs is their potent anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties and the potential to treat inflammatory, immune-mediated, and ischemic conditions. In equine practice, MSCs have shown efficacy in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinopathy, meniscal tears and cartilage injury. However, there are many equine disease processes and conditions that may benefit from the immunomodulatory properties of MSCs. Exampl...
Lynden J, Hollands T, Ogden J.There is an evidence base in human and small animal veterinary health care contexts which understands how practitioners engage in partnership working with patients and owners to support adherence to treatment/care plans. However, as yet, it is believed there is no similar evidence base for how practitioners in equine health care contexts work with equine owners. It is argued that this is essential for understanding complex equine practitioner-owner interaction involving the prevention and management of laminitis. The aim of this study was to explore farrier-client interaction where risk manage...
Gough S, Hallowell G, Rendle D.Equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) is a highly prevalent disease in horses, particularly in elite athletes. Some horses respond slowly, or fail to respond, to the licensed treatment, oral omeprazole (ORLO). To compare rates of ESGD healing and improvement between ORLO and a long-acting injectable omeprazole preparation (LAIO). Retrospective clinical study. The case records and gastroscopy images of horses presenting to Rainbow Equine Hospital over a 12-month period were reviewed, with images being reviewed blind by one of the authors (David Rendle). Treatment responses were compared betwe...
Hirsch E.Medical diagnosis is typically an iterative process guided by integration and synthesis of data into a model of disease. However, facts are not the only inputs into this process. A case of medical mis-diagnosis is presented, in which systematic cognitive bias is considered to have played a role in generating error. Specific cognitive biases are cited, and measures that can be taken to minimize their negative impact are reviewed.
Fotschki J, Wróblewska B, Fotschki B, Kalicki B, Rigby N, Mackie A.Horse milk is a valuable raw material and a very attractive alternative for scientific research to address the issue of cow milk (CM) allergy due to its protein profile. A decrease in immunoreactive properties can be achieved by thermal, enzymatic, and hydrolytic processing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the possibility of reducing the immunoreactivity of horse milk proteins by microbial transglutaminase (TG) polymerization. To determine how TG linking alters immunoreactivity under simulated digestion of the examined milk, analyses were performed before, during, and after dig...
de Souza AF, Paretsis NF, De Zoppa ALDV.A systematic review was conducted to investigate evidence to support or refute the use of hyaluronic acid and polyacrylamide hydrogel as intra-articular therapy in equines, which are frequent treatment options in the routine of veterinarians of equines in cases of osteoarthritis. In total, 19 studies were included, among clinical and in vitro studies, as well as a retrospective series of cases. The outcomes of the included studies provided fragile evidence supporting the recommendation for intra-articular use of hyaluronic acid. No study was included showing any clinical outcome in diseased s...
Baird J, Tegtmeyer B, Arroyo L, Stang A, Brüggemann Y, Hazlett M, Steinmann E.Theiler's disease was confirmed within a group horses located on a farm in southwestern Ontario during the summer and autumn of 2005. Five sudden deaths occurred between 3 July and 21 August, 2005, none of which were necropsied, however two of the horses showed clinical signs compatible with hepatic encephalopathy prior to death. No horse on the farm had received a biologic product of equine blood origin in the preceding six months. The only biologics used on the property were the administration of killed vaccines for rabies, tetanus and West Nile Virus to all horses 30 days prior to the onset...
Davkharbayar B, Davaasuren B, Narantsatsral S, Battur B, Punsantsogvoo M, Battsetseg B, Mizushima D, Inoue N, Suganuma K.Dourine is a lethal protozoan disease of equids, and it is caused by Trypanosoma equiperdum infection via coitus. To date, treatment strategies against the dourine are not recommended because of the frequent relapses; therefore, the World Organisation for Animal Health recommends the stamping-out policy for the control of dourine. Our previous studies have revealed a number of horses with dourine in Mongolia that is the fifth largest horse-breeding country. It is difficult to apply the stamping-out policy for cases of dourine in Mongolia because of an inadequate livestock guarantee system. The...
Mawhinney I.Taylorella equigenitalis, the cause of contagious equine metritis (CEM), can be detected by culture but in recent years polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has also been used. In 2008, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Reference Laboratory for CEM in the United Kingdom set up a ring trial for laboratories to assess their ability to identify T. equigenitalis in laboratory-prepared samples because the identification of T. equigenitalis in the laboratory was recognised to be difficult. Freeze-dried culture suspensions in various combinations of any of T. equigenitalis, Taylorella asinige...
Coultous RM, McDonald M, Raftery AG, Shiels BR, Sutton DGM, Weir W.Theileria equi, one of the primary pathogens causing equine piroplasmosis, has previously been sub-classified into a number of clades on the basis of 18S SSU rRNA gene sequence diversity. This partitioning of the parasite population has potential implications for host immunity, treatment and vaccine development. To detect and identify different clade genotypes among and within individual equine blood samples, a novel PCR-based technique was designed and optimized. Theileria equi has only recently been described in The Gambia, and the developed genotyping technique was used to analyse blood sam...
Saito Y, Amaya T.There have been few reports about temporohyoid osteoarthropathy in Japanese horses. The aim of this study was to describe the symptoms and management of temporohyoid osteoarthropathy and to investigate its association with crib-biting behavior, which is commonly observed in Japanese horses. The data concerning case details, signs, diagnosis procedures, treatment, and outcomes were collected retrospectively from the medical records of 11 Thoroughbreds with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy. The trainers and owners were asked whether the horses had displayed crib-biting behavior. Nine of the horses ...
Tydén E, Jansson A, Ringmark S.Horse grazing can be favorable from a biological diversity perspective. This study documented the occurrence of endo- and ectoparasites and sought to reduce parasite egg excretion with the anthelmintic drug pyrantel in 12 Gotlandsruss stallions maintained in a year-round grazing system for 2.5 years. Feces samples were collected monthly and all horses were treated with pyrantel, the anthelmintic drug of choice in biological diversity preservation, at study population mean cyathostomin eggs per gram (EPG) of >200. The relationship between cyathostomin EPG and body condition was studied, as was ...
Potier JFN, Durham AE.Responsible use of antimicrobials in equine practice relies on knowledge of common bacterial isolates and their antimicrobial sensitivities. Objective: To assess the frequency of bacterial resistance to a combination of parenteral penicillin and gentamicin and to trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole for PO use in a selection of clinical isolates, and subsequently to determine the prevalence of resistance to antimicrobials that might then be used as alternatives to first-line antimicrobials for the same isolates. Methods: Retrospective analysis of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimi...
Scare JA, Leathwick DM, Sauermann CW, Lyons ET, Steuer AE, Jones BA, Clark M, Nielsen MK.An alternative control regimen for drug-resistant parasites is combination deworming, where two drugs with different modes of action are administered simultaneously to target the same parasite. Few studies have investigated this in equine cyathostomins. We previously reported that an oxibendazole (OBZ) and pyrantel pamoate (PYR) combination was not sustainable against a cyathostomin population with high levels of OBZ and PYR resistance. This study consisted of a field study and two computer simulations to evaluate the efficacy of a moxidectin-oxibendazole (MOX-OBZ) combination against the same...
Fesseha H, Mathewos M, Kidanemariam F.Gastrointestinal helminth parasite infection is a major influencing factor against profitability of working equines all over the world. Objective: A study was conducted from October 2016 to May 2017 in and around Hosaena to determine the efficacy of benzimidazole (BZ) and avermectin (AVM) chemical groups against strongyle nematodes in working donkeys. Methods: A total of 230 donkeys from Hosaena, Soro, Anlemo, and Gombora were randomly allocated into 5 groups of 46 donkeys in each group. All groups, except group 1 (control), were treated with ivermectin 1%, ivertong 10%, fenbendazole, and Fena...
Poller C, Hopster K, Rohn K, Kästner SB.The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of contact heat thermal stimulation in horses at different body sites and under different environmental conditions and different test situations. Five warm-blood horses were equipped with the thermal probe located on the skin of nostril (N), withers (W) or coronary band (C). Skin temperature and reaction temperature (thermal threshold) at each location were measured and percent thermal excursion (% TE = 100 * (threshold temperature - skin temperature)/(cut-out temperature - skin temperature) was calculated. Environmental conditions were ...
Caterina Termine, Göran Akerström and Gonçalo Paixão of the Fédération Equestre Internationale's Veterinary Department describe the management of an outbreak of neurological equine herpesvirus 1 that affected a number of international showjumping events in Europe earlier this year.
Roczo-Farkas S, Kirkwood CD, Bines JE.The Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program, together with collaborating laboratories Australia-wide, reports the rotavirus genotypes responsible for the hospitalisation of children with acute gastroenteritis during the period 1 January to 31 December 2015. During the survey period, 1,383 faecal samples were referred for rotavirus G and P genotype analysis, and of these, 1,031 were confirmed as rotavirus positive. A total of 634 specimens had been collected from children under 5 years of age, while 397 were from older children and adults. Genotype analysis of samples from both children an...
Krebs JW, Smith JS, Rupprecht CE, Childs JE.During 1998, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported 7,961 cases of rabies in nonhuman animals and 1 case in a human being to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a decrease of 6.5% from 8,509 cases in nonhuman animals and 4 cases in human beings reported in 1997. More than 92% (7,358 cases) were in wild animals, whereas > 7.5% (603 cases) were in domestic species (compared with 93% in wild animals and 7% in domestic species in 1997). Decreases were evident in all of the major contributing species groups, with the exception of skunks and bats. The relative cont...
Suthers JM, Christley RM, Clutton RE.To assess the reproducibility and repeatability of two commonly used recovery quality scoring systems and compare them with those of a novel system based on a greater number of objective criteria. Methods: The video-recorded recoveries of ten client-owned horses selected from all recovery recordings taken between September 2005 and March 2006 at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Methods: A digital versatile disc (DVD) was produced using edited video recordings of ten horses recovering from general anaesthesia. Twelve experienced equine anaesthetists (raters) studied the DVD on thr...
Erol E, Scortti M, Fortner J, Patel M, Vázquez-Boland JA.Clonal multidrug resistance recently emerged in Rhodococcus equi, complicating the therapeutic management of this difficult-to-treat animal- and human-pathogenic actinomycete. The currently spreading multidrug-resistant (MDR) "2287" clone arose in equine farms upon acquisition, and coselection by mass macrolide-rifampin therapy, of the pRErm46 plasmid carrying the (46) macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin resistance determinant, and of an mutation. Here, we screened a collection of susceptible and macrolide-resistant strains from equine clinical cases using a panel of 15 antimicrobials agains...
Bjørn H, Sommer C, Schougård H, Henriksen SA, Nansen P.This study was undertaken to establish whether anthelmintic resistance was present in nematode parasites of horses in Denmark. Sixteen horse farms were selected for faecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests to measure the efficacy of the anthelmintic used. Resistance to benzimidazole anthelmintics was found on 13 of the 16 farms, with FECR values ranging from 80.0% to -101.3%. On the remaining 3 farms FECR was 100.0%, 99.3% and 97.2%. Results of a questionnaire study on anthelmintic usage, parasite control measures and management practices showed that horses in this study were treated on average...
Rakowska A, Cywinska A, Witkowski L.The aim of this review was to summarize studies on equine rhodococcosis over the last decade. For many years has remained one of the major health challenges in the equine breeding industry worldwide. Recently, many novel approaches and ideas have been described and some of them were initially implemented into the clinical practice. This study reviews a variety of new information about neonatal susceptibility, clinical appearance, considered and applied diagnostic procedures and treatment alternatives, factors limiting accurate prognosis, ideas regarding environmental management and prophylax...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Collins SS.Two field tests (A and B) were conducted in Thoroughbred weanlings born in 2008 and 2009 on a farm (BC) in Central Kentucky. The purpose was to determine the current efficacy of moxidectin (MOX) and ivermectin (IVM) on small strongyles by pre- and posttreatment counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPGs) in this geographical area. In previous parasite studies in horses on this farm and in horses on numerous other farms in this area, cultures of feces indicated the strongyle larvae were all small strongyles. Therefore, the strongyle eggs in the EPG counts are considered small strongyles. Designatio...
Tydén E, Morrison DA, Engström A, Nielsen MK, Eydal M, Höglund J.The large roundworm of horses, Parascaris equorum is considered ubiquitous in breeding operations, and is regarded as a most important helminth pathogen of foals. Over the past decade, this parasite has been reported increasingly resistant to anthelmintic drugs worldwide. This paper reports analysis of the population genetic structure of P. equorum. Adult parasites (n=194) collected from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Brazil and the USA were investigated by amplified restriction fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. The genetic variation was low (Hj=0.12-0.4), for the global populat...
Philpott M.This review summarizes the major infectious diseases of the three major agricultural species (cattle, sheep and pigs) and horses, and presents the evidence for and against the possibility of infectious agents being transmitted between animals via the venereal route or by the use of semen or early embryos in commercial artificial insemination (AI) or embryo transfer (ET). Cattle feature most prominently in the widespread distribution of frozen semen, and national and international organizations have set out guidelines to work towards disease-free bull studs with semen free from potential pathog...
Craven JA.To identify the frequency, variety and disposition of horse-related injury presentations to the ED and to use this information to evaluate the existing institutional trauma team activation criteria following horse-related injuries. Methods: A retrospective case analysis was performed of all horse-related injury presentations to the ED of Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia, in the 5 year period between January 1999 and December 2003. Results: A total of 186 children presented with horse-related injuries during the 5 year study period. The median age of injury was 9 years (rang...
Prouillac C.Antibiotic resistance has become a major concern for not only human health, but also for animal health. To preserve the efficacy of antibiotics, it has become essential to establish measures to regulate the prescription of antibiotics to ensure their prudent use. In France, these measures have been translated into regulations for animal health since 2015, with the publication of three important regulatory texts. The results obtained on a national scale in terms of reducing the use of antibiotics have been satisfactory. The aim of our study was to evaluate the differences related to the prescri...
Baguelin M, Newton JR, Demiris N, Daly J, Mumford JA, Wood JL.We present a metapopulation model of the spread of equine influenza among thoroughbred horses parametrized with data from a 2003 outbreak in Newmarket, UK. The number of horses initially susceptible is derived from a threshold theorem and a published statistical model. Two simulated likelihood-based methods are used to find the within- and between-yard transmissions using both exponential and empirical latent and infectious periods. We demonstrate that the 2003 outbreak was largely locally driven and use the parametrized model to address important questions of control. The chance of a large ep...
Nielsen MK.Given the increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance in equine parasites, parasitologists now recommend traditional treatment approaches to be abandoned and replaced by more sustainable strategies. It is of crucial importance to facilitate veterinary involvement to ensure that treatment decisions are based on parasitic knowledge. Despite recommendations given for the past two decades, strategies based on the selective therapy principle have not yet been implemented on a larger scale in equine establishments. In contrast, treatment regimens appear to be derived from recommendations originally...
Quintero Vélez JC, Aguirre-Acevedo DC, Rodas JD, Arboleda M, Troyo A, Vega Aguilar F, Osorio Quintero L, Rojas Arbeláez C.Most of the studies related to rickettsial infection in Colombia are cross-sectional because of the challenge in conducting prospective studies on infectious disease that may have a difficult diagnosis. Although cross-sectional studies are essential to detect people exposed to rickettsiae, they are not suited to demonstrate the recent circulation of this pathogen in areas at risk of transmission. To characterize the epidemiology of incident cases of Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsial infection in humans and equines from rural areas of Urabá region in Colombia where outbreaks of rickettsiae...
Rautiainen J, Lehto LJ, Tiitu V, Kiekara O, Pulkkinen H, Brünott A, van Weeren R, Brommer H, Brama PA, Ellermann J, Kiviranta I, Nieminen MT....To evaluate the status of articular cartilage and bone in an equine model of spontaneous repair by using the sweep imaging with Fourier transform (SWIFT) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique. Methods: Experiments were approved by the Utrecht University Animal Ethics Committee. Six-millimeter-diameter chondral (n = 5) and osteochondral (n = 5, 3-4 mm deep into subchondral bone) defects were created in the intercarpal joints of seven 2-year-old horses and examined with SWIFT at 9.4 T after spontaneous healing for 12 months. Conventional T2 maps and gradient-echo images were obtained for com...
Feige K, Schwarzwald C, Fürst A, Kaser-Hotz B.The major purpose of this investigation was to describe the causes, possible complications, and prognoses of horses with esophageal obstruction. Of 34 cases presenting with esophageal obstruction, 28 cases were due to impaction of ingesta. Obstruction due to pre-existing esophageal disease occurred in 4 horses with megaesophagus, in 1 horse with stricture in the upper third of the esophagus, and in 1 horse with esophageal diverticulum. There was no significant difference in the contamination of the trachea between horses that subsequently developed aspiration pneumonia and those that did not. ...
Magdesian KG, Dujowich M, Madigan JE, Hansen LM, Hirsh DC, Jang SS.To determine molecular characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility, and toxigenicity of Clostridium difficile isolates from horses in an intensive care unit and evaluate associations among severity of clinical disease with specific strains of C difficile. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 130 horses. Methods: Feces were collected from horses admitted for acute gastrointestinal tract disease with loose feces and submitted for microbial culture and immunoassay for toxin production. Polymerase chain reaction assays were performed on isolates for toxins A and B genes and strain identification...
Abd El-Rahim IH, Hussein M.This study describes an epizootic of respiratory tract disease caused by influenza virus infection in a large population of equines in Luxor and Aswan, Upper Egypt, during the winter of 2000. The epizootic started in January and the infection rate reached its peak in February before gradually decreasing until the end of April, 2000. Horses, donkeys and mules of all ages and both sexes were affected. Free movement of the infected equines and direct contact between the animals at markets facilitated the rapid spread of the disease. The cause of the epizootic was established by use of serological...
Mansfield LS, Mehler S, Nelson K, Elsheikha HM, Murphy AJ, Knust B, Tanhauser SM, Gearhart PM, Rossano MG, Bowman DD, Schott HC, Patterson JS.We tested the hypothesis that brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) harbor Sarcocystis neurona, the agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), and act as intermediate hosts for this parasite. In summer 1999, wild caught brown-headed cowbirds were collected and necropsied to determine infection rate with Sarcocystis spp. by macroscopic inspection. Seven of 381 (1.8%) birds had grossly visible sarcocysts in leg muscles with none in breast muscles. Histopathology revealed two classes of sarcocysts in leg muscles, thin-walled and thick-walled suggesting two species. Electron microscopy sh...
Webb BA, Barney WE, Dahlman DL, DeBorde SN, Weer C, Williams NM, Donahue JM, McDowell KJ.A new equine abortigenic disease, mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS), was recognized and significantly impacted the Ohio Valley in the springs of 2001 and 2002. MRLS caused approximately 330 million US dollars in losses in 2001. An epidemiological investigation of MRLS associated occurrence of the disease with exposure to eastern tent caterpillars (M. americanum). This work investigates the epidemiological association between M. americanum and MRLS to determine if this association was correlative or causative. A pilot study and simulated exposure to M. americanum and their excreta on pastu...
Durham AE.Equine endocrine disease is commonly encountered by equine practitioners. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) predominate. The most logical therapeutic approach in PPID uses dopamine agonists; pergolide mesylate is the most common. Bromocryptine and cabergoline are alternative drugs with similar actions. Drugs from other classes have a poor evidence basis, although cyproheptadine and trilostane might be considered. EMS requires management changes as the primary approach; reasonable justification for use of drugs such as levothyroxine and metformin m...
Boelow H, Krücken J, Thomas E, Mirams G, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.Due to high prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in equine helminths, selective treatment is increasingly promoted and in some countries a positive infection diagnosis is mandatory before treatment. Selective treatment is typically recommended when the number of worm eggs per gram faeces (epg) exceeds a particular threshold. In the present study we compared the semi-quantitative sedimentation/flotation method with the quantitative methods Mini-FLOTAC and FECPAK in terms of precision, sensitivity, inter-rater reliability and correlation of worm egg counts to improve the choice of optimal diagn...
Rocafort-Ferrer G, Leblond A, Joulié A, René-Martellet M, Sandoz A, Poux V, Pradier S, Barry S, Vial L, Legrand L.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by Babesia caballi and Theileria equi that is potentially emerging in non-endemic countries. We conducted a descriptive study to investigate EP prevalence and spatial distribution in an endemic region: the Camargue and the Plain of La Crau in France. In spring 2015 and 2016, we carried out sampling at stables (total n = 46) with a history of horses presenting chronic fever or weight loss. Overall, we collected blood from 632 horses, which were also inspected for ticks; these horses had been housed in the target stables for at least 1...
Figueiredo AS, de Moraes MVDS, Soares CC, Chalhoub FLL, de Filippis AMB, Dos Santos DRL, de Almeida FQ, Godoi TLOS, de Souza AM, Burdman TR....Recent advances in the study of equine pegivirus (EPgV), Theiler's disease-associated virus (TDAV) and equine hepacivirus (EqHV) highlight their importance to veterinary and human health. To gain some insight into virus distribution, possible risk factors, presence of liver damage and genetic variability of these viruses in Brazil, we performed a cross-sectional study of EPgV and TDAV infections using a simultaneous detection assay, and assessed EqHV coinfection in different horse cohorts. Of the 500 serum samples screened, TDAV, EPgV and EPgV-EqHV were present in 1.6%, 14.2% and 18.3%, respec...
Surasi K, Cummings KJ, Hanson C, Morris MK, Salas M, Seftel D, Ortiz L, Thilakaratne R, Stainken C, Wadford DA.The Abbott BinaxNOW rapid antigen test is cheaper and faster than real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We compared BinaxNOW with rRT-PCR in 769 paired specimens from 342 persons during a coronavirus disease outbreak among horse racetrack workers in California, USA. We found positive percent agreement was 43.3% (95% CI 34.6%-52.4%), negative percent agreement 100% (95% CI 99.4%-100%), positive predictive value 100% (95% CI 93.5%-100%), and negative predictive value 89.9% (95% CI 87.5%-92.0%). Among 127 rRT-PCR-positive ...
Borges LM, Oliveira PR, Ribeiro MF.Anocentor nitens is a widespread ectoparasite of horses in Brazil. A study of the seasonal dynamics of the parasitic phase of this tick was made by regular census of engorging females (>/=4mm) on free-ranging horses, fortnightly from July 1995 to July 1997, at Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais. Twenty horses were divided into four groups of five animals per group, each having a similar mix of resistant and less resistant animals, based on initial infestation. Every 2 weeks, one of the groups, in sequence, was treated with an acaricide to prevent excessive infestations, and female ticks were cens...
