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.
Egenvall A, Penell J, Bonnett BN, Blix J, Pringle J.Colic is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in horses. In Sweden, an insurance database with diagnostic medical information is maintained on >30% of the nation's horse population. Objective: The objective was to describe the occurrence of colic, defined by costly veterinary care and life claims, in horses at 1 insurance company during 1997-2002. HORSES: All horses (<21 years of age) with complete insurance for veterinary care and life during the period 1997-2002 were included. Methods: Colic was defined as conditions where the main clinical sign was abdominal pain and the prob...
Hollis AR, Wilkins PA, Palmer JE, Boston RC.Bacteremia in sick foals is associated with survival, but the association of bacteremia and diarrhea is not reported. Objective: Neonatal foals with diarrhea will commonly be bacteremic. Methods: One hundred and thirty-three neonatal foals. Methods: Records of all foals <30 days of age presenting with diarrhea between January 1990 and September 2007 were reviewed. Results: Sixty-six of 133 foals (50%) were bacteremic at admission, with 75 isolates from the 66 samples. The blood culture from a further 18 foals (13.5%) grew coryneform bacteria. Nine foals (6.8%) had 2 or more organisms grown on ...
Van den Eede A, Martens A, Lipinska U, Struelens M, Deplano A, Denis O, Haesebrouck F, Gasthuys F, Hermans K.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections do occur in equine patients. Little is known, however, about their origin and the general equine MRSA colonization status. In West European horses in particular, neither the colonization rate nor the present strains or their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns are known. In the present study, a sample of 110 (Belgian, French, Dutch and Luxemburg) horses presented at a Belgian equine clinic was screened for nasal MRSA carriage. An indirect culturing protocol using a 0.001% colistin and nalidixic acid containing broth was compared t...
Rendle DI, Durham AE, Hughes KJ, Lloyd D, Summerhays GE.Five horses with sabulous cystitis were managed for up to three years. They were treated by emptying the bladder through a urinary catheter and saline lavage with cytoscopic guidance to remove residual sabulous material. The cystitis was treated with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medications, and bethanechol chloride was also administered. Frequent catheterisation and emptying of the bladder was an alternative to regular cystoscopic examination with saline lavage but it resulted in the development of a urethral stricture in one case. Four of the horses returned to work and one was retire...
Ndiva Mongoh M, Hearne R, Dyer NW, Khaitsa ML.This study estimated economic impacts associated with the West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak in horses for North Dakota in 2002. The 2002 epidemic in the United States was the largest meningoencephalitis epidemic reported in the Western Hemisphere. Over 15,257 horse cases were reported in 43 states with most cases occurring in central United States. North Dakota reported over 569 horse cases, with a mortality rate of 22%. The total costs incurred by the state were approximately US$1.9 million. The costs incurred by horse owners were about US$1.5 million. Of the US$1.5 million, about US$781,203 and...
Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Butler CM, Daha TJ, van Doorn DC, van Duijkeren E, Goehring LS, Houwers DJ, Laan TT, van Maanen C, Picavet C.No abstract available
Kadlec K, Schwarz S.In the BfT-GermVet monitoring study, 417 Escherichia coli isolates collected during 2004-06 in Germany from various disease conditions of pigs (n = 87), horses (n = 102) or cats/dogs (n = 228) were investigated for their susceptibility to 24 antimicrobial agents. This study dealt with the identification of integron-associated resistance genes among these isolates. Methods: Class 1 and class 2 integrons were detected by PCR. The variable parts of the integrons were cloned and sequenced. Transformation and conjugation experiments were conducted to confirm a plasmid location of the integrons. Res...
Cemazar M, Tamzali Y, Sersa G, Tozon N, Mir LM, Miklavcic D, Lowe R, Teissie J.Electropermeabilization is a method that uses electric field pulses to induce an electrically mediated reorganization of the plasma membrane of cells. Electrochemotherapy combines local or systemic administration of chemotherapeutic drugs such as bleomycin or cisplatin that have poor membrane permeability with electropermeabilization by direct application of electric pulses to the tumors. Preclinical studies have demonstrated excellent antitumor effectiveness of electrochemotherapy on different animal models and various tumor types, minimal toxicity, and safety of the procedure. Based on resul...
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...
Laha R, Sasmal NK.Diagnosis of Trypanosoma evansi infection in a horse stable of Eastern Region of India on the basis of examination of Giemsa stained blood smears have been done. A high percentage (12.74%) of horses of this stable was found suffering from T evansi infection. This high prevalence of T evansi in horses, in this area could be considered as an alarming situation which has never been explored previously in horses of Eastern Region of India. After a period of 2 months and 18 days of treatment with quinapyramine sulphate and quinapyramine chloride, reinfection with T evansi in treated horses of this ...
Quiambao BP, Dytioco HZ, Dizon RM, Crisostomo ME, Laot TM, Teuwen DE.Recommended treatment for severe rabies exposure in unvaccinated individuals includes wound cleaning, administration of rabies immunoglobulins (RIG), and rabies vaccination. We conducted a survey of rabies treatment outcomes in the Philippines. Methods: This was a case series involving 7,660 patients (4 months to 98 years of age) given purified equine RIG (pERIG) at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (Muntinlupa, Philippines) from July 2003 to August 2004 following Category II or III exposures. Data on local and systemic adverse reactions (AR) within 28 days and biting animal status ...
Mele M, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Brehm W, Rieder S, Marti E, Straub R, Gerber V.Many of the important diseases of sport and pleasure horses are thought to have a genetic component. The majority of these diseases, however, are multifactorial and are influenced not only by genetics, but also by environmental factors. In this review some of the most important multifactorial diseases are described and the current evidence for a genetic background is discussed.
Mele M, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Leeb T, Gerber V.Overall, monogenetic hereditary diseases are less important for the breeding industry than polygenetic diseases because they are relatively rare. For the individual animal, however, these diseases have often a dramatic outcome and many of these diseases presently known are lethal. For several of them the exact pathogenesis is known and DNA-tests are available to confirm the exact diagnosis.
Macpherson ML, Bailey CS.Placental infections in the mare are a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The following article will review techniques for identifying placental infections, approaches for treating placentitis, and methods for managing these mares after foaling.
Archer DC, Pinchbeck GL, French NP, Proudman CJ.Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is a common cause of small intestinal strangulation in the horse and its epidemiology requires further investigation. Objective: To identify horse- and management-level risk factors for EFE and to explore reasons for the apparent seasonality of this condition. Objective: Horses exhibiting certain behaviours and those exposed to particular management practices that vary seasonally are at increased risk of EFE. Methods: A prospective unmatched, multicentre case-control study was conducted over 24 months in the UK. Data on 77 cases and 216 control horses were obt...
Ueti MW, Palmer GH, Scoles GA, Kappmeyer LS, Knowles DP.Tick-borne pathogens may be transmitted intrastadially and transstadially within a single vector generation as well as vertically between generations. Understanding the mode and relative efficiency of this transmission is required for infection control. In this study, we established that adult male Rhipicephalus microplus ticks efficiently acquire the protozoal pathogen Babesia equi during acute and persistent infections and transmit it intrastadially to naïve horses. Although the level of parasitemia during acquisition feeding affected the efficiency of the initial tick infection, infected t...
Norman TE, Chaffin MK, Perris EE, Edwards JF, David JB, Cohen ND, Reuss S.This report involves 6 cases in which medical records and post mortem findings were reviewed leading to the diagnosis of massive pulmonary thromboembolism (MPTE). All horses were mature and MPTE has not been recognised previously as a sequel to generalised systemic illness in mature horses. The clinical data and pathological findings of the cases are reported and the authors conclude that MPTE is an uncommon but important complication of medical and surgical disorders in mature horses. In 3 of the cases, the condition was nonfatal suggesting that some horses having developed PTE survive and th...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Ionita M, Collins SS.Horse foals on five farms in Central Kentucky were used in field studies in 2007 evaluating activity of paste formulations of four compounds (fenbendazole-FBZ, ivermectin-IVM, oxibendazole-OBZ, and pyrantel pamoate-PRT) against internal parasites with emphasis on ascarids (Parascaris equorum). It has been well established the last few years that there is widespread resistance of P. equorum to ivermectin. The main purpose of the present research was to obtain current data on ascaridicidal activity of FBZ, OBZ, and PRT; also, to acquire further information on ascarid resistance to ivermectin. Ad...
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...
Kawata H, Kishimoto H, Iwai S, Ishimaru K, Saito T, Kayatani F, Inamura N, Hamamichi Y, Kawada Y, Nasuno S, Maekawa S.We assessed the effect of reconstructing the pulmonary artery during arterial switch surgery for transposition of the great arteries on late pulmonary stenosis. Sixty-five patients who underwent Lecompte procedure between September 1991 and December 2006 were divided, by the procedure used chronologically to reconstruct the pulmonary artery, into group XP (single pantaloon patch with equine pericardium, n = 11), group P (direct reconstruction, n = 47), and group AP (single pantaloon patch with fresh autopericardium, n = 7). Outcome and pulmonary stenosis on the most recent ultrasound cardiogra...
Bauer C, Cirak VY, Hermosilla C, Okoro H.The efficacy of moxidectin was evaluated in young ponies naturally infected with gastrointestinal parasites. Eight animals were treated orally with moxidectin at 0.4 mg/kg bodyweight and eight received only the vehicle. They were all necropsied two weeks later. Faecal samples were examined daily for egg counts and larval cultures. Parasites were recovered from total faecal samples collected daily and from the gastrointestinal tracts at necropsy. Moxidectin reduced the strongyle egg counts by > 99 per cent from three days after treatment but some individuals remained positive for 10 days. Th...
Hoffman AM, Swanson LG, Bruns SJ, Kuehn H, Bedenice D.To determine whether tension of the girth strap of a saddle would sufficiently affect rib motion and reduce lung volume to alter pulmonary resistance in horses. Methods: 10 healthy adult horses. Methods: We used classical techniques to measure the effects of tightening a girth strap (15 kg of tension) on pulmonary dynamics during eupnea and hyperpnea in horses. Respiratory impedance was evaluated by use of oscillometry, and resistance and reactance data were partitioned into lung and chest wall components. Rib cage and abdominal contributions to tidal volume and minute ventilation were measure...
Wylie CE, Shaw DJ, Fordyce FM, Lilly A, McGorum BC.Equine grass sickness (EGS) remains a frequently fatal disease of equids in Britain. Since previous investigations of signalment- and meteorology-related risk factors for EGS have yielded some conflicting data, further investigation is warranted. Objective: To identify signalment- and meteorology-related risk factors for EGS in Scotland. Methods: Retrospective time-matched case-control study. Methods: This study was undertaken using data for 455 EGS cases and 910 time-matched controls that were referred to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, and average UK Meteorological Office weat...
May SA, Lees P, Higgins AJ, Sedgwick AD.The cardinal signs of acute inflammation have been recognised for almost 2000 years, but it is only in the last hundred years that significant progress has been made in understanding the underlying cellular response. Our knowledge of the chemical messengers which regulate and in some cases lead to persistence of the inflammatory process is, as yet, incomplete, but it is hoped that further research at this level will lead to the development of more effective therapeutic agents.
Bellone RR.Advances in equine genetics and genomics resources have enabled the understanding of some inherited ocular disorders and ocular manifestations. These ocular disorders include congenital stationary night blindness, equine recurrent uveitis, multiple congenital ocular anomalies, and squamous cell carcinoma. Genetic testing can identify horses with or at risk for disease and thus can assist in clinical management. In addition, genetic testing can identify horses that are carriers and thus can inform breeding decisions. Use of genetic tests in management and breeding decisions should aid in reduci...
Uhlinger CA.This article focuses on what has been established concerning the interaction of equine parasites and their hosts, highlighting those issues for which convincing data are still lacking. There is a compelling need for the participation of the veterinarian in the design of appropriate anthelmintic treatments and prevention strategies.
Monzón CM, Jara GA, Hoyos CB.The microhaematocrit (MH) technique was used to study the survival of Trypanosoma evansi in blood from two herds of naturally-infected horses. A comparison was made between samples treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and sodium citrate (alone or with 1% glucose), and sent to the laboratory packed in ice. In general, the number of samples yielding positive results by the MH technique showed the least variation during the first 24-36 h after sample collection. Survival varied with the anticoagulant used, but it declined rapidly from 48 h after collection, although live parasites were st...
Kelly AP, Jones RT, Gillick JC, Sims LD.An outbreak of nervous disease in Standardbred horses occurred near Bendigo, in south-eastern Australia, in October 1980. Over a two week period 11 horses in four training stables were affected with gait abnormalities, depression and recumbency. Eight of the 11 died. The results of an investigation implicated Clostridium botulinum toxin as the cause. The toxin was food-borne as a contaminant of oaten chaff.
Lassaline-Utter M, Cutler TJ, Michau TM, Nunnery CM.To review the signalment, clinical characteristics, and outcome of horses with nonhealing corneal ulcers treated with diamond burr debridement (DBD); and to evaluate the role of ulcer duration, size and location, and bandage contact lens (BCL) placement on healing. Methods: From January 2012-April 2013, 60 horses were diagnosed with ulcers classified as nonhealing based on the presence of raised epithelial margins and duration of at least 7 days. Methods: Retrospective record review. Results: Average age of included horses was 14.68 years, SD 8.17 years. There were three times as many males (4...
Deprez P, Vercruysse J.The results of the treatment with moxidectin or ivermectin of 20 horses with clinical cyathostominosis were studied during a 3-week observation period. Both treatments were effective in completely eliminating larvae from the faeces within 1 or 2 weeks, but no significant improvement in body weight or clinical parameters could be demonstrated over the observation period. The poor short time results of the treatment support the need for an adequate prevention of cyathostominosis in horses.