Disease treatment in horses encompasses a range of medical interventions and management strategies aimed at addressing various health conditions affecting equine species. These treatments can include pharmacological approaches, such as the administration of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antiparasitic medications, as well as non-pharmacological methods like physical therapy, dietary adjustments, and surgical procedures. The selection of appropriate treatments depends on the specific disease, its severity, and the individual needs of the horse. This topic brings together peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the efficacy, safety, and advancements in therapeutic options for equine diseases, providing insights into best practices and emerging trends in equine veterinary medicine.
Spadari A, Gialletti R, Gandini M, Valle E, Cerullo A, Cavallini D, Bertoletti A, Rinnovati R, Forni G, Scilimati N, Giusto G.The occurrence of colic could be influenced by the characteristics of a population, geographical area, and feeding management. The aim of this study was to report the short-term postoperative complications and survival rates and to identify factors that might affect the outcome of horses that underwent colic surgery in three Italian surgical referral centres. Data of horses subjected to colic surgery in three referral centres (2018-2021) were analysed. Comparisons of the outcomes were performed using a Mann-Whitney or a Chi square test. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) c...
Bourebaba L, Serwotka-Suszczak A, Pielok A, Sikora M, Mularczyk M, Marycz K.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a multifactorial pathology gathering insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and past or chronic laminitis. Among the several molecular mechanisms underlying EMS pathogenesis, increased negative insulin signalling regulation mediated by protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 B (PTP1B) has emerged as a critical axis in the development of liver insulin resistance and general metabolic distress associated to increased ER stress, inflammation and disrupted autophagy. Thus, the use of PTP1B selective inhibitors such as MSI-1436 might be considered as a golden therapeut...
Padjasek M, Cisło-Sankowska A, Lis-Bartos A, Qasem B, Marycz K.The purpose of this study was to describe the use of PLDLA/TPU matrix enriched with cyclosporine A (CsA) as a therapeutic platform in horses with immune-mediated keratitis (IMMK) with an in vitro evaluation CsA release and degradation of the blend as well as determination of the safety and efficacy of that platform used in the animal model. The kinetics of the CsA release from matrices constructed of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) polymer and a copolymer of L-lactide with DL-lactide (PLDLA) (80:20) in the TPU (10%) and a PLDL (90%) polymer blend were studied. Moreover, we used the STF (Simul...
Gerber V, Kaiser-Thom S, Oesch S.Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD) is a nonspecific cutaneous reaction pattern on the distal extremities, typically in the palmar/plantar area of the pastern. Although EPD is commonly seen in equine practice and can be a debilitating condition, peer-reviewed original studies on many aspects of this multifactorial syndrome are still scarce. This narrative review aims to give an overview of the clinical presentation (forms of EPD and clinical scores and differential diagnoses), risk factors, and therapeutic approaches. The emphasis is on intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors as most of the original ...
Albanese V, Mereu M.Pelvic abscesses occur in horses of all ages and breeds. Although conservative management may be successful, surgical drainage may be necessary for larger abscesses or in case of secondary intestinal obstruction. The purpose of this report is to describe two cases of pelvic abscesses that were successfully drained using indwelling chest tubes, repeated lavages and targeted antibiotic treatment.
Donnelly CG, Johnson AL, Reed S, Finno CJ.Cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) and equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) are leading causes of spinal ataxia in horses. The conditions can be difficult to differentiate, and there is currently no diagnostic modality that offers a definitive antemortem diagnosis. Objective: Evaluate novel proteomic techniques and machine learning algorithms to predict biomarkers that can aid in the antemortem diagnosis of noninfectious spinal ataxia in horses. Methods: Banked serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from necropsy-confirmed adult eNAD/EDM (...
Lauková A, Styková E, Focková V, Maďar M.Nowadays, developed more precisious identification techniques have allowed to validate newer enterococcal species. Among them, the species Enterococcus moraviensis was also validated, at first from surface waters. However, in this study, characteristics and potential to bacteriocin production by the strain E. moraviensis EMo 1-1Nik isolated from buccal mucosa of Slovak warm-blood horse breed has been studied. BLASTn analysis allotted this strain to the species E. moraviensis with percentage identity BLASTn 16S rRNA sequence in the strain up to 100% (99.93% similarity with E. moraviensis NR1139...
Goldkuhl JEC, Zablotski Y, Sill V, Jahn W, Lorenz I, Brunk J, Gerlach K, Troillet A.Osteochondral fragment removal is commonly performed but there are little scientific data supporting this procedure in the absence of clinical signs. More information is needed to facilitate clinical decision-making regarding fragment removal of the metacarpo-/metatarsophalangeal joint. Objective: To assess prevalence of cartilage injury in the equine metacarpo-/metatarsophalangeal joint and its association to fragment size, location, age and lameness. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Clinical records, including radiographs of 823 metacarpo-/metatarsophalangeal joints (640 ...
Gandini M, Cerullo A, Gallo L, Iussich S, Minoli L, Giusto G.To describe a technique for a side-to-side jejunocecal anastomosis in horses using radiofrequency thermofusion (TF) of the intestines supported by a Cushing oversew and to compare this anastomosis to handsewn and stapled techniques. Methods: Ex vivo study. Methods: Intestinal tracts from 24 slaughtered horses. Methods: A radiofrequency device was used to perform a jejunocecal anastomosis (Group RFA). The construction time and bursting pressure of this construct were compared with those of a hand-sewn double layer (Group HS) and stapled anastomoses (Group ST) without oversew of the staple line....
Brock BA, Greer HR, Honnas CM, Gilleland BE, Barrett MF, Moore JN, Cohen ND.Podotrochlear syndrome is a common cause of lameness in Quarter Horses involving both soft tissue and bony structures within the heel region. Current surgical treatment of podotrochlear syndrome addresses pathological changes affecting the soft tissue structures of the navicular region but does not address either edema or cyst-like lesions of the navicular bone. Unassigned: The objective of this randomized, self-controlled case series was to determine whether core osteostixis improved lameness in Quarter Horses with podotrochlear syndrome characterized by bilateral magnetic resonance imaging (...
Offer KS, Dixon CE, Sutton DGM.The sarcoid is the most common equine cutaneous neoplasm. Evidence-based treatment of this condition is often lacking, and selection of treatment modality based on clinical experience or anecdotal evidence. Objective: To assess the quality of the currently available best evidence regarding the treatment of the equine sarcoid. Methods: Systematic review. Methods: In compliance with PRISMA guidelines, literature searches were performed in PUBMED, Web of Science, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE (Ovid) and Scopus in April 2021. Included papers were required to describe an interventional study examining sarc...
Onzere CK, Hulbert M, Sears KP, Williams LBA, Fry LM.Equine theileriosis, caused by and , leads to anemia, exercise intolerance, and occasionally, death. Theileriosis-free countries prohibit the importation of infected horses, resulting in significant costs for the equine industry. Imidocarb dipropionate is the only treatment for in the United States, but lacks efficacy against . The goal of this study was to assess the in vivo efficacy of tulathromycin and diclazuril against . Fourteen -infected horses were utilized. Six were treated with eight weekly 2.5 mg/kg doses of tulathromycin. Three were treated daily for eight weeks with 2.5 mg/kg di...
Elliott J, Bailey SR.Equine laminitis has both fascinated and frustrated veterinary researchers and clinicians for many years. The recognition that many ponies suffering from pasture-associated laminitis have an insulin-dysregulated phenotype (endocrinopathic laminitis, EL) and that prolonged insulin and glucose infusions can experimentally induce laminar pathology and functional failure are seminal discoveries in this field. Researchers have studied the molecular basis for disease pathogenesis in models of EL, sepsis-related laminitis and supporting limb laminitis and generated much data over the last 15 years....
Gandini M, Giusto G.Accurate reporting of postoperative complications is paramount to understanding procedural outcomes, comparing procedures and assuring quality improvement. Standardising definitions of complications in equine surgeries will improve the evidence of their outcomes. To this end, we proposed a classification for postoperative complications and applied it to a cohort of 190 horses undergoing emergency laparotomy. Methods: A classification system for postoperative complications in equine surgery was developed. Medical records of horses that underwent equine emergency laparotomy and recovered from an...
Sanz MG.Foals become infected shortly after birth; most develop subclinical pneumonia and 20% to 30% develop clinical pneumonia that requires treatment. It is now well established that the combination of screening programs based on thoracic ultrasonography and treatment of subclinical foals with antimicrobials has led to the development of resistant Rhodococcus equi strains. Thus, targeted treatment programs are needed. Administration of R equi-specific hyperimmune plasma shortly after birth is beneficial as foals develop less severe pneumonia but does not seem to prevent infection. This article provi...
Langreder N, Schäckermann D, Meier D, Becker M, Schubert M, Dübel S, Reinard T, Figge-Wegener S, Roßbach K, Bäumer W, Ladel S, Hust M.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is the most common allergic skin disease of horses. It is caused by insect bites of the Culicoides spp. which mediate a type I/IVb allergy with strong involvement of eosinophil cells. No specific treatment option is available so far. One concept could be the use of a therapeutic antibody targeting equine interleukin 5, the main activator and regulator of eosinophils. Therefore, antibodies were selected by phage display using the naïve human antibody gene libraries HAL9/10, tested in a cellular in vitro inhibition assay and subjected to an in vitro affinity...
Verhaar N, Hoppe S, Grages AM, Hansen K, Neudeck S, Kästner S, Mazzuoli-Weber G.α2 agonists are frequently used in horses with colic, even though they have been shown to inhibit gastrointestinal motility. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dexmedetomidine on small intestinal in vitro contractility during different phases of ischaemia. Experimental segmental jejunal ischaemia was induced in 12 horses under general anaesthesia, and intestinal samples were taken pre-ischaemia and following ischaemia and reperfusion. Spontaneous and electrically evoked contractile activity of the circular and longitudinal smooth muscles were determined in each sample with a...
Jacobsen ABJE, Damborg P, Hopster-Iversen C.Horses may be carriers of important resistant bacteria like methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Such bacteria can potentially threaten both equine and public health, but little is known about predisposing factors like antimicrobial usage patterns in equines. Objectives of this study were to investigate the antimicrobial usage practices by Danish equine practitioners as well as factors impacting usage. A total of 103 equine practitioners filled in an online questionnaire. When asked to explain their typical treatment of six clinical case scenarios, only 1% and 7% of respondents prescribed syst...
Toner S, Crosby C.A 6-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding was presented for right front lameness 1 mo after being cast in a stall at a 1.20-meter jumping event. Lameness work-up revealed mild lameness on the right and left front legs, with diffuse swelling over the right front pastern. Ultrasonic evaluation yielded suspicion of collateral desmopathy of the proximal interphalangeal joint that was subsequently confirmed via MRI. Two weeks after initial evaluation, the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints were injected with Pro-Stride Autologous Protein Solution, immediately followed by Extracorporeal ...
Wang T, Xi C, Yu Y, Liu W, Akhtar MF, Li Y, Wang C, Li L.Equid herpesvirus 8 (EHV-8), also known as asinine herpesvirus type 3 (AHV-3), can cause severe respiratory disease, abortion in mares, and neurological disorders. There is limited information on the prevalence of EHV-8 in donkeys in China. In this study, we investigated EHV-8 infection in donkeys using PCR, resulting in the identification of a field strain, termed EHV-8 SD2020113, which was isolated using RK-13 cells and characterized by high-throughput sequencing and transmission electron microscopy. Our data indicated that 38.7% (457/1180) of donkeys showed the presence of EHV-8 in blood sa...
Ishikawa Y, Sakai DM, Im JS, Zhang S, Reed RA, Quandt JE, Baldo CF, Walters B, Barletta M.To evaluate a regional anesthetic technique for blocking the abdominal midline in horses. Methods: Anatomical description and prospective, crossover, placebo-controlled, blinded study. Methods: Adult horses; two cadavers, six healthy animals. Methods: In stage 1, 0.5% methylene blue with 0.25% bupivacaine (0.5 mL kg) was injected using ultrasonography into the internal rectus abdominis sheath (RAS) of two cadavers with a one-point or two-point technique. The dye spread was described after the dissection of the abdomens. In stage 2, each horse was injected with 1 mL kg of 0.9% NaCl (treatment P...
Gharehaghajlou Y, Raidal SL, Freccero F, Padalino B.Transportation may lead to oxidative stress (OS) and gastric ulceration in horses, and optimal feed management before, or during, transportation is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of transportation after three different feeding strategies on OS and to explore possible associations between OS and equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Twenty-six mares were transported by truck for 12 hours without food or water. Horses were randomly divided into 3 groups; (1) fed 1 hour before departure (BD), (2) fed 6 hours BD, (3) fed 12 hours BD. Clinical examinations and blood collections w...
Buschmann E, Van Steenkiste G, Boussy T, Vernemmen I, Schauvliege S, Decloedt A, van Loon G.We describe the diagnosis and treatment of an atrioventricular accessory pathway (AP) in a horse using 3-dimensional electro-anatomical mapping (3D EAM) and radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). During routine evaluation of the horse, intermittent ventricular pre-excitation was identified on the ECG, characterized by a short PQ interval and abnormal QRS morphology. A right cranial location of the AP was suspected from the 12-lead ECG and vectorcardiography. After precise localization of the AP using 3D EAM, ablation was performed and AP conduction was eliminated. Immediately after recovery ...
Hifumi T, Tanaka T, Sato M, Akioka K, Fujimata C, Miyoshi N.Alveolar echinococcosis in slaughtered horses remains a public health issue. This study aimed to develop a Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay targeting the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 () gene of for the rapid detection of equine alveolar echinococcosis. Thirty-six hepatic solid nodules obtained from each horse ( = 36) were evaluated based on histopathological examination and -targeted PCR and then submitted to the RPA assay. The results of the developed RPA assay were 94.4% consistent with those of PCR and Cohen's kappa coefficient value was 0.89 statistically,...
Humblet MF, Saegerman C.The present paper proposes a tool to follow up the compliance of staff and students with biosecurity rules, as enforced in a veterinary faculty, i.e., animal clinics, teaching laboratories, dissection rooms, and educational pig herd and farm. Unassigned: Starting from a generic list of items gathered into several categories (personal dress and equipment, animal-related items, infrastructures, waste management, management of material/equipment and behavior), a checklist was created for each sector/activity mentioned above, based on the rules and procedures compiled in the Faculty biosecurity st...
Singh S, Kumar B, Dilbaghi N, Devi N, Prasad M, Manuja A.Isometamidium chloride (ISM) is a trypanocide for the prophylactic and therapeutic use against vector-borne animal trypanosomosis (mainly Surra caused by ) and African animal trypanosomosis caused by //). ISM was found to be an efficient trypanocide for therapeutic/prophylactic use against trypanosomosis; however, it produces some local and systemic detrimental effects in animals. We synthesized isometamidium chloride-loaded alginate gum acacia nanoformulation (ISM SANPS) to lessen the detrimental side effects of isometamidium chloride (ISM) while treating trypanosomal diseases. We intended to...
Wang J, Guo K, Li S, Liu D, Chu X, Wang Y, Guo W, Du C, Wang X, Hu Z.Salmonella enterica subsp. serovar Abortusequi is a major pathogen in horse and donkey herds, causing abortion in pregnant equids and resulting in enormous economic losses. A rapid and reliable method is urgently needed to detect . Abortusequi in herds where the disease is suspected. To achieve this goal, a TaqMan-based real-time PCR assay targeting the gene for the flagellin protein phase 2 antigen FljB was developed. This real-time PCR assay had high specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. The detection limit of the assay was 30 copies/μL of standard plasmid and 10 CFU/μL of bacter...
West Nile virus (WNV) is a member of the Japanese encephalitis serocomplex, which was first described in 1937 as neurotropic virus in Uganda in 1937. Subsequently, WNV was identified in the rest of the old-world and from 1999 in North America. Birds are the primary hosts, and WNV is maintained in a bird-mosquito-bird cycle, with pigs as amplifying hosts and humans and horses as incidental hosts. WNV transmission is warranted by mosquitoes, usually of the spp., with a tendency to spill over when mosquitoes' populations build up. Other types of transmissions have been described in endemic areas...
Nakken G, Kirk J, Fjordbakk CT.Autologous conditioned serum (ACS), i.e serum enriched with anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors, is a popular orthobiologic therapy used in equine practice. Costly specialized tubes containing glass beads are commonly used for ACS production. The objective of this in vitro study was to compare cytokine and growth factor levels in equine serum after incubation in three different tubes: commercial plastic ACS tubes (COMM); sterile 50 ml plastic centrifugation tubes (CEN); and 10 ml plastic vacutainer tubes (VAC). Blood from 15 healthy horses was incubated in the different tubes at 3...
Rietmann TR, Staﾬher M, Bernasconi P, Auer JA, Weishaupt MA.The objective of this study was to compare the stress response of horses suffering from laminitis after short- and long-term treatment with the intent to evaluate power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) for pain monitoring. Data were collected from 19 horses with acute or chronic exacerbating laminitis without known primary disease before and after treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Recordings were carried out the day after admission to the equine hospital. Measurements were repeated on day 7 of the treatment. The recorded parameters included a clinic...
Beekman L, Tohver T, Dardari R, Léguillette R.The stability of reference genes has a tremendous effect on the results of relative quantification of genes expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Equine Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD) is a common condition often treated with corticosteroids. The diagnosis of IAD is based on clinical signs and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cytology. The aim of this study was to identify reference genes with the most stable mRNA expression in the BAL cells of horses with IAD irrespective of corticosteroids treatment. Results: The expression stability of seven candidate reference genes (B2...
Kono Y, Hirasawa K, Fukunaga Y, Taniguchi T.Horses which had passed a few months to a few years asymptomatically after the last recurrence of equine infectious anemia (EIA) showed a typical febrile response after treatment with the immunosuppressive agent, dexamethasone (DM) or cyclophosphamide (CY). In horses showing a febrile response, EIA virus which had not been neutralized by neutralizing antibody previously produced was propagated. In DM-treated horses it disappeared from the blood soon after pyretolysis and antibody against the virus was produced promptly. In contrast, detectable viremia persisted in CY-treated horses for 10 to 8...
Guedes AG, Morisseau C, Sole A, Soares JH, Ulu A, Dong H, Hammock BD.A 4-year old, 500 kg Thoroughbred female horse diagnosed with bilateral forelimb laminitis and cellulitis on the left forelimb became severely painful and refractory to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory therapy (flunixin meglumine on days 1, 2, 3 and 4; and phenylbutazone on days 5, 6 and 7) alone or in combination with gabapentin (days 6 and 7). Methods: Pain scores assessed independently by three individuals with a visual analog scale (VAS; 0 = no pain and 10 = worst possible pain) were 8.5 on day 6, and it increased to 9.5 on day 7. Non-invasive blood pressure monitoring revealed severe hyper...
Nielsen MK, Baptiste KE, Tolliver SC, Collins SS, Lyons ET.Increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance in equine nematodes have led to recommendations of more sustainable anthelmintic treatment protocols with emphasis on parasite surveillance and diagnosis, rather than prophylactic calendar-based treatments. This requires knowledge of the diagnostic test performance of techniques for counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) as well as methods for culturing, counting and identifying third stage (L(3)) strongyle larvae per gram of feces (LPG). For horses, such information does not exist in the published literature. The aim of this study was to examine th...
Brüning A.Two haemoprotozoan parasites, Babesia caballi and Babesia equi, can cause equine piroplasmosis. Due to the presence of potential tick vectors in areas so far unaffected by equine babesias, import and export regulations often require the serum testing of animals for evidence of infection. Although the complement fixation test (CFT) has been recommended for detecting the presence of antibodies to Babesia spp., it has been demonstrated to have several disadvantages, including false-positive results and low sensitivity for detecting latent infections. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) m...
Scheinberg P, Marte M, Nunez O, Young NS.Clones of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor protein-deficient cells are characteristic in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and are present in about 40-50% of patients with severe aplastic anemia. Flow cytometry has allowed for sensitive and precise measurement of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor protein-deficient red blood cells and neutrophils in severe aplastic anemia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clones measured by flow cytometry in 207 consecutive severe aplastic anemia patients who received immunosuppressive therapy with a h...
van Maanen C, Cullinane A.Equine influenza is one of the most economically important contagious respiratory diseases of horses. In this paper the current state of knowledge of equine influenza virus and the most important aspects of these virus infections, e.g. epidemiology, clinical aspects, pathogenesis and pathology, immunity, diagnosis, treatment, management and vaccination, are reviewed with an emphasis on epidemiology, diagnosis and vaccinology. Many questions have remained and with the advent of improved technology new questions have arisen. Consequently, research priorities should be set in an attempt to answer...
Ledizet M, Kar K, Foellmer HG, Wang T, Bushmich SL, Anderson JF, Fikrig E, Koski RA.West Nile (WN) virus is a flavivirus that first appeared in North America in 1999. Since then, more than 600 human deaths and 22,000 equine infections have been attributed to the virus in the United States. We expressed a truncated form of WN virus envelope (E) protein in Drosophila S2 cells. This soluble recombinant E protein was recognized by antibodies from naturally infected horses, indicating that it contains native epitopes. Mice and horses produced high-titer antibodies when immunized with recombinant E protein combined with aluminum hydroxide. Immunized mice were resistant to challenge...
van Eeden C, Williams JH, Gerdes TG, van Wilpe E, Viljoen A, Swanepoel R, Venter M.To determine which agents cause neurologic disease in horses, we conducted reverse transcription PCR on isolates from of a horse with encephalitis and 111 other horses with acute disease. Shuni virus was found in 7 horses, 5 of which had neurologic signs. Testing for lesser known viruses should be considered for horses with unexplained illness.
Sieber S, Gerber V, Jandova V, Rossano A, Evison JM, Perreten V.A total of 70 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from postoperative infections in hospitalized horses were isolated between January 2005 and January 2011. Among them, 12 isolates were methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), 18 were borderline-oxacillin-resistant S. aureus (BORSA), and 40 were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). During the same period, the equine clinic personnel were screened for nasal carriage of BORSA and MRSA. Genotyping revealed that BORSA ST1(MLST)-t2863(spa) isolates were responsible for most equine infections and were the main isolates found in colonized members of th...
Couëtil LL, Rosenthal FS, DeNicola DB, Chilcoat CD.To evaluate the association among clinical signs, results of cytologic evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and measures of pulmonary function in horses with inflammatory respiratory disease. Methods: 9 healthy horses, 5 horses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD), and 9 horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Clinical examination, lung function tests, and BAL were performed on each horse. Results: Standard lung mechanics of horses with exacerbated COPD differed significantly from those of healthy horses; however, there were few differences among horse...
Lu G, Ou J, Ji J, Ren Z, Hu X, Wang C, Li S.Getah virus (GETV) is a mosquito-borne virus that was first determined in Malaysia in 1955, and can infect humans and multiple other mammals. GETV infection in horses has been reported in Japan and India, and causes great economic losses. In China, GETV has been identified in mosquitoes, pigs, foxes, and cattle with a wide geographical distribution, but has not been detected in horses. In August 2018, a sudden onset of fever was observed in racehorse in an equestrian training center in Guangdong Province in southern China. Blood samples were collected from the sick horse, and PCR/RT-PCR analys...
Balaggan KS, Binley K, Esapa M, MacLaren RE, Iqball S, Duran Y, Pearson RA, Kan O, Barker SE, Smith AJ, Bainbridge JW, Naylor S, Ali RR.We evaluated the efficacy of equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV)-based lentiviral vectors encoding endostatin (EIAV.endostatin) or angiostatin (EIAV.angiostatin) in inhibiting angiogenesis and vascular hyperpermeability in the laser-induced model of choroidal neovascularisation (CNV). Equine infectious anaemia virus.endostatin, EIAV.angiostatin or control (EIAV.null) vectors were administered into the subretinal space of C57Bl/6J mice. Two weeks after laser injury CNV areas and the degree of vascular hyperpermeability were measured by image analysis of in vivo fluorescein angiograms. Compar...
Diab SS, Songer G, Uzal FA.Clostridium difficile is considered one of the most important causes of diarrhea and enterocolitis in horses. Foals and adult horses are equally susceptible to the infection. The highly resistant spore of C. difficile is the infectious unit of transmission, which occurs primarily via the fecal-oral route, with sources of infection including equine feces, contaminated soil, animal hospitals, and feces of other animals. Two major risk factors for the development of C. difficile associated disease (CDAD) in adult horses are hospitalization and antimicrobial treatment, although sporadically, cases...
Ross PF, Rice LG, Osweiler GD, Nelson PE, Richard JL, Wilson TM.During the 1989 corn harvest season, numerous reports of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) outbreaks and a pulmonary edema (PPE) syndrome in swine from several regions of the United States were received by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), Ames, Iowa. Previous and concurrent research linked Fusarium moniliforme and fumonisin-contaminated feeds to both diseases. Chemical and mycological investigations revealed fumonisin B1 (FB1) concentrations of 20 to 360 ppm in suspect swine feeds and 8 to 117 ppm in suspect equine feeds. Nonproblem feeds contained concentrations below 8...
Degenerative joint disease is one of the main causes of equine early retirement from pleasure riding or a performance career. The disease is initially triggered by an abnormal loading of normal cartilage or a normal loading of abnormal cartilage. This primary insult is accompanied with joint inflammation, which leads to further progressive degeneration of the articular cartilage and changes in the surrounding tissues. Therefore, in search for an effective treatment, 75 adult horses with early signs of degenerative fetlock joint disease were enrolled in a randomized, multicenter, double-blinded...
Koehler K, Stechele M, Hetzel U, Domingo M, Schönian G, Zahner H, Burkhardt E.This report describes a case of cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse in southern Germany. Diagnosis is based on histopathology, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The protozoan was identified as Leishmania infantum via PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism. The horse did not show specific Leishmania antibodies. The lesions healed completely within 6 months without any specific treatment. Since neither the infected horse nor its dam had ever left their rural area, autochthonous infection in Germany cannot be excluded. Factors possibly influencing the epidemiological situatio...
Atta EH, Dias DS, Marra VL, de Azevedo AM.The best antithymocyte globulin preparation for first-line immune suppression in patients with severe aplastic anemia is still not clear. The aim of this study was to compare hematological response and overall survival in patients submitted to horse or rabbit antithymocyte globulin as first-line treatment for severe aplastic anemia. We retrospectively compared 71 consecutive patients with severe aplastic anemia, classified according to the antithymocyte globulin preparation. Analyses included variables related to patients and to immune suppression. Forty two patients (59.1%) received horse and...
Habarugira G, Suen WW, Hobson-Peters J, Hall RA, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H.West Nile virus (WNV) is an important zoonotic flavivirus responsible for mild fever to severe, lethal neuroinvasive disease in humans, horses, birds, and other wildlife species. Since its discovery, WNV has caused multiple human and animal disease outbreaks in all continents, except Antarctica. Infections are associated with economic losses, mainly due to the cost of treatment of infected patients, control programmes, and loss of animals and animal products. The pathogenesis of WNV has been extensively investigated in natural hosts as well as in several animal models, including rodents, lagom...
Lewis MJ, Wagner B, Woof JM.Recombinant versions of the seven equine IgG subclasses were expressed in CHO cells. All assembled into intact immunoglobulins stabilised by disulphide bridges, although, reminiscent of human IgG4, a small proportion of equine IgG4 and IgG7 were held together by non-covalent bonds alone. All seven IgGs were N-glycosylated. In addition IgG3 appeared to be O-glycosylated and could bind the lectin jacalin. Staphylococcal protein A displayed weak binding for the equine IgGs in the order: IgG1>IgG3>IgG4>IgG7>IgG2=IgG5>IgG6. Streptococcal protein G bound strongly to IgG1, IgG4 and IgG7, moderately t...
Witkowska-Piłaszewicz OD, Żmigrodzka M, Winnicka A, Miśkiewicz A, Strzelec K, Cywińska A.Serum amyloid A (SAA) is the major acute phase protein in horses. It is produced during the acute phase response (APR), a nonspecific systemic reaction to any type of tissue injury. In the blood of healthy horses, SAA concentration is very low, but it increases dramatically with inflammation. Due to the short half-life of SAA, changes in its concentration in blood closely reflect the onset of inflammation and, therefore, measurement of SAA useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease and response to treatment. Increases in SAA concentration have been described in equine digestive, reprodu...
Tryon RC, White SD, Bannasch DL.Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA), a degenerative skin disease that affects the Quarter Horse breed, was localized to ECA1 by homozygosity mapping. Comparative genomics allowed the development of equine gene-specific markers which were used with a set of affected horses to detect a homozygous, identical-by-descent block spanning approximately 2.5 Mb, suggesting a recent origin for the HERDA mutation. We report a mutation in cyclophilin B (PPIB) as a novel, causal candidate gene for HERDA. A c.115G>A missense mutation in PPIB alters a glycine residue that has been conserved acr...
LeBlanc MM.Rapid physical uterine clearance is paramount for fertility. Mares that are unable to clear the by-products of insemination or foaling quickly may develop post-mating-induced or acute endometritis. If endometritis is not promptly resolved, the infection can become chronic. Endometritis can be difficult to identify because clinical signs, ultrasonographic and laboratory findings can vary between uterine pathogens. Some micro-organisms are associated with an influx of neutrophils and fluid into the uterine lumen while others are associated with only heavy debris on cytological specimens. Identif...
Balazs EA, Denlinger JL.The availability of elastoviscous solutions of highly purified hyaluronan has created two new therapeutic methods in human and veterinary medicine: viscosurgery and viscosupplementation. Viscosurgical tools and implants are widely used in ophthalmology and have been suggested for use in otology. Visco-supplementation of joint fluid using elastoviscous hyaluronan solutions is widely used in the treatment of equine traumatic arthritis. It was also suggested for use in idiopathic osteoarthritis in humans, but this application has not received wide acceptance. Cross-linked forms of hyaluronan have...
Martins LC, Silva EVPD, Casseb LMN, Silva SPD, Cruz ACR, Pantoja JAS, Medeiros DBA, Martins Filho AJ, Cruz EDRMD, Araújo MTF, Cardoso JF....Serological evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection has been reported in different regions of Brazil from equine and human hosts but the virus had never been isolated in the country. Objective: We sought to identify the viral etiology of equine encephalitis in Espírito Santo state. Methods: We performed viral culture in C6/36 cells, molecular detection of WNV genome, histopathology and immunohistochemistry from horse cerebral tissue. We also carried out sequencing, phylogenetic analysis and molecular clock. Results: Histopathologic analysis from horse cerebral tissue showed injury related...
Nixon AJ, Grol MW, Lang HM, Ruan MZC, Stone A, Begum L, Chen Y, Dawson B, Gannon F, Plutizki S, Lee BHL, Guse K.Gene therapy holds great promise for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) because a single intraarticular injection can lead to long-term expression of therapeutic proteins within the joint. This study was undertaken to investigate the use of a helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd)-mediated intraarticular gene therapy approach for long-term expression of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) as sustained symptomatic and disease-modifying therapy for OA. In mouse models of OA, efficacy of HDAd-IL-1Ra was evaluated by histologic analysis, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and hot plate ana...
Theoret CL, Wilmink JM.Impaired wound healing represents an enormous clinical and financial problem for companion animals and humans alike. Unfortunately, most models used to study healing rely on rodents, which have significant differences in the healing and scarring process and rarely develop complications. In order to better simulate impaired healing, the model should strive to reproduce the natural processes of healing and delayed healing. Wounds on the limbs of horses display similarities to wounds in humans in their epithelialization/contraction ratio, genetic influence as well as dysregulated cytokine profile...
