The study of diseases in horses encompasses a wide range of conditions affecting equine health, including infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and genetic abnormalities. These diseases can impact various systems within the horse, such as respiratory, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems, and can lead to significant health challenges. Research in this area focuses on understanding the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of equine diseases. Common diseases studied include equine influenza, equine herpesvirus, and laminitis. This page provides access to peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, clinical presentation, and management strategies of diseases in horses, contributing to the advancement of equine veterinary medicine.
Rohrbach BW, Stafford JR, Clermont RS, Reed SM, Schott HC, Andrews FM.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is common in older horses. Objective: To determine diagnosis frequency, prognostic factors, long-term survival, and owner satisfaction with treatment. Methods: Medical records from horses diagnosed with PPID, 1993-2004. Methods: A retrospective cohort design with data collected from the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB) and a cohort of 3 VTHs. Proportional accessions, annual incidence, and demographics were compared for all accessions. During the same period, a subset of medical records (n = 44) was extracted and owners (n = 34) contacted to obtai...
Kalemkerian PB, Metz GE, Peral-Garcia P, Echeverria MG, Giovambattista G, Díaz S.Polymorphisms at Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes have been associated with resistance/susceptibility to infectious diseases in domestic animals. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate whether polymorphisms of the DRA gene the Equine Lymphocyte Antigen is associated with susceptibility to Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) infection in horses in Argentina. The equine DRA gene was screened for polymorphisms using Pyrosequencing® Technology which allowed the detection of three ELA-DRA exon 2 alleles. Neither allele frequencies nor genotypic differentiation exhibited any statistical...
Boyle AG, Boston RC, O'Shea K, Young S, Rankin SC.Streptococcus equi is the etiologic agent of a highly infectious upper respiratory disease of horses known as strangles. Bacterial culture methods and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nasopharyngeal washes and guttural pouch lavages are used routinely to test clinical and carrier animals for the presence of S. equi but no definitive or gold standard test method has been shown to be optimal. We hypothesized that (i) a flocked swab submerged in ten-fold serial dilution suspensions of S. equi prepared in 0.9% NaCl would detect more colony forming units (CFU) than a rayon swab when used to inocu...
Johns I, Verheyen K, Good L, Rycroft A.The objective of this study was to examine the emergence and persistence of antimicrobial resistant faecal Escherichia coli in horses treated with antimicrobial drugs in a hospital and community setting. Faecal samples were collected from hospitalised (n=56) and non-hospitalised (n=14) horses treated with antimicrobials, and 10 non-treated hospitalised controls. Samples were obtained pre-treatment and 5 days later in all horses, and 2 weeks and 2 months after treatment in treated horses. Susceptibility to 15 antimicrobials was tested via disc diffusion on up to 3 E. coli isolates per sample. P...
Schoster A, Staempfli HR, Arroyo LG, Reid-Smith RJ, Janecko N, Shewen PE, Weese JS.Point prevalence studies have reported carriage rates of enteric pathogens in healthy horses, but longitudinal data are lacking. Commensal E. coli is an indicator organism to evaluate antimicrobial resistance of enteric bacteria, yet there are limited data for horses. The objectives of this study were to investigate and molecularly characterize isolates of Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella, collected sequentially over a one year period, and to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile for E. coli. Fecal samples were collected monthly from 25 adult horses for o...
Yamanaka T, Nemoto M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Kondo T, Matsumura T, Muranaka M, Ueno T, Kinoshita Y, Niwa H, Hidari KI, Suzuki T.Since equine influenza A virus (H3N8) was transmitted to dogs in the United States in 2004, the causative virus, which is called canine influenza A virus (CIV), has become widespread in dogs. To date, it has remained unclear whether or not CIV-infected dogs could transmit CIV to horses. To address this, we tested whether or not close contact between horses and dogs experimentally infected with CIV would result in its interspecies transmission. Methods: Three pairs of animals consisting of a dog inoculated with CIV (10(8.3) egg infectious dose 50/dog) and a healthy horse were kept together in i...
Botha M, Botes M, Loos B, Smith C, Dicks LM.Lactobacillus equigenerosi strain Le1, a natural inhabitant of the equine gastrointestinal tract, survived pH 3.0 and incubation in the presence of 1.5% (wt/vol) bile salts for at least 2 h. Strain Le1 showed 8% cell surface hydrophobicity, 60% auto-aggregation, and 47% coaggregation with Clostridium difficile C6. Only 1% of the cells adhered to viable buccal epithelial cells and invaded the cells within 20 min after contact. Preincubation of strain Le1 in a buffer containing pronase prevented adhesion to viable epithelial cells. Preincubation in a pepsin buffer delayed invasion from 20 min to...
Endo Y, Tsuchiya T, Sato F, Murase H, Omura T, Korosue K, Nambo Y, Ishimaru M, Wakui Y.Prevalence of equine gastric ulcer syndrome in 85 young Thoroughbreds was investigated. The presence of gastric ulcers was confirmed in 27.1% (23/85) of the horses by endoscopic examination. Sixty-two horses without gastric ulcers were allocated randomly to either the treated group (31 horses) or sham-dosed control group (31 horses) in order to investigate the efficacy of omeprazole oral paste in the prevention of gastric ulcers. At the second endoscopic examination conducted after 28 days of administration, only 1 horse in the treated group developed gastric ulcers, while 12 horses developed ...
Liu C, Guo W, Lu G, Xiang W, Wang X.A new strain of equine herpesvirus type 8 (EHV-8), Wh, has been isolated from horses in China, and its complete genome has been sequenced and analyzed. The result indicates that the new strain has the same constitution and arrangement of open read frames as EHV-1 and EHV-9. This work is the first announced complete genome sequence of EHV-8.
Macias Rioseco M, Beingesser J, Uzal FA.Clostridium perfringens type C causes necrotizing enteritis mostly in neonatal animals of several species, including horses. The virulence of C. perfringens type C is mostly mediated by beta toxin (CPB). This toxin is highly sensitive to the action of trypsin and other proteases, which explains the increased susceptibility of neonatal animals to type C infections. Final confirmation of type C disease diagnosis should be based on detection of CPB in the intestinal content of affected animals. However, because CPB is so sensitive to the action of proteases, it is believed that this toxin persist...
Millerick-May ML, Karmaus W, Derksen FJ, Berthold B, Holcombe SJ, Robinson NE.Accumulations of tracheal mucus assessed by endoscopic examination are associated with poor performance in racehorses. The air quality in horses' stalls may contribute to this visible tracheal mucus. Objective: To determine whether the concentration and number of airborne particulates in stalls are associated with visible accumulations of tracheal mucus and with the number of inflammatory cells in tracheal aspirates. Methods: We studied 107 racehorses from 3 stables, in 3 different months, and measured airborne particulate matter 3 times daily in each of the stalls. On each monthly visit, hors...
Woodward EM, Christoffersen M, Campos J, Squires EL, Troedsson MH.The objectives were to: (1) investigate the associations of age and endometrial biopsy score with uterine fluid retention after insemination; and (2) determine if a strict classification of susceptibility to persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE) based on biopsy score, endometrial cytology, and fluid retention after inseminations, is consistent over subsequent breeding seasons. In Experiment 1, 57 mares were inseminated with 10(9) freeze-killed sperm during estrus and evaluated for uterine fluid retention 48 h and 96 h after insemination. Comparisons were made between fluid retention ...
Jacobson CC, Sertich PL, Mc Donnell SM.To investigate effects of a 5-day oral misoprostol regimen recommended for use in horses as a gastrointestinal mucosal cytoprotectant during colic on mid-gestation pregnancies. Objective: To monitor cervical tone, ultrasonographic characteristics of the uterus, cervix and conceptus, as well as serum progesterone and oestrone sulphate concentrations, and observations of general health, behaviour and comfort of mid-gestation mares given a 5-day course of misoprostol or control treatment. Methods: Eleven light horse and pony mares with known breeding dates were administered 5 µg/kg bwt misoprost...
Pauwels FE, Wigley SJ, Munday JS, Roe WD.A 13-year-old Thoroughbred mare was presented with a history of mild colic over 3 days. This colic had acutely exacerbated and was unresponsive to analgesic treatment, and was referred to Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Results: On examination the heart rate was 100 beats per minute, and mucous membranes were pale and tacky. A large mass was detected on transrectal palpation in the caudal abdomen to the left of midline. Explorative laparotomy revealed severe haemoperitoneum and several masses that were associated with the reproductive tract. The mare was then subject to euthana...
Marsh GA, Wang LF.Henipavirus, including Hendra and Nipah viruses, is a group of emerging bat-borne paramyxoviruses which were responsible for severe disease outbreaks in humans, horses and pigs. The mortality rate of human infection varies between 50 and 100%, making them one of the most deadly viruses known to infect humans. Its use of highly conserved cell surface molecules (ephrin) as entry receptors and its highly effective replication and fusion strategies are believed to be important characteristics responsible for its high pathogenicity. Henipavirus also encodes multiple accessory proteins which play a ...
Boden LA, Parkin TD, Yates J, Mellor D, Kao RR.Robust demographic information is important to understanding the risk of introduction and spread of exotic diseases as well as the development of effective disease control strategies, but is often based on datasets collected for other purposes. Thus, it is important to validate, or at least cross-reference these datasets to other sources to assess whether they are being used appropriately. The aim of this study was to use horse location data collected from different contributing industry sectors ("Stakeholder horse data") to calibrate the spatial distribution of horses as indicated by owner lo...
Burbelo PD, Dubovi EJ, Simmonds P, Medina JL, Henriquez JA, Mishra N, Wagner J, Tokarz R, Cullen JM, Iadarola MJ, Rice CM, Lipkin WI, Kapoor A.Genetic and biological characterization of new hepaciviruses infecting animals contributes to our understanding of the ultimate origins of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in humans and dramatically enhances our ability to study its pathogenesis using tractable animal models. Animal homologs of HCV include a recently discovered canine hepacivirus (CHV) and GB virus B (GBV-B), both viruses with largely undetermined natural host ranges. Here we used a versatile serology-based approach to determine the natural host of the only known nonprimate hepacivirus (NPHV), CHV, which is also the closest p...
Schaffartzik A, Hamza E, Janda J, Crameri R, Marti E, Rhyner C.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an allergic dermatitis of the horse caused by bites of insects of the genus Culicoides and is currently the best characterized allergic disease of horses. This article reviews knowledge of the immunopathogenesis of IBH, with a particular focus on the causative allergens. Whereas so far hardly any research has been done on the role of antigen presenting cells in the pathogenesis of IBH, recent studies suggest that IBH is characterized by an imbalance between a T helper 2 (Th2) and regulatory T cell (T(reg)) immune response, as shown both locally in the skin...
Tallmadge RL, Such KA, Miller KC, Matychak MB, Felippe MJ.Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous disorder of B cell differentiation or function with inadequate antibody production. Our laboratory studies a natural form of CVID in horses characterized by late-onset B cell lymphopenia due to impaired B cell production in the bone marrow. This study was undertaken to assess the status of B cell differentiation in the bone marrow of CVID-affected horses by measuring the expression of genes essential for early B cell commitment and development. Standard RT-PCR revealed that most of the transcription factors and key signaling molecules ...
Röcken M, Fürst A, Kummer M, Mosel G, Tschanz T, Lischer CJ.To report use of transendoscopic electrohydraulic shockwave lithotripsy for fragmentation of urinary calculi in horses. Methods: Case series. Methods: Male horses (n = 21). Methods: Fragmentation of cystic calculi (median, 6 cm diameter; range, 4-11 cm diameter) was achieved by transurethral endoscopy in standing sedated horses using an electrohydraulic shockwave fiber introduced through the biopsy channel of an endoscope. The fiber was advanced until it contacted the calculus. Repeated activation of the fiber was used to disrupt the calculus into fragments <1 cm diameter. Visibility within...
Gürelli G, Göçmen B.The aim of this study was to determine the cytological features of 2 endocommensal ciliates, P. colpoidea and P. minuta belonging to genus Paraisotricha found in the hindgut of 15 Turk rahvan and 15 English and Arabic horses from Izmir, compare the morphological characters of species with their original descriptions and previous reports and discuss the similarities and differences. Methods: The cytological features of two endocommensal ciliates were investigated with the pyridinated silver carbonate impregnation and silver nitrate impregnation techniques at the level of light microscopy. Resul...
Elliott CR, McCowan CI.Nigropallidal encephalomalacia was diagnosed in two horses in northern Victoria that had a history of long-term pasture access to a dense growth of Rhaponticum repens. The region in which the affected horses lived had received well above average rainfall for several months preceding the poisoning. Affected horses had sudden onset of subcutaneous oedema of the head, impaired prehension and mastication, dullness, lethargy and repeated chewing-like jaw movements. Diagnosis was confirmed at necropsy, with characteristic malacic lesions in the substantia nigra and globus pallidus of the brain. This...
Mori E, Borges AS, Delfiol DJ, Oliveira Filho JP, Gonçalves RC, Cagnini DQ, Lara MC, Cunha EM, Villalobos EM, Nassar AF, Castro AM, Brandao PE....This report describes the first detection of an equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) neuropathogenic variant (G2254/D752) in Brazil from a case of fatal equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in a mare. The results of nucleotide sequencing of the EHV-1 ORF30 gene showed that two other Brazilian EHV-1 isolates from EHM cases are representatives of the non-neuropathogenic variant (A2254/N752), suggesting that other unidentified factors are probably also involved in the neuropathogenicity of EHV-1 in horses. These findings will contribute to the epidemiological knowledge of EHV-1 infection in Brazi...
Moraveji M, Hosseini MH, Amrabadi O, Rahimian A, Namazi F, Namavari M.Neospora caninum, an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, is recognized as a major cause of abortion in cattle. However, limited information is presently available on the seroprevalence of Neospora antibodies in horses worldwide. The aim of the present study is to determine serological prevalence of Neospora infection in horses in Iran. Blood samples were obtained from 200 horses and tested for serum antibodies against Neospora spp. by the Neospora modified direct agglutination test (N-MAT). Antibodies were found in 64 (32%) horses being tested with titers of 1:80. This is the first serological su...
Whiting TL, Salmon RH, Wruck GC.Nine of 45 horses subjected to prolonged malnutrition died subsequent to being placed with a responsible caregiver and being provided an appropriate diet. Initial extreme poor body condition score tended to be associated with death, although individual response to refeeding varied. The financial costs of stabilizing the group of horses significantly exceeded their free market price. Responsible management of chronically starved commercial animals should include options for immediate euthanasia. Neuf des 45 chevaux soumis à une malnutrition prolongée sont morts après avoir été placés che...
Brooks AC, Menzies-Gow NJ, Wheeler-Jones C, Bailey SR, Cunningham FM, Elliott J.The endothelium plays a major role in the pathogenesis of endotoxemia. Binding of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) to endothelium initiates a range of signalling events, including activation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that are involved in the initiation of inflammatory responses. In the present study we have examined whether clinically relevant concentrations of LPS can activate p38 MAPK in equine endothelial cells and have investigated the role of the kinase in neutrophil adhesion and mediator release. Cultured equine digital vein endothelial cells (EDVEC) were expose...
Poppie MJ, McGuire TC.Combined immunodeficiency (CID), a defect in both B- and T-lymphocytes, was found to occur in 2.3% of 257 foals of Arabian breeding. All affected foals died by 5 months of age. The belief that CID is transmitted as an autosomal recessive genetic defect was supported by results from matings of dams and sires that had previously produced affected foals. Based on a prevalence of 2.3%, the proportion of carriers of the CID trait among the adult population surveyed was estimated to be 25.7%. Recent descriptions of other immunologic defects in foals emphasized the need for careful differential diagn...
Monzón CM, Mancebo OA, Roux JP.In a total of 165 blood samples from horses in the Province of Formosa (Argentina), the diagnosis for equine trypanosomiasis (T. evansi) was made using Giemsa-stained smears (GSS), wet blood films (WBF), Strout's concentration method (SCM), haematocrit centrifuge technique (HCT), buffy coat method (BCM) and mouse inoculation of blood (MBI). Trypanosoma evansi was demonstrated in 52 samples. Mouse inoculation gave a sensitivity of 88.2%; HCT 71.1%; BCM 63.4%; WBF 53.8%; SCM 46.1% and GSS 45.6%. No single method alone was totally effective. The haematocrit centrifuge technique, mouse inoculation...
Beckers KF, Gomes VCL, Crissman KR, Liu CC, Schulz CJ, Childers GW, Sones JL.Placentitis is the leading cause of infectious abortion in the horse. Additionally, it can result in weak and/or growth restricted offspring. While the etiology of ascending placentitis is well described in mares, less is known regarding the pathogenesis of other types, such as nocardioform placentitis. This study aims to identify the microbial communities in different body sites of the pregnant mare in early gestation to establish a core microbiome that may be perturbed in pathologic pregnancies such as placentitis. We hypothesize that the equine placenta harbors a distinct resident microbiom...
Duquesne F, Hébert L, Breuil MF, Matsuda M, Laugier C, Petry S.We describe here the development of a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative agent of contagious equine metritis (CEM), and Taylorella asinigenitalis, a nonpathogenic bacterium. MLST was performed on a set of 163 strains collected in several countries over 35 years (1977-2012). The MLST data were analyzed using START2, MEGA 5.05 and eBURST, and can be accessed at http://pubmlst.org/taylorella/. Our results revealed a clonal population with 39 sequence types (ST) and no common ST between the two Taylorella species. The eBURST analysis grouped the 27...
da Silveira EA, Bubeck KA, Batista ER, Piat P, Laverty S, Beauchamp G, Archambault M, Elce Y.This prospective clinical study evaluates the effectiveness of an alcohol-based hand rub (Avagard™) for pre-surgical hand antisepsis in an equine hospital and compares it with traditional scrubbing technique using 4% chlorhexidine gluconate sponges and water. Prior to elective surgery, 3 board-certified surgeons were randomly assigned to hand antisepsis with either technique. Culture samples of each hand were taken at 4 times: before and after neutral soap hand wash, after scrub or rubbing technique, and after surgery. There was no significant difference in mean bacterial colony forming unit...
Rosas CT, Goodman LB, von Einem J, Osterrieder N.Infections of horses with equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) have garnered new attention over the last few years. Devastating outbreaks occurring worldwide, primarily of the neurologic form of the disease, have resulted in a reassessment of the control strategies, and particularly the prophylactic measures, that are necessary to keep the infection and spread of disease in check. Most of the available EHV-1 vaccines are based on preparations of inactivated virus, which are applied monovalently for prevention of EHV-1-caused abortion in pregnant mares or as part of multivalent vaccines to prevent...
Dabernat HJ, Delmas CF, Tainturier DJ, Lareng MB.The in vitro susceptibility of recent clinical isolates of Haemophilus equigenitalis to various antimicrobial agents was determined by the disk diffusion test and the World Health Organization-International Collaborative Study agar dilution procedure. Ampicillin and tetracycline were the most active drugs. All strains were susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin (Furadantin), and bacitracin. All but two strains were resistant to streptomycin, whereas all strains were susceptible to the other aminocyclitol antibodies...
Jones RL.Equine clostridial enterocolitis is being recognized with increasing frequency. It has been identified in foals with diarrhea, antibiotic-associated enterocolitis, or nosocomial enterocolitis. The sporadic occurrence of clostridial enterocolitis, the variety of types of clostridia involved, and the difficulty of experimentally reproducing the disease suggest that it is a poorly defined multifactorial syndrome. The risk factors associated with susceptibility to colonization and progressive infection are largely based on anecdotal observations and extrapolation from human studies. Quantitative s...
Van Oirschot JT, Bruin G, de Boer-Luytze E, Smolders G.Foals that were born to mares vaccinated twice a year against influenza had moderate to high haemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers at 24 hours after birth. The foals were vaccinated at six and ten weeks of age, and again at three to five months after birth. Four months after the third vaccination no antibodies against A/H7N7 and A/H3N8 influenza viruses were detected in these foals. Thus, maternal antibodies probably prevented the development of antibodies against equine influenza virus after vaccination. Foals born to the same mares one year later were monitored to determine the rate o...
Diyes GC, Rajakaruna RS.Otobius megnini is a one host, nidicolous soft tick (Family Argasidae) whose larvae and nymphs parasitize the external ear canal of many wild and domestic animals and occasionally humans. The present study was conducted to determine the seasonal dynamics of O. megnini infesting stabled horses in Nuwara Eliya racecourses. Ticks were sampled biweekly for two years from May 2013 to May 2015 from the ear canal of seven thoroughbred male horses. Weather data: temperature, rainfall and humidity for the study period were obtained from the Meteorological Department, Colombo. A total of 23, 287 ticks o...
Jay-Russell MT, Madigan JE, Bengson Y, Madigan S, Hake AF, Foley JE, Byrne BA.In July 2010, a horse from a rural farm (Farm A) in coastal Northern California was diagnosed with Salmonella Oranienburg infection following referral to a veterinary hospital for colic surgery. Environmental sampling to identify potential sources and persistence of Salmonella on the farm was conducted from August 2010 to March 2011. Salmonella was cultured using standard enrichment and selective plating. Pure colonies were confirmed by biochemical analysis, serotyped and compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. A total of 204 clinical and environmental samples at Farm A w...
Andersen UV, Reinemeyer CR, Toft N, Olsen SN, Jacobsen S, Nielsen MK.Migrating Strongylus vulgaris and encysted cyathostomin larvae cause a localized inflammatory response in horses. It is unknown whether these larvae elicit a systemic acute phase response (APR), evidenced by changes in serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), iron (Fe), albumin, or albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio. In this study, 28 horses were randomly allocated to receive either pyrantel tartrate or a pelleted placebo formulation in their daily feed. Concurrent with treatment, all the horses were administered 5000 pyrantel-susceptible cyathostomin infective larvae once daily, 5 days a week, for ...
Payne VK, Mbafor FL, Wabo Pone J, Tchoumboué J.To evaluate the prevalence of infestation of ectoparasites of horses, a total of 894 horses (367 males and 527 females), aged 1-7 years old were examined. Horses were groomed for collection of ectoparasites. Out of the horses examined, 164 came from Fundong, 80 from Acha, 30 from Fongo-Tongo, 30 from Fokoue and 17 from Dschang, all of which were infested with ectoparasites. Five hundred and seventy-three (573) horses came from Banso and 99.48% were infested by ectoparasites. From the results obtained, three species of hard ticks ( and ) and one species of biting lice () were identified. (66%...
Pfister JA, Stegelmeier BL, Gardner DR, James LF.Spotted locoweed (Astragalus lentiginosus var. diphysus) is a toxic, perennial plant that may, if sufficient precipitation occurs, dominate the herbaceous vegetation of pinyon-juniper woodlands on the Colorado Plateau. Six cow/calf pairs and four horses grazed a 20-ha pasture with dense patches of locoweed in eastern Arizona during spring 1998. Locoweed density was 0.7 plants/m2 in the pasture. Locoweed averaged 30.4% NDF and 18.4% CP. Concentrations of the locoweed toxin, swainsonine, fluctuated from 1.25 to 2 mg/g in locoweed. Horses ate more (P < 0.01) bites of locoweed than did cows (15...
Tigre DM, Brandão CF, de Paula FL, Chinalia FA, Campos GS, Sardi SI.Equine infectious anemia is an important infectious disease that affects equids worldwide. Control of the disease is currently based on detection of anti-p26 EIAV by Agar Gel Immunodiffusion (AGID). In this work, 62 animals were examined by AGID and nested-PCR using primers for the gag gene. Fifty-three samples (85.5%) were positive by nested-PCR, whereas only 33 samples (53%) were positive for AGID. Fifteen amplicons obtained by nested-PCR were sequenced and the aligned results subjected to phylogenetic analysis. The analysis suggests that the Brazilian EIAV form a cluster with WSU5, EIAVUK a...
Ayroud M, Leighton FA, Tessaro SV.Four of five reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) obtained from a Besnoitia sp.- infected herd at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in October 1989, had evidence of mild dermatitis over the articular surfaces of carpal and tarsal joints. Cysts of Besnoitia sp., either surrounded by inflammatory reactions or without evident host response, were present within the dermis, submucosa of the nasal turbinates, periosteum, tendons, testes and hooves. The light microscopic and histochemical features of Besnoitia sp. from reindeer were indistinguishable from those of other Besnoit...
Green SL, Little CB, Baird JD, Tremblay RR, Smith-Maxie LL.The case records of 20 horses with tetanus referred to the Ontario Veterinary College-Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 1970 and 1990 were reviewed. The fatality rate was 75%. There was a strong association with previous vaccination and survival (P = .03). Most of the animals had been injured an average of 9 days (range 2 to 21 days) prior to development of clinical signs. Hyperesthesia and prolapse of the third eyelid were the most common clinical signs. Treatment regimens varied during hospitalization; however, all horses received parenteral penicillin, tranquilizers, tetanus toxoid, and ...
Jäderkvist Fegraeus K, Lawrence C, Petäjistö K, Johansson MK, Wiklund M, Olsson C, Andersson L, Andersson LS, Røed KH, Ihler CF, Strand E....The Swedish-Norwegian Coldblooded trotter (CBT) is a local breed in Sweden and Norway mainly used for harness racing. Previous studies have shown that a mutation from cytosine (C) to adenine (A) in the doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 3 (DMRT3) gene has a major impact on harness racing performance of different breeds. An association of the DMRT3 mutation with early career performance has also been suggested. The aim of the current study was to investigate this proposed association in a randomly selected group of CBTs. 769 CBTs (485 raced, 284 unraced) were genotyped for the DMR...
Ochi A, Hifumi T, Ueno T, Katayama Y.Capillaria hepatica is a zoonotic parasite in humans and animals and has a worldwide distribution. However, infections in mammals apart from rodents, which are natural hosts of the parasite, have rarely been reported. This report describes the first known case of C. hepatica infection in a horse in Japan. Methods: A 3-year-old filly without clinical signs was presented at a slaughterhouse in Japan. Gross examination revealed white to tan nodules 0.5 to 1.5 cm in diameter in the parenchyma of the liver. Histologically, the nodules had mature fibrous capsules and consisted of multifocal to coal...
Kim YM, Ha SJ, Seong HS, Choi JY, Baek HJ, Yang BC, Choi JW, Kim NY.In this study, genome-wide CNVs were identified using a total of 469 horses from four horse populations (Jeju horses, Thoroughbreds, Jeju riding horses, and Hanla horses). We detected a total of 843 CNVRs throughout all autosomes: 281, 30, 301, and 310 CNVRs for Jeju horses, Thoroughbreds, Jeju riding horses, and Hanla horses, respectively. Of the total CNVRs, copy number losses were found to be the most abundant (48.99%), while gains and mixed CNVRs accounted for 41.04% and 9.96% of the total CNVRs, respectively. The length of the CNVRs ranged from 0.39 kb to 2.8 Mb, while approximately 7.2% ...
Satué K, Miguel-Pastor L, Chicharro D, Gardón JC.For diagnostic purposes, liver enzymes are usually classified into hepatocellular and cholestatic. These two groups of equine liver-specific enzymes include sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). SDH and GLDH mostly reflect hepatocellular injury and cholestasis, while GGT expresses high values in biliary necrosis or hyperplasia. Likewise, AST, LDH, and ALP also reflect hepatocellular and biliary disease, but these enzymes are not liver specific. F...
Lu G, Fu C, Huang J, Xu H, Wu P, Ping X, Li S.Equine pegivirus (EPgV) is a newly discovered equine virus, which is taxonomically classified in the Pegivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family. Until now, only the complete genome sequence of the first reported EPgV strain, from the USA (strain name: C0035) is available on online databases. Considering this, horse serum samples were collected from horses in China and screened for EPgV RNA by RT-PCR. One EPgV strain, LW/2016, was obtained and its near-complete genome sequence was acquired by standard PCR. Further analysis of its nucleotide sequence indicates LW/2016 is genetically divergent fr...
Albert E, Sahin-Tóth J, Horváth A, Papp M, Biksi I, Dobay O.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bearing the mecC gene (mecC-MRSA) has been reported from animals and humans in recent years. This study describes the first mecC-MRSA isolates of human and equine origin in Hungary (two isolates from horses and one from a veterinarian, who treated one of the infected horses, but was asymptomatic). MRSA isolates were identified by cultivation and PCR detection of the species-specific spa gene and mecA/mecC methicillin resistance genes. The isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing, MLST, spa, SCCmec typing, PFGE and whole genome...
Wormstrand BH, Fjordbakk CT, Griffiths DJ, Lykkjen S, Olstad K.Growth cartilage is found in the articular-epiphyseal cartilage complex (AECC) and the physis. It has a temporary blood supply organised as end arteries. Vascular failure is associated with osteochondrosis, but infection can also obstruct vessels. The location of bacteria was recently compared to arterial perfusion, and the results indicated that they were located in the distal tips of AECC end arteries. Systematic perfusion studies were not available for comparison to the infected physes. Further studies may improve our understanding of infections and other pathologies. Objective: To describe...
Shaw SD, Cohen ND, Chaffin MK, Blodgett GP, Syndergaard M, Hurych D.Real-time, quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods for detecting Rhodococcus equi in feces have been developed as a noninvasive, rapid diagnostic test for R. equi pneumonia, but have not been evaluated in a large population of foals. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of fecal PCR as a diagnostic test for R. equi pneumonia in foals using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methods. Methods: 186 foals born in 2011 at an R. equi-endemic ranch in Texas. Methods: Fecal samples were collected at the time of onset of clinical signs for pneumonic foals (n = 3...
Perryman LE, Bjorneby JM.Immunotherapy for persistent infection caused by Cryptosporidium parvum was attempted in two immunodeficient animal models. BALB/c Athymic (nude) mice were infected with two oral doses of 2 x 10(7) C. parvum oocysts, and subsequently treated with monoclonal antibody (MAb) 17.41 that neutralizes sporozoites and merozoites. Persistent infection was established in all exposed mice. Daily oral treatment with MAb 17.41 for 10 days significantly reduced (p less than 0.005) the number of C. parvum organisms observed by microscopic study of intestinal tracts of infected mice. Young horses with severe ...
Palencia P, Quiroz-Rothe E, Rivero JL.Equine motor neuron disease (EMND) is a neurodegenerative disorder similar to the sporadic form of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study was conducted to quantify myofiber plasticity in response to EMND. Deep M. gluteus medius biopsy samples from eight horses with an ante mortem diagnosis of EMND, which in five cases was later confirmed by post mortem examination of spinal cord and peripheral nerves, were examined by combined methodologies of electrophoresis of myosin heavy chains (MyHC), muscle enzymes and substrate biochemistry, immunohistochemistry of MyHCs and sarcoendoplasmic Ca...
Thomson K, Eskola K, Eklund M, Suominen K, Määttä M, Junnila J, Nykäsenoja S, Niinistö K, Grönthal T, Rantala M.Extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) are important causative agents for infections in humans and animals. At the Equine Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Helsinki, the first infections caused by ESBL-E were observed at the end of 2011 leading to enhanced infection surveillance. Contact patients were screened for ESBL-E by culturing infection sites and rectal screening. This study was focused on describing the epidemiology and microbiological characteristics of ESBL-E from equine patients of the EVTH during 2011-2014, and analysing putative risk fac...
