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Topic:Disease
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.
Association of Streptococcus equi with equine monocytes. Streptococcus equi (Se), the cause of equine strangles, is highly resistant to phagocytosis by neutrophils and is usually classified as an extracellular pathogen. Large numbers of the organism in tonsillar tissues during the acute phase of the disease are completely eliminated during convalescence by mechanisms not yet understood. In this study we demonstrate in an opsono-bactericidal assay and by cytometry and confocal microscopy that Se is interiorized and killed by equine blood monocytes. This finding supports the hypotheses that adaptive immune clearance is mediated by tonsillar macrophage...
Results of a haplotype-based GWAS for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy in the horse. Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is a major upper-airway disease of horses that causes abnormal respiratory noise during exercise and can impair performance. Etiopathogenesis remains unclear but genetic factors have been suspected for many decades. The objective of this study was to identify risk loci associated with RLN. To that end we genotyped 234 cases (196 Warmbloods, 20 Trotters, 14 Thoroughbreds, and 4 Draft horses), 228 breed-matched controls, and 69 parents with the Illumina Equine SNP50 BeadChip. Using these data, we quantified population structure and performed single-marker and...
Lawsonia intracellularis-specific interferon γ gene expression by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vaccinated and naturally infected foals. The cell-mediated immune response to Lawsonia intracellularis, the agent of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), was investigated in vaccinated and naturally infected foals. Interferon (IFN)-γ gene expression was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from vaccinated (n=6) and control foals (n=6) every 30 days for 180 days following first vaccine administration, and from clinically affected foals (n=16) within 7-10 days of diagnosing EPE. Seroconversion (immunoperoxidase monolayer assay titer ≥60) occurred in 5/6 vaccinated foals between 60 and 90 days following the f...
Oral absorption of clarithromycin is nearly abolished by chronic comedication of rifampicin in foals. The delivery of clarithromycin (CRL) to its site of action in bronchial/alveolar epithelial cells (EC), bronchial epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BALC) may be influenced by CYP3A4 and the drug transporters, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) B1 and ABCC2 and organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs), which can be modulated and/or up-regulated via the nuclear pregnane X receptor (PXR) by rifampicin (RIF). Therefore, we evaluated the disposition and pulmonary distribution of CLR (7.5 mg/kg b.i.d., 21 days) and expression of ABCB1, ABCC2, OATP1A2, and OATP2B1 in EC ...
Integrating databases for research on health and performance in small animals and horses in the Nordic countries. In a world of limited resources, using existing databases in research is a potentially cost-effective way to increase knowledge, given that correct and meaningful results are gained.Nordic examples of the use of secondary small animal and equine databases include studies based on data from tumour registries, breeding registries, young horse quality contest results, competition data, insurance databases, clinic data, prescription data and hunting ability tests. In spite of this extensive use of secondary databases, integration between databases is less common. The aim of this presentation is to...
Vulvar epithelioid hemangiosarcoma with solar elastosis in a mare. A 15-year-old female gray Appaloosa horse was presented with history of a mass over the right dorsal commissure of vulva for the past 7 months. Based on histopathological examination, and positive staining with factor VIII-related antigen, vimentin, and Verhoeff-van Gieson stain, the vulvar mass was diagnosed as hemangiosarcoma with marked solar elastosis.
Equine torovirus (BEV) induces caspase-mediated apoptosis in infected cells. Toroviruses are gastroenteritis causing agents that infect different animal species and humans. To date, very little is known about how toroviruses cause disease. Here, we describe for the first time that the prototype member of this genus, the equine torovirus Berne virus (BEV), induces apoptosis in infected cells at late times postinfection. Observation of BEV infected cells by electron microscopy revealed that by 24 hours postinfection some cells exhibited morphological characteristics of apoptotic cells. Based on this finding, we analyzed several apoptotic markers, and observed protein syn...
Is the skin sensitivity test required for administering equine rabies immunoglobulin? Rabies immunoglobulins are life-saving in patients with severe exposure to rabies. Despite the high degree of purification of equine rabies immunoglobulin (ERIG), the product inserts still recommend a skin sensitivity test before administration of this heterologous serum. A recent WHO recommendation states that there are no scientific grounds for performing a skin test before administering ERIG because testing does not predict reactions and it should be given irrespective of the result of the test. In this conflicting situation, we assessed the use of the skin sensitivity test in predicting ad...
Surveillance programme for important equine infectious respiratory pathogens in the USA. The prevalence and epidemiology of important viral (equine influenza virus [EIV], equine herpesvirus type 1 [EHV-1] and EHV-4) and bacterial (Streptococcus equi subspecies equi) respiratory pathogens shed by horses presented to equine veterinarians with upper respiratory tract signs and/or acute febrile neurological disease were studied. Veterinarians from throughout the USA were enrolled in a surveillance programme and were asked to collect blood and nasal secretions from equine cases with acute infectious upper respiratory tract disease and/or acute onset of neurological disease. A questionn...
Bovine papillomavirus type 1 and Equus caballus papillomavirus 2 in equine squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in a Connemara mare. In January 2010, 18 months after excision of an ocular squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a Connemara mare presented with anorexia and periorbital/parotideal lesions. Post mortem examination revealed these lesions as forming one entity, with 2 additional growths in the retropharyngeal region and the left jugular groove, respectively. The lesions were confirmed histopathologically as SCCs. Using PCR, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 2008 and 2010, tumour tissue, intact skin and vulval mucosa were screened for Equus caballus papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV-2) and bovine papillomavirus typ...
Cryptosporidium parvum infection in a mare and her foal with foal heat diarrhoea. Cryptosporidium infection was molecularly investigated in mares and in their neonatal foals for which the occurrence of foal heat diarrhoea was also assessed. Thirty-seven mare/foal pairs were included in the study. All foals were born in the same stud farm during 2006-2008 breeding seasons. Two faecal samples, one prior to and one after delivery were collected from each mare, whereas three faecal samples were taken from each foal, i.e. at 8, 10 and 12 days of age. All samples (74 from mares and 111 from foals) were divided into two aliquots, one of which was examined for the presence of Crypt...
Rapid separation and identification of the subtypes of swine and equine influenza A viruses by electromigration techniques with UV and fluorometric detection. Influenza A is viral disease, which is a cause of yearly epidemics and, potentially, pandemics. The conventional techniques used today are equipment-demanding, time-consuming and laborious. Recently, we have confirmed that the capillary isoelectric focusing is a suitable fast alternative for the verifying of virus purity. In the wide pH gradient of pH range 2.0-7.5 the isoelectric points for subtypes of equine (H3N8) and swine (H1N2) influenza A viruses were determined approximately as 6.6 and 6.5, respectively. In this contribution we have verified these findings using different isolates of d...
Cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, serotonin, adrenaline and noradrenaline serum concentrations in relation to disease and stress in the horse. No detailed comparative data are available on the hormonal parameters of horses suffering from a number of diseases. The aim of our study was to measure concentrations of cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), serotonin, adrenaline and noradrenaline in horses with various diseases and following surgery, to assess the response of the HPA axis and adrenal medulla. Blood samples were obtained from six groups of horses comprising a total of 119 animals as follows: laminitis, acute abdominal syndrome (AAS), castration surgery, acute diseases, chronic diseases and healthy controls. Serum horm...
Lower airway disease, now and in the future. Respiratory disease is an important cause of wastage in the Thoroughbred industry and is a cause of welfare problems in all types of horse. This review concerns developments in our understanding of equine respiratory disease since 1998 and illustrates how strategic funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board has contributed to this understanding.
Radiological anatomy of the donkey’s foot: objective characterisation of the normal and laminitic donkey foot. Anatomical change within a laminitic foot is of diagnostic and prognostic importance. A lateromedial radiograph represents the current 'gold standard' by which these changes are identified. Detection of anatomical change is dependent upon a priori knowledge of normality and subjective assessment alone may not identify modest change. Normal baseline data is, therefore, needed against which objective comparisons can be made. There is little information regarding the radiological anatomy of the donkey foot, hence an equine model has been widely adopted. However, descriptive accounts suggest funda...
Serial use of serologic assays and fecal PCR assays to aid in identification of subclinical Lawsonia intracellularis infection for targeted treatment of Thoroughbred foals and weanlings. To assess the serial use of serum immunoperoxidase monolayer assays (IPMAs) and fecal PCR assays, combined with other diagnostic methods, to identify subclinical Lawsonia intracellularis infections for targeted treatment of Thoroughbred foals and weanlings at farms in which the pathogen was endemic or nonendemic. Methods: Evaluation study. Methods: 100 foals and weanlings (53 and 47 at farms in which L intracellularis was endemic and nonendemic, respectively). Methods: Serum was collected every 4 weeks and tested via IPMA, for antibodies against L intracellularis. Fecal samples were collected ...
Characterization of a full-length endogenous beta-retrovirus, EqERV-beta1, in the genome of the horse (Equus caballus). Information on endogenous retroviruses fixed in the horse (Equus caballus) genome is scarce. The recent availability of a draft sequence of the horse genome enables the detection of such integrated viruses by similarity search. Using translated nucleotide fragments from gamma-, beta-, and delta-retroviral genera for initial searches, a full-length beta-retrovirus genome was retrieved from a horse chromosome 5 contig. The provirus, tentatively named EqERV-beta1 (for the first equine endogenous beta-retrovirus), was 10434 nucleotide (nt) in length with the usual retroviral genome structure of 5'...
Impaired efficacy of ivermectin against Parascaris equorum, and both ivermectin and pyrantel against strongyle infections in trotter foals in Finland. In order to assess the resistance situation against macrocyclic lactones in Parascaris equorum and against tetrahydropyrimidine derivatives in strongyles in Finnish trotter horses, 112 foals on 18 farms, mostly 1 year old, were examined for these parasites with a modified McMaster faecal flotation method. P. equorum positive foals (n=24) were given ivermectin orally at a dose of 200 μg/kg b.w., while strongyle positive but P. equorum negative foals (n=38) received pyrantel embonate orally at a dose of 19 mg/kg. Sixteen P. equorum infected foals, treated with ivermectin, also harboured strongy...
Agreement between accelerometric symmetry scores and clinical lameness scores during experimentally induced transient distension of the metacarpophalangeal joint in horses. Equine lameness examination is based on subjective visual scoring of lameness. Instrumented objective methods for lameness examinations may be complicated to perform and the equipment is often stationary. Accelerometry has a potential clinical use; however, the reduction and interpretation of equine accelerometric data are not yet routine and the value of accelerometry in equine lameness examination is unclear. Objective: To use accelerometric data to calculate 2 different accelerometric symmetry scores and to evaluate the agreement of these with traditional lameness scores done by experienced...
Effects of intravenous aminocaproic acid on exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH). The antifibrinolytic, 6-aminohexanoic acid, also named aminocaproic acid (ACA), has been used empirically as a treatment for exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) on the unsubstantiated basis that transient coagulation dysfunction may contribute to its development. Objective: To assess the effect of ACA on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) erythrocyte counts in horses performing treadmill exercise at an intensity greater than that needed to reach maximal oxygen consumption. Methods: Eight Thoroughbreds were exercised to fatigue 3 times on a 10% inclined treadmill at a speed for which...
Observations on development of natural infection and species composition of small strongyles in young equids in Kentucky. Early development and maturation of species of small strongyles have not been studied extensively. Most information is on the first appearance of strongyle eggs in feces of foals. However, species cannot be determined in this manner because of similarity of the morphological features of the eggs. To determine more definitive knowledge on development and species composition of natural infections of small strongyles, eight equid foals were necropsied and examined at various ages (31 to 92 days of age). The entire contents of the large intestine were examined, and all worms (6,671) recovered were...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a population of horses in Australia. To evaluate if methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is present in the horse population in Australia. Methods: A two-part retrospective study of laboratory submissions of microbial culture results from horses. Methods: Part A: medical records of 216 horses that had MRSA screening performed on nasal swabs collected over a 30-day period at admission to the Scone Equine Hospital Clovelly Intensive Care Unit were retrieved. Part B: laboratory records from 2004 to 2009 of culture submissions to the Scone Veterinary Laboratory were reviewed and cultures that grew MRSA were identified. T...
Endoscopic examination of the nasolacrimal duct in ten horses. No endoscopic examination of the nasolacrimal duct has been described before. In contrast with other imaging techniques, endoscopy provides a direct inspection of the intralumen and ductal mucosa in standing sedation. Objective: To provide a reference against which the endoscopic and clinical features of obstructive nasolacrimal disease in the horse may be compared. Methods: Endoscopic examination of the nasolacrimal duct was performed in 10 French Thoroughbred bay mares with a 3 mm shaft diameter flexible fibrescope. The duct was divided into 3 zones (1, 2 and 3) from the nostril to the lacri...
Antibiotic resistance in faecal bacteria isolated from horses receiving virginiamycin for the prevention of pasture-associated laminitis. Enterococcus faecium, a major cause of potentially life-threatening hospital-acquired human infections, can be resistant to several antimicrobials, such that streptogramin quinupristin-dalfopristin (Q/D) is one of the few antibiotics still effective. Consequently use of the streptogramin virginiamycin as an animal growth promoter was banned in the EU in 1999 as some believed this contributed to the emergence of Q/D resistant E. faecium. Virginiamycin is advocated for preventing equine pasture-associated laminitis, but its effect on equine faecal bacterial Q/D resistance has not been determined...
Putative intestinal hyperammonaemia in horses: 36 cases. Intestinal hyperammonaemia (HA) has been infrequently reported in individual horses; however, there have been no studies describing clinical and laboratory data as well as short- and long-term outcome in a larger number of cases. Objective: To describe clinical and laboratory data and short- and long-term outcome in a large group of horses with intestinal HA. Methods: Multi-centred, retrospective study; case records of horses with HA were reviewed and any horse with a clinical or post mortem diagnosis of intestinal HA was included. Hyperammonaemia was defined as a blood ammonium (NH(4) (+)) co...
Increased apoptosis of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in the airways of horses with recurrent airway obstruction. Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO, also known as equine heaves) is an inflammatory condition similar to human asthma caused by exposure of susceptible horses to poorly ventilated stable environments. The disease is characterized by neutrophilic airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion and reversible bronchoconstriction. This inflammatory process is mediated by several factors, including antibodies, cytokines, resident cells of the airway and inflammatory cellular components that arrive in the respiratory tract. An increasing body of evidence has lent support to the concept that a dysregulatio...
Etiologic and epidemiologic analysis of bacterial infectious upper respiratory disease in Thoroughbred horses at the Seoul Race Park. Infectious upper respiratory disease (IURD) of Thoroughbred racehorses has been a frequent problem (29.6% of incidence) at the Seoul Race Park (Korea). Risk factors for IURD include the season with a high transfer rate (summer and fall), the stabling period (≤ 3 months), and age (2 to 3 years old), suggesting that the movement and new environment may have depressed the immune system of the horses and decreased their ability to respond properly to pathogens. The bacterial strains (n = 98) isolated from IURD horses included Pseudomonas spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus...
