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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.
Antimicrobial delivery by intrasynovial catheterisation with systemic administration for equine synovial trauma and sepsis. To present the technique for intra-articular catheter placement and report the clinical outcomes of 38 cases of equine synovial trauma and/or infection treated with broad-spectrum antimicrobials administered via an intrasynovial catheter (ISC). Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Medical records of 38 horses treated for synovial trauma and sepsis with frequent antimicrobial administration through an ISC from 1995 to 2008 were reviewed. Follow-up information was obtained via clinical re-evaluation or telephone contact with the owners. Results: The majority of horses (84%) received amikacin a...
Whole-genome SNP association in the horse: identification of a deletion in myosin Va responsible for Lavender Foal Syndrome. Lavender Foal Syndrome (LFS) is a lethal inherited disease of horses with a suspected autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. LFS has been primarily diagnosed in a subgroup of the Arabian breed, the Egyptian Arabian horse. The condition is characterized by multiple neurological abnormalities and a dilute coat color. Candidate genes based on comparative phenotypes in mice and humans include the ras-associated protein RAB27a (RAB27A) and myosin Va (MYO5A). Here we report mapping of the locus responsible for LFS using a small set of 36 horses segregating for LFS. These horses were genotyped usin...
Occult metastatic intestinal adenocarcinoma resulting in pathological fracture of the proximal humerus. Intestinal adenocarcinomas are rare but have been described in the literature. The present case is unusual in both its clinical presentation and in the distribution of metastatic lesions. The sequestrum formation and pathological fracture present are most commonly associated with osteomyelitis in horses and the details of the case highlight the need for differential diagnosis in these particular circumstances and of which clinicians should be aware.
Epiphyseal cartilage canal blood supply to the metatarsophalangeal joint of foals. It is presently unknown whether cartilage ischaemia plays any part in the pathogenesis of osteochondral fragmentation within the equine metatarsophalangeal joint, as no detailed studies on microcirculation in the area have been reported. Objective: To describe the developmental pattern of the blood supply to the epiphyseal growth cartilage in the metatarsophalangeal joint of foals. Methods: Eight Standardbred foals were sacrificed between birth and age 7 weeks to undergo a barium perfusion procedure to demonstrate vessels within growth cartilage canals of one hindlimb. The metatarso-phalangeal...
Computed tomography of the upper cheek teeth in horses with infundibular changes and apical infection. Infundibular changes are frequently encountered computed tomographic studies of the equine maxillary cheek teeth but the possible importance of this finding is not known. Infundibular caries is a possible cause for pulpitis and apical infection in some horses. Objective: To study the relationship between the 2 pathologies and the frequency of changes. Methods: The maxillary cheek teeth 108-208, 109-209 and 110-210 of 25 horses were evaluated using computed tomography and both the prevalence of infundibular and apical infection changes as the possible link with apical infection evaluated statis...
Abnormal umbilical cord attachment sites in the mare: a review illustrated by three case reports. Abnormal cord attachment can be a manifestation of an inappropriate fixation position of the conceptus in the uterus, or it may result from disorientation of the conceptus post fixation. The potential for this resulting in fetal and neonatal compromise is reviewed in the light of previous reports and to which 3 cases within the authors' experience are added.
Branchial remnant cysts of mature and juvenile horses. This clinical report describes 8 cases of branchial remnant cysts (BRC) in the horse. The horses presented with bimodal age distribution, with 5 cases in mature horses (age 8-21 years) and 3 in foals (age 1, 6 and 10 months). Mature cases presented for dysphagia or intermittent oesophageal obstruction (2/5), and retropharyngeal swelling (3/5), whereas respiratory stridor and visible mass were presenting complaints in the foals. Presence of a right-sided (5/8) or dorsally located (2/8) palpable retropharyngeal mass of 3-35 cm diameter was noted clinically; one left-sided mass was identified as ...
Acute laminitis: medical and supportive therapy. Acute laminitis is a serious complication of many primary conditions in the horse. This article summarizes the most appropriate approach to management of the horse with acute laminitis, based on current information.
Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in sport horses from Qazvin, Iran. In the present study, the prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in sport horses of Qazvin was examined using modified agglutination test (MAT). On 52 horse sera totally examined for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies, 37 horses (71.2%) were seropositive by MAT. Results of the present study showed a high rate of Toxoplasma infection in horses in Qazvin area. More comprehensive study on equine toxoplasmosis is recommended.
Black walnut extract: an inflammatory model. The black walnut extract (BWE) model was developed after the discovery that horses bedded on shavings from black walnut trees commonly developed laminitis. The first investigators that consistently induced laminitis with black walnut shavings established that it was only the heartwood of the tree that induced laminitis. The BWE model of laminitis has allowed investigators to determine many of the early pathologic signaling events likely to occur in the developmental and acute clinical stages of the disease process, and has brought inflammatory injury to the forefront of laminitis research. The...
A historical perspective of laminitis. The causes of laminitis are many-often interrelated, sometimes direct opposites. The history of laminitis has been a search for the cause or causes of laminitis and for effective treatment. Going in and out of fashion, many treatments have lasted for centuries, some for millennia, but very few have been proven.
80 causes, predispositions, and pathways of laminitis. For most of history, the causes of laminitis have been based on observations. In the last 30 years or so, however, the number of theories has exploded, with only a few being confirmed by experiments. This article highlights these theories.
Equine venography and its clinical application in North America. The digital venogram uses contrast radiography to evaluate the soft tissues and vasculature of the foot, thus identifying pathology attributable to laminitis. Pathology can be detected before changes appear on plain-film radiographs. When used in conjunction with clinical and radiographic findings, information gained from a venographic study informs and directs treatment. Serial venograms assess the response to treatment and help determine prognosis early in the course of therapy. If the venographic contrast pattern does not improve, either the treatment needs to be altered, or the damage is s...
Progression of venographic changes after experimentally induced laminitis. Venography (retrograde venous angiography) is a relatively simple and practical method for vascular assessment of the digits in the standing horse. The technique is a useful adjunct to routine radiography. The clinical use of the laminitis venogram has resulted in a more comprehensive understanding of the collateral pathology associated with distal phalanx displacement and abnormal hoof growth. The effectiveness of therapeutic procedures such as hoof wall resection, coronary band grooving, deep digital flexor tenotomy, and therapeutic shoeing can be assessed by serial venography. This article ...
Laminitis treatment: a personal memoir. The author has completed 40 years as a veterinarian treating horses with laminitis. The article is a recollection of his experiences with laminitis and the various treatment methods he came across while trying to treat the disease.
The pharmacologic basis for the treatment of developmental and acute laminitis. The treatment of laminitis has been fraught with confusion and controversy for several decades, mainly because of a lack of understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease process. However, recent advances in laminitis research have greatly improved our understanding of the disease process. This article discusses the various treatment options for laminitis in the context of the findings of recent scientific investigations of laminitis pathophysiology.
The use of the wooden shoe (Steward Clog) in treating laminitis. This article describes the use of the wooden shoe in the treatment of chronic laminitis. The shoe, designed to provide a solid base and full roller motion, offers mechanical advantages and enables reduction and redistribution of forces within the hoof capsule.
The anatomy and physiology of the suspensory apparatus of the distal phalanx. The equine hoof capsule protects the softer, more sensitive, structures within. Failure of the connection between hoof and bone (suspensory apparatus of the distal phalanx or SADP) results in the crippling lameness of laminitis. Active basal cell proliferation occurs principally in tubular hoof and proximal and distal lamellae. The remaining lamellae are virtually non-proliferative and the hoof wall moves past the stationary distal phalanx, by controlled activation and inhibition of constituent proteases. The lamellar corium derives most of its blood supply from the branches of the terminal ar...
Fecal microbiota of horses in the clinical setting: potential effects of penicillin and general anesthesia. Antimicrobial treatment is associated with the spread of antimicrobial resistance and disturbances in the ecological balance of intestinal microbiota. In horses, the main adverse effect of antimicrobial treatment is colitis. We used culture and 16S rRNA gene based molecular methods to monitor the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and changes in predominant fecal populations during penicillin treatment and general anesthesia of horses in the clinical setting. After 5 days of parenteral administration of penicillin, fecal Escherichia coli were resistant to multiple unrelated antimicrobial a...
Interferon-gamma, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 production by T helper cells reveals intact Th1 and regulatory TR1 cell activation and a delay of the Th2 cell response in equine neonates and foals. Cytokines produced by T helper (Th) cells are important in orchestrating the immune response during health and disease. Recent reports indicated that cytokine mRNA expression in foals is often quantitatively lower than that of adult horses suggesting that foal T cells are not fully mature. Here, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from foals and adult horses were stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and analyzed for intracellular interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-10 production, representing the Th1, Th2 and regulatory TR1 cell phenotypes respectively, by flow ...
IgG Endopeptidase SeMac does not Inhibit Opsonophagocytosis of Streptococcus equi Subspecies equi by Horse Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes. The secreted Mac protein made by group A Streptococcus (GAS) inhibits opsonophagocytosis of GAS by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). This protein also has the endopeptidase activity against human immunoglobulin G (IgG), and the Cys94, His262 and Asp284 are critical for the enzymatic activity. The horse pathogen Streptococcus equi subspecies equi produces a homologue of Mac (SeMac). SeMac was characterized to determine whether SeMac has IgG endopeptidase activity and inhibits opsonophagocytosis of S. equi by horse PMNs. The gene was cloned and recombinant SeMac was overexpressed in Esc...
Cell entry of the aphthovirus equine rhinitis A virus is dependent on endosome acidification. Equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) is genetically closely related to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), and both are now classified within the genus Aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae. For disease security reasons, FMDV can be handled only in high-containment facilities, but these constraints do not apply to ERAV, making it an attractive alternative for the study of aphthovirus biology. Here, we show, using immunofluorescence, pharmacological agents, and dominant negative inhibitors, that ERAV entry occurs (as for FMDV) via clathrin-mediated endocytosis and acidification of early endosomes...
Bacterial infections in horses: a retrospective study at the University Equine Clinic of Bern. Bacterial infections present a major challenge in equine medicine. Therapy should be based on bacteriological diagnosis to successfully minimize the increasing number of infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. The present study is a retrospective analysis of bacteriological results from purulent infections in horses admitted at the University Equine Clinic of Bern from 2004 to 2008. From 378 samples analyzed, 557 isolates were identified, of which Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus and coliforms were the most common. Special attention was paid to infectio...
Pulmonary intravascular macrophages and endotoxin-induced pulmonary pathophysiology in horses. Endotoxemia causes significant mortality and morbidity in horses. The mechanisms underlying this complex pathophysiology remain unclear. Therefore, effective tools to treat endotoxemia in horses are lacking. Furthermore, the multifactorial and multiorgan pathophysiology of equine endotoxemia has not been fully addressed, especially the lung injury associated with endotoxemia. Within the context of the broader picture of endotoxemia and lung injury, we offer a perspective on the roles of pulmonary intravascular macrophages in endotoxin-induced lung inflammation in horses. L’endotoxémie est u...
Molecular cloning and characterization of equine thymic stromal lymphopoietin. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a novel cytokine that plays a central role in T helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation and allergic inflammation. It is predominantly expressed by epithelial cells, and its expression is increased in patients with atopic dermatitis and asthma. Mice overexpressing TSLP in the skin develop allergic dermatitis and mice overexpressing TSLP in lungs develop asthma-like disease. However, it is not known whether TSLP plays an important role in equine allergies. Therefore, we cloned and sequenced the complete translated region of equine TSLP gene and measured its ex...
Immunochromatographic lateral flow test for detection of antibodies to Equine infectious anemia virus. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a simple immunochromatographic lateral flow (ICLF) test for specific detection of Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) antibodies in equine sera. Viral recombinant p26 capsid protein (rp26) was used as the capture protein in the test line and as the detector reagent conjugated to colloidal gold. The performance of rp26-ICLF was evaluated, and the results obtained were compared with a commercially available agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test used as a standard of comparison according to international guidelines. The values obtained for co...
Media attention and public perceptions of cancer and eastern equine encephalitis. Previous research has found that members of the public have a skewed sense of health risk. The purpose of this research was to investigate how mass media use influences perceptions of threat from cancer and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Investigators performed a media content analysis of 253 health-related articles from 11 Massachusetts newspapers, then used logistic regression to analyze responses to a health communication survey of 613 Massachusetts adults. A greater proportion of cancer articles compared to those about EEE mentioned progress in combating the disease (61.0% vs. 16.2%, P...
