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.
Busechian S, Orvieto S, Nocera I, Rueca F.Equine Gastric Ulcers Syndrome (EGUS) is a worldwide disease present in equids of different breeds, activity levels, and age groups. It is divided into two different illnesses: Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) affecting the squamous mucosa and Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD) affecting the glandular mucosa. The historical horserace is a traditional competition that is common in Italy. They can be divided into two different types: speed races and jousting tournaments. Anglo-Arabians and Thoroughbreds are used for the two competitions with training and management systems similar to ...
Taesuji M, Rattanamas K, Yim PB, Ruenphet S.The Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) card, a cotton-based cellulose membrane impregnated with a chaotropic agent, effectively inactivates infectious microorganisms, lyses cellular material, and fixes nucleic acid. The aim of this study is to assess the stability and detection limit of various RNA viruses, especially the avian influenza virus (AIV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), and African horse sickness virus (AHSV), on the FTA card, which could significantly impact virus storage and transport practices. To achieve this, each virus dilution was inoculated onto an FTA card and stored at r...
Sievers J, Distl O.Chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL) is a prevalent and progressive disease in Rhenish German draught horses. The objective of our follow-up study was to evaluate the heritability of this disease in Rhenish German draught horses using pedigree-based and genomic relationship matrices. We employed linear and threshold animal models. Models included the random animal effect and effects of breeding association, coat colour, sex, and age within sex, and farm-related factors, on CPL scores. In addition, we estimated heritabilities in models assuming censoring for data when horses were below an age o...
Kalinovskiy A, Leser S, Ehrle A, Reese S, Jones S, Gerhards H.Cataracts resulting from equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) or other forms of uveitis are usually associated with rapid progression. ERU is the most common ocular disease cause of blindness and cause of cataracts in horses. The necessity for the posterior capsulorhexis (PC) during phacoemulsification (PE) is controversial. This study aimed to evaluate vision and complications after PE combined with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in horses with uveitis-associated cataracts and compare the PE technique with and without posterior capsulorhexis. Methods: Thirty-two eyes of 28 horses with uveitis-associat...
Craven A, Todd-Donato A, Stokol T, Liepman R, Glasberg I, Wilkins P, Luethy D, Wong D, Schoster A, van den Brom-Spierenburg AJ, Tomlinson JE.Prognostic indicators for equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF), an interstitial fibrosing lung disease, are poorly described. Objective: Describe diagnostic findings and outcome predictors for EMPF. Methods: Forty-six adult horses with EMPF. Methods: Retrospective multicenter case series from 2009 to 2019. Radiographic (n = 27) and ultrasonographic studies (n = 19) from EMPF horses and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology from 6 EMPF and 13 asthma cases were independently reviewed and blinded to diagnosis and outcome. Associations between predictor variables and surviv...
Powers A, Peek SF, Reed S, Donnelly CG, Tinkler S, Gasper D, Woolard KD, Finno CJ.Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects young, genetically predisposed horses that are deficient in vitamin E. Equine NAD/EDM has not previously been documented in Gypsy Vanner horses (GVs). Objective: To evaluate: (1) the clinical phenotype, blood vitamin E concentrations before and after supplementation and pedigree in a cohort of GV horses with a high prevalence of neurologic disease suspicious for eNAD/EDM and (2) to confirm eNAD/EDM in GVs through postmortem evaluation. Methods: Twenty-six GVs from 1 fa...
de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Velloso Alvarez A, Neira-Egea P, Cuervo-Arango J.Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has severe impact on the sport horse population. Objective: Study the influence of EHM on the likelihood of affected horses to return to their previous performance and investigate the association of clinical variables with prognosis. Methods: Twenty-six horses positive for equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) were admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital (VTH) during a natural EHM outbreak at an international jumping event. Methods: Data collected from the VTH, the International Equestrian Federation, and surveys completed by the riders and horse own...
Zu H, Sun R, Li J, Guo X, Wang M, Guo W, Wang X. subspecies () is the causative pathogen of strangles in horses, donkeys, and other equine animals. Strangles has spread globally and causes significant losses to the horse industry. In response to the urgent need for effective disease control, this study introduces a novel nucleic acid diagnostic method known as a real-time recombinase-assisted amplification (RAA) assay, developed based on the gene, for the rapid detection of nucleic acid. The real-time RAA method employs specifically designed probes and primers targeting the gene, enhancing the overall specificity and sensitivity of the ...
Durward-Akhurst SA, Marlowe JL, Schaefer RJ, Springer K, Grantham B, Carey WK, Bellone RR, Mickelson JR, McCue ME.Disease-causing variants have been identified for less than 20% of suspected equine genetic diseases. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) allows rapid identification of rare disease causal variants. However, interpreting the clinical variant consequence is confounded by the number of predicted deleterious variants that healthy individuals carry (predicted genetic burden). Estimation of the predicted genetic burden and baseline frequencies of known deleterious or phenotype associated variants within and across the major horse breeds have not been performed. We used WGS of 605 horses across 48 breeds ...
Quam VG, Belacic ZA, Long S, Rice HC, Dhar MS, Durgam S.Safe, efficacious therapy for treating degenerate deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and navicular bone fibrocartilage (NBF) in navicular horses is critically necessary. While archetypal orthobiologic therapies for navicular disease are used empirically, their safety and efficacy are unknown. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) may overcome several limitations of current orthobiologic therapies. Objective: To (1) characterise cytokine and growth factor profiles of equine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (BM-EV) and (2) evaluate the ...
Kloock T, Hellige M, Kloock A, Feige K, Niebuhr T.Horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking (TMHS) exhibit different headshaking patterns (HSPs), electric shock-like jerking, signs of nasal irritation, and painful facial expressions. The History Rest and Exercise Score (HRE-S) was developed to objectively clarify the severity of the condition in affected horses. This score considers the history and severity of clinical signs at rest and exercise. This study aimed to assess the frequency of different clinical signs and their individual associations with diagnosis, treatment, and outcome in horses diagnosed with TMHS.The clinical records of h...
Scharre A, Scholler D, Gesell-May S, Müller T, Zablotski Y, Ertel W, May A.The aim was to compare ophthalmic diagnoses made by veterinarians to a deep learning (artificial intelligence) software tool which was developed to aid in the diagnosis of equine ophthalmic diseases. As equine ophthalmology is a very specialised field in equine medicine, the tool may be able to help in diagnosing equine ophthalmic emergencies such as uveitis. Methods: In silico tool development and assessment of diagnostic performance. Methods: A deep learning tool which was developed and trained for classification of equine ophthalmic diseases was tested with 40 photographs displaying various...
Linnegar B, Kerlin DH, Eby P, Kemsley P, McCallum H, Peel AJ.To identify the size and distribution of the horse population in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW, including changes from 2007 to 2021, to better understand populations at risk of Hendra virus transmission. Methods: Census data from the 2007 Equine Influenza (EI) outbreak were compared with data collected annually by New South Wales Local Land Services (LLS) (2011-2021), and with field observations via road line transects (2021). Results: The horse populations reported to LLS in 2011 (3000 horses; 0.77 horses/km) was 145% larger than that reported during the EI outbreak in 2007 (1225 horses; ...
Woodman MJ, MacKenzie J, Osinchuk S, Husulak M.A 20-year-old quarter horse gelding was presented for routine dental examination. Periodontal disease and luxation of tooth 108 was diagnosed and oral extraction was planned. After an unsuccessful blind maxillary nerve block, it was elected to perform the procedure under total intravenous anesthesia. Following recovery, a focal superficial corneal ulcer, severe retrobulbar swelling, mild exophthalmos, and marked swelling and prolapse of the third eyelid (nictitating membrane) were observed. Clinical signs persisted beyond 48 h despite the use of systemic anti-inflammatories and topical ocular ...
Faulkner JE, Joostens Z, Broeckx BJG, Hauspie S, Mariën T, Vanderperren K.Injuries of the sagittal groove of the proximal phalanx (P1) in equine athletes are considered to predominantly occur due to chronic bone stress overload. Objective: To describe the range of abnormalities that is present in the sagittal groove in a large group of horses diagnosed with sagittal groove disease (SGD) on low-field MRI. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional. Methods: Medical records were searched to identify initial MRI images of horses diagnosed with SGD and these were blindly evaluated using a semi-quantitative grading scheme and novel SGD MRI classification system reflecting p...
Chagoya-Fuentes JL, Gaona-López J, Hernández-Carbajal GR, Torres-Guerrero H, Lammoglia-Villagómez MA, Huerta-Peña J, Pérez-Brígido CD....A clinical case of an adult horse with invasive, ulcerative, proliferative, pyogranulomatous disease of the skin (tumor) in the shoulder region is presented. The mass had a granulomatous and crater-shaped appearance, with serosanguinous discharge and the presence of fistulas with caseous material. The tumor was removed by surgery and sent to the laboratory for diagnosis. Histopathology was performed using Grocott-Gomori methenamine silver stain. The presence of necrotic material, fibrosis, infiltrated cells, and brown-colored hyphae, characteristic of members of the genus Pythium, were observe...
Beermann A, Clottu O, Reif M, Biegel U, Unger L, Koch C.Equine sarcoids (ES) are the most common cutaneous tumors in equids. Systemic treatment options are sparse. Subcutaneous (SC) injections of Viscum album extract (VAE) demonstrate efficacy as a systemic treatment directed against ES. Objective: To critically assess the therapeutic efficacy of orally administered VAE. Methods: Forty-five ES-affected, privately owned, 3-12 year-old horses. Methods: A 3-armed randomized placebo-controlled, double-blinded study was conducted in a double-dummy design. Horses were subjected to oral administration and SC injections of either VAE or placebo (VAE oral...
Panizzi L, Vignes M, Dittmer KE, Waterland MR, Rogers CW, Sano H, McIlwraith CW, Riley CB.Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of lameness and joint disease in horses. A simple, economical, and accurate diagnostic test is required for routine screening for OA. This study aimed to evaluate infrared (IR)-based synovial fluid biomarker profiling to detect early changes associated with a traumatically induced model of equine carpal osteoarthritis (OA). Unilateral carpal OA was induced arthroscopically in 9 of 17 healthy thoroughbred fillies; the remainder served as Sham-operated controls. The median age of both groups was 2 years. Synovial fluid (SF) was obtained before surgical induction...
Byrne DP, Studer N, Secombe C, Cieslewicz A, Hosgood G, Raisis A, Adler A, Mosing M.Objective. Data from two-plane electrical impedance tomography (EIT) can be reconstructed into various slices of functional lung images, allowing for more complete visualisation and assessment of lung physiology in health and disease. The aim of this study was to confirm the ability of 3D EIT to visualise normal lung anatomy and physiology at rest and during increased ventilation (represented by rebreathing).Approach. Two-plane EIT data, using two electrode planes 20 cm apart, were collected in 20 standing sedate horses at baseline (resting) conditions, and during rebreathing. EIT data were re...
Pala S, Martínez-Sáez L, Llobat L, Marín-García PJ.Leishmaniasis and toxoplasmosis are two of the most common parasitic zoonoses. Leishmaniasis is endemic to 98 countries around the world, whereas toxoplasmosis is widely distributed throughout the world, causing significant health expenditure. Horses can play a relevant role in the transmission of the disease, being a silent reservoir, as clinical signs are not common. Serum samples from 166 horses living in eastern Spain (Mediterranean basin) were analysed to determine the presence of antibodies against Leishmania spp. and T. gondii by ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay.) The risk facto...
Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S.Adult horses are susceptible to equine coronavirus (ECoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), although, only ECoV has been linked to clinical disease. Little information is available regarding the seroprevalence against ECoV and SARS-CoV-2 in adult healthy horses. The goal of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence against two coronaviruses known to infect horses using convenience samples collected from horses recently imported from Europe to the United States from 2019 to 2023. A total of 385 banked serum samples were tested against ECoV and SARS-Co...
Windhaber C, Heckl A, Csukovich G, Pratscher B, Burgener IA, Biermann N, Dengler F.Epithelial damage due to gastrointestinal disorders frequently causes severe disease in horses. To study the underlying pathophysiological processes, we aimed to establish equine jejunum and colon enteroids (eqJE, eqCE) mimicking the in vivo epithelium. Therefore, enteroids were cultivated in four different media for differentiation and subsequently characterized histomorphologically, on mRNA and on protein level in comparison to the native epithelium of the same donor horses to identify ideal culture conditions for an in vitro model system. With increasing enterocyte differentiation, the ente...
Luciani M, Armillotta G, Di Febo T, Krasteva I, Ulisse S, Di Pancrazio C, Laguardia C, Perletta F, Serroni A, Maggetti M, Testa L, Sacchini F....The significance of as the causative agent of dourine cannot be understated, especially given its high mortality rate among equids. International movement of equids should be subject to thorough health checks and screenings to ensure that animals are not infected with . This involves the implementation of quarantine protocols, testing procedures, and the issuance of health certificates to certify the health status of the animals. Three proteins, the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (A0A1G4I8N3), the GrpE protein homolog (A0A1G4I464) and the transport protein particle (TRAPP) component, put...
Emiru AY, Regassa F, Endebu Duguma B, Kassaye A, Desyebelew B.Effective therapy for many infections is becoming difficult due to the evolutionary development of drug resistance, and hence, the development of alternative treatment options mainly from herbs is crucial. The objective of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effects of ethanol extracts of stem bark, leaves and roots of Combretum molle against Streptococcus equi isolated from clinical cases of strangles using in vitro tests. Methods: Plant extraction was performed using a maceration technique with 80% ethanol. The mean zone of inhibition was determined using the agar well diffusion ...
Waitt Wolker LH, Black A, Lee JK.Clinical and histologic examination of a 12-y-old client-owned Quarter Horse gelding with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction revealed dermatitis, cellulitis, and osteomyelitis caused by , confirmed by a PCR assay. This novel presentation of a fungal disease in a horse was characterized by aggressive local invasion and failure to respond to all medical therapy attempted over a 1-y period. Treatments included systemic and topical antifungals, anti-inflammatories, and use of cellular matrices. Surgical excision was not attempted but should be strongly considered early in the disease process in...
Colbath AC, Goodrich L, Frye C, Dow S.Neurological diseases and injuries in veterinary patients (horses, dogs, and cats) are complex, and effective treatment options are limited. Neuronal loss, damage to nerve conduction pathways, and inflammation and scarring associated with spinal cord injury pose major challenges in managing many neurological diseases. Furthermore, most of these neuropathologies lack definitive pharmacological treatments, driving interest and research into novel interventions. Our objective is to provide a narrative review of the current literature surrounding cellular therapies including neuronal and glial ste...
Muroni G, Serra E, Biggio GP, Sanna D, Cherchi R, Taras A, Appino S, Foxi C, Masala G, Loi F, Chisu V.The members of the family are important pathogens that infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans. Among them, , historically considered as an avian agent, has recently been identified in livestock, primarily sheep and cattle, but also in horses, with the infection being linked to reproductive disorders, such as abortion, absorption of embryos, stillbirth, and the birth of weak foals. Much less is known about chlamydial infections in the Sardinian equine population. This study aimed to identify the chlamydial diversity in genital samples from asymptomatic Sardinian horses. Howe...
Benedetti B, Freccero F, Barton J, Elmallah F, Refat S, Padalino B.Working equids are often used to exhaustion, living and dying in conditions below minimal welfare standards. Due to their poor welfare status, euthanasia should be considered in certain conditions. The study aimed to describe the population and the disease frequency of the working equids admitted at an equine clinic in Cairo (i.e., Egypt Equine Aid (EEA)) from 2019 to 2022 and identify possible associations between physical parameters at admission and the outcome. Records of 1360 equids admitted at EEA were reviewed. The majority of the admitted equids were horses (65.6%), followed by donkeys ...
Wang T, Li S, Hu X, Geng Y, Chen L, Liu W, Zhao J, Tian W, Wang C, Li Y, Li L.Equid alphaherpesvirus 8 (EqHV-8) is one of the most economically important viruses that is known to cause severe respiratory disease, abortion, and neurological syndromes in equines. However, no effective vaccines or therapeutic agents are available to control EqHV-8 infection. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an antioxidant defense enzyme that displays significant cytoprotective effects against different viral infections. However, the literature on the function of HO-1 during EqHV-8 infection is little. We explored the effects of HO-1 on EqHV-8 infection and revealed its potential mechanisms. Our ...
Jentsch MC, Lübke S, Schrödl W, Volke D, Krizsan A, Hoffmann R, Kaiser-Thom S, Gerber V, Marti E, Wagner B, Schnabel CL.Severe equine asthma (SEA) is a common chronic disease of adult horses with characteristic recurrent airway obstruction and similarities to neutrophilic asthma in humans. As an extrinsic stimulus, hay dust exposure is a major risk factor and induces acute exacerbation in susceptible horses. However, single inducing agents of SEA have hardly been identified on a molecular basis. () is a common mold species in hay and has been described as a major provoking agent of SEA. Unassigned: Aiming to identify disease-relevant antigens, we analyzed using an immunoproteomics approach on two-dimensional ...
Baz M, Paskel M, Matsuoka Y, Zengel J, Cheng X, Jin H, Subbarao K.Since it is difficult to predict which influenza virus subtype will cause an influenza pandemic, it is important to prepare influenza virus vaccines against different subtypes and evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of candidate vaccines in preclinical and clinical studies prior to a pandemic. In addition to infecting humans, H3 influenza viruses commonly infect pigs, horses, and avian species. We selected 11 swine, equine, and avian H3 influenza viruses and evaluated their kinetics of replication and ability to induce a broadly cross-reactive antibody response in mice and ferrets. The swin...
Willeberg P, Ruppanner R, Behymer DE, Haghighi S, Kaneko JJ, Franti CE.The prevalence of agglutinating serum antibodies against Coxiella burnetii, the cause of Q fever in humans, was tested in a hospital population of companion animals and livestock in California during 1973--1975. A sample of stray dogs was also tested. Among the hospitalized animals 346 (48%) of 724 dogs, 7 (9%) of 80 cats, 9 (32%) of 28 cattle and 31 (26%) of 121 horses had antibodies against C. burnetii. Of 316 stray dogs 208 (66%) were seropositive. The overall prevalence of 53% among 1040 dogs tested was comparable to the 63% antibody prevalence found in an earlier survey among coyotes and ...
Pusterla N, Magdesian KG, Mapes S, Leutenegger CM.To determine gene expression of selected molecular markers (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha, interleukin [IL]-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, procalcitonin [PCT], and transforming growth factor [TGF]-beta) in the blood of healthy and sick foals. Methods: 28 sick foals without sepsis, 21 foals with sepsis, and 21 healthy foals. Methods: Total RNA was extracted from blood samples and converted into complementary DNA (cDNA). Gene expression was measured for the molecular markers by use of real-time PCR assay, and final quantitation was performed with the comparative threshold cycle method. Results: S...
Stothart MR, Greuel RJ, Gavriliuc S, Henry A, Wilson AJ, McLoughlin PD, Poissant J.Studies of microbiome variation in wildlife often emphasize host physiology and diet as proximate selective pressures acting on host-associated microbiota. In contrast, microbial dispersal and ecological drift are more rarely considered. Using amplicon sequencing, we characterized the bacterial microbiome of adult female (n = 86) Sable Island horses (Nova Scotia, Canada) as part of a detailed individual-based study of this feral population. Using data on sampling date, horse location, age, parental status, and local habitat variables, we contrasted the ability of spatiotemporal, life history...
Damborg P, Marskar P, Baptiste KE, Guardabassi L.The objective of this longitudinal study was to investigate the occurrence and genetic background of faecal Escherichia coli resistant to cefotaxime (CTX) in horses receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobial prophylaxis after admission to a veterinary teaching hospital. The ten horses enrolled in the study were treated with cefquinome either alone (n=4) or in combination with metronidazole (n=3) or other antimicrobial agents (n=3). CTX-resistant coliforms in faeces collected before, during and after treatment were quantified on selective MacConkey agar supplemented with CTX, and a colony isolated ...
Cortinovis C, Caloni F.This review focuses on some of the most important poisonous plants in Europe and provides an overview of the poisoning episodes that have occurred in European countries. Poisoning of livestock and companion animals by plants is a relatively common occurrence. In Europe livestock and horses are commonly poisoned by Datura stramonium (Jimson weed), Senecio spp. (ragworts and groundsels), Quercus spp. (oak), Taxus baccata (European yew), Nerium oleander (oleander), Pteridium aquilinum (bracken fern), Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) and Rhododendron spp. (rhododendrons and azaleas). Poisoning ...
Zheng YH, Sentsui H, Nakaya T, Kono Y, Ikuta K.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a good model for studying mechanisms generating escaped retrovirus variants. We previously sequenced the entire gp90-encoding region of 22 cDNA clones obtained from five antigenically distinct isolates (F1V to F5V) recovered during febrile episodes in horse 493 experimentally infected with the Japanese virulent EIAV strain V70. The results showed that the mutations occurred in the principal neutralizing domain (PND) by insertions/duplications. In this study, we further characterized the PND of virus isolates sequentially recovered during 22 febrile epis...
Petersen MR, Skive B, Christoffersen M, Lu K, Nielsen JM, Troedsson MH, Bojesen AM.Endometritis in horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) may be underdiagnosed due to traditional diagnostic methods lacking sensitivity and specificity. We serendipitously identified a bacterial growth medium (bActivate) that appeared capable of inducing growth of dormant S. zooepidemicus, which subsequently allowed detection by standard diagnostics. To assess the effect of bActivate we compared its ability to activate dormant S. zooepidemicus in a group of potentially infected subfertile mares with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). All mares had to test ...
Gibson JS, Slater JD, Awan AR, Field HJ.Six specific pathogen-free foals shown to be free of equine herpesvirus-1 and 4 (EHV-1 and -4) and lacking in maternally-derived antibodies were used to investigate the pathogenesis of EHV-1 in horses. Following primary intranasal inoculation with EHV-1 all foals showed signs of a mild, self-limiting upper respiratory tract infection. A leucopenia was observed, comprising both a lymphopenia and neutropenia. Virus was isolated from nasal mucus and buffy coat cells over several days during the clinical episode and after the animals became clinically normal. Notwithstanding the mildness of the cl...
Reuter G, Maza N, Pankovics P, Boros A.Non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV) is a recently identified hepacivirus (family Flaviviridae) in dog and horse; however, the disease associations remain unknown. This study reports the detection of natural NPHV infection in a horse with apparent hepatitis, liver damage and high-level viraemia. NPHV could be hepatotropic and associated with hepatitis in horses.
Peachey LE, Castro C, Molena RA, Jenkins TP, Griffin JL, Cantacessi C.A plethora of data points towards a role of the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota of neonatal and young vertebrates in supporting the development and regulation of the host immune system. However, knowledge of the impact that infections by GI helminths exert on the developing microbiota of juvenile hosts is, thus far, limited. This study investigates, for the first time, the associations between acute infections by GI helminths and the faecal microbial and metabolic profiles of a cohort of equine youngstock, prior to and following treatment with parasiticides (ivermectin). We observed that high...
Wright IM, Smith MR, Humphrey DJ, Eaton-Evans TC, Hillyer MH.Contamination and infection of synovial cavities are a common occurrence in clinical practice and, if inadequately treated, may have career or life threatening consequences for affected horses. Objective: The objectives in treating contamination and infection of joints, tendon sheaths and bursae are most effectively met by endoscopic surgery. Methods: Over a 6 year period, cases of synovial contamination and infection admitted to a referral clinic were evaluated and treated endoscopically. The horses received local and systemic antimicrobial drugs with minimal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory me...
Mendoza L, Kaufman L, Standard PG.A practical, sensitive, and specific immunodiffusion test was developed for diagnosing and monitoring pythiosis in horses. Culture filtrates, a soluble cell mass, and trypsinized Pythium sp. antigens were evaluated against prepared rabbit anti-Pythium sp. serum and pythiosis horse case sera. The culture filtrate antigens demonstrated the greatest capacity for detecting precipitins and the greatest stability during storage. In contrast, the trypsinized antigens had the weakest capability for detecting multiple precipitins and the poorest stability. The 13 sera from horses with proven active pyt...
Tajima M, Nakajima H, Ito Y.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) virus was observed in thin sections of infected cultured horse leukocytes by electron microscopy. The virus particles had a spherical shape and were between 80 and 120 nm in diameter. Most of them contained an electron-dense nucleoid 40 to 60 nm in diameter. They were observed to form by a process of budding from the plasma membrane and appeared to have thin surface projections. The particles described were not detected in uninfected cultured cells, and their appearance could be prevented by adding EIA immune serum to the inoculum. The implications of these findi...
Ahuir-Baraja AE, Cibot F, Llobat L, Garijo MM.More than 50 years after anthelmintic resistance was first identified, its prevalence and impact on the animal production industry continues to increase across the world. The term "anthelmintic resistance" (AR) can be briefly defined as the reduction in efficacy of a certain dose of anthelmintic drugs (AH) in eliminating the presence of a parasite population that was previously susceptible. The main aim of this study is to examine anthelmintic resistance in domestic herbivores. There are numerous factors playing a role in the development of AR, but the most important is livestock management. T...
Hollis AR, Wilkins PA, Palmer JE, Boston RC.Bacteremia in sick foals is associated with survival, but the association of bacteremia and diarrhea is not reported. Objective: Neonatal foals with diarrhea will commonly be bacteremic. Methods: One hundred and thirty-three neonatal foals. Methods: Records of all foals <30 days of age presenting with diarrhea between January 1990 and September 2007 were reviewed. Results: Sixty-six of 133 foals (50%) were bacteremic at admission, with 75 isolates from the 66 samples. The blood culture from a further 18 foals (13.5%) grew coryneform bacteria. Nine foals (6.8%) had 2 or more organisms grown on ...
Campos RK, Brum MC, Nogueira CE, Drumond BP, Alves PA, Siqueira-Lima L, Assis FL, Trindade GS, Bonjardim CA, Ferreira PC, Weiblen R, Flores EF....During the last bovine vaccinia (BV) outbreaks, several Vaccinia virus (VACV) strains were isolated and characterised, revealing significant polymorphisms between strains, even within conserved genes. Although the epidemiology of VACV has been studied in BV outbreaks, there is little data about the circulation of the Brazilian VACV isolates. This study describes the genetic and biological characterisation of two VACV isolates, Pelotas 1 virus (P1V) and Pelotas 2 virus (P2V), which were obtained concomitantly from a horse affected by severe cutaneous disease. Despite being isolated from the sam...
Cheadle MA, Tanhauser SM, Dame JB, Sellon DC, Hines M, Ginn PE, MacKay RJ, Greiner EC.The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is an intermediate host of at least three species of Sarcocystis, Sarcocystis dasypi, Sarcocystis diminuta, and an unidentified species; however, life cycles of these species have not been determined. Following feeding of armadillo muscles containing sarcocysts to the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), the opossums shed sporulated Sarcocystis sporocysts in their faeces. Mean dimensions for sporocysts were 11.0x7.5 microm and each contained four sporozoites and a residual body. Sporocysts were identified as Sarcocystis neurona using PCR and...
Franzén P, Aspan A, Egenvall A, Gunnarsson A, Karlstam E, Pringle J.Anaplasma phagocytophilum infects several mammalian species, and can persist in sheep, dogs, and calves. However, whether this organism persists in horses or induces long-term clinical abnormalities is not known. Objective: To evaluate whether A. phagocytophilum can persist in horses and to document clinical findings for 3 months after complete recovery from acute disease. Methods: Five clinically normal adult horses that had recovered spontaneously from experimentally induced acute disease caused by a Swedish equine isolate of A. phagocytophilum. Methods: Horses were monitored for up to 129 d...
Fritz D.Positive PCR results for piroplasms were obtained on EDTA blood samples from 166 dogs and 111 horses between March 2006 and March 2008. The organisms were initially identified using common primers, followed by restriction enzyme profiles to determine the species and types of Babesia/Theileria. In 27 dogs and eight horses with positive results, the size of the specimen was insufficient to separate species/types. We identified Babesia canis canis in 105 of the 166 dogs (63%) and Theileria equi in 89 of the 111 horses (80%). Babesia caballi was also present, but rare, in only two Babesia/Theileri...
Vázquez-Morón S, Avellón A, Echevarría JE.The Lyssavirus genus includes seven species or genotypes named 1-7. Rabies genotypes correlate with geographical distribution and specific hosts. Co-circulation of different lyssaviruses, imported cases, and the presence of unknown viruses, such as Aravan, Khujand, Irkut and West Caucasian Bat Virus, make it necessary to use generic methods able to detect all lyssaviruses. Primer sequences were chosen from conserved regions in all genotypes in order to optimise a generic RT-PCR. Serial dilutions of 12 RNA extracts from all seven Lyssavirus genotypes were examined to compare the sensitivity of ...
Song SD, Barker SC, Shao R.The genus Haematopinus contains 21 species of blood-sucking lice, parasitizing both even-toed ungulates (pigs, cattle, buffalo, antelopes, camels and deer) and odd-toed ungulates (horses, donkeys and zebras). The mitochondrial genomes of the domestic pig louse, Haematopinus suis, and the wild pig louse, Haematopinus apri, have been sequenced recently; both lice have fragmented mitochondrial genomes with 37 genes on nine minichromosomes. To understand whether the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes and the gene content and gene arrangement of each minichromosome are stable within the g...
Donadeu FX, Schauer SN.Relatively little is known about the physiological roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) during follicular development. Previous evidence from in vitro studies suggests specific roles for a subset of miRNAs, including miR-21, miR-23a, miR-145, miR-503, miR-224, miR-383, miR-378, miR-132, and miR-212, in regulating ovarian follicle development. The objective of this study was to gain insight on the involvement of these miRNAs during follicle maturation. Follicular fluid was aspirated from dominant follicles (>32 mm) during the ovulatory season (July to October) and the anovulatory season (January to M...
Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, Messer NT, Ganjam VK.There is growing recognition that obesity is common and represents a significant detriment to the health of companion animals in a manner similar to that by which it is affecting the human population. As is the case for other species, obesity appears to promote insulin resistance in horses and it is through this pathophysiological process that many of the adverse medical consequences of obesity are being characterized. Equine medical conditions that have been described in the context of obesity and insulin resistance differ from those in humans. Chronic human conditions that have been attribut...
Brownlow MA, Dart AJ, Jeffcott LB.Metabolic heat produced by Thoroughbred racehorses during racing can rapidly elevate core body temperature (1°C/min). When environmental conditions are hot and humid, the normal physiological cooling mechanisms become ineffective. The heat accumulated may exceed a critical thermal maximum (estimated to be 42°C), which may trigger a complex pathophysiological cascade with potentially lethal consequences. This syndrome has been labelled exertional heat illness (EHI). EHI is described in humans, but has not been well documented in Thoroughbred racehorses. The clinical signs described in racehor...
Kishi M, Arimura Y, Ikuta K, Shoya Y, Lai PK, Kakinuma M.A cDNA fragment of the Borna disease virus (BDV) open reading frame II (ORF-II), which encodes a 24-kDa phosphoprotein (p24 [P protein]), was amplified from total RNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from three psychiatric inpatients. The amplified cDNA fragments were cloned, sequenced, and analyzed. A total of 15 clones, 5 from each patient, were studied. Intrapatient divergencies of the BDV ORF-II nucleotide sequence were 4.2 to 7.3%, 4.8 to 7.3%, and 2.8 to 7.1% for the three patients, leading to differences of 7.7 to 14.5%, 10.3 to 17.1%, and 6.0 to 16.2%, respectively, in the ...
