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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.
Differential localization of protein kinase C isotypes in equine eosinophils and neutrophils. Phorbol esters, which activate protein kinase C (PKC), stimulate equine eosinophil superoxide production and adherence. After showing that superoxide production could be inhibited by the nonselective PKC inhibitors, staurosporine and bisindolymaleimide I, the PKC isotypes in equine eosinophils were characterized, because evidence suggests that individual isotypes may play distinct roles in regulating eosinophil function. Western blots demonstrated that equine eosinophils expressed PKC alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, iota, and zeta. However, unlike the equine neutrophil, the majority of the PKC wa...
Demonstration of equine herpesvirus-1 gene expression in the placental trophoblasts of naturally aborted equine fetuses. Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection was demonstrated in the lung tissue of seven aborted fetuses by immunohistochemical labelling and polymerase chain reaction. The placentas of the fetuses were also examined by non-isotopic in-situ hybridization for the EHV-1 glycoprotein B (gB) gene. Positive hybridization signals were observed in the cytoplasm of trophoblasts, especially in microcotyledons, of all seven placentas, and in villous epithelium of the allantochorion of six placentas. Despite the presence of EHV-1 RNA, EHV-1 antigens were not detected in placentas by immunohistochemical examin...
Homogeneity of Trypanosoma evansi isolates from domestic and sylvatic mammals from the Pantanal of Mato Grosso. 'Mal de Cadeiras' is a disease which causes great mortality in horses in the Pantanal Matogrossense region, Brazil. The agent of this disease is Trypanosoma evansi, a kinetoplastid flagellate which belongs to the Trypanosomatidae family, classified into the Salivarian section. Transmission occurs mechanically by haematophagous Diptera, mainly by Stomoxys sp. and Tabanus sp. and vampire bats. Outbreaks of Mal de Cadeiras in horses result in economic losses, thus limiting their use in cattle raising. Ten isolates of T. evansi recently derived from coati (Nasua nasua, Carnivora, Procyonidae), hor...
Dermatitis associated with “hypopodes” in a horse: the first case reported in Italy. The authors report, for the first time in Italy, a case of dermatitis of "hypopodes" origin in a horse. The hypopodes are a particular nymphal stage of mites of the suborder Astigmata. The "hypopus" is non-feeding, lacks a mouth and has a ventral suctorial plate with suckers and conoids for attaching itself to insects as a mode of dispersal. Some of these larval stages can enter into the hair follicles and into the subcutaneous layers causing lesions similar to mange. There are few reports of dermatitis in horses specifically associated with the presence of hypopodes and these have been attrib...
The beta-tubulin gene of Babesia and Theileria parasites is an informative marker for species discrimination. A fragment of the beta-tubulin gene was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified from genomic DNAs of Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Babesia divergens, Babesia major, Babesia caballi, Babesia equi, Babesia microti, Theileria annulata and Theileria sergenti. Single amplification products were obtained for each of these species, but the size of the amplicons varied from 310 to 460 bp. Sequence analysis revealed that this variation is due to the presence of a single intron, which ranged from 20 to 170 bp. The extensive genetic variability at the beta-tubulin locus has been exploited to develop...
The exceptionally large genome of Hendra virus: support for creation of a new genus within the family Paramyxoviridae. An outbreak of acute respiratory disease in Hendra, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia, in September 1994 resulted in the deaths of 14 racing horses and a horse trainer. The causative agent was a new member of the family Paramyxoviridae. The virus was originally called Equine morbillivirus but was renamed Hendra virus (HeV) when molecular characterization highlighted differences between it and members of the genus Morbillivirus. Less than 5 years later, the closely related Nipah virus (NiV) emerged in Malaysia, spread rapidly through the pig population, and caused the deaths of over 100 people. W...
Serologic confirmation of Ehrlichia equi and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in horses from the northeastern United States. To determine whether horses living in tick-infested areas of northeastern United States with clinical signs of borreliosis or granulocytic ehrlichiosis had detectable serum antibodies to both Borrelia burgdorferi and Ehrlichia equi. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: Serum samples from 51 clinically normal horses, 14 horses with clinical signs of borreliosis, and 17 horses with clinical signs of granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Methods: Serum B burgdorferi or E equi antibodies were measured by use of an ELISA, immunoblot analysis, or indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining. Results: Of the 82...
Clinical experiences of treating septic arthritis in the equine by repeated joint lavage: a series of 39 cases. The condition of septic arthritis was treated in 12 foals with 21 affected joints (Group I) and in 27 adult horses. The adult horses were divided into three groups, based on aetiology of the condition: haematogenous (Group II, n = 6), iatrogenic (Group III, n = 6), and perforating trauma (Group IV, n = 15). The treatment consisted of an initial systemic antibiotic that anticipated the microbial agents that were considered most likely per group, repeated through-and-through joint lavages every other day and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The antibiotics were adjusted to the results of b...
Stereological estimation of volume-weighted mean glomerular volume from arbitrary sections of the equine kidney. Mean glomerular volume has previously been estimated, using stereological techniques, specifically the point-sampled intercept (PSI), either from isotropic or from vertical sections. As glomeruli are approximately spherical structures, the same stereological technique was carried out on vertical and arbitrary sections to determine whether section orientation had any effect on mean glomerular volume estimation. Equine kidneys from 10 individuals were analysed using the PSI method of estimating volume-weighted mean glomerular volume (MGV); for each kidney, arbitrary and vertical sections were an...
[Intoxication with propylene glycol in two horses]. Two horses were accidentally administered propylene glycol instead of mineral oil. After discovery of the mistake intensive medical therapy with intravenous fluids, etc. was started, and both animals recovered fully from their clinical symptoms. Veterinarians use propylene glycol as well as paraffin routinely for the treatment of their patients. Mistakes are likely to be made because both medicines and sometimes their packing have a similar appearance. Several incidents have been reported in other countries. A large amount of propylene glycol given to a horse, but also to other animals, can be...
Effect of age, exercise and growth rate on bone mineral density (BMD) in third carpal bone and distal radius of Dutch Warmblood foals with osteochondrosis. This study aimed a the determining bone mineral density (BMD) in the 3rd carpal bone and distal radius of foals age 5 and 11 months that had been subjected to different exercise regimens from birth until age 5 months. It was hypothesised that BMD would be greater in older animals, and that differences in exercise regimens before age 5 months would be associated with differences in BMD at both age 5 and 11 months. Epiphyseal bone tissue was available from 5 and 11 month old Warmblood foals bred from sires known to have radiographic evidence of osteochondrosis (OC). The foals were in a clinical ...
The influence of birth weight, rate of weight gain and final achieved height and sex on the development of osteochondrotic lesions in a population of genetically predisposed Warmblood foals. The influence of inherent variables (sex, birth weight, final achieved height, monthly weight gain rates and osteochondrosis (OC) status of the parents) on the occurrence of osteochondrotic lesions in the femoropatellar and tarsocrural joints in a group of foals was investigated as part of a research project aimed at the study of the development of osteochondrosis and the influence of exercise on the development of the musculoskeletal system in Warmbloods. The foals were genetically predisposed to develop OC, being offspring of sires that all had radiographically proven OC in either the femoro...
Radiographic development of osteochondral abnormalities, in the hock and stifle of Dutch Warmblood foals, from age 1 to 11 months. In a longitudinal study the hocks and stifles of Dutch Warmblood foals were radiographed at age 1 month and subsequently at intervals of 4 weeks. Forty-three foals were radiographed until age 5 months and 19 foals until age 11 months. The chance for the development of osteochondrosis was enhanced by using only offspring from diseased sires with radiographically proven OC at either the intermediate ridge of the distal tibia or the lateral ridge of the femoral trochlea. The radiographic appearances of the intermediate ridge of the distal tibia, the distal aspect of the lateral trochlear ridge of...
Identification of lipoprotein homologues of pneumococcal PsaA in the equine pathogens Streptococcus equi and Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Streptococcus equi and Streptococcus zooepidemicus are major etiological agents of upper and lower airway disease in horses. Despite the considerable animal suffering and economic burden associated with these diseases, the factors that contribute to the virulence of these equine pathogens have not been extensively investigated. Here we demonstrate the presence of a homologue of the Streptococcus pneumoniae PsaA protein in both of these equine pathogens. Inhibition of signal peptide processing by the antibiotic globomycin confirmed the lipoprotein nature of the mature proteins, and surface expo...
Climate change: effects on culicoides–transmitted viruses and implications for the UK. Changes in the distribution and abundance of insects are likely to be amongst the most important and immediate effects of climate change. We review here the risk that climate change poses to the UK's livestock industry via effects on Culicoides biting midges, the vectors of several arboviruses, including those that cause bluetongue (BT) and African horse sickness (AHS). The major old-world vector of BT and AHS viruses, C. imicola, occurs in southern Europe and will spread further north as global temperatures increase. It is unlikely, however, that in the foreseeable future it will reach and be...
Efficient homologous RNA recombination and requirement for an open reading frame during replication of equine arteritis virus defective interfering RNAs. Equine arteritis virus (EAV), the prototype arterivirus, is an enveloped plus-strand RNA virus with a genome of approximately 13 kb. Based on similarities in genome organization and protein expression, the arteriviruses have recently been grouped together with the coronaviruses and toroviruses in the newly established order Nidovirales. Previously, we reported the construction of pEDI, a full-length cDNA copy of EAV DI-b, a natural defective interfering (DI) RNA of 5.6 kb (R. Molenkamp et al., J. Virol. 74:3156-3165, 2000). EDI RNA consists of three noncontiguous parts of the EAV genome fused ...
Bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract in 34 horses. To investigate associations between the bacteriology and aspects of history, clinical presentation, outcome and pathology of lower respiratory tract disease of 34 horses. Methods: Detailed aerobic and anaerobic bacteriological investigations were performed on clinical specimens from horses with pneumonia, lung abscessation and necrotic pneumonia with or without pleurisy in an attempt to identify those bacteria that might contribute to the initiation and progression of infection. Results: Bacteria were cultured from 33 of the 34 horses. In ten cases, only aerobic/facultatively anaerobic isolate...
Pseudallescheria boydii infection of the nasal cavity of a horse. An 18-year-old 454-kg (1,000-lb) American Quarter Horse gelding was evaluated because of chronic intermittent malodorous right-sided nasal discharge. Endoscopy revealed a mycotic plaque in the nasal cavity adjacent to the nasomaxillary opening of the right caudal maxillary sinus. The nasomaxillary opening appeared to be larger than normal. Fungal culture of specimens of the mycotic plaque yielded Pseudallescheria boydii. The horse was treated with 2% miconazole intranasally, sodium iodide i.v., and potassium iodide p.o. Thirty and 60 days after treatment was initiated, the nasal cavity was fou...
Genotyping of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from stool specimens by arbitrarily-primed-PCR. In order to determine genetic relatedness of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from different clinical sources, arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (AP-PCR) was used to compare 17 strains isolated from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 20 strains isolated from foals with diarrhea. Three reference ATCC strains were also analyzed. Eighteen unique types were identified with a 22-mer arbitrary primer (ERIC-2) among the 20 patient isolates. Types 1 (enterotoxigenic) and 9 (nonenterotoxigenic), were each found in the stools of two patients. All other isolates showed a dis...
Immunologic diseases. Selected equine cutaneous diseases for which there is strong evidence of an immunological aetiology are discussed in this section. The reactive disorders of urticaria, Culicoides hypersensitivity, erythema multiforme, drug eruptions and systemic granulomatous disease are included. The autoimmune diseases of the horse with cutaneous manifestations (pemphigus foliaceus, pemphigus vulgaris, bullous pemphigoid and cutaneous lupus erythematosus) are discussed. The clinical signs and diagnostic features of these immunologically induced equine dermatoses are defined, and the challenges in making a de...
Nodular diseases. The development of a nodule is a fairly common reaction pattern in the skin and subcutaneous tissues of the horse. In many such nodules, the inciting aetiologic agent or antigen is unknown, but in some equine cases there is significant evidence for insect bite origin. The pathogenesis of some equine nodular diseases appears to involve marked collagen degeneration which varies from hyalinization to lysis and can become mineralized. The exact role the lytic collagen has in the pathogenesis of these lesions is still unknown. Vascular changes may be present in some entities. Other nodules may be c...
Unilateral nondisseminated actinomycosis of the hydrocele wall: a case report of actinomycosis in the urogenital tract. Actinomycosis of the urogenital tract is rare and predominantly an infectious disease of horses, cattle, swine, and humans. This case report describes isolated actinomycosis of the hydrocele wall presenting as an inflamed right-sighted hydrocele.
Genomic variability of equine herpesvirus-5. Seventeen New Zealand isolates of equine herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5) were compared to the Australian prototype strain. PCR primers were designed to amplify EHV-5 glycoprotein B (gB) gene, and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) was used to detect differences between cloned PCR products. EHV-5 isolates from different horses showed a high degree of heterogeneity. However, EHV-5 isolates from individual horses remained homogeneous when examined over a period of time or isolated from different sites. A single EHV-5 gB RFLP profile was detected in isolates from each individual horse but one. ...
Investigation of the susceptibility of equine autonomic neuronal cell lines, clonally derived from the same paravertebral ganglion, to toxic plasma from equine dysautonomia (grass sickness) cases. In the autonomic nervous system (ANS) of equine grass sickness (GS) cases, some neurones show abnormal changes while neighbouring neurones are unaffected. To test whether noradrenergic neurones showed variable susceptibility to the GS toxin in culture, clonally-derived populations isolated from the same fetal thoracic sympathetic chain ganglion were challenged with plasma from GS cases previously shown to induce ANS damage when injected into normal horses. During the early stages of exposure to toxic plasma, cells within a clonal population showed variable susceptibility ranging from no obviou...
Secondary structure model for the ITS-2 precursor rRNA of strongyloid nematodes of equids: implications for phylogenetic inference. In order to maximise the positional homology in the primary sequence alignment of the second internal transcribed spacer for 30 species of equine strongyloid nematodes, the secondary structures of the precursor ribosomal RNA were predicted using an approach combining an energy minimisation method and comparative sequence analysis. The results indicated that a common secondary structure model of the second internal transcribed spacer of these nematodes was maintained despite significant interspecific differences (2-56%) in primary sequences. The secondary structure model was then used to refine...
