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.
Mekata H, Yamada K, Umeki K, Yamamoto M, Ochi A, Umekita K, Kobayashi I, Hirai T, Okabayashi T.Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a fatal zoonosis caused by ticks in East Asia. As SFTS virus (SFTSV) is maintained between wildlife and ticks, seroepidemiological studies in wildlife are important to understand the behavior of SFTSV in the environment. Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, is an SFTS-endemic area, and approximately 100 feral horses, called Misaki horses (Equus caballus), inhabit Cape Toi in Miyazaki Prefecture. While these animals are managed in a wild-like manner, their ages are ascertainable due to individual identification. In the present study, we conducted a s...
Young AE, Finno CJ.Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease associated with vitamin E deficiency in the first year of life. It is the second most common cause of spinal ataxia in horses euthanized for neurologic disease. Equine NAD/EDM is characterized by neurologic signs including a symmetric proprioceptive ataxia (> grade 2/5) and a wide-base stance at rest. There are currently no antemortem tests for eNAD/EDM in any breed. Conclusive diagnosis requires postmortem histologic evaluation of the brainstem and spinal cord at necropsy....
Smarsh DN, Kenny LB, Spindler M, Poh KC, Machtinger ET.There is limited data on current knowledge of Pennsylvania horse caretakers on tick-borne diseases (TBDs), tick identification, and tick management practices. This study aimed to determine tick knowledge, concern, and management among Pennsylvania equine caretakers using an online survey. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA tests were used to analyze data. The survey received 894 responses (539 completed) from Pennsylvania equine owners and caretakers. The largest proportion of respondents cared for 3-5 horses (31%), followed by 2 horses (27%). Veterinarian-confirmed diagnosis rates of tw...
Barradas PF, Marques J, Tavares C, Brito NV, Mesquita JR.The Garrano is a semi-feral horse breed native to several mountains in the northern Iberian Peninsula. Despite being endangered, this unique breed of pony has managed to survive in the wild and continues to be selectively bred, highlighting their remarkable resilience and adaptability to harsh environments. Wildlife plays a critical role in the survival of tick vectors in their natural habitats and the transfer of tick-borne pathogens, as they can serve as reservoir hosts for many agents and amplifiers for these vectors. The semi-feral lifestyle of the Garrano horses makes them particularly vu...
Soliman R, Yousef M, Gelil SA, Aboul-Ella H.Strangles is a highly contagious disease of the equine upper respiratory tract caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies. Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (S. equi) and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) was isolated, as local, hot, and field strains, from horses clinically suffering from respiratory distress. The isolated Streptococci were identified using bacteriological and molecular techniques. Four formulations of inactivated S. equi vaccines were developed and evaluated. The first formulation was prepared using the S. equi isolates, adjuvanted with MONTANIDE GEL adjuv...
Ashby M, Moore R, King S, Newbrook K, Flannery J, Batten C.African horse sickness is a severe and often fatal disease affecting all species of equids. The aetiological agent, African horse sickness virus (AHSV), can be differentiated into nine serotypes. The identification of AHSV serotypes is vital for disease management, as this can influence vaccine selection and help trace disease incursion routes. In this study, we report the development and optimisation of a novel, molecular-based assay that utilises multiplex PCR and microsphere-based technology to expedite detection and differentiation of multiple AHSV serotypes in one assay. We demonstrated t...
Leduc L, Leclère M, Lavoie JP.Although horses with asthma share similar clinical signs, the heterogeneity of the disease in terms of severity, triggering factors, inflammatory profile, and pathological features has hindered our ability to define biologically distinct subgroups. The recognition of phenotypes and endotypes could enable the development of precision medicine, including personalized, targeted therapy, to benefit affected horses. While in its infancy in horses, this review outlines the phenotypes of equine asthma and discusses how knowledge gained from targeted therapy in human medicine can be applied to evaluat...
Stahl LT, Müller A, Krohn J, Büttner K, Wehrend A.An adequate supply of trace elements is very important for equine neonates, as deficiencies can lead to health problems and even death. Unassigned: This study investigated serum concentrations of selenium (Se), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in neonatal foals up to the 8th day of life. The influences of disease, age, and failure of passive transfer (FPT) on these concentrations were analyzed. Unassigned: Serum concentrations of Se, Cu, and Zn were determined from blood samples of 93 foals by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The foals were divided into 2 groups based on health...
J Lacy K, Jens O, Cherise H.The intention of this tutorial video is to illustrate the methods of examining the forelimb and neck of a horse in order to identify abnormalities that may be associated with lameness or disease. Methods: A 16-year-old quarter horse gelding was used for examination. Methods: The horse was examined for abnormalities by means of physical examination. Results: The examination of the forelimb and neck of the horse was successfully completed. Conclusions: This examination technique is required to identify abnormalities in the equine forelimb and can be utilized during a lameness examination.
Akbari H, Basaki M, Imani Baran A, Akbarzadeh Z.Anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease with worldwide distribution, impacts ruminants, equines, carnivores, and humans. This study aimed to investigate Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses from Ardabil province and Anaplasma ovis in small ruminants from East Azerbaijan province using the Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of 100 healthy horses in the Ardabil province and 156 healthy sheep and goats (116 sheep and 40 goats) in the East Azerbaijan province during the spring and summer seasons of 2016 in northwest Iran. The collected blood sam...
Sun J, Xu X, Gao S, Pan Q, Liu Z, Huang Y, Lian Y.Prevotella heparinolytica is a Gram-negative bacterium that is commonly found in the oral, intestinal, and urinary tracts. It has been extensively studied in lower respiratory tract infections in horses, which has heparinolytic activity and can secrete heparinase and further induces virulence factors in cells and causes disease. However, no such cases have been reported in humans. Methods: A 58-year-old male patient from China presented to the respiratory clinic in Suzhou with a productive cough producing white sputum for 20 days and fever for 3 days. Prior to this visit, a chest computed to...
Kholik K, Sukri A, Riwu KHP, Kurniawan SC, Khairullah AR.Bacterial identification can be done using various testing techniques. Molecular techniques are often used to research dangerous diseases, an approach using genetic information on the pathogenic agent. The enterohemorrhagic invasive species 0157:H7 was identified from the feces of working horses on the island of Sumbawa. Another advance in molecular technology is genome amplification with qPCR which is the gold standard for detecting Unassigned: This study aims to detect and identify the invasive species 0157:H7 using the gene encoding with the qPCR method sourced from horse feces. Unassig...
Altay K, Erol U, Sahin OF, Ulucesme MC, Aytmirzakizi A, Aktas M.Tick-borne pathogens (TBP) are an important group of organisms that can affect animals and humans all over the world. Equine piroplasmosis (EP), caused by and , is considered one of the most important tick-borne diseases and can cause significant clinical symptoms and mortality in horses. Moreover, EP plays a restrictive role in international horse traditions and transportation. Although these species can cause similar symptoms, there are different 18S rRNA genotypes of (five genotypes) and (three genotypes). Besides piroplasma species, and hemotropic mycoplasmas (HM) are known as other im...
Willis AT, Dahlgren AR, Woolard KD, Ghosh S, Donnelly CG, de la Concha-Bermejillo A, Pacheco A, Watson KD, Berryhill E, Aleman M, Wensley F....In 2020, a novel neurologic disease was observed in juvenile Quarter Horses (QHs) in North America. It was unknown if this was an aberrant manifestation of another previously described neurological disorder in foals, such as equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM). Objective: To describe the clinical findings, outcomes, and postmortem changes with Equine Juvenile Spinocerebellar Ataxia (EJSCA), differentiate the disease from other similar neurological disorders, and determine a mode of inheritance. Methods: Twelve neurologically affected QH foals and the...
Maharana BR, Ganguly A, Potliya S, Kumar B, Singh H, Dash A, Khanna S.Equine piroplasmosis caused by Theileria equi is a febrile, tick-borne disease of equids. However, there is limited literature about the genotyping of T. equi in India. Blood samples were collected from 202 horses and subjected to microscopy and PCR to detect T. equi. Initially, a universal screening primer pair targeting 18S ribosomal RNA genes common for Babesia caballi and T. equi was employed to amplify the DNA of both parasites. Thereafter additional primers were employed for species-specific detection resulting in amplification of approximately 435 bp specific for T. equi. T.equi was de...
Vaske A, Gautier C, Winter J, Aurich C.We followed the hypothesis that equine neonates with reduced transfer of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) are at increased risk of neonatal infection. We investigated TNFα concentrations in colostrum of healthy mares and blood of their neonates in a non-hospitalized population of Warmblood mares where delivery, neonatal adaptation and health was closely monitored by veterinarians. Concentration of TNFα and IgG was determined in colostrum respective milk and in neonatal blood collected immediately after delivery and 18 h thereafter in 97 foals that were assigned to groups failure of passive ...
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...
Luong T, Tran MH, Pham BU, Metrailer MC, Pham VK, Nguyen HL, Pham TL, Tran TMH, Pham QT, Hoang TTH, Blackburn JK.Anthrax, a widespread zoonosis in low and middle-income countries with low disease awareness and insufficient livestock vaccination coverage, has been known in Lao Cai Province in northern Vietnam for years before its apparent absence in 2009, which requires investigation as this infection is frequently reported from neighbouring provinces and countries. We aimed to describe the seasonal patterns of anthrax (1991-2008), compare livestock anthrax vaccine coverage to disease occurrence (1991- 2022), and delineate the high-risk areas to inform local disease surveillance in the province. We illust...
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...
Yuen NKY, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Coyle MP, Henning J.Ross River virus (RRV), the most medically and economically important arbovirus in Australia, has been the most prevalent arbovirus infections in humans for many years. Infected humans and horses often suffer similar clinical symptoms. We conducted a prospective longitudinal study over a 3.5-year period to investigate the exposure dynamics of RRV in three foal cohorts (n = 32) born in a subtropical region of South East Queensland, Australia, between 2020 and 2022. RRV-specific seroconversion was detected in 56% (n = 18) of foals with a median time to seroconversion, after waning of materna...
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...
Gould AR.The nucleotide sequence of the matrix protein of equine morbillivirus (EMV) was determined to be 1062 nucleotides and coded for a deduced protein of M(r) 40148 having a net charge of + 19 at neutral pH. The matrix protein gene was separated from the P and F genes by intercistronic regions of 546 and 469 nucleotides, respectively. The nucleotide sequence which coded for the F protein was 1641 nucleotides and coded for a deduced protein of 546 amino acids having an M(r) of 60,447 and a charge + 4 at neutral pH. Partial sequence information was also determined for the P/V proteins. M, P and F pro...
Horowitz ML, Cohen ND, Takai S, Becu T, Chaffin MK, Chu KK, Magdesian KG, Martens RJ.The distributions of the incubation periods for infectious and neoplastic diseases originating from point-source exposures, and for genetic diseases, follow a lognormal distribution (Sartwell's model). Conversely, incubation periods in propagated outbreaks and diseases with strong environmental components do not follow a lognormal distribution. In this study Sartwell's model was applied to the age at onset and age at death of foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia. The age at onset of clinical signs and age at death were compiled for 107 foals that had been diagnosed with R. equi pneumonia at b...
Reubel GH, Kimsey RB, Barlough JE, Madigan JE.We report the experimental transmission of Ehrlichia equi from naturally infected Ixodes pacificus ticks to horses. Three weeks after exposure to ticks, two of three horses developed clinical signs compatible with E. equi infection, while one horse remained asymptomatic. 16S rRNA gene PCR of blood leukocyte lysates was positive for all horses at various time points; two horses seroconverted. The 16S rRNA gene sequences amplified from tick-exposed horses showed more than 99% homology to corresponding fragments of the 16S rRNA genes of E. equi, Ehrlichia phagocytophila, and the human granulocyti...
Smith KC.Abortion or neonatal disease may follow infection with several alpha, beta and gamma-herpesviruses. The alpha-herpesvirus, equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), causes single or epizootic abortions or neonatal deaths in equids, and the closely related virus EHV-4 causes sporadic equine abortions. In cattle, the alpha-herpesviruses, bovine herpesvirus-1 (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus) and bovine herpesvirus-5 (bovine encephalitis virus), and a gamma-herpesvirus, bovine herpesvirus-4, have all been implicated as causes of abortion. In pigs, suid herpesvirus-1 (SHV-1: pseudorabies virus), an alp...
Kamran K, Ali A, Villagra CA, Bazai ZA, Iqbal A, Sajid MS.Ivermectin and fipronil have been used regularly to control the hard tick Hyalomma anatolicum (Acari: Ixodidae) in domestic ruminants for more than a half-decade in Balochistan, Pakistan. Inappropriate and indiscriminate use of these acaricides has resulted in the development of resistances in tick species. In this work, acaricides (ivermectin and fipronil) resistance was evaluated in H. anatolicum through in vitro and in vivo bioassays in a horse farm of Quetta, Balochistan province, Pakistan. A participatory epidemiological survey was conducted to assess potential risk factors associated wit...
Research in microbiologyJanuary 14, 2016
Volume 167, Issue 4 313-324 doi: 10.1016/j.resmic.2016.01.001
Deredjian A, Alliot N, Blanchard L, Brothier E, Anane M, Cambier P, Jolivet C, Khelil MN, Nazaret S, Saby N, Thioulouse J, Favre-Bonté S.The occurrence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was monitored in organic amendments and agricultural soils from various sites in France and Tunisia. S. maltophilia was detected in horse and bovine manures, and its abundance ranged from 0.294 (±0.509) × 10(3) to 880 (±33.4) × 10(3) CFU (g drywt)(-1) of sample. S. maltophilia was recovered from most tested soil samples (104/124). Its abundance varied from 0.33 (±0.52) to 414 (±50) × 10(3) CFU (g drywt)(-1) of soil and was not related to soil characteristics. Antibiotic resistance properties of a set of environmental strains were ...
Peachey LE, Pinchbeck GL, Matthews JB, Burden FA, Lespine A, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Krücken J, Hodgkinson JE.Anthelmintic resistance is a global problem that threatens sustainable control of the equine gastrointestinal cyathostomins (Phylum Nematoda; Superfamily Strongyloidea). Of the three novel anthelmintic classes that have reached the veterinary market in the last decade, none are currently licenced in horses, hence current control regimens focus on prolonging the useful lifespan of licenced anthelmintics. This approach would be facilitated by knowledge of the resistance mechanisms to the most widely used anthelmintics, the macrocyclic lactones (ML). There are no data regarding resistance mechani...
Baxi MK, Efstathiou S, Lawrence G, Whalley JM, Slater JD, Field HJ.Neural tissues from specific pathogen-free ponies that had been experimentally infected with equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) were analysed by in situ hybridization. Digoxigenin-labelled EHV-1 BamHI fragments spanning almost the entire EHV-1 genome were hybridized to RNA in tissue sections from latently infected trigeminal ganglia. The BamHI E fragment detected EHV-1 RNA antisense to gene 63 (HSV-1 homologue ICP0) in a small number of neurons. Sixteen other BamHI fragments gave negative results in 20 sections tested with each fragment. Latency associated transcripts (LATs) were localized to the ne...
Van Cleemput J, Poelaert KCK, Laval K, Maes R, Hussey GS, Van den Broeck W, Nauwynck HJ.The respiratory epithelium of humans and animals is frequently exposed to alphaherpesviruses, originating from either external exposure or reactivation from latency. To date, the polarity of alphaherpesvirus infection in the respiratory epithelium and the role of respiratory epithelial integrity herein has not been studied. Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV1), a well-known member of the alphaherpesvirus family, was used to infect equine respiratory mucosal explants and primary equine respiratory epithelial cells (EREC), grown at the air-liquid interface. EHV1 binding to and infection of mucosal e...
Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Kropinski AM, Weese SJ, Whitehead AE, Parreira VR, Boerlin P, Prescott JF.Clostridium perfringens is an important cause of foal necrotizing enteritis and canine acute hemorrhagic diarrhea. A major virulence determinant of the strains associated with these diseases appears to be a beta-sheet pore-forming toxin, NetF, encoded within a pathogenicity locus (NetF locus) on a large tcp-conjugative plasmid. Strains producing NetF also produce the putative toxin NetE, encoded within the same pathogenicity locus, as well as CPE enterotoxin and CPB2 on a second plasmid, and sometimes the putative toxin NetG within a pathogenicity locus (NetG locus) on another separate large c...
Jost U, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Dolf G, Swinburne JE, Ramseyer A, Bugno M, Burger D, Blott S, Gerber V.REASONS FOR STUDY: Equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is probably dependent on a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors and shares many characteristic features with human asthma. Interleukin 4 receptor a chain (IL4RA) is a candidate gene because of its role in the development of human asthma, confirmation of this association is therefore required. Methods: The equine BAC clone containing the IL4RA gene was localised to ECA13q13 by the FISH method. Microsatellite markers in this region were investigated for possible association and linkage with RAO in 2 large Warmblood ...
Burton AB, Wagner B, Erb HN, Ainsworth DM.Previously it was reported that compared to surviving septic foals, non-surviving foals had a 35-fold increase in interleukin-10 (IL-10) and 15-fold increase in IL-6 gene expression in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). As gene expression profiles can be time-consuming, we sought to determine if serum IL-6 and IL-10 in foals would aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of septicemia. A prospective study of septic neonatal foals admitted to the Cornell University Equine Hospital during 2007 and 2008 was performed. Septicemia was confirmed in 15 foals using blood culture results and se...
Cohen ND, Carter CN, Scott HM, Chaffin MK, Smith JL, Grimm MB, Kuskie KR, Takai S, Martens RJ.To determine whether soil concentrations of total or virulent Rhodococcus equi differed among breeding farms with and without foals with pneumonia caused by R equi. Methods: 37 farms in central Kentucky. Procedures-During January, March, and July 2006, the total concentration of R equi and concentration of virulent R equi were determined by use of quantitative bacteriologic culture and a colony immunoblot technique, respectively, in soil specimens obtained from farms. Differences in concentrations and proportion of virulent isolates within and among time points were compared among farms. Resul...
Nielsen SS, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Canali E, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Gonzales Rojas JL, Gortazar Schmidt C, Herskin M, Michel V, Miranda Chueca MA....The European Commission requested EFSA assess antimicrobial-resistant bacteria responsible for animal transmissible diseases, with a view to listing such pathogens for European Union action. This Scientific Opinion addresses the ad hoc method developed: (i) to give a global state of play as regards resistant animal pathogens that cause transmissible animal diseases, (ii) to identify the most relevant bacteria in the EU and (iii) to summarise their actual or potential animal health impact, and to perform their assessment for being listed and categorised according to the criteria of Articles 7, ...
van Balen J, Mowery J, Piraino-Sandoval M, Nava-Hoet RC, Kohn C, Hoet AE.The role that environmental contamination might play as a reservoir and a possible source of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for patients and personnel at equine veterinary hospitals remains undefined, as the environment has only been monitored during outbreaks or for short periods. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the monthly presence, distribution, and characteristics of environmental MRSA at an equine hospital, and to establish patterns of contamination over time using molecular epidemiological analyses. For this purpose, a yearlong active MRSA su...
Kojima K, Taniguchi K, Kobayashi N.We have sequenced gene 5 encoding NSP1 for three human, two porcine, two bovine, one feline, and five equine rotavirus strains, and compared the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences with the published sequences for other various strains. Subgroup I human strains L26, 69M, and DS-1 were found to have a similar NSP1 sequence despite their different G serotypes, VP4 genotypes, and RNA patterns. The NSP1 sequence of the human strain K8 showed a high degree of homology to those of porcine strains OSU and YM. A high degree of homology was found among three equine strains (H2, FI-14, and FI23)...
Geor RJ, Harris P.Insulin resistance (IR) and hyperinsulinemia increase risk for development of laminitis in horses and ponies. Obesity also has been associated with heightened risk for laminitis, likely by means of development of IR. Dietary factors, particularly the nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) load, modulate risk for laminitis in these animals by means of exacerbation of IR or gastrointestinal disturbances that trigger the condition. Specific dietary management strategies to lessen risk for laminitis include caloric restriction to promote weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity in obese animals and s...
Alzan HF, Knowles DP, Suarez CE.Apicomplexa tick-borne hemoparasites, including Babesia bovis, Babesia microti, and Theileria equi are responsible for bovine and human babesiosis and equine theileriosis, respectively. These parasites of vast medical, epidemiological, and economic impact have complex life cycles in their vertebrate and tick hosts. Large gaps in knowledge concerning the mechanisms used by these parasites for gene regulation remain. Regulatory genes coding for DNA binding proteins such as members of the Api-AP2, HMG, and Myb families are known to play crucial roles as transcription factors. Although the reperto...
Provitera P, Bouamr F, Murray D, Carter C, Scarlata S.Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) are closely related lentiviruses that infect immune cells, but their pathogenesis differ. Localization to the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane is critical for replication of both viruses. This localization is accomplished through the matrix (MA) domain of the Gag precursor protein. In HIV-1, association of MA to anionic membranes appears to be primarily driven by a linear cluster of basic residues in the MA domain and an N-myristoylation signal. Interestingly, the MA protein of EIAV does not contain either of ...
Kachrimanidou M, Tzika E, Filioussis G. is ubiquitous in the environment and is also considered as a bacterium of great importance in diarrhea-associated disease for humans and different animal species. Food animals and household pets are frequently found positive for toxigenic without exposing clinical signs of infection. Humans and animals share common ribotypes (RTs) suggesting potential zoonotic transmission. However, the role of animals for the development of human infection due to remains unclear. One major public health issue is the existence of asymptomatic animals that carry and shed the bacterium to the environment, an...
Spruit CM, Zhu X, Tomris I, Ríos-Carrasco M, Han AX, Broszeit F, van der Woude R, Bouwman KM, Luu MMT, Matsuno K, Sakoda Y, Russell CA, Wilson IA....Influenza A viruses (IAV) initiate infection by binding to glycans with terminal sialic acids on the cell surface. Hosts of IAV variably express two major forms of sialic acid, -acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc) and -glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc). NeuGc is produced in most mammals, including horses and pigs, but is absent in humans, ferrets, and birds. The only known naturally occurring IAV that exclusively bind NeuGc are extinct highly pathogenic equine H7N7 viruses. We determined the crystal structure of a representative equine H7 hemagglutinin (HA) in complex with NeuGc and observed high simi...
Soboll G, Horohov DW, Aldridge BM, Olsen CW, McGregor MW, Drape RJ, Macklin MD, Swain WF, Lunn DP.We have previously demonstrated that hemagglutinin (HA) gene vaccination and influenza virus infection generate protective antibody responses in equids. However, these antibody responses differ substantially in that particle mediated DNA vaccination does not induce an immunoglobulin A (IgA) response. A study was performed to investigate the regional immunoregulatory mechanisms associated with these different immune responses. Ponies were either vaccinated with equine HA DNA vaccines at skin and mucosal sites, infected with influenza virus or left untreated and influenza-specific antibody respo...
Cullinane AA, Rixon FJ, Davison AJ.The genome structure of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) subtype 2 was shown by electron microscopic studies and restriction endonuclease site mapping to comprise two covalently linked segments (L, 109 kbp; S, 35 kbp). The S segment contains a unique sequence (US) flanked by a substantial inverted repeat (TRS/IRS). Thus, the genome structure of EHV-1 subtype 2 is similar to that published previously for EHV-1 subtype 1, but the two subtypes differ in the occurrences of EcoRI and BamHI restriction sites. Hybridization studies using cloned EHV-1 DNA showed that the genome of EHV-1 subtype 2 is colin...
Calzolari M, Monaco F, Montarsi F, Bonilauri P, Ravagnan S, Bellini R, Cattoli G, Cordioli P, Cazzin S, Pinoni C, Marini V, Natalini S, Goffredo M....West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most serious public health threats that Europe and the Mediterranean countries are currently facing. In Italy, WNV emerged in 1998 and has been circulating since 2008. To tackle its continuous incursions, Italian national and regional institutions set up a surveillance program, which includes the serological screening of sentinel horses, sentinel-chickens and backyard poultry flocks and the surveillance on all equine neurological cases, resident captured and wild dead birds, and vectors. This communication aims to assess the importance of the entomological s...
de Laat MA, Sillence MN, McGowan CM, Pollitt CC.Endocrinopathic laminitis is frequently associated with hyperinsulinaemia but the role of glucose in the pathogenesis of the disease has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to determine the endogenous insulin response to a quantity of glucose equivalent to that administered during a laminitis-inducing, euglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemic clamp, over 48 h in insulin-sensitive Standardbred racehorses. In addition, the study investigated whether glucose infusion, in the absence of exogenous insulin administration, would result in the development of clinical and histopathological evidence of ...
McGuire TC, Van Hoosier GL, Henson JB.The role of non-complement-fixing anti-equine infectious anemia (EIA) antibody in the conversion of complement fixation (CF) tests from positive to negative in EIA-infected horses was investigated. Complement-fixation inhibition (CFI) tests demonstrated antibodies in sera that were CF negative. These antibodies would bind to antigen, but would not fix complement. The inhibiting antibodies were isolated and shown to be IgG(T) by immunoelectrophoresis and immunodiffusion against monospecific anti-IgG(T) antisera. Separation of immunoglobulins from affected horse sera by DEAE cellulose chromatogr...
Landolt GA.For decades the horse has been viewed as an isolated or "dead-end" host for influenza A viruses, with equine influenza virus being considered as relatively stable genetically. Although equine influenza viruses are genetically more stable than those of human lineage, they are by no means in evolutionary stasis. Moreover, recent transmission of equine-lineage influenza viruses to dogs also challenges the horse's status as a dead-end host. This article reviews recent developments in the epidemiology and evolution of equine influenza virus. In addition, the clinical presentation of equine influenz...
Leadon D, Waran N, Herholz C, Klay M.Enormous numbers of horses are transported locally, nationally and internationally every year. National legislation and international guidelines set standards for the health and welfare of animals during transport. As a consequence, equine clinicians have major responsibilities in safeguarding the horse industry against the spread of disease and in being aware of the problems inherent in horse transport. The authors explore road, sea and air transport and their effect on horses. Various types of road transport are available and there are various sources of impact on horses. These include loadi...
Fitzgerald DM, Anderson ST, Sillence MN, de Laat MA.Generalized obesity, regional adiposity, hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglyceridemia are all potential indicators of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). This study aimed to assess the relationship between morphometric measurements of body condition and metabolic hormone concentrations in ponies, with and without a neck crest or generalised obesity. Twenty-six ponies were assigned a body condition score (BCS) and cresty neck score (CNS). Height, girth, and neck measurements were taken. An oral glucose test (OGT; 0.75g dextrose/kg BW) was performed and blood samples collected prior to and 2 hours pos...
