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.
Firth EC, Goedegebuure SA, Dik KJ, Poulos PW.Nine foals with haematogenous osteomyelitis of the tarsal bones were studied clinically, radiologically and pathologically. Clinical examination, including aspiration of articular or periarticular effusions in the tarsal area, and radiological study provide definitive diagnosis in most cases.
Galan JE, Timoney JF.Mucosal nasopharyngeal immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG responses to proteins of Streptococcus equi were studied in horses after the experimental production of strangles. S. equi-specific IgA and IgG titers in nasopharyngeal mucus were much higher in samples from animals 1 to 2 weeks after challenge than in samples from control animals. Although IgA was the major immunoglobulin in nasal mucus, there was more antibody activity associated with IgG as measured by radioimmunoassay. Great differences between the specificities of antibodies in nasal mucus and in serum were detected. IgA and IgG of muc...
Srivastava SK, Barnum DA, Prescott JF.The production of M-protein antigen of Streptococcus equi was studied during in vitro growth in equine blood and in various media. Of 11 S equi strains studied, seven which had initially possessed 0.04 mg or less M-protein per 10 mg of streptococcal cell extract showed an increase in M-protein content after successive culture in heparinised horse blood. Maximum proliferation occurred in Todd-Hewitt (TH) medium with added 0.2 per cent w/v glucose when compared with TH medium alone or TH medium with 2 per cent w/v sucrose, starch, neopeptone or normal horse serum. The M-protein of these strains ...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.A total of 89 Thoroughbreds, 14 to 333 days old (born in 1982), were examined at necropsy for certain internal parasites during a 1-year-period, Mar 1, 1982, to Feb 28, 1983. The eyes of 73 of the horses and the cranial mesenteric arteries of 71 were examined. Specific interest was on prevalence of parasites according to month of the year and age of the horses at necropsy. Parasites recovered (first month-last month infected horse found) were as follows: Thelazia lacrymalis (eyes) immature and mature (June - February); Habronema/Draschia (lungs) immature (May - September); Habronema muscae (st...
Palmer JE, Whitlock RH, Benson CE, Becht JL, Morris DD, Acland HM.Bacteriologic cultures of 65 rectal mucosal samples and 335 fecal samples from 53 horses and 5 cattle shedding Salmonella were performed. Salmonella spp were isolated from 34 (52%) rectal mucosal samples, 21 (32%) concurrent fecal samples, and 150 (45%) total fecal samples. The use of rectal mucosal samples when compared with concurrently obtained fecal samples significantly (P less than 0.025) improved the ability to isolate Salmonella spp. Concurrent bacteriologic culture of rectal mucosal samples and fecal samples resulted in 39 (60%) isolations. Compared with a series of fecal samples, Sal...
Diesing L, Steuber S, Ahmed JS.Using luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LCL), the specificity of antibodies to variable antigen type (VAT)-populations of Trypanosoma evansi was studied in four infected ponies. Trypanosomes of each wave of parasitemia were isolated and multiplied in irradiated mice. Their opsonization by serum collected during the infection was investigated with LCL and results for isolated VAT-populations are shown in the paper. Antibodies specific to each VAT-population were first found three days after the maximum of a parasitemic wave. There was no cross reactivity between different VAT-populations. LC...
Broström H, Obel N, Perlmann P.Human lymphocytes displayed a frequent natural cytotoxicity (NK) in vitro against normal equine dermal fibroblasts (ED) and against equine tumour cells of a virus-containing cell line (Mc-1). Similarly, human normal sera contained antibodies that induced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by normal human lymphocytes against the same target cells. Both NK and ADCC varied for different donors. For individual donors, however, cytotoxicity against the two target cells was significantly correlated both in NK and ADCC. For ED there was also a significant correlation between ADCC and NK ...
Tulleners EP, Richardson DW, Reid BV.Three mares were treated for vaginal evisceration of a portion of the small intestine. Evisceration occurred in 2 mares shortly after breeding accidents in which the stallion's penis penetrated the vaginal fornix dorsal to the cervix. The affected bowel was replaced through the laceration, and the vaginal defects were sutured with the mares standing, utilizing epidural anesthesia. One mare recovered without complications, was subsequently bred, and delivered a foal with no difficulty. The other mare developed signs of a strangulating small intestinal obstruction 24 hours after the injury, nece...
Scott EA, Todhunter R.In 2 cases of chronic intestinal intussusception in horses, one involved jejunum and the other, ileum. The only clinical signs observed were intermittent colic. Surgery was performed on both horses, with successful outcomes.
Hinrichs K, Gentile DG, Hurtgen JP, Richardson DW.A testicular prosthesis was removed from the scrotum of a 3-year-old Quarter Horse stallion. The prosthesis had been placed in the left side of the scrotum 10 months earlier, after an unsuccessful attempt to reposition the retained left testis. Because of a persistent draining fistula on the scrotum, first noted 5 months after placement of the prosthesis, surgery was performed to remove the prosthesis. At surgery, the left testis was found in a fibrous mass surrounding the prosthesis. The left testis had descended after placement of the prosthesis, and its involvement in the fibrous tissue sur...
Simmons HA, Cox JE, Edwards GB, Neal PA, Urquhart KA.This paper reports seven cases of penile paraphimosis which occurred in both entire and castrated horses in association with general debility. Two cases were discharged after treatment while still suffering from partial paralysis; one was discharged at the owner's request with complete paralysis; three were destroyed and one died during treatment. Identified causes of debility were malnutrition, severe parasitism, glucose malabsorption and salmonellosis.
Matsui K, Amada A, Sawazaki H.Electrocardiographic observation in 10 Thoroughbred horses has been carried out from fetal stages to 12 months after birth. In this observation a filly out of 10 foals at a resting state showed second-degree atrioventricular {A-V) block with sinus arrhythmia after 2.5 months of age. The number of dropped beats and the irregularity of sinus arrhythmia in these blocks were affected by the atrial rate, and several variations of Wenckebach phenomenon were shown under the influence of the artial rate. Electrocardiographic characteristics of second-degree A-V block in the present filly might be simi...
Traub-Dagartz J, Bayly W, Riggs M, Thomas N, Pankowski R.An Arabian foal with a congenital heart disease died due to hemorrhage secondary to a large gastric ulcer. Previously, death of foals with gastric ulcers has been due to diffuse peritonitis resulting from gastric ulcer perforation. The foal in this case report died due to hemorrhage secondary to a large gastric ulcer.
Crowe MW, Swerczek TW.In a 13-year survey of equine congenital defects that resulted in death or required euthanasia in central Kentucky, necropsies were performed on 608 deformed fetuses or newborn foals. The following congenital anomalies were observed: contracted foal syndrome (33.2%), miscellaneous limb contraction (20%), multiple defects (5.3%), microphthalmia (4.6%), craniofacial malformations (4.3%), cleft palate (4.0%), heart defects (3.5%), umbilical defects (3.5%), and hydrocephalus (3.0%). Eleven less frequently occurring anomalies constituted the balance of the congenital defects in fetuses and newborn ...
Adamson PJ, Wilson WD, Hirsh DC, Baggot JD, Martin LD.In vitro antimicrobic susceptibility patterns of commonly isolated aerobic gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial pathogens of equine origin were determined, using the agar-plate dilution method. All organisms were recent clinical isolates and included Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, (coagulase positive) Staphylococcus sp, Streptococcus equi, Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Actinobacillus sp, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella. In vitro susceptibility levels were outlined for 14 antimicro...
Adams SB, Steckel R, Blevins W.Diskospondylitis was diagnosed in 5 horses admitted to the Purdue University Large Animal Clinic during a 3-year period. Each horse had evidence of cervical pain. Clinical signs and radiography were useful for identifying the diskospondylitis. Cerebrospinal fluid was normal.
Biberstein EL, Jang SS, Hirsh DC.From 1965 to 1983, Nocardia asteroides infection was diagnosed in 16 horses at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis. In 2 of the cases, the infection was traumatic in origin and local in extent; the horses recovered without relevant antimicrobial therapy. Fourteen horses had pulmonary or disseminated infections that ended fatally. All 14 had various degrees of immunosuppression. Of these, 8 were Arabian foals with combined immunodeficiency disease and 3 were aged horses with hyperadrenocorticism secondary to ACTH-secreting pituitary tumors. Of the other 3, ...
Nomura M, Mizobe F, Kato T, Kuroda T, Urayama S, Muranaka M.Although severe blood coagulopathy in horses with acute colitis causes multiple organ failure, which may be fatal, few studies have focused on the correlation between the fluctuations of coagulation parameters and severity of colitis. In this study, we evaluated the fluctuations of coagulation parameters in 14 Thoroughbred racehorses with acute colitis for 5 days from the day of hospitalization and compared them between 5 survivors and 9 non-survivors. Noteworthy features in the non-survivors were that antithrombin activity and fibrin degradation products continuously decreased and increased, ...
Van Amstel SR, Ross M, van den Bergh SS.A case of maduromycosis mycetoma caused by Madurella mycetomatis is reported. The horse presented with multiple subcutaneous swelling over the right scapula. There were no discharging fistulae present. Macroscopically the lesion contained a black granular material embedded in a granulomatous mass. Microscopically large numbers of microcolonies were present containing segmented hyphae. No typical chlamydospores were observed. Cultures yielded a fungus identified as Madurella mycetomatis. Treatment consisted of surgical excision and local treatment with thiabendazole powder.
Zantingh AJ, Gaughan EM, Bain FT.A 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding was evaluated after a 10-week history of occasional straining during urination and dark red urine production after exercise. Physical examination findings were within normal limits. After 2 weeks of clinical signs, ultrasonography had found no abnormalities in the kidneys or bladder. A freely voided urine sample revealed an elevated protein concentration (500 mg/dL; reference range: <100 mg/dL) and few red blood cells. Vitamin C supplementation was suggested to acidify the urine, as was provision of a salt block to encourage water intake.
Boyd JS.The deformities observed in 2 Clydesdale foals are described. Both had abnormal joint positions in the forelimbs and discrepancies in the symmetry of the vertebral column. The changes were only mild in one case but extreme in the other where it was accompanied by torticollis, scoliosis and vertebral fusion. A comparison is made with deformities described in the contracted foal syndrome and some of the developmental implications discussed.
Shortridge EH.Extract
Recent reviews of brucellosis in horses (Stableforth and Galloway, Citation1959; Mascaro and Hoffman, Citation1963: Ritscher, Citation1963) refer to Brucella abortus associated with fistulous withers, arthritis and debility and emphasize the rarity of abortion caused by this organism. One case of abortion in a mare caused by Br. abortus was reported as having occurred in Iowa, U.S.A. (McNutt and Murray, Citation1924).
Winder NC, von Fellenberg R.Chronic small airway disease is the most common abnormality of the equine respi-ratory system (Cook, 1975) and has been considered to be the most frequent cause of premature retirement in the Swiss horse population (Gerber, 1969). In Australia, where horses are kept primarily outside, the incidence of chronic small airway disease is low. In many parts of Europe and in the northern United States, where many horses are stabled indoors for most of the day, the incidence of this respiratory syndrome is high (Anon., 1985). Although chronic small airway disease is thought to be associated with expos...
van der Kolk JH, Mars MH, van der Gaag I.A 12-year-old Dutch warmblood mare was examined because it had suffered colic intermittently for a few years and had lost weight in the previous two months. Palpation per rectum revealed a large firm mass in the left sublumbar region; the mass was classified post mortem as an adrenocortical carcinoma. The basal plasma cortisol concentration (at 10.00) of the mare was 94 nmol/litre, within the normal range. As in another case of adrenocortical neoplasm, a functional tumour could not be demonstrated. Only one of the 21 horses with a neoplasm of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis examined by the a...