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.
Keeler RF, Balls LD, Shupe JL, Crowe MW.Cows, ewes, and mares varied considerably in susceptibility to toxicoses from the oral administration of the piperidine alkaloid, coniine. Cows were most susceptible and ewes least. Only calves had teratogenic effects from maternal administration of coniine during gestation; lambs and foals were apparently resistant. Results suggest that the marked differences between cattle and sheep are probably not due to variation in gut absorption or rumen metabolism.
Swaney LM, Breese SS.Haemophilus equigenitalis, a proposed new species of Haemophilus and the causative agent of contagious equine metritis, a venereal disease of the horse, had ultrastructural characteristics of gram-negative bacteria. The organism additionally had a small, threadlike capsule that was removed by heating in phosphate-buffered saline solution. Heating also detached the outer membrane from the cytoplasmic membrane. The capsule could only be demonstrated when bacterial were stained with ruthenium red during the preparation of ultrathin sections. The gross morphology of newly isolated organisms (rodli...
Slocombe JO, McCraw BM.Trials were conducted in ponies to evaluate the efficacy of pyrantel pamoate (Strongid-T(R)) and two newer anthelmintics not yet commercially available, nitramisole and avermectin B(1)a, against migrating Strongylus vulgaris larvae. Ponies were removed from their mares within 24-48 hr after birth and reared in isolation, worm free. Between six and 14 weeks of age they were infected with 2000 or 2500 infective S. vulgaris larvae. Subsequently, they were monitored daily for clinical signs until the experiment terminated at 28 days postinfection. All ponies showed increased body temperature and r...
Ammar AM, Heitmann J, Kirchhoff H.After abortion sera were taken from 58 thoroughbred and other mares of the northwestern part of Germany and investigated by ELISA (enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay) for antibodies against Mycoplasma equirhinis, M. subdolum, M. equigenitalium, M. pulmonis, M. felis, Acholeplasma laidlawii, A. hippikon, and A. equifetale. Reactions at serum dilutions of 1:32 and higher were considered as positive. At serum dilution 1:32 no antibodies were found in 11 sera. The remaining sera showed antibodies against one or more of the mycoplasma antigens investigated. The number of multiple reactions decrease...
Ek N.Studies of Pr protein concentrations in sera of sick horses were carried out using ’s (1965) immunodiffusion technique. Relative values against a chosen standard of 100 were determined for a total of 102 horses. Horses with acute infections had Pr protein values significantly above the normal. The highest individual Pr protein value recorded in this group was 202. Horses suffering from acute laminitis and malignant tumours also had increased Pr protein values. There was a positive correlation between the Pr protein value and the blood leucocyte count and a negative correlation between the P...
Mumford JA, Rossdale PD.Racehorses perform badly for many different reasons. Trainers often expect clinicians to determine the cause in individual cases and, more especially, where most of the immates of the stable are apparently affected by loss of form. Clinical examinations may reveal signs including fever, serous nasal discharge and the occasional cough. Haematology and blood biochemistry are commonly used aids to diagnosis in the field and may be helpful, but there is a need for facilities for virological investigations to be made readily available for use by clinicans as an adjunct to more commonplace laborator...
Jemmerson R, Margoliash E.Seven populations of site-specific antibodies were isolated from each of three sera of rabbits immunized against glutaraldehyde-polymerized horse cytochrome c. The antibodies were separated using an immunoadsorption scheme which employed the following cytochromes c: horse, beef, guanaco, rabbit, mouse testicular, pigeon, and the cyanogen-bromide cleaved fragment of the rabbit protein containing residues 1 to 65. The monovalent, antigen-binding fragments of the antibodies (Fab') gave 1:1 stoichiometries with native horse cytochrome c in fluorescence quenching assays. Cross-reactivities with het...
Lee HF, Lee JD, Lee YC.In course of immunizing horses with snake venoms, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, a new serum component, T-globulin, was formed and migrated between the beta- and gamma-globulins. The T-globulin content was parallel with the antibody titre after the middle course of immunization. There were many components in snake antivenin and T-globulin was composed of most of those components. The components of diphtheria T-globulin were the same as those of crude antitoxin and tetanus T-globulin except one precipitin.
Theodoridis A, Nevill EM, Els HJ, Boshoff ST.Five viruses, unrelated to bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV), were isolated from Culicoides biting-midges collected during the summer months of the years 1968-69 and 1969-70 near a cattle herd in which cases of BEF occurred and at an open horse stable at Onderstepoort. These viruses were investigated by means of serological, electron-microscopical and physicochemical tests. It was established that 2 isolates, Cul. 1/69 and Cul. 2/69, were related to each other and belonged to the Palyam subgroup of the genus Orbivirus, that isolate Cul. 3/69 belonged to the equine encephalosis subgroup of th...
Smith M, Tzipori S.Rotavirus RNA prepared from calf, pig, mouse, deer, foal and dog-adapted human isolates was compared using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Reproducible differences in the RNA migration patterns were found between all isolates. There were 11 clearly resolved segments in the pig, mouse and foal samples. The calf rotavirus RNA and deer rotavirus RNA separated into 9 bands and 10 bands, respectively. The dog-adapted human virus migrated in 12 bands, and this probably results from the complex passage history of the original human rotavirus isolate.
The Journal of hygieneDecember 1, 1979
Volume 83, Issue 3 539-545 doi: 10.1017/s0022172400026395
Eisa M, Karrar AE, Abd Elrahim AH.To determine the presence and prevalence of bluetongue (BT) infection in a variety of domestic animal species in different geographical regions of the Sudan, a serological study using the agar gel precipitation technique was initiated. A total of 2142 serum samples were examined. Of the numbers tested approximately 28% of sheep, 11.2% of goats, 8% of cattle and 4.9% of camels were positive for group-specific antibodies to BT virus antigen, indicating previous exposure to BT infection. None of the samples tested from horses or donkeys were positive. The findings suggest that the disease is wide...
Callow LL, McGregor W, Rodwell BJ, Rogers RJ, Fraser GC, Mahoney DF, Robertson GM.An indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test for the diagnosis of Babesia equi infections was evaluated. Antigen prepared by conventional methods was of high quality in one instance and of lesser quality in a second when possible autofluorescence of the horse blood caused inconvenience in reading tests. Tests on 14 horses shown by parasitological means to be either infected (9) or uninfected (5) produced reactions at dilutions of 1/270 to 1/7290 for infected and at 1/10 to 1/90 for uninfected animals. The accuracy of the test was further demonstrated during investigations of 701 horses in 3 sta...
Freeman DE, Koch DB, Boles CL.Volvulus of the jejunum and ileum in three horses was associated with intestinal strangulation in a mesenteric rent. The rent was in the jejunal mesentery at its point of attachment with an anomaly that was classified as a mesodiverticular band. The band also was attached to the dorsolateral surface of the jejunum, thus forming one side of a triangular hernial sac that was completed on the other side by the adjacent jejunal mesentery. Incarceration of a loop of small intestine in the hernial sac preceded rupture of the jejunal mesentery and subsequent intestinal strangulation. Surgical correct...
Hovda LR, Rose ML.A herd of pregnant horses exposed to hoary alyssum through ingested hay developed acute and severe gastrointestinal toxicity accompanied by intravascular hemolysis. Postmortem lesions were consistent with these signs. Three horses had late-term abortions.
Weber A, Ligthelm AJ, Verstraete FJ.An 8-year-old Hannoverian horse developed a swelling of the maxilla caused by a tumour of the hard palate. On histological examination the tumour was diagnosed as a primary intra-osseous carcinoma of the maxilla, a rare odontogenic tumour not previously described in the horse.
Johnson P, Rossdale PD.This paper describes preliminary experiments designed to test the hypothesis that cerebral damage is caused by cardiovascular events involving explosive changes in cerebral blood flow during birth. These events may be responsible for the convulsive episodes of foals suffering from the neonatal maladjustment syndrome.
Douglas RH, Del Campo MR, Ginther OJ.On the day of ovulation (Day 0), 20 pony mares were randomly assigned to one of five groups (4 mares/group) which were given intracarotid arterial (ICA) and intraovarian arterial (IOA) injections on Day 7 as follows: 1) vehicle ICA, vehicle IOA (control); 2) .125 mg PGF2α ICA, vehicle IOA; 3) vehicle ICA, .125 mg PGF2α IOA; 4) .250 mg PGF2α ICA, vehicle IOA; or 5) vehicle ICA, .250 mg PGF2α IOA. Peripheral plasma progesterone and LH concentrations were determined for 0 (pretreatment) and .1, .25, .50, .75, 1, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h posttreatment. The intervals (days) from treatment to ...