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.
Scare JA, Dini P, Norris JK, Steuer AE, Scoggin K, Gravatte HS, Howe DK, Slusarewicz P, Nielsen MK.Ascarid parasites infect a variety of hosts and regular anthelmintic treatment is recommended for all species. Parascaris spp. is the only ascarid species with widespread anthelmintic resistance, which allows for the study of resistance mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to establish an in vitro drug exposure protocol for adult anthelmintic-naïve Parascaris spp. and report a preliminary transcriptomic analysis in response to drug exposure. Live worms were harvested from foal necropsies and maintained in RPMI-1640 at 37 °C. Serial dilutions of oxibendazole (OBZ) and ivermectin (IVM) we...
Shnaiderman-Torban A, Navon-Venezia S, Dor Z, Paitan Y, Arielly H, Ahmad WA, Kelmer G, Fulde M, Steinman A. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, molecular characteristics and risk factors of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing (ESBL-E) shedding in horses. A prospective study included three cohorts: (i) farm horses (13 farms, n = 192); (ii) on hospital admission (n = 168) and; (iii) horses hospitalized for ≥72 h re-sampled from cohort (ii) (n = 86). Enriched rectal swabs were plated, ESBL-production was confirmed (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)) and genes were identified (polymerase chain reaction (PCR)). Identification and antibiotic susceptibility were determi...
Valente JSS, Brasil CL, Braga CQ, Zamboni R, Sallis ESV, Albano APN, Zambrano CG, Franz HC, Pötter L, Panagio LA, Reis GF, Botton SA, Pereira DIB.Pythiosis is a rapidly progressing disease that can be lethal to affected individuals due to resistance to available therapeutic protocols. The disease affects mammals, with the largest number of reports in horses and humans. The present study investigated the activity of biogenic silver nanoparticles (bioAgNP) in the treatment of experimental pythiosis. The disease was reproduced in nine female 90-day-old New Zealand rabbits. Animals were divided into three groups: group1 (control, n = 3) daily and topically treated with a nonionized gel-based formulation and 1 ml of sterile distilled wate...
Wilkes EJA, Heller J, Raidal SL, Woodgate RG, Hughes KJ.Information regarding parasite control practices currently used on Thoroughbred and Standardbred studs in Australia is lacking. Anthelmintic resistance (AR) is a global problem which has implications for equine health and welfare. Objective: To identify parasite control practices currently used on horse studs in Australia and investigate the frequency of use of management factors that have been associated with the likelihood of promoting or delaying AR. Methods: Questionnaire study of equine parasite control on Thoroughbred and Standardbred studs in Australia. Methods: An online questionnaire ...
Schott HC, Esser MM.Clinicopathologic evaluation of renal function and renal disease in sick adult horses remains grounded in detection of azotemia, assessment of serum and urine electrolyte concentrations, and evaluation of urinalysis findings, including specific gravity, reagent strip analysis, and sediment examination. Because increases in serum or plasma urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations are insensitive indicators of a decreased glomerular filtration rate, there is considerable interest in identifying novel biomarkers of renal function or injury in blood and urine, with serum symmetric dimethylargin...
Drozdzewska K, Potocnik E, Schwarz B.Placing a nasogastric tube can be a life-saving act for a horse but is considered an occupational hazard for veterinarians. An online questionnaire was performed to assess and specify potential risks. 123 equine veterinarians completed the survey, and the majority admitted using the mouth to handle the end of the nasogastric tube (sucking or blowing air) and having accidentally swallowed or aspirated stomach content or medications. This can potentially lead to aspiration pneumonia or pneumonitis. Mineral oil seems to be especially dangerous as aspiration may be asymptomatic at the beginning an...
Scholtzek AD, Hanke D, Eichhorn I, Walther B, Lübke-Becker A, van Duijkeren E, Köck R, Schwarz S, Feßler AT.Based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), correct classifications as susceptible, intermediate or resistant are challenging for some antimicrobial agent-bacterial species combinations. In this study, we investigated 19 equine Staphylococcus aureus isolates for their susceptibility to the combination sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SXT) by using broth microdilution (BMD), agar disk diffusion (DD) and automated test systems. To elucidate the presence of the corresponding genetic resistance properties among the isolates, whole genome sequence analysis was performed and the genomes were ...
Macías-Rioseco M, Hill AE, Uzal FA.To determine incidences and underlying causes of fatal intestinal inflammatory lesions (FIILs) and demographic characteristics of affected equids necropsied at any of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory facilities between January 1, 1990, and April 16, 2013. Methods: 710 equids with FIILs, including colitis, duodenitis, enteritis, enterocolitis, enteropathy, enterotyphlitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis, ileitis, jejunitis, typhlitis, or typhlocolitis, alone or in combination. Methods: The medical records were reviewed, and data collected included animal age, sex, geographic ...
Garber A, Hastie P, Murray JA.Gastrointestinal microbiota play a crucial role in nutrient digestion, maintaining animal health and welfare. Various factors may affect microbial balance often leading to disturbances that may result in debilitating conditions such as colic and laminitis. The invention of next-generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics has provided valuable information on the effects of factors influencing equine gut microbiota. Among those factors are nutrition and management (e.g., diet, supplements, exercise), medical substances (e.g., antimicrobials, anthelmintics, anesthetics), animal-related ...
El-Sheikh Ali H, Legacki EL, Scoggin KE, Loux SC, Dini P, Esteller-Vico A, Conley AJ, Stanley SD, Ball BA.Equine placentitis is associated with alterations in maternal peripheral steroid concentrations, which could negatively affect pregnancy outcome. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms related to steroidogenesis and steroid-receptor signaling in the equine placenta during acute placentitis. Chorioallantois (CA) and endometrial (EN) samples were collected from mares with experimentally induced placentitis (n = 4) and un-inoculated gestationally age-matched mares (control group; n = 4). The mRNA expression of genes coding for steroidogenic enzymes (3βHSD, CYP11A1, CYP17A1, CYP19...
Veado HC, Conceição RS, Nogueira K, Fino TCM, Silva AS, Castro MB, Soto-Blanco B, Câmara ACL.The findings of massive Africanized honeybee stings in two hair sheep and a mare are reported. One sheep died 15 h after attack, and the survivors developed skin necrosis on the sting sites. Pathological evaluation revealed necrosis in the dermis, degeneration of the tubular epithelial cells, and multifocal hemorrhages in heart and spleen. The massive attack by Africanized honeybees induced lesions in the skin, heart, muscles, kidneys, and lungs.
van Zadelhoff C, Schwarz T, Smith S, Engerand A, Taylor S. To describe detectable and non-detectable naturally occurring cartilage damage of the equine distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint using plain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and gadolinium and saline MR arthrography. The second objective was to quantify the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in detection of cartilage damage. In a pilot study, the distal limbs of two horses with confirmed osteoarthritis of the DIP joint were imaged with low-field MR. Magnetic resonance images were assessed in consensus by three observers and compared to gross pathological findings. Subsequently, a prospectiv...
Moore-Colyer M, Longland A, Harris P, Zeef L, Crosthwaite S.Soaking hay fodder to reduce dust and soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents prior to feeding is common practice among horse owners. Soaking can increase bacteria load in hay but no information exists on how this process alters the bacteria profile, which could pose a health risk or digestive challenge, to horses by introducing foreign bacteria into the gastrointestinal tract and so altering the normal profile. The current objectives were to map the bacterial profile of 3 different hays and determine how soaking alters this with the aim of improving best practice when feeding stabled horses. A Pe...
Tirosh-Levy S, Gottlieb Y, Steinman A.Stress has been suggested as a risk factor for Theileria equi peracute disease and may lead to relapse in clinical signs in chronically infected horses. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of stress on T. equi parasitemia in sub-clinically infected horses in two settings: horses hospitalized at a veterinary teaching hospital and horses from an endurance farm. Blood samples were collected from the hospitalized horses (n = 32) upon admission (T0) and at discharge (T1) from the hospital, and results were compared between horses that underwent surgery (stress) and other hospitalized...
Hurcombe SDA.The assessment of blood analytes in racehorses can provide useful data on performance and health. The horses' adaptive responses to training that occur to optimize performance should be considered when interpreting alterations seen on laboratory results. Similarly, the alterations observed in laboratory test results can identify subclinical and clinical disease and be helpful for identifying organ dysfunction and, in many cases, monitoring progress and response to treatment. This article discusses hematologic and biochemical tests that are important in the evaluation of performance and health ...
Newman AW.Clinical pathology results are only as good as the quality of samples and accompanying information submitted to the diagnostic laboratory. The frustration of nondiagnostic or equivocal test results can often be avoided by taking the time to follow sample handling and submission guidelines. This article discusses preanalytical errors that commonly affect the accuracy of hematology, chemistry, and cytology testing, and offers practical tips for preventing these errors and maximizing diagnostic yield.
DeNotta SL, Brooks MB.Horses with clinical signs of unprovoked or excessive hemorrhage should be evaluated for underlying platelet defects or coagulopathies. This article provides an overview of preliminary screening and definitive tests to assess coagulation and identify hemostatic defects in horses, as well as a review of the hemostatic disorders most frequently encountered in clinical practice.
Ülke ÇG, Deniz SI, Nureddin Ç.Metacarpal tendon diseases are important problems that may cause a decrease in performance and even may finish sport life in equine athletes. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the ratio of return to races and the time of staying away from races and also to detect the prognostic value of ultrasonographic findings in Thoroughbred and Arabian racehorses with metacarpal flexor tendon injury or peritendonitis. Of 120 cases, 84 (70.0%) returned to races. Among these, 82.1% had tendonitis (69/84) and 17.9% peritendonitis (15/84). Among the cases being unable to return to races, 91.7% had tendon...
Bucak IH, Turgut K, Almis H, Turgut M.The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department in a rural province of Turkey due to horse and donkey bites and to analyze whether these features differ from those of more common animal bites in rural areas. Methods: The records of patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department of a tertiary hospital due to horse and donkey bites over a 3-year period were examined retrospectively. Demographic data, month of presentation, animal species involved (horse or donkey), the body area bitten, treatment applied to the wound ...
Álvarez-Narváez S, Berghaus LJ, Morris ERA, Willingham-Lane JM, Slovis NM, Giguere S, Cohen ND.The practice of prophylactic administration of a macrolide antimicrobial with rifampin (MaR) to apparently healthy foals with pulmonary lesions identified by thoracic ultrasonography (i.e., subclinically pneumonic foals) is common in the United States. The practice has been associated epidemiologically with emergence of R. equi resistant to MaR. Here, we report direct evidence of multi-drug resistance among foals treated with MaR. In silico and in vitro analysis of the fecal microbiome and resistome of 38 subclinically pneumonic foals treated with either MaR (n = 19) or gallium maltolate (...
Durie I, van Galen G.This case report describes the clinical presentation, and the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of a 4-year-old gelding presented with severe polyuria and polydipsia. The horse was diagnosed with central diabetes insipidus. After diagnosis, different therapeutic regimens with intraocular desmopressin acetate (Minirin, Ferring GmbH, Kiel, Germany) (a synthetic arginine vasopressin analog) were tested, but without success. Only the subcutaneous injection of desmopressin acetate (Minirin, Ferring GmbH) led to an increase in urine specific gravity and a decrease in water intake and urine outpu...
Hudson BJ, Chicken C, Blishen A, Todhunter KH, Begg AP, Chan L, Karagiannis T, Raymond B, Bogema D, Adkins AR, O'Sullivan CB, O'Rourke BA....We describe three cases of osteoarticular infection (OAI) in young thoroughbred horses in which the causative organism was identified by MALDI-TOF as . The pattern of OAI resembled that reported with infection in humans. Analysis by 16S rRNA PCR enabled construction of a phylogenetic tree that placed the isolates closer to and , rather than . Average nucleotide identity (ANI) comparison between the new isolate and and however revealed low probability that the new isolate belonged to either of these species. This preliminary analysis suggests the organism isolated is a previously unrecognis...
Stokol T.This article uses a case-based approach, complemented with diagnostic algorithms and images, to highlight hematologic changes of pathologic relevance in horses, namely, marked erythrocytosis, anemia or leukocytosis, inflammatory leukograms, lymphocytosis in adult horses, thrombocytopenia, and pancytopenia. These hematologic abnormalities occur with certain diseases and their identification can help clinicians narrow to down differential diagnostic lists. This article highlights the importance of blood smear examination, particularly, but not only, when numerical red flags are identified on aut...
Bienzle D.This article describes the indications for sampling of bone marrow, the technical aspects of obtaining marrow core biopsies and aspirates, and the preparation of marrow smears. All aspects are illustrated with clinical cases. The information that can be expected from the pathologist's report of marrow samples is outlined, and the clinical features and prognosis of different types of leukemia are detailed.
Conceição ML, Alonso JM, Alves ALG, Hussni CA, Rodrigues CA, Watanabe MJ.Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) usually occurs in athletic adult horses. Congenital DDSP in foals secondary to the persistent frenulum of the epiglottis is rarely observed. The aim of this report was to describe a case of a seven-day-old female neonate Quarter Horse presenting dysphagia, milk reflux through the nostrils and mouth, and expiratory dyspnea since 4 days. Thoracic auscultation was indicative of aspiration pneumonia. Diagnosis of DDSP associated with local inflammation was made after endoscopic examination of upper respiratory tract. Radiographic examination was perfo...
Slocombe JO.This review summarizes information on the clinical signs, gross and microscopic lesions associated with nematode and cestode infections and discusses the development of these conditions in the equine host.
Humber RA, Brown CC, Kornegay RW.A 15-year-old Arabian mare from southern Louisiana with a 2-month history of periodic epistaxis and severe weight loss had a large, fibrosing, granulomatous mass containing numerous nodules ("kunkers") projecting dorsally into the nasopharynx, and was euthanized at the owner's request. In addition to these kunkers, the mass contained a single trematode tentatively identified as Fasciola hepatica. Several kunkers were removed, washed thoroughly in sterile water and embedded in nutrient agars; the fungus that grew out of them was identified as Conidiobolus lamprauges Drechsler (Entomophthorales:...
Akter R, El-Hage CM, Sansom FM, Carrick J, Devlin JM, Legione AR.Abortion in horses leads to economic and welfare losses to the equine industry. Most cases of equine abortions are sporadic, and the cause is often unknown. This study aimed to detect potential abortigenic pathogens in equine abortion cases in Australia using metagenomic deep sequencing methods. Results: After sequencing and analysis, a total of 68 and 86 phyla were detected in the material originating from 49 equine abortion samples and 8 samples from normal deliveries, respectively. Most phyla were present in both groups, with the exception of Chlamydiae that were only present in abortion sa...
Yasunaga S, Maeda K, Matsumura T, Kai K, Iwata H, Inoue T.Recently, a type-specific ELISA using equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and type 4 (EHV-4) glycoprotein Gs (gGs) was developed by Crabb and Studdert [1993]. To investigate the dissemination of EHV-1 and -4 among horses in Japan, we applied their ELISA as suitable for discriminating between EHV-1 and -4 infections serologically. Type-specificity of the ELISA was confirmed by using paired sera of infected horses with either EHV-1 or -4. Application of the ELISA to sera collected before and after the winter season of 1995-1996 from 80 racehorses revealed that 30 horses showed significant antibody...
Hoffmann C, Bazer FW, Klug J, Aupperle H, Ellenberger C, Schoon HA.Although alterations in patterns of protein secretion revealed in uterine flushings from mares suffering from endometrosis have been described, little is known about alterations at the cellular level. Hence, the aim of this study was to characterize deviations in patterns of uterine gland secretion patterns using endometrial biopsies, histochemical and newly established immunohistochemical methods. Forty-eight endometrial biopsies were obtained from mares suffering from various types of endometrosis (active and inactive, destructive and non-destructive) and degree (mild to severe) were analyze...
Pronost S, Fortier C, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Tapprest J, Foursin M, Saunier B, Pitel PH, Paillot R, Hue ES.(1) Background: Equine hepacivirus (EqHV), also referred to as non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV), infects horses-and dogs in some instances-and is closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) that has infected up to 3% of the world's human population, causing an epidemic of liver cirrhosis and cancer. EqHV also chronically infects the liver of horses, but does not appear to cause serious liver damages. Previous studies have been looking to identify route(s) of EqHV transmission to and between horses. (2) Methods: In this retrospective study, we sought to evaluate the prevalence of vertical transmis...
MacKay RJ.All gray horses inherited a single gene mutation, STX17G, that unbalances melanocyte behavior to cause graying and propensities to develop vitiligo and melanoma. The coat color genes ASIPa and MC1RE add risk such that relative likelihood of melanoma based on pregraying coat color is black > bay > chestnut. Melanomas begin at about 4 years. Locoregional control of melanoma masses depends on surgical removal and/or intralesional chemotherapy (possibly with adjunctive hyperthermia or electroporation). Systemic treatment is not evidence based but immunomodulators (cimetidine, levamisole) and ...
Niwa H, Kato H, Hobo S, Kinoshita Y, Ueno T, Katayama Y, Hariu K, Oku K, Senoh M, Kuroda T, Nakai K.Clostridium difficile is an important cause of acute enterocolitis in horses. We describe five cases of C difficile infection occurring postoperatively in Thoroughbred racehorses. Following diarrhoea or colic accompanied by a marked increase in packed cell volume (to ≥60 per cent) and leucopenia (≤4000 cells/μl) within two to four days after surgery in all five horses, four of them died or were euthanased because of colitis or severe diarrhoea. In these four horses, necrotising entero-typhlo-colitis was revealed by postmortem examination, and C difficile was recovered from the contents of...
Hardy JL, Apperson G, Asman SM, Reeves WC.After prolonged selection, two hybrid strains of Culex tarsalis were evolved that were highly resistant to infection following ingestion of western equine encephalomyelitis virus. These strains were greater than 25,000-fold more resistant than the most susceptible parental strain when fed on viremic chicks. Resistance was associated with a mesenteronal barrier since both refractory and parental strains were equally susceptible to infection by intrathoracic inoculation. Susceptibility was dominant, possibly incompletely dominant, over resistance. Inheritance was probably polyfactorial but this ...
Costa-Farré C, Prades M, Ribera T, Valero O, Taurà P.Decreased tissue oxygenation is a critical factor in the development of wound infection as neutrophil mediated oxidative killing is an essential mechanism against surgical pathogens. The objective of this prospective case series was to assess the impact of intraoperative arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) on surgical site infection (SSI) in horses undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy for acute gastrointestinal disease. The anaesthetic and antibiotic protocol was standardised. Demographic data, surgical potential risk factors and PaO2, obtained 1h after induction of anaesthesia w...
Yamanaka T, Nemoto M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Kondo T, Matsumura T, Muranaka M, Ueno T, Kinoshita Y, Niwa H, Hidari KI, Suzuki T.Since equine influenza A virus (H3N8) was transmitted to dogs in the United States in 2004, the causative virus, which is called canine influenza A virus (CIV), has become widespread in dogs. To date, it has remained unclear whether or not CIV-infected dogs could transmit CIV to horses. To address this, we tested whether or not close contact between horses and dogs experimentally infected with CIV would result in its interspecies transmission. Methods: Three pairs of animals consisting of a dog inoculated with CIV (10(8.3) egg infectious dose 50/dog) and a healthy horse were kept together in i...
Zhang B, Sun C, Jin S, Cascio M, Montelaro RC.The equine lentivirus receptor 1 (ELR1), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) protein family, has been identified as a functional receptor for equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Toward defining the functional interactions between the EIAV SU protein (gp90) and its ELR1 receptor, we mapped the gp90 binding domain of ELR1 by a combination of binding and functional assays using the EIAV SU gp90 protein and various chimeric receptor proteins derived from exchanges between the functional ELR1 and the nonbinding homolog, mouse herpesvirus entry mediator (murine HveA). Complement...
Birch-Machin I, Rowan A, Pick J, Mumford J, Binns M.The nucleotide sequence of the nonstructural protein NS1 of the influenza virus A/equine 2/Suffolk/89 was determined and found to be 97% identical to that of A/equine 2/Miami/63. A similar level of identity was shown for the deduced NS1 amino acid sequence. The NS1 gene was expressed, in its entirety and in part, as fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase using the pGEX-3X expression vector. Antibodies to NS1 protein were detected in serum samples from ponies experimentally infected with influenza virus, but not in animals vaccinated with whole inactivated virus or in unprimed control a...
Beech J, Haskins M.A naturally occurring disease condition, neuraxonal dystrophy, was identified in 27 male and 15 female Morgans, many of which were closely related. Five-generation pedigrees were constructed for 33 of these horses and were compared with those for 29 randomly selected age- and sex-matched Morgans. Their mean coefficient of inbreeding was not statistically different (P greater than 0.1, 1 tailed t test; P less than 0.001, median test). Breeding of 2 severely affected and 2 normal stallions to 2 severely affected, 3 mildly affected, and 6 normal mares produced 10 mildly affected, 8 suspect affect...
The Journal of hygieneJune 1, 1984
Volume 92, Issue 3 365-375 doi: 10.1017/s0022172400064585
Gray SJ.Faecal samples from 110 horses, 115 pigs, 111 sheep and 123 cows were examined for the presence of Aeromonas hydrophila, which was also sought in the available drinking water. The overall faecal rate was 11.8%, but significantly more bovine than other samples were found to be positive. There was significant association between the isolation of A. hydrophila from all animal faeces and its presence in drinking water, but this was not found when individual animal groups were analysed separately. An enrichment technique increased the total number of isolates by 77.1%. Strains of differing origins ...
Kim CH, Casey JW.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a lentivirus that infects and persists in the monocyte/macrophage populations of blood and tissues. We employed polymerase chain reaction to investigate the distribution and the level of genome variability of EIAV DNA in different tissues of a horse infected with a highly virulent variant of the Wyoming strain of the virus. Long terminal repeat, gag, and pol primer pairs were used to direct the amplification of EIAV DNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and from cells, presumably the macrophage subtypes, of the kidney, spleen, liver, lymph nod...
Strüder-Kypke MC, Kornilova OA, Lynn DH.Ciliates of the subclass Trichostomatia inhabit the fermentative regions of the digestive tract of herbivores. Most available small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSrRNA) gene sequences of trichostomes are from species isolated from the rumen of cattle or sheep and from marsupials. No ciliate species endosymbiotic in horses has yet been analyzed. We have sequenced the SSrRNA genes of five ciliate species, isolated from the cecum and colon of four Yakut horses: Cycloposthium edentatum, Cycloposthium ishikawai, Tripalmaria dogieli, Cochliatoxum periachtum, and Paraisotricha colpoidea. Based on their mor...
Kakoi H, Hirota K, Gawahara H, Kurosawa M, Kuwajima M.Sex chromosome aberrations are often associated with clinical signs that affect equine health and reproduction. However, abnormal manifestation with sex chromosome aberration usually appears at maturity and potential disorders may be suspected infrequently. A reliable survey at an early stage is therefore required. Objective: To detect and characterise sex chromosome aberrations in newborn foals by the parentage test and analysis using X- and Y-linked markers. Methods: We conducted a genetic diagnosis combined with a parentage test by microsatellite DNA and analysis of X- and Y-linked genetic ...
Christensen H, Bisgaard M, Olsen JE.Members of Bisgaard taxon 11 have been isolated from horses. These bacteria are of importance in the veterinary clinic and also to the medical profession, since they may be isolated from infected wounds of humans bitten by horses. Six strains from different continents were identified as taxon 11, with 16S rRNA similarities between 98.0 and 99.7%. A single isolate that represented the so-called (+)L-arabinose-positive Actinobacillus equuli isolated from a diseased foal showed 99.9% 16S rRNA similarity to the type strain of A. equuli. DNA-DNA hybridizations showed that (+)L-arabinose-positive st...
Fitzpatrick DR, Studdert MJ.The specificity of selected immune responses to equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and type 4 (EHV-4) was examined in 3 colostrum-deprived specific-pathogen-free foals. Single foals were vaccinated with inactivated EHV-1, inactivated EHV-4, or control cell lysate plus adjuvant followed by successive intranasal challenge exposures with EHV-1 and EHV-4 or with EHV-4 and EHV-1. Vaccination with inactivated virus preparations elicited cellular immune responses and antibody which were augmented by subsequent challenge exposures. Cellular immune responses, as measured by in vitro lymphocyte blastogen...
Hu L, Zhang M, Sun Y, Bu Y.Cylicocyclus spp. are common parasites in the intestine of equine animals. Hosts infected by these strongylid nematodes might face emaciation, anemia, and even death, all of which lead to significant economic losses. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Cylicocyclus radiatus, the type species of the genus Cylicocyclus, was sequenced and characterized for the first time using next-generation sequencing technology. Results show that the mitogenome of C. radiatus is a double-stranded 13,836 bp circular molecule, containing 12 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes,...
Cernanská D, Paoletti B, Králová-Hromadová I, Iorio R, Cudeková P, Milillo P, Traversa D.Five horse farms located in eastern Slovakia were investigated for the presence of benzimidazole-resistant strongyles by faecal egg count reduction test and egg hatch assay. Coprocultures were prepared for each farm from faecal samples taken pre- and post-treatment and harvested larvae were molecularly examined with a Reverse Line Blot assay. Faecal egg count reduction values ranged from 0 to 52.5% and all farms were positive for benzimidazole-resistant cyathostomins. Seven benzimidazole-resistant cyathostomin species were molecularly identified on farms before and also after treatment. These ...
Lia RP, Mutafchiev Y, Veneziano V, Giannelli A, Abramo F, Santoro M, Latrofa MS, Cantacessi C, Martin C, Otranto D, Bertuglia A, Riccio B.Equids can be infected by a range of skin-dwelling filarial nematodes, including four species of the genus Onchocerca. Current literature on equine onchocercosis is fragmentary and often limited to isolated case reports. The present study aimed to describe a clinical case of equine onchocercosis caused by Onchocerca boehmi (Supperer, 1953) (syn. Elaeophora boehmi) in an 8-year-old gelding Belgian show jumper from northern Italy. The horse was presented with a firm and painless mass on the proximal third of the right metacarpal region. Ultrasound examination showed a peritendinous enlargement a...
Guimarães AM, Lima JD, Ribeiro MF.The development of Babesia equi in salivary glands of adult female Boophilus microplus was observed under a light microscope using semithin sections stained with toluidine blue. Engorged nymphs were obtained from splenectomized foals experimentally infected with B. equi. As adults, they were then fed on rabbits for 5 days and the salivary glands of manually collected individuals were removed at intervals of 24 h. Sporozoites were found in type III granular acini cells between the 2nd and 5th days following feeding on the rabbits. Sporoblasts and sporozoites were observed in the same or adjacen...
Sugiura T, Shimada K.A sero-epizootiological survey was conducted for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Getah virus (GeV) at 10 to 20 regional horse race tracks from 1991 to 1997 in Japan. It was observed that geometrical mean (GM) antibody titer to JEV and GeV was 10 to 50 times higher than others at several race courses (RCs) almost every year. Of them, several race horses showing high antibody titer, which were suggested to be infected with the virus, were also observed in this survey. These data suggested that the viruses have spread among race horses almost every year in Japan, although, fortunately, no h...
Kimbell-Dunn M, Bradshaw L, Slater T, Erkinjuntti-Pekkanen R, Fishwick D, Pearce N.To examine the prevalence of symptoms of asthma and allergy in different farming groups in New Zealand. Methods: A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2,500 farmers throughout New Zealand. Results: The response rate was 77% (1,706 of 2,203 eligibles). The 12-month period prevalence of current asthma was 11.8% overall, compared with 15% in the general population. Asthma prevalence was higher for horse breeders/groomers (16.5%), pig farmers (18.2%), poultry farmers (17.4%), and those working with oats (17.4%). Asthma was also significantly elevated among those working with cleani...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC.Prevalence of internal parasites was determined by fecal examination for eggs and oocysts in Thoroughbred foals in central Kentucky in 2003. Fecal samples were examined from 733 foals on 14 farms. This included 70 trips to the farms and a total of 2,346 fecal samplings. Monthly collection of fecal samples was begun for four farms in February, six in March, three in April, and one farm in May. Termination of the study for all farms was the end of July. A criterion was that the foals be at least 10 days old for initial samplings. If available, the same foals were sampled each time, in addition t...
Azab W, Tsujimura K, Kato K, Arii J, Morimoto T, Kawaguchi Y, Tohya Y, Matsumura T, Akashi H.Equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) is an important equine pathogen that causes respiratory tract disease among horses worldwide. A thymidine kinase (TK)-deletion mutant has been generated by using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) technology to investigate the role of TK in pathogenesis. Deletion of TK had virtually no effect on the growth characteristics of WA79DeltaTK in cell culture when compared to the parent virus. Also, virus titers and plaque formation were unaffected in the absence of the TK gene. The sensitivity of EHV-4 to inhibition by acyclovir (ACV) and ganciclovir (GCV) was studied...
Pusterla N, Jackson R, Wilson R, Collier J, Mapes S, Gebhart C.The goals of this study were to evaluate titers of antibodies against Lawsonia intracellularis in 68 resident broodmares from a farm known to be endemic for equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) and to evaluate maternal antibodies, occurrence of seroconversion and fecal shedding in their foals. Serum samples collected from mares at delivery and from foals pre- and post-colostrum ingestion and monthly thereafter were tested for the presence of L. intracellularis antibodies by immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA). Further, feces collected from mares at delivery and foals post-partum and mont...
Gómez-Sanz E, Simón C, Ortega C, Gómez P, Lozano C, Zarazaga M, Torres C.Eight coagulase-positive staphylococci from equines with different pathologies obtained between 2005 and 2011 were investigated. Isolates were characterized by different molecular techniques (spa-, agr-, MLST), and clonal relatedness of strains was investigated by ApaI and SmaI PFGE. Anti-microbial resistance and virulence profiles were determined. Six isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, and two as Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. Of these, four isolates were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) ST398 and one S. pseudintermedius was mecA positive and typed as ST68. One MRSA ...
