The study and analysis of "Domestic Animals" and horses examines the historical domestication, breeding, and management practices that have shaped the role of horses in human society. It also explores the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral characteristics that differentiate horses from other domestic species. Comparative studies often focus on aspects such as nutrition, health management, and the economic and cultural importance of horses relative to other domesticated animals. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the various dimensions of equine domestication, including genetic studies, welfare considerations, and the impact of domestication on horse behavior and physiology.
Takasuga A.A recent progress on stature genetics has revealed simple genetic architecture in livestock animals in contrast to that in humans. PLAG1 and/or NCAPG-LCORL, both of which are known as a locus for adult human height, have been detected for association with body weight/height in cattle and horses, and for selective sweep in dogs and pigs. The findings indicate a significant impact of these loci on mammalian growth or body size and usefulness of the natural variants for selective breeding. However, association with an unfavorable trait, such as late puberty or risk for a neuropathic disease, was ...
Wathan J, Burrows AM, Waller BM, McComb K.Although previous studies of horses have investigated their facial expressions in specific contexts, e.g. pain, until now there has been no methodology available that documents all the possible facial movements of the horse and provides a way to record all potential facial configurations. This is essential for an objective description of horse facial expressions across a range of contexts that reflect different emotional states. Facial Action Coding Systems (FACS) provide a systematic methodology of identifying and coding facial expressions on the basis of underlying facial musculature and mus...
Nautscher N, Bauer A, Steffl M, Amselgruber WM.This study described corneal morphology in different domestic animals using histological and immunohistochemical methods. Specifically, we evaluated the species-specific distribution pattern of cytokeratins (CKs) and aquaporins (AQPs) to assess their contribution to the strength and transparency of the cornea, respectively. Methods: Corneal sections (2 μm thick) were obtained from 28 pigs, 11 cows, two goats, six horses, four dogs, and five cats and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction. Immunohistochemistry was also performed using CK1 to 3 and AQP1 and 5 an...
Naundrup PJ, Svenning JC.Megafaunas worldwide have been decimated during the late Quaternary. Many extirpated species were keystone species, and their loss likely has had large effects on ecosystems. Therefore, it is increasingly considered how megafaunas can be restored. The horse (Equus ferus) is highly relevant in this context as it was once extremely widespread and, despite severe range contraction, survives in the form of domestic, feral, and originally wild horses. Further, it is a functionally important species, notably due to its ability to graze coarse, abrasive grasses. Here, we used species distribution mod...
Caspar GL, Dhand NK, McGreevy PD.Human preferences for certain morphological attributes among domestic animals may be entirely individual or, more generally, may reflect evolutionary pressures that favor certain conformation. Artificial selection for attributes, such as short heads and crested necks of horses, may have functional and welfare implications because there is evidence from other species that skull shape co-varies with behaviour. Crested necks can be accentuated by flexion of the neck, a quality that is often manipulated in photographs vendors use when selling horses. Equine head-and-neck positions acquired through...
Tauro LB, Rivarola ME, Lucca E, Mariño B, Mazzini R, Cardoso JF, Barrandeguy ME, Teixeira Nunes MR, Contigiani MS.Bunyamwera virus (BUNV) is the prototype virus for both the Orthobunyavirus genus and the Bunyaviridae family. Different strains of BUNV have been associated with clinical diseases in domestic animals, mainly ruminants. During 2013, in Argentina's Santa Fe Province, three new isolates of BUNV were recovered from the brain and spleen of two horses with encephalitis, and from the brain of an aborted equine fetus. This isolation of BUNV from domestic animals provided the first association of BUNV infection with disease of the central nervous system and abortion in equines in Argentina.
Wang AL, Kern T.Melanocytic neoplasms in veterinary species occur in various ophthalmic locations including the eyelid, conjunctiva, cornea, sclera, anterior and posterior uvea, and orbit. Histology usually provides the definitive diagnosis for melanocytic ocular neoplasias. The degree of tissue invasiveness and anaplastic cellular characteristics are more reliable indicators of biological behavior than is mitotic index in most ophthalmic melanocytic tumors. Melanocytic neoplasias of the eyelid are predominantly benign in canines and equines, though in felines, there is the potential for metastasis, especiall...
Kostenko SA, Ermakova OV, Sushko SN, Fyedorova EV, Dzhus PP, Baschlykova LA, Kurylenko YF, Raskosha OV, Savin AO, Shaforost AS.We used cytogenetic analysis in the studies of the biological effects of a radiation factor of natural and artificial origin (under conditions ofthe 30-km exclusion zone ofthe Chernobyl experimental landfills in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia). The studies have been performed on various types of mammals: domestic animals--cows, pigs, horses and rodents--root voles, the Af mouse line, and yellow necked field mouse, bank voles. We found significant changes in the level of MN and chromosomal aberrations in the animals that were exposed to the conditions of chronic low-dose radiation for a long time ...
Bosco-Lauth AM, Panella NA, Root JJ, Gidlewski T, Lash RR, Harmon JR, Burkhalter KL, Godsey MS, Savage HM, Nicholson WL, Komar N, Brault AC.Heartland virus (HRTV; Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus) has recently emerged as a causative agent of human disease characterized by thrombocytopenia and leukopenia in the United States. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum L.) has been implicated as a vector. To identify candidate vertebrate amplification hosts associated with enzootic maintenance of the virus, sera and ticks were sampled from 160 mammals (8 species) and 139 birds (26 species) captured near 2 human case residences in Andrew and Nodaway Counties in northwest Missouri. HRTV-specific neutralizing antibodies were identified in north...
Birhanu H, Fikru R, Said M, Kidane W, Gebrehiwot T, Hagos A, Alemu T, Dawit T, Berkvens D, Goddeeris BM, Büscher P.African animal trypanosomosis, transmitted cyclically by tsetse flies or mechanically by other biting flies, causes serious inflictions to livestock health. This study investigates the extent of non-tsetse transmitted animal trypanosomosis (NTTAT) by Trypanosoma (T.) evansi and T. vivax in domestic animals in the tsetse-free regions of Northern Ethiopia, Afar and Tigray. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 754 dromedary camels, 493 cattle, 264 goats, 181 sheep, 84 donkeys, 25 horses and 10 mules. The microhaematocrit centrifugation technique was used as parasitological test. Plas...
Yarnell K, Hall C, Royle C, Walker SL.The predominant housing system used for domestic horses is individual stabling; however, housing that limits social interaction and requires the horse to live in semi-isolation has been reported to be a concern for equine welfare. The aim of the current study was to compare behavioural and physiological responses of domestic horses in different types of housing design that provided varying levels of social contact. Horses (n = 16) were divided equally into four groups and exposed to each of four housing treatments for a period of five days per treatment in a randomized block design. The four h...
Zia M, Mirhendi H, Toghyani M.The present study aimed at detection and species-level identification of the Malassezia yeasts in domestic animals and aquatic birds by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Samples were collected using tape strips and swabs from 471 animals including 97 horses, 102 cattle, 105 sheep, 20 camels, 60 dogs, 30 cats, 1 hamster, 1 squirrel, 50 aquatic birds and 5 turkeys. Tape-strip samples were examined by direct microscopy. All samples were inoculated on modified Leeming and Notman agar medium. DNA extracted from the yeast colonies was amplified by PCR usi...
Li H, Dong GD, Liu JM, Gao JX, Shi YJ, Zhang YG, Jin YM, Lu K, Cheng GF, Lin JJ.Schistosomiasis japonica is a major public health problem in China. Domestic animals play a major role in the transmission of Schistosoma japonicum to humans. To better understand the epidemiology of schistosomiasis japonica in domestic animals in the mountainous areas of China, we performed a 5-year longitudinal study of schistosomiasis in cattle and horses in Yunnan Province from 2009 to 2013. We also performed a concurrent drug-based intervention study in three settlement groups in Yunnan Province aimed at developing an effective means of controlling transmission in this region. The prevale...
Schubert M, Jónsson H, Chang D, Der Sarkissian C, Ermini L, Ginolhac A, Albrechtsen A, Dupanloup I, Foucal A, Petersen B, Fumagalli M, Raghavan M....The domestication of the horse ∼ 5.5 kya and the emergence of mounted riding, chariotry, and cavalry dramatically transformed human civilization. However, the genetics underlying horse domestication are difficult to reconstruct, given the near extinction of wild horses. We therefore sequenced two ancient horse genomes from Taymyr, Russia (at 7.4- and 24.3-fold coverage), both predating the earliest archeological evidence of domestication. We compared these genomes with genomes of domesticated horses and the wild Przewalski's horse and found genetic structure within Eurasia in the Late Pleist...
Ludwig A, Reissmann M, Benecke N, Bellone R, Sandoval-Castellanos E, Cieslak M, Fortes GG, Morales-Muñiz A, Hofreiter M, Pruvost M.Leopard complex spotting is inherited by the incompletely dominant locus, LP, which also causes congenital stationary night blindness in homozygous horses. We investigated an associated single nucleotide polymorphism in the TRPM1 gene in 96 archaeological bones from 31 localities from Late Pleistocene (approx. 17 000 YBP) to medieval times. The first genetic evidence of LP spotting in Europe dates back to the Pleistocene. We tested for temporal changes in the LP associated allele frequency and estimated coefficients of selection by means of approximate Bayesian computation analyses. Our result...
Ning T, Li J, Lin K, Xiao H, Wylie S, Hua S, Li H, Zhang YP.The domestic horse is the most widely used and important stock and recreational animal, valued for its strength and endurance. The energy required by the domestic horse is mainly supplied by mitochondria via oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, selection may have played an essential role in the evolution of the horse mitochondria. Besides, demographic events also affect the DNA polymorphic pattern on mitochondria. To understand the evolutionary patterns of the mitochondria of the domestic horse, we used a deep sequencing approach to obtain the complete sequences of 15 mitochondrial genomes, and fo...
Gallusová M, Qablan MA, D'Amico G, Oborník M, Petrželková KJ, Mihalca AD, Modrý D.Rural areas of Romania, particularly the localities covering Danube Delta, are still not sufficiently explored in terms of epidemiological aspects, despite the large density of domestic animals living in close contact with people and natural environment of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. Between 2010 and 2012, a survey on equine piroplasmids species was performed in this area, using a total of 178 horses, 15 donkeys and 177 dogs from 18 localities inside and outside the Danube Delta. None of the sampled hosts showed any clinical symptoms typical for equine piroplasmoses. A 25.4% overall pr...
Han L, Zhu S, Ning C, Cai D, Wang K, Chen Q, Hu S, Yang J, Shao J, Zhu H, Zhou H.The donkey (Equus asinus) is an important domestic animal that provides a reliable source of protein and method of transportation for many human populations. However, the process of domestication and the dispersal routes of the Chinese donkey are still unclear, as donkey remains are sparse in the archaeological record and often confused with horse remains. To explore the maternal origins and dispersal route of Chinese donkeys, both mitochondrial DNA D-loop and cytochrome b gene fragments of 21 suspected donkey remains from four archaeological sites in China were amplified and sequenced. Result...
Stringer A.Animals are vital to ensuring food security for individuals, families and communities in countries around the world. In this, the latest article in Veterinary Record's series promoting One Health, Andy Stringer, director of veterinary programmes at the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, discusses how improving animal health, particularly of poultry and working equids, has the potential to reduce poverty and promote food security and sustainable livelihoods in low-income countries.
Gershwin LJ.Allergic responses occur in humans, rodents, non-human primates, avian species, and all of the domestic animals. These responses are mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies that bind to mast cells and cause release/synthesis of potent mediators. Clinical syndromes include naturally occurring asthma in humans and cats; atopic dermatitis in humans, dogs, horses, and several other species; food allergies; and anaphylactic shock. Experimental induction of asthma in mice, rats, monkeys, sheep, and cats has helped to reveal mechanisms of pathogenesis of asthma in humans. All of these species s...
Mialhe PJ.In order to verify possible preferential prey selection by Desmodus rotundus feeding on domestic herbivores in the Municipality of São Pedro (São Paulo, Brazil), vampire bat attacks were surveyed at rural properties where domestic herbivores were being raised and attack frequencies of D. rotundus on the total herd and on different species were calculated. The analysis found that the most frequently attacked herbivores were cattle and horses. The chi-square test (χ2), with a significance level of 5% corroborated the comparative analysis of attack frequency in properties that had these two sp...
Scopel e Silva D, de Castro CC, da Silva e Silva F, Sant'anna V, Vargas GD, de Lima M, Fischer G, Brandelli A, da Motta Ade S, Hübner Sde O.P34 is an antimicrobial peptide produced by a Bacillus sp. strain isolated from the intestinal contents of a fish in the Brazilian Amazon basin with reported antibacterial activity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the peptide P34 for its in vitro antiviral properties against canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine coronavirus (CCoV), canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), equine arteritis virus (EAV), equine influenza virus (EIV), feline calicivirus (FCV) and feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1). The results showed that the peptide P34 exhibited antiviral activity a...
Gonçalves NN, Ambrósio CE, Piedrahita JA.Since their original isolation, the majority of the work on embryonic stem cells (ESC) has been carried out in mice. While the mouse is an outstanding model for basic research, it also has considerable limitations for translational work, especially in the area of regenerative medicine. This is due to a combination of factors that include physiological and size differences when compared to humans. In contrast, domestic animal species, such as swine, and companion animal species, such as dogs, provide unique opportunities to develop regenerative medicine protocols that can then be utilized in hu...
Gil L, Olaciregui M, Luño V, Malo C, González N, Martínez F.In recent years, there has been an increased interest in new preservation techniques that facilitate sperm storage and distribution, with freeze-drying (FD) having been proposed as an alternative method for sperm preservation and maintenance of genetic resources in different animal species. FD is a method in which frozen material is dried by sublimation of ice, thereby involving a direct transition from a solid (ice) to a vapour (gas) phase. One of the main advantages of FD is that nitrogen and dry ice are no longer required for the storage and shipment of frozen sperm, which can be stored at ...
Sengupta PP, Rudramurthy GR, Ligi M, Roy M, Balamurugan V, Krishnamoorthy P, Nagalingam M, Singh L, Rahman H.Trypanosoma evansi, a haemoflagellate, causes "surra" an important chronic wasting disease of a wide range of wild and domestic herbivorous and carnivorous animals including cattle, buffaloes, camels, horses, etc. The untreated recovered animal can act as a carrier without exhibiting the disease symptoms and can be a source of infection to healthy animals. The diagnosis and subsequent treatment of the carrier animals is helpful to curb the disease. As the parasitaemia in carrier animals is very scanty, the conventional blood smear examination, which is widely practiced in the field, cannot det...
Dorey NR, Conover AM, Udell MA.The ability of many domesticated animals to follow human pointing gestures to locate hidden food has led to scientific debate on the relative importance of domestication and individual experience on the origins and development of this capacity. To further explore this question, we examined the influence of different prior training histories/methods on the ability of horses (Equus ferus caballus) to follow a momentary distal point. Ten horses previously trained using one of two methods (Parelli™ natural horsemanship or traditional horse training) were tested using a standard object choice tas...
Siniscalchi M, Padalino B, Lusito R, Quaranta A.Evidence for behavioural and brain lateralisation is now widespread among the animal kingdom; lateralisation of limb use (pawedness) occurs in several mammals including both feral and domestic horses. We investigated limb preferences in 14 Quarter Horse during different motor tasks (walking, stepping on and off a step, truck loading and unloading). Population lateralisation was observed in two tasks: horses preferentially used their left forelimb during truck loading and stepping off a step. The results also revealed that horses showed higher scores for anxious behaviours during truck loading ...
Wathan J, McComb K.Sensitivity to the attentional states of others has adaptive advantages, and in social animals, attending to others is important for predator detection, as well as a pre-requisite for normal social functioning and more complex socio-cognitive abilities. Despite widespread interest in how social species perceive attention in others, studies of non-human animals have been inconclusive about the detailed cues involved. Previous work has focused on head and eye direction, overlooking the fact that many mammals have obvious and mobile ears that could act as a visual cue to attention. Here we report...
Ning T, Li J, Lin K, Xiao H, Wylie S, Hua S, Li H, Zhang YP.The domestic horse is the most widely used and important stock and recreational animal, valued for its strength and endurance. The energy required by the domestic horse is mainly supplied by mitochondria via oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, selection may have played an essential role in the evolution of the horse mitochondria. Besides, demographic events also affect the DNA polymorphic pattern on mitochondria. To understand the evolutionary patterns of the mitochondria of the domestic horse, we used a deep sequencing approach to obtain the complete sequences of 15 mitochondrial genomes, and fo...
Kim DY, Taylor HW, Eades SC, Cho DY.AL amyloidosis is the most common type of systemic amyloidosis in humans, and it is frequently associated with multiple myeloma. But, AL amyloidosis is very rare in domestic animals. A 16-year-old Quarter horse gelding was diagnosed with systemic AL amyloidosis associated with multiple myeloma. Clinical problems were rapid weight loss, muscle atrophy, soft unformed stool, and ventral edema. Grossly, diffuse gastrointestinal hemorrhage, markedly thickened jejunal mucosa, and splenomegaly were present. Microscopically, diffuse severe amyloid deposits were present in the lamina propria of glandul...
Anwer MS, Engelking LR, Gronwall R, Klentz RD.Plasma bile acid concentration was determined in normal dogs,sheep, calves and ponies for three days before and six days after liver damage, induced by carbon tetrachloride. In all species, a significant increase in plasma bile acid concentration was associated with a concomitant significant increase in plasma sorbitol dehydrogenase and transferase activity. Plasma bilirubin also significantly increased in all animals except the dogs. Results suggested that plasma bile acid levels could be used to test liver function in domestic animals.
Lee EJ, Raudsepp T, Kata SR, Adelson D, Womack JE, Skow LC, Chowdhary BP.Comparative genomics has served as a backbone for the rapid development of gene maps in domesticated animals. The integration of this approach with radiation hybrid (RH) analysis provides one of the most direct ways to obtain physically ordered comparative maps across evolutionarily diverged species. We herein report the development of a detailed RH and comparative map for horse chromosome 17 (ECA17). With markers distributed at an average interval of every 1.4 Mb, the map is currently the most informative among the equine chromosomes. It comprises 75 markers (56 genes and 19 microsatellites),...
Miranda IC, Taylor KR, Castleman W, de Lahunta A, Summers BA, Miller AD.Proliferation of ectopic Schwann cells within the central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma (schwannosis) in early life is most commonly associated with human neurofibromatosis type-2 and has been unrecognized in domestic animals. Three foals and a calf, 5 to 11 weeks old, with progressive neurological signs from birth were studied. Histologically, at multiple levels of the spinal cord, all animals had bilateral plaques of proliferative spindle cells, predominantly affecting the white matter adjacent to dorsal and ventral nerve roots and variably extending into the gray matter. Proliferating cel...
Gudding R.DNases were demonstrated in samples of colostrum and blood serum from man and various domestic animals. The measurable DNase activity recorded was highest in samples from cat and dog and lowest in samples from goat, horse, pig and sheep. In contrast to DNases produced by certain bacteria, these enzymes were thermo-labile and the activity was maximal in the area pH 5.0–5.5. A modification of an agar medium originally described for the demonstration of bacterial DNases was found to be suitable for assays of DNases from colostrum, milk and serum. DNaser ble påvist i prøver fra kolostrum og bl...
Habibi G, Esmaeilnia K, Hablolvarid MH, Afshari A, Zamen M, Bozorgi S.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is the cause of persistent tick-borne infection with no symptoms, but the most important problem of EP is due to the persistent carrier state. Carrier animals to Babesia (Theileria) equi (Laveran 1901) and B. caballi (Nuttall, 1910) infestation could be identified by extremely sensitive PCR-based method. The purpose of this study was to identify the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis based on molecular and microscopic assays in equids from Kurdistan Province, Iran. Methods: Thirty one horse and mule blood samples were used with history of living in Kurdistan Pro...
Patel A.This report describes a case of Rhodococcus equi infection causing pyogranulomatous skin disease and cellulitis in a two-year-old female domestic shorthaired cat. The case differed from previously reported cases in cats in its clinical presentation and in the locations of the lesions, which were similar to those seen in horses. The presence of an intracellular organism was confirmed by cytology and on histopathology. The aetiological diagnosis was confirmed by routine biochemical tests specific for R. equi on a pure isolate obtained from a biopsy specimen. The report also reviews the literatur...
Simones P, De Geest JP, Lauwers H.The pectinate ligaments of ten horses, two donkeys, five oxen, five sheep, ten goats, five dogs, five cats, thirty pigs and two rabbits were studied under the stereomicroscope and the scanning electron microscope. In the horse and the donkey, the pectinate ligament was very prominent and was characterized by sturdy interconnected strands and relatively small intertrabecular spaces. The pectinate ligaments of ruminants were composed of shorter strands, separated by relatively larger spaces. Fusion between adjacent strands, resulting in the formation of fenestrated sheets, was regularly observed...
Niilo L.Eleven Clostridium perfringens type C strains isolated from fatal cases of hemorrhagic enterotoxemia of Canadian calves, a piglet, and a foal were studied for the production of soluble antigens. All the isolates from calves and a foal failed to produce delta toxin, but were capable of producing large amounts of lethal beta toxin. A strain isolated from a piglet produced delta, but very little beta toxin. Other differences were relatively minor. The results indicated that young domestic animals may be susceptible to all subtypes of C. perfringens type C. A simple method of using blood agar plat...
Basile RC, Yoshinari NH, Mantovani E, Bonoldi VN, Macoris DD, Queiroz-Neto A.Borreliosis caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is a cosmopolitan zoonosis studied worldwide; it is called Lyme disease in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere and Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome in Brazil. However, despite the increasing number of suspect cases, this disease is still neglected in Brazil by the medical and veterinary communities. Brazilian Lyme-like borreliosis likely involves capybaras as reservoirs and Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus ticks as vectors. Thus, domestic animals can serve as key carriers in pathogen dissemination. This zoonosis has been little studi...
Epp T, Waldner C, Corrigan R, Curry P.West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses was first reported in Canada in 2001 and in the province of Saskatchewan in 2002. This paper outlines the surveillance results of WNV in Saskatchewan horses from 2003 to 2005 and describes the usefulness of its inclusion in an integrated surveillance program in Saskatchewan. The number of human and horse cases was highest in 2003, the epidemic year and then substantially lower in 2004 and 2005. Horses provided additive information about WNV activity in rural areas with low human population, however, this required willingness and active participation by...
Luethy D, Habecker P, Murphy B, Nolen-Walston R.Pheochromocytoma is the most common adrenal medullary neoplasm of domestic animals, but it is rare in horses. Antemortem diagnosis in horses is difficult, with clinical signs often being vague or non-specific. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the clinical, laboratory, and pathologic findings of pheochromocytoma in horses. Methods: Thirty-seven horses diagnosed with pheochromocytoma based on postmortem examination from 2007 to 2014. Methods: Retrospective case series. Results: Pheochromocytoma was identified in 37/4094 horses during postmortem examination. Clinical signs c...
Camus MS, Krimer PM, Leroy BE, Almy FS.Beta-gamma bridging (β-γ bridging) on serum protein electrophoresis is touted as being virtually pathognomonic for hepatic disease. However, the criteria for β-γ bridging are not defined, and few publications support a relationship between β-γ bridging and liver disease. The goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of hepatic pathology in animals with β-γ bridging. All serum protein electrophoretograms from clinical patients generated at the University of Georgia between 1994 and 2008 were evaluated for the presence of β-γ bridging, defined as (1) an albumin:gl...
Zia M, Mirhendi H, Toghyani M.The present study aimed at detection and species-level identification of the Malassezia yeasts in domestic animals and aquatic birds by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Samples were collected using tape strips and swabs from 471 animals including 97 horses, 102 cattle, 105 sheep, 20 camels, 60 dogs, 30 cats, 1 hamster, 1 squirrel, 50 aquatic birds and 5 turkeys. Tape-strip samples were examined by direct microscopy. All samples were inoculated on modified Leeming and Notman agar medium. DNA extracted from the yeast colonies was amplified by PCR usi...
Baba SS, Olaleye OD, Ayanbadejo OA.A sero-epidemiological survey of African horse sickness (AHS) virus in 261 animals which included 96 camels, 81 horses, 80 dogs and 4 donkeys was carried out in Nigeria. The animals had no history of vaccination against AHS. Sera were tested by the haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test for the presence of antibody against AHS virus. Of these, 77 (95.1%) horse, 4 (100%) donkey, 10 (10.4%) camel and 28 (35%) dog sera samples tested were recorded as positive. The prevalence of antibody in samples taken from horses in different regions was similar. The prevalence of antibody to AHS virus detected...
Ringhofer M, Trösch M, Lansade L, Yamamoto S.When interacting with humans, domesticated species may respond to communicative gestures, such as pointing. However, it is currently unknown, except for in dogs, if species comprehend the communicative nature of such cues. Here, we investigated whether horses could follow the pointing of a human informant by evaluating the credibility of the information about the food-hiding place provided by the pointing of two informants. Using an object-choice task, we manipulated the attentional state of the two informants during food-hiding events and differentiated their knowledge about the location of t...
Antczak DF.The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a genetic region that has been intensively studied for the past 2 decades. Interest in the MHC has been high because of (i) the particular involvement of the MHC in transplantation reactions, including organ allograft rejection in human beings; and (ii) the more general role of MHC gene products in the genetic control of immune responses in all mammals. The MHC has several remarkable properties that include a distinctive genetic structure which has been well-preserved through evolution, and the extreme plasticity of form of the principal MHC genes,...
Ma H, Wu Y, Xiang H, Yang Y, Wang M, Zhao C, Wu C.There are large populations of indigenous horse () in China and some other parts of East Asia. However, their matrilineal genetic diversity and origin remained poorly understood. Using a combination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and hypervariable region (HVR-1) sequences, we aim to investigate the origin of matrilineal inheritance in these domestic horses. Methods: To investigate patterns of matrilineal inheritance in domestic horses, we conducted a phylogenetic study using 31 mtDNA genomes together with 317 others from the GenBank. In terms of the updated phylogeny, a total of 5,180 horse mit...
Rogers LJ.The specialized functions of each hemisphere of the vertebrate brain are summarized together with the current evidence of lateralized behavior in farm and companion animals, as shown by the eye or ear used to attend and respond to stimuli. Forelimb preference is another manifestation of hemispheric lateralization, as shown by differences in behavior between left- and right-handed primates, left- and right-pawed dogs and cats, and left- and right-limb-preferring horses. Left-limb preference reflects right hemisphere use and is associated with negative cognitive bias. Positive cognitive bias is ...
Raisi A, Davoodi F.The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive comparison of spermatic cord torsion in domestic animals. Spermatic cord torsion leads to occlusion of testicular blood flow resulting in ischemia and tissue hypoxia. Spermatic cord torsion has been reported in all domestic mammals but dogs and horses are overrepresented. Abdominal pain (colic), anorexia, vomiting, lameness, and stiff gait are the most common clinical signs reported. The condition may be asymptomatic in cases of a low degree of spermatic cord torsion. In dogs, spermatic cord torsion is most commonly reported in undescend...
Mousavi SF, Razmkabir M, Rostamzadeh J, Seyedabadi HR, Naboulsi R, Petersen JL, Lindgren G.Indigenous Iranian horse breeds were evolutionarily affected by natural and artificial selection in distinct phylogeographic clades, which shaped their genomes in several unique ways. The aims of this study were to evaluate the genetic diversity and genomewide selection signatures in four indigenous Iranian horse breeds. We evaluated 169 horses from Caspian (n = 21), Turkmen (n = 29), Kurdish (n = 67), and Persian Arabian (n = 52) populations, using genomewide genotyping data. The contemporary effective population sizes were 59, 98, 102, and 113 for Turkmen, Caspian, Persian Ar...
Bienzle D, Jacobs RM, Lumsden JH.A retrospective study was performed in order to assess the relationship between serum calcium and serum albumin concentrations in domestic animals. Results of 9041 canine, 1564 feline, 2917 equine, and 613 bovine serum samples from hospitalized patients were examined by regression analysis. Subpopulations of cases with concurrent elevations in creatinine or that were less than six months of age were evaluated separately. Statistically significant linear relationships between calcium and albumin concentrations were established for each species (p <0.05). The coefficients of determination (r(...
de Lemos ER, Machado RD, Coura JR, Guimarães MA, Chagas N.In order to obtain information on Brazilian spotted fever, a study in domestic animals was performed in the County of Pedreira, State of São Paulo, Brazil, where 17 human cases had been notified. Serum samples obtained from animals were tested by indirect immunofluorescence for detectable antibodies to spotted fever-group rickettsiae. Seropositivity was revealed in 12 (36.4%) of 33 dogs and seven (77.8%) of nine horses from the endemic area. For comparison, blood samples from dogs and horses from non endemic area were tested and four (12.9%) of 31 dogs and three (27.3%) of 11 horses were posi...
Jelinski MD, Campbell JR.The objective of this study was to determine the number of hours veterinarians in western Canada work per week, how they apportion their time by species, and clinics' hiring intentions for new veterinary associates. Of 1099 clinics contacted, 706 (64%) responded to the survey, representing 80% (1774/2227) of private practitioners in western Canada. Practitioners devoted 73% of their time to small animals (SA), 11% to beef practice, and 9% to horses. Sixty-four percent of clinics and 66% of practitioners were devoted exclusively to companion animal (SA and horses) practice; only 4% of clinics a...
Ledbetter EC, Scarlett JM.To determine the frequency of obligate anaerobic bacterial isolation from corneal samples of domestic animals with ulcerative keratitis and to characterize the historical, clinical, cytological, and microbiological features of culture-positive cases. Methods: Three hundred and thirty domestic animals with ulcerative keratitis. Methods: Anaerobic bacteriologic culture and Gram stain were performed on corneal samples from consecutive animals examined with suspect septic ulcerative keratitis. Additional corneal diagnostics included: aerobic bacteriologic culture for all species; fungal culture fo...
Njiru ZK, Constantine CC.To investigate the population genetic structure of Trypanosoma evansi from domesticated animals, we have analysed 112 stocks from camels, buffaloes, cattle and horses using the tandemly repeated coding sequence (MORF2) and minisatellite markers 292 and cysteine-rich acidic integral membrane protein (CRAM). We recorded a total of six alleles at the MORF2 locus, seven at 292 and 12 at the CRAM loci. Nei's genetic distance showed reduced allelic diversity between buffaloes and cattle stocks (1.2) as compared to the diversity between camels and buffaloes (3.75) and camels and cattle stock (1.69). ...
