Equine diseases encompass a wide range of health conditions that can affect horses, including infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and genetic conditions. These diseases can impact the overall health, performance, and well-being of horses. Common equine diseases include equine influenza, equine herpesvirus, laminitis, and equine metabolic syndrome. Diagnosis and management of these diseases often require a combination of clinical evaluation, laboratory testing, and appropriate treatment strategies. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment options for various equine diseases, providing valuable insights for veterinarians and researchers in the field.
James K, Chappell DE, Craig B, Pariseau C, Wright C, van Harreveld P, Barnum S, Pusterla N.The purpose of this study was to determine any associations of EHV-2, EHV-5, and dual infection with EHV-2/-5 with demographic parameters, clinical signs, and coinfection with other common respiratory pathogens. Nasal swabs collected from 9737 horses were tested for EHV-2 and EHV-5, as well as EHV-1, EHV-4, EIV, , ERAV, and ERBV, by qPCR. Clinical signs and demographic parameters were recorded, and prevalence factors were evaluated for significance regarding EHV-2 and/or EHV-5 infection. Out of the 9737 horses in this study, 17.8% tested EHV-2-positive ( = 1731), 15.8% tested EHV-5-positive ( ...
Hansen S, Hopster-Iversen C, Berg L, Fjeldborg J, Massey C, Piercy RJ, Carstensen H.Exertional myopathies are recognised as a cause of poor performance in equines. In Icelandic horses presenting reduced performance and/or multi-limb lameness, no specific myopathy has been identified. Objective: To characterise the clinical presentation and histopathological findings in muscle biopsy samples from Icelandic horses demonstrating poor performance. Methods: Case series. Methods: Phenotypic characteristics, clinical examination and diagnoses of 17 Icelandic horses were studied. All horses had a resting serum creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate transaminase activities measured, and C...
Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Flynn K, Hankin S, Runk D, Mendonsa E, Doherty T.The present study reports on the management of an EHV-1 outbreak at a large, multi-week equestrian event with ongoing showing. Within a 48 h period, 8 horses out of a cohort of 38 horses from the same trainer displayed elevated rectal temperatures ranging from 38.4 to 39.0 °C. Initial testing using a point-of-care PCR assay detected EHV-1 in 2/8 horses, with the results being confirmed at a later time by qPCR. As a precautionary measure and because of the inability to isolate the entire at-risk population, the 38 horses were relocated to an equine facility outside the equestrian event for dai...
Carbonell JD, Fernández N, Escobar MJ, Álvarez MT, Sánchez L, Hernández A, Meana A.Chorioptic mange is a challenging condition to treat due to the superficial locations of the nonhematophagous mite , and while topical acaricides are recommended, the clinical feature relapses are frequent. In a double-blinded clinical trial, three randomized groups of Spanish-Breton horses ( = 32) naturally infected with on their legs were evaluated over a period of 70 days. All treatments were applied once every 14 days for three treatments. Before treatment and on Day (D)10, D25, D37, D56, and D70, each leg per animal was scored according to equine pastern dermatitis clinical presentat...
Furmanski M, Murcia PR.The ecological factors that led to the 1918 influenza pandemic remain unknown. We hypothesize that horses acted as intermediate hosts spreading a prepandemic avian-origin virus before 1918. This is supported by reports describing a large epizootic of unusually severe equine influenza beginning in 1915. Furthermore, the high horse demand during World War I resulted in one of the biggest equine mobilizations in North America between 1914 and 1918. This extensive movement of horses provided abundant opportunities for virus reassortment between prepandemic avian and human influenza viruses. Archiv...
Yang G, Chen Y, Chen K, Hu Z, Li J, Wang J, Guo W, Wang X, Du C.Equine piroplasmosis (EP), caused by Theileria equi (T. equi) and Babesia caballi (B. caballi), is a tick-borne disease with significant economic impacts on the equine industry. Theileria haneyi (T. haneyi), a newly identified pathogen of EP, is globally distributed but has not been reported in China, where its epidemiological patterns remain undefined. Objective: To develop diagnostic techniques for T. haneyi and to assess its prevalence and risk factors in China. Methods: Assay development and cross sectional survey. Methods: A nested PCR (nPCR) nucleic acid diagnostic technique targeting th...
May A, Hanche-Olsen S, Goehring LS, Matiasek K, Jäderlund KH, Zablotski Y, Gröndahl G.Acquired equine polyneuropathy in Nordic horses (AEP) is the most prevalent equine polyneuropathy in Norway, Sweden, and Finland and is characterised by pelvic limb knuckling due to metatarsophalangeal extension dysfunction. Objective: To evaluate the function of descending motor pathways in AEP using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Methods: An analytical, observational cohort design. Methods: Clinical findings and TMS results of 20 horses from an AEP outbreak in Sweden were evaluated at 5-month intervals. Latency time (LT) in milliseconds (ms) between coil discharge and onset of musc...
Khaing Y, Htun LL, Linn KS, Kyaw WO, Nwae TT, Chel HM, Win SY, Murata S, Nakao R, Nonaka N, Bawm S.The study aimed to determine the prevalence of blood parasites in horses and identify risk factors and molecular detection of piroplasm species (Theileria equi and Babesia caballi) of horses in Myanmar. Blood samples (n = 302) were collected from five regions of Myanmar. Blood smears were screened for presence of piroplasms. Samples positive for piroplasms were subjected to molecular identification using primers specific to the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) of piroplasms. The overall prevalence of blood parasites (piroplasms, Trypanosoma spp., and microfilaria of Setaria equina) w...
Carmona JU, López C.(1) Background: Tendon and ligament injuries are a leading cause of lameness in horses, with significant economic implications. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has gained attention for its regenerative potential, but its efficacy remains uncertain due to inconsistent study designs and reporting. (2) Methods: This systematic review, following the PRISMA guidelines, evaluated 22 studies (clinical and experimental) to assess the safety and efficacy of PRP in treating equine tendon and ligament injuries. The risk of bias was analyzed using the ROBINS-I and RoB 2.0 tools. (3) Results: PRP demonstrated a...
Himmele M, Engl JPM, Schwarz BC.The present report describes an 8-week-old warmblood foal presented following two episodes of epistaxis. The foal had a history of an umbilical infection, which had been treated with antibiotics when it was 8 days old. Four days before admission the filly showed severe, self-limiting epistaxis. The second hemorrhage occurred on the day of admission. The foal was lethargic and the remainder of the clinical examination unremarkable. A latero-lateral radiograph of the head revealed a fluid line within the guttural pouch. Endoscopy showed large amounts of blood within the pharynx and the upper thi...
Giorgio SD, Monti S, Palmieri V, Marino G, Napoli E, Vullo C, Catone G.A 3-year-old Quarter horse stallion with unilateral left cryptorchidism was referred for the absence of the left testis in the scrotal bursa and an enlarged right testis. The ultrasonographic examination revealed the presence of the left testis at the abdominal level. Two small hyperechogenic lines were observed running parallel and resembling a cylindrical cavitary foreign body, within a non-homogeneous area with blurred margins. The testis was removed by laparoscopy and macroscopically, the testis's cut section revealed the presence of two live adult nematodes emerging from 2 mm blood-filled...
Gao X, Liu J, Xu K, Hu J, Xiao C, Wang D, Li C, Ji C, Yao X, Wang PG, Jing Y, He Y, Shen CK.Typically, the antigen-specific antibodies constitute a small fraction-often estimated to be around 2-10 %-of the total IgG in the serum after immunization. This low percentage necessitates the use of purification techniques to enrich the antigen-specific antibodies for therapeutic or research purposes. This study introduces an affinity chromatography column using NHS-activated Sepharose as a matrix and the tetanus toxin subunit C, TeNT-Hc-C869A, as a ligand, enabling the purification of polyclonal antibodies with high specificity. This process improves antitoxin purity to over 95 %, effecti...
Golamgouse NN.Mauritius hosts a population of approximately 900 equids, but no investigations have delved into issues such as the prevalence of equine helminths, anthelmintic usage, and resistance emergence. This study aimed to devise a qualitative and quantitative profile of common helminthic intestinal parasites in equines at eight out of twenty-eight stables (272 horses, 29 % of local population) and to determine whether helminthic intestinal parasites in equines at one stable have developed resistance to Fenbendazole by quantitatively assessing pre-treatment faecal egg counts, post-treatment faecal egg...
Nielsen MK, Bartholdy ID, Kristensen KS, Borrye JC, Meilvang KSS, Rendtorff CEK, Hjortflod MD, Fuglbjerg V, Karlsson M, Petersen HH, Toft K....Equine strongylids are ubiquitous and can cause severe health issues. Anthelmintic resistance is widely common in cyathostomin parasites, and recent studies have documented increasing incidence of resistance to the macrocyclic lactone drug class. Several European countries have implemented prescription-only restrictions of anthelmintic usage by law to reduce anthelmintic treatment intensity and decrease the selection pressure for drug resistance. However, long term outcomes of this approach have not been thoroughly evaluated. The aim was to determine ivermectin efficacy in strongylids by means...
Kukhar Y, Bailina G, Smagulova A, Uakhit R, Kiyan V.Equine skin mycoses are a significant concern in Kazakhstan's livestock industry due to the country's historical livestock farming practices, the development of equestrian sports, and food traditions. Skin infections are among the most common fungal infections in horses. Emerging pathogens of equine dermatophytosis include keratinophilic Chrysosporium spp., which can degrade and metabolize keratin found in superficial tissues. This, combined with their thermotolerance, contributes to their pathogenicity. In this study, we investigated the biological properties and pathogenicity of two Chrysosp...
Sinovich M, Monné Rodriguez J, Pieńkowska-Schelling A, Schelling C, Kelly PG.Introduction Monorchidism is a rarely described condition in the horse and is not to be confused with cryptorchidism. The diagnosis is challenging and confirmed by surgery and histology in combination with hormonal assays. This report describes, to the best of the author's knowledge, the first case of monorchidism and abdominal cryptorchidism of the developed testicle in a horse. Methods An Irish Cob underwent laparoscopic castration for removal of bilateral cryptorchid testicles. At surgery the horse was diagnosed as a monorchid with the testicle retained intra-abdominally. Histopathological,...
Antoni KP, Natalia L, Maciej S, Leszek N, Małgorzata SS, Robert M, Maciej G, Ewa PO.Adipose tissue functions as an endocrine organ; however, excessive lipid accumulation can lead to obesity and metabolic disorders, such as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), characterized by insulin resistance, fat deposition, and increased inflammation. Despite the growing prevalence of obesity in horses, knowledge of equine adipocytes and their metabolic functions remains limited. The main objective of the study was to develop and optimize a method for isolating equine adipocytes and to characterize their metabolic activity. Using slaughterhouse-derived horse visceral adipose tissue, we develo...
Hardy L, Martin M, Barré C, Tanquerel L.Equine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) is a common condition, affecting both glandular (EGGD) and squamous (ESGD) mucosa of the stomach. It has a high prevalence, particularly in racehorses and sport horses, causing clinical signs from poor performance to colic. Gastroscopy, the reference standard diagnostic method, is expensive, prompting the search for alternative tests. Previous studies noted changes in blood markers, including elevated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) activity in ulcerated horses. This study aimed to report the prevalence of EGUS in sport horses and evaluate the asso...
Matté YA, Baldasso DZ, Rezende MA, Lui JFM, Seibel AC, Guizzo JA, Frandoloso R, Kreutz LC.Lawsonia intracellularis is an obligatory intracellular bacterium associated with equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), which significantly impacts equine health. Despite its clinical relevance, epidemiological and diagnostic approaches for this infection in horses have remained underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the humoral immune response in horses immunized with an experimental vaccine for L. intracellularis and to determine the occurrence of anti-L. intracellularis antibodies in horses from southern Brazil using the flow cytometry antibody test (FCAT). Unassigned: A total of 12 ...
Souto PC, Santos MR, Orozco AMO, Bento LD, Ramirez-Lopez CJ, Girardi FM, Machado JCA, de Oliveira LL, da Fonseca LA.We aimed to develop a species-specific ELISA for qualitatively and quantitatively determining serum amyloid A (SAA) in horses. Current methods for measuring SAA in horses utilize ELISA or immunoturbidimetric tests designed for human SAA, which are not specific to horses. Mice and rabbits were used to generate polyclonal antibodies against equine SAA. The study examined serum samples from 32 horses with acute inflammatory disease (SG) and 25 clinically healthy horses. Furthermore, the SAAeq kinetics were observed in three horses from the SG group at three different timepoints. The SAA-ELISA est...
Labens R, Saba C, Williams J, Hollis A, Ensink J, José-Cunilleras ELV, Jordana-Garcia M, Bergvall K, Ruppin M, Condon F, Spelta C, Elce Y....Intralesional chemotherapeutic administration represents an important treatment option for equine cutaneous neoplasia. Tigilanol-tiglate (TT), a novel molecule extracted from Fontainea picrosperma, an Australian rainforest plant, is registered for intratumoural treatment of canine MCT, leading to rapid oncosis and tumour slough. Evidence from horses is limited but suggests that efficacy may be similar. Objective: To evaluate the response to intratumoural TT treatment in horses with sarcoids (fibroblastic/nodular) and cutaneous melanomas. Methods: Two noncontrolled prospective multicentre clini...
Conley HE, Davis KU, Adler KB, Lavoie JP, Sheats MK.Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Horses develop asthma spontaneously and serve as a relevant model for multiple phenotypes and endotypes of human asthma. In horses with equine asthma (EA), environmental organic dust triggers increased inflammatory cytokines, excess airway mucus, reversible bronchoconstriction, and airway inflammation. In horses with severe EA (sEA), lower airway inflammation is invariably neutrophilic, making sEA a potential model for severe neutrophilic asthma in humans. Alveolar macrophages (AM) and airway neutrophils...
Poh KC, Oyen K, Onzere CK, Kappmeyer LS, Bastos RG.The recent discovery of , a tick-borne hemoparasite that causes mild clinical signs of equine piroplasmosis, has added complexity to the diagnosis of this reportable disease, which is prevalent among equids globally. Knowledge gaps regarding competent tick vectors that can transmit and the recent outbreak of in the US has prompted us to conduct this study. Our objective was to investigate whether can transstadially transmit to horses. Unassigned: larvae (0.5 g) and nymphs ( = 500) were fed on a splenectomized -infected horse for parasite acquisition. During the tick feeding period, ...
de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Vitale V, Velloso Alvarez A, Neira-Egea P, Diss C, Cuervo-Arango J.Equine herpesvirus 1-induced myeloencephalopathy has a significant impact on the equine industry. Nevertheless, the clinical variables that may affect the severity of the disease are still under investigation. The objective of this research is studying the relationship between the level of lymphopenia and vaccination status with the severity of the disease in horses at an event, considering whether they had been correctly vaccinated or not prior to exposure to EHV-1. Ten horses were admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital following an equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy outbreak during a...
Heidenberger J, Reihs EI, Strauss J, Frauenlob M, Gültekin S, Gerner I, Tögel S, Ertl P, Windhager R, Jenner F, Rothbauer M.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder characterized by cartilage degradation, chronic inflammation, and progressive joint dysfunction. Despite rising incidences driven by ageing and increasing obesity, potent treatments remain elusive, exacerbating the socioeconomic burden. OA pathogenesis involves an imbalance in extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover, mediated by inflammatory cytokines and matrix-degrading enzymes, leading to oxidative stress, chondrocyte apoptosis, and ECM degradation. Additionally, synovial inflammation (synovitis) plays a critical role in disease pro...
Tharwat M, Al-Sobayil F.Colic or acute abdominal pain is the most prevalent cause of emergency intervention in veterinary medicine, and it has been considered the principal reason for collapse and/or euthanasia in a wide range of studies. The condition may be initiated by a number of different disorders affecting the abdominal viscera, but acute gut disease is the most common etiology in equines showing colic symptoms. of the main goals of colic management is to distinguish between surgical and medical causes, as prompt surgical intervention can significantly improve outcomes for those requiring surgery. Despite the ...
Cullinane A, Garvey M, Dayot L, Lukaseviciute G.Equine rotavirus A (RVA) is a major cause of debilitating diarrhoea in neonatal foals globally. The aim of this study was to characterise RVA viruses currently circulating in Ireland and to identify risk factors associated with disease outbreaks. Of the 377 samples submitted during 2023 and 2024, 48 foals from 36 outbreaks were confirmed to be RVA-positive by real-time PCR. The viruses detected were genotyped by VP7 and VP4 gene sequencing. In 2024, the attending veterinary surgeon was contacted, and epidemiological data were collected. These included the vaccination status of the foal's dam a...
Breathnach CC, Sturgill-Wright T, Stiltner JL, Adams AA, Lunn DP, Horohov DW.The increased vulnerability of foals to specific pathogens such as Rhodococcus equi is believed to reflect an innate immunodeficiency, the nature of which remains poorly understood. Previous studies have demonstrated that neonates of many species fail to mount potent Th1 responses. The current research investigates the ability of circulating and pulmonary lymphocytes of developing foals to produce interferon gamma (IFNgamma). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were prepared from up to 10 horse foals at regular intervals throughout the first 6 months of life. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)...
Perkins GA, Goodman LB, Tsujimura K, Van de Walle GR, Kim SG, Dubovi EJ, Osterrieder N.A single nucleotide polymorphism in the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) DNA polymerase gene (ORF30 A(2254) to G) has been associated with clinical signs of equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The purpose of our study was to determine the odds ratio for this genetic marker and EHM using a panel of field isolates from North America collected over the past twenty-three years. EHV-1 isolates cultured at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory from 1984 to 2007 were retrieved along with their clinical histories. DNA was extracted from these EHV-1 cultures and allelic discrimina...
Valentine BA.A study of 57 cutaneous melanocytic tumors from 53 horses revealed 4 distinct clinical syndromes: melanocytic nevus, dermal melanoma, dermal melanomatosis, and anaplastic malignant melanoma. Melanocytic nevus and anaplastic melanoma each had histopathologic features that distinguished them from dermal melanoma and dermal melanomatosis. Dermal melanoma and dermal melanomatosis were histologically similar but could be differentiated by their clinical features. Melanocytic nevi were diagnosed in 29 horses with an average age of 5 years; they were solitary, superficial masses that occurred in both...
Oue Y, Ishihara R, Edamatsu H, Morita Y, Yoshida M, Yoshima M, Hatama S, Murakami K, Kanno T.A new equine coronavirus was isolated from the feces of adult horses with pyrogenic and enteric disease. The disease outbreak was mainly observed among 2- to 4-year-old horses living in stables of a draft-horse racetrack in Japan. On comparing the isolated virus (isolate Tokachi09) with the equine coronavirus NC99 strain, no significant differences were observed in several biological properties such as hemagglutinating activity, antigenicity (in indirect immunofluorescence and neutralization tests), and one-step growth (in cell culture). The sequences of the nucleocapsid and spike genes of iso...
Horseman SV, Buller H, Mullan S, Whay HR.Despite growing concerns about the welfare of horses in Great Britain (GB) there has been little surveillance of the welfare status of the horse population. Consequently we have limited knowledge of the range of welfare problems experienced by horses in GB and the situations in which poor welfare occurs. Thirty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with a cross -section of equine stakeholders, in order to explore their perceptions of the welfare problems faced by horses in GB. Welfare problems relating to health, management and riding and training were identified, including horses being under...
Verheyen K, Price J, Lanyon L, Wood J.In order to gain insight into those training regimens that can minimise the risk of fracture in athletic populations, we conducted a large epidemiological study in racehorses. Thoroughbred racehorses provide a suitable model for studying fracture development and exercise-related risk factors in physically active populations. They represent a homogeneous population, undertaking intensive exercise programmes that are sufficiently heterogeneous to determine those factors that influence injury risk. Daily exercise information was recorded for a cohort of 1178 thoroughbreds that were monitored for ...
Leathwick DM, Besier RB.In many countries the presence of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of small ruminants, and in some cases also in those infecting cattle and horses, has become the status quo rather than the exception. It is clear that consideration of anthelmintic resistance, and its management, should be an integral component of anthelmintic use regardless of country or host species. Many years of research into understanding the development and management of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of small ruminants has resulted in an array of strategies for minimising selection for resistance and for dealin...
Labruna MB, Kerber CE, Ferreira F, Faccini JL, De Waal DT, Gennari SM.From December 1998 to March 1999, 40 stud farms were studied in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. During visits to farms, horses reared under grazing conditions were examined for the presence of ticks. On each farm visit, horse pastures were closely inspected and a questionnaire was given to the farm supervisor with the purpose of gaining information about ecological and management variables (independent variables) that could be associated with the presence and infestation levels of ticks on the farm (dependent variables). Three tick species were found during the study. Anocentor nitens, Amblyo...
Lovati AB, Corradetti B, Lange Consiglio A, Recordati C, Bonacina E, Bizzaro D, Cremonesi F.Mesenchymal stem cells have been recently investigated for their potential use in regenerative medicine. Population of adult stem cells were recently identified in human and lab animal tendons, but no detailed investigations have been made in the equine species. The aim of our study is to identify a progenitor cell population from tendon tissue (TSPCs) in the horse superficial digital flexor tendon that are able to be highly clonogenic, to grow fast and to differentiate in different induced cell lineages as well as bone marrow derived progenitor cells (BM-MSCs). The hypothesis that TSPCs posse...
Goehring LS, Wagner B, Bigbie R, Hussey SB, Rao S, Morley PS, Lunn DP.Equine herpesvirus-1 is a cause of outbreaks of abortion and neurological disease. The pathogenesis of both these diseases depends on establishment of viremia. An experiment was performed to determine the protective efficacy of two commercially available vaccines used with an optimized 3-dose vaccination regime: a modified-live viral (MLV) and a high antigen load killed vaccine licensed for abortion control. The study design was a blinded, randomized challenge trial. Three groups of 8 yearling ponies received one of three treatments: MLV vaccine (Rhinomune, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc....
Issel CJ, Horohov DW, Lea DF, Adams WV, Hagius SD, McManus JM, Allison AC, Montelaro RC.We report here on a series of vaccine trials to evaluate the effectiveness of an inactivated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) whole-virus vaccine and of a subunit vaccine enriched in EIAV envelope glycoproteins. The inactivated vaccine protected 14 of 15 immunized ponies from infection after challenge with at least 10(5) 50% tissue culture-infective doses of the homologous prototype strain of EIAV. In contrast, it failed to prevent infection in any of 15 immunized ponies that were challenged with the heterologous PV strain. Levels of PV virus replication and the development of disease, ho...
Fridell RA, Partin KM, Carpenter S, Cullen BR.Several members of the lentivirus family of complex retroviruses have been shown to encode proteins that are functionally equivalent to the Rev posttranscriptional regulatory protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Furthermore, the domain organization of HIV-1 Rev, featuring a highly basic N-terminal RNA binding domain and a leucin-rich C-terminal effector domain, has also been shown to be highly conserved among Rev proteins derived from not only the primate but also the ovine and caprine lentiviruses. Although it has therefore appeared highly probable that the lentivirus equin...
McFarlane D.Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), also known as equine Cushing's syndrome, is a widely recognized disease of aged horses. Over the past two decades, the aged horse population has expanded significantly and in addition, client awareness of PPID has increased. As a result, there has been an increase in both diagnostic testing and treatment of the disease. This review focuses on the pathophysiology and clinical syndrome, as well as advances in diagnostic testing and treatment of PPID, with an emphasis on those findings that are new since the excellent comprehensive review by Sc...
O'Rourke K, Perryman LE, McGuire TC.Equine infectious anaemia virus is related by genome sequence homology to human immunodeficiency virus, caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus and visna virus. Failure of the host to mount a strong neutralizing response detectable in vitro or to eliminate persistent infection in vivo characterizes lentivirus infections in the natural host. In this study the specificities and neutralizing activity of antibodies induced during experimental infection with equine infectious anaemia virus were investigated using antiviral ELISA, radioimmunoprecipitation and neutralization assays. ELISA antibody titre...
Luthersson N, Nielsen KH, Harris P, Parkin TD.The prevalence (up to 93% in Thoroughbred racehorses) and severity of equine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) has been associated with type of training and differing management practices. However, there have been few studies to confirm these findings in nonracehorses in Europe. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of EGUS in a population of Danish horses, during winter when the horses had been housed and fed for at least 8 weeks and to analyse the influence of feed, work level and environment on the risk of EGUS of > or = grade 2 in severity. Methods: A total of 201 horses, not in active...
Higgins AJ, Lees P.Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid covalently bound in esterified form in the cell membranes of most body cells. Following irritation or injury, arachidonic acid is released and oxygenated by enzyme systems leading to the formation of an important group of inflammatory mediators, the eicosanoids. It is now recognised that eicosanoid release is fundamental to the inflammatory process. For example, the prostaglandins and other prostanoids, products of the cyclooxygenase enzyme pathway, have potent inflammatory properties and prostaglandin E2 is readily detectable in equine acute in...
Luchs A, da Costa AC, Cilli A, Komninakis SCV, Carmona RCC, Boen L, Morillo SG, Sabino EC, Timenetsky MDCST.In 2013, the equine-like G3P[8] DS-1-like rotavirus (RVA) strain emerged worldwide. In 2016, this strain was reported in northern Brazil. The aims of the study were to conduct a retrospective genetic investigation to identify the possible entry of these atypical strains in Brazil and to describe their distribution across a representative area of the country. From 2013 to 2017, a total of 4226 faecal samples were screened for RVA by ELISA, PAGE, RT-PCR and sequencing. G3P[8] represented 20.9 % (167/800) of all RVA-positive samples, further subdivided as equine-like G3P[8], DS-1-like (11.0 %...
Youngstrom DW, LaDow JE, Barrett JG.Tendons are frequently damaged and fail to regenerate, leading to pain, loss of function, and reduced quality of life. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess clinically useful tissue-regenerative properties and have been exploited for use in tendon tissue engineering and cell therapy. However, MSCs exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity based on the donor tissue used, and the efficacy of cell-based treatment modalities may be improved by optimizing cell source based on relative differentiation capacity. Equine MSCs were isolated from bone marrow (BM), adipose (AD), and tendon (TN), expanded in monola...
Milinovich GJ, Burrell PC, Pollitt CC, Klieve AV, Blackall LL, Ouwerkerk D, Woodland E, Trott DJ.Alimentary carbohydrate overload is a significant cause of laminitis in horses and is correlated with drastic shifts in the composition of hindgut microbiota. Equine hindgut streptococcal species (EHSS), predominantly Streptococcus lutetiensis, have been shown to be the most common microorganisms culturable from the equine caecum prior to the onset of laminitis. However, the inherent biases of culture-based methods are estimated to preclude up to 70% of the normal caecal microbiota. The objective of this study was to evaluate bacterial population shifts occurring in the equine caecum throughou...
Doré M.Cyclooxygenase (COX; also known as prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase) is a key enzyme in the biochemical pathway leading to the synthesis of prostaglandins. A large amount of epidemiological and experimental evidence supports a role for COX-2, the inducible form of the enzyme, in human tumorigenesis, notably in colorectal cancer. COX-2 mediates this role through the production of PGE(2) that acts to inhibit apoptosis, promote cell proliferation, stimulate angiogenesis, and decrease immunity. Similarly, COX-2 is believed to be involved in the oncogenesis of some cancers in domestic animals. H...
Båverud V, Johansson SK, Aspan A.Strangles is a contagious equine disease caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. In this study, clinical strains of S. equi (n=24) and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (n=24) were genetically characterized by sequencing of the 16S rRNA and sodA genes in order to devise a real-time PCR system that can detect S. equi and S. zooepidemicus and distinguish between them. Sequencing demonstrated that all S. equi strains had the same 16S rRNA sequence, whereas S. zooepidemicus strains could be divided into subgroups. One of these (n=12 strains) had 16S rRNA sequences almost identical with the...
Kappmeyer LS, Perryman LE, Hines SA, Baszler TV, Katz JB, Hennager SG, Knowles DP.A competitive-inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was developed for detection of equine antibodies specific for Babesia caballi. The assay used recombinant B. caballi rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1) and monoclonal antibody (MAb) 79/17.18.5, which is reactive with a peptide epitope of a native 60-kDa B. caballi antigen. The gene encoding the recombinant antigen was sequenced, and database analysis revealed that the gene product is a rhoptry-associated protein. Cloning and expression of a truncated copy of the gene demonstrated that MAb 79/17.18.5 reacts with the C-termina...
Cheng FP, Fazeli A, Voorhout WF, Marks A, Bevers MM, Colenbrander B.Peanut agglutinin (PNA) was used to assess the sperm acrosomal status and the acrosome reaction during gamete interaction in the equine species. PNA exclusively binds to the outer acrosomal membrane of stallion spermatozoa, as was established by transmission electron microscopy. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-PNA (FITC-PNA) labeling was used to monitor sperm acrosomal changes during a prolonged incubation period of 24 hours and during a 2-hours incubation in the presence of 5 microM calcium ionophore A23187. In addition, after a 4-hours preincubation in SP-TALP medium, sperm samples were incubated...
Cullinane A, Elton D, Mumford J.Equine influenza virus (EIV) is considered the most important respiratory virus of horses because it is highly contagious and has the potential to disrupt major equestrian events. Equine influenza (EI) can be controlled by vaccination but it has been demonstrated repeatedly in the field that antigenic drift impacts on vaccine efficacy. EI surveillance maintains awareness of emergence and international spread of antigenic variants. It not only serves as an early warning system for horse owners, trainers and veterinary clinicians but is fundamental to influenza control programmes based on vaccin...
Nolte W, Thaller G, Kuehn C.The study of selection signatures helps to find genomic regions that have been under selective pressure and might host genes or variants that modulate important phenotypes. Such knowledge improves our understanding of how breeding programmes have shaped the genomes of livestock. In this study, 942 stallions were included from four, exemplarily chosen, German warmblood breeds with divergent historical and recent selection focus and different crossbreeding policies: Trakehner (N = 44), Holsteiner (N = 358), Hanoverian (N = 319) and Oldenburger (N = 221). Those breeds are nowadays bred for athlet...
Kirschvink N, de Moffarts B, Lekeux P.Since "free radical research" started in 1954, understanding the role of oxidants and antioxidants in physiological and pathological conditions has increased continuously. Oxidants are essentially generated by metabolic enzymes, inflammatory cells and mitochondrial electron leakage; they are indispensable for the cellular redox regulation and may, under certain conditions, have a pro-inflammatory stimulatory role. Endogenous and exogenous antioxidants counterbalance the oxidative processes and so maintain the oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium. Excessive oxidant generation or antioxidant insuffic...
Kydd JH, Townsend HG, Hannant D.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is an alphaherpesvirus which infects horses, causing respiratory and neurological disease and abortion in pregnant mares. Latency is established in trigeminal ganglia and lymphocytes. Immunity to EHV-1 lasts between 3 and 6 months. Current vaccines, many of which contain inactivated virus, have reduced the incidence of abortion storms in pregnant mares but individual animals, which may be of high commercial value, remain susceptible to infection. The development of effective vaccines which stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses remains a priority. Uti...
Barsby T, Bavin EP, Guest DJ.The natural reparative mechanisms triggered by tendon damage often lead to the formation of biomechanically inferior scar tissue that is prone to re-injury. Before the efficient application of stem cell-based regenerative therapies, the processes regulating tenocyte differentiation should first be better understood. Three-dimensional (3D) growth environments under strain and the exogenous addition of transforming growth factor beta3 (TGF-β3) have separately been shown to promote tendon differentiation. The aim of this study was to determine the ability of both of these factors to induce tendo...
