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.
Gonzalez-Castro RA, Carnevale EM.Limited clinical information is available regarding sperm population parameters that are important for use with equine intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Therefore, the appropriateness of a sample of sperm is typically not known before ICSI. The aim of our study was to determine which sperm population characteristics were predictive of ICSI outcome. Frozen-thawed sperm samples (n = 114) from 37 stallions in a clinical program were analyzed after ICSI for percentages of normal morphology (MORPH+), live as assessed by eosin/nigrosin stain (LIVE+), membrane intact as assessed by hypoosmot...
Alkhilaiwi F, Wang L, Zhou D, Raudsepp T, Ghosh S, Paul S, Palechor-Ceron N, Brandt S, Luff J, Liu X, Schlegel R, Yuan H.Skin injuries in horses frequently lead to chronic wounds that lack a keratinocyte cover essential for healing. The limited proliferation of equine keratinocytes using current protocols has limited their use for regenerative medicine. Previously, equine induced pluripotent stem cells (eiPSCs) have been produced, and eiPSCs could be differentiated into equine keratinocytes suitable for stem cell-based skin constructs. However, the procedure is technically challenging and time-consuming. The present study was designed to evaluate whether conditional reprogramming (CR) could expand primary equine...
Tsachev I, Pantchev N, Marutsov P, Petrov V, Gundasheva D, Baymakova M.Lyme Borreliosis and granulocytic anaplasmosis are less extensively studied in horses than in dogs and humans. Equine ehrlichiosis is not known in Europe and is in the initial stage of investigation in South, Central, and North America. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of these infections in Bulgaria. A total of 155 horses were investigated from five regions in Southeastern Bulgaria. Horses were tested for Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Ehrlichia spp. antibodies by a commercial rapid ELISA test. B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum antibodies wer...
Liu LL, Fang C, Liu WJ.The utility of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data help to accurately identify genomic regions that have undergone positive selection. In this study, the Affymetrix Equine 670 K high-density SNP array was used to genotype Kazakh and Yili horse population. After quality control, 370,227 autosomal SNPs were used to detect selection signatures by using global fixation index (F) and cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH). The database of Ensemble, Genecards, and NCBI were used to make gene annotation and functional analysis. The results showed that there wer...
González Medina S, Hyde C, Lovera I, Piercy RJ.Hypoglycin A (HGA) toxicity, following ingestion of material from certain plants, is linked to an acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency known as atypical myopathy, a commonly fatal form of equine rhabdomyolysis seen worldwide. Whilst some plants are known to contain this toxin, little is known about its function or the mechanisms that lead to varied HGA concentrations between plants. Consequently, reliable tools to detect this amino acid in plant samples are needed. Analytical methods for HGA detection have previously been validated for the food industry, however, these technique...
Paillot R, Garrett D, Lopez-Alvarez MR, Birand I, Montesso F, Horspool L.Vaccination is one of the most effective tools for limiting the impact of equine influenza (EI). The humoral immunity established following a primary vaccination course can decrease significantly between the second (V2) and third immunisations (V3), leaving some horses insufficiently protected for several weeks. This so-called "immunity gap" poses a challenge to all EI vaccines. During this period, the EI infection of vaccinated animals may be followed by marked clinical signs and virus shedding. However, several EI vaccines have been shown to stimulate equine influenza virus (EIV)-specific ce...
Legarra A, Ricard A, Varona L.Bayesian models for genomic prediction and association mapping are being increasingly used in genetics analysis of quantitative traits. Given a point estimate of variance components, the popular methods SNP-BLUP and GBLUP result in joint estimates of the effect of all markers on the analyzed trait; single and multiple marker frequentist tests (EMMAX) can be constructed from these estimates. Indeed, BLUP methods can be seen simultaneously as Bayesian or frequentist methods. So far there is no formal method to produce Bayesian statistics from GBLUP. Here we show that the Bayes Factor, a commonly...
Taylor WTT, Bayarsaikhan J, Tuvshinjargal T, Bender S, Tromp M, Clark J, Lowry KB, Houle JL, Staszewski D, Whitworth J, Fitzhugh W, Boivin N.From the American West to the steppes of Eurasia, the domestic horse transformed human societies, providing rapid transport, communication, and military power, and serving as an important subsistence animal. Because of the importance of oral equipment for horse riding, dentistry is an essential component of modern horse care. In the open grasslands of northeast Asia, horses remain the primary form of transport for many herders. Although free-range grazing on gritty forage mitigates many equine dental issues, contemporary Mongolian horsemen nonetheless practice some forms of dentistry, includin...
Becher AM, van Doorn DC, Pfister K, Kaplan RM, Reist M, Nielsen MK.Experts recommend a change in the control of equine parasites across the world in order to adopt a surveillance-based approach utilizing parasite faecal egg counts (FEC). Several European countries have implemented prescription-only restrictions of anthelmintic usage by law, which is in stark contrast to US, where all anthelmintic products continue to be available over the counter. This study aimed to describe and compare equine parasite control strategies employed in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, US, and Denmark. An invitation to participate in an online questionnaire survey was publishe...
Elbahi A, Kipar A, Ressel L.This report describes a series of four equine mast cell tumours (MCTs) with atypical morphological features. The tumours were 1-2 cm in diameter and mostly localized to the eyes (one eyelid, two conjunctiva). Histologically, they were composed of very large (up to 35 μm) round pleomorphic cells with a large central to paracentral nucleus and abundant granular cytoplasm. A large number of viable mature eosinophils were detected intermingled with the large round cells. Histochemical staining (toluidine blue and Perls' Prussian blue) and immunohistochemistry (KIT, mast cell tryptase, lysozyme ...
de Laat MA, Kheder MH, Pollitt CC, Sillence MN.Hyperinsulinemia is a major risk factor for equine laminitis, a debilitating and painful foot condition. Sweet taste receptor (T1R2/3) inhibitors have been used to reduce the insulin and glucose responses to oral carbohydrates in other species. However, their effect in horses has not been investigated. It would be useful to be able to attenuate the large post-prandial insulin response that typically occurs when a carbohydrate-rich meal is fed to insulin-dysregulated horses. Here we have determined the efficacy of two T1R2/3 inhibitors, lactisole and Gymnema sylvestre, for reducing glucose upta...
Vandecasteele T, Cornillie P, van Steenkiste G, Vandevelde K, Gielen I, Vanderperren K, van Loon G.Echocardiography is the imaging technique of choice for the equine heart. Nevertheless, knowledge about ultrasonographic identification of dorsally located structures and vessels, related to the atria, in horses is scarce. Objective: To describe the echocardiographic approach and the identification of structures and vessels in relation to the atria in healthy horses. Methods: CT images from two equine hearts, casted with self-expanding foam, were segmented and used to identify atrial-related structures and vessels. These images were compared with standard and nonstandard ultrasound images from...
Rink BE, Beyer T, French HM, Watson E, Aurich C, Donadeu FX.Because of their distinct differentiation, immunomodulatory, and migratory capacities, endometrial mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may provide an optimum source of therapeutic cells not only in relation to the uterus but also for regeneration of other tissues. This study reports the fate of endometrial MSCs following intrauterine application in mares. Stromal cell fractions were isolated from endometrial biopsies taken from seven reproductively healthy mares, expanded, and fluorescence labeled in culture. Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or MSCs (15 × 10) were autologously infused into ea...
Hemmings A, Parker MO, Hale C, McBride SD.Spontaneous stereotypic behaviours are repetitive, compulsive, topographically invariant response patterns commonly observed in captive or domestic animals, which have been linked to dysfunction of basal ganglia input/output pathways. There is evidence that endogenous opioids play a key regulatory role in basal ganglia direct and indirect pathways, but their precise role, both causally and functionally, in spontaneous stereotypic behaviour is unclear. Here we examined the profile of mu- and delta-opioid receptors (density [Bmax] and affinity [Kd]) of basal ganglia structures in stereotypy (n...
Burashev Y, Strochkov V, Sultankulova K, Orynbayev M, Sansyzbay A, Sandybayev N, Nurabayev S, Savitskaya I, Rock DL, Tulman ER.Here, we report the complete genome sequencing of strains A/equine/Kostanay/9/2012(H3N8) and A/equine/LKZ/9/2012(H3N8) of the equine influenza virus belonging to Florida sublineage, clade 2. The strains were isolated in 2012 in the northern and southern regions of Kazakhstan, respectively.
Sladek S, Kearney C, Crean D, Brama PAJ, Tajber L, Fawcett K, Labberte MC, Leggett B, Brayden DJ.Polyelectrolyte nanoparticle constructs (NPs) comprising salmon calcitonin (sCT), chitosan (CS), and hyaluronic acid (HA) were previously established as having anti-inflammatory potential when injected via the intra-articular (i.a.) route to a mouse model. We attempted to translate the formulation to a large animal model, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated equine model of joint inflammation. The aim was to manufacture under aseptic conditions to produce sterile pyrogen-free NPs, to confirm physicochemical characteristics, and to test toxicity and efficacy in a pilot study. NP dispersions ...
Haysom LZ, Lee-Fowler TM, Spangler EA.Storage and temperature significantly impact bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis, and shipment of samples to diagnostic laboratories is often necessary. Alternative sample preparation methods could limit storage and temperature effects. Objective: This study aimed to determine if airway wash samples that were fixed in formalin after being embedded in Histogel or Gelfoam gave comparable results to fresh cytocentrifuged or sediment smear preparations for the evaluation of cell morphology. Methods: Eleven bronchoalveolar lavage and 3 transtracheal wash fluids were available, including 8 ...
Pujol R, Girard CA, Richard H, Hassanpour I, Binette MP, Beauchamp G, McDougall JJ, Laverty S.To measure the nerve fiber density in synovial membranes from healthy and OA equine joints and to investigate the relationship between synovial innervation and OA severity, synovial vascularity and synovitis. Twenty-five equine metacarpophalangeal joints were collected post-mortem. The joints were dissected and the macroscopic lesions of the articular cartilage were scored. Synovial membrane specimens (n = 50) were harvested, fixed, sectioned and scored histologically. Immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence with S-100 protein, that identifies nerve fibers, and ⍺-actin, that st...
Gibson C, de Ruijter-Villani M, Rietveld J, Stout TAE.Glucose is the primary energy substrate for early conceptus development and, for the first 40 days of gestation, the equine conceptus depends solely on glucose available in the histotroph; thereafter, histotrophic glucose provision continues to support transport across the definitive placenta. To investigate glucose provision routes during early equine pregnancy we examined expression of glucose transporters in conceptus membranes and endometrium recovered on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after ovulation. To further differentiate the contributions of maternal progesterone priming and conceptus-endomet...
Metzger J, Rau J, Naccache F, Bas Conn L, Lindgren G, Distl O.Miniature size in horses represents an extreme reduction of withers height that originated after domestication. In some breeds, it is a highly desired trait representing a breed- or subtype-specific feature. The genomic changes that emerged due to strong-targeted selection towards this distinct type remain unclear. Results: Comparisons of whole-genome sequencing data from two Miniature Shetland ponies and one standard-sized Shetland pony, performed to elucidate genetic determinants for miniature size, revealed four synergistic variants, limiting withers height to 34.25 in. (87 cm). Runs of h...
Mizushima D, Amgalanbaatar T, Davaasuren B, Molefe NI, Battur B, Battsetseg B, Inoue N, Yokoyama N, Suganuma K.Our previous studies report epidemics of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. However, the current status of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis endemicity remains to be clarified in some parts of Mongolia. We previously reported the potential application of rTeGM6-4r-based diagnostic tools, an rTeGM6-4r-based immunochromatographic test (ICT) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in the serological surveillance of equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. In the present study, the utility of the rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was validated. The rTeGM6-4r-based ICT accur...
Montgomery JB, Husulak ML, Kosolofski H, Dos Santos S, Burgess H, Meachem MD.The objective of this study was to determine if TNF-α protein concentration differs in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) obtained from healthy horses, horses with naturally occurring exacerbations of severe equine asthma and horses in remission from severe equine asthma. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- α) protein concentrations were determined in BALF by commercial equine ELISA. Horses with naturally occurring exacerbation of severe equine asthma were found to have significantly lower BALF TNF-α protein concentrations than healthy horses (p = 0.0026). There was no significant differ...
Vera L, Decloedt A, Van Steenkiste G, De Clercq D, Govaere J, van Loon G.A 15-year-old Warmblood mare, at 8 months of gestation, was presented to the Ghent University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for evaluation of suspected stage one labor. Transrectal ultrasonography revealed no clear signs of placentitis or stage one labor. The combined thickness of uterus and placenta was 11 mm and the cervix was closed. Twin pregnancy was suspected by transabdominal ultrasonography but could not be confirmed with certainty. An electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded from the mare's abdominal wall to register a fetal ECG. To confirm twin pregnancy, registration of both fetal ECG...
Finding EJT, Lawson C, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.Microvesicles are small (up to 1 μm) vesicles found in plasma and other bodily fluids. They are recognised as part of the normal system of inter-cellular communication but altered numbers are also used as biomarkers of disease. Microvesicles have not been studied in detail in the horse but may be relevant to diseases such as laminitis. Identification of equine cell specific microvesicles was performed by developing a panel of cross reactive antibodies to use in flow cytometry to detect microvesicles of platelet, leucocyte and endothelial origin in plasma from healthy ponies and those predis...
Spacek SG, Carnevale EM.Equine follicular fluid (FF) provides autocrine and paracrine factors from theca, granulosa, and cumulus cells, both reflecting and impacting oocyte and follicle maturation. We hypothesized that maturation of oocytes in FF from old versus young mares has a deleterious effect on oocyte maturation and their subsequent developmental potential. Follicular fluid was collected from the large, dominant follicle from young mares (4-13 years) or old mares (21-26 years) and classified as: (1) Noninduced follicular fluid (NFF), FF from noninduced follicle 33 ± 3 mm, or (2) Induced follicular fluid (I...
Bentley VA, Sample SJ, Livesey MA, Scollay MC, Radtke CL, Frank JD, Kalscheur VL, Muir P.Failure of functional adaptation to protect the skeleton from damage is common and is often associated with targeted remodeling of bone microdamage. Horses provide a suitable model for studying loading-related skeletal disease because horses are physically active, their exercise is usually regulated, and adaptive failure of various skeletal sites is common. We performed a histologic study of the navicular bone of three groups of horses: (1) young racing Thoroughbreds (n = 10); (2) young unshod ponies (n = 10); and (3) older horses with navicular syndrome (n = 6). Navicular syndrome is a painfu...
Shiue YL, Bickel LA, Caetano AR, Millon LV, Clark RS, Eggleston ML, Michelmore R, Bailey E, Guérin G, Godard S, Mickelson JR, Valberg SJ, Murray JD....To generate a domestic horse genome map we integrated synteny information for markers screened on a somatic cell hybrid (SCH) panel with published information for markers physically assigned to chromosomes. The mouse-horse SCH panel was established by fusing pSV2neo transformed primary horse fibroblasts to either RAG or LMTk mouse cells, followed by G418 antibiotic selection. For each of the 108 cell lines of the panel, we defined the presence or absence of 240 genetic markers by PCR, including 58 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and 182 microsatellites. Thirty-three syntenic gr...
Maxwell LK, Bentz BG, Bourne DW, Erkert RS.Recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus type-1 infections have stimulated renewed interest in the use of effective antiherpetic drugs in horses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of valacyclovir (VCV), the prodrug of acyclovir (ACV), in horses. Six adult horses were used in a randomized cross-over design. Treatments consisted of 10 mg/kg ACV infused intravenously, 5 g (7.7-11.7 mg/kg) VCV delivered intragastrically (IG) and 15 g (22.7-34.1 mg/kg) VCV administered IG. Serum samples were obtained at predetermined times for acyclovir assay using high-performance li...
Faleiros RR, Nuovo GJ, Belknap JK.Laminar inflammation is one of the earliest events in equine laminitis. Calprotectin (CP), a Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern protein, is overexpressed in inflammatory conditions of human skin. Objective: CP is overexpressed in the laminar epidermis of horses with black walnut extract (BWE)-induced laminitis. Methods: Twenty adult horses. Methods: Experimental study. Horses were allocated to one of 4 groups. BWE was administered to horses in 3 groups, which were sampled 1.5, 3, and 12 hours (LAM) later. CP was visualized by immunohistochemistry. Laminar leukocyte counts and intensity of lam...
Kornaś S, Gawor J, Cabaret J, Molenda K, Skalska M, Nowosad B.The prevalence of infection with cyathosthomes of horses is high worldwide. Identification of species on infective larvae based on available morphological keys is not fully accurate and the aim of the present study was to provide a reliable identification key of cyathostomes infective larvae. At the abattoir, horse large intestines were examined and the cyathostomes females extracted and identified. The eggs from uteruses of identified cyathostomes females were used for breeding the infective larvae. Morphological parameters of Cyathostominae infective larvae, i.e. the length of the larvae wit...
Maleas G, Mageed M.This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the clinical effect of bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) and leukocyte rich PRP (LR-PRP) compared to horses undergoing controlled exercise alone in horses with >3 months proximal suspensory desmopathy in hindlimbs (HPSD). Nighty-three horses were divided into three groups according to the treatment: a control (n = 22), LR-PRP (n = 46), and BMAC (n = 25) group. Lameness and ultrasound scores were recorded before treatment (T0) and at 6 months (T1) post-treatment. Records horses considered sound at evaluation and level of performance were addition...
Martineau H, Thompson H, Taylor D.Gastric ulceration is now widely recognised as an important disease in high performance horses. Little is known about gastric histopathology in healthy or diseased animals; a comprehensive assessment would enhance interpretation of gross findings through assessment of their accuracy and allow for identification of lesion variety and pathogenesis in different anatomical regions of the stomach. Objective: To investigate the true extent and variety of gastric lesions in a mixed population of mature horses at post mortem. Methods: Stomachs were removed from a mixed population of 21 horses at post ...
Prichard M, Ducharme NG, Wilkins PA, Erb HN, Butt M.We hypothesized that xanthine oxidase plays a role in the postischemic reperfusion injury in the equine small intestine. Under anesthesia, four horses and two ponies underwent ischemic strangulating obstructions of segments of the proximal jejunum, mid-jejunum and ileum. Prior to vascular occlusion, and at 1 h and 2 h of ischemia, full-thickness intestinal biopsies were collected for histopathological evaluation and for determination of combined xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) plus xanthine oxidase (XO) activity, and XO activity alone. The level of XO activity was expressed in percentage accordin...
Alford P, Geller S, Richrdson B, Slater M, Honnas C, Foreman J, Robinson J, Messer M, Roberts M, Goble D, Hood D, Chaffin M.Risk factors for equine laminitis were examined in a prospective case-control study of the 258 cases seen at six collaborating veterinary teaching hospitals over a 32-month period. Case-control pairs were matched on institution, clinician, and season of diagnosis. The 90% of case-control pairs (78 acute, 155 chronic) that had complete data for age, gender, and breed were used in separate conditional logistic-regression models for acute and chronic laminitis. There was an increase in risk for horses with acute laminitis from 5 to 7 years of age (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.3-16) and from 13 to 31 years of...
Paltrinieri S, Giordano A, Villani M, Manfrin M, Panzani S, Veronesi MC.A field study was undertaken to investigate plasma protein electrophoresis (PPE) and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations at 1, 3 and 7 days of age in foals born by oxytocin-induced (group A, n =17) or spontaneous (group B, n =12) parturition. The putative diagnostic role of PPE and SAA in four septicaemic foals was also examined. At birth, beta-gamma-globulins were higher in group B, and then increased in both groups, probably due to colostrum intake. At day 3, no significant differences between the groups were detectable. In both groups, SAA values increased from day 0 to day 3, then decreas...
Wang L, Pawlak EA, Johnson PJ, Belknap JK, Alfandari D, Black SJ.Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are hypothesized to degrade structurally important components of the laminar extracellular matrix (ECM) in horses with laminitis. Objective: To compare levels of expression of stromelysin-1 (MMP-3), collagenases (MMP-1, -13), and membrane type-MMPs (MMP-14, -15, -16), and the distribution of their ECM substrates, in laminae of healthy horses and horses with carbohydrate overload laminitis. Methods: Twenty-five adult horses. Methods: Gene and protein expression were determined in extracts of laminae using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Weste...
Studdert MJ, Hartley CA, Dynon K, Sandy JR, Slocombe RF, Charles JA, Milne ME, Clarke AF, El-Hage C.Five of 10 pregnant, lactating mares, each with a foal at foot, developed neurological disease. Three of them became recumbent, developed complications and were euthanased; of the two that survived, one aborted an equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1)-positive fetus 68 days after the first signs were observed in the index case and the other gave birth to a healthy foal on day 283 but remained ataxic and incontinent. The diagnosis of EHV-1 myeloencephalitis was supported by postmortem findings, PCR identification of the virus and by serological tests with an EHV-1-specific ELISA. At the time of the...
Valberg SJ, McKenzie EC, Eyrich LV, Shivers J, Barnes NE, Finno CJ.Although exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is common in Arabian horses, there are no dedicated studies describing histopathological characteristics of muscle from Arabian horses with ER. Objective: To prospectively identify distinctive histopathological features of muscle from Arabian endurance horses with a history of ER (pro-ER) and to retrospectively determine their prevalence in archived samples from Arabian horses with exertional myopathies (retro-ER). Methods: Prospective and retrospective histopathological description. Methods: Middle gluteal muscle biopsies obtained from Arabian controls ...
Stahlbaum CC, Houpt KA.The role of the Flehmen response in equine behavior was investigated under field and laboratory conditions. In Experiment 1, a field study made of five stallions on pasture with between three and eighteen mares each during the season indicated the following: 1) The Flehmen response was most frequently preceded by nasal, rather than oral, investigation of substances; 2) The stallions' rate of Flehmen varied with the estrous cycles of the mares; 3) The rate of Flehmen response did not show a variation with time of day; and 4) The Flehmen response was most frequently followed by marking behaviors...
Fortuna PRJ, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Ovchinnikov DA, Wolvetang EJ, Whitworth DJ.Horses are susceptible to a number of neurotropic viruses, including West Nile virus (WNV), which is a pathogen of global significance in both horses and humans. However, there are no in vitro models with which to study infectious neuropathic diseases in the horse. In an effort to redress this, we have generated neurons from equine induced pluripotent stem cells (equiPSCs) that express a range of cortical neuron-specific markers, in addition to the membrane-bound ligand ephrin B3, which plays an important role in axon guidance as well as functioning as the receptor through which henipaviruses,...
Lyons ET, Kuzmina TA, Tolliver SC, Collins SS.Early development and maturation of species of small strongyles have not been studied extensively. Most information is on the first appearance of strongyle eggs in feces of foals. However, species cannot be determined in this manner because of similarity of the morphological features of the eggs. To determine more definitive knowledge on development and species composition of natural infections of small strongyles, eight equid foals were necropsied and examined at various ages (31 to 92 days of age). The entire contents of the large intestine were examined, and all worms (6,671) recovered were...
Daurio CP, Holste JE, Andrews FM, Merritt AM, Blackford JT, Dolz F, Thompson DR.In a multicentre trial, 13 cannulated horses were treated orally once daily with a paste that delivered omeprazole at a dose of 4 and 5 mg/kg bwt in a 2-period crossover design to evaluate steady state gastric acid suppression. In each period, basal (unstimulated) and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric output were evaluated at 5-8 h after 5 doses, at 13-16 h after 10 doses, and at 21-24 h after 15 doses. Baseline data for gastric acid secretion were collected once for each horse in the month prior to initiation of omeprazole treatment. The inhibition of gastric acid secretion relative to baseline...
van der Harst MR, Bull S, Laffont CM, Klein WR.The aminoglycoside gentamicin is often used in equine practice. Despite its clinical use, concerns remain regarding the potential toxic side-effects, such as nephrotoxicity, in equine patients, particularly after repeated dosing. The aim of the study was to investigate first in vitro the mechanisms contributing to the renal toxicity of gentamicin and to identify sensitive biomarkers indicating proximal tubule damage. To this end, the kidney-derived cell lines LLC-PKI and MDCK were treated with gentamicin at different concentrations. Toxicity was assessed by measuring the release of gamma-gluta...
Rhee HS, Steel CM, Derksen FJ, Robinson NE, Hoh JF.We used immunohistochemistry to examine myosin heavy-chain (MyHC)-based fiber-type profiles of the right and left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) and arytenoideus transversus (TrA) muscles of six horses without laryngoscopic evidence of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN). Results showed that CAD and TrA muscles have the same slow, 2a, and 2x fibers as equine limb muscles, but not the faster contracting fibers expressing extraocular and 2B MyHCs found in laryngeal muscles of small mammals. Muscles from three horses showed fiber-type grouping bilaterally in the TrA muscles, but only in the le...
Brooks DE, Andrew SE, Dillavou CL, Ellis G, Kubilis PS.To evaluate in vitro susceptibility to topical antifungal medications, as measured by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50%), of fungal isolates from horses with ulcerative keratomycosis in Florida; to compare results with those of other studies to identify differences in susceptibility patterns among fungi isolated from horses in different geographic regions; and to note indications of fungal resistance to drugs tested in other studies. Methods: Corneal fungal cultures from client-owned horses from Florida with ulcerative keratomycosis (n = 22). Method...
Marlo TL, Giuliano EA, Sharma A, Mohan RR.To develop an ex vivo equine corneal organ culture model. Specifically, to assess the equine cornea's extracellular matrix and cellularity after 7 days using two different culture techniques: either (i) immersion system or (ii) air/liquid interface system, to determine the best ex vivo equine corneal model. Methods: Fourteen healthy equine corneas of various breeds. Methods: Equine corneas with 2 mm of perilimbal sclera were freshly harvested from 7 horses undergoing humane euthanasia. One corneal-scleral ring (CSR) from each horse was randomly placed in the (i) immersion condition organ cultu...
Cappelli K, Mecocci S, Capomaccio S, Beccati F, Palumbo AR, Tognoloni A, Pepe M, Chiaradia E.Physical exercise has been associated with the modulation of micro RNAs (miRNAs), actively released in body fluids and recognized as accurate biomarkers. The aim of this study was to measure serum miRNA profiles in 18 horses taking part in endurance competitions, which represents a good model to test metabolic responses to moderate intensity prolonged efforts. Serum levels of miRNAs of eight horses that were eliminated due to metabolic unbalance (Non Performer-NP) were compared to those of 10 horses that finished an endurance competition in excellent metabolic condition (Performer-P). Circulat...
Martig S, Hitchens PL, Lee PVS, Whitton RC.Subchondral bone injuries often precede articular cartilage damage in osteoarthritis and are common in thoroughbred racehorses due to the accumulation of fatigue damage from high speed racing and training. Thus, racehorses provide a model to investigate the role of subchondral bone in joint disease. We assessed the association of horse and racing related factors and micro-CT based micromorphology of three separate subchondral bone layers with the initial stiffness and compressive fatigue life of bone plugs. Furthermore, we investigated three different definitions of fatigue failure of subchond...
Kyaw-Tanner M, Pollitt CC.The dysadhesion and destruction of lamellar basement membrane of laminitis may be due to increased lamellar metalloproteinase activity. Characterising lamellar metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and locating it in lamellar tissues may help determine if laminitis pathology is associated with increased MMP-2 transcription. Objective: To clone and sequence the cDNA encoding lamellar MMP-2, develop antibody and in situ hybridisation probes to locate lamellar MMP-2 and quantitate MMP-2 transcription in normal and laminitis tissue. Methods: Total RNA was isolated, fragmented by RT-PCR, cloned into vector a...
Leemans B, Stout TAE, Soom AV, Gadella BM.Procaine directly triggers pH-dependent cytokinesis in equine oocytes and induces hypermotility in stallion spermatozoa, an important event during capacitation. However, procaine-induced hyperactivated motility is abolished when sperm is washed to remove the procaine prior to sperm-oocyte co-incubation. To understand how procaine exerts its effects, the external Ca2+ and Na+ and weak base activity dependency of procaine-induced hyperactivation in stallion spermatozoa was assessed using computer-assisted sperm analysis. Percoll-washed stallion spermatozoa exposed to Ca2+-depleted (+2 mM EGTA) p...
Haussler KK, Manchon PT, Donnell JR, Frisbie DD.Low-level laser therapy has been used clinically to treat musculoskeletal pain; however, there is limited evidence available to support its use in treating back pain in horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of low-level laser therapy and chiropractic care in treating thoracolumbar pain in competitive western performance horses. The subjects included 61 Quarter Horses actively involved in national western performance competitions judged to have back pain. A randomized, clinical trial was conducted by assigning affected horses to either laser therapy, chi...
Hamlen HJ, Timoney JF, Bell RJ.A 2-phase study was performed to characterize the effects of Streptococcus equi infection in unexposed and previously exposed foals. In phase I, 22 weanling foals involved in a naturally occurring S equi epizootic were studied, along with a comparison group of 11 unexposed foals, matched for age, sex, and breed. Six months later (phase II), an epizootic was experimentally induced in previously exposed and unexposed foals from phase I. The prevalence and duration of clinical signs, the relative risk of developing disease, bacteriologic culture results, hematologic responses, and mucosal and ser...
Gadella BM, Rathi R, Brouwers JF, Stout TA, Colenbrander B.During sexual reproduction, the sperm and oocyte must fuse before the production of a diploid zygote can proceed. In mammals such as equids, fusion depends critically on complex changes in the plasma membrane of the sperm and, not surprisingly, this membrane differs markedly from that of somatic cells. After leaving the testes, sperm cease to synthesize plasma membrane lipids or proteins, and vesicle-mediated transport stops. When the sperm reaches the female reproductive tract, it is activated by so-called capacitation factors that initiate a delicate reorientation and modification of molecul...
Kamm JL, Riley CB, Parlane N, Gee EK, McIlwraith CW.Despite significant immunosuppressive activity, allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) carry an inherent risk of immune rejection when transferred into a recipient. In naïve recipients, this immune response is initially driven by the innate immune system, an immediate reaction to the foreign cells, and later, the adaptive immune system, a delayed response that causes cell death due to recognition of specific alloantigens by host cells and antibodies. This review describes the actions of MSCs to both suppress and activate the different arms of the immune system. We then review the surviva...
Fowlie JG, Arnoczky SP, Stick JA, Pease AP.By study of the translocation and deformation of equine menisci throughout the range of motion, it may be possible to identify potential mechanical factors in the pathogenesis of injury to the cranial horn of the medial meniscus. Objective: To quantitatively document meniscal translocation and deformation using radiographic and MR imaging, and to evaluate for potential variation between the medial and lateral menisci. Methods: Radiographic markers were embedded in the periphery of the menisci in 6 cadaver stifles. Proximal-distal radiographs were taken at 15° intervals ranging from full flexi...
