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.
Costa MC, Weese JS.This article provides readers with the basic concepts necessary to understand studies using recent molecular methods performed in intestinal microbiome assessment, with special emphasis on the high throughput sequencing. This review also summarizes the current knowledge on this topic and discusses future insights on the interaction between the intestinal microbiome and equine health.
Schoster A.Probiotics are commonly used in human and veterinary medicine due to their postulated positive effects on overall and specifically gastrointestinal health. Although some beneficial effects have been shown in several human diseases, a general beneficial effect of probiotics is currently not supported. In horses, well-designed studies to date are few, results are conflicting, and the effects of probiotics are questionable. Adverse effects are rare; however, intestinal adverse effects (diarrhea) have been reported in foals. Quality control of over-the-counter probiotics is not tightly regulated, ...
Lacitignola L, De Luca P, Imperante A, Tommasa SD, Crovace A.The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a single-portal endoscopic desmotomy of the PAL with the use of Arthrex - Centerline™. Ten horse distal front limbs from horses free of PAL disease were prepared for tenoscopy of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS). A dual-port endoscopic desmotomy with a hook knife was performed in 5 specimens (Group A) and single port Arthrex-Centerline™ Desmotomy was performed in another 5 specimens (Group B). The performing time, judgments of the surgeon, number of blade passages, and gross anatomy were evaluated. The performing time and surgeon judg...
Bullone M, Joubert P, Gagné A, Lavoie JP, Hélie P.The severe form of equine asthma is associated with pathological changes of the peripheral airways and pulmonary parenchyma that are only partly described. Also, the relationship between these structural alterations and the percentage of neutrophils found within the airway lumen, assessed by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology, remains ill-defined. Objective: To examine the histological lesions associated with equine asthma during disease exacerbation and remission, and their relationship with lung function and BALF neutrophilia. Methods: Observational retrospective study. Methods: Pe...
Rebordão MR, Amaral A, Lukasik K, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Pinto-Bravo P, Galvão A, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are DNA complexes carrying nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, such as elastase (ELA), cathepsin-G (CAT) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Mare endometrosis is a chronic degenerative process characterized by excessive collagen in endometrium. While NETs fight bacteria that cause endometritis, they may trigger endometrial fibrogenesis. The aim was to evaluate the in vitro effect of some NETs components on mare endometrial fibrogenesis and determine its relationship with histopathology or estrous cycle. Endometrial explants were incubated with NETs components (ELA, ...
Cribb NC, Arroyo LG.Diagnostic ultrasonography has been used as a test to determine the presence or absence of gastrointestinal disease in horses and foals. General techniques and anatomic landmarks are reviewed. Many clinical reports that have included diagnostic ultrasound as part of their diagnostic process and accuracy studies are necessary to determine the usefulness of diagnostic ultrasound in clinical practice.
Pfister K, van Doorn D.Regular anthelmintic treatment has contributed to anthelmintic resistance in horse helminths. This mass anthelmintic treatment was originally developed owing to a lack of larvicidal drugs against Strongylus vulgaris. The high prevalence of anthelmintic resistance and shortening of strongyle egg reappearance period after avermectins/moxidectins requires epidemiologically appropriate and sustainable measures. Selective anthelmintic treatment is a much-needed deworming approach: More than 50% of adult horses manifest no strongyle egg excretion. In this article, selective anthelmintic treatment pr...
Pritchard J, Upjohn M, Hirson T.Brooke is a non-government organisation with working equine welfare programmes across Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 2014, staff from ten country programmes were asked to identify 'no-win' situations (subsequently reframed as 'hard-wins')-where improving equine welfare is proving difficult, expensive and/or marginal-in order to inform strategic decisions on how to approach, manage and mitigate for such situations. The Delphi-type consultation process had three phases. Round 1 posed five questions in the form of a workshop, survey and semi-structured interviews. Round 2 re-presented key the...
Knowles EJ, Moreton-Clack MC, Shaw S, Harris PA, Elliott J, Menzies-Gow NJ.Analysis of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentration [ACTH] aids diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Comparisons of the validated chemiluminescent-immunoassay (CI) and immunofluorescent (IF) assays are limited. Objective: To compare the results of [ACTH] analysis by CI and IF methods of samples collected in autumn and spring and assess cross-reactivity. Methods: Method comparison. Methods: Plasma from nonlaminitic ponies was analysed concurrently using the IF and CI methods in autumn and the following spring. Diagnostic thresholds for the IF method were derived u...
Molín J, Asín J, Vitoria A, Sanz A, Gimeno M, Romero A, Sánchez J, Pinczowski P, Vázquez FJ, Rodellar C, Luján L.A 1-month-old Purebred Spanish Horse (PSH) foal presented with progressive hepatic failure culminating in death. Hepatic lesions were consistent with congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF). Genetic studies in the PKHD1 gene in the affected foal revealed that it was heterozygous for the 2 previously described single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to CHF in Swiss Franches-Montagnes (SFM) horses. In addition, 2 novel mutations were detected, the foal being homozygous for one of them and heterozygous for the other. Genetic studies in a healthy PSH population ( n = 35) showed a 3-fold higher gen...
Tóth F, Schumacher J.Repair of hernias of the abdominal wall of horses is often augmented by inserting a prosthetic mesh. In this review, we describe the various characteristics of prosthetic meshes used for hernia repair and present 2 systems that are used by surgeons in the human medical field to classify techniques of prosthetic mesh herniorrhaphy. Both of these classification systems distinguish between onlay, inlay, sublay, and underlay placements of mesh, based on the location within the abdominal wall in which the prosthetic mesh is inserted. We separate the published techniques of prosthetic mesh herniorrh...
Pérez-Marín CC, Requena FD, Arando A, Requena L, Requena F, Agüera EI.The aim of this study was to determine the effects of various abiotic factors, such as light, physical stress (pipetting) and thermal shock, on the quality of fresh and cooled equine sperm. In experiment I, four sperm aliquots were subjected to different light exposures: (i) protected control samples (CTRL), (ii) exposed to UV light at 10 cm (UV10), (iii) exposed to UV light at 20 cm (UV20) and (iv) exposed to laboratory lighting (LAB). In experiment II, four semen aliquots were subjected to repeated pipetting for 0, 10, 20 and 30 times (CTRL, P10, P20 and P30, respectively). In experiment I...
Waraksa E, Wójtowicz-Zawadka M, Kwiatkowska D, Jarek A, Małkowska A, Wrzesień R, Namieśnik J.A novel assay for the simultaneous determination of ibuprofen (IBU) and its four probable metabolites, 1-hydroxyibuprofen (1-OH IBU), 2-hydroxyibuprofen (2-OH IBU), 3-hydroxyibuprofen (3-OH IBU) and carboxyibuprofen (CBX IBU) in equine urine samples with the application of Gas Chromatography-Electron Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) has been developed and elaborated. The new approach for sample preparation including minimizing matrix effects by the application of weak cation exchange solid-phase extraction together with strong cation exchange solid-phase extraction has been applied. The...
Stegelmeier BL, Davis TZ.Because most poisonings occur by toxin ingestion, the gastrointestinal system is the first exposed and, in most cases, it is exposed to the highest toxin concentrations. Consequently, enterocyte damage is common. However, because many toxins produce organ-specific damage, and enterocyte necrosis is easily confused with autolysis, many gastrointestinal lesions are overlooked or overshadowed by other clinical and pathologic changes. The objective of this work is to review several common toxins and poisonous plants that produce primarily gastrointestinal disease.
Leise B.Equine laminitis is a devastating disease in which failure of the adhesion between the digital dermal and epidermal laminae at the basement membrane results in crippling lameness and structural damage to the foot of the horse. Laminitis occurring secondary to sepsis is known to result from a significant inflammatory response that includes leukocyte emigration into the lamellar tissue. These leukocytes, in particular the neutrophil, have been extensively evaluated in experimental models of sepsis-related laminitis in the horse. This review will discuss the relevant findings elucidated from thes...
McGorum BC, Pirie RS.Equine dysautonomia (ED; also known as equine grass sickness) is a neurological disease of unknown cause, which primarily affects grazing adult horses. The clinical signs reflect degeneration of specific neuronal populations, predominantly within the autonomic and enteric nervous systems, with disease severity and prognosis determined by the extent of neuronal loss. This review is primarily focused on the major clinical decision-making processes in relation to ED, namely, (1) clinical diagnosis, (2) selection of appropriate ancillary diagnostic tests, (3) obtaining diagnostic confirmation, (4)...
Robinson C, Frykberg L, Flock M, Guss B, Waller AS, Flock JI.The host-restricted pathogen Streptococcus equi causes strangles in the horse, which is characterised by abscessation of the lymph nodes of the head and neck. The disease is endemic throughout the world causing considerable welfare and economic cost to the horse industry. Here we report the results of three studies where ponies were vaccinated with combinations of recombinant fusion proteins to optimise vaccine production and the level of protection conferred. Optimal protection was conferred by a prototype multicomponent subunit vaccine, Strangvac 4, which contained eight proteins CNE, SclC, ...
Souza CRS, Farnsworth KD, Ragle CA.The objective of this study was to assess and compare the bursting pressure and mode of failure of a 2-strand continuous crossing suture pattern and a simple continuous suture pattern for closure of the equine linea alba. No difference in bursting strength or mode of failure was found between the 2 suture patterns. Comparaison de la force d’éclatement des incisions des sutures simples continues et des sutures croisées continues à deux fils pour la fermeture de la linea alba des équidés. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’évaluer et de comparer la pression d’éclatement et le mode d...
Leng J, Proudman C, Darby A, Blow F, Townsend N, Miller A, Swann J.Equine grass sickness (EGS) is a frequently fatal disease of horses, responsible for the death of 1 to 2% of the U.K. horse population annually. The etiology of this disease is currently uncharacterized, although there is evidence it is associated with Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin in the gut. Prevention is currently not possible, and ileal biopsy diagnosis is invasive. The aim of this study was to characterize the fecal microbiota and biofluid metabolic profiles of EGS horses, to further understand the mechanisms underlying this disease, and to identify metabolic biomarkers to aid in diagn...
Diaw M, Salgado RM, Canesin HS, Gridley N, Hinrichs K.Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an important tool for equine embryo production in both clinical and research settings. In clinical ICSI programs, immature equine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) are often collected at the mare's location and shipped to the ICSI laboratory. To simplify shipment and aid scheduling of subsequent procedures, COCs can be held overnight at room temperature (∼22 °C) before placement into maturation culture, with no detrimental effect on meiotic or developmental competence. A recent study indicated that it might be possible to hold COCs overnight at col...
Ferlazzo A, Cravana C, Fazio E, Medica P.In order to acquire a pattern of thyroid involvement in welfare maintenance in Ruminants and Equines, this review summarizes data concerning the reference values of total and free iodothyronines and their modifications in physiological conditions and in different management conditions (pregnancy, lactation, weaning, growth, isolation, restraint, shearing, confinement and transportation). Thyroidal and extrathyroidal tissues efficiently respond to management practices, giving a differentiated contribution to circulating iodothyronine changes. The hormonal response could be mainly attributed to ...
Branly T, Contentin R, Desancé M, Jacquel T, Bertoni L, Jacquet S, Mallein-Gerin F, Denoix JM, Audigié F, Demoor M, Galéra P.Articular cartilage is a tissue characterized by its poor intrinsic capacity for self-repair. This tissue is frequently altered upon trauma or in osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative disease that is currently incurable. Similar musculoskeletal disorders also affect horses and OA incurs considerable economic loss for the equine sector. In the view to develop new therapies for humans and horses, significant progress in tissue engineering has led to the emergence of new generations of cartilage therapy. Matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation is an advanced 3D cell-based therapy that...
Bradbery AN, Coverdale JA, Vernon KL, Leatherwood JL, Arnold CE, Dabareiner RA, Kahn MK, Millican AA, Welsh TH.Seventeen yearling Quarter Horses were used in a randomized complete block design for a 56-d trial to determine ability of dietary CLA to mitigate joint inflammation and alter cartilage turnover following an inflammatory insult. Horses were blocked by age, sex, and BW, and randomly assigned to dietary treatments consisting of commercial concentrate offered at 1% BW (as-fed) supplemented with either 1% soybean oil (CON; n = 6), 0.5% soybean oil and 0.5% CLA (LOW; n = 5; 55% purity; Lutalin, BASF Corp., Florham Park, NJ), or 1% CLA (HIGH; n = 6) top-dressed daily. Horses were fed individually ev...
May-Davis S, Brown WY, Shorter K, Vermeulen Z, Butler R, Koekkoek M.The Dutch Konik is valued from a genetic conservation perspective and also for its role in preservation of natural landscapes. The primary management objective for the captive breeding of this primitive horse is to maintain its genetic purity, whilst also maintaining the nature reserves on which they graze. Breeding selection has traditionally been based on phenotypic characteristics consistent with the breed description, and the selection of animals for removal from the breeding program is problematic at times due to high uniformity within the breed, particularly in height at the wither, colo...
Anderson ST, Kidd LJ, Barton AJ, Greer RM.Breeding mares typically foal yearly. Little is known about the dynamics of maternal bone stores during gestation and lactation, the timing of any maternal bone mobilisation, re-accretion post-foaling, or the dynamics of bone metabolism in foals. We measured serum osteocalcin (OC) and serum pyridinoline (PYD) concentrations in 18 mares monthly from 6months gestation to foaling, and in both mares and foals for 4months after birth. From 6 to 11months of gestation, there was no change in mean monthly OC. Serum PYD increased between 7months gestation and foaling. After foaling, mean serum OC was l...
Calzetta L, Rogliani P, Pistocchini E, Mattei M, Cito G, Alfonsi P, Page C, Matera MG.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a main characteristic of horses with severe equine asthma syndrome. The presence of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the airways of horses is thought to play a crucial role in the clinical expression of this disorder. This study pharmacologically characterized the effect of LPS on the responsiveness of equine bronchial tissue. Equine isolated bronchi were incubated overnight with LPS (0.1-100 ng/ml) and then stimulated by electrical field stimulation (EFS). The role of capsaicin sensitive-sensory nerves (capsaicin desensitization treatment), neuroki...
Serra Bragança FM, Rhodin M, van Weeren PR.Quantitative gait analysis has the potential to offer objective and unbiased gait information that can assist clinical decision-making. In recent years, a growing number of gait analysis systems have come onto the market, highlighting the demand for such technology in equine orthopaedics. However, it is imperative that the measured variables which are used as outcome parameters are supported by scientific evidence and that the interpretation of such measurements is backed by a proper understanding of the biomechanical principles of equine locomotion. This review, which is based on studies on e...
Marycz K, Michalak I, Kornicka K.Horses metabolic disorders have become an important problem of modern veterinary medicine. Pathological obesity, insulin resistance and predisposition toward laminitis are associated with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS). Based on pathogenesis of EMS, dietary and cell therapy management may significantly reduce development of this disorder. Special attention has been paid to the diet supplementation with highly bioavailable minerals and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) which increase insulin sensitivity. In nutrition, there is a great interests in natural algae enriched via biosorption process with...
Tessier GJ, Traynor TR, Kannan MS, O'Grady SM.Equine tracheal epithelium, stripped of serosal muscle, mounted in Ussing chambers, and bathed in plasmalike Ringer solution generates a serosa-positive transepithelial potential of 10-22 mV and a short-circuit current (Isc) of 70-200 microA/cm2. Mucosal amiloride (10 microM) causes a 40-60% decrease in Isc and inhibits the net transepithelial Na flux by 95%. Substitution of Cl with gluconate resulted in a 30% decrease in basal Isc. Bicarbonate substitution with 20 mM N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid decreased the Isc by 21%. The Cl-dependent Isc was inhibited by serosal add...
Galvão A, Skarzynski DJ, Szóstek A, Silva E, Tramontano A, Mollo A, Mateus L, Ferreira-Dias G.Knowledge on the regulation of corpus luteum (CL) function in the mare is scarce. In this study, the presence of cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and interferon gamma (IFNG), and their receptors (TNFRI, TNFRII and IFNRI), was investigated in equine CL throughout the luteal phase. The effects of TNF and IFNG on secretory function and viability of luteal cells were defined in vitro. Cytokine ligands and receptors were present in steroidogenic and endothelial cells. Protein expression for TNF was greater in mid-phase and regressing CL, while TNFRI was increased in regressing CL and TNF...
Vos NJ.Data are lacking in the literature regarding the incidence of osteochondrosis (dissecans) [OC(D)] in relation to lameness evaluation in Dutch Warmblood horses. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the incidence of radiological abnormalities consistent with osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis dissecans in 1,231 sound Dutch Warmblood (DW) horses presented for pre-purchase examination. Standardised (Dutch) pre-purchase examination protocols were evaluated. The pre-purchase examination included a clinical, lameness and radiological evaluation, performed at a private equine clinic...
Dória RG, Carvalho MB, Freitas SH, Laskoski LM, Colodel EM, Mendonça FS, Silva MA, Grigoletto R, Fantinato Neto P.Treatment for horses with pythiosis of a limb is challenging. This study aims to evaluate the effects of administering amphotericin B in a 10 % solution of dimethylsulfoxide by intravenous regional limb perfusion (IRLP) to treat horses for cutaneous pythiosis of a limb. Results: All 15 of the horses treated had complete resolutions of their lesion between 6 to 9 weeks after a single IRLP treatment. No complications were observed at the site of venipuncture for IRLP. Before initiation of treatment, there was anemia and marked leucocytosis which resolved following treatment. Serum biochemistry ...
Gross A, Torge A, Schaefer UF, Schneider M, Lehr CM, Wagner C.Native horse mucus is characterized with micro- and macrorheology and compared to hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gel as a model. Both systems show comparable viscoelastic properties on the microscale and for the HEC the macrorheology is in good agreement with the microrheology. For the mucus, the viscoelastic moduli on the macroscale are several orders of magnitude larger than on the microscale. Large amplitude oscillatory shear experiments show that the mucus responds nonlinearly at much smaller deformations than HEC. This behavior fosters the assumption that the mucus has a foam like structure ...
Kawaoka Y, Webster RG.A severe influenza outbreak occurred in horses in South Africa in 1986. The causative agent was identified as an influenza virus [A/Equine/Johannesburg/86 (H3N8)]. Antigenic analyses of the hemagglutinin (HA) with ferret antisera and monoclonal antibodies showed that the Eq/Johannesburg/86 virus is similar to recent equine H3 viruses. The nucleotide sequence analysis on the HA genes of Eq/Johannesburg/86 and other equine H3 influenza viruses, together with the epidemiological data, clearly demonstrated that the Eq/Johannesburg/86 virus was derived from a virus that had been circulating in hors...
Blythe LL, Craig AM, Lassen ED, Rowe KE, Appell LH.Plasma alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) values were monitored serially in 9 foals sired by a stallion with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) and in 5 age-matched control foals (sired by a clinically normal stallion) raised in the same environment for the first year of life. Clinical evaluation determined that 8 of the 9 foals sired by the stallion with EDM had neurologic deficits consistent with the disease on one or more occasions during the study period, whereas control foals had normal gait. From 6 weeks to 10 months of age, plasma alpha-tocopherol values in foals with signs of EDM ...
Sabattini MS, Monath TP, Mitchell CJ, Daffner JF, Bowen GS, Pauli R, Contigiani MS.This is the introductory paper to a series on the ecology of arboviruses in Argentina. Epizootics of equine encephalitis have occurred since at least 1908, principally in the Pampa and Espinal biogeographic zones, with significant economic losses; human cases of encephalitis have been rare or absent. Both western equine and eastern equine encephalitis viruses have been isolated from horses during these epizootics, but the mosquitoes responsible for transmission have not been identified. A number of isolations of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus were reported between 1936 and 1958 in ...
Miglio A, Morelli C, Gialletti R, Lauteri E, Sforna M, Marenzoni ML, Antognoni MT.The clinical, histological, and immunophenotypic findings are presented for 4 horses affected by different types of lymphoma. Diagnoses of a monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma, a diffuse splenic large B-cell lymphoma, a peripheral T-cell lymphoma, and a T-cell rich large B-cell lymphoma of the third eyelid were made. Constatations cliniques et immunophénotypiques pour quatre formes de lymphomes équins. Les constatations cliniques, histologiques et immunophénotypiques sont présentées pour quatre chevaux affectés par différents types de lymphome. Des diagnostics d’un...
Hahn CN, Mayhew IG, de Lahunta A.Equine grass sickness (EGS) is an acquired disease of unknown aetiology affecting horses kept at grass. The disease is characterised by postganglionic sympathetic and parasympathetic neuronal pathology and is categorised as a dysautonomia. This study undertook a systematic examination of brain stem cranial nerve nuclei in 59 cases of EGS. Pathology consisting of neuronal chromatolysis was most consistently noted in the lower motor neurons of the general visceral efferent nucleus of CN III and X and the general somatic efferent nuclei of CN III, V, VII and XII. The prevalence of chromatolysis d...
Moreira JJ, Moraes AP, Brossi PM, Machado TS, Michelacci YM, Massoco CO, Baccarin RY.This experimental controlled study was performed to evaluate the composition of autologous processed plasma (APP), and the effects of APP intra-articular injection into healthy equine metacarpophalangeal joints. The effects on joints were analysed with a short-phase protocol and a prolonged-phase protocol using saline-injected joints as controls. For the short protocol, horses received one intra-articular APP injection. Synovial fluid samples were collected prior to the injection and 3, 6, 24, 48, and 16 h after treatment. For the prolonged protocol, the joints received three weekly injections...
Petersen SL, Botes C, Olivier A, Guthrie AJ.Laser therapy is used in many countries, including South Africa, for the treatment of skin wounds. Low level galium aluminium arsenide (GaAlAs) laser was administered to full thickness skin wounds (3 x 3 cm) induced surgically on the dorsal aspect of the metacarpophalangeal joints of 6 crossbred horses in a randomised, blind, controlled study. Treated wounds that received a daily laser dosage of 2 J/cm2 were compared with nontreated control wounds on the opposite leg. There were no wound complications. Both groups of wounds were cleaned daily using tap water. Wound contraction and epithelialis...
Braverman Y, Ungar-Waron H, Frith K, Adler H, Danieli Y, Baker KP, Quinn PJ.A survey of sweet itch in horses in Israel based on a questionnaire to owners reported that 158 of 723 horses (21.8 per cent) had sweet itch lesions. The results indicated that the likelihood of a horse acquiring sweet itch decreased with increasing altitude but no definite association with rainfall zones was evident. Variation in the density of the horse population, however, obscured these observations. In the population surveyed, stallions were more sensitive than mares and pale horses appeared to be less sensitive than dark ones, but the sample size of this latter group was much smaller. In...
Ermers C, McGilchrist N, Fenner K, Wilson B, McGreevy P.Failure to meet the minimum forage requirement of 1.5% of the horse's bodyweight and the opportunity for foraging for a minimum of 8 h a day (not going without this opportunity longer than four to five consecutive hours) can have both physiological and behavioural consequences. To provide an energy source for horses, rations often include starch rather than fibre. This can result in health issues related to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in the horse. In the stomach, the main concern is equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) and, more specifically, equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). Ulcer...
van den Enden MS, Dixon PM.Examination of 110 cheek teeth (CT) that were clinically extracted (between 2004 and 2008) because of apical infection (n=79; mean dental age 3.5 years) or idiopathic CT fractures (n=31; median dental age 8.5 years), including examinations of transverse and longitudinal sections, showed the apical infections to be mainly (68%) due to anachoresis, with the residual cases caused by periodontal spread, infundibular caries spread, fissure fractures and dysplasia. The idiopathic fracture patterns were similar to previously described patterns. Occlusal pulpar exposure was found in 32% of apically in...
Alpoim-Moreira J, Fernandes C, Rebordão MR, Amaral A, Pinto-Bravo P, Bliebernicht M, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Inflammation and fibroproliferative diseases may be modulated by epigenetic changes. Therefore, we suggest that epigenetic mechanisms could be involved in equine endometrosis pathogenesis. DNA methylation is one of the methods to evaluate epigenetics, through the transcription of methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B). The correlation between DNMTs and collagen (COL) transcripts was assessed for the different Kenney and Doig's (Current Therapy in Theriogenology. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 1986) endometrium categories. Endometrial biopsies were randomly collected from cyclic mares. Histolog...
Hamza E, Akdis CA, Wagner B, Steinbach F, Marti E.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is a recurrent allergic dermatitis of horses with similarities to human atopic eczema, caused by bites of insects of the genus Culicoides. Previous studies suggested a dysregulated T cell tolerance to Culicoides allergen in IBH-affected horses. Objective: We have investigated whether the suppressive function of CD4(+) CD25(high) cells is impaired in IBH-affected horses and possible ways to restore it. Methods: CD4(+) CD25(-) cells sorted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated with irradiated autologous PBMC pulsed with Culicoides or te...
Musilova P, Kubickova S, Zrnova E, Horin P, Vahala J, Rubes J.Using laser microdissection we prepared a set of horse chromosome arm-specific probes. Most of the probes were generated from horse chromosomes, some of them were derived from Equus zebra hartmannae. The set of probes were hybridized onto E. grevyi chromosomes in order to establish a genome-wide chromosomal correspondence between this zebra and horse. The use of arm-specific probes provided us with more information on the mutual arrangement of the genomes than we could obtain by means of whole-chromosome paints generated by flow sorting, even if we used reciprocal painting with probe sets from...
Clayton HM.High speed cinematography was used to describe the stride kinematics in a group of six, sound horses subjected to two farriery treatments, designated 'normal' and 'acute' hoof angulation. Normal was defined as having the dorsal hoof wall aligned with the pastern axis, whereas the acute hoof angulation was approximately 10 degrees lower than the normal angle for the individual horse. The acute angle was achieved by allowing the toes to grow relatively longer than the heels. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences between the two farriery treatments in t...
Björnsdóttir S, Axelsson M, Eksell P, Sigurdsson H, Carlsten J.The prevalence of degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the distal tarsal joints and the relation between radiographic and clinical signs compatible with the disease were estimated in a population of Icelandic horses used for riding. The material consisted of 614 horses age 6-12 years (mean age = 7.9 years). Radiographs with 3 projections of each tarsus were made and a clinical examination, including palpation of the medial aspect of the distal tarsus and motion evaluation of the hindlimbs before and after a flexion test of the tarsus, was performed. Radiographic signs of DJD in the distal tarsa...
Schambourg MA, Farley JA, Marcoux M, Laverty S.Transrectal ultrasonography is a reliable technique to identify intra-abdominal testes, but can be hazardous or impractical in fractious, juvenile or small equids. The transabdominal approach therefore requires validation. Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of transabdominal ultrasonography to localise cryptorchid testes. Methods: Thirty-eight horses admitted for cryptorchidism underwent transabdominal ultrasonography to locate errant testes. Location of the testes was confirmed during surgery (n = 37) or necropsy (n = 1). Results: Horses weighed 175-760 kg. Twenty-two test...
Balasuriya UB, Evermann JF, Hedges JF, McKeirnan AJ, Mitten JQ, Beyer JC, McCollum WH, Timoney PJ, MacLachlan NJ.A virus isolated from an aborted equine fetus was determined to be antigenically distinct from several other strains of equine arteritis virus (EAV) by use of a neutralization assay with a large panel of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. The virus was readily neutralized by polyclonal equine anti-EAV serum. Comparative nucleotide and amino acid sequence analyses indicated that the virus (WA97) isolated from the aborted fetus was virtually identical to a virus (S1971) isolated from imported semen used to inseminate another mare on the farm. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the WA97/S1971 ...
Finno CJ, Stevens C, Young A, Affolter V, Joshi NA, Ramsay S, Bannasch DL.Horses belong to the order Perissodactyla and bear the majority of their weight on their third toe; therefore, tremendous force is applied to each hoof. An inherited disease characterized by a phenotype restricted to the dorsal hoof wall was identified in the Connemara pony. Hoof wall separation disease (HWSD) manifests clinically as separation of the dorsal hoof wall along the weight-bearing surface of the hoof during the first year of life. Parents of affected ponies appeared clinically normal, suggesting an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. A case-control allelic genome wide associat...
Albano AP, Klafke GB, Brandolt TM, Da Hora VP, Nogueira CE, Xavier MO, Meireles MC.Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of the major systemic mycosis in Brazil, called paracoccidioidomycosis. Although the Rio Grande do Sul is considered an endemic area of the disease, there are few studies on the ecology of P. brasiliensis in the state. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the infection of P. brasiliensis in horses from the mesoregion of Southwest Riograndense, using these animals as sentinels. Serological techniques, such as double immunodiffusion in agar gel (AGID) and indirect ELISA, were performed to detect the anti-gp43 P. brasiliensis antibody in h...
Pusterla N, Mapes S, Johnson C, Slovis N, Page A, Gebhart C.The purpose of the current study was to compare the molecular detection rate of Lawsonia intracellularis between feces and rectal swabs collected from 42 foals with suspected equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). Fecal samples and rectal swabs were processed for DNA purification by using an automated extraction system. The purified DNA was then analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of the aspartate ammonia lyase (aspA) gene of L. intracellularis. Absolute quantitation was calculated by using a standard curve for L. intracellularis and expressed as copy number...
Kasapi MA, Gosline JM.Small-scale components of the equine hoof wall were tested to determine their mechanical roles in the morphological hierarchy. Macroscale tensile tests conducted on samples of the inner wall tubules and intertubular material showed a sixfold difference in mean initial stiffnesses (0.47 and 0.08 GPa, respectively), indicating that the inner wall tubules stiffen the wall along its longitudinal axis. The similarity in material properties of tubule and intertubular samples from the mid-wall suggests that tubules in this region offer only minor reinforcement along the longitudinal axis. Microscale ...
Shao H, Robek MD, Threadgill DS, Mankowski LS, Cameron CE, Fuller FJ, Payne SL.The macrophage tropic lentivirus, equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), encodes a dUTPase in the pol gene that is required for efficient replication in macrophages. Two naturally occurring variants of the enzyme were expressed as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli; metal chelate affinity chromatography was used to purify histidine-tagged recombinant enzymes to greater than 80% homogeneity in a single chromatographic step. Biochemical and enzymatic analyses of these preparations suggest that this method yields dUTPase that is suitable for detailed mutational analysis. Specific activities...
Murray MJ, Eichorn ES, Dubovi EJ, Ley WB, Cavey DM.Whole blood and serum were collected from foals to determine the prevalence of Equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV 2) infection in foals, age at which infection can first be identified and serological responses to infection. Equine herpesvirus type 2 was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 68 of 69 foals, 1-8-months-old, sampled once. Virus isolation was performed twice at intervals of 2-7 months on PBMCs from 33 foals and EHV2 was isolated on both occasions in all but one foal (negative, then positive). Regression analysis of log2-transformed reciprocal serum EHV2 virus ne...
Belda E, Blissitt KJ, Duncan JC, Laredo FG, Escobar Gil de Montes M, Clutton RE.To record the bispectral index (BIS) when horses moved during either halothane or sevoflurane anaesthesia and when they made volitional movements during recovery from these anaesthetics. Methods: Randomized prospective clinical study. Methods: Twenty-five client-owned horses undergoing surgery aged 8.8 (+/- 5.3; 1-19) years (mean +/- SD; range). Methods: Baseline BIS values were recorded before pre-anaesthetic medication (BIS(B)) and during anaesthesia (BIS(A)) maintained with halothane (group H; n = 12) or sevoflurane (group S; n =13) at approximately 0.8-0.9 x minimum alveolar concentrations...
Robin CA, Wylie CE, Wood JL, Newton JR.Detailed knowledge of horse populations can better facilitate effective control of equine diseases. Preliminary studies were undertaken to ascertain the type of information held on the UK's National Equine Database (NED) and to determine the geographical resolution at which mandatorily recorded owner addresses might be a suitable proxy for predicting horse locations. Results indicated that relatively few UK passport-issuing organisations requested details of where horses were kept in addition to owner address details. Examination of data on 1440 horses held on an Animal Health Trust syndromic ...
