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.
Lavagnino M, Madison J, Williams MR, Arnoczky SP.To determine if regional variations in strain patterns occur within the suspensory ligament under tensile load. Local increases in strain may put certain regions of the suspensory ligament at risk and may explain the poor healing and high recurrence rates associated with suspensory branch injuries. Methods: The suspensory ligament and its bone attachments were isolated from each of 10 adult equine cadaveric forelimbs and radiodense reference beads were inserted throughout the length of the ligament. Specimens were attached to a custom fixture secured to a materials testing system. Radiographs ...
López-Sanromán FJ, Gómez Cisneros D, Varela del Arco M, Santiago Llorente I, Santos González M.The aim of the present study was to quantify by accelerometry the trotting pattern of adult horses sedated with two different doses of acepromazine, in order to assess the use of this drug in equine lameness evaluations. Methods: Seven mature horses were used and three treatments were administered to each horse: saline solution, acepromazine (0.01 mg/kg), and acepromazine (0.02 mg/kg). The portable gait analyzer used consisted of three orthogonal accelerometers that measure accelerations along the dorsoventral, longitudinal, and lateral axes. Baseline values were obtained and after treatment, ...
Raeside JI, Christie HL, Betteridge KJ.Steroid production and metabolism by early conceptuses are very important for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in horses. Our earlier work suggested the possible formation of 5alpha-reduced steroids in equine conceptuses. We have now demonstrated the formation of 5alpha-reduced metabolites of androstenedione, testosterone, and progesterone by the embryo and its membranes. A total of 44 conceptuses were collected from 26 mares between 20 and 31 days of pregnancy. Tissues from the embryo proper and from the separated components of the conceptus (bilaminar and trilaminar trophoblast...
Rech R, Barros C.This article focuses on the gross examination of the brain and spinal cord and outlines the main lesions and neuroanatomic location related to neurologic diseases in horses.
Bauer BS.Although not comprehensive of all ocular conditions in the equine species, this article concentrates on various ophthalmic conditions observed in the horse where laboratory diagnostics are recommended. The importance of laboratory diagnostic testing cannot be underestimated with equine ophthalmic disease. In many cases, laboratory diagnostics can aid in obtaining an early diagnosis and determining appropriate therapy, which in turn, can provide a better prognosis. In unfortunate cases where ocular disease results in a blind, painful eye necessitating enucleation, light microscopic evaluation i...
Proietto LR, Plummer CE, Maxwell KM, Lamb KE, Brooks DE.The purpose of this investigation was to identify potential environmental risk factors for the diagnosis of equine deep stromal abscesses (DSA) in the subtropical climate at the University of Florida Veterinary Medical Center (UFVMC). Methods: Cases included were selected from the UFVMC medical record and imaging database, and included all cases of equine DSA diagnosed during the period from December 1991 to December 2013 in patients residing in north central Florida. Patient date of diagnosis and atmospheric data was obtained for north central Florida for the corresponding time period. Univar...
Gaynor AM, Zhu KW, Dela Cruz FN, Affolter VK, Pesavento PA.Bovine papillomaviruses (BPV1/BPV2) have long been associated with equine sarcoids; deciphering their contribution has been difficult due to their ubiquitous presence on skin and in the environment, as well as the lack of decent techniques to interrogate their role in pathogenesis. We have developed and characterized an in situ hybridization (ISH) assay that uses a pool of probes complementary to portions of the E5, E6, and E7 genes. This assay is highly sensitive for direct visualization of viral transcript and nucleic acid in routinely processed histopathologic samples. We demonstrate here t...
Elnady FA, Sheta E, Khalifa AK, Rizk H.Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract (URT) is one of the minimally invasive techniques used for diagnosis and treatment of diseases in horses. Training in the use of an endoscope follows an apprenticeship approach, with extensive practice needed to help achieve effective skills acquisition. The use of live animals for training presents the risk of injury to both the animal and the trainee. The increased number of students and practitioners, a shortage of facilities, and limited time available from expert clinicians add more challenges to the training process. In this work, we focused on th...
Kinsley MA, Semevolos SA, Duesterdieck-Zellmer KF.The objective of this study was to elucidate gene and protein expression of Wnt signaling molecules in chondrocytes of foals having early osteochondrosis (OC) versus normal controls. The hypothesis was that increased expression of components of Wnt signaling pathway in osteochondral junction (OCJ) and cartilage canal (CC) chondrocytes would be found in early OC when compared to controls. Paraffin-embedded osteochondral samples (7 OC, 8 normal) and cDNA from whole cartilage (7 OC, 10 normal) and chondrocytes surrounding cartilage canals and osteochondral junctions captured with laser capture mi...
Pusterla N, Packham A, Mackie S, Kass PH, Hunyadi L, Conrad PA.Thirty-three foals from a farm with a high exposure rate to Sarcocystis neurona were assigned to either an untreated or a diclazuril-treated group. Treated foals received daily 0.5 mg/kg of diclazuril pellets from 1 to 12 months of age. Monthly blood was tested for IgG against S. neurona using the indirect fluorescent antibody test. Following ingestion of colostral antibodies to S. neurona, there was a steady and continuous decline in seroprevalence to S. neurona until foals from both groups reached weaning age. Thereafter, the untreated foal group showed a significant increase in monthly se...
Jones KE.The thoracolumbar region is clinically important in horses; however, the link between joint mobility and bony joint morphology has not been tested quantitatively. Objective: To establish which aspects of vertebral morphology correlate with ex vivo range of motion in the thoracolumbar region of Equus caballus, and demonstrate methodologies for linking vertebral form and function. Methods: Morphometric study of osteological specimens. Methods: A digital model was created of a disarticulated thoracolumbar region to examine bone-to-bone interactions during in silico bending. Linear measurements a...
Pozor M, Freeman D, Troedsson M, Brown M, Morton A, Smith A, McNaughten J.Fusion anomalies of the epididymis with the testis may be clinically relevant in horses. However, anatomical variations in epididymal-testicular fusion have not been classified, and their clinical significance is unknown. Objective: To describe anatomical variations and clinical significance of epididymal-testicular fusion in stallions. Methods: Anatomical study of testes from castrations, and description of 2 clinical cases with atypical epididymal-testicular fusion. Methods: A total of 104 testes were obtained from equine castrations. Eight patterns of epididymal-testicular fusion were ident...
Buzatti A, de Paula Santos C, Fernandes MA, Yoshitani UY, Sprenger LK, dos Santos CD, Molento MB.Horses can harbor a large amount of parasites that may cause serious clinical signs even death. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predatory activity of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans against infective larvae (L3) of gastrointestinal nematodes of horses in fecal culture. The experimental design was completely randomized with three treated groups (G1, G2 and G3) and one control (CG), using eight animals/group. The treated animals received G1: 1.5 × 10(5); G2: 3 × 10(5) and G3: 6 × 10(5) chlamydospores of D. flagrans/kg body weight during 21 days. The fungi preparation was give...
Underwood C, Pollitt CC, Metselaar JM, Laverman P, van Bloois L, van den Hoven JM, Storm G, van Eps AW.Liposomes are phospholipid nanoparticles used for targeted drug delivery. This study aimed to determine whether intravenous liposomes accumulate in lamellar tissue during laminitis development in horses so as to assess their potential for targeted lamellar drug delivery. Polyethylene-glycol (PEG) coated liposomes were prepared according to the film hydration method and labelled using (99m)Tc-hexamethyl-propylene-amine-oxime. Six horses received 10 g/kg oligofructose via nasogastric tube to induce laminitis, and four control horses received water via nasogastric tube. All horses received 300â...
Ono M, Akuzawa H, Nambo Y, Hirano Y, Kimura J, Takemoto S, Nakamura S, Yokota H, Himeno R, Higuchi T, Ohtaki T, Tsumagari S.A three-dimensional internal structure microscopy (3D-ISM) can clarify the anatomical arrangement of internal structures of equine ovaries. In this study, morphological changes of the equine ovary over the first 12 months of life were investigated by 3D-ISM in 59 fillies and by histological analysis in 2 fillies. The weight and volume of the paired ovaries initially decreased from 0 to 1 months to 2 to 3 months of age and then significantly increased at 8 to 12 months of age. The ovulation fossa was first observed around the 3rd month and became evident after the 6th month. The number of folli...
Giles C, Vanniasinkam T, Barton M, Mahony TJ.Equine adenovirus 2 (EAdV-2) is one of two serotypes of adenoviruses known to infect equines. Initial studies did not associate EAdV-2 infections with any specific clinical syndromes, although more recent evidence suggests that EAdV-2 may be associated with clinical and subclinical gastrointestinal infections of foals and adults respectively. In contrast, Equine adenovirus 1 is well recognised as a pathogen associated with upper respiratory tract infections of horses. In this study the complete genome sequence of EAdV-2 is reported. As expected, genes common to the adenoviruses were identified...
Hamond C, Pestana CP, Rocha-de-Souza CM, Cunha LE, Brandão FZ, Medeiros MA, Lilenbaum W.Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance, and has a worldwide distribution. Equine leptospirosis is commonly manifested by recurrent uveitis, reproductive disorders, as abortions, embryonic absorption, stillbirth and the birth of weak foals. The aim of this study was to verify the presence of Leptospira sp or its DNA in genital tract of mares with reproductive problems. A total of 38 mares with reproductive problems were studied. All the mares were sampled for blood (for serology), urine (for culturing and qPCR), vaginal fluid-VF and endometrial biopsy-EB (for culturing, qPCR a...
Żuraw A, Dietert K, Kühnel S, Sander J, Klopfleisch R.Evidence suggest there is a link between equine atypical myopathy (EAM) and ingestion of sycamore maple tree seeds. Objective: To further evaluate the hypothesis that the ingestion of hypoglycin A (HGA) containing sycamore maple tree seeds causes acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and might be associated with the clinical and pathological signs of EAM. Methods: Case report. Methods: Necropsy and histopathology, using hematoxylin and eosin and Sudan III stains, were performed on a 2.5-year-old mare that died following the development of clinical signs of progressive muscle stif...
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 ...
Socha W, Rola J, Żmudziński JF.The genetic stability of ORF1a encoding non-structural proteins nsp1, nsp2, nsp3 and nsp4 of equine arteritis virus (EAV) has been analysed for nearly seven years in a persistently infected stallion of the Malopolska breed. Between November 2004 and June 2011, 11 semen samples were collected. Viral RNA extracted from semen of this carrier stallion was amplified, sequenced and compared with the sequences of the other known strains of EAV. Sequence analysis of ORF1a showed 84 synonymous and 16 non-synonymous mutations. The most variable part of ORF1a was the region encoding nsp2 protein with 13 ...
Sokół R, Raś-Noryńska M, Michalczyk M, Jasiecka A, Ziółkowski H, Jaroszewski J.The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of ivermectin against Cyathostominae infections and to describe the drug's pharmacokinetic parameters during two seasonal deworming treatments in horses. The study was performed on warm-blooded mares aged 3-12 years weighing 450-550 kg. A single bolus of an oral paste formulation of ivermectin was administered at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg BW in spring and autumn. Fecal samples were tested before treatment and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75 days after treatment. Ivermectin concentrations in blood samples collected before treatment,...
Turek B, Potyński A, Wajler C, Szara T, Czopowicz M, Drewnowska O.Diaphyseal fractures of the III metacarpal bone represent 22% of all fractures of the long bones in horses. Treatment of such cases is difficult. The most popular solution used in these types of fractures is two plates applied directly to the bone surface, but they are not applicable on contaminated and infected fractures. External fixators are quite commonly used in human medicine, although in veterinary practice there is no typical stabilizer designed for the treatment of diaphyseal fractures of the III metacarpal bone so far. In this study, an external semicircular fixator of our own design...
Heim C, Pfau T, Gerber V, Schweizer C, Doherr M, Schüpbach-Regula G, Witte S.The diagnosis of equine back disorders is challenging. Objectively determining movement of the vertebral column may therefore be of value in a clinical setting. Objective: To establish whether surface-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) can be used to establish normal values for range of motion (ROM) of the vertebral column in a uniform population of horses trotting under different conditions. Methods: Vertebral ROM was established in Franches-Montagnes stallions and a general population of horses and the variability in measurements compared between the two groups. Repeatability and the ...
Herdan CL, Nicholson CL, Firth EC.The third carpal bone (C3) responds to exercise by adaptive modeling of bone and articular calcified cartilage along the dorsal load path. Canals penetrating articular calcified cartilage, thought to contain vascular tissue, are reported in numerous species. Their significance remains unclear. Our objective was to determine if the number of canals was significantly different in strenuously exercised and control young horses and in a site of intermittent high loading compared to sites sustaining lower habitual loads. Volumetric bone mineral density in the radial facet of C3 of strenuously exerc...
Janes JG, Garrett KS, McQuerry KJ, Waddell S, Voor MJ, Reed SM, Williams NM, MacLeod JN.Skeletal lesions in the articular processes of cervical vertebrae C2 to C7 were compared between Thoroughbred horses with cervical stenotic myelopathy (17 males, 2 females; age, 6-50 months) and controls (6 males, 3 females; age, 9-67 months). Lesions identified by magnetic resonance imaging occurred with an increased frequency and severity in diseased horses and were not limited to sites of spinal cord compression. Lesions involved both the articular cartilage and trabecular bone and were further characterized using micro-computed tomography and histopathology. The most common histologic lesi...
RÃos DL, López C, Carmona JU.To study, in normal cartilage explants (CEs) challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the temporal effects (at 48 and 96h) of leukocyte- and platelet-rich gel (L-PRG) and pure platelet-rich gel (P-PRG) supernatants on the production and degradation of platelet-associated growth factors (GFs) (platelet-derived GF isoform BB [PDGF-BB] and transforming growth factor beta-1 [TGF-β1]), pro-inflammatory (tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 4 [IL-4] and IL-1 receptor antagonist [IL-1ra]). Methods: CEs from six horses were challenged with LPS and cultu...
Porcellato I, Mecocci S, Brachelente C, Cappelli K, Armando F, Tognoloni A, Chiaradia E, Stefanetti V, Mechelli L, Pepe M, Gialletti R, Passeri B....In horses, penile squamous cell carcinomas (epSCCs) are among the most common cutaneous neoplastic lesions. These tumors usually arise in benign lesions such as viral plaques and papillomas frequently induced by papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) infection. In the last decade, the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for the treatment of human cancers has demonstrated promising results. Among the most commonly targeted pathways, there is PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and CTLA-4 in the tumor microenvironment of ...
Tanner J, Spriet M, Espinosa-Mur P, Estell KE, Aleman M.Temporohyoid osteoarthropathy is a well-recognized cause of equine neurologic disease. Temporal bone fractures associated with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy have been recognized with CT, however, little information is available regarding these fractures. The aims of this retrospective analytical study were to assess the prevalence of these fractures and to describe the specific configurations and associated imaging and clinical features. Fracture of the temporal bone was identified with CT in 16 of 39 included horses. All fractures were unilateral, minimally displaced and extended through the ...
Rogers CW, Gee EK, Firth EC.To obtain initial baseline data on the management of Thoroughbred stud farms in the North Island of New Zealand. Methods: Data on the management of Thoroughbred stud farms were collected from a sample of 22 stud farms located in the south Auckland/Waikato region (n=15) and lower North Island (n=7) of New Zealand, using a face-to-face survey. The studmaster provided information on the size, scope and management of the farms during the 2004/2005 breeding season. Analysis was based on the location of the farm and size of the breeding operation (number of resident mares). Results: Effective farm s...
Corteggio A, Di Geronimo O, Roperto S, Roperto F, Borzacchiello G.Studies regarding the functions of the bovine papillomavirus (BPV) E7 oncoprotein in vivo are lacking and no E7-mediated mechanism underlying mesenchymal carcinogenesis is known. Here, we show that the interaction between the 600 kDa retinoblastoma protein-associated factor (p600) and BPV E7, described in vitro in cultured cells, takes place in vivo in naturally occurring equine sarcoids. In these cancers we detect the expression of E7 and p600, and demonstrate that E7 and p600 co-localize and physically interact. Furthermore, intracellular signals involved in p600 functional activity are foun...
Dühlmeier R, Deegen E, Fuhrmann H, Widdel A, Sallmann HP.To investigate the enteroinsular axis (EIA) in equines oral (oGTT) and intravenous (i.v.GTT) glucose tolerance tests (5.6 and 1 mmol glucose/kg BW, respectively) were performed with healthy, normal weight large horses and Shetland ponies. Plasma was analysed for concentrations of glucose, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and insulin. In all equines plasma GIP concentrations only increased significantly when glucose was administered orally. The insulin glucose ratio (IGR) was significantly higher during the oGTT than during the i.v.GTT in both races. Basal plasma glucose level...
Smith MR, Wright IM, Minshall GJ, Dudhia J, Verheyen K, Heinegård D, Smith RK.To evaluate digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) synovial fluid cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) concentrations as a molecular marker for intrathecal pathology. Methods: Case control study. Methods: Horses (n=46) with DFTS tenosynovitis; 23 fresh cadaver horses. Methods: DFTS synovial fluid samples were collected from clinical cases with noninfected DFTS tenosynovitis and from control DFTS. Clinical and surgical findings were recorded, and dissection of control limbs was performed to confirm the DFTS to be grossly normal. Synovial fluid COMP was quantified using a homologous competiti...
Borkent D, Reardon RJM, McLACHLAN G, Glendinning L, Dixon PM.Although, peripheral caries (PC) affects almost half of UK horses, no comprehensive microbiological study has been performed on this disorder. As a high proportion of oral bacteria cannot be conventionally cultured, molecular microbiological techniques such as Next Generation Sequencing are required to examine the complex oral bacteria community. Objective: To identify the microbiota involved in equine PC, including comparing microbiota at the more commonly and severely affected three caudal cheek teeth with the less commonly affected three rostral cheek teeth. Methods: Equine dental plaque sa...
Luo W, Sandy J, Trella K, Gorski D, Gao S, Li J, Brounts S, Galante J, Plaas A.Equine degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis (DSLD) in Peruvian Paso horses typically presents at 7-15 years and is characterized by lameness, focal disorganization of collagen fibrils, and chondroid deposition in the body of the ligament. With the aim of developing a test for disease risk (that can be used to screen horses before breeding) we have quantified the expression of 76 TGFβ-signaling target genes in adipose-derived stromal fibroblasts (ADSCs) from six DSLD-affected and five unaffected Paso horses. Remarkably, 35 of the genes showed lower expression (p<0.05) in cells from DSL...
Warnken T, Delarocque J, Schumacher S, Huber K, Feige K.Insulin dysregulation (ID) with basal or postprandial hyperinsulinemia is one of the key findings in horses and ponies suffering from the equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Assessment of ID can easily be performed in clinical settings by the use of oral glucose challenge tests. Oral glucose test (OGT) performed with 1Â g/kg bodyweight (BW) glucose administered via naso-gastric tube allows the exact administration of a defined glucose dosage in a short time. However, reliable cut-off values have not been available so far. Therefore, the aim of the study was to describe variations in insulin respo...
Votion DM, Serteyn D.Atypical myopathy (AM) is an acute rhabdomyolysis syndrome that occurs at irregular intervals in grazing equines. An increasing number of outbreaks have been reported in recent years, including some from countries where the disease has not previously been diagnosed. In this review, clinical and other details of outbreaks of AM are analysed to better define its epidemiological profile. Potential aetiologies are discussed, the short clinical course of AM is described and the main biochemical and pathological findings are considered. Recommendations for medical management are suggested, based on ...
McEwen SA, Hulland TJ.Thirteen horses with histories of exertional rhabdomyolysis were exercised for 20 minutes to induce clinical signs of lameness, elevated serum creatine kinase (CK), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities and skeletal muscle morphologic lesions. The clinical signs exhibited by affected horses included trembling, sweating, increased rate of respiration, and restricted limb movement. Serum CK reached maximal activity between 4 and 8 hours after the exercise period and serum AST activity peaked between 24 and 48 hours. Histologically, the skeletal muscle lesions in muscle biopsies 24 hour...
Hayes MA, Quinn BA, Keirstead ND, Katavolos P, Waelchli RO, Betteridge KJ.A critical period of early gestation in the mare involves the immobilization (fixation) of the encapsulated conceptus at around days 16-17. We compared the major proteins in the normal equine embryonic capsule and endometrial secretions around the period of fixation with those from pregnancies in the process of termination induced by administration of an analogue of prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (PGF(2 alpha)). Uterocalin and beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)M) associated with the embryonic capsule were proteolytically converted to smaller forms during the fixation period. These conversions were simil...
Marunova E, Dod L, Witte S, Pfau T.Visual evaluation of hindlimb lameness in the horse is challenging. Objective measurements, simultaneous to visual assessment, are used increasingly to aid clinical decision making. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of pelvic movement asymmetry with lameness scores (UK scale 0-10) of one experienced veterinarian. Absolute values of pelvic asymmetry measures, quantifying differences between vertical minima (AbPDMin), maxima (AbPDMax) and upward movement amplitudes (AbPDUp), were recorded during straight-line trot with a smartphone attached to the sacrum ( = 301 horses). O...
Dyson S, Pinilla MJ, Bolas N, Murray R.There have been no previous studies correlating high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings with gross and histological post-mortem examination in horses with hindlimb proximal suspensory desmopathy (PSD). Objective: To determine if adhesions between the suspensory ligament (SL) and adjacent tissues could be detected using high-field MRI and if collagen, adipose tissue and muscle pathology could be differentiated. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Nineteen horses with hindlimb PSD were humanely destroyed; 12 limbs of 11 horses with PSD underwent high-field MRI. All lame limbs wer...
Breathnach CC, Yeargan MR, Timoney JF, Allen GP.Immunological protection of horses from equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection and disease depends on the cooperation of virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. EHV-specific mucosal immunity may be an important component of such immune responses. This study demonstrates the induction of anti-EHV cytotoxic cellular immune responses in various mucosal and systemic lymphoid tissues associated with the upper respiratory tract (URT) of the horse. Four young horses (1-2 years of age) were inoculated intranasally with the Army 183 strain of EHV-1 and euthanized 1 week later. One untreat...
Castro Martins M, Peffers MJ, Lee K, Rubio-Martinez LM.Intra-articular administration of stanozolol has shown promising results by improving the clinical management of lameness associated with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis (OA) in horses, and by decreasing osteophyte formation and subchondral bone reaction in sheep following surgically induced OA. However, there is limited evidence on the anti-inflammatory and modulatory properties of stanozolol on articular tissues. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of stanozolol on chondrocyte viability and gene expression in normal equine chondrocytes and an inflammatory in vit...
Pirrone F, Albertini M, Clement MG, Lafortuna CL.The aim of this study was to investigate and quantify respiratory mechanical dysfunctions in Standardbred horses with both poor performance and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology characteristic of inflammatory airway disease (IAD). A control group of healthy Standardbred horses was compared. Respiratory mechanics and breathing pattern were examined at rest and during hyperventilation induced using a rebreathing method. At rest, respiratory mechanics and breathing pattern were superimposable in both groups. In IAD horses, rebreathing increased ventilation, with larger tidal volumes and lower...
Selmi R, Dhibi M, Ben Said M, Ben Yahia H, Abdelaali H, Ameur H, Baccouche S, Gritli A, Mhadhbi M.Livestock constitute habitual hosts and carriers for several infectious pathogens which may represent a serious public health concern affecting the readiness of military forces and lead to wide economic losses. The present report aimed to investigate the prevalence of some haemopathogens infecting military livestock, particularly, dromedaries, sheep and horses using Giemsa-stained blood smears. A total of 300 animals (100 from each species) were selected, clinically examined and sampled. Trypanosoma spp. (22.0%), Anaplasma spp. (17.0%) and Babesia spp. (1.0%) were identified in camels' blood. ...
Zylicz-Stachula A, Zolnierkiewicz O, Jasiecki J, Skowron PM.Genomics and metagenomics are currently leading research areas, with DNA sequences accumulating at an exponential rate. Although enormous advances in DNA sequencing technologies are taking place, progress is frequently limited by factors such as genomic contig assembly and generation of representative libraries. A number of DNA fragmentation methods, such as hydrodynamic sharing, sonication or DNase I fragmentation, have various drawbacks, including DNA damage, poor fragmentation control, irreproducibility and non-overlapping DNA segment representation. Improvements in these limited DNA scissi...
Hampson BA, de Laat MA, Beausac C, Rovel T, Pollitt CC.To investigate the prevalence, histopathological and histomorphometric presentation of chronic laminitis in a population of Kaimanawa feral horses. Methods: Following the capture and euthanasia of feral horses from the Kaimanawa Ranges of New Zealand, the left forefoot of 28 stallions and 28 mares aged between 6 and 12 years were removed and processed for histology. Sections of lamellar samples from each horse were examined using light microscopy. The presence of laminitis was assessed and the histopathological lesions were described. Horses were grouped by histological diagnosis into laminiti...
HorÃn P, Matiasovic J.More than two nucleotide sequences of the second exon of the ELA-DQB region retrieved from a single animal and two different sequences isolated from horses homozygous in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region by descent indicated the existence of at least two ELA-DQB loci at the genomic level. New alleles detected by polymerase chain reaction single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and defined by nucleotide sequencing of the second exon of the DQB gene(s) were described. Based on the level of nucleotide sharing, at least two groups of alleles were shown to exist. The newly de...
Frontiers in geneticsJanuary 23, 2023
Volume 14 1099896 doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1099896
Capomaccio S, Ablondi M, Colombi D, Sartori C, Giontella A, Cappelli K, Mancin E, Asti V, Mantovani R, Sabbioni A, Silvestrelli M. The Italian peninsula is in the center of the Mediterranean area, and historically it has been a hub for numerous human populations, cultures, and also animal species that enriched the hosted biodiversity. Horses are no exception to this phenomenon, with the peculiarity that the gene pool has been impacted by warfare and subsequent "colonization". In this study, using a comprehensive dataset for almost the entire Italian equine population, in addition to the most influential cosmopolitan breeds, we describe the current status of the modern Italian gene pool. The Italian dataset comprised 1,3...
Crockett EC, Graham JK, Bruemmer JE, Squires EL.The ability to ship cooled stallion semen to a facility that specializes in cryopreservation of spermatozoa would permit stallions to remain at home while their semen is cryopreserved at facilities having the equipment and expertise to freeze the semen properly. To accomplish this goal, methods must be developed to freeze cooled shipped semen. Three experiments were conducted to determine the most appropriate spermatozoal extender, package, time of centrifugation, spermatozoal concentration and length of time after collection that spermatozoa can be cooled before cryopreservation. In the first...
van Nieuwstadt RA, Henricks PA, Hajer R, van der Meer van Roomen WA, Breukink HJ, Nijkamp FP.This study was undertaken to assess the importance of muscarinic receptor subtypes in equine airway disease. Smooth muscle strips from the mid-cervical portion of the trachea of horses were placed in tissue baths and isometric contractile force was measured. Active force was measured in response to metacholine and the selective muscarinic receptor agonists McN-A-343 (M1-selective) and pilocarpine (M2-selective) in cumulative concentrations (10(-9)M through 10(-3)M), with and without preincubation with three or four concentrations of the selective muscarinic receptor antagonists pirenzepine (M1...
Lange S, Hamann H, Deegen E, Ohnesorge B, Distl O.An epidemiological study on summer eczema (SE) was performed in 490 Icelandic horses from 24 stud farms located in Lower Saxony and Westphalia. The study revealed a prevalence of summer eczema of 29.8 %. Horses imported from Iceland were affected with a frequency of 71.9 %, whereas horses born in Germany and other countries had a prevalence of 15.6 % and 27.3 %. Mares (33.1 %) and geldings (29.1 %) were more often affected by summer eczema than stallions with 15.5 %. The most common sites of summer eczema were mane and tail. Five to eight years old horses were more severely affected by SE than...
Shakhsi-Niaei M, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Drögemüller C, Swinburne J, Ehrmann C, Saftic D, Ramseyer A, Gerber V, Dolf G, Leeb T.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), or 'heaves', is a common performance-limiting allergic respiratory disease of mature horses. It is related to sensitization and exposure to mouldy hay and has a familial basis with a complex mode of inheritance. In a previous study, we detected a QTL for RAO on ECA 13 in a half-sib family of European Warmblood horses. In this study, we genotyped additional markers in the family and narrowed the QTL down to about 1.5 Mb (23.7-25.2 Mb). We detected the strongest association with SNP BIEC2-224511 (24,309,405 bp). We also obtained SNP genotypes in an independent...
Reid SW, Gettinby G, Fowler JN, Ikin P.An epidemiological study of equine sarcoid in a population of 4126 donkeys showed that the peak incidence of the disease was 15.2 cases per 100 animal-years and occurred in animals in their fourth year of life. The crude incidence of the disease was 0.6 cases per 100 animal-years. The disease occurred most frequently in younger, male animals during their first five years in the population. The lesions were observed most commonly in the paragenital region. Pre-entry quarantine procedures did not appear to play a significant role in the spread of the disease but there was an indication that clos...
