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.
Pfau T, Starke SD, Tröster S, Roepstorff L.Pelvic movement is altered in hind limb lame horses. A simple method using one inertial measurement unit (IMU) attached to the sacrum, which objectively measures 'hip hike', will help detecting hind limb lameness in large scale studies. In this study, IMUs over the sacrum and the left and right tuber coxae (TC) quantified vertical movement symmetry (MS) in 10 clinically lame horses. A simple geometrical model was used to estimate TC movement from the sacrum IMU. The differences between measured and estimated MS values (mean±SD) and MS changes during different exercise conditions (straight, ci...
Prow NA, Tan CS, Wang W, Hobson-Peters J, Kidd L, Barton A, Wright J, Hall RA, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H.In 2011 an unprecedented epidemic of equine encephalitis occurred in south-eastern (SE) Australia following heavy rainfall and severe flooding in the preceding 2-4 months. Less than 6% of the documented cases occurred in Queensland, prompting the question of pre-existing immunity in Queensland horses. A small-scale serological survey was conducted on horses residing in one of the severely flood-affected areas of SE-Queensland. Using a flavivirus-specific blocking-ELISA we found that 63% (39/62) of horses older than 3 years were positive for flavivirus antibodies, and of these 18% (7/38) had ne...
Ponthier J, Teague SR, Franck TY, de la Rebière G, Serteyn DD, Brinsko SP, Love CC, Blanchard TL, Varner DD, Deleuze SC.Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a pro-oxidant enzyme contained in and released by neutrophils during degranulation or after lysis. Post-thaw semen contains MPO and its concentration is associated with decreased sperm motility. Recently, MPO concentration in post-thaw semen was shown to be associated with the presence of non-sperm cells (NSC). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a single-layer colloidal centrifugation before cryopreservation on NSC and MPO concentrations in equine semen. The experimental design consisted of freezing semen with or without previous centrifugation t...
Tully LJ, Murphy AM, Smith RK, Hulin-Curtis SL, Verheyen KL, Price JS.To explore whether genetic susceptibility is a potential risk factor for superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendinopathy in Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses. Objective: To identify informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that capture genetic diversity across a range of candidate genes and to investigate, in a case-control study, their association with SDF tendinopathy in UK National Hunt TB racehorses in training. Methods: Case-control candidate gene association study. Methods: This study used in silico gene assembly and DNA sequencing to screen candidate genes for SNPs. Seven candidate g...
Leonel EC, Bento-Silva V, Ambrozio KS, Luna HS, Costa e Silva EV, Zúccari CE.The aim of this study was to test the use of mechanical and mechanical-enzymatic methods, saline solution (SS), and PBS solution for the manipulation and isolation of mare ovarian preantral follicles (PAFs). The ovaries were subjected to mechanical isolation (mixer) alone or in association with enzymatic digestion (collagenase). Incubation times of 10 and 20 min were employed. In the first group, 4.1 ± 4.9 PAFs were harvested with the mechanical-enzymatic method vs 71.1 ± 19.2 with the mechanical procedure, showing a significant difference between methods; using SS and PBS, these number...
Gandini M, Iotti BN, Giusto G.To compare 4 techniques for pelvic flexure enterotomy closure in horses. Methods: Ex-vivo study. Methods: Cadaveric ascending colon specimens (n = 48 horses). Methods: Pelvic flexure enterotomies of different lengths (5 cm, 10 cm) were performed and closed with 1 of 4 techniques: handsewn 2 layer (HS2); handsewn 1 layer (HS1); skin staples (SKS); or TA90 stapling device (TA90). Time to close each enterotomy, bursting pressure, luminal reduction, and cost were calculated and compared. Results: HS2 was significantly more time consuming to perform in the 5 cm group whereas in the 10 cm group, onl...
de Ruijter-Villani M, van Boxtel PR, Stout TA.Uterine-derived growth factors and cytokines play essential roles in regulating preimplantation conceptus development. In several species, fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) promotes embryogenesis, trophoblast cell migration, and adhesion. This study investigated mRNA expression for FGF2, its receptors (FGFR1-4), the activating factor FGF binding protein (FGF-BP) in equine endometrium and trophectoderm during early pregnancy and the estrous cycle, and localized FGF2 protein in both endometrium and conceptus tissues. FGF2, FGFRs1-4, and FGFBP mRNAs were expressed in endometrium throughout the es...
Psalla D, Rüfenacht S, Stoffel MH, Chiers K, Gaschen V, Doherr MG, Gerber V, Welle MM.Equine pastern vasculitis is clinically challenging and the underlying aetiopathogenesis is unclear. The aims of this retrospective study were to establish histopathological criteria for pastern vasculitis, to look for an underlying cause, to investigate whether the histopathological lesions are associated with a distinct clinical picture, to assess if and how the clinical picture varies, and to determine the treatment response. Skin biopsies and clinical data from 20 horses with a diagnosis of vasculitis of the distal extremities were investigated and histology was compared to biopsies from h...
White SD.Donkeys (Equus asinus) are a species used throughout the world primarily as beasts of burden, but occasionally for other functions, as a meat source or as pets. Although closely related to other equids, they have some unique features of their own with regard to dermatologic disease. This article highlights some of the various dermatoses seen or reported in donkeys, as well as some comparisons with horses when prevalence, presentation, or treatment may differ.
Hallamaa RE, Batchu KC, Tallberg T.Equine summer eczema, also known as insect bite hypersensitivity, affects horses recurrently during summer months. The treatment of this allergic pruritus is difficult and therefore there is a need for efficacious treatments. Autoserum therapy, based on the use of autogenous serum that is specifically prepared for oral administration and given when the animal shows clinical signs has been introduced recently. Lipids are thought to be responsible for the effect of this therapy. Objective: The main aim of this study was to analyse the phospholipid content of autogenous serum preparations and to ...
Halley SE, Bey MJ, Haladik JA, Lavagnino M, Arnoczky SP.Studies examining the effect of stifle joint angle on tibial rotation, adduction-abduction angle and articular contact area are lacking. Objective: To test the hypothesis that tibial rotation, adduction-abduction angle and articular contact area change with stifle joint angle. Methods: Descriptive study of normal kinematics and articular contact patterns of the equine stifle through the functional range of motion using 3 dimensional (3D) radiosteriometric analysis (RSA) and equine cadaver stifles. Methods: Multiple, radiopaque markers were embedded in the distal femur and proximal tibia and se...
van Hamel SE, Bergman HJ, Puchalski SM, de Groot MW, van Weeren PR.Distal deep digital flexor tendinopathy is an important cause of foot lameness in horses that is difficult to diagnose with radiography and ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging is a well-accepted and validated technique for the identification of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions, but has some practical and financial drawbacks. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) has been proposed as a suitable alternative, but validation studies are currently lacking. Objective: To assess the accuracy of CECT for the identification and characterisation of deep digital flexor tendinopath...
Rich T, Henderson LB, Becker DL, Cornell H, Patterson-Kane JC.Superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injuries of horses usually follow cumulative matrix microdamage; it is not known why the reparative abilities of tendon fibroblasts are overwhelmed or subverted. Relevant in vitro studies of this process require fibroblasts not already responding to stresses caused by the cell culture protocols. We investigated indicators of replicative damage in SDFT fibroblast monolayers, effects of this on their reparative ability, and measures that can be taken to reduce it. Results: We found significant evidence of replicative stress, initially observing consistent...
Yeargan MR, Alvarado-Esquivel C, Dubey JP, Howe DK.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating disease of horses caused by Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi. Sera from 495 horses in Durango State, Mexico were tested for anti-protozoal antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on major surface antigens of these two parasites. Antibodies to S. neurona were detected in 240 (48.5%) of the 495 horse sera tested with the rSnSAG2/4/3 trivalent ELISA. Multivariate analysis showed that exposure to S. neurona was associated with age, feeding grains and crops, and small herd size. Antibodies to N. hughesi we...
Montgomery JB, Hamblin B, Suri SS, Johnson LE, New D, Johnston J, Kelly J, Wilson DG, Singh B.Ischemia followed by reperfusion leads to release of toxic molecules into the circulation, and these molecules may cause injury in remote organs such as the lung. Horses commonly suffer from episodes of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) due to intestinal twisting/strangulation followed by repair. Because there is no evidence of lung injury associated with IR in horses, we designed a study to characterize the intestinal IR-associated lung inflammation and determine the effect of lidocaine on lung inflammation in IR horses. Lung tissues were collected from non-anesthetized (n=4) and anestheti...
Kuhar U, Završnik J, Toplak I, Malovrh T.In 2009, a surprisingly high number of animals seropositive for equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV; 26 horses from 13 farms) were detected in Slovenia. Objective: To develop a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of the proviral nucleic acid, to phylogenetically characterise the Slovenian EIAV strains and to investigate whether transmission in utero occurred. Methods: Cross-sectional clinical study. Methods: In total, 26 horses (including 2 foals and 4 pregnant mares) and 4 fetuses were examined in this study. A PCR assay using the EIAV F1 and EIAV R1 primers was designed...
Theoret CL, Olutoye OO, Parnell LK, Hicks J.To compare histopathologic features of a fibroproliferative disorder in horses (exuberant granulation tissue-EGT) and people (keloid). Methods: Archival tissue samples of EGT (n = 8) and keloid (12). Methods: After automated hematoxylin and eosin, histochemical (Gomori trichrome, Verhoeff-van Gieson elastin) and immunohistochemical (vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin, CD34, CD68, CD117) stainings, tissue sections were evaluated using a semi-quantitative grading scale for presence or absence of ulceration, keloidal collagen, myofibroblasts, and elastic fibers as well as degree of inflammation, fi...
Rizk A, Mosbah E, Karrouf G, Abou Alsoud M.Penile and preputial neoplasia in horses occurs infrequently and represents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The present study was carried out on a total number of 21 equids (14 stallions and 7 donkeys) suffered from different penile and preputial neoplasia. Diagnosis of neoplasms was based up on history of the case, clinical examination as well as histopathological evaluation. Animals with penile and preputial neoplasms were underwent local excision and partial phallectomy with a slightly modified version of the techniques described by William's. The diagnosed neoplasms were penile and ...
Gildea S, Quinlivan M, Murphy BA, Cullinane A.Previous studies in experimental ponies using interferon gamma (IFN-γ) as a marker for cell mediated immune (CMI) response demonstrated an increase in IFN-γ gene expression following vaccination with an ISCOM subunit, a canarypox recombinant and more recently, an inactivated whole virus vaccine. The objective of this study was to carry out an independent comparison of both humoral antibody and CMI responses elicited following vaccination with all these vaccine presentation systems. Antibody response of 44 Thoroughbred weanlings was monitored for three weeks following the second dose of prima...
Salim B, Bakheit MA, Sugimoto C.Equine trypanosomosis (ET) is a protozoan disease affecting equines in many parts of the world. We examined 509 samples collected from geographically distinct regions in eastern, central and western Sudan to estimate the endemicity of ET using the generic ITS1-PCR diagnostic methods. Results revealed that horses and donkeys were infected by Trypanosoma brucei subgroup, Trypanosoma vivax, Trypanosoma simiae and Trypanosoma congolense. The prevalence of Trypanosoma spp. was higher in horses (12.7%, n=393) than in donkeys (3.4%, n=116). The highest prevalence was observed in South Darfur State (1...
Kumar S, Kumar R, Gupta AK, Yadav SC, Goyal SK, Khurana SK, Singh RK.Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-transmitted protozoan disease caused by Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi. In the present study, we expressed a 53kDa protein from the truncated EMA-2 gene of T. equi (Indian strain) and developed EMA-2ELISA using this expressed protein. This ELISA is able to detect T. equi-specific antibodies in experimentally infected animals as early as 9 days post-infection. The assay developed was validated with the OIE recommended competitive ELISA (cELISA) on 120 serum samples and significant agreement (kappa=0.93) was observed between results of both the ELISAs which ...
Kuemmerle JM, Berchtold S.This study compared the areas of cartilage accessible for curettage in arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal joint using the conventional and collateral ligament sparing approaches. For this purpose, forelimbs and hindlimbs of six equine cadavers without radiographic evidence of proximal interphalangeal joint disease were used. One limb of each pair of limbs was randomly assigned to a dissection using a standard approach to the proximal interphalangeal joint including transection of the collateral ligaments, while each contralateral limb was exposed using the same approach but lea...
da Piedade I, Skive B, Christensen H, Bojesen AM.We present the draft genome sequence of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus S31A1, a strain isolated from equine infectious endometritis in Denmark. Comparative analyses of this genome were done with four published reference genomes: S. zooepidemicus strains MGCS10565, ATCC 35246, and H70 and S. equi subsp. equi strain 4047.
Seo JP, Tanabe T, Tsuzuki N, Haneda S, Yamada K, Furuoka H, Tabata Y, Sasaki N.Osteochondrosis (OC) is a common and clinically important joint disorder in horses. However, repair of the OC region is difficult because of the avascular nature of cartilage. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of bilayer gelatin/β-tricalcium phosphate (GT) sponges loaded with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), chondrocytes, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and platelet rich plasma (PRP) for the repair of osteochondral defects of the talus in horses. Full-thickness osteochondral defects were created on both the lateral trochlear ridges of the talus (n = 6). In the test group, a basic ...
Cox S, Villarino N, Sommardahl C, Kvaternick V, Zarabadipour C, Siger L, Yarbrough J, Amicucci A, Reed K, Breeding D, Doherty T.The objective of this study was to determine if a single loading dose (LD), 3× the label dose of firocoxib oral paste, followed by nine maintenance doses at the current label dose achieves and maintains near steady state concentrations. Six healthy, adult mares were administered 0.3mg/kg of firocoxib on Day 0, and 0.1 mg/kg 24 h later on Day 1, and at 24 h intervals from Day 2 to Day 9, for a total of 10 doses. Blood samples were collected throughout the study. The mean firocoxib maximum plasma concentration and standard deviation was 199±97 ng/mL, 175±44 ng/mL and 183±50 ng/mL after the L...
Wylie CE, Collins SN, Verheyen KL, Newton JR.Laminitis is a highly debilitating disease of the foot known to have a complex and multifactorial aetiology of metabolic, inflammatory, traumatic or vascular origin. The disease has major welfare implications due to unrelenting pain associated with degenerative changes, which often necessitate euthanasia on welfare grounds. Despite this, there have been few high-quality studies investigating risk factors for equine laminitis, and only a limited number of risk factors have been previously investigated. The aim of this study was to conduct a case-control study of risk factors for active episodes...
Pepe M, Angelone M, Gialletti R, Nannarone S, Beccati F.Although arthropathy of the cervical articular process joints (APJs) is common, descriptions of the arthroscopic technique of the cervical APJ have not been reported previously. Objective: To develop an arthroscopic approach to the APJ and to describe the arthroscopic anatomy of the APJ. Methods: Descriptive cadaver study and clinical case report. Methods: The regional anatomy was reviewed and the technique developed on fresh cadaver necks. A series of cadaveric APJ arthroscopies from C2-C3 to C6-C7 were performed to evaluate the procedure, which was then used in 3 clinical cases. A descriptio...
Slater J.Josh Slater looks back at the past 125 years of developments in equine infectious disease, including landmark discoveries in microbiology and genomics, and considers what the future may hold.
Bøgh IB, Bézard J, Duchamp G, Baltsen M, Gérard N, Daels P, Greve T.In the mare, rates of fertilization and development are low in oocytes matured in vitro, and a closer imitation of in vivo conditions during oocyte maturation might be beneficial. The aims of the present study were, therefore, to investigate whether (1) equine oocytes can be matured in vitro in pure equine preovulatory follicular fluid, (2) priming of the follicular fluid donor with crude equine gonadotrophins (CEG) before aspiration of preovulatory follicular fluid promotes the in vitro maturation rate, (3) the in vitro maturation rate differs between oocytes aspirated during estrus and those...
Ho EN, Wan TS, Wong AS, Lam KK, Stewart BD.Insulin and its analogues have been banned in both human and equine sports owing to their potential for misuse. Insulin administration can increase muscle glycogen by utilising hyperinsulinaemic clamps prior to sports events or during the recovery phases, and increase muscle size by its chalonic action to inhibit protein breakdown. In order to control insulin abuse in equine sports, a method to effectively detect the use of insulins in horses is required. Besides the readily available human insulin and its synthetic analogues, structurally similar insulins from other species can also be used a...
Takahashi Y, Mukai K, Ohmura H, Takahashi T.Muscle activities of the major hindlimb muscles have been reported to decrease with fatigue in horses. However, those in other muscles have been scarcely reported. We aimed to quantify fatigue-induced electromyographic changes in head and neck muscles and muscles around the shoulder joints in horses. Surface electromyographic recording of the splenius, brachiocephalicus, infraspinatus, and deltoid muscles was performed on a total of nine healthy Thoroughbred horses. Horses galloped on a treadmill inclined to 3% at a constant speed (12.7-14.6 m/second) to make them fatigued after approximately...
Weber LA, Funtan A, Paschke R, Delarocque J, Kalbitz J, Meißner J, Feige K, Kietzmann M, Cavalleri JV.Equine sarcoid (ES) is the most prevalent skin tumor in equids worldwide. Additionally, aging grey horses frequently suffer from equine malignant melanoma (EMM). Current local therapies targeting these skin tumors remain challenging. Therefore, more feasible topical treatment options should be considered. In order to develop a topical therapy against ES and EMM, betulinyl-bis-sulfamate and NVX-207, derivatives of the naturally occurring betulin and betulinic acid, respectively, were evaluated for their antiproliferative (crystal violet staining assay), cytotoxic (MTS assay) and apoptotic (Anne...
Cuervo-Arango J, Claes AN, Stout TAE.In recent years, the number of equine invitro-produced embryos (IVP) has increased markedly; as yet, there are few reports on what constitutes an 'ideal' recipient for an IVP embryo. This study retrospectively investigated the effects of recipient mare oestrous cycle characteristics on the likelihood of pregnancy after transfer of IVP (n=264) and invivo-derived embryos (n=262). IVP embryos tolerated only a narrow window of recipient mare 'synchrony', with transfer on Day 4 after ovulation resulting in a higher likelihood of ongoing pregnancy (69%) than transfer on Days 3, 5 or 6 (53.2%, 41.3% ...
Niemelä T, Virén T, Liukkonen J, Argüelles D, te Moller NC, Puhakka PH, Jurvelin JS, Tulamo RM, Töyräs J.Arthroscopy is widely used in various equine joints for diagnostic and surgical purposes. However, accuracy of defining the extent of cartilage lesions and reproducibility in grading of lesions are not optimal. Therefore, there is a need for new, more quantitative arthroscopic methods. Arthroscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging is a promising tool introduced for quantitative detection of cartilage degeneration and scoring of the severity of chondral lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inter-investigator agreement and inter-method agreement in grading cartilage lesio...
Faleiros RR, Leise BS, Watts M, Johnson PJ, Black SJ, Belknap JK.Chemokines play a vital role in leukocyte activation and emigration that reportedly plays a central role in laminar injury in equine laminitis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pattern of laminar chemokine expression in horses in the classical carbohydrate overload (CHO)-model of laminitis. Laminar samples were obtained 24h following water administration in the control group (CON, n=8), and at the onset of fever (≥ 102°F, 12-22 h post CHO, DEV group, n=8) and at the onset of lameness (20-48 h post CHO, LAM group, n=8) in induced horses. Real time quantitative PCR was performed ...
Loeffler A, Herrick D, Allen S, Littlewood JD.Allergic pruritus and urticaria in the horse are challenging for veterinarians and owners; little is known about their long-term management. Objective: To summarize intradermal allergen test results (IDT), and to assess owners' perceptions of skin disease and the effects of medical treatment and management changes in their atopic horses over time. Methods: Eighty two horses with atopic dermatitis in southeastern England between 2006 and 2011. Methods: The IDT results were reviewed retrospectively. Owners completed telephone questionnaires on skin changes, medication, effect of allergen-specifi...
Rogers CW, Cogger N.To examine the on-farm biosecurity practices of a group of commercial Thoroughbred stud farms in the North Island of New Zealand, in the absence of an exotic disease outbreak. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of biosecurity practices was conducted during the 2006/2007 Thoroughbred breeding season, and consisted of data from commercial Thoroughbred farms in the North Island of New Zealand standing a stallion. Data were collected on-farm by a single interviewer, using 17 open, closed and multiple-choice questions examining general farm/operation size and features, general animal health and bios...
Waguespack RW, Cochran A, Belknap JK.To compare the levels of mRNA expression of cycooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 in the digital laminae of normal horses and horses in the developmental stages of laminitis experimentally induced by administration of black walnut extract (BWE). Methods: Samples of mRNA extracted from the digital laminae of 5 control horses and 5 horses at the onset of leukopenia after administration of BWE. Methods: Specimens of laminae were collected from anesthetized horses prior to euthanasia. Expression of COX-1 and COX-2 mRNA in laminae of control and affected horses was evaluated via real-time quantitative po...
Powell DG.An outbreak of contagious equine metritis that occurred on stud farms in the Newmarket area during 1977 is described. A Gram-negative coccobacillus was isolated from field cases and the disease was reproduced experimentally by inoculating a pure culture of the organism through the cervix of clean pony mares. Natural spread of the disease occurred by venereal transmission and following the handling, examination or teasing of infected mares. Bacteriological screening of the genital tract of mares and stallions before covering plus stricter standards of hygiene on the stud farms have been recomme...
Graham JK.This article describes some of the basic methodology for conducting stallion semen evaluations. Not all of these assays will likely be conducted on every semen sample collected. Routine evaluations should include determination of semen volume, sperm concentration, and an estimation of the percentage of progressively motile sperm, at a minimum. Other assays can be used if a seminal problem is discerned at the beginning of the breeding season or after a stallion has recovered from an illness or injury. Additionally, laboratory assays are particularly important to conduct on cryopreserved spermat...
Moore RM, Sedrish SA, Holmes EP, Koch CE, Venugopal CS.The objective of this study was to determine and compare the in vitro responses of equine large colon arterial and venous rings to vasodilatory neuropeptides; calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP); substance P (SP); vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP); and acetylcholine (ACh), a standard nonpeptide endothelium-dependent vasodilator. Responses of vessel rings to graded concentrations (10(-11) M to 10(-5) M) of each drug were determined in endothelium-intact, denuded, and Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10(-5) M)-treated rings that were pre-contracted with norepinephrine. Perc...
Prause AS, Stoffel MH, Portier CJ, Mevissen M.In horses, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders occur frequently and cause a considerable demand for efficient medication. 5-Hydroxytryptamine receptors (5-HT) have been reported to be involved in GI tract motility and thus, are potential targets for treating functional bowel disorders. Our studies extend current knowledge on the 5-HT(7) receptor in equine duodenum, ileum and pelvic flexure by studying its expression throughout the intestine and its role in modulating contractility in vitro by immunofluorescence and organ bath experiments, respectively. 5-HT(7) immunoreactivity was demonstrated in ...
Adams K, Schulz-Kornas E, Arzi B, Failing K, Vogelsberg J, Staszyk C.It has been assumed that dental conditions cause disorders of the equine temporomandibular joint (TMJ), due to biomechanical overload or aberrant loading. However, the incidence of published TMJ disorders in horses is low and this leads to the question whether the equine TMJ is adapted well to its biomechanical requirements or is able to remodel its articular surfaces in response to modified loading conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the histological characteristics of healthy equine TMJs. The tissue components of the articular surfaces of 10 TMJs obtained from horses without a...
Hinterhofer C, Stanek C, Haider H.A finite element (FE) hoof capsule was built as a small, symmetrical forelimb hoof on IDEAS* as a model for calculation and visualisation of stress and displacement of the equine hoof capsule. The model's loading was performed according to the suspension of the coffin bone within the hoof wall (pulling force) and over the sole and frog (compressing force) with a total of 3000 N. Restraints of the model's ground nodes and surface wall nodes were defined for simulation of 4 shoeing situations: a regular horseshoe, a horseshoe with a toe clip, a horseshoe with regular side clips and a horseshoe w...
Floyd E, Danks S, Comyn I, Mackenzie C, Marr CM.Respiratory disease is common in critically ill neonatal foals. Traditional oxygen therapy (TOT) with nasal insufflation of oxygen is often used to provide first-line respiratory support. Mechanical ventilation is used in foals which require a greater level of support but requires specialist expertise and can be associated with significant complications. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) enables a greater level of respiratory support without the need for intubation. High flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) is a mode of NIV commonly used in human intensive care. Objective: To describe the use of HFOT in ho...
Stokes SM, Bertin FR, Stefanovski D, Belknap JK, Medina-Torres CE, Pollitt CC, van Eps AW.Hyperinsulinaemia is associated with the development of endocrinopathic laminitis; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. Objective: Evaluate the effects of hyperinsulinaemia on lamellar energy metabolism and perfusion during laminitis development. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Eight Standardbred horses were instrumented with a microdialysis probe in the lamellae of a forelimb. A 24 hours baseline period (BASELINE) was followed by 48 hours of a continuous euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) from 24 to 72 hours (CLAMP). Microdialysate was collected every 6 hours and analysed ...
Tearle JP, Smith KC, Boyle MS, Binns MM, Livesay GJ, Mumford JA.Six Welsh Mountain pony colts were infected intranasally with the Ab4 isolate of EHV-1. Clinical and virological monitoring demonstrated mild upper respiratory tract disease, with nasal shedding of virus and establishment of a cell-associated viraemia. Detailed pathological examination of the urogenital tract was performed post mortem on days 4-9 post-infection (PI). EHV-1 was isolated from the epididymis on day 8 and the testis on day 9 PI, with viral replication in endothelial cells of these organs and an associated necrotizing vasculitis and thrombosis. Productive viral infection of germina...
Monahan CM, Chapman MR, French DD, Klei TR.During a series of dose-titration experiments designed to evaluate the efficacy of moxidectin oral gel against equine gastrointestinal parasites, infection with Onchocerca cervicalis was diagnosed in 25 of 82 ponies prior to treatment. Microfilariae were identified in full-thickness skin biopsies taken from the ventral midline. Treatment with moxidectin in single doses of 300, 400, or 500 micrograms/kg of body weight was 100% effective in eliminating microfilariae from 20 skin biopsies taken 14 days posttreatment, whereas 5 microfilaria-positive ponies in 2 control groups remained positive fol...
Kydd JH, Hannant D, Robinson RS, Bryant N, Osterrieder N.Equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) causes respiratory and neurological disease and late gestation abortion in pregnant mares. Current vaccines contain either inactivated or live EHV-1, but fail to provide complete clinical or virological protection, namely prevention of nasopharyngeal shedding and cell-associated viraemia. Thus, the development of novel products, such as modified live virus (MLV) vaccines which stimulate virus-specific, humoral and cell mediated immune responses more effectively remains a priority. Two groups of weaned foals (n = 6 each group) were used in a longitudinal, prospec...
Dart AJ, Cries L, Jeffcott LB, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ.To evaluate the effect of intramuscular administration of recombinant equine growth hormone on healing of full thickness skin wounds on equine limbs. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Nine Standardbred horses. Methods: In study 1, standardized full thickness skin wounds (2.5 x 2.5 cm) were made over the dorsomedial aspect of the mid-cannon bone of 1 forelimb and 1 hindlimb in 9 horses. Wounds were bandaged without treatment (control subjects) and videorecorded twice weekly until healed. Then, in study 2, similar wounds were created on the opposite limbs; 6 horses were administered intramuscular ...
Aviles G, Bianchi TI, Daffner JF, Sabattini MS.It is shown here the WEE virus activity in ARgentina in 1983-1986 post-epizootic period. A surveillance system was established by the equine case notification and the sentinel animal method. Among the thirteen equine focus notified between September 1983-September 1985 in Córdoba and Santa Fe Provinces, 5 presumptive cases out of 16 sick horses were confirmed by the hemagglutination inhibition test for WEE epizootic virus. Twenty eight notified human cases were studied with negative results. The neutralizing antibody (Ac NT) prevalence among sentinel horses in Córdoba Province (4%) was lower...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Collins SS.Population B, drug-resistant small strongyles have been studied in naturally infected horses in Kentucky for more than 40 years. These parasites first were found to be resistant to phenothiazine (PTZ) and thiabendazole (TBZ), later to other parasiticides. Studies have been on evaluation of antiparasitic efficacy of several compounds, especially the benzimidazoles, against Population B small strongyles in clinical (field) tests (1959-1983) on the commercial farm of origin and in clinical and critical tests (1966-2001) at the University of Kentucky (UK) research farm. Research on these nematodes...
Loftus JP, Belknap JK, Stankiewicz KM, Black SJ.REASONS FOR STUDY: Xanthine oxidase (XO)-dependent production of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide, a characteristic of ischaemia-reperfusion injury, may contribute to the development of equine laminitis. Objective: To determine the levels of XO and antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase [SOD]) in the digital laminae of normal horses (CON) and horses in the developmental stage of laminitis using the black walnut extract (BWE) model. Methods: Healthy horses (n = 12) were administered BWE (BWE group, n = 6), or water (CON group, n = 6) through a nasogastric tube. At the onset o...
James KE, Smith WA, Conrad PA, Packham AE, Guerrero L, Ng M, Pusterla N.OBJECTIVE To describe the general seroprevalence of anti-Sarcocystis neurona and anti-Neospora hughesi antibodies among healthy equids by use of indirect fluorescent antibody tests and determine potential risk factors for seropositivity. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE Whole blood samples collected from 5,250 equids (1 sample/animal) across 18 states in the United States during October 2013. PROCEDURES Information regarding potential risk factors (geographic region, breed, primary use, sex, and age) was collected along with the blood samples. For each equid, an indirect fluorescent antibo...
Collins N, Milne E, Hahn C, Dixon P.The establishment of a single validated endoscopic laryngeal grading system for assessing recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is desirable to facilitate direct comparisons between the findings of different clinical and research groups worldwide. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between the Havemeyer endoscopic laryngeal grading system and histopathological changes consistent with RLN in the left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) muscle of horses of different breeds with a full range of clinical severities of RLN, i.e., from normal endoscopic laryngeal function to comp...
Page PC, Labuschagne K, Venter GJ, Schoeman JP, Guthrie AJ.The efficacy of alphacypermethrin-treated high density polyethylene (HDPE) mesh applied to jet stalls against Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) was determined by mechanical aspiration of midges from horses and using Onderstepoort 220 V downdraught black light traps in four blocks of a 3 × 2 randomised design under South African field conditions. The alphacypermethrin-treated HDPE mesh applied to the stall significantly (P = 0.008) reduced the number of Culicoides midges, predominantly Culicoides (Avaritia) imicola Kieffer, mechanically aspirated from horses housed in the sta...
Zhou W, Cook RF, Cook SJ, Hammond SA, Rushlow K, Ghabrial NN, Berger SL, Montelaro RC, Issel CJ.The env gene is an excellent candidate for inclusion in any DNA-based vaccine approach against equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Unfortunately, this gene is subjected to mutational pressure in E. coli resulting in the introduction of stop codons at the 5' terminus unless it is molecularly cloned using very-low-copy-number plasmid vectors. To overcome this problem, a mammalian expression vector was constructed based on the low-copy-number pLG338-30 plasmid. This permitted the production of full-length EIAV env gene clones (plcnCMVenv) from which low-level expression of the viral surface un...
Hebia-Fellah I, Léauté A, Fiéni F, Zientara S, Imbert-Marcille BM, Besse B, Fortier G, Pronost S, Miszczak F, Ferry B, Thorin C, Pellerin JL....In the horse, the risk of excretion of two major equine pathogens (equine herpesvirus types 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4)) in semen is unknown. The objective of our study was to assess the possible risks for the horizontal transmission of equine rhinopneumonitis herpesviruses via the semen and the effect of the viruses on stallion fertility. Samples of stallion semen (n=390) were gathered from several different sources. Examination of the semen involved the detection of viral DNA using specific PCR. The mean fertility of the stallions whose sperm tested positive for viral DNA and the mean fertility ...
