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.
Mönki J, Mykkänen A.Mild-moderate and severe equine asthma (MEA and SEA) are prevalent inflammatory airway conditions affecting horses of numerous breeds and disciplines. Despite extensive research, detailed disease pathophysiology and the differences between MEA and SEA are still not completely understood. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology, broadly used in clinical practice and in equine asthma research, has limited means to represent the inflammatory status in the lower airways. Lipidomics is a field of science that can be utilized in investigating cellular mechanisms and cell-to-cell interactions. Studies ...
Busechian S, Bindi F, Orvieto S, Zappulla F, Marchesi MC, Nisi I, Rueca F.Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) and Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD) are two terms used to indicate the presence of lesions of the squamous and glandular mucosa of the stomach. Prevalences, pathophysiology, and risk factors are different, and the latter have been investigated in different populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of ESGD and EGGD in a cohort of pleasure, breeding, and retired horses in Italy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate such a diverse population of animals and the first one that inc...
Jentsch MC, Keilhaue A, Wagner B, Rhyner C, Lübke S, Karagulyan M, Arnold C, Lohmann KL, Schnabel CL.Equine asthma (EA) is a common lower airway disease in horses, but whether its pathogenesis is allergic is ambiguous. Extrinsic stimuli like hay dust induce acute exacerbation of clinical signs and sustained local neutrophilic inflammation in susceptible horses. is an EA stimulus, but it is unclear if it merely acts as an IgE-provoking allergen. We aimed to comprehensively analyze immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes in EA, elucidating their binding to different antigens, and their quantities systemically in serum and locally in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Unassigned: Serum and BALF from he...
Afify AF, Hassanien RT, El Naggar RF, Rohaim MA, Munir M.Equid herpesviruses (EHVs) are a group of highly impactful viral pathogens that affect horses, presenting a substantial risk to the global equine industry. Among these, equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) primarily causes respiratory infections. However, its ability to spread to distant organs can lead to severe consequences such as abortion and neurological diseases. These viruses can enter a dormant phase, with minimal activity, and later reactivate to trigger active infections at any time. Recently, there has been a notable rise in the prevalence of a particularly devastating strains of EHV-1 known...
Da Silva E, Martín-Cano FE, Gómez-Arrones V, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Alonso JM, Rey J, Becerro L, Gil MC, Peña FJ, Ortega-Ferrusola C.Equine endometritis is one of the main causes of subfertility in the mare. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in this condition and pinpointing proteins with biomarker potential could be crucial in both diagnosing and treating this condition. This study aimed to identify the endometritis-induced changes in the endometrial proteome in mares and to elucidate potential biological processes in which these proteins may be involved. Secondly, biomarkers related to bacterial endometritis (BE) in mares were identified. Uterine lavage fluid samples were collected from 28 mares (14 healthy: ne...
Bogdan AM, Mitrea IL, Ionita M.Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) is a tick-borne disease affecting horses worldwide, caused by . The disease ranges from non-specific clinical signs to fatal outcomes. This paper aimed to analyze EGA cases reported in peer-reviewed journals, particularly on clinico-pathological findings, diagnosis, and therapeutic management. Overall, 189 clinical cases from 31 publications were included in the study. Extensive symptomatology for the EGA cases was reported, of which mostly was fever (90.30%), followed by limb edema (48.51%), anorexia (41.79%), depression (32.84%), icterus (22.39%), ataxi...
Gudea A, Stan FG, Irimie A, Mârza S, Martonos CO, Gal A.The reconstruction of past life based on archaeozoology is a challenging domain that offers a range of valuable details concerning former human and animal populations. Additionally, the ancient era is a source of information for human and veterinary medicine, as well as for other biological sciences. This report highlights a pathological lesion identified during the investigation of a horse skeleton from a pit dated La Tène in Alba County (Romania). The left scapula with lesions was collected from the skeleton of a buried 7-8-year-old male horse. The aforementioned bone underwent gross, radio...
Dubuc J, Schneider MJ, Dubuc V, Richard H, Pinsard M, Bancelin S, Legare F, Girard C, Laverty S.Investigate meniscal extracellular matrix degradation. Equine menisci ( = 34 from 17 horses) were studied. Site-matched sections were cut and scored from three regions (ROIs; = 102) and stained for histology, proteoglycan (safranin O and fast green), aggrecan, and collagen cleavage (NITEGE, DIPEN, and C1,2C antibodies, respectively). Picrosirius red and second harmonic generation microscopy were performed to investigate collagen ultrastructure. A total of 42 ROIs met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. The median (range) ROI histological score was 3 (0-9), providin...
Marsella R.Allergy to insects is the most common skin allergy in horses. Pruritus in affected patients can be extreme. Face, ears, mane, and tail area are commonly affected areas. Diagnosis of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is clinical and is based on history, clinical signs, and response to repellents. Allergy tests are not to be used for diagnostic purposes. Currently, there is no specific treatment for IBH other than insect avoidance, treatment of secondary infections, and symptomatic relief of pruritus. Many allergic horses become also sensitized to pollens. For these patients, allergen specific ...
Schumacher A, Gehlen H.This literature review analyzes the historical development of polo, its organizational structure, the course of the game, as well as the breeding, rearing, and training practices of polo horses. Frequently occurring ailments, such as musculoskeletal injuries, respiratory diseases, and internal illnesses, are highlighted. Lameness is a major problem, with injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon being the most common cause. Other notable diseases include exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), myositis, rhabdomyolysis, and equine infectious anemia (EIA). To ensure the welfare of ...
Hardwick JL, Ahern BJ, Crawford KL, Allen KJ, Franklin SH.Yearling laryngeal function (YLF) is frequently assessed at the time of sale and the outcomes of these assessments can have significant economic implications. The YLF of horses that subsequently underwent a prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL) is unknown. Objective: We hypothesised horses with YLF ≥grade II.2 would be at increased risk of requiring PL, compared with YLF
Elisabeth Müller C.A study comprising 74 colic and 74 control horses admitted to an animal hospital was performed. Faecal samples were collected and analysed for dry matter concentration, particle size distribution using wet-sieving, and sand presence through a sand sedimentation test. Data on horse breed, age, gender and basic feeding variables was collected and analysed using χ-tests. Faecal dry matter concentration, particle size distribution and sand score was compared between colic and non-colic horses, and between horses with different colic types, using one-way ANOVA. Results showed that colic and non-co...
Collins EN, Barr EM, Westermeyer H, Gilger BC, Oh A.To determine the predictive value of corneal ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) findings for the outcome of equine corneal disease. Methods: 46 horses with a clinical diagnosis of either infectious ulcerative keratitis or stromal abscess. Methods: Corneal UBM (VevoMD; UHF70; VisualSonics) of horses with infectious corneal disease presenting to the North Carolina State University Equine Ophthalmology Service from 2019 to 2023 were evaluated. Size and depth of lesion, presence of Descemet membrane disruption (DMD), corneal thickness, and aqueous humor cell counts (AHCC) were assessed. Comparisons of...
Faulkner JE, Joostens Z, Broeckx BJG, Hauspie S, Mariën T, Vanderperren K.Sagittal groove disease of the proximal phalanx in equine athletes is commonly considered a bone stress injury. Repetitive hyperextension of the fetlock under high load is thought to contribute to its development. Concurrent changes are often reported in the dorsal sagittal ridge of the third metacarpus/metatarsus (MC3/MT3). Objective: To describe the spectrum of associated osseous abnormalities that are present in the fetlock in a large group of horses diagnosed with sagittal groove disease on low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional. Methods: MRI im...
Getahun YA, Tsalke BS, Buzuneh AW, Mejo MM, Habtewold WT.Equines are indispensable in reducing the huge burden on children and women and income generation. On the other hand, minimal attention is given to improving their health and welfare. Objective: This study examined the prevalence and associated risk factors of helminth parasites of equine in the Gamo Gofa Zone. Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed from June 2019 to March 2020. The study districts and were selected purposively based on agroecology whereas selection of study households and animals were performed based on simple random sampling techniques. Identification of nematode, tr...
Li L, Cui X, Yu Y, Sun Q, Li W, Li Y, Li S, Chen L, Khan MZ, Wang C, Wang T.Equid herpesvirus type 8 (EqHV-8) poses a significant threat to equine health, leading to miscarriages and respiratory diseases in horses and donkeys, and results in substantial economic losses in the donkey industry. Currently, there are no effective drugs or vaccines available for EqHV-8 infection control. Unassigned: In this study, we investigated the and antiviral efficacy of Blebbistatin, a myosin II ATPase inhibitor, against EqHV-8. Unassigned: Our results demonstrated that Blebbistatin significantly inhibited EqHV-8 infection in Rabbit kidney (RK-13) and Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDB...
Dyson S, Zheng S, Aleman M.Detailed descriptions of clinical signs associated with radiological findings of the caudal cervical vertebral column are not available. Objective: Describe the clinical features associated with neck pain or stiffness, neck-related thoracic limb lameness, proprioceptive ataxia consistent with a cervicothoracic spinal cord or nerve lesion, and their frequency of occurrence compared with control horses. Methods: A total of 223 Warmblood horses. Methods: Case-control study. Controls and cases were recruited prospectively. All horses underwent predetermined lameness and neurologic examinations. Th...
Munday JS, Knight CG, Bodaan CJ, Codaccioni C, Hardcastle MR.Penile squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are common, potentially life-threatening neoplasms of horses. They are well-recognized to be caused by Equus caballus papillomavirus (EcPV) type 2, although EcPV2 cannot be detected in all cases. A 23-year-old standardbred gelding developed multiple penile in situ and invasive SCCs that contained histological evidence of PV infection. By using both consensus and specific PCR primers, these lesions were found to contain EcPV7 DNA, but not DNA from EcPV2 or any other PV type. To determine how frequently EcPV7 is present in equine penile SCCs, specific prime...
Pandit PS, Smith WA, Finno CJ, Aleman M, Conrad PA, Packham A, Plancarte M, Woolard K, Marsh A, Pusterla N.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a challenging disease to diagnose in horses with neurological signs. To optimize contemporary diagnostic testing, including the use of serum:CSF antibody ratios, the SarcoFluor antibody test for Sarcocystis neurona requires revalidation. The SarcoFluor, a previously validated immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for the detection of antibodies specific to S. neurona in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of naturally infected horses was analyzed using recent data and considering a serum:CSF antibody ratio threshold. Utilization of serum and CSF pho...
Ding J, Wang Y, Liang J, He Z, Zhai C, He Y, Xu J, Lei L, Mu J, Zheng M, Liu B, Shi M.Equine influenza (EI) is a severe infectious disease that causes huge economic losses to the horse industry. Spatial epidemiology technology can explore the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and occurrence risks of infectious diseases, it has played an important role in the prevention and control of major infectious diseases in humans and animals. For the first time, this study conducted a systematic analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of EI using SaTScan software and investigated the important environmental variables and suitable areas for EI occurrence using the Maxent mode...
Wells B.Beth Wells, equine grass sickness project lead at the Moredun Research Institute, encourages vets to report any equine grass sickness cases they encounter and explains how case reports and samples are being used to support research into this complex disease.
Silva GF, Ribeiro TE, Cunha R, Salas PB, Guimarães T, Ribeiro MR, Barros G, Carvalho F, Mesquita JR, Amorim I.Although relatively uncommon, lymphoma is the most prevalent haematopoietic neoplasia in horses, and multicentric lymphoma remains the most common presentation of the disease. The pathogenesis of equine lymphoma is still poorly understood and the diagnosis is usually confirmed at an advanced stage of the disease, compromising the prognosis. This study investigated the clinical, pathological, and molecular features of a case of equine multicentric lymphoma. Unassigned: An apparently healthy 5-year-old crossbreed mare hospitalized at the Centre of Animal Reproduction of Vairão, Portugal, sudden...
Henderson CS, Story MR, Nout-Lomas YS.To determine reasons for horses to have neck radiographs performed, the incidence of transposition of the ventral lamina of C6 onto C7 (TC67), and the final diagnoses for all horses. Our hypotheses were to find a similar incidence of TC67, as has been previously reported, and an increased incidence of neck pain and dysfunction in horses with TC67. Methods: 135 horses. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Medical records of 135 horses with cervical vertebral column radiographs between 2020 and 2022 were assessed. Patient signalment, reasons for radiographs, radiographic findings, and dia...
Fortier C, El-Hage C, Normand C, Hue ES, Sutton G, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Jeffers K, Bamford N, Oden E, Paillot R, Hartley C, Gilkerson J, Pronost S.Reports of newly discovered equine hepatotropic flavi- and parvoviruses have emerged throughout the last decade in many countries, the discovery of which has stimulated a great deal of interest and clinical research. Although commonly detected in horses without signs of disease, equine parvovirus hepatitis (EqPV-H) and equine hepacivirus (EqHV) have been associated with liver disease, including following the administration of contaminated anti-toxin. Our aim was to determine whether EqPV-H and EqHV are present in Australian horses and whether EqPV-H was present in French horses and to examine ...
Pitchers KG, Boakye OD, Campeotto I, Daly JM.African horse sickness is a devastating viral disease of equids. It is transmitted by biting midges of the genus with mortalities reaching over 90% in naïve horses. It is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and is seasonally endemic in many parts of southern Africa. However, outbreaks in Europe and Asia have occurred that caused significant economic issues. There are attenuated vaccines available for control of the virus but concerns regarding the safety and efficacy means that alternatives are sought. One promising alternative is the use of virus-like particles in vaccine preparations, which have...
van Galen G, Divers TJ, Savage V, Schott HC, Siwinska N.The aim of this consensus statement is to summarize and appraise scientific evidence and combine this with the clinical experience of a panel of experts to optimize recommendations on how to recognize and manage kidney disease in horses.
Tong P, Pan J, Dang Y, Yang E, Jia C, Duan R, Tian S, Palidan N, Kuang L, Wang C, Lu G, Xie J.Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is commonly associated with horse abortion. Currently, there are no reported cases of abortion resulting from EHV-1 infection in donkeys. This was the first survey-based study of Chinese donkeys. The presence of EHV-1 was identified by PCR. This survey was conducted in Chabuchar County, North Xinjiang, China, in 2020. A donkey EHV-1 strain (Chabuchar/2020) was successfully isolated in MDBK cells. Seventy-two of 100 donkey sera were able to neutralize the isolated EHV-1. Moreover, the ORF33 sequence of the donkey-origin EHV-1 Chabuchar/2020 strain showed high l...
Legrand R, Tiret L, Abitbol M.Seven donkey breeds are recognized by the French studbook. Individuals from the Pyrenean, Provence, Berry Black, Normand, Cotentin and Bourbonnais breeds are characterized by a short coat, while those from the Poitou breed (Baudet du Poitou) are characterized by a long-hair phenotype. We hypothesized that loss-of-function mutations in the FGF5 (fibroblast growth factor 5) gene, which are associated with a long-hair phenotype in several mammalian species, may account for the special coat feature of Poitou donkeys. To the best of our knowledge, mutations in FGF5 have never been described in Equi...
Garner HE, Moore JN, Johnson JH, Clark L, Amend JF, Tritschler LG, Coffmann JR, Sprouse RF, Hutcheson DP, Salem CA.Caecal fluid samples collected 8 and 24 hours after carbohydrate overload were quantitatively compared to control samples in terms of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Concomitant increases in lactic acid-producing bacteria and decreases in Gram negative bacteria were substantiated during the onset of acute laminitis. Progressive decreases in caecal fluid pH were also quantitated. Although endotoxin assays of caecal fluid and blood were not done, the caecal flora changes suggest its presence during the onset of acute laminitis.
Stock ML, Elazab ST, Hsu WH.Triazines are relatively new antiprotozoal drugs that have successfully controlled coccidiosis and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. These drugs have favorably treated other protozoal diseases such as neosporosis and toxoplasmosis. In this article, we discuss the pharmacological characteristics of five triazines, toltrazuril, ponazuril, clazuril, diclazuril, and nitromezuril which are used in veterinary medicine to control protozoal diseases which include coccidiosis, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, neosporosis, and toxoplasmosis.
van Weeren PR, Back W.Musculoskeletal disorders are the most prevalent health problem in aging horses. They are not life threatening, but are painful and an important welfare issue. Chronic joint disease (osteoarthritis) and chronic laminitis are the most prevalent. Treating osteoarthritis in the elderly horse is similar to treating performance horses, but aims at providing a stable situation with optimal comfort. Immediate medical treatment of flare-ups, long-term pain management, and adaptation of exercise and living conditions are the mainstays of treatment. Laminitis in the geriatric horse is related often to p...
Burns EN, Bordbari MH, Mienaltowski MJ, Affolter VK, Barro MV, Gianino F, Gianino G, Giulotto E, Kalbfleisch TS, Katzman SA, Lassaline M, Leeb T....The Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) project aims to identify genomic regulatory elements in both sexes across multiple stages of development in domesticated animals. This study represents the first stage of the FAANG project for the horse, Equus caballus. A biobank of 80 tissue samples, two cell lines and six body fluids was created from two adult Thoroughbred mares. Ante-mortem assessments included full physical examinations, lameness, ophthalmologic and neurologic evaluations. Complete blood counts and serum biochemistries were also performed. At necropsy, in addition to tiss...
Neuder LE, Keener JM, Eckert RE, Trujillo JC, Jones SL.Endotoxemia occurs when bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the blood induces a dysregulated inflammatory response, resulting in circulatory shock and multi-organ failure. Laminitis is a common complication in endotoxemic horses and is frequently the reason for humane euthanasia of these cases. Blood leukocytes are a principal target of LPS in endotoxemia leading to activation of multiple signal transduction pathways involved in the induction of a number of pro-inflammatory genes. In other animal models, the p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway has been associated with induced...
Maumus M, Roussignol G, Toupet K, Penarier G, Bentz I, Teixeira S, Oustric D, Jung M, Lepage O, Steinberg R, Jorgensen C, Noel D.Mesenchymal stem cells isolated from adipose tissue (ASC) have been shown to influence the course of osteoarthritis (OA) in different animal models and are promising in veterinary medicine for horses involved in competitive sport. The aim of this study was to characterize equine ASCs (eASCs) and investigate the role of interferon-gamma (IFNγ)-priming on their therapeutic effect in a murine model of OA, which could be relevant to equine OA. Methods: ASC were isolated from subcutaneous fat. Expression of specific markers was tested by cytometry and RT-qPCR. Differentiation potential was evaluat...
Leblond A, Hendrikx P, Sabatier P.Recent outbreaks of West Nile virus-associated (WNV) diseases, both in the old World and Americas, underline the importance for early warning systems that rapidly identify emerging and re-emerging diseases and thus help in their control. Traditional approaches of disease monitoring become less reliable and increasingly costly when used for rare health-related events, such as WNV outbreaks in southern France. The objective of this work was to discuss methodological issues related to syndromic monitoring of WNV-associated disease in Camargue horses by veterinary practitioners. Tracking cases of ...
Watson Levings RS, Broome TA, Smith AD, Rice BL, Gibbs EP, Myara DA, Hyddmark EV, Nasri E, Zarezadeh A, Levings PP, Lu Y, White ME, Dacanay EA....Toward the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), the authors have been investigating self-complementary adeno-associated virus (scAAV) for intra-articular delivery of therapeutic gene products. As OA frequently affects weight-bearing joints, pharmacokinetic studies of scAAV gene delivery were performed in the joints of the equine forelimb to identify parameters relevant to clinical translation in humans. Using interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) as a secreted therapeutic reporter, scAAV vector plasmids containing codon-optimized cDNA for equine IL-1Ra (eqIL-1Ra) were generated, which produc...
Evans CH, Chevalier X, Wehling P.Autologous conditioned serum was developed in the mid 1990s as an expeditious, practical, and relatively inexpensive means of generating the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, a naturally occurring inhibitor of the cytokine interleukin-1. The latter is thought to be an important mediator of inflammation, pain, and tissue destruction in musculoskeletal conditions. ACS has been widely and successfully used in the local treatment of human and equine osteoarthritis and radicular compression; it has also shown promise in treating tendinopathies, muscle injuries, and tunnel widening after reconstruc...
Taylor KG, Paessler S.Equine encephalids have high mortality rates and represent a significant zoonotic public health threat. Of these the most pathogenic viruses to equids are the alphaviruses in the family Togaviridae. The focus of this review Venezualen equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) has caused the most widespread and recent epidemic outbreaks of disease. Circulation in naturally occuring rodent-mosquito cycles, results in viral spread to both human and equine populations. However, equines develop a high titer viremia and can transmit the virus back to mosquito populations. As such, the early recognition and c...
Dutta SK, Myrup AC, Rice RM, Robl MG, Hammond RC.Potomac horse fever, a recently recognized disease of equines, characterized by high fever, leukopenia, and a profuse diarrhea, was studied for its etiology. An Ehrlichia organism was isolated in equine macrophage-fibroblast cell cultures and mouse macrophage cell cultures from the mononuclear cells of blood of infected horses. The agent was continuously propagated in mouse macrophage cell cultures. The organism multiplied in the cytoplasm of mouse macrophage cells and was identified by Giemsa staining, acridine orange staining, and by indirect immunofluorescence with convalescent sera from in...
CASALS J.A study by hemagglutination-inhibition test showed that 19 strains of eastern equine encephalitis virus grouped themselves in two main types, which have been designated North American and South American. The former consists of ten strains from the eastern half of the United States, from Massachusetts to Florida; Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and, subject to confirmation, Thailand. The South American type comprises nine strains from Panama, Trinidad, British Guiana, Brazil, and Argentina. The strains were isolated from different natural hosts over a period of 30 years.
Wood JL, Newton JR, Chanter N, Mumford JA.Respiratory disease is important in young Thoroughbred racehorses, but the variation in the rates of occurrence between different ages and training groups has not been characterised. Objective: To determine the rates of respiratory disease, particularly inflammatory airway disease (IAD), as well as evidence of infection, and their variation between age and group. Methods: Horses were examined monthly in 7 British flat training yards over a 3 year period. IAD was defined as increased mucus in the trachea with increased proportions of neutrophils in tracheal wash samples. Frequencies of disease ...
Bamford NJ, Potter SJ, Baskerville CL, Harris PA, Bailey SR.The relationships between diet, obesity and insulin dysregulation in equids require further investigation due to their association with laminitis. This study examined the effect of dietary glycaemic load and increased adiposity on insulin sensitivity and adipokine concentrations in different equine breeds. Equal numbers of Standardbred horses, mixed-breed ponies and Andalusian horses were provided with ad libitum hay plus either cereal-rich (CHO; n = 12), fat-rich (FAT; n = 12) or control (CON; n = 9) meals over 20 weeks. The isocaloric CHO and FAT diets were fed to induce obesity ...
Wilson TM, Ross PF, Rice LG, Osweiler GD, Nelson HA, Owens DL, Plattner RD, Reggiardo C, Noon TH, Pickrell JW.During the fall of 1989, an episode of equine leukoencephalomalacia involved 18 of 66 purebred Arabian horses at a breeding/training stable in Arizona. Of the 18 horses affected, the condition was fatal in 14. These horses, as well as 48 unaffected horses, had been fed a diet containing a substantial amount of white corn screenings. Gross pathologic findings included liquefactive necrosis in parts of the cerebral white matter and hemorrhagic foci of various sizes in the brain stem. Histopathologic findings included rarefied white matter with pyknotic nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm. Thin-lay...
Reghini MF, Ramires Neto C, Segabinazzi LG, Castro Chaves MM, Dell'Aqua Cde P, Bussiere MC, Dell'Aqua JA, Papa FO, Alvarenga MA.Degenerative changes of the endometrium are directly related to age and fertility in mares. Chronic degenerative endometritis (CDE) is correlated with uterine fluid retention and reduced ability to clear uterine inflammation. Recent research in the areas of equine surgery and sports medicine has shown that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment acts as an immunomodulator of the inflammatory response. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if the uterine infusion of PRP could modulate the local inflammatory response and modify the intrauterine NO concentrations after artificial insemin...
Zoonoses and public healthNovember 17, 2009
Volume 57, Issue 7-8 510-517 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01261.x
Veronesi F, Passamonti F, Cacciò S, Diaferia M, Piergili Fioretti D.Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two of the most common enteric pathogens of domestic and wild animals and humans. However, little is known on the prevalence, clinical manifestations and economic and zoonotic significance of these infections in horses. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence, excretion patterns and risk factors related to the faecal shedding of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in horses and the zoonotic potential of species/genotypes isolated. The survey was performed on 120 foals and 30 broodmares reared in five Italian farms. Foals were divided in fou...
Soboll Hussey G, Hussey SB, Wagner B, Horohov DW, Van de Walle GR, Osterrieder N, Goehring LS, Rao S, Lunn DP.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection remains a significant problem despite the widespread use of vaccines. The inability to generate a protective immune response to EHV-1 vaccination or infection is thought to be due to immunomodulatory properties of the virus, and the ORF1 and ORF2 gene products have been hypothesized as potential candidates with immunoregulatory properties. A pony infection study was performed to define immune responses to EHV-1, and to determine if an EHV-1 ORF1/2 deletion mutant (ΔORF1/2) would have different disease and immunoregulatory effects compared to wild type EH...
Fillion-Bertrand G, Dickson RP, Boivin R, Lavoie JP, Huffnagle GB, Leclere M.There is evidence that the lung microbiome differs between patients with asthma and healthy humans, but the effect of environmental conditions and medication is unknown and difficult to study. Equine asthma is a naturally occurring chronic airway disease characterized by reversible airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction upon exposure to inhaled antigens. In the present study, we evaluated the effect that environmental conditions and disease status have on pulmonary, nasal, and oral microbiomes. Six asthmatic and six healthy horses were studied while at pasture ("low antigen exposure"), as...
Bureau F, Delhalle S, Bonizzi G, Fiévez L, Dogné S, Kirschvink N, Vanderplasschen A, Merville MP, Bours V, Lekeux P.In most cells trans-activating NF-kappaB induces many inflammatory proteins as well as its own inhibitor, IkappaB-alpha, thus assuring a transient response upon stimulation. However, NF-kappaB-dependent inflammatory gene expression is persistent in asthmatic bronchi, even after allergen eviction. In the present report we used bronchial brushing samples (BBSs) from heaves-affected horses (a spontaneous model of asthma) to elucidate the mechanisms by which NF-kappaB activity is maintained in asthmatic airways. NF-kappaB activity was high in granulocytic and nongranulocytic BBS cells. However, NF...
van Loon JPAM, Van Dierendonck MC.In recent decades, much effort has been invested in scientific studies of objective and reliable assessment of pain in horses. Various types of pain assessment tools have been described and (partly) validated for different types of pain in horses. Currently, composite pain scales and facial expression-based pain scales seem to be the most promising tools for pain assessment in horses and numerous studies have recently been published on the use of these pain scales in horses. Therefore, this narrative review mainly focusses on these two types of pain scales and on the studies that have appeared...
Wasko AJ, Barkema HW, Nicol J, Fernandez N, Logie N, Léguillette R.The diagnosis of equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is based on clinical signs and increased inflammatory cell percentages in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Since a BAL is an invasive procedure, a risk-screening questionnaire (RSQ) would be a valuable screening tool for lung inflammation. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of a RSQ to detect lower airway inflammation (LAI) in a large population of horses. Methods: A standardised BAL was performed in the field on 167 horses in Alberta, Canada. Horses were separated into 3 categories: 1) BAL...
Crevier-Denoix N, Collobert C, Pourcelot P, Denoix JM, Sanaa M, Geiger D, Bernard N, Ribot X, Bortolussi C, Bousseau B.The objective of this study was to mechanically characterise superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) lesions. Eight pathological SDFTs, isolated from 6 adult horses, were tested in traction until rupture (at 1 mm/s). The stresses and strains simultaneously undergone by each of the 7 segments of a tendon were determined throughout the test, and the modulus of elasticity of each segment was evaluated from the segmental stress-strain curve thus obtained. These mechanical data were compared to those obtained on 10 normal SDFTs. After the test, the tendinous segments were submitted to a histologic...
Risseti RM, Zastempowska E, Twarużek M, Lassa H, Pantoja JCF, de Vargas APC, Guerra ST, Bolaños CAD, de Paula CL, Alves AC, Colhado BS....Trueperella pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that causes diverse pyogenic infections in livestock. The genes that encode the exotoxin pyolysin (plo) and other putative factors that promote adhesion of pathogen to host cells (fimbriae fimA, fimC, fimE, fimG, neuraminidases nanH, nanP, and collagen-binding protein cbpA) have been associated with virulence, particularly in mastitis and uterus infections of dairy cows. However, the role of these virulence markers in the pathogenicity of the agent in domestic animals infections still is incompletely understood. The genes plo, fimA, fimC, fimE,...
Alghamdi AS, Foster DN, Troedsson MH.Seminal plasma (SP) is known to have immunosuppressive properties in several species. Equine SP has been reported to reduce or inhibit chemotaxis, phagocytosis and complement activity in vitro. The type and amount of the SP component that suppresses sperm-polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) binding in vitro was determined, and the effect of such suppression on the fertility of mares inseminated in the presence of uterine inflammation, was analyzed. Sperm cells were suspended in either SP, semen extender or a mixture of both, and each was mixed with PMN-rich uterine secretions collected at 12 h ...
Laumen E, Doherr MG, Gerber V.The horse owner assessed respiratory signs index (HOARSI-1-4, healthy, mildly, moderately and severely affected, respectively) is based on owner-reported clinical history and has been used for the investigation of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) genetics utilising large sample sizes. Reliable phenotype identification is of paramount importance in genetic studies. Owner reports of respiratory signs have shown good repeatability, but the agreement of HOARSI with an in-depth examination of the lower respiratory tract has not been investigated. Objective: To determine the correlation of HOARSI ...
Goodrich LR, Choi VW, Carbone BA, McIlwraith CW, Samulski RJ.Cell transplantation for the treatment of joint disease is an important clinical tool. Genetic modification of cells before transplantation has shown enhanced healing. Ex vivo genetic modification of joint tissue cells with various adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes has not been investigated. The transduction efficiencies of self-complementary AAV serotypes (1-6 and 8) were determined in joint tissue containing chondrocytes and synoviocytes isolated from equine models. When comparing scAAV serotypes for efficient transduction ex vivo, in chondrocytes versus synoviocytes, serotypes 6 and 2,...
