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Topic:Equine Diseases
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.
A preliminary study into the correlation of stiffness of the laminar junction of the equine hoof with the length density of its secondary lamellae. The relationship between mechanical behaviour and microscopic structure of the laminar junction of equine hooves under testing conditions requires elucidation. Objective: To determine mechanical parameters and 2D length density of profiles of secondary lamellae of the laminar junction in the dermal region and to assess possible correlations. Methods: Specimens (25 samples in total) of the laminar junction were taken from front, quarter and heel parts from 3 equine hooves and exposed to a uniaxial tensile test until rupture to obtain Young's moduli of elasticity, ultimate stress and strain. Nei...
Time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) of the normal equine head. Noncontrast magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is widely used in human and small animal medicine. However, this technique has not yet been described in the horse, and compared to other angiographic techniques MRA could be more cost efficient and potentially safer. Objective: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive anatomical reference of the normal equine head vasculature using a noncontrast MRA technique, on both low- and high-field MRI. Methods: Five healthy adult horses were examined, 4 with a low-field magnet (0.23T) and the remaining one with a high-field magnet (1.5T). The...
Venereal shedding of equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in naturally infected stallions. Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a highly prevalent pathogen in horse populations worldwide. Oronasal infection represents the classic route of disease transmission. Venereal shedding of EHV-1 is not regarded relevant in terms of virus spreading, which is in contrast to the close relatives of EHV-1, bovine and suid alphaherpesvirus, for which artificial insemination is a well-documented and accepted means of virus spread. Objective: Documentation of venereal EHV-1 shedding in 3 naturally infected stallions. Methods: Three stallions were infected during an acute outbreak by an EHV-1 strain with t...
Short-term incubation of equine laminar veins with cortisol and insulin alters contractility in vitro: possible implications for the pathogenesis of equine laminitis. This study investigated the effects of cortisol and insulin, hormones that affect both glycaemic status and vascular function, on the in vitro contractility of isolated healthy equine small laminar veins. Small veins (150-500 μm) draining the digital laminae from healthy horses or ponies were investigated by wire myography. Concentration response curves were constructed for noradrenaline (NA), phenylephrine (PE), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the presence of either cortisol (10(-6 ) m) or insulin (1000 μIU/mL). Cortisol significantly increased the maximum contractilit...
Ovine amniotic epithelial cells: in vitro characterization and transplantation into equine superficial digital flexor tendon spontaneous defects. In vitro expanded and frosted ovine amniotic epithelial cells (oAECs) were evaluated for their phenotype, stemness and attitude to differentiate into tenocytes. Fifteen horses with acute tendon lesions were treated with one intralesional injection of oAECs. Tendon recovery under controlled training was monitored. In vitro expanded oAECs showed a constant proliferative ability, a conserved phenotype and stable expression profile of stemness markers. Differentiation into tenocytes was also regularly documented. US controls showed the infilling of the defect and early good alignment of the fibers...
Ocular abnormalities in healthy Standardbred foals. To determine the prevalence and describe ocular abnormalities in healthy Standardbred foals within 48 h of birth. Methods: One hundred and two neonatal foals. Methods: All foals had an unassisted delivery. On the basis of physical examination and the results of hematological and biochemical parameters, all foals were unaffected by systemic diseases. A complete ophthalmic examination was performed within 48 h of birth. Foals with ocular hemorrhages were re-examined weekly until the abnormalities were resolved. Results: 65/102 (63.7%) foals did not show ocular abnormalities, while in 37/102 (36....
Development and validation of a method for purification of mallein for the diagnosis of glanders in equines. The allergic test of mallein is one of the most frequently used tests, together with the Complement Fixation Test (CFT), for the diagnosis of glanders in endemic areas. Mallein, a purified protein derivative (PPD), is produced similarly to PPD tuberculin and the end product is a primarily proteic antigen, which is only poorly purified. The immuno-allergic activity of mallein is believed to be due to a high molecular weight group of proteins present in the antigen. To improve the quality of the antigen, in terms of sensitivity and specificity, a new method of mallein production was developed, i...
Mechanisms of oxidative injury in equine disease. Oxygen is essential to aerobic life, but it is also associated with the production of highly reactive compounds that can pose danger to physiologic systems when the oxygen concentration is excessive. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are required for normal physiologic processes, but when produced in excess, they can overwhelm endogenous antioxidants, resulting in significant cellular damage and, eventually, cell death. Ischemic events can initiate numerous pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to increased production of ROS, loss of cellular energy production, and lipid peroxidation. Although reper...
Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in horses: pathogenesis and therapeutics. This article discusses the potential role of oxidative injury to the intestinal tract of horses and the therapeutic approaches that have been investigated to decrease cellular damage secondary to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Equine colic is a major concern for horse owners and veterinary practitioners. Strangulating and obstructive lesions of the small and large intestines commonly require intervention in patients via exploratory celiotomy. However, the application of information from experimentally induced IR injury in horses to clinical cases of naturally occurring equine colic is not c...
Phylogenetic and structural studies of a novel equine papillomavirus identified from aural plaques. Papillomaviruses (PVs) infect a wide range of animal species and show great genetic diversity. To date, excluding equine sarcoids, only three species of PVs were identified associated with lesions in horses: Equus caballus papillomavirus 1 (EcPV1-cutaneous), EcPV2 (genital) and EcPV3 (aural plaques). In this study, we identified a novel equine PV from aural plaques, which we designated EcPV4. Cutaneous samples from horses with lesions that were microscopically diagnosed as aural plaques were subjected to DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing. Rolling circle amplification and inverse PCR...
Strain impact on equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) abortion models: viral loads in fetal and placental tissues and foals. Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) continues to cause both sporadic and epidemic abortions despite extensive vaccination. Lack of progress in the development of protective vaccines may be hindered by the lack of equine abortion models that employ contemporary EHV-1 strains. The objective of our experiments was to compare a contemporary EHV-1 strain with a previously described challenge strain, and to quantify EHV-1 loads in various maternal and fetal tissues. Infection experiments were performed in two groups of 7 pregnant pony mares at 270-290 days of gestation with a contemporary EHV-1 strain (Uni...
Atypical myopathy: a review and description of the outbreak in the Netherlands during autumn 2009 and spring 2010. This article reviews the literature on equine atypical myopathy (AM), an acute, severe rhabdomyolysis that occurs in horses at pasture. The prevalence, mortality, clinical signs, pathology, potential aetiology, typical aspects, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis are described. Horse management, characteristic weather conditions, and possible preventive measures are also discussed. In addition, the characteristics of 54 highly probable or confirmed cases of equine AM occurring between autumn 2009 (27 cases) and spring 2010 (27 cases) in the Netherlands are described. Of the 54 affected horses,...
Effects of the addition of endotoxin during perfusion of isolated forelimbs of equine cadavers. To examine the effect of endotoxins on metabolism and histopathologic changes of isolated perfused equine forelimbs. Methods: Forelimbs (comprising the metacarpus and digit) were collected from cadavers of 12 healthy adult horses after slaughter at an abattoir (14 limbs; 1 forelimb of 10 horses and both forelimbs of 2 horses). Methods: Forelimbs were perfused for 10 hours with autologous blood, with and without the addition of endotoxin (80 ng of lipopolysaccharide [LPS]/L). Two limbs of the endotoxin exposure group and 2 nonperfused limbs were loaded to failure of the suspensory apparatus of ...
Evidence that in vitro susceptibility of CD3+ T lymphocytes to equine arteritis virus infection reflects genetic predisposition of naturally infected stallions to become carriers of the virus. We investigated the correlation between in vitro susceptibility of CD3(+) T lymphocytes to equine arteritis virus (EAV) infection and establishment of persistent infection among 14 stallions following natural infections. The data showed that carrier stallions with a CD3(+) T lymphocyte susceptibility phenotype to in vitro EAV infection may be at higher risk of becoming carriers than those that lack this phenotype (P = 0.0002).
Post-mating inflammatory responses of the uterus. This review attempts to summarize the current knowledge on uterine inflammatory response after mating in horses, pigs and cattle. Post-mating endometritis has been extensively studied in horses as it has been considered to cause infertility. The inflammation is known to occur also in cattle, but it has not been investigated to a similar extent. There are a number of publications about mechanisms of post-mating uterine inflammation in pigs, which seem to resemble those in horses. The major focus of this review is the horse, but relevant literature is presented also on swine and cattle. Spermato...
Serum zinc levels and their relationship with diseases in racehorses. Zinc is one of the essential microelements involved in the regulation of enzyme activity, as well as metabolism of nucleic acid and proteins. There have been few reports on equine serum zinc concentrations during the training period, and little is known about the relationship between zinc levels and diseases in horses. In this study, we measured serum zinc levels in healthy Thoroughbred racehorses, as well as in other horses, under general disease or training conditions. The reference value for serum zinc levels in Thoroughbred horses was 41-79 μg/dl. There were no differences in serum zinc l...
Reproductive performance of Thoroughbred mares in the Waikato region of New Zealand: 2. Multivariable analyses and sources of variation at the mare, stallion and stud farm level. The objective of this study was to utilise multivariable statistical methods appropriate for clustered data to identify mare-related explanatory variables that significantly affected the reproductive performance of Thoroughbred mares in the Waikato region of New Zealand. In addition, we aimed to determine the relative contribution of the mare, stallion and stud farm to reproductive performance. Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed involving five stud farms in the Waikato region of New Zealand during three consecutive breeding seasons (2006-2008). A total of 1,482 individual mares ...
Feed restriction enhances the depressive effects of erythromycin on equine hindgut microbial metabolism in vitro. Equine typholocolitis is a sporadic diarrheal disease causing high mortality rates. One of the risk factors responsible for this is the oral application of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin. The aim of the present in vitro study was to investigate whether erythromycin in combination with feed restriction provokes changes in microbial hindgut metabolism and could therefore be involved in the pathogenesis of equine typhlocolitis. As application of erythromycin and feed restriction are risk factors for equine typhlocolitis, both factors were chosen to investigate their individual and combined...
A comparative review of vitamin E and associated equine disorders. Vitamin E is a primary chain-breaking antioxidant that prevents cyclic propagation of lipid peroxidation. Across species, vitamin E is essential for normal neuromuscular function by acting as a potent antioxidant, as well as by modulating the expression of certain genes, inhibiting platelet aggregation and stabilizing plasma membranes. This review focuses on vitamin E structure, absorption, metabolism, current equine dietary recommendations, the interplay between antioxidants and exercise, a discussion of the necessity of vitamin E supplementation in the horse above the Nutritional Research Co...
Markers of systemic inflammation in horses with heaves. Systemic inflammation in horses with heaves is poorly characterized. Objective: To assess acute phase proteins (APP) and inflammatory cytokine profiles in serum of healthy horses and horses with heaves. Methods: Six healthy horses and 6 heaves-affected horses belonging to the University of Montreal. Methods: Prospective, observational study. Healthy and heaves-affected control horses were exposed to a 30-day natural challenge with hay and straw to induce clinical exacerbation of heaves. Serum samples were obtained by venipuncture before (T0) as well as after 7 (T7) and 30 days (T30) of stablin...
Extensive myenteric ganglionitis in a case of equine chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction associated with EHV-1 infection. A 7-year-old male trotter horse with a history of recurrent colic displayed clinical findings consistent with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP). At laparotomy, an impaction of the descending colon associated with marked atrophy of the right dorsal colon was found. The horse was humanely destroyed and tissues collected at necropsy examination revealed diffuse enteric ganglionitis comprising an infiltrate of CD3(+) T lymphocytes and plasma cells. At all levels of the intestinal tract the number of myenteric ganglia and of normal ganglion cells was decreased significantly. There were ch...
Investigation of equine influenza virus in two geographical regions of Pakistan. The present study was an attempt to elucidate the seroprevalence of equine influenza virus (H3N8) in two geographically distinct regions of Pakistan where vaccination is not routinely practiced. Methods: A total number of 315 animals of family Equidae were included in the survey. Blood samples and nasal swabs were collected from the same animal and analyzed through ELISA and Hemagglutination Inhibition. Results: The seroprevalence for EIV was 10 and 8.39 in districts under study. Out of 29 ELISA positive sera, 7 (24.1 %) showed antibodies against H1 and 22 (75.9 %) showed against H3 of influen...
Distribution of insulin receptor and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor in the digital laminae of mixed-breed ponies: an immunohistochemical study. Hyperinsulinaemia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of laminitis; however, laminar cell types responding to insulin remain poorly characterised. Objective: To identify laminar cell types expressing insulin receptor (IRc) and/or insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R); and to evaluate the effect of dietary nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) on their expression. Methods: Mixed-breed ponies (n = 22) received a conditioning hay chop diet (NSC ∼6%); following acclimation, ponies were stratified into lean (n = 11, body condition score [BCS]≤4) or obese (n = 11, BCS ≥7) groups and ea...
Differential expression of TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) in the central nervous system of horses afflicted with equine motor neuron disease (EMND): a preliminary study of a potential pathologic marker. Equine motor neuron disease (EMND) is a neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology affecting horses worldwide. Trans-Active Response DNA Binding Protein of 43Â kDa (TDP-43) has been reported in the central nervous system (CNS) of several neurodegenerative conditions in humans including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and assumed to play role in the disease. We examined whether horses afflicted with EMND express the TDP-43 in CNS. Ten horses with EMND and 6 controls of different ages and breed we enrolled. Detection of presence of TDP-43 protein in the CNS was analyzed by immunohistoche...
Evaluation of Xist expression in preattachment equine embryos. Until now, sex determination in equine embryos has been performed by detection of Y-chromosome-specific sequences only. In the present study, expression of a Barr-body-specific marker, the X-inactivated-specific transcript (Xist) gene, whose gene product consists of RNA which coats and thereby inactivates one of the X chromosomes, was investigated in equine embryos produced in vivo. Preattachment embryos at different times after ovulation (Day 8: n = 9; Day 10: n = 12; Day 12: n = 15) were analyzed for Xist RNA expression using quantitative and qualitative reverse transcription-polymerase chai...
The isolated perfused equine distal limb as an ex vivo model for pharmacokinetic studies. Even though intra-articular injections play an important role in the treatment of joint-related lameness in horses, little is known about pharmacokinetic properties of substances used. Therefore, an ex vivo model for pharmacokinetic studies was developed using distal forelimbs of slaughtered horses. The extremity was perfused with gassed Tyrode solution for up to 8 h. Tissue viability was confirmed by measurements of glucose consumption, lactate production, and lactate dehydrogenase activity in the perfusate. Standard criteria for tissue viability had been determined in preliminary experiments...
