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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.
Histopathological lesions associated with equine periodontal disease. Equine periodontal disease (EPD) is a common and painful condition, the aetiology and pathology of which are poorly understood. To characterise the histopathological lesions associated with EPD, the skulls of 22 horses were assessed grossly for the presence of periodontal disease, and a standard set of interdental tissues taken from each for histopathological examination. Histological features of EPD included ulceration and neutrophilic inflammation of the gingival epithelium. Mononuclear and eosinophilic inflammation of the gingival lamina propria and submucosa was commonly present irrespecti...
Radiographic changes in Thoroughbred yearlings in South Africa. This study involves the evaluation of pre-purchase radiographic studies of South African Thoroughbred yearlings. Radiographic changes were recorded and compared with similar international studies. The study differs from other studies in that a lower prevalence of pedal osteitis (1.26%), dorsal osteochondral fragmentation of the metatarsophalangeal joint (1.60%), distal metacarpal sagittal ridge changes (15.7%), ulnar carpal bone lucencies (8.33%), carpal osteophytes (1.19%), distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joint radiographic changes (9.92%), tarsal osteochondrosis lesions (4.40%) and st...
Isolation of Equine rhinitis A virus from a horse semen sample. Semen from an apparently healthy 4-year-old American Quarter Horse was submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for Equine arteritis virus isolation. Visual inspection of the semen sample upon arrival noted it was unusually yellow in color. The semen sample was inoculated onto cell monolayers, and cytopathic effect was observed 5 days postinoculation. The resultant isolate tested negative for Equine arteritis virus, and was subsequently identified as Equine rhinitis A virus. Equine rhinitis A virus has been isolated from horse urine, but has not been described in stallion sem...
Increased hypoxia-inducible factor 1α expression in lung cells of horses with recurrent airway obstruction. Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO, also known as equine heaves) is an inflammatory condition caused by exposure of susceptible horses to organic dusts in hay. The immunological processes responsible for the development and the persistence of airway inflammation are still largely unknown. Hypoxia-inducible factor (Hif) is mainly known as a major regulator of energy homeostasis and cellular adaptation to hypoxia. More recently however, Hif also emerged as an essential regulator of innate immune responses. Here, we aimed at investigating the potential involvement of Hif1-α in myeloid cells in ho...
Label-free LC-MSMS analysis of vitreous from autoimmune uveitis reveals a significant decrease in secreted Wnt signalling inhibitors DKK3 and SFRP2. Equine recurrent uveitis is a severe and frequent blinding disease in horses which presents with auto-reactive invading T-cells, resulting in the destruction of the inner eye. Infiltration of inflammatory cells into the retina and vitreous is driven by currently unknown guidance cues, however surgical removal of the vitreous (vitrectomy) has proven therapeutically successful. Therefore, proteomic analyses of vitrectomy samples are likely to result in detection of proteins contributing to disease pathogenesis. Vitreous from healthy and ERU diseased horses were directly compared by quantitative ...
Effect of holding medium, temperature and time on structural integrity of equine ovarian follicles during the non-breeding season. The objective was to evaluate the efficiency of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) during the transport of equine preantral and antral follicles at various temperatures and incubation interval. Equine ovaries (n = 10) from an abattoir were cut into 19 fragments; one was immediately fixed in Bouin's solution (control) and the other fragments were placed in PBS or MEM solution at 4, 20, or 39 °C for 4, 12, or 24 h. After the respective incubation periods, all fragments were fixed in Bouin's solution for 24 h and then submitted to standard histologic analysis. In ...
Gene and protein expression of cartilage canal and osteochondral junction chondrocytes and full-thickness cartilage in early equine osteochondrosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of several regulatory factors associated with cartilage maturation in horses with early osteochondrosis (OC) compared to normal controls. The hypothesis was that expression levels of Indian hedgehog (Ihh), parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTH-rP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A), and matrix metalloproteinase-13 and -3 (MMP-13, -3) would be increased in OC. Articular cartilage and osteochondral samples were collected from the femoropatellar joints from seven OC and eight normal...
Occurrence of hemotrophic mycoplasmas in horses with correlation to hematological findings. Hemotrophic mycoplasmas (HM) are small, cell wall-less bacteria and infections are known for a wide range of animals. One possible indication of equine HM infection was given in 1978, when a 'haemobartonellosis' outbreak was diagnosed in Nigerian horses by microscopy. However the first molecular proof of HM in horses was not reported until 2010, when a fragment of about 900 bp of the 16S rRNA of the equine HM was obtained. This sequence was used for the development of a SYBR green I real-time PCR assay specific for equine HM. The lower detection limit of the PCR was ten 16S rDNA copy numbers p...
Applicability of a new cell culture device for cooled-storage of stallion semen. A new device for storage and shipping of cell cultures--the Petaka G3 cell management device--was tested for its applicability for cooled-storage of equine semen. Semen from three stallions was processed with EquiPro extender either without antibiotics (three ejaculates per stallion) or with gentamicin (250 mg/l; three ejaculates per stallion). Semen was either stored at five (anaerobic conditions) or 15 °C (aerobic conditions) in syringes or cell culture devices. Total and progressive motility, as well as membrane integrity of spermatozoa, were evaluated from days 1 to 7 after collection wit...
Subclinical ultrasonographic abnormalities of the suspensory ligament branch of the athletic horse: A survey of 60 Thoroughbred racehorses. Ultrasonographic (US) abnormalities of the suspensory ligament branch (SLB) have been poorly investigated but can have considerable impact on market value and career path when encountered in athletic horses. There is a need for determination of the prevalence and relationship to clinical injury of these US abnormalities in the Thoroughbred (TB) racehorse. Objective: To establish the prevalence of, and the repeatability of an US grading system for, subclinical US abnormalities of the forelimb SLB in a population of UK TB flat racehorses. Methods: Ultrasonographic assessment of the forelimb SLBs...
Aortic rupture and aorto-pulmonary fistulation in the Friesian horse: characterisation of the clinical and gross post mortem findings in 24 cases. In horses, aortic sinus of Valsalva aneurysms or tears in the aortic root are well-recognised conditions in breeding stallions, often leading to sudden death. A more uncommon form of aortic rupture, located proximal to the ligamentum arteriosum has been reported in 3 Friesian horses. Objective: The purpose of this study was to phenotypically characterise aortic rupture and aorto-pulmonary fistulation in Friesian horses in terms of clinical and post mortem data based on 24 cases. Methods: Friesian horses that were diagnosed with aortic rupture and aorto-pulmonary fistulation over a period of 13...
Feeding the foal for immediate and long-term health. The nutrition and nutritional status of the mare, as well as foal's nutrient intake from colostrum, milk and creep feed, are critical factors that are known to influence the growth period of the foal. Long-term effects of mare and foal nutrition are not well recognised or understood in the horse but may have the greatest impact on the animal's health and use when mature. Both under- and overfeeding can negatively influence important characteristics such as bone development and neurological function The risk of developing debilitating diseases such as metabolic syndrome may also be increased by...
Factors influencing placental development and function in the mare. The development of the equine placenta involves a series of stage-specific events which ensure that the fetus is nourished throughout its 11 months of gestation. Initially, placental exchange to the developing embryo is histotrophic, via the yolk sac but, as the allantochorion develops and microcotyledons form, haemotrophic nutrition plays the major role in sustaining the increasing demands of the growing fetus. This review describes the development of the allantochorionic placenta of the mare and discusses some of the factors that influence its growth, size and functions and, hence, its contr...
Energy expenditure of critically ill neonatal foals. Nutritional support in critically ill neonatal foals is of great importance given their high metabolic rate and minimal stores of energy and protein. Nutrient requirements of healthy growing foals have been estimated based on daily milk intake; however, little is known about the resting energy expenditure (REE) of sick foals. Objective: To determine REE in critically ill neonatal foals (sepsis and/or hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy [HIE] and compare this with REE in control foals. Methods: Critically ill newborn foals admitted to the Fundació Hospital Clinic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma...
Presumptive nonthyroidal illness syndrome in critically ill foals. Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis dysfunction is associated with morbidity and mortality in critically ill people. To date, investigations of HPT axis in critically ill foals are limited. Objective: To document the occurrence of low thyroid hormone concentrations (presumptive nonthyroidal illness syndrome; NTIS) in critically ill newborn foals and investigate whether NTIS is associated with severity of disease and outcome. Objective: NTIS occurs frequently in foals with sepsis and is associated with sepsis score and outcome. Reverse T3 (rT3) concentrations will be increased in septic f...
Prevalence of gastric and duodenal ulceration in 691 nonsurviving foals (1995-2006). Gastric ulcer disease is reported to be a significant cause of morbidity in foals, but the prevalence of ulcers in this population has not recently been evaluated. Objective: To determine the prevalence of gastric and duodenal ulceration in nonsurviving foals, and the association of ulceration with the body system of primary diagnosis. Secondary objectives were to evaluate a potential association between age and ulcer prevalence and to evaluate the use of antacid medication in the neonatal hospital population during the study years. Methods: Necropsy records were searched for all equine access...
Clinical findings in 10 foals with bacterial meningoencephalitis. Bacterial meningoencephalitis is a severe complication in septic foals and there is scarce and often unclear information in the equine literature. Objective: To report the most frequent clinical signs, clinicopathological findings, causative agents, treatments given and outcome of a group of foals with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis. Methods: Foals aged < 6 months of age admitted to the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (2004-2009) with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis were retrospectively included in the study Diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis was made by cerebrospina...
Intraoperator, intraobserver and interoperator variability of echocardiographic measurements in healthy foals. The repeatability of various echocardiographic measurements is unknown. Objective: To determine the intraoperator, intraobserver and interoperator variability of echocardiographic measures in healthy foals. Methods: Echocardiographic examinations were carried out on 6 healthy foals by 3 experienced echocardiographers. Intraoperator variability was determined by having a single echocardiographer obtain and measure images from 6 foals scanned on 3 consecutive days. Interoperator and intraobserver variability were determined by having 3 echocardiographers each obtain images from an additional 6 s...
Dysphagia associated with presumed pharyngeal dysfunction in 16 neonatal foals. Dysphagia due to pharyngeal dysfunction occurs in human neonates and is associated with prematurity and hypoxic episodes. This syndrome probably occurs in neonatal foals but has not been reported. Objective: The objectives of this study were to describe 1) a series of neonatal foals with dysphagia due to pharyngeal dysfunction; 2) the progression, treatment and resolution of the dysphagia; 3) the comorbidities; and 4) the prognosis for life and athleticism for affected foals. Methods: Records from 3 referral equine hospitals were reviewed from neonatal foals with dysphagia of pharyngeal origin...
The importance of ultrasonographic pneumatosis intestinalis in equine neonatal gastrointestinal disease. Recognising the presence of a necrotising component of the gastrointestinal disease may be clinically useful in ill equine neonates. Objective: To study the importance of abdominal sonograms in neonatal foals suffering from gastrointestinal conditions and to describe the clinical features of necrotising gastrointestinal disease. Objective: There is a subgroup of neonates with sonographically detectable pneumatosis intestinalis (PI), reflecting a necrotising disease. Methods: Records of foals aged < or = 7 days hospitalised from 2005 to 2009 with signs of gastrointestinal disease were evaluated...
Allopregnanolone infusion induced neurobehavioural alterations in a neonatal foal: is this a clue to the pathogenesis of neonatal maladjustment syndrome? Increased plasma progestagen concentrations have been reported in foals with neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS). These steroids may cross the blood-brain barrier and have dampening effects in the central nervous system. Objective: To evaluate if the infusion of a progesterone derivative (allopregnanolone) in a healthy neonatal foal would induce clinical signs compatible with NMS. Methods: A healthy neonatal foal from a healthy mare with a normal gestation (length, no complications), birth and placenta was infused with allopregnanolone to observe its neurobehavioural effects. Heparinised blo...
A racing start in life? The hurdles of equine feto-placental pathology. Significant progress has been made in understanding and monitoring the causes of equine abortion over past decades. However, not all in utero pathology results in abortion. It has long been recognised that some in utero pathology, such as twinning or chronic placentitis, can result in the birth of live but growth-retarded foals and there is historical evidence that birth weight may influence future athletic performance. Clinical experience (e.g. from twins) and experimental studies (pony-Thoroughbred embryo transfer) have highlighted the importance of reduced functional placental area in limit...
Evaluation of regional limb perfusion with amikacin using the saphenous, cephalic, and palmar digital veins in standing horses. Previous studies have shown that regional limb perfusion (RLP) using the palmar digital (PD) vein delivers therapeutic concentration of amikacin to the distal limb. Our hypothesis was that using the cephalic and saphenous veins for RLP will enable delivery of therapeutic concentrations of amikacin to the distal limb. Nineteen healthy horses participated in the study. The cephalic, saphenous, or PD vein was used to perfuse the limb with amikacin. Two grams of amikacin was used for RLP using the saphenous and the cephalic veins, and one gram was used in the PD vein. Synovial samples were collect...
Prevalence, risk factors and clinical signs predictive for equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction in aged horses. Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is an ageing-related neurodegenerative disorder. The prevalence and risk factors for PPID using seasonally adjusted basal adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations in aged horses have not been previously reported. Objective: To determine the prevalence, risk factors and clinical signs predictive for PPID in a population of horses aged ≥ 15 years in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Owner-reported data was obtained using a postal questionnaire distributed to an equestrian group. A subgroup of surveyed owners were visited and a veterina...
Ultrasound confirmation of ovulation in mares: a normal corpus luteum or a haemorrhagic anovulatory follicle? The most common pathological anovulatory condition that occurs spontaneously during the breeding season in the mare is the haemorrhagic anovulatory follicle (HAF). A relatively high proportion of mares, soon after ovulation, develop a corpus haemorrhagicum (CH) with a central lacuna. This type of corpora lutea may resemble an HAF, which may complicate the accurate diagnosis of ovulation. The main objective of this study was to compare the ultrasound data of mares examined frequently with HAFs and CHs to elucidate whether it is possible to distinguish them from each other. A total of 135 ovulat...
