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.
Goodrich LR.Equine orthopedic pain management has become a growing area of interest. Its importance has been emphasized in many studies showing that better pain management results in decreased postoperative complications such as chronic pain, support-limb laminitis, gastric ulceration, and gastrointestinal disease. This review is meant for the surgeon managing orthopedic pain pre-, peri-, and postoperatively.
Baxter GM, Morrison S.The most common and significant complication of excessive unilateral weight bearing in adult horses is support limb laminitis. Young horses with unilateral lameness problems develop support limb laminitis infrequently compared with adult horses.
Freeman DE.Guttural pouch diseases pose serious challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Complications from treatment are common and often life-threatening, largely because the unique anatomy of the guttural pouches brings them into intimate contact with the nervous, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. There is little forgiveness for surgical errors, and so the surgeon should focus on ways to anticipate and prevent them. As with any disease, errors in diagnosis can set the stage for many surgical errors and must be recognized. This article deals with errors that can be expected after the most common s...
Dixon PM, Hawkes C, Townsend N.The vast majority of equine oral procedures are dental-related and, unless great care is taken, almost all such procedures have the potential to cause marked short- or long-term damage to other oral structures. This review of the more common complications of oral surgery begins at the rostral oral cavity with procedures of the incisors, and then moves caudally to deal with complications related to procedures of wolf teeth and cheek teeth, including salivary duct disruption and dental sinusitis. Finally, complications associated with maxillary and mandibular fractures are discussed.
Wagner AE.General anesthesia of horses entails considerable risk of morbidity and mortality. A large-scale, multicenter study reported that the death rate from non-colic-related anesthetics was 0.9%, while the perianesthetic mortality rate at a single, busy equine surgical practice was somewhat more favorable, at 0.12%. While any perianesthetic death is devastating, mortality figures alone do not reflect the overall morbidity of equine anesthesia in terms of nonterminal events or injuries related to recovery. In some circumstances, recognition of perianesthetic complications may allow appropriate interv...
van Grevenhof EM, Schurink A, Ducro BJ, van Weeren PR, van Tartwijk JM, Bijma P, van Arendonk JA.Osteochondrosis (OC) is an important orthopedic developmental disorder in many horse populations. A review of the literature revealed widely variable heritability estimates for the disorder. We estimated the genetic variables (heritabilities and genetic correlations) of various manifestations of OC. Femoropatellar, tarsocrural, and metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints of 811 randomly selected yearlings from the Royal Warmblood Studbook of The Netherlands, descending from 32 representative stallions, were scored for OC at 28 predilection sites. At each site, OC was scored in 5 cat...
Brooks DE.Corneal transplantation, amniotic membrane transplantation, phacoemulsification cataract extraction, and laser glaucoma therapy are routine ophthalmic surgical procedures in horses. This article discusses the indications, techniques, and postoperative complications of these and other ophthalmic surgical procedures in horses. Meticulous and accurate anatomic repair can minimize postoperative complications to maintain positive visual outcomes in ophthalmic surgery of the horse.
Davis J, Garner MG, East IJ.In 2007, an incursion of equine influenza (EI) occurred in Australia. Accurate maps of property boundaries were used to examine the pattern and mechanism of local spread of EI. This study focussed on a cluster of infected premises (IPs) at Park Ridge, a peri-urban suburb 26 km south of Brisbane, Queensland. The cluster recorded 437 IPs and 81% of these were not contiguous to a previously IP. The mean distance from each new IP to the closest previous IP was 0.85 +/- 1.50 km with a range of 0.01-12.94 km. Eighty-two percent of new IPs were within 1 km of a previous IP. The spatial mean for each ...
Lindsay AM, Zhang M, Mitchell Z, Holden MTG, Waller AS, Sutcliffe IC, Black GW.Streptococcus equi causes equine 'strangles'. Hyaluronate lyases, which degrade connective tissue hyaluronan and chondroitins, are thought to facilitate streptococcal invasion of the host. However, prophage-encoded hyaluronate lyases are hyaluronan-specific and are thought to be primarily involved in the degradation of the hyaluronan capsule of streptococci during bacteriophage infection. To understand the role of prophage-encoded hyaluronate lyases further, we have biochemically characterized such a hyaluronate lyase, SEQ2045 from S. equi, and have shown that it is produced during equine infe...
Monego F, Maboni F, Krewer C, Vargas A, Costa M, Loreto E.This study evaluated the molecular characteristics of Rhodococcus equi isolates obtained from horses by a multiplex PCR assay that amplifies the vap gene family (vapA, -B, -C, -D, -E, -F, -G, and -H). A total of 180 R. equi isolates were studied from four different sources, namely healthy horse feces (112), soil (12), stalls (23), and clinical isolates (33) from horse-breeding farms. The technique was performed and confirmed by sequencing of amplified vap gene family controls. Thirty-two (17.8%) of the R. equi isolates were positive for the vapA gene and carried at least three other vap genes....
Mambelli LI, Santos EJ, Frazão PJ, Chaparro MB, Kerkis A, Zoppa AL, Kerkis I.In horses, stem cell therapies are a promising tool to the treatment of many injuries, which are common consequences of athletic endeavor, resulting in high morbidity and often compromising the performance. In spite of many advantages, the isolation of stem cells similar to human, from equine adipose tissue, occurred only recently. The aim of this study was to isolate equine adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells (eAT-PC), to characterize their proliferative potential, and to study their differentiation capacity before and after cryopreservation. The cells, isolated from horse adipose tissue,...
McPartlin LA, Suarez SS, Czaya CA, Hinrichs K, Bedford-Guaus SJ.Capacitation is a complex and not well-understood process that encompasses all the molecular changes sperm must undergo to successfully fertilize an oocyte. In vitro fertilization has remained elusive in the horse, as evidenced by low in vitro fertilization (IVF) rates (0%-33%); moreover, only two foals have ever been produced using IVF. Incubation of stallion sperm in modified Whittens supplemented with bovine serum albumin and sodium bicarbonate yielded significant rates of time-dependent protein tyrosine phosphorylation and induced acrosomal exocytosis, consistent with capacitation. The obj...
Raggio I, Lefebvre RC, Poitras P, Vaillancourt D, Goff AK.Multiple pregnancies are still an important cause of noninfectious abortion, stillbirth, neonatal mortality, and significant delays in reproductive performance in mares. Despite new management techniques, reduction in multiple pregnancies is an ongoing preoccupation and challenge for the equine veterinarian. The aim of the present study was to establish a twin pregnancy experimental model in the mare to study the effectiveness of a transvaginal ultrasound-guided embryonic vesicle injection. Mares in heat were inseminated and then received an embryo at day 7 of the estrous cycle. At days 14 and...
Ferguson R, van Dreumel T, Keystone JS, Manning A, Malatestinic A, Caswell JL, Peregrine AS.An 8-year-old horse was presented with a submandibular swelling. Biopsy of the lesion indicated granulomatous osteomyelitis due to Halicephalobus gingivalis. In the absence of evidence of involvement of the central nervous system at the time of diagnosis, the horse was treated with ivermectin. Unfortunately, the horse did not survive. Un cheval âgé de 8 ans a été présenté pour une enflure sous-mandibulaire. Une biopsie de la lésion a révélé une ostéomyélite granulomateuse causée par En l’absence de signes d’atteinte du système nerveux central au moment du diagnostic, le c...
Todhunter KH, Perkins NR, Wylie RM, Chicken C, Blishen AJ, Racklyeft DJ, Muscatello G, Wilson MC, Adams PL, Gilkerson JR, Bryden WL, Begg AP.A series of abortions occurred in mares in New South Wales during 2004 that involved similar and unusual findings on post mortem examination of aborted fetuses and fetal membranes. The term Equine Amnionitis and Fetal Loss (EAFL) was developed to describe the condition. This form of abortion had not been previously recognised in Australia. The pathology alone is not specific for EAFL and diagnosis requires demonstration of a combination of certain pathological and bacteriological features. The purpose of this paper is to describe patterns considered consistent with EAFL cases as a working case...
Faleiros RR, Nuovo GJ, Belknap JK.Laminar inflammation is one of the earliest events in equine laminitis. Calprotectin (CP), a Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern protein, is overexpressed in inflammatory conditions of human skin. Objective: CP is overexpressed in the laminar epidermis of horses with black walnut extract (BWE)-induced laminitis. Methods: Twenty adult horses. Methods: Experimental study. Horses were allocated to one of 4 groups. BWE was administered to horses in 3 groups, which were sampled 1.5, 3, and 12 hours (LAM) later. CP was visualized by immunohistochemistry. Laminar leukocyte counts and intensity of lam...
Marino E, Threlfall WR, Schwarze RA.The ECF lateral flow assay test is marketed to detect non-pregnancy in mares. The objectives of the present study were to determine the accuracy of the ECF test, the accuracy of the electronic reader accompanying the ECF test, and agreement between two human readers and the electronic reader. Serum samples were collected from anestrus, cycling but not inseminated, and inseminated mares, and were evaluated with the ECF test (EDP Biotech Company, Knoxville, TN, USA) at The Ohio State University and at the EDP Biotech Laboratory. Specificity ranged from 0.07 to 0.16, the negative predictive value...
Gates MC, Boston RC.Identifying risk factors for West Nile virus transmission is vital for future public health control measures. This study investigated the effect of irrigation, expressed as percent irrigated land, and population density on the incidence of human and veterinary West Nile virus (WNV) cases using a sample of 2827 counties from the United States over a 3-year period. Zero-inflated Poisson regression models were selected because of the large number of counties reporting zero cases. The mean percentage of irrigated land for the entire sample was approximately 0.029, while counties reporting both hum...
Zhu D, Zeng ZL, Peng D, Chen X, Zhao LB, Zhang YY, Xu MM, Zhan QL, Yu JP, Xie P.To investigate the epidemiological pattern of Borna disease virus (BDV) infection in horses and to analyze the phylogenetic tree of derived BDV in Yili, Xinjiang. Methods: We established a modified nested RT-PCR (nRT-PCR) to detect BDV p24 segment in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and brain tissues of 120 horses in Yili, Xinjiang. Positive products were analyzed by sequencing and homology analysis. Results: The positive rate of BDV infection was 2.5% in both PMBCs and brain tissues at the same time. The gene sequence revealed in positive PCR samples was more than 93%, identical to ...
Kappe EC, Köhler K, Felbert IV, Teifke JP, Tóth J, Reinacher M.A 14-year-old Haflinger gelding presented with a protruding mass involving the cornea of the right eye. The mass was resected and submitted for histopathologic and immunohistochemical examination. The preliminary diagnosis was corneal sarcoma, most likely fibrosarcoma. The immunohistochemical results confirmed the mesenchymal origin of the neoplastic cells, which were most consistent with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. Corneal mesenchymal neoplasms are extremely uncommon tumors in human beings and domestic animals. The cause for this tumor was not determined; infection with bovine ...
Liciardi M, Marucci G, Addis G, Ludovisi A, Gomez Morales MA, Deiana B, Cabaj W, Pozio E.Trichinella infections in horses continue to represent a health problem and, despite the rarity of infection, it is necessary to continue to control properly horse meat. In 2008, a 10-year-old horse imported from Poland to Italy for consumption found to have been positive at the digestion test. Both Trichinella britovi and Trichinella spiralis larvae in a proportion of 4:1 were detected in the horse muscles. This is the first report of a mixed Trichinella species infection in a horse. The epidemiological investigation revealed that the infected horse originated from a small farm about 120km fr...
Dyson PK, Jackson BF, Pfeiffer DU, Price JS.The first major epidemiological study of injury incidence in the UK flat racing Thoroughbred (TB), published in 1985, found lameness to be the single largest reason for days when horses failed to train. It was considered advisable to ascertain if progress has been made in reducing the problem of musculoskeletal injuries in the intervening period. Objective: To quantify injury incidence and days lost from training by 2- and 3-year-old TBs in UK training yards during 2002 and 2003. Methods: One-hundred-and-eighty-two yearling TBs were recruited at the end of 2001 and daily training and injury re...
Franklin H, Burnt JF, Allen KJ.Dynamic collapse of the upper respiratory tract (URT) is a common cause of poor performance in horses. These conditions occur predominantly during strenuous exercise when the URT is unable to maintain dilation in the face of high inspiratory pressures. In most cases, these disorders cannot be accurately diagnosed during a resting endoscopic examination. To date, a definitive diagnosis of dynamic URT obstructions has been possible only by performing an endoscopic examination during high-speed treadmill exercise. However, recent technological advances now enable URT endoscopy to be performed whi...
Timoney JF, Kumar P.Little is known about entry and subsequent multiplication of Streptococcus equi following exposure of a susceptible horse. This information would have value in design of intranasal vaccines and understanding of shedding and protective immune responses. Objective: To determine entry points and sites of subsequent replication and dispersion of S. equi at different times after intranasal infection or commingling exposure. Methods: Previously unexposed horses and ponies were subjected to euthanasia 1, 3, 20 or 48 h following intranasal inoculation with biotin labelled or unlabelled S. equi CF32. S...
Hahn CN, Matiasek K, Dixon PM, Molony V, Rodenacker K, Mayhew IG.Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is a common and debilitating peripheral nerve disease of horses, but it remains unclear if this disease is a mono- or polyneuropathy. An understanding of the distribution of the neuropathological lesions in RLN affected horses is fundamental to studying the aetiology of this very significant disease of tall horses. Objective: To determine whether RLN should be classified as a mono- or polyneuropathy. Methods: Multiple long peripheral nerves and their innervated muscles were examined systematically in 3 clinically affected RLN horses Results: Severe lesions ...
Kingsbury HB, Quddus MA, Rooney JR, Geary JE.The distal portion of the forelimb of the horse is provided with a stay apparatus composed of tendons, ligaments, and fascia. This stay apparatus provides the major resistance to joint flexion during the support phase of the stride. The laboratory test system described was shown to be able to reproduce in vitro limb motions and hoof forces measured with a running horse. These results indicated the stay apparatus operates in a largely passive mode, active muscle contraction apparently serving to provide rigidity only early in the support phase of the stride. The testing system described was des...
da Silva Curiel JM, Murphy CJ, Jang SS, Bellhorn RW.Nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) are nutritionally deficient viridans streptococci that require pyridoxal for growth. Although NVS are pathogenic in human beings, they have not been considered to be pathogenic in domestic animals. In 1982 and 1983, 24 isolates of NVS were recovered from horses with ulcerative keratitis. A retrospective study was done to determine the incidence of NVS in horses with corneal disease. The medical records of 249 horses (259 eyes) examined for clinical signs of corneal disease were reviewed. Nutritionally variant streptococci were isolated from approximatel...
Asenzo G, Wilkowsky S, Barrandeguy M, Mesplet M, Benitez D, Florin-Christensen M.An indirect ELISA (iELISA) for the detection of specific anti-Theileria equi antibodies in horse serum was developed. Its performance showed good concordance (K= 0.79) when compared with a competitive ELISA recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Horse serum samples from two provinces located in the north and east of Argentina (Formosa and Entre Rios, respectively) were analyzed by this iELISA. A high percentage of positive horses were found in Formosa, consistent with the climatic conditions of the region that are apt for the development of tick vectors. Surprisingly, seropos...
Thiemann A, Foxcroft A.The UK public and veterinary profession often think of the equine charity sector as dealing with issues directly related to the UK equine population - overproduction, rehoming, shelter and welfare. However, the Donkey Sanctuary, like many UK-based equine charities, also works in Europe and further afield to try to address a much broader range of issues, as Alex Thiemann and Andy Foxcroft explain.
Gilkerson JR.The clinical symptoms observed during the 2007 equine influenza outbreak are compared and contrasted with those observed in overseas outbreaks and described in the veterinary literature.
Maloufi F.From March to September 1991, horses (n = 1567), donkeys (n = 112) and mules (n = 96) were examined for equine parafilariosis by random sampling from different areas of Iran. The clinical signs of equine parafilariosis were observed in 136 cases of two northern areas (1.4% and 41.3% infection rate) and one northeastern area (6.3% infection rate). Most of the infected cases were confirmed by laboratory findings. All infected cases were followed up to establish the epidemiological features. The results suggest that there is one enzootic area in Iran, the Caspian coast and Persian Turkman steppes...
Miragliotta V, Raphaël K, Ipiña Z, Lussier JG, Theoret CL.Wound healing in horses is complicated, particularly when wounds are on the limb. The objectives of this study were to clone equine thrombospondin II (THBS2) and secreted protein acidic and cysteine-rich (SPARC) cDNAs and to compare the spatiotemporal expression of mRNAs and proteins during repair of body and limb wounds. These molecules were targeted in view of their potential biological contribution to angiogenesis, which is exacerbated during the repair of limb wounds in horses. Cloning was achieved by screening size-selected cDNA libraries previously derived from 7-day-old wounds. Expressi...
Hodgson DR.This article reviews what are considered the basic concepts of gas transport, blood gases, and acid-base physiology is most mammalian species. Techniques for the appropriate collection of blood samples for blood gas and acid-base determinations in the newborn foal are described. Guidelines for interpretation of these values in the normal foal and those animals undergoing respiratory and metabolic derangements are provided.
Piro M, Benjouad A, Tligui NS, El Allali K, El Kohen M, Nabich A, Ouragh L.Severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) of horses is an autosomal, recessive hereditary disease occurring among Arabian or crossbred Arabian horses. The genetic defect responsible was previously identified as a 5-base pair deletion in the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of the DNA dependant protein kinase (DNA-PKcs). This study was carried out to determine the frequency of SCID and identify horses carrying the gene for SCID among Arabian and Arabian crossbred stallions and mares in Morocco using a DNA-based test. Twenty-one horses were SCID carriers: 14 (7%) Arabians, 6 (4%) Arab-B...
Hopkins SR.Horses are bred selectively for aerobic performance and have extraordinarily high maximal oxygen consumption, approximately double the mass-specific value for human athletes. Pulmonary limitations to exercise performance are well described in these animals, including exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. In human athletes, pulmonary limitations are recognized increasingly as affecting athletic performance. Potential pulmonary limitations during maximal exercise are compared in human and equine athletes.
Rørvang MV, Ničová K, Sassner H, Nawroth C.Many frameworks have assessed the ultimate and ontogenetic underpinnings in the development of object permanence, but less is known about whether individual characteristics, such as sex or training level, as well as proximate factors, such as arousal or emotional state, affect performance in these tasks. The current study investigated horses' performance in visible and invisible displacement tasks and assessed whether specific ontogenetic, behavioral, and physiological factors were associated with performance. The study included 39 Icelandic horses aged 2-25 years, of varying training levels. ...
Wilson KE, Davis JL, Crisman MV, Kvaternick V, Zarabadipour C, Cheramie H, Hodgson DR.The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of intravenous firocoxib in neonatal foals. Six healthy foals were administered 0.09 mg/kg firocoxib intravenously once a day for 7 days. Blood was collected for plasma firocoxib analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection at times 0 (day 1 of study only) and 0.08, 0.25, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16 and 24 hr on dose numbers 1, 5 and 7. Blood was also collected immediately prior to doses 3, 4, 5 and 7. Final samples were collected at 36, 48, 72 and 96 hr following the final dose. Noncompartmen...
Stadler S, Dennler M, Hetzel U, Del Chicca F, Hoey S, Spiess BM, Voelter K, Pot SA.To compare the localization and distribution of two different anesthetic fluid volumes around equine cadaver eyes to determine an appropriate volume for a single sub-Tenon's injection in horses. Methods: A single sub-Tenon's injection of 2% lidocaine was performed in 10 equine cadaver heads (20 eyes) using two different volumes (7 mL on one side and 10 mL on the opposite side). The posterior circular distribution of the anesthetic was quantified in sagittal, dorsal, and transverse MRI (T2W-TSE) sequences and evaluated independently by three board-certified radiologists. The distribution of the...
Goodrich EL, McLean A, Guarino C.Recent removal and relocation of feral donkeys from vast public lands to more concentrated holding pens, training facilities, and offsite adoption locations raises several health and welfare concerns. Very little is known regarding the common equid pathogens that are circulating within the feral donkey population in and around Death Valley National Park, California, USA. The aim of this study was to utilize serologic assays to assess previous exposure of these donkeys to equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), equine influenza (EIV), West Nile virus (WNV), and (the causative agent of Lyme disease). The...
Godovac-Zimmermann J, Conti A, James L, Napolitano L.The complete primary structure of donkey beta-lactoglobulin I was determined by pulsed-liquid phase microsequencing of tryptic peptides. The protein has been isolated in monomeric form and it corresponds to monomeric beta-lactoglobulin of type I. With the inclusion of donkey beta-lactoglobulin I there are 13% common residues amongst the members of the beta-lactoglobulin family. Donkey beta-lactoglobulin I is homologous to the retinol-binding protein, bilin-binding protein and five other proteins belonging to the new superfamily of hydrophobic molecule transporters. A rapid method for peptide i...
Seahorn TL, Schumacher J.Chondroid masses were successfully removed from the guttural pouches of 2 horses, using an endoscope, a snare, and a vacuum pump. This technique is an alternative to surgical removal of chondroid masses in patients when basic lavage of the affected guttural pouch is ineffective. Complications were not encountered. Advantages of this snare technique include avoidance of surgery and its potential complications, minimal recovery time, and minimal expense.
Lyn Macon E, Harris P, Partridge E, Day Barker V, Adams A.The oral sugar test (OST) is frequently used to identify insulin dysregulated (ID) equines. The effect of fasting and varying sugar dose for the OST has been investigated in the pony but little work has been done in the horse. This study aimed to investigate (1) an OST response with access to forage continued until the time of the OST or prevented for 3 hours prior to the OST and (2) responses of ID and non-insulin dysregulated (NID) horses to two different OST doses. Twenty-one mixed-breed horses (14.8 ± 3.2 years; 574.3 ± 83.3 kg) were used in two randomized crossover studies. Seven ID and...
Sasaki N, Mizuno Y, Yoshihara T.Electrogastrography (EGG), in which the electrical activity of the smooth muscular layer of the stomach is recorded percutaneously through the abdominal wall, has been applied in recent years to humans as a non-invasive method. In acute abdominal disease in horses, it is considered diagnostically useful to analyze digestive activity using EGG. Electrocecography (ECG) was examined to determine its effectiveness in evaluating equine digestive motility through comparison, after xylazine administration, between the results of the percutaneous ECG method and the results obtained using a strain-gaug...
The Journal of hereditySeptember 1, 1984
Volume 75, Issue 5 413-414 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a109968
Sponenberg DP, Harper HT, Harper AL.A bay roan Brabant Belgian stallion (ERn/ ern) was bred to eight chestnut American Belgian mares (ern/ ern), producing 57 foals. Thirty foals were bay roan, 25 were chestnut, one was bay, and one was chestnut roan. The recombination rate was 0.035 +/- 0.024, indicating fairly close linkage between the roan (Rn) and extension (E) loci.
Sudan V, Jaiswal AK, Shanker D, Verma AK.Rotat 1.2 variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) is considered to be an important VSG expressed in most of the isolates of Trypanosoma evansi. This makes the molecule an important candidate for both molecular- and serological-based detection of surra. There are ample reports of existence of this gene in isolates from cattle, buffalo, and camel across the world. Of late, there are reports of its absence from a fewer isolates of T. evansi of murine and wildlife origin. Search of literature revealed no reports from horses. The present communication presents the first report of molecular cloning and c...
Martinez MM, Costa M, Ratti C.Male-to-female sex reversal in horses is a developmental disorder in which phenotypic females have a male genetic constitution. Male-to-female sex reversal is the second most common genetic sex abnormality, after X chromosome monosomy. All male-to-female sex reversal cases studied to date have been found to be infertile. Therefore, a screening test is particularly useful in laboratories doing DNA genotyping in horses. Our laboratory has tested > 209,000 horses for parentage using a panel of microsatellite markers and the sex marker gene amelogenin (). Suspect XY sex reversal cases are rep...
Bacigalupo MA, Meroni G, Secundo F, Scalera C, Quici S.Highly luminescent Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) complexes of 10-[4-(3-isothiocyanatopropoxy)benzoylmethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7 triacetic acid Eu(3+) is a subset of 1 and Tb(3+) is a subset of 1 were conjugated with a goat anti-rabbit IgG and a rabbit anti-mouse IgG, respectively, and applied as markers in a time resolved immunoassay for simultaneous quantitative determination of anabolic compounds clenbuterol (CL) and hydrocortisone (HC). The assay was performed in horse urine, using a monoclonal antibody specific to CL and a rabbit polyclonal antibody specific to the free HC. These lant...
Dengler F, Sternberg F, Grages M, Kästner SB, Verhaar N.Intestinal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a frequent complication of equine colic. Several mechanisms may be involved in adaptation of the intestinal epithelium to IRI and might infer therapeutic potential, including hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), and induction of autophagy. However, the mechanisms supporting adaptation and thus cellular survival are not completely understood yet. We investigated the activation of specific adaptation mechanisms in both no and low flow ischemia and reperfusion si...
McChesney SL, England JJ, McChesney AE.An agent lethal to embryonated chicken eggs was isolated from lung tissues of a quarter horse mare with a fatal respiratory disease. The lesions induced in embryonated chicken eggs, the tinctoral properties, the ultrastructural morphology, the resistance of the organism to sodium sulfadiazine, and the presence of a chlamydial complement fixing antigen, identify this isolate as a member of the family Chlamydiaceae and suggest the agent to be Chlamydia psittaci. Two Shetland ponies experimentally infected with the isolated agent developed subclinical infection as demonstrated by an increase in c...
Bernoco D, Bailey E.Severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) of horses is an autosomal, recessive hereditary disease occurring among Arabian horses. The genetic defect responsible for this disease was recently identified as a 5-basepair deletion in the gene encoding DNA-protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs). Horses with one copy of the gene appear normal, while horses with two copies of the gene manifest the disease. The present report describes a PCR-based test for detection of the gene defect and the results from testing 250 randomly selected Arabian horses. The frequency of SCID gene carriers was ...
Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Ropka-Molik K, Piórkowska K, Bugno-Poniewierska M.One of the most significant reason of economic loss on race track performance is lame in performed horses. Primarily, due to the failure within proper bone maintenance during conditioning in young horses. The training overload causes bone turnover disturbances in homeostasis between bone resorption and bone formation which promote the bone loss. Within our study we investigated training induced changes in transcript abundance of genes (NFATc1, CTSK, DAP12, CLEC5A, IL6ST, VAV3) involved in osteoclastogenesis hence bone resorption, in whole blood of Arabian horses. The expression pattern of all ...
Silver M, Fowden AL, Taylor PM, Knox J, Hill CM.Blood amino acids were measured in twelve chronically catheterized mares and fetuses between 250 and 310 days gestation. The concentrations of the majority of individual amino acids were similar in maternal and fetal arterial blood and no gestational changes were detected. Only methionine, phosphoserine, 3-methyl-histidine and glutamine were consistently higher in the fetus than the mare, whilst certain other amino acids were higher in the maternal blood. Fasting the mares for 36 h led to significant falls in plasma glucose and rises in urea and maternal free fatty acids (FFA). Small but signi...
