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.
Witonsky SG, Ellison S, Yang J, Gogal RM, Lawler H, Suzuki Y, Sriranganathan N, Andrews F, Ward D, Lindsay DS.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) due to Sarcocystis neurona infection is 1 of the most common neurologic diseases in horses in the United States. The mechanisms by which most horses resist disease, as well as the possible mechanisms by which the immune system may be suppressed in horses that develop EPM, are not known. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine whether horses experimentally infected with S. neurona developed suppressed immune responses. Thirteen horses that were negative for S. neurona antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were randomly assig...
Fidalgo-Carvalho I, Craigo JK, Barnes S, Costa-Ramos C, Montelaro RC.EIAV is a monocyte/macrophage tropic virus. To date, even though EIAV has been under investigation for numerous years, very few details have been elucidated about EIAV/macrophage interactions. This is largely due to the absence of an equine macrophage cell line that would support viral replication. Herein we describe the spontaneous immortalization and generation of a clonal equine macrophage-like (EML) cell line with the functional and immunophenotype characteristics of differentiated equine monocyte derived macrophage(s) (eMDM(s)). These cells possess strong non-specific esterase (NSE) activ...
Adams AA, Katepalli MP, Kohler K, Reedy SE, Stilz JP, Vick MM, Fitzgerald BP, Lawrence LM, Horohov DW.Advanced age is associated with a low-grade, systemic inflammatory response characterized by increased inflammatory cytokine production both in vitro and in vivo, termed inflamm-aging. It is also known that increased white adipose tissue, associated with obesity, leads to increased production of inflammatory cytokines. To date, it is unknown whether increased adiposity contributes to the age-related increased inflammatory status. Here we show that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from old horses compared to young horses have increased inflammatory cytokine production; moreover, fat ol...
Tsitsimpikou C, Spyridaki MH, Georgoulakis I, Kouretas D, Konstantinidou M, Georgakopoulos CG.Flurbiprofen and its main acidic metabolites were detected in equine urine after a single-dose administration of 500 mg flurbiprofen to two 2.5-3.5-years-old mares, in order to be used in equine doping control routine analysis. The urine levels of the parent drug were determined using GC/MS. Five acidic metabolites were found in the urine. The structure of the proposed metabolites was confirmed by HRMS accurate mass measurements. The highest flurbiprofen concentration was 204 mug ml(-1) at 1-3 h post administration. Flurbiprofen could be detected for 24-37 h in urine using the standard screeni...
Pusterla N, Mapes S, Rejmanek D, Gebhart C.The objective of this study was to determine whether Lawsonia intracellularis was present in the feces of free-living animals collected on two equine premises with documented occurrence of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). Fresh feces from black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus, n=100), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis, n=22), feral cats (Felis catus, n=14), Brewer's Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus, n=10), Virginian opossums (Didelphis virginiana, n=9), raccoons (Procyon lotor, n=4), California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi, n=3), and coyotes (Canis latrans, n=2) were...
de Mestre AM, Miller D, Roberson MS, Liford J, Chizmar LC, McLaughlin KE, Antczak DF.The objective of this study was to identify transcription factors associated with differentiation of the chorionic girdle, the invasive form of equine trophoblast. The expression patterns of five transcription factors were determined on a panel of conceptus tissues from early horse pregnancy. Tissues from Days 15 through 46 were tested. Eomesodermin (EOMES), glial cells missing homologue 1 (GCM1), heart and neural crest derivatives expressed transcript 1 (HAND1), caudal type homeobox 2 (CDX2), and distal-less homeobox 3 (DLX3) were detected in horse trophoblast, but the expression patterns for...
Deleuze S, Dubois CS, Caillaud M, Bruneau B, Goudet G, Duchamp G.Contents The effect of cysteamine on in vitro nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of equine oocytes collected by transvaginal ultrasound guided follicular aspiration was assessed. Oocytes were matured in vitro with (cysteamine group) or without (control group) cysteamine. The nuclear stage after DNA Hoechst staining, penetration rates after two different in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques (IVF media with ionophore and Hepes buffer with heparin) and the embryo yield following oocyte intra-oviductal transfer were used as a criterion for assessing nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation, respectiv...
Sugita S, Oki H, Hasegawa T, Ishida N.Estimation formulas for the morbidity of horses infected with equine influenza virus by linear regression, logistic regression and probit transformation were developed, using data from the outbreak at the Sha Tin Racing Track in Hong Kong in 1992. Using these formulas, we estimated the equine influenza virus morbidity rates at training centers belonging to the Japan Racing Association (JRA) in October 1997 and in October 1998. In 1998 JRA started a new vaccination program, and every horse must now be vaccinated twice per year. At that time, the vaccine included two US lineage virus strains, th...
Blaga R, Cretu CM, Gherman C, Draghici A, Pozio E, Noeckler K, Kapel CM, Dida I, Cozma V, Boireau P.Herbivorous animals are usually, by virtue of their diet, outside the major transmission cycles of Trichinella spp. However, since 1975, the year of the first report of human trichinellosis caused by the consumption of infected horse meat, the domestic horse has appeared as a novel vector of Trichinella spp. infection to humans, with 15 outbreaks documented in France and Italy. Romania, one of the main countries exporting horses into the European Union (EU), experienced a dramatic increase of Trichinella spp. infection in both domestic pigs and humans in the 1990s. Some Trichinella spiralis-in...
Mirams M, Tatarczuch L, Ahmed YA, Pagel CN, Jeffcott LB, Davies HM, Mackie EJ.Osteochondrosis is a condition involving defective endochondral ossification and retention of cartilage in subchondral bone. The pathophysiology of this condition is poorly characterized, but it has been proposed that the fundamental defect is failure of chondrocyte hypertrophy. The aim of the current study was to characterize phenotypic changes in chondrocytes associated with the initiation of osteochondrosis. Early lesions were induced in an equine model of osteochondrosis by feeding foals a high energy diet for 8 or 15 weeks. Lesions in articular-epiphyseal growth cartilage were examined hi...
Metz GE, Serena MS, Ocampos GM, Panei CJ, Fernandez VL, Echeverría MG.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) was isolated from a testicle of the presumable first stallion infected with EAV in Argentina. This virus isolate (named LT-LP-ARG) was confirmed by GP5-specific PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assays. The PCR product was sequenced, and the phylogenetic analysis revealed that the LT-LP-ARG strain of EAV forms a monophyletic group, together with other strains previously isolated in our laboratory (LP02 group). However, all Argentinean EAV strains belong to a polyphyletic group. We believe that the virus isolate presented in this report could be the origin of EAV ...
Nasir L, Campo MS.Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) is perhaps the most extensively studied animal papillomavirus. In cattle BPVs induce benign tumours of cutaneous or mucosal epithelia, called papillomas or warts. Cattle papillomas are benign tumours and generally regress without eliciting any serious clinical problems in the host, but occasionally persist and provide the focus for malignant transformation to squamous cell carcinoma, as in the case of cancer of the urinary bladder and cancer of the upper alimentary canal. BPV is the only papillomavirus that jumps species: the virus also infects equids, and gives ris...
Wagner B, Freer H.The detection and quantification of equine cytokines has been hampered by the lack of antibodies for many years. With the development of antibody pairs for equine cytokines during the past years, the quantification of these essential regulators of the immune response became possible. After being successfully tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), three of these anti-cytokine reagents were used here to establish the first cytokine multiplex assay for equine IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-alpha. A fluorescent bead-based system was used as matrix for this assay that allows the simultaneous de...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Collins SS.Critical tests were carried out in 2008 in four yearling horses (H-2, H-4, H-10, and H-11) born and raised together on a farm (MC) in Central Kentucky. These horses were treated intraorally with ivermectin paste at the dose rate of 200 microg/kg. The main interest was to try and determine more precisely, from posttreatment (PT) worm count data, the current activity of ivermectin against small strongyles in a horse herd. These horses had been treated repeatedly with this compound and counts of small strongyle eggs per gram of feces (EPGs) of these parasites have been returning sooner than previ...
Nerren JR, Martens RJ, Payne S, Murrell J, Butler JL, Cohen ND.Although evidence exists that neutrophils play a vital role in resistance to infection with Rhodococcus equi, the means by which neutrophils exert their effects have not been clearly defined. In the present study we evaluated differences in cytokine expression by unstimulated and R. equi-stimulated neutrophils obtained from newborn foals and subsequently at 2-, 4-, and 8-weeks of age. Stimulation with virulent R. equi induced significantly (P<0.05) greater expression of IFNgamma, TNFalpha, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p40, IL-12p35, and IL-23p19 mRNA relative to expression by unstimulated neutrophils, ...
Deeg CA.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a wide spread disease of the eye, which is the main cause for blindness in horses worldwide. Meanwhile, ERU is also accepted as the only reliable spontaneous model for human autoimmune uveitis. We identified and characterized novel autoantigens by analyzing the autoantibody-binding pattern from ERU cases to the retinal proteome. Cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were detected as novel ERU autoantigens by this approach. B- and T-cell autoreactivity was detected to both autoantigens in ERU cases. The evaluation of the...
Kearns CF, McKeever KH.Clenbuterol is a beta(2)-agonist and potent selective bronchodilator that is used to treat bronchospasm in the horse. The drug is normally administered to horses orally as a syrup formulation. Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, clenbuterol has the potential to cause many side effects, including a repartitioning effect and major alterations in cardiac and skeletal muscle function. Recent studies have also reported that clenbuterol can affect bone and the immune, endocrine and reproductive systems. A great deal of information has been published on the beneficial effects of short term t...
da Silva Meirelles L, Sand TT, Harman RJ, Lennon DP, Caplan AI.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that have the capacity to develop into different mature mesenchymal cell types. They were originally isolated from bone marrow, but MSC-like cells have also been isolated from other tissues. The common feature of all of these tissues is that they all house blood vessels. It is, thus, possible that MSCs are associated with perivascular locations. The objective of this work was to test the hypothesis that MSCs are associated with blood vessels by verifying if MSC frequency positively correlates with blood vessel density. To this end, samples fr...
Raudsepp T, Gustafson-Seabury A, Durkin K, Wagner ML, Goh G, Seabury CM, Brinkmeyer-Langford C, Lee EJ, Agarwala R, Stallknecht-Rice E, Schäffer AA....A comprehensive second-generation whole genome radiation hybrid (RH II), cytogenetic and comparative map of the horse genome (2n = 64) has been developed using the 5000rad horse x hamster radiation hybrid panel and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The map contains 4,103 markers (3,816 RH; 1,144 FISH) assigned to all 31 pairs of autosomes and the X chromosome. The RH maps of individual chromosomes are anchored and oriented using 857 cytogenetic markers. The overall resolution of the map is one marker per 775 kilobase pairs (kb), which represents a more than five-fold improvement over ...
Vannella KM, Moore BB.Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains exactly that. The disease originates from an unknown cause, and little is known about the mechanisms of pathogenesis. While the disease is likely multi-factorial, evidence is accumulating to implicate viruses as co-factors (either as initiating or exacerbating agents) of fibrotic lung disease. This review summarizes the available clinical and experimental observations that form the basis for the hypothesis that viral infections may augment fibrotic responses. We review the data suggesting a link between hepatitis C virus, adenovirus, human cytomegalo...
Govaere J, Ducatelle R, Hoogewijs M, De Schauwer C, de Kruif A.This report describes a bilateral seminoma in a stallion. After slaughter, histological examination revealed that the tumour consisted predominantly of polyhedral tumour cells with large nuclei, obvious nucleoli and a small border of cytoplasm. The mitotic index was low and Ki67 staining revealed 4% nuclear staining. To our knowledge, this paper is the first using Ki67 staining as a method to evaluate the mitotic rate in a testicular seminoma in the stallion.
Ellenberger C, Müller K, Schoon HA, Wilsher S, Allen WR.Anovulatory haemorrhagic follicles (AHFs) are often the reason for ovulation failure in the mare. As the underlying factors that lead to AHF development are not well understood, it was of interest to investigate the vascularization of AHFs compared with normal follicles and corpora lutea (controls). In the present study, the ovarian cell populations investigated immunohistochemically included granulosa and luteal cells as well as various vascular structures. None of these cell types showed differences in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) between control ovaries co...
Freytag C, Seeger J, Siegemund T, Grosche J, Grosche A, Freeman DE, Schusser GF, Härtig W.The present study was performed on whole-mount preparations to investigate the chemical neuroanatomy of the equine myenteric plexus throughout its distribution in the intestinal wall. The objective was to quantify neurons of the myenteric plexus, especially the predominant cholinergic and nitrergic subpopulations. Furthermore, we investigated the distribution of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and the calcium-binding protein calretinin. Samples from different defined areas of the small intestine and the flexura pelvina were taken from 15 adult horses. After fixation and preparation of the ti...
Pusterla N, Hilton H, Wattanaphansak S, Collier JR, Mapes SM, Stenbom RM, Gebhart C.Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) caused by Lawsonia intracellularis has recently been recognized as an emerging disease in foals. Whilst the clinical entity, diagnostic evaluation and treatment of affected foals have been well established and described, preventive measures for EPE have remained largely unaddressed. The objectives of this study were to investigate the humoral immune response and onset and duration of fecal shedding in foals after oral and intra-rectal administration of a modified-live vaccine of L. intracellularis. Foals were vaccinated twice, 3 weeks apart, via oral dren...
Grahn BH, Pinard C, Archer S, Bellone R, Forsyth G, Sandmeyer LS.Multiple congenital ocular anomalies in purebred and crossbred Rocky and Kentucky Mountain horses in Canada are frequently diagnosed with biomicroscopic and indirect ophthalmoscopic examination. In order of frequency detected, these include temporal ciliary epithelial cysts; iridal hypoplasia; prominent corneas; focal temporal retinal degeneration related to ciliary cysts; and, rarely, retinal detachment. A pedigree analysis confirms a dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance and with a linkage to coat color. Des anomalies oculaires congénitales multiples chez des chevaux Rock...
Bailat AS, Soutullo AR, García MI, Veaute CM, Garcia L, Racca AL, Malan Borel IS.Gp90 and gp45 synthetic peptides, which mimic conserved sequences of native viral proteins, are recognized by antibodies to equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) in asymptomatic carrier horses and generate humoral and cellular responses in immunized mice. Cytokine mRNA levels were evaluated in equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after in vitro stimulation with gp90 and gp45 with the aim of determining the cytokine profile associated with the proliferative response. Stimulation index (SI) values indicate that 100 and 60% of EIAV-infected horses recognized gp90 and gp45, respective...
Maes A, Garré B, Desmet N, van der Meulen K, Nauwynck H, De Backer P, Croubels S.Two methods are presented for the determination of 'respectively' the plasma protein unbound and total concentration of acyclovir in horse plasma and body fluids: first, a liquid-liquid extraction was performed on plasma, combined with HPLC-fluorescence detection for the total plasma concentration; second a more sensitive method using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with heated electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HESI-MS/MS) was described for plasma and for body fluids analysis. To obtain the unbound concentration of acyclovir in plasma, a simple deproteinizati...
Hallowell GD, Bowen M.The objectives were to determine and assess the reliability of criteria for identification of aortic valve prolapse (AVP) using echocardiography in the horse. Results: Opinion of equine cardiologists indicated that a long-axis view of the aortic valve (AoV) was most commonly used for identification of AVP (46%; n=13). There was consensus that AVP could be mimicked by ultrasound probe malignment. This was confirmed in 7 healthy horses, where the appearance of AVP could be induced by malalignment. In a study of a further 8 healthy horses (5 with AVP) examined daily for 5 days, by two echocardiog...
Spriet M, Mai W, McKnight A.Increased signal intensity in one of the collateral ligaments of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint of sound horses in images acquired using a low-field magnet with vertical orientation of the magnetic field was investigated as a possible manifestation of the magic angle effect. Three isolated equine digits were imaged using the following pulse sequences: (1) spin echo TI, (2) turbo spin echo proton density and T2, and (3) 3D gradient echo T1, in different positions by mildly changing the orientation of the long axis of the digit, in the dorsal plane, relative to the magnetic field. The si...
Anzai T, Nakanishi A, Wada R, Higuchi T, Hagiwara S, Takazawa M, Oobayashi K, Inoue T.For determination whether strangles has invaded the Hidaka district of Hokkaido, the main racehorse-breeding area of Japan, a epizootiological survey with bacterial isolation was carried out during the breeding season in 1995. Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, which is the causative agent of strangles, was isolated from two Thoroughbred horses with submandibular lymphadenitis. Isolates were identified by serological grouping, biochemical tests and analysis of cell surface proteins by Western immunoblotting. Through this survey, it revealed that S. equi subsp. equi has invaded the Hidaka district...
Finno CJ, Johnson AL.Neuroaxonal degenerative disease in the horse is termed equine neuroaxonal dystrophy (eNAD), when pathologic lesions are localized to the brainstem and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) and degenerative changes extend throughout the spinal cord. Both pathologic conditions result in identical clinical disease, most commonly characterized by the insidious onset of ataxia during early development. However, later onset of clinical signs and additional clinical features, such as behavior changes, is also observed. A definitive diagnosis of eNAD/EDM requires histologic evaluation of the ...
Schumacher J, Yarbrough T, Pascoe J, Woods P, Meagher D, Honnas C.To examine the response of horses with progressive ethmoidal hematoma (PEH) to intralesional injection of 4% formaldehyde solution. Methods: Nasal passages of horses affected with PEH were examined endoscopically at different intervals to determine the effects of intralesional injection of formaldehyde solution. Methods: 21 horses with PEH. Methods: PEHs were injected transendoscopically with 4% formaldehyde solution. Horses were examined endoscopically and retreated at different intervals until the PEH was eliminated or was so small that reinjection was not possible. Results: Lesions diminish...
Ferreira JC, Pires RH, Costa GBD, Carrijo BN, Guiotto FG, Rodrigues VS.The goal of the present study was to characterize the antimicrobial action of different ozone (O) presentations against Pythium insidiosum isolated from horses. In experiment 1, P. insidiosum was treated with ozonated distilled water, ozonated sunflower oils with distinct peroxide indexes or O gas (72 μg O mL). In experiment 2, samples were exposed one or three times to oxygen (O) or O gas (72 μg O mL; 30 min/day). In experiment 3, P. insidiosum was treated with different concentrations of O gas (Ø, 32, 52, or 72 μg O mL) for three days (30 min/day). In experiment 4, samples were ex...
Kaşikçi G, Horoz H, Alkan S, Düzgün O, Aktaş M.A modified surgical technique has been developed for repairing third-degree perineal lacerations in mares. Complications of the currently used methods include rectovaginal fistula formation, urine pooling, complete dehiscence of the repair, constipation, tenesmus and difficulty of performance in the practice. The modified method is simpler and more practical. This method was performed on eight Thoroughbred mares with third-degree perineal lacerations after delivery. The rectovestibular septum was reconstructed by three lines of sutures in a transverse direction in relation to the longitudinal ...
Rivas VN, Magdesian KG, Fagan S, Slovis NM, Luethy D, Javsicas LH, Caserto BG, Miller AD, Dahlgren AR, Peterson J, Hales EN, Peng S, Watson KD....Idiopathic hypocalcemia in Thoroughbred (TB) foals causes tetany and seizures and is invariably fatal. Based upon the similarity of this disease with human familial hypoparathyroidism and occurrence only in the TB breed, we conducted a genetic investigation on two affected TB foals. Familial hypoparathyroidism was identified, and pedigree analysis suggested an autosomal recessive (AR) mode of inheritance. We performed whole-genome sequencing of the two foals, their unaffected dams and four unaffected, unrelated TB horses. Both homozygosity mapping and an association analysis were used to prior...
Mayhew IG, Washbourne JR.Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were recorded from 27 ponies. The peak and inter-peak (IP) latencies, V:I ratios and dispersal values were determined and the results from each category were compared with each other and with the authors' Thoroughbred BAEP data. Peak latencies were faster for ponies. The V:I ratios and dispersal values had similar characteristics in horses and ponies. In ponies there was a strong trend for IP latencies to be positively correlated with height, inter-aural distance and age. A positive relationship between I-V IP latency and inter-aural distance was co...
Johnson L, Montgomery JB, Schneider JP, Townsend HG, Ochs M, Singh B.To understand the mechanisms of airway inflammation associated with equine diseases such as Rhodococcus equi infection, we must identify baseline "normal" structural characteristics of the horse lung. To develop a detailed understanding of the morphology of the horse lung, we adapted and applied stereological methods to the lungs from healthy adult horses (N = 4) and 1-day (N = 5) and 30-day (N = 5) old foals. The left lung was fixed in situ by intrabronchial instillation of glutaraldehyde/paraformaldehyde fixative at 25 cm H2 O column and sampled using a fractionator design follow...
Burgess HJ, Lockerbie BP, Czerwinski S, Scott M.A 12-year-old female Argentinean Warmblood mare was evaluated because of respiratory noise. The horse resided in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but had been imported from Argentina 28 months prior to presentation. Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract revealed a single polypoid mass on the left arytenoid. The mass was surgically excised and was diagnosed histologically as rhinosporidiosis. Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing were used to confirm the etiological agent. Four weeks postoperatively, endoscopy was repeated, revealing recurrence of the original lesion with multiple additional...
Tanner RB, Hubbell JAE.Regional anesthesia of the equine head is commonly performed to allow oral extraction of diseased teeth in the standing horse. The use of 4 blocks (infraorbital nerve, maxillary nerve, mental nerve, and mandibular nerve) is well documented for desensitization of dental quadrants for oral surgery for exodontia, but descriptions of associated complications are limited. A total of 270 regional nerve blocks were performed on 162 equine patients in a second opinion referral hospital setting. Criteria for inclusion in the study included a 24-hour stay in hospital, that the blocks be performed by one...
Lees P, Higgins AJ, Sedgwick AD, May SA.The development of reproducible models of acute inflammation in which inflammatory heat is easily quantified and from which inflammatory exudate is readily harvested has facilitated studies in the horse of the actions of steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Blockade of the synthesis of eicosanoids and suppression of inflammatory heat by clinical dose rates of NSAIDS suggests a causal link between the two events and provides further evidence for a role of these compounds in acute equine inflammation. The tendency for enolic and carboxylic acids NSAIDS to accumulate in in...
Schurink A, van der Meide NM, Savelkoul HF, Ducro BJ, Tijhaar E.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is a common allergic skin disease in horses, caused by biting insects of the Culicoides spp. In The Netherlands, Culicoides spp. of the Obsoletus complex are the most important midges involved in IBH. The aim of the present study was to identify and quantify associations between several endogenous (host) and exogenous (environmental) factors and immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivity against Obsoletus complex-derived whole body extract or seven recombinant allergens, measured by ELISA. Data from 143 Icelandic horses and 177 Shetland ponies were analysed using mult...
Martano M, Altamura G, Power K, Liguori P, Restucci B, Borzacchiello G, Maiolino P.It is well known that δ-bovine papillomaviruses (BPV-1, BPV-2 and BPV-13) are one of the major causative agents of equine sarcoids, the most common equine skin tumors. Different viruses, including papillomaviruses, evolved ingenious strategies to modulate autophagy, a complex process involved in degradation and recycling of old and damaged material. Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate, by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot (WB) analysis, the expression of the main related autophagy proteins (Beclin 1, protein light chain 3 (LC3) and P62), in 35 BPV1/2 positive equine sarco...
Perkins JD, Meighan H, Windley Z, Troester S, Piercy R, Schumacher J.To determine whether ventriculocordectomy (VCE) performed before prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL) results in increased rima glottidis size compared with PL alone. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Equine cadaver larynges (n=13). Methods: Right arytenoid cartilages were maximally abducted using a standard PL technique. Standard PLs were then performed on the left side and the force required to maximally abduct the left arytenoid cartilage recorded (F(max) ). Photographs were taken of the rima glottidis at zero force and at five equal levels of force up to F(max) . The force applied was release...
Khairuddin NH, Sullivan M, Pollock PJ.To record the angiographic anatomy of the equine internal carotid artery (ICA) using angiography techniques. Methods: In vitro descriptive study. Methods: Equine cadaver specimens (n = 50). Methods: Head and neck specimens from horses of mixed breed, age, sex, and use without a history of guttural pouch disease had carotid and cerebral angiography using conventional (n = 7) and rotational angiography (43). Angiographic findings were verified by arterial latex casts. Results: Variation in ICA anatomy was categorized into 4 groups: (1) the internal carotid and occipital arteries arising ...
Paterson S, Coumbe K.Chorioptic mange caused by Chorioptes bovis is a common pruritic skin condition of the horse. This surface-browsing parasite usually affects the lower legs (leg mange) but can present as a generalized skin disease. Numerous anecdotal reports exist in the literature about the benefit of lime sulphur as a treatment for surface ectoparasites in the horse. This report studies the use of lime sulphur when applied as a 5% solution, some with and some without prior shampooing and clipping, to treat confirmed cases of chorioptic mange in 22 horses. Horses included in the trial had clinical signs indic...
Radtke CL, Nino-Fong R, Esparza Gonzalez BP, McD￮ LA.The objective of this study was to validate non-equilibrium gravitational field-flow fractionation (GrFFF), an immunotag-less method of sorting mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into subpopulations, for use with MSCs derived from equine muscle tissue, periosteal tissue, bone marrow, and adipose tissue. Cells were collected from 6 young, adult horses, postmortem. Cells were isolated from left semitendinosus muscle tissue, periosteal tissue from the distomedial aspect of the right tibia, bone marrow aspirates from the fourth and fifth sternebrae, and left supragluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue. Al...
Bohlin AM, Olsen SN, Laursen SH, Öhman A, van Galen G.Lawsonia intracellularis, an obligate intracellular bacterium, causes equine proliferative enteropathy, mainly in horses around weaning. This disease is rarely reported in the Scandinavian countries. Results: Five cases of equine proliferative enteropathy were diagnosed between 2008-2016 at the University of Copenhagen Large Animal Teaching Hospital. Cases were Danish Warmbloods and a Friesian horse, aged 6-7 months, presenting with typical clinical signs of lethargy, poor body condition, pyrexia and diarrhea. Clinical pathology was consistent with previous reports of severe hypoalbuminemia a...
Durán MC, Willenbrock S, Carlson R, Feige K, Nolte I, Murua Escobar H.CD14 positive (CD14+) cells are the precursor cells of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). In horses their potent antigen-presenting capacity and ability to induce an effective immune response classify these cells suitable for several therapeutic approaches such as for equine sarcoid. However, in horses, the generation efficiency of DCs from adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is currently still poor. Objective: Establishment of a simple short protocol to enhance DC generation in horses by using a human CD14 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and an automated magnetic activated cell...
Costa PWLD, Vilela VLR, Feitosa TF.The objective of this study was to determine the parasitological profiles of traction equids from the semi-arid climate of Paraíba (PB) State. We analyzed 96 equids that performed traction work, with no defined breed, males and females, and all older than 24 months. Among the analyzed animals, 51% were donkeys, 41.7% mules, and 7.3% horses. Fecal material and blood were collected for parasitological examination and to determine the packed cell volume (PCV), respectively. The samples were sent to the Veterinary Parasitology Laboratory, Veterinary Hospital - IFPB, Sousa-PB campus, and epidemiol...
Berry CR, O'Brien TR, Pool RR.Squamous cell carcinoma of the hoof wall, with resultant invasion of the right hind distal phalanx, was identified in a 15-year-old Thoroughbred stallion. The clinical features included a chronic grade 2/5 right hind limb lameness and a sessile dorsal hoof wall mass that was not sensitive to palpation. Radiography revealed a well-circumscribed circular lucency within the distal phalanx, beneath the clinically noticed hoof wall mass. These features were considered to be characteristic of a hoof wall keratoma. Surgical intervention was done 10 months later. The histologic diagnosis at the time o...
Colchen S, Battut I, Fiéni F, Tainturier D, Siliart B, Bruyas JF.Equine embryos were collected at exactly 156 +/- 0.5 (n=8) and 168 +/- 0.5 h (n=11) after ovulation. The embryos were fixed in glutaraldehyde, sectioned serially and observed using light microscopy. In the 156 h group, all embryos were early blastocysts except for one, which was a morula. The morula and one early blastocyst had no capsule. The capsules of the other embryos were thin. The mean +/- SD total number of cells was 275 +/- 105 (range 117-417). The mean +/- SD proportions of mitotic and pycnotic cells were 2.5 +/- 1.2 and 1.1 +/- 1.8%, respectively, and there were no differences betwe...
Fowden AL, Giussani DA, Forhead AJ.In many species, the pattern of growth and physiological development in utero has an important role in determining not only neonatal viability but also adult phenotype and disease susceptibility. Changes in fetal development induced by a range of environmental factors including maternal nutrition, disease, placental insufficiency and social stresses have all been shown to induce adult cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction that often lead to ill health in later life. Compared to other precocious animals, much less is known about the physiological development of the fetal horse or the longer-...
Johnston GCA, Ahern BJ, Woldeyohannes SM, Young AC.Equine advanced imaging research involving racehorse fetlock pathology commonly uses cadaver limbs and a freeze-thaw process. The presence of short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal intensity in the distal third metacarpal/metatarsal bone is of particular interest and may be clinically relevant in the diagnosis of horses at risk of fracture. However, little is known about the effect of the freeze-thaw process on the MRI appearance of STIR hyperintensity in these bones. This study compares the low-field MRI appearance of the distal third metacarpal/metatarsal bone from cadaver limbs of Thoro...
Fischer AT, Vachon AM, Klein SR.Two mature stallions that were used for breeding purposes were admitted for evaluation of inguinal hernias. In 1 horse, the hernia was reduced per rectum by gentle traction applied to the intestine. In the other horse, the hernia was reduced by placing the horse in dorsal recumbency and applying external pressure over the scrotum. Both horses were observed for recurrence of the hernia. Seven days later, an elective laparoscopic technique for inguinal herniorrhaphy was performed on each horse, using polypropylene mesh. Complications did not develop, and both horses have successfully completed 2...
Smith KM, Scase TJ, Miller JL, Donaldson D, Sansom J.To investigate whether cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is expressed by equine ocular and adnexal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Methods: Forty-three samples of histologically confirmed cases of ocular SCC or carcinoma in situ (CIS) from 34 horses presented to the Animal Health Trust between 1992 and 2004 were subjected to a standard, two-layered, indirect immunohistochemical method using a rabbit polyclonal antihuman COX-2 antibody. Ten formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples taken from recognized predilection sites for SCC, from the grossly normal eyes of 10 horses euthanized for reasons u...
Kearney CM, van Weeren PR, Cornelissen BP, den Boon P, Brama PA.The flexion test is used routinely as part of lameness and prepurchase examinations. However, little is known about the mechanisms that cause a positive response to a flexion test. Objective: To determine which anatomical regions play a role in a positive outcome of a flexion test of the distal aspect of a forelimb in a nonlame horse. Methods: Eight clinically sound Dutch Warmblood horses were subjected to a standardised flexion test (force 250 N, time 60 s) inducing a consistent lameness. To discriminate between different areas of the distal aspect of a forelimb, effects of various nerve bloc...
Turgut K, Sasse HH.The mucociliary tracheal transport rate and clearance index were measured in 16 healthy horses and 16 horses suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A marker, Indian ink in syrup, was placed in the mucus layer of the interior wall of the trachea, just in front of the carina, and its displacement was measured after 30 and 60 minutes. The same procedure was repeated 30 minutes after the intravenous administration of 0.8 microgram clenbuterol/kg bodyweight. In the diseased horses the mucociliary transport rate was significantly lower than in the healthy horses. After clenbuterol adm...
