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.
Miragliotta V, Lefebvre-Lavoie J, Lussier JG, Theoret CL.Wounds on horse limbs can develop exuberant granulation tissue which resembles the human keloid. Clues gained from the study of over-scarring in horses might help control fibro-proliferative disorders. Objective: The aim of the present study was to clone full-length equine ANXA2 cDNA then to study spatio-temporal expression of ANXA2 and MMP1 mRNA and protein, potential contributors to remodeling, during repair of body (normal) and limb (fibro-proliferative) wounds in an established horse wound model. Methods: Cloning of ANXA2 was achieved by screening size-selected cDNA libraries. Expression w...
Quan M, van Vuuren M, Howell PG, Groenewald D, Guthrie AJ.Between 2004 and 2006, 145 African horse sickness viruses (AHSV) were isolated from blood and organ samples submitted from South Africa to the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. All nine serotypes were represented, with a range of 3-60 isolates per serotype. The RNA small segment 10 (S10) nucleotide sequences of these isolates were determined and the phylogeny investigated. AHSV, bluetongue virus (BTV) and equine encephalosis virus (EEV) all formed monophyletic groups and BTV was genetically closer to AHSV than EEV. This study confirmed the presence of three distinct S10 ph...
Du Toit N, Kempson SA, Dixon PM.Ten normal cheek teeth (CT) were extracted at post mortem from donkeys that died or were euthanased for humane reasons. Decalcified histology was performed on three sections (sub-occlusal, mid-tooth and pre-apical) of each tooth, and undecalcified histology undertaken on sub-occlusal sections of the same teeth. The normal histological anatomy of primary, regular and irregular secondary dentine was found to be similar to that of the horse, with no tertiary dentine present. Undecalcified histology demonstrated the normal enamel histology, including the presence of enamel spindles. Scanning elect...
Hassel DM, Aldridge BM, Drake CM, Snyder JR.Enteroliths are intestinal calculi that result in intestinal obstruction and colic in horses. Equine enterolithiasis occurs worldwide, but the disease is particularly prevalent in some geographic locations, including California. The objectives of this study were to evaluate dietary and environmental risk factors for the disease. This was accomplished through a case-control study by comparing horses with colic from enterolithiasis presenting to the University of California, Davis VMTH, to horses with colic of other causes. Data were collected on 61 horses with enterolithiasis and 75 controls vi...
Du Toit N, Kempson SA, Dixon PM.Post-mortem examination of 19 donkey skulls showed that donkeys have a greater degree of anisognathia (27% width difference between upper and lower jaws) compared to horses (23%). Teeth (n=108) were collected from 14 skulls and examined grossly and by computed axial tomography (CAT). A greater degree of peripheral enamel infolding was found in mandibular cheek teeth (CT) compared to maxillary CT (P<0.001). A significant increase in peripheral cementum from the apical region to the clinical crown was demonstrated in all CT (P16 years) than in the younger (<15 years) donkeys studied. Based...
Brandt S, Haralambus R, Shafti-Keramat S, Steinborn R, Stanek C, Kirnbauer R.Bovine papillomavirus type 1 or 2 (BPV-1, BPV-2) are accepted causal factors in equine sarcoid pathogenesis. Whereas viral genomes are consistently found and expressed within lesions, intact virions have never been detected, thus permissiveness of sarcoids for BPV-1 replication remains unclear. To reassess this issue, an immunocapture PCR (IC/PCR) was established using L1-specific antibodies to capture L1-DNA complexes followed by amplification of the viral genome. Following validation of the assay, 13 sarcoid-bearing horses were evaluated by IC/PCR. Samples were derived from 21 tumours, 4 per...
Daly J, Daas A, Behr-Gross ME.In 2004, the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) Expert Surveillance Panel on equine influenza recommended that the American lineage component (H3N8) of equine influenza vaccines (A/eq/Newmarket/1/93-like) be updated to an A/eq/South Africa/4/03-like virus. As a consequence the common European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) - OIE reference for equine influenza subtype 2 American-like antiserum had to be complemented by an antiserum raised in horses against an A/eq/South Africa/4/03 strain. An international collaborative study run by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) ...
Vonaparti A, Lyris E, Panderi I, Koupparis M, Georgakopoulos C.Two simple and rapid LC/MS methods with direct injection analysis were developed and validated for the quantification and identification of hydrocortisone in equine urine using the same sample preparation but different mass spectrometric systems: ion trap mass spectrometry (IT-MS) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). The main advantage of the proposed methodology is the minimal sample preparation procedure, as particle-free diluted urine samples were directly injected into both LC/MS systems. Desonide was used as internal standard (IS). The linear range was 0.25-2.5 microg ml(-1) for...
Lewis MJ, Meehan M, Owen P, Woof JM.The M protein of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi known as fibrinogen-binding protein (FgBP) is a cell wall-associated protein with antiphagocytic activity that binds IgG. Recombinant versions of the seven equine IgG subclasses were used to investigate the subclass specificity of FgBP. FgBP bound predominantly to equine IgG4 and IgG7, with little or no binding to the other subclasses. Competitive binding experiments revealed that FgBP could inhibit the binding of staphylococcal protein A and streptococcal protein G to both IgG4 and IgG7, implicating the Fc interdomain region in binding to FgBP. ...
Karatepe B, Karatepe M, Cakmak A, Karaer Z, Ergün G.The prevalence of equine piroplasmosis caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in Nigde, in central Anatolia, Turkey has remained unknown. Serum samples were obtained from a total of 125 horses and were tested for antibodies to T. equi and B. caballi using the Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT). Twenty-three (18.4%) horses were seropositive for equine piroplasmosis. Anti-T. equi was observed in 16 horses (12.8%) while anti-B. caballi was detected in 12 horses (9.6%). In addition, 5 serum samples were positive for both parasites. The prevalence rates of antibodies to T. equi and B....
López-Bayghen C, Zozaya H, Ocampo L, Brumbaugh GW, Sumano H.The efficacy of melengestrol acetate (MGA) to shorten the vernal transition of mares by synchronising and accelerating the first ovulation of the year after 60 days of phototherapy was determined by ultrasonographic monitoring. Sixteen mares in late transition were fed two doses of MGA (150 mg/mare/day and 100 mg/mare/day, respectively) for 10 days. A luteolytic dose of prostaglandin was administered to each mare one day after the end of MGA treatment. The presence and duration of oestrus, follicular growth, uterine oedema and presence of ovulation were monitored by ultrasonography and the cer...
Westermann CM, Dorland L, Votion DM, de Sain-van der Velden MG, Wijnberg ID, Wanders RJ, Spliet WG, Testerink N, Berger R, Ruiter JP, van der Kolk JH.The aim of the current study was to assess lipid metabolism in horses with atypical myopathy. Urine samples from 10 cases were subjected to analysis of organic acids, glycine conjugates, and acylcarnitines revealing increased mean excretion of lactic acid, ethylmalonic acid, 2-methylsuccinic acid, butyrylglycine, (iso)valerylglycine, hexanoylglycine, free carnitine, C2-, C3-, C4-, C5-, C6-, C8-, C8:1-, C10:1-, and C10:2-carnitine as compared with 15 control horses (12 healthy and three with acute myopathy due to other causes). Analysis of plasma revealed similar results for these predominantly...
Swyers KL, Burk AO, Hartsock TG, Ungerfeld EM, Shelton JL.A study was conducted to determine whether direct-fed microbials (DFM) could be used to increase digestibility and minimize the risk of acidosis associated with feeding an increase in the amount of starch fed to horses. Fifteen mature Thoroughbred geldings were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments in a 3 x 3 Latin square design balanced for carryover effects. Within each 26-d period, horses were offered grass hay + low-starch concentrate (LS; 1.2 g of starch x kg of BW(-1) x meal(-1)) from d 1 to 13 and then were abruptly changed to hay + high-starch concentrate (HS; 2.4 g of starch.kg of BW...
Haase B, Jude R, Brooks SA, Leeb T.The tobiano white-spotting pattern is one of several known depigmentation phenotypes in horses and is desired by many horse breeders and owners. The tobiano spotting phenotype is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Horses that are heterozygous or homozygous for the tobiano allele (To) are phenotypically indistinguishable. A SNP associated with To had previously been identified in intron 13 of the equine KIT gene and was used for an indirect gene test. The test was useful in several horse breeds. However, genotyping this sequence variant in the Lewitzer horse breed revealed that 14% of ho...
Aleman M.Muscle disorders are a common cause of disability in horses. For many years, clinical manifestations such as muscle pain, exercise intolerance, weakness, and stiffness were believed to be caused by a single syndrome. However, in the past years a broad spectrum of muscle disorders have been recognized including glycogen and polysaccharide storage myopathies, malignant hyperthermia, mitochondrial myopathy, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis and others. For some, a specific mutation has been identified. Recognition of the myopathic clinical phenotype and thorough clinical, electrodiagnostic, and his...
Pollock PJ, Russell T, Hughes TK, Archer MR, Perkins JD.To report a technique for eye enucleation in standing sedated horses and to report outcome in 40 horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses (n=40) requiring eye enucleation. Methods: The eye was enucleated using a transpalpebral technique in 40 horses restrained in stocks and sedated. Anesthesia of orbital structures was provided by local nerve blocks and infiltration of the surgical site with local anesthetic solution. Results: Affected eyes were successfully enucleated with the horse standing. Short-term complications included moderate swelling (5 horses) and wound discharge (1). ...
Sod GA, Mitchell CF, Hubert JD, Martin GS, Gill MS.To compare monotonic biomechanical properties and fatigue life of a 5.5 mm broad limited-contact dynamic compression plate (5.5-LC-DCP) fixation with a 4.5 mm broad LC-DCP (4.5-LC-DCP) fixation to repair osteotomized equine third metacarpal (MC3) bones. Methods: In vitro biomechanical testing of paired cadaveric equine MC3 with a mid-diaphyseal osteotomy, stabilized by 1 of 2 methods for fracture fixation. Methods: Adult equine cadaveric MC3 bones (n=18 pair). Methods: MC3 were divided into 3 test groups (6 pairs each) for: (1) 4-point bending single cycle to failure testing; (2) 4-point bendi...
Sod GA, Mitchell CF, Hubert JD, Martin GS, Gill MS.To compare monotonic biomechanical properties and fatigue life of a broad locking compression plate (LCP) fixation with a broad limited contact dynamic compression plate (LC-DCP) fixation to repair osteotomized equine third metacarpal (MC3) bones. Methods: In vitro biomechanical testing of paired cadaveric equine MC3 with a mid-diaphyseal osteotomy, stabilized by 1 of 2 methods for fracture fixation. Methods: Cadaveric adult equine MC3 bones (n=12 pairs). Methods: MC3 were divided into 3 groups (4 pairs each) for: (1) 4-point bending single cycle to failure testing; (2) 4-point bending cyclic ...
Barakzai SZ, Kane-Smyth J, Lowles J, Townsend N.To examine 2 rostral maxillary sinus (RMS) trephine sites for safety and efficacy using skulls of horses of varying age. Methods: Descriptive study. Methods: Cadaveric equine skulls (n=40). Methods: Two RMS trephination sites (rostral, caudal) were made in each skull. Radiographic projections using markers at each site were used to determine if sites were within the RMS and directly overlying a cheek tooth. Sinusotomy in 14 skulls was used to determine correlation between radiographic and anatomic location of trephine sites, and of the rostrolateral aspect of the maxillary septum. Age-related ...
Votion DM, Linden A, Delguste C, Amory H, Thiry E, Engels P, van Galen G, Navet R, Sluse F, Serteyn D, Saegerman C.Over the last decade, atypical myopathy (AM) in grazing horses has emerged in several European countries. An exploratory analysis was conducted to determine horse- and pasture-level indicators or factors associated with AM in Belgium. Belgian cases of AM confirmed by histology (n=57) were compared to their healthy co-grazing horses (n=77) and to pastured horses not involved with AM as controls (n=386). The pastures where confirmed cases were grazing (42 pastures; 38 sites; 44 incidences of AM) were compared with those of the controls (216 pastures; 96 sites; no incidence of AM). Statistically ...
Chen J, Weng Q, Chao J, Hu D, Taya K.In China, the first Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) group was released in Kalamaili Ungulate Protected Area in Xinjiang, in August 2001. The objective of this study was to investigate reproduction and development of released Przewalski's horses in Xinjiang, China from 2002 to 2006. Twenty-four descendants were naturally born, average reproduction rate was 38.7%, and average survival rate of foals was 69.1% in this interim. Frequent alternation of the leading stallion and infertility in female horses due to environmental factors were main causes for the low reproduction rate. The infant ...
Garvican ER, Vaughan-Thomas A, Redmond C, Clegg PD.Matrix degradation by metalloproteinases is considered a key feature in the loss of articular cartilage seen in many joint diseases. Membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MT3-MMP) expression is elevated in human cartilage in end-stage osteoarthritis. We investigated whether MT3-MMP is similarly regulated in cartilage in two naturally occurring arthropathies in vivo and whether proinflammatory cytokines regulate its expression in vitro. MT3-MMP expression was evaluated in cartilage from horses with osteoarthritis and osteochondrosis and compared with age- and site-matched normal cartilage. ...
Cunha AP, Bello AC, Leite RC, Bastianetto E, Ribeiro AC, Freitas CM, Oliveira PR.The aim of this study was to verify the efficiency of a strategic control program of Amblyomma cajennense in horses under field conditions. Acaricide treatments were applied at seven days intervals and divided in two series, the first one beginning in April 2004 (eight treatments), and the second one beginning in July 2004 (five treatments), aiming to control larvae and nymphs of the tick. A pyrethroid chemical base cypermethrin 0.015% was used for spraying the horses. There was a reduction of 44.85% in the adults infestation of the tick in the period of October 2004 to March 2005, and 59.74%,...
Cunha AP, Bello AC, Leite RC, Ribeiro AC, Freitas CM, Bastianetto E, Oliveira PR.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Amblyomma cajennense strategic control program on the Anocentor nitens population. The acaricide treatments were carried out every seven days and divided in two series, the first one beginning in April 2004 (eight treatments) and the second beginning in July of the same year (five treatments), using pyrethroid chemical base - cypermethrin in the concentration of 0,015%. Monthly it was evaluated the infestation of A. nitens in the ear and nasal diverticulum of the equines before (October 2003 to March 2004) and after (October of 2004...
Hastie PM, Mitchell K, Murray JA.There is a need to further our understanding of the role that the equine hindgut ecosystem plays in digestive processes and diseases. The aim of the present study was to utilise the real-time PCR technique to determine the abundance of candidate cellulolytic (Ruminococcus flavefaciens; Fibrobacter succinogenes) and non-cellulolytic (Streptococcus bovis) bacteria in lumen contents from the caecum, ventral and dorsal colon, and rectum of healthy horses (n 14). Total DNA was extracted from frozen and lyophilised lumen contents, and PCR primers and Taqman probes were designed based on 16S rDNA seq...
Gleadhill A, Marlin D, Harris PA, Michell AR.Measurement of renal function in horses poses a particular challenge because plasma creatinine is influenced by muscle mass which is highly developed and variable between individuals, while conventional clearance methods involve potentially daunting problems, particularly urine collection and bladder washout. This paper provides data which enable technetium-diethyleneaminopentacetic acid (Tc-DTPA) clearance to be used to calculate glomerular filtration rate (GFR)/extracellular fluid volume (ECFV) as an expression of GFR in horses, as previously validated in humans, dogs and calves. Apart from ...
Vendrig JC, Coffeng LE, Fink-Gremmels J.Dietary supplementation with oligosaccharides has been proven to be beneficial for health in several mammalian species. Next to prebiotic effects resulting in a modulation of gut micro biota, immunomodulatory effects of oligosaccharides have been documented in vivo. Supplementation with defined oligosaccharide fractions has been shown to attenuate allergic responses and enhance defensive immune responses. Despite the accumulating evidence for immunomodulatory effects, very limited information is available regarding the direct mechanism of action of oligosaccharides. This study aims to elucidat...
Martin LM, Johnson PJ, Amorim JR, Honaker AR, Donaldson RS, DeClue AE.Horses affected with gastrointestinal conditions such as colic or colitis are at substantial risk for translocation of bacterial components such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin) from the gastrointestinal tract into circulation resulting in systemic inflammation and subsequent morbidity and mortality. Therefore, there is a need for effective preventive and treatment strategies aimed at minimizing the host's inflammatory reaction to these pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) from gastrointestinal disease. Resveratrol (RES, trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) is a phytoalexin commonl...
Shahrabadi MS, Marusyk RG, Crawford TB.Sequential changes induced by an equine adenovirus in cultured fetal equine kidney cells were studied by electron microscopy. The first morphological change was the appearance of type I inclusions. These inclusions developed to type II inclusions which appeared as ring forms. Type III inclusions were formed within the central part of type II inclusions and finally filled up most of the nuclear space. As the infection proceeded, type IV inclusions which appeared as dense dark-staining spheres were formed at the center of the type III inclusions and also inside the cytoplasm. These dark-staining...
Vera L, Boyen F, de Visscher A, Vandenbroucke V, Vanantwerpen G, Govaere J.The use of commercial chromogenic agar plates for the rapid, easy and correct identification of equine endometritis-causing bacteria has been proposed. Preliminary tests in our lab revealed undescribed limitations. Therefore, we tested the ability of the Brilliance UTI agar, a commercially available chromogenic agar, to accurately identify bacteria causing equine endometritis. Objective: To 1) investigate whether bacteria present in the equine uterus are able to grow on this chromogenic agar plate, 2) determine whether these bacteria belong to the genera for which these agar plates were origin...
Jarvis GE, Evans RJ, Heath MF.We have shown previously that endotoxin induces platelet aggregation in equine heparinised whole blood in a platelet-activating factor (PAF; 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) dependent manner. ADP is an agonist of platelets and is present in platelet dense granules with ATP in high concentrations. An investigation was carried out to establish whether endotoxin-induced platelet activation was associated with release of platelet ATP and ADP. ADP-scavenging enzyme systems significantly inhibited endotoxin-induced aggregation. Plasma levels of adenine nucleotides were measured using ...
Headley SA, de Carvalho PH, Cunha Filho LF, Yamamura AA, Okano W.The cause of the death of a 16-month-old Brasileiro-de-Hipismo filly and a 3-year-old male Paint Horse with clinical manifestations of anemia and apathy from southern Brazil was investigated. These horses were maintained at the same stable; received hay as part of their diet and were submitted for routine necropsy evaluations. Significant gross findings included several nodules randomly distributed throughout the pulmonary lobes of both horses, and the kidneys, myocardium, and the frontal lobes of the cerebrum of the filly. Histopathological evaluation revealed pyogranulomatous bronchopneumoni...
Belotta AF, Mayer MN, Waldner CL, Sidhu NP, Robinson KA, Carmalt JL, Freitas FP, Koehncke NK.The objectives of this study were to investigate scattered radiation doses to the hands of equine workers holding the cassette and the x-ray tube by hand, for both limb and vertebral column studies, and to compare the scattered radiation attenuation of lead with radiation protection lead-free gloves. Radiation doses to the hands of the cassette holder in the primary beam were also investigated. Methods: A whole-body horse cadaver. Methods: A portable x-ray unit was used to simulate 6 radiographic study types in the horse cadaver. Doses were measured with no shielding and, for cassette holders,...
Conley AJ, Scholtz EL, Dujovne G, Cotterman RF, Legacki EL, Uliani RC, Alvarenga MA, Ball BA, Kalra B, Savjani GV, Kumar A.Studies in mares have examined serum inhibin concentrations using immuno-assays unable to distinguish dimeric inhibin-A from inhibin-B isoforms. Inhibin-A and inhibin-B immuno-assays were used to investigate concentrations in cyclic mares, young and old (6 vs 19 years old, respectively) mares following hemi-ovariectomy, mares during pregnancy and in mares with confirmed granulosa cell tumors (GCTs). Mares with inter-ovulatory intervals of 26 days had ovulatory peaks of inhibin-A averaging 80 pg/mL with a mid-cycle nadir of 5 pg/mL. Inhibin-A and inhibin-B concentrations were highly correlate...
Khan ZU, Misra VC, Randhawa HS.Prevalence of serum precipitins against Micropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and Aspergillus fumigatus, employing the counterimmunoelectrophoresis (COIE) and Ouchterlony's double diffusion (DD) techniques, is reported in 162 of the equines stationed at two military installations in north-western India. M. faeni specific precipitins were demonstrable in 58 of 112 mules from site I in the mountainous region whereas the results were negative for all of the 50 horses examined from site II located in the plains. Of the 58 M. faeni positive mules, 45 (78%) had signs and symptoms suggesti...
Cohen ND, Toby E, Roussel AJ, Murphey EL, Wang N.Feeding concentrate has been putatively associated with risk of development of duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ); however, this association has not been evaluated systematically in a controlled study. Objective: To determine whether there was evidence that feeding practices were associated with increased odds of developing DPJ employing a case control study. Objective: The amount of concentrate fed daily to horses is significantly greater among horses that develop DPJ than control horses with either lameness or other types of colic. Methods: Feeding practices of cases of DPJ diagnosed betwee...
Pitzer JB, Kaufman PE, Geden CJ, Hogsette JA.The ability of Spalangia cameroni Perkins, Spalangia endius Walker, and Muscidifurax raptorellus Kogan and Legner to locate and attack stable fly hosts was evaluated under laboratory conditions. Postfeeding third-instar stable fly larvae were released and allowed to pupate in two arena types: large 4.8 liter chambers containing a field-collected, soiled equine bedding substrate; or 120-ml plastic cups containing wood chips. At the time of fly pupariation, parasitoids were released and permitted 72 h to locate and attack hosts. On average, parasitism rates of freely accessible stable fly pupae ...
Reeves MJ, Yovich JV, Turner AS.The etiology, clinical presentation, radiographic findings, diagnostic criteria, differential diagnoses, treatment, and prognosis are reviewed for several clinically important conditions of the equine foot. These include pedal osteitis, sheared heels, distal sesamoid bone (navicular) fractures, subchondral bone cyst of the distal phalanx, distal interphalangeal joint subluxation, congenital phalangeal hypoplasia, bipartite and tripartite distal sesamoid bones, keratoma, ossification of the cartilages of the distal phalanx (sidebones), necrosis of the cartilages of the distal phalanx (quittor),...
Donofrio JC, Coonrod JD, Chambers TM.Influenza A is a common respiratory infection of horses, and rapid diagnosis is important for its detection and control. Sensitive detection of influenza currently requires viral culture and is not always feasible. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect DNA produced by reverse transcription of equine influenza in stored nasal secretions, vaccines, and allantoic fluids. Primers directed at a target of 212 bp on conserved segment 7 (matrix gene) of human influenza A/Bangkok/1/79(H3N2) produced amplification products of appropriate size with influenza A/Equine/Prague/1/56 (H7N7), ...
Verma RD, Venkateswaran KS, Sharma JK, Agarwal GS.Malleo-proteins from synthetic broth mallein of six strains of Pseudomonas mallei were separated by trichloroacetic acid precipitation, ammonium sulfate precipitation and Ultrogel AcA 34 gel filtration chromatography. When tested comparatively with Dutch PPD mallein as standard on P. mallei-sensitized and normal horses all the strains were found to be malleinogenic, trichloroacetic acid precipitated proteins were comparable to Dutch PPD mallein in potency and innocuity whereas ammonium sulfate-precipitated proteins elicited non-specific reactions. Ultrogel AcA 34 chromatographed high molecular...
Drabbe A, Janssens S, Blott S, Ducro BJ, Fontanel M, Francois L, Schurink A, Stinckens A, Lindgren G, Van Mol B, Pille F, Buys N, Velie BD.Osteochondrosis (OC) is an important skeletal disease causing profound welfare concerns in horses. Although numerous studies have explored the genetics underlying OC in various breeds, the Belgian Warmblood (BW) remains unstudied despite having a concerning prevalence of 32.0%. As a result, this study aimed to conduct genome-wide association (GWA) analyses to identify candidate variants associated with OC in BWs. To achieve this, blood samples and radiographs were collected from 407 Belgian Warmbloods registered to one of two BW studbooks (Belgisch Warmbloedpaard and Zangersheide), and genotyp...
Hullinger PJ, Wilson WD, Rossitto PV, Patton JF, Thurmond MC, MacLachlan NJ.To determine rate of decay of passively acquired antibodies in Standardbred foals on a farm with a high seroprevalence to equine arteritis virus (EAV) and to determine whether vertical or horizontal transmission of the virus was responsible for infection on the farm. Methods: Repeated-measures study. Methods: 46 Standardbred horses (15 brood mares and their foals, 5 stallions, and 11 young horses). Methods: Serum samples obtained from horses on the farm were evaluated by serum neutralization and western immunoblot analysis to detect EAV-specific antibodies. The half-life of passively acquired ...
Franke J, Abraham G.Altered airway cell proliferation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of human bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as the equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) with consistent changes, i.e. narrowing the airway wall, explained by proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts. In permanent cell lines, it has been suggested that β2-adrenoceptor agonists and glucocorticoids regulate cell proliferation via the β2-adrenoceptor pathway; indeed, no study was carried out in fresh isolated primary equine bronchial fibroblasts (EBF). We characterize...
Kodaira K, Muranaka M, Naito H, Ode H, Oku K, Nukada T, Katayama Y.A 1-year-old male thoroughbred racehorse experienced swelling of the left upper lip. The swelling was attributable to enlargement around the incisive bone of the interdental space posterior to the third incisor in the left maxilla. Even after two operations to reduce the bulk of the mass, it continued to increase in size. Dyspnea caused by stenosis of the nasal cavity forced us to perform euthanasia, and a pathological examination was conducted. Macroscopic examination of a section of the mass revealed the formation of multiple areas of solid fibrous tissue, and trabeculae within the incisive ...
Silver IA.Wound healing is part of the normal general repair process of the body. Its efficient completion depends on many factors, some physical, eg, pH, oxygen tension and tissue tension, and some biological, eg, cell-cell interaction and feedback of extracellular matrix on to the cells which produce it. The factors which affect healing are discussed and failures and anomalies in the process described. New techniques which may improve the quality of healing in specialised tissues are explained. Recent research on wound healing has concentrated on the role of the different cell types in the process and...
Kilborne AH, Hussein H, Bertone AL.OBJECTIVE To investigate effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) or HA combined with chondroitin sulfate (CS) and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (NAG) by use of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro method. SAMPLE Monolayer cultures of synovial cells from 4 adult horses. PROCEDURES Synovial cell cultures were untreated or treated with HA alone or HA-CS-NAG for 24 hours, subsequently unchallenged or challenge-exposed with 2 LPS concentrations (20 and 50 ng/mL) for 2 hours, and retreated with HA or HA-CS-NAG for another 24 hours. Cellular morphology of cultures was evaluated at 0, 24 (before LPS), 26 (after LPS),...
Jacks S, Giguère S, Gronwall RR, Brown MP, Merritt KA.Clarithromycin offers numerous advantages over erythromycin and thus, is an attractive alternative for the treatment of Rhodococcus equi infections in foals. The disposition of clarithromycin was investigated in 6 foals after intragastric administration at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight. Detectable serum concentrations of clarithromycin were found in 3 of 6 foals at 10 minutes and in all foals by 20 minutes post-administration. Time to peak serum concentration (Tmax) was 1.5 hours and peak serum concentration (Cmax) was 0.92+/-0.17 microg/ml. Mean serum concentrations decreased to 0.03 microg/...
Inkerman PA, Scott K, Runnegar MT, Hamilton SE, Bennett EA, Zerner B.Chicken, sheep, and horse liver carboxylesterases have been purified by procedures involving ammonium sulfate fractionation, ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration on Sephadex. The actual yields of the procedures described were as follows: chicken, 1 g from 2 kg of liver powder (chloroform-acetone); sheep, 200 mg from 400 g of powder (chloroform-acetone); horse, 230 mg from 800 g of powder (acetone). The purified enzymes are free of non-carboxyl-esterase protein as shown by gel electrophoresis, although they do contain electrophoretic variants. The equivalent weight of the chicken enzy...
Manuja A, Kumar P, Kumar R, Kumar B, Singha H, Sharma RK, Yadav SC.Trypanosoma evansi is the causative agent of surra, which is the most common and widespread trypansomal disease. The infection is mainly restricted to animals, but it has also been documented in human. Trypanosomes possess the thick immunogenic surface coat known as variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The parasite modifies the VSG constantly resulting in continuous antigenic variations and thus evades the host immune response. Due to antigenic variations, vaccination against trypanosomosis is not useful. Therefore, alternate strategies to augment the immune response are required. CpG-ODN class...
MacMillan KM, Martinson SA, Smith M, Lofstedt J.Mesothelioma is a rare malignancy in horses. This report describes a case in which marked hemoperitoneum, moderate anemia, and moderate dependent edema were the presenting clinical signs in a 2-year-old Standardbred stallion with mesothelioma of the vaginal tunic. On necropsy, approximately 40 L of dark red fluid distended the abdomen. A dark red mass infiltrated and effaced the right pampiniform plexus, and red nodular masses were present multifocally on the parietal and visceral peritoneal surfaces. Histopathologically, the masses were composed of malignant spindle cells with a sarcomatoid ...
Sampaio B, Ortiz I, Resende H, Felix M, Varner D, Hinrichs K.Exposure to the calcium ionophore A23187 may present a "universal" sperm treatment for IVF, as it bypasses capacitation pathways. However, success in utilizing A23187 is variable, especially in equine spermatozoa. Notably, albumin is used during A23187 treatment but paradoxically is thought to suppress A23187 action. Essentially no critical data are available on the effects of A23187 and albumin concentrations, ratios, or addition protocols on changes in intracellular calcium ([Ca] ) in any cell type. To determine factors that affect the action of A23187 on [Ca] in equine and murine spermatozo...
Sinovich M, Archer DC, Meunier NV, Kelly PG.To evaluate two different barbed sutures for closure of pelvic flexure enterotomies and compare results achieved with two previously described closure techniques. Methods: Ex vivo. Methods: Twenty-four fresh cadaver adult equine large colons. Methods: Cadavers were randomly assigned to four closure groups (n = 6 each group): single-layer absorbable suture, double-layer absorbable suture, single-layer unidirectional barbed suture, or single-layer bidirectional barbed suture. Construction time, luminal reduction (percentage), bursting pressure, and method of failure were measured. Cost, leakage,...
Baldwin CM, Morgan RE, Crawford AL, Villarino NF, Rubio-Martínez LM.(1) To describe the computed tomography (CT) and gross anatomy of the equine extensor carpi radialis sheath (ECRS) and common digital extensor sheath (CDETS); (2) to describe a single-portal endoscopic examination of the ECRS and CDETS. Methods: Ex vivo experimental. Methods: Thirty clinically normal cadaver thoracic equine limbs severed at the humeral diaphysis. Methods: Ten limbs underwent plain and intrathecal contrast CT examinations and gross dissection of the ECRS and CDETS. Single-portal endoscopic examination of ECRS and CDETS was attempted in 4 limbs and endoscopic examination was per...
Schambony A, Hess O, Gentzel M, Töpfer-Petersen E.Cysteine rich secretory proteins (CRISPs) have been detected immunochemically in the equine male genital tract. CRISPs are secretory products of the epididymis, the ampulla and the seminal vesicle. A particular feature of the horse is the abundance of CRISPs in seminal plasma. CRISPs can also be detected in extracts of testicular, epididymal and ejaculated spermatozoa in increasing amounts. Unlike other seminal plasma proteins, they cannot be removed completely from spermatozoa by high salt treatment. The remaining CRISP antigens are localized on the midpiece, and the postacrosomal and equator...
Miragliotta V, Ipiña Z, Lefebvre-Lavoie J, Lussier JG, Theoret CL.Wound healing in horses is fraught with complications. Specifically, wounds on horse limbs often develop exuberant granulation tissue which behaves clinically like a benign tumor and resembles the human keloid in that the evolving scar is trapped in the proliferative phase of repair, leading to fibrosis. Clues gained from the study of over-scarring in horses should eventually lead to new insights into how to prevent unwanted scar formation in humans. cDNA fragments corresponding to CTNNB1 (coding for beta-catenin) and PECAM1, genes potentially contributing to the proliferative phase of repair,...
