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.
Zerpa H, Berhane Y, Elliott J, Bailey SR.The vasculature of the equine digit fulfils an important role in thermoregulation. In other species, it has been found that cooling may enhance the response of cutaneous vessels to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonists. Translocation of alpha(2)-adrenoceptors to the smooth muscle cell membrane, mediated by Rho kinase, is thought to be involved in the cooling-enhanced response in mouse tail arteries. However, little is known about the effect of cooling on 5-HT receptor function. The present investigation compared the response of 5-bromo-6-(2-imidazolin-2-ylamino) quinoxa...
Turner PG, Dugdale A, Young IS, Taylor S.Monitoring the composition of gases breathed by anaesthetised patients requires measurement methods with fast responses, high accuracy and good reliability. There is also an increasing demand for systems to be able to monitor more than one target analyte simultaneously, but some gas analysers can be sensitive to the presence of methane gas in exhaled breath, consequently leading to inaccurate measurements of the anaesthetic agent. This study investigated the feasibility of employing portable quadrupole mass spectrometry to monitor volatile anaesthetic agents (halothane, isoflurane and sevoflur...
Zhou H, Liu C, Wang W.This study was conducted to reconstruct heterogeneous embryos using equine skin fibroblast cells as donor karyoplasts and the bovine oocytes as recipient cytoplast for investigating the reprogramming of equine somatic cell nuclear in bovine oocyte cytoplasm and the developmental potential of the reconstructed embryos. Adult horse skin fibroblast cells serum-starved were used as donor somatic cells. Bovine oocytes matured in vitro were employed as recipient cytoplasts. The fusion of fibroblast cells into recipient cytoplasm was induced by electofusion. The fused eggs were activated by inomycin ...
Pei Y, Nicholson V, Woods K, Prescott JF.Rhodococcus equi causes fatal granulomatous pneumonia in foals and immunocompromised animals and humans. However, there is no effective vaccine against this infection. In this study, the chromosomal genes isocitrate lyase (icl) and cholesterol oxidase (choE) were chosen as targets for mutation and assessment of the double mutant as an intrabronchial vaccine in 1-week-old foals. Using a modification of a suicide plasmid previously developed in this laboratory, we developed a choE-icl unmarked deletion mutant of R. equi strain 103+. Five 1-week-old foals were infected intrabronchially with the m...
Causey RC.Uterine infections are a major cause of infertility, but the role of mucus in equine uterine defense is not well understood. Mucociliary currents play an important role in protecting mucous membranes, including the upper and lower respiratory tracts of mammals, and are required for feeding and oxygenation of many aquatic invertebrates. Although phagocytosis has long been considered the first line of uterine defense in the mare, there are concerns about its efficacy in the uterine lumen. Additional local defenses, such as mucociliary currents, have therefore been proposed. The uterine epitheliu...
Fjordbakk CT, Strand E, Milde AK, Ihler CF, Rorvik AM.To determine clinical and diagnostic imaging findings in young horses with osteochondral fragments involving the dorsomedial aspect of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: Medical records were reviewed. Follow-up information was obtained through telephone conversations with owners or trainers or by examining race records. Results: Horses were between 1 and 4 years old. Three had bilateral osteochondral fragments in the forelimbs (n = 2 horses) or hind limbs (1). Radiographically, all but 1 fragment seemed to originate from th...
Théon AP, Wilson WD, Magdesian KG, Pusterla N, Snyder JR, Galuppo LD.To determine outcome associated with cutaneous tumors treated via intratumoral chemotherapy with cisplatin and identify risk factors affecting local tumor control and complications in equidae. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 573 equidae with 630 cutaneous tumors. Methods: Medical records of horses, mules, donkeys, and ponies with cutaneous tumors treated via intratumoral chemotherapy with cisplatin were analyzed. Results: 549 horses, 13 mules, 8 donkeys, and 3 ponies with 630 histologically confirmed cutaneous tumors were included. Tumors included sarcoids (n = 409), squamous cell...
Koenig JB, Rodriguez A, Colquhoun JK, Stämpfli H.During exploratory laparotomy of a foal with colic, a congenital abnormally developed large colon was identified incidentally. Long-term follow-up showed that the colt was more prone to gas-colic with diet and exercise changes than were other horses, due possibly to the short colon. Malformation congénitale du côlon (côlon court) chez un poulain Standardbred âgé de 4 mois. Au cours d’une laparotomie exploratrice chez un poulain atteint de colique, une malformation congénitale du gros côlon a été identifiée de façon fortuite. Un suivi à long terme a montré que le poulain était d...
Tryon RC, White SD, Bannasch DL.Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA), a degenerative skin disease that affects the Quarter Horse breed, was localized to ECA1 by homozygosity mapping. Comparative genomics allowed the development of equine gene-specific markers which were used with a set of affected horses to detect a homozygous, identical-by-descent block spanning approximately 2.5 Mb, suggesting a recent origin for the HERDA mutation. We report a mutation in cyclophilin B (PPIB) as a novel, causal candidate gene for HERDA. A c.115G>A missense mutation in PPIB alters a glycine residue that has been conserved acr...
Zhou T, Yuan XF, Hou SH, Tu YB, Peng JM, Wen JX, Qiu HJ, Wu DL, Chen HC, Wang XJ, Tong GZ.In the early 1970s, the Chinese Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) vaccine, EIAV(DLA), was developed through successive passages of a wild-type virulent virus (EIAV(L)) in donkeys in vivo and then in donkey macrophages in vitro. EIAV attenuation and cell tropism adaptation are associated with changes in both envelope and long terminal repeat (LTR). However, specific LTR changes during Chinese EIAV attenuation have not been demonstrated. In this study, we compared LTR sequences from both virulent and attenuated EIAV strains and documented the diversities of LTR sequence from in vivo and in v...
Ortega J, Daft B, Assis RA, Kinde H, Anthenill L, Odani J, Uzal FA.Omphalitis and the resulting septicemia contribute to perinatal mortality in several animal species. In foals, the most important causes of omphalitis are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus zooepidemicus. However to date, no information has been published about the role of Clostridium sordellii in these infections. In this paper, we describe 8 cases of perinatal mortality in foals associated with internal umbilical remnant infection by C. sordellii. The foals studied were between 12 and 21 days old at the time of death, and various breeds were represented in the group. Five of the foals were m...
Kniazev SP, Nikitin SV.Two polymorphic blood group systems (E and M) of the pig Sus scrofa L. and one blood group system (D) of the horse Equus caballus L. have been studied. On the basis of phenogroup analysis, models describing the formation of the complex allele spectra of these systems and reflecting the contributions of mutations and recombinations have been constructed. The complementary relationships between the antigens determined by the variants of supergenes within the systems, as ell as the probable number and relative positions of the subloci encoding individual groups of antigens in them, have been dete...
Naem S.Drashia megastoma (Spirurida: Habronematidae) occurs in nodules in the stomach wall and rarely free in the stomach of the horse, mule and zebra throughout the world. D. megastoma develops in the housefly Musca domestica and causes gastric haemorrhage or even perforation of the stomach. Larvae of this nematode may be found in the lung, skin and eye of the host. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the surface ultrastructure of adult worms of this nematode. In both sexes, the head end was separated from the rest of the body by a constriction. The stoma was infundibuliform with a ...
Goff LM, Jeffcott LB, Jasiewicz J, McGowan CM.Pain originating from the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) in horses has long been associated with poor performance, yet specific diagnosis of sacroiliac dysfunction (SID) has been difficult to achieve. Clinical presentation of SID appears to fall into two categories. The first, presenting as pain and poor performance, is responsive to local analgesia of periarticular structures with poorly defined pathology. The second presents primarily as poor performance with bony pathological changes as a result of chronic instability. Diagnostic tests based on biomechanics as well as manual provocation for SIJ pai...
Quinlivan M, Cook RF, Cullinane A.In 2006, an outbreak of equine infectious anaemia (EIA) occurred in Ireland. The initial source of the outbreak is believed to have been contaminated plasma imported from Italy. This paper presents the nucleotide sequence of the gag gene of the virus identified in Ireland (EIAV(Ire)), the first for a European strain of EIAV. Comparison of the gag gene with North American and Asian strains of the virus showed that the gag gene is less well conserved than previously believed, and that EIAV strains can have similar phenotypes despite considerable variations in genotype. On the basis of the deduce...
Wilson SJ, Taylor J, Gibson J, McKenzie R.A dense population of Pimelea trichostachya plants (Family Thymelaeaceae) in pasture poisoned a horse herd in southern inland Queensland in October-November 2005. Plant density was 2 to 45 g wet weight/m(2) (mean 16 g/m(2)) from 5 to 69 plants/m(2) (mean 38 plants/m(2)) representing 3 to 20% (mean 9%) of the volume of pasture on offer. Ten of 35 mares, fillies and geldings were affected. Clinical signs were loss of body weight, profound lethargy, serous nasal discharge, severe watery diarrhoea and subcutaneous oedema of the intermandibular space, chest and ventral midline. Pathological finding...
Wilson DC, Corbett AD, Steel C, Pannirselvam R, Bovell DL.The causal factors of equine anhidrosis have not yet been elucidated but defective electrolyte transport mechanisms in the gland are likely to be involved. To investigate this possibility, experiments were performed on cultured equine sweat gland epithelia from five free-sweating UK horses (3 intact males, 2 mares, aged 2-4 years) and from three free-sweating Singapore horses (1 intact male, 2 mares, aged 3-5 years) and three anhidrotic (Singapore) horses (1 intact male, 1 gelding, 1 mare, aged 3-6 years). Cultured cells from each animal were grown on permeable supports and loaded into Ussing ...
Mountford D.VetCell Bioscience is a UK-based company focused on pioneering the use of regenerative medicine in the animal health market. VetCell was formed in partnership with the Royal Veterinary College and the Institute for Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal Science to develop the use of cellular therapies to treat athletic injuries in horses. This ground-breaking work has been the springboard from which the Company has expanded into other areas of veterinary regenerative medicine.
Ryan T, Smith R.Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is frequently used in the treatment of wounds, soft tissue injury and in pain management. The exact penetration depth of LLLT in human tissue remains unspecified. Similar uncertainty regarding penetration depth arises in treating animals. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that transmission of LLLT in horses is increased by clipping the hair and/or by cleaning the area to be treated with alcohol, but is unaffected by coat colour. A LLLT probe (810 nm, 500 mW) was applied to the medial aspect of the superficial flexor tendon of seventeen equine forelim...
Clements JM, Pirie RS.The effect of soaking hay to minimise equine breathing zone respirable dust concentration (RDC) is unknown, as is the duration of soaking required. Additionally, the influence of the bedding and forage used in one stable on the mean and maximum RDC in a neighbouring stable within a common airspace is unknown. Consequently, in the management of equine environmental respiratory disease uncertainty remains about the necessity for optimising conditions in neighbouring stables. Investigations using a real-time continuous particle monitor revealed that when feeding hay, horses' mean breathing zone R...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Collins SS.Population B, drug-resistant small strongyles have been studied in naturally infected horses in Kentucky for more than 40 years. These parasites first were found to be resistant to phenothiazine (PTZ) and thiabendazole (TBZ), later to other parasiticides. Studies have been on evaluation of antiparasitic efficacy of several compounds, especially the benzimidazoles, against Population B small strongyles in clinical (field) tests (1959-1983) on the commercial farm of origin and in clinical and critical tests (1966-2001) at the University of Kentucky (UK) research farm. Research on these nematodes...
Mele M, Gerber V, Straub R, Gaillard C, Jallon L, Burger D.The objective of this study was to investigate clinical signs indicating diseases with known or suspected hereditary components like equine sarcoid, insect bite hypersensitivity, osteochondrosis, allergic airway diseases, podotrochleosis, prognatism and wind-sucking in the franches-montagnes horse. We performed a clinical examination on 702 three-year-old, privately owned franches-montagnes horses, which were shown at the Swiss-Field-Tests in 2004. With the help of the owners a questionnaire on health, environment and feeding habits of the animals was completed. In 11.9% of the horses, sarcoid...
David F, Farley J, Huang H, Lavoie JP, Laverty S.To evaluate mRNA expression of several proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in equine unstimulated and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-stimulated chondrocytes. Methods: In vitro experiment using equine chondrocyte cultures. Methods: Whole articular cartilage from metacarpophalangeal joints (n=5 horses; 10 fetlocks). Methods: Chondrocyte monolayer cultures were established from digested adult equine articular cartilage and stimulated with 5 ng/mL of recombinant human IL-1beta. RNA was extracted from the cells 24 hours after stimulation. IL-1beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, tumor n...
Studer S, Gerber V, Straub R, Brehm W, Gaillard C, Lüth A, Burger D.The objective of this study was to investigate clinical signs indicating hereditary diseases like equine sarcoid, osteochondrosis (OC) and the idiopathic laryngeal hemiplegia (ILH), and to demonstrate relationships between environment, feeding habits and conformation ("exterieur" evaluation) of the horses. For this purpose, we analyzed veterinary examinations of 403 stallions at the approvals since 1994 examined 493 three-year-old Swiss Warmblood horses, which were shown at the Swiss-Field-Tests in 2005. With the help of the owners a questionnaire on health, environment and feeding habits of t...
Milligan M, Beard W, Kukanich B, Sobering T, Waxman S.To measure the effect of lidocaine on the duration of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) and Phases I, II, and III of the MMC, spiking activity of the jejunum, and number of Phase III events when administered postoperatively to normal horses. Methods: Nonrandomized cross-over design. Methods: Horses were anesthetized and via flank laparotomy 4 silver-silver chloride bipolar electrodes were sutured to the proximal jejunum. Electrical activity was recorded for 6 hours during 3 recording sessions beginning 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. Saline (0.9% NaCl) solution was administered for...
Barakzai SZ, Es C, Milne EM, Dixon P.To report ventroaxial luxation of the apex of the left or right corniculate process of the arytenoid cartilage under the contralateral corniculate process during resting endoscopic examination, and morphologic features of the larynx of 1 affected horse. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses (n=8). Methods: Horses had endoscopic examination as part of a survey of Clydesdale horses (n=7), or investigation of poor performance in Thoroughbred horses (1). One Clydesdale was euthanatized and the larynx examined; 4 cadaver larynges from normal horses were also examined. Results: Ventroaxial l...
Sinclair M, Bührmann G, Gummow B.African Horsesickness (AHS) is a controlled disease in South Africa. The country is divided into an infected area and a control area. An outbreak of AHS in the control area can result in a ban of exports for at least 2 years. A retrospective epidemiological study was carried out on data collected during the 2004 AHS outbreak in the surveillance zone of the AHS control area in the Western Cape Province. The objective of this study was to describe the 2004 outbreak and compare it with the 1999 AHS outbreak in the same area. As part of the investigation, a questionnaire survey was conducted in th...
Abraham G, Shibeshi W, Ungemach FR.Responses and functions of airway epithelial cells are stimulated by β₂-agonists via the β₂-adrenergic receptors (β₂-ARs)-G(s)-protein-cAMP-system, thus, affecting airway inflammation such as in asthma and equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Though horses can be used as large animal model for human asthma, evaluation of the expression and functions of the β-AR system in primary equine airway epithelial cells has not been yet carried out. Thus, for the first time, we determined the β-AR density and subtype distribution by [¹²⁵I]-iodocyanopindolol (ICYP) binding, examined ...
In horses, osteoarthritis (OA) mostly affects metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal (fetlock) joints. The current modalities used for diagnosis of equine limb disorders lack ability to detect early OA. Here, we propose a new alternative approach to assess experimental cartilage damage in fetlock joint using Acoustic Emissions (AE). Objective: To evaluate the potential of AE technique in diagnosing OA and see how AE signals changes with increasing severity of OA. Methods: An in vitro experimental study. Methods: A total of 16 distal limbs (8 forelimbs and 8 hindlimbs) from six Finn horses...
Wimberly HC, Andrews EJ, Haschek WM.Eighteen cases of equine diaphragmatic hernia were reviewed. Most of the cases were of long duration, with an additional factor precipitating acute abdominal crisis. History and physical examination were of little diagnostic significance. Radiography, if available, and exploratory laparotomy were the most useful diagnostic procedures. The prognosis for successful surgical repair and recovery was poor.
Milner PI, Smith HC, Robinson R, Wilkins RJ, Gibson JS.Hypoxia and acidosis are recognized features of inflammatory arthroses. This study describes the effects of IGF-1 and TGF-β(1) on pH regulatory mechanisms in articular cartilage under hypoxic conditions. Acid efflux, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential were measured in equine articular chondrocytes isolated in the presence of serum (10% fetal calf serum), IGF-1 (1, 10, 50, 100 ng/ml) or TGF-β(1) (0.1, 1, 10 ng/ml) and then exposed to a short-term (3 h) hypoxic insult (1% O(2)). Serum and 100 ng/ml IGF-1 but not TGF-β(1) attenuated hypoxic regulation of pH hom...
Rijkenhuizen AB, Nemeth F, Dik KJ, Goedegebuure SA.An arteriographic and histological study of the arterial blood supply of 35 navicular bones, from 19 adult horses with no clinical or radiographical signs of navicular disease, is described. The arteries enter the navicular bone from four directions: distal, proximal, medial, and lateral. The navicular bone can be divided into areas which receive arteries from one, two, or three directions, whereas the distal supply covers the largest part of the navicular bone. The distal arteries enter the navicular bone through the nutrient foramen which contains loose connective tissue, nutrient vessels an...
Hayes TE.The examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is often part of the diagnostic work-up of a patient exhibiting signs of disease involving the central nervous system. Awareness of the capabilities and limitations of these laboratory tests is important in assessing the benefit-to-risk ratio of performing such procedures. Collection of CSF is a relatively simple procedure, and together with a thorough history, physical examination, and other diagnostic tests, may be a valuable aid in arriving at a diagnosis or prognosis.
Cornelissen BP, van Weeren PR, Ederveen AG, Barneveld A.Bone mineral density (BMD) and cross-sectional area (CSA), measured using peripheral quantitative computed tomography, were determined in the left third metacarpal bone (MCIII) and left medial proximal sesamoid bone (psb) in 3 differently exercised groups of foals. Group(box) (n = 14) was confined to a box stall from birth to age 5 months, Group(training) (n = 14) was kept in similar box stalls but additionally given a daily exercise programme consisting of an increasing number of gallop sprints and Group(pasture) (n = 15) remained at pasture. At 5 months of age, 8 foals from each group were r...
Greene EA, Hein W, Wickens CL, Smarsh DN.The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting stay-at-home directives, adopted out of necessity to protect human health, introduced significant challenges for horse owners and small equine businesses. Restricted access, and in many cases closure of barns, resulted in a multitude of questions and concerns within the equine community which needed to be addressed rapidly. Extension Horses, Inc. (EH) coordinated the development and delivery of a variety of educational resources utilizing a combination of online formats and dissemination through social media and EH member contact lists. A series of infograph...
Foreman JH, Weidner JP, Parry BW, Hargis A.A 17-year-old Quarter Horse mare was examined nearly 3 years after excision and cryotherapy of a papillary mammary gland adenocarcinoma. The mare had been used for pleasure riding since surgery, but had recently developed progressive dyspnea. The mare had clinical evidence of pleural effusion, but died before further clinical examination and treatment were instituted. Necropsy revealed deep mammary masses with similar nodules in the deep inguinal, renal, and mediastinal lymph nodes and in the lungs, pericardium, visceral and parietal pleurae, and left ovary. The masses were identified as papil...
Turk MA, Breeze RG, Gallina AM.The pathologic features of bronchiolitis were studied in horses and ponies from 30 minutes to 27 days after an oral dose of 3-methylindole (3MI). From 30 minutes to 3 hours, lesions were limited to nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial (Clara) cells, which lost apical caps and cytoplasmic granules and had dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). At 12 hours, necrotic Clara cells were exfoliated; degeneration and necrosis were evident, in bronchiolar ciliated cells. Rare epithelial cells with hyperplastic SER appeared on the denuded basal lamina at 24 hours. Inflammatory cells, epithelia, fibro...
Hemmann K, Ahonen S, Raekallio M, Vainio O, Lohi H.Crib-biting in horses is a stereotypic oral behaviour. Genetic susceptibility has been suggested on a causal basis, together with environmental factors such as stress, gastric discomfort and frustration caused by stall restrictions. This study aimed to test the associations of known or suspected stereotypic genes with equine crib-biting, including Ghrelin, Ghrelin receptor, Leptin, Dopamine receptor, μ-opioid receptor, N-cadherin, Serotonin receptor and Semaphorin. We conducted a candidate gene study with a case-control design, including 98 crib-biting and 135 control horses of two breeds, Fi...
Lancheros-Buitrago J, Rodriguez-Villamil P, Gregory J, Bastos H, Camacho CA, Caballeros JE, Cazales N, Barros E, José de Jesus Silva M, Pimentel A....Characterization of the uterine proteome before the entry of the conceptus to the uterus is essential to know the factors involved in the physiological events of gestation. The objective of the study was to compare proteomic profile of uterine fluid collected on day 5 post ovulation of cyclic and inseminated mares. Samples of endometrial secretion were recovered over 2 cycles during the fifth day post ovulation. The first cycle constituted the Cyclic group and in the following cycle, the same mares were inseminated and considered as the Inseminated group. All the samples were subjected to two-...
Rahmani SS, Malekifard F, Tavassoli M.Neospora caninum is an Apicomplexan parasite that can cause enormous economic losses due to abortions in cattle. The present study investigated the role of Neospora spp. infection in equine abortion in Iranian donkeys using molecular and phylogenetic analyses. Twenty-nine-aborted fetuses and 29 blood samples from their dams were collected from six different regions in the West and Northwest of Iran. They were tested for N. caninum by PCR at the Nc5 locus, followed by sequencing of five of the PCR products. The overall molecular prevalence was 34.5% in blood samples and the prevalence by DNA de...
Chodkowska KA, Ciecierska A, Majchrzak K, Ostaszewski P, Sadkowski T.Gamma-oryzanol (GO) is a popular supplement for performance horses, dogs, and humans. Previous studies indicated that GO supplementation decreases creatine kinase activity and lactate level after exercise and may affect oxidative stress in Thoroughbred horses. GO may change genes expression in equine satellite cells (ESC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of GO on miRNA, gene expression, oxidative stress, and cell damage and viability in differentiating ESC pretreated with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). ESCs were obtained from a young horse's skeletal muscle. ESCs were pre-i...
Gibbons DF.Salmonellosis in Equidae occurs sporadically throughout the world; the incidence recorded ranges from less than 1 per cent to as much as 27 per cent. In 1976 there was a significant increase in disease and mortality caused by salmonellosis in horses in Britain and treatment was less successful than with other species. Data revealed a general progressive shift away from species specific salmonella serotypes towards the ubiquitous but less discerning strains of Salmonella typhimurium. The role of predisposing causes is assessed and treatment, prevention and zoonitic importance commented upon.
Chinkangsadarn T, Wilson GJ, Greer RM, Pollitt CC, Bird PS.A cadaver study to estimate the prevalence of dental disorders in horses presented at an abattoir in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Cadaver heads at a Queensland abattoir were examined for the presence of dental abnormalities and categorised into age groups. The prevalence of abnormalities was analysed by binomial observation of observed proportion, Pearson's Chi-square test or Fisher's exact correlation test. Strength of association was evaluated using Cramer's V test. Results: Heads from horses (n=400) estimated to be between 1 and 30 years of age were placed into four age groups. The most ...
Tessier C, Brühschwein A, Lang J, Konar M, Wilke M, Brehm W, Kircher P.Diseases of paranasal sinuses and nasal passages in horses can be a diagnostic challenge because of the complex anatomy of the head and limitations of many diagnostic modalities. Our hypothesis was that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging would provide excellent anatomical detail and soft tissue resolution, and would be accurate in the diagnosis of diseases of the paranasal sinuses and nasal passages in horses. Fourteen horses were imaged. Inclusion criteria were lesions located to the sinuses or nasal passages that underwent MR imaging and subsequent surgical intervention and/or histopathologic e...
Barton MH, Bruce EH, Moore JN, Norton N, Anders B, Morris DD.To test efficacy of murine monoclonal, rabbit polyclonal recombinant equine or human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rETNF or rHTNF, respectively) antibodies to inhibit native equine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity. Methods: 8 and 18 healthy adult horses for parts 1 and 2 of the study, respectively. Methods: In part 1, supernates from endotoxin-activated peritoneal macrophages were incubated with various dilutions of each rETNF antibody and subsequently tested for TNF activity. Serum was also obtained from a horse 1 hour after infusion with 20 ng of endotoxin/kg of body weight and was incuba...
van der Meulen KM, Nauwynck HJ, Pensaert MB.In the present study, equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1)-infected cells were identified in ionomycin/phorbol dibutyrate (IONO/PDB)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the mechanism by which stimulation increases the percentage of infected cells was examined. In the population of viral antigen-positive PBMC, 38.4+/-4.5% were CD5(+) T-lymphocytes (18.1+/-3.2% CD4(+) 13.6+/-1.8% CD8(+)), 18.1+/-5.4% were B-lymphocytes, 8.5+/-3.9% were monocytes and 35% remained unidentified. The role of the cell cycle in the increased susceptibility to EHV-1 upon stimulation was examined by stimula...
Evans TJ.Ergopeptine alkaloid exposure is common in pregnant mares. Many mares live in geographic areas where Neotyphodium coenophialum-infected tall fescue is the dominant grass in pastures and hay. A variety of grasses and cereal grains can be infected by Claviceps purpurea, and fungal sclerotia can contaminate forage and especially ground and pelleted feed. An understanding of the endocrine alterations associated with ergopeptine alkaloid exposure during pregnancy is necessary for the diagnosis of potential exposure to these compounds and for eective prophylaxis and therapy.
Erkert RS, Macallister CG.Isoxsuprine hydrochloride has been suggested for use in horses for treatment of navicular syndrome and laminitis. The drug has been shown to be a beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist with beta-adrenoreceptor agonistic properties, with both characteristics contributing to vasodilation and uterine relaxation. In addition, the drug is capable of decreasing blood viscosity and platelet aggregation. Studies have shown i.v. isoxsuprine to have a plasma half-life of <3 h with a large apparent volume of distribution. Cardiovascular effects resolve rapidly following i.v. administration, but are absent wit...
Gregory SJ, Brooks J, McNeilly AS, Ingleton PM, Tortonese DJ.An interaction between gonadotroph and lactotroph cells of the pituitary gland has long been recognized in several species. The current study was conducted to investigate whether an association between gonadotrophs and lactotrophs occurs in mares and whether prolactin receptors are expressed within the pituitary gland of this species. The effects of both reproductive state and season on these variables were examined in pituitary glands obtained from sexually active mares in July (breeding season), sexually active mares in November (non-breeding season) and anoestrous mares in November. Pituita...
Voigt A, Saulez MN, Donnellan CM.The medical records of 2 Thoroughbred horses that developed headshaking after blunt trauma to the occipital region are reviewed. The history, signalment, clinical signs, diagnostic methods, diagnosis and treatment were recorded in each case. Both horses displayed headshaking, while one horse repeatedly lifted its upper lip and pawed excessively at the ground. In both horses, diagnostic imaging of the occipital region revealed avulsion fragments of the nuchal crest and a nuchal desmitis in association with hyperfibrinogenaemia. The presence of an avulsion fragment of the nuchal crest with assoc...
Katwa LC, Johnson PJ, Ganjam VK, Kreeger JM, Messer NT.Biosynthesis of endothelin-1 (ET-1), the most potent endogenous vasoconstrictor yet identified, is increased following myocardial infarction (MI) in man. Pathological events which occur in the connective tissues of the equine hoof during laminitis are similar in some respects, to changes occurring in the myocardial connective tissues following MI in man. The objective of this study was to determine whether ET-1 expression in connective tissues obtained from the hoof of laminitic horses is increased compared with tissues obtained from healthy horses. Expression of ET-1 in connective tissues of ...
Labadia A, Rivera L, Costa G, García-Sacristán A.The presence of both alpha and beta adrenergic receptors in the caudal third ureter of the horse were studied in vitro under isometric conditions using adrenergic agonist and antagonist drugs. Isoprenaline and the beta 2- stimulating agent, salbutamol, elicited relaxation of the ureter smooth muscle strips. The responses were not affected by the beta 1- blocking agent, practolol, but were totally abolished by propranolol and the beta 2- blocking agent, butoxamine. The stimulation of alpha-adrenergic receptors with noradrenaline and phenylephrine evoked a contractile effect which was totally in...
Lorenzo-Figueras M, Morisset SM, Morisset J, Lainé J, Merritt AM.To measure concentrations and activities of major digestive enzymes in healthy equine pancreatic tissue. Methods: 7 adult horses with normal pancreatic tissues. Methods: Small pieces of pancreatic tissue were collected immediately after euthanasia, immersed in liquid nitrogen, and maintained at -80 degrees C until analyzed. Concentrations and activities of amylase, lipase, chymotrypsin, trypsin, and elastase were determined by use of a microtiter technique. Relative pancreatic protein concentrations were determined by use of bovine serum albumin as the standard. Pancreatic DNA was extracted an...
Clarke LL, Roberts MC, Grubb BR, Argenzio RA.In ponies fed concentrated (pelleted) meals, postprandial increases of plasma aldosterone have been temporally associated with a decrease in colonic fluid volume that parallels the conclusion of postfeeding fermentation. To determine the significance of short-term increases of plasma aldosterone on the rate of colonic Na absorption, in vitro transport studies were conducted on the mucosae of three morphologically distinct colonic segments (i.e., ventral, dorsal, and small colons) from ponies infused with a high physiological concentration of aldosterone for an 8-h period. In control ponies, ba...
Kalsow CM, Dwyer AE, Smith AW, Nifong TP.There is no direct verification of pineal gland involvement in human uveitis. Specimens of pineal tissue are not available during active uveitis in human patients. Naturally occurring uveitis in horses gives us an opportunity to examine tissues during active ocular inflammation. We examined the pineal gland of a horse that was killed because it had become blind during an episode of uveitis. The clinical history and histopathology of the eyes were consistent with post-leptospiral equine recurrent uveitis. The pineal gland of this horse had significant inflammatory infiltration consisting mainly...
du Plessis DH, van Wyngaardt W, Bremer CW.African horsesickness virus (AHSV), an important disease of equines is caused by an orbivirus. Because of the need to contain the spread of the disease, it is often essential to make a rapid diagnosis. For this purpose, an ELISA capable of detecting viral antigen in animal tissue and in cell culture fluid was developed. Immobilised F(ab')2 fragments prepared by digestion of AHSV-specific IgG with pepsin were used to trap virus from tissue homogenates or cell culture supernatant. After addition of intact IgG as detecting antibody, Staphylococcus aureus protein A labelled with horseradish peroxi...
Gabal MA, Awad YL, Morcos MB, Barakat AM, Malik G.Mycotoxicoses involving horses, rabbits and cattle have been studied. Fusarium tricinctum and T-2 toxin were isolated from all incriminated feedstuffs. Other isolated trichothecenes from the feed included HT-2, verrucarins and roridin. The toxins were separated, identified and quantitated using thin-layer chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. T-2 toxin was detected in amounts varying from 0.5-204 ppm. The contaminated feedstuffs in connection with the affected horses and rabbits, included cereal grains (corn, cornstalks, bran and barley), whereas fescue hay was assoc...
