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.
Kamiński S, Bejda J, Lewczuk D.The method for identifying the causative mutation for Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS) involved PCR amplification of a 259-base pair fragment of the PLOD1 gene and its digestion with the restriction enzyme Aci I was developed, allowing for the clear detection of WFFS carriers. Eight WFFS carriers were detected among 308 warmblood horses kept in different farms across Poland, giving an overall frequency of 2.59%, which indicates a rather low frequency of the causative mutation for WFFS in Poland. Further research should be conducted on a larger number of horses, particularly those breeds ...
Qiu Z, Wang J, Zhang Y, Liu X, Wei C, Ma T.Musculoskeletal injuries represent a primary cause of suboptimal performance and early retirement in equine athletes. To address this challenge, the veterinary community has long endeavored to develop safer and more effective therapeutic strategies. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), as a treatment for equine musculoskeletal injuries, has garnered substantial attention among equine veterinarians. Focused on the theme ESWT Therapy for Equine Musculoskeletal Disorders: From biological mechanisms to clinical applications, this article systematically reviews existing literature on the biolo...
A Quarter Horse mare was presented with a history of imidocarb intoxication. During the initial evaluation, the patient presented an initial episode of syncope, in addition to a Grade III/IV diastolic murmur. On the basis of the observed condition, the animal underwent echocardiographic evaluation, in which artifacts were detected and subsequently characterized as air bubbles, restricted to the right cardiac chambers. A diagnosis of venous air embolism resulting from right jugular venocatheterization was made. This is the first reported case of venous air embolism secondary to jugular venocath...
Hiblu MA, Ahmed MO.This case report documents the first identified Brucella infection in a 6-year-old male Thoroughbred horse in Libya. The horse exhibited muscle and joint pain, inflammation over the shoulders with a pulpy texture (fistulous withers), stress, fatigue, and potential systemic infection. Its diagnosis was confirmed through serological testing, with agglutination titers of 1/80 for B. melitensis and 1/160 for B. abortus, and a blood culture revealing Gram-negative coccobacilli. After 3 weeks of combination therapy with rifampicin and doxycycline, the inflammation resolved, systemic signs disappeare...
Arevalo-Turrubiarte M, Edling CE, Moller-Levet C, Forbes B, Kemp V, Weir J, Marr C, Lewis R, Jeevaratnam K.The initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation have been associated with physiological alterations in myocardial sleeves of the pulmonary veins (PVs). Gene expression profiles of the myocardial sleeves of the PVs in healthy (n = 3) and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) (n = 6) thoroughbred horses (Equus caballus) were studied. Tissue collected from the left superior PV, adjacent to the left atrium, was analyzed by RNA sequencing. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis demonstrated positive enrichment of gene ontology biological processes related to muscle and endothelial cell development, cell...
Underberg BA, Van der Vekens E, Drews B, Kaessmeyer S.Equine laminitis is a complex and potentially fatal disease characterized by severe vascular and inflammatory alterations within the equine foot. This study aimed to develop immunohistochemistry (IHC) protocols for the detection of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in equine feet with and without laminitis, post-mortem perfused with paraffin oil. Unassigned: A total of 12 equine forelimbs from 8 horses were utilized in this study, divided into two study cohorts: one with laminitis and the other as a non-laminitis control. To develop the IHC protocols thoroughly, the tiss...
Hoerdemann M, Sahoo DK, Allbaugh RA, Kubai MA.To assess if an inexpensive, commercially available ultraviolet C (UV-C) light device with a peak emission of 275 nm can inhibit equine keratomycosis-associated pathogens located at different corneal depths in an ex vivo model. Methods: A controlled, randomized experimental design. Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium solani isolates were inoculated in fresh bovine corneoscleral transplants, superficially or at 450 μm of stromal depth for the ulcerative keratomycosis or stromal abscess model, respectively. After a minimum of 18 h of incubation, treatment groups received 15 s of UV-C li...
Rask E, Righetti F, Ruiz A, Bjerketorp J, Frosth S, Frykberg L, Jacobsson K, Guss B, Flock JI, Henriques-Normark B, Hartman E, Gustafsson A....Infection of susceptible horses with subspecies (), the causative agent of strangles, is associated with commingling. Exposure may occur among horses at equestrian events, sales, or horses moved among different equine stabling environments. Strangles can affect all horses on a farm, leading to the death of up to 10% of cases depending on their immunity status at the time of infection, the development of complications, the success of biosecurity measures, and the use of vaccination. The current retrospective study used ELISAs to measure the exposure of horses to at a farm that experienced an...
Malekipour F, Whitton RC, Muir P, Lee PV.Stress fractures are common in racehorses, with the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint being the most frequently affected site as it is subjected to high-magnitude and high-rate cyclic loads during training and racing. These loads lead to repeated compressive stresses, resulting in subchondral bone (SCB) sclerosis, fatigue microcracks, and matrix damage that can progress to parasagittal fractures or palmar osteochondral disease (POD). The present study developed joint-specific 3D FE models and slice-based FE models using standing CT images for three trained racehorses, each presenting distinct SC...
Sohn Y, An SJ, Forbes E, Yoon J, Kim BS, Ryu SH, Lee I.Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a developmental orthopedic condition in young horses. Exercise and management affect OCD development, but the impact of exercise patterns during the 6-12 months growth period remains unclear. This study examined the association between OCD lesions in Thoroughbred foals and irregular exercise patterns. Forty foals wore halter-mounted Global Positioning System devices that recorded velocity every five seconds during turnout. Foals were routinely turned out for approximately 13 h daily, except on rainy days. Radiographs were taken at six and twelve months of a...
Harpke M, Brangsch H, Melzer F.In Germany, Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) is a persistent problem in equine populations. The often subclinical nature of the disease, which is caused by the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis, poses a problem for the breeding industry. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the genomic diversity of the pathogen in Germany, as studies on the genome level are lacking. Thus, in this study we sequenced 63 T. equigenitalis isolates from a strain collection and contemporary clinical isolates from before 2007-2024. Most of these isolates came from Icelandic horses in southern Germany. Based...
Gao W, Liu M, Nurdaly K, Caidan D, Sun Y, Duan J, Zhao J, Gong X, Zhou J, Zhang Y, Chen Q.Equine bacterial abortion presents substantial economic and One Health challenges; however, comprehensive epidemiological data from China are limited. This study sought to ascertain the overall prevalence of key pathogens-namely, spp., , , and spp.-in equine populations in northwestern China. In this study, we aimed to further elucidate the characteristics of co-infections, profile antimicrobial resistance genes, and identify associated risk factors. Conducted as a cross-sectional analysis across four provinces, we collected 508 blood samples and 24 abortion tissue samples from 15 farms. Pat...
Rudeekiatthamrong A, Nguyen GT, Kamyingkird K. infection (Surra) remains a major constraint to equine health and productivity in Thailand. The only available trypanocidal drug, diminazene aceturate (DA), has limited efficacy, poor blood-brain barrier penetration, and toxicity in horses. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of commonly used equine antibiotics, gentamicin (GMC), ceftiofur (CTF), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TS), against (Thai strain isolated from dairy cattle number 953; TEDC 953) to identify potential therapeutic alternatives or adjuncts for equine trypanosomosis. Unassigned: An growth inhibition...
Nowicka B, Łopuszyński W, Krajewska-Wędzina M, Biazik A, Sobuś M, Polkowska I, Szacawa E.Gastrointestinal mycobacteriosis in horses is difficult to diagnose because of the pathogen's intracellular nature and the non-specific clinical symptoms. Effective accurate diagnosis facilitates prognosis and treatment. Current diagnostic procedures and methods of collecting material do not permit definitive antemortem diagnosis. However, culturing, acid-fast bacilli staining, histopathology, PCR and immunological marker evaluation may prove useful. Unassigned: Three horses were admitted to a clinic for intensive care and a final diagnosis. Physical examination and additional tests were perfo...
Barua S, Tarannum A, Huber L, Easterwood LA, Velayudhan B, Da Silveira BP, Enyetornye B, Cohen ND, Dimitrov KM, Schwarz ER, Awtrey A, Groover E....Over the past decade, newly identified equine hepatotropic flavi- and parvoviruses, such as equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) and equine hepacivirus (EqHV), have generated considerable scientific and clinical interest. Pegiviruses, including Pegivirus (P.) caballi and P. equi, are also recognized and known to frequently cause persistent infections. However, comprehensive epidemiological data in the United States remain limited. This study analyzed 1195 equine serum samples collected from university-owned horses and diagnostic submissions across Alabama, Georgia, and Texas. Quantitative PCR ...
El-Geneady MA, Ramadan RM, Mahdy OA, Kamel MS, Salem MA.Hippobosca equina, a common ectoparasite of horses, poses a significant challenge to equine health worldwide. This study provides a molecular characterization of H. equina and examines its impact on host immune responses and oxidative stress. Genetic analysis of samples from various regions revealed notable homogeneity, indicating limited genetic variation among populations. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated close genetic relationships among sequences from Egypt, France, Kazakhstan and Portugal, while also showing comparable but more distant identities to sequences from China, Denmark, Finlan...
Silva JG, Martins KR, Rahal NM, Schuch LFD, Cunha RC, Meireles MCA.Neorickettsia risticii, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is the causative agent of Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) - a systemic, acute, and potentially fatal diarrheal disease. This pathogen is an endosymbiont of digenetic trematodes, with freshwater snails playing a role in its biological cycle. The disease exhibits endemic and seasonal patterns, primarily affecting horses in wetlands during warmer months, and has been documented in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. Previous studies confirmed the pathogen's presence in herds from southern Brazil via serology and PCR; however...
Atasoy MO, Turan T, Özbek R, Işıdan H, Naggar RFE, Afify AF, Rohaim MA.The genus (HCV) has long been a dynamic group, increasing its number by myriads of species collectively referred to as non-primate hepaciviruses (NPHVs). NPHV exhibits a broad hepatotropism and is often attributed to chronic infection in horses and dogs. However, recent studies and meta-analyses on NPHV in horses have remained inconclusive regarding the determination of risk factors for infection. Therefore, our main goal was to investigate the frequencies and molecular characteristics of NPHV infection linked to geographical location, horse breeds, genders, and ages. For this purpose, we tes...
Jandová V, Huber N, AlMheiri FG, Bábor K, Trachsel DS.Stress represents a serious health and welfare concern; however, its objective assessment remains difficult. The equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) and orthopedic diseases that cause pain are among stress associated diseases in equine medicine. The leukocyte coping capacity (LCC) quantifies oxygen radical generation of neutrophil granulocytes which is altered under stress. Therefore, LCC could be a novel biomarker for stress in horses and we hypothesized that horses with stress associated diseases would have lower LCC values in comparison to horses without these diseases. Methods: In this ob...
Healy SR, Yaffy D, Miller HG.Setaria equina is a species of filarial nematode parasite transmitted by mosquitoes, which infects horses and other equids. Adult worms reside in the abdominal cavity with apparently little pathogenic significance, but larvae can migrate to other regions of the body with resulting clinical disease. Cases in the UK are rare, with the last published report in 2001. A recent case of S. equina infection was detected in a 13-year-old, UK-resident mare during postmortem examination in Hertfordshire, UK. Adult worms were collected from the abdominal cavity, their DNA extracted and subjected to PCR an...
In 2017, Spain reported its first equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) outbreak in 34 years, affecting three horses in two unrelated holdings in Candeleda (Ávila) and Serradilla (Cáceres), with no apparent epidemiological link between premises. Phylogenetic analysis of whole genome and the gene revealed that the Spanish EIAV strains form a distinct monophyletic clade, sharing more than 99% nucleotide identity, suggesting a common contamination event. Interestingly, these three viral strains seem to cluster with North American strains, sharing up to 80.12% nucleotide identity, notably with ...
Posada-Guzmán MF, Jiménez-Rocha AE, Sánchez-Bermúdez JF, Romero-Zúñiga JJ, Dolz G.Equine piroplasmosis, caused by Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, is endemic in Costa Rica. However, the presence of these hemoparasites in tick vectors has not been documented in the country. Objective: To identify tick species infesting horses in four Indigenous communities and to determine the presence of B. caballi and T. equi DNA in ticks from piroplasmosis-positive horses. Methods: Ticks (n = 1063) were collected from 129 horses in four Indigenous communities. Species identification and sex classification were performed. From 76 PCR-positive horses, 203 ticks were analyzed for B. cabal...
Gonzálvez M, Franco JJ, Cano-Terriza D, Barbero-Moyano J, Jose-Cunilleras E, García J, Alguacil E, García-Bocanegra I.Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a notifiable disease caused by Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV), with major sanitary and economic importance for equids worldwide. There is limited and outdated information on the circulation of EIAV in many European countries. In the present study, we aimed to assess virus exposure in different equid species in Western Europe. Methods: Between 2011 and 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of EIAV in 1676 equids (1444 horses, 106 donkeys and 126 mules/hinnies) from four European regions: Andalusia (Southern Spain; ...
Pekkarinen HM, Simola U, Niinistö KE, Syrjä PES.Equine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is challenging to diagnose and treat. Although the number of horses examined due to suspicion of IBD is increasing, the different treatments in clinical patients and their responses are not well documented. We sought to characterize the demography, signs, clinical and rectal biopsy findings, and treatment response in Finnish horses suspected to have IBD. Horses undergoing clinical examination due to suspected IBD in 2022 and with a good-quality rectal biopsy were selected for the study. General information, signs, clinical and histological findings, and ...
Cooper BL, Hobbs KJ, Bayless R, Stinson-Miller A, Gruber E, Hepworth-Warren K, Lavoie JP, Sheats MK.Severe equine asthma (sEA) is characterized by increased lower airway neutrophils that contribute to dysregulated inflammation through the release of cytokines, reactive oxygen species and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are composed of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) intercalated with enzymatic proteins and are known to be increased in the lower airway of asthmatic horses. The objectives of this study were two-fold: 1. Determine if cfDNA can be accurately measured in equine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and tracheal wash (TW) with a Qubit 4 fluorometer. 2. Determine whether Qubit-meas...
Haugaard SL, Schneider MJ, Kjeldsen ST, Sattler SM, Bastrup JA, Saljic A, Birk JB, Hansen C, Synnestvedt JN, van Hunnik A, Sobota V, Carstensen H....Horses are one of the few animals that spontaneously develop atrial fibrillation (AF), making them a powerful model for studying AF mechanisms and treatment effects. Despite the initial effectiveness of treatment in horses and humans, AF-induced atrial remodeling compromises its long-term success. Observational studies have suggested that metformin may reduce the risk of AF, but its effects on progressive AF-induced atrial remodeling have yet to be evaluated in a high-fidelity large animal model. Unassigned: Here, we used a longitudinal horse model of tachypacing-induced self-sustained AF to c...
Chapple AR, Daglish J, Stover SM, Slipchenko N, Phillips KL.Stress fracture is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in racing Thoroughbreds. Nuclear scintigraphy is the imaging modality of choice for investigating unlocalised stress-related bone remodelling in horses. Stress fractures of the caudal lumbar vertebral column have been previously described in both racing Quarter horses and racing Thoroughbreds post-mortem. There is a lack of literature describing the imaging appearance of vertebral stress fractures in racehorses ante-mortem. Objective: To describe: (1) ante-mortem scintigraphic appearance of presumed thoracolumbar vertebral stress...
Almaqhawi AA, El-Jalii IM, Al-Sabi MNS, Al-Ali A, Khalid AM, Abduljawad M, Shawaf T.Equine babesiosis is a widespread protozoan disease in Saudi Arabia. The most common finding of clinical babesiosis is splenomegaly, which can be detected using non-invasive splenic ultrasonography. Unassigned: This study aimed to investigate changes in the spleen size in horses infected with babesiosis using ultrasonography before and after treatment. Unassigned: This study employed 15 male and female Arabian horses. Each animal was examined clinically for clinical signs, and blood samples were collected in plain tubes to detect antibodies against . The spleens of healthy and affected horses ...
Mohtasebi S, Ahn S, Karimi M, Saberi M, Gilleard JS, Poissant J.Strongyles pose significant health concerns for equids globally. Strongyles, comprising over 60 species, can lead to severe morbidity and mortality, with Strongylus vulgaris posing higher risks due to its migratory behaviour. Routine diagnostic methods, such as faecal egg counts, lack species-level resolution, while traditional morphological techniques require advanced expertise. DNA metabarcoding offers a high-throughput alternative. Objective: To characterise the diversity of strongyles infecting horses in northern Iran and evaluate how age, sex, diagnostic methods and host population influe...
Zamith Cunha R, Gobbo F, Morini M, Salamanca G, Zanoni A, Bernardini C, Gramenzi A, Chiocchetti R.Evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is crucial for regulating inflammation, cell proliferation and pain. The ECS is composed of cannabinoid receptors such as type 1 (CBR1), type 2 (CBR2) and GPR55, endocannabinoids and enzymes. Proteins of ECS have previously been localized in the epidermal cells of the horse hooves. Given the physio-pathological role and cellular distribution of the ECS across species, the authors hypothesized that cannabinoid receptors are expressed within the inflammatory cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells of the equine hoof laminae, going beyond t...
Weese JS, Archambault M, Willey BM, Hearn P, Kreiswirth BN, Said-Salim B, McGeer A, Likhoshvay Y, Prescott JF, Low DE.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection was identified in 2 horses treated at a veterinary hospital in 2000, prompting a study of colonization rates of horses and associated persons. Seventy-nine horses and 27 persons colonized or infected with MRSA were identified from October 2000 to November 2002; most isolations occurred in a 3-month period in 2002. Twenty-seven (34%) of the equine isolates were from the veterinary hospital, while 41 (51%) were from 1 thoroughbred farm in Ontario. Seventeen (63%) of 27 human isolates were from the veterinary hospital, and 8 (30%) were ...
Galli C, Lagutina I, Crotti G, Colleoni S, Turini P, Ponderato N, Duchi R, Lazzari G.Several animal species, including sheep, mice, cattle, goats, rabbits, cats, pigs and, more recently, mules have been reproduced by somatic cell cloning, with the offspring being a genetic copy of the animal donor of the nuclear material used for transfer into an enucleated oocyte. Here we use this technology to clone an adult horse and show that it is possible to establish a viable, full-term pregnancy in which the surrogate mother is also the nuclear donor. The cloned offspring is therefore genetically identical to the mare who carried it, challenging the idea that maternal immunological rec...
Onyiche TE, Suganuma K, Igarashi I, Yokoyama N, Xuan X, Thekisoe O.Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan protozoan parasites, and . The disease is responsible for serious economic losses to the equine industry. It principally affects donkeys, horses, mules, and zebra but DNA of the parasites has also been detected in dogs and camels raising doubt about their host specificity. The disease is endemic in tropical and temperate regions of the world where the competent tick vectors are prevalent. Infected equids remain carrier for life with infection, whilst, infection with is cleared within a few years. This review focuses on...
Journal of medical entomologyOctober 5, 2006
Volume 43, Issue 5 936-946 doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2006)43[936:hbahba]2.0.co;2
Balenghien T, Fouque F, Sabatier P, Bicout DJ.After 35 yr of disease absence, West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) circulation has been regularly detected in the Camargue region (southern France) since 2000. WNV was isolated from Culex modestus Ficalbi, which was considered the main vector in southern France after horse outbreaks in the 1960s. Recent WNV transmissions outside of the Cx. modestus distribution suggested the existence of other vectors. To study potential WNV vectors, horse- and bird-baited traps and human landing collections of mosquitoes were carried out weekly from May to October 2004 at two Camargu...
Reef VB, Bonagura J, Buhl R, McGurrin MK, Schwarzwald CC, van Loon G, Young LE.Murmurs and arrhythmias are commonly detected in equine athletes. Assessing the relevance of these cardiovascular abnormalities in the performance horse can be challenging. Determining the impact of a cardiovascular disorder on performance, life expectancy, horse and rider or driver safety relative to the owner's future expectations is paramount. A comprehensive assessment of the cardiovascular abnormality detected is essential to determine its severity and achieve these aims. This consensus statement presents a general approach to the assessment of cardiovascular abnormalities, followed by a ...
Lab on a chipApril 26, 2020
Volume 20, Issue 9 1621-1627 doi: 10.1039/d0lc00304b
Sun F, Ganguli A, Nguyen J, Brisbin R, Shanmugam K, Hirschberg DL, Wheeler MB, Bashir R, Nash DM, Cunningham BT.Rapid, sensitive and specific detection and reporting of infectious pathogens is important for patient management and epidemic surveillance. We demonstrated a point-of-care system integrated with a smartphone for detecting live virus from nasal swab media, using a panel of equine respiratory infectious diseases as a model system for corresponding human diseases such as COVID-19. Specific nucleic acid sequences of five pathogens were amplified by loop-mediated isothermal amplification on a microfluidic chip and detected at the end of reactions by the smartphone. Pathogen-spiked horse nasal swab...
Arrigo NC, Adams AP, Weaver SC.The eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) complex consists of four distinct genetic lineages: one that circulates in North America (NA EEEV) and the Caribbean and three that circulate in Central and South America (SA EEEV). Differences in their geographic, pathogenic, and epidemiologic profiles prompted evaluation of their genetic diversity and evolutionary histories. The structural polyprotein open reading frames of all available SA EEEV and recent NA EEEV isolates were sequenced and used in evolutionary and phylogenetic analyses. The nucleotide substitution rate per year for SA EEEV (1.2 x 10(-4...
Telford EA, Watson MS, Aird HC, Perry J, Davison AJ.The complete DNA sequence of equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) strain 86/67 was determined. The genome is 184,427 bp in size and has a base composition of 57.5% G + C. Unusually for a herpesvirus, about a third of the sequence distributed in several large blocks appears not to encode proteins. The 79 open reading frames that were identified as probably polypeptide-coding are predicted to encode 77 distinct proteins. Amino acid sequence comparisons confirmed that EHV-2 is a gamma-herpesvirus that is genetically collinear with herpesvirus saimiri (HVS; a gamma 2-herpesvirus) and Epstein-Barr virus (E...
Hammond SA, Cook SJ, Lichtenstein DL, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) provides a natural model system by which immunological control of lentivirus infections may be studied. To date, no detailed study addressing in parallel both the humoral and cellular immune responses induced in horses upon infection by EIAV has been conducted. Therefore, we initiated the first comprehensive characterization of the cellular and humoral immune responses during clinical progression from chronic disease to inapparent stages of EIAV infection. Using new analyses of antibody avidity and antibody epitope conformation dependence that had not been...
Atasheva S, Garmashova N, Frolov I, Frolova E.Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) represents a continuous public health threat in the United States. It has the ability to cause fatal disease in humans and in horses and other domestic animals. We recently demonstrated that replicating VEEV interferes with cellular transcription and uses this phenomenon as a means of downregulating a cellular antiviral response. VEEV capsid protein was found to play a critical role in this process, and its approximately 35-amino-acid-long peptide, fused with green fluorescent protein, functioned as efficiently as did the entire capsid. We detected a...
Ericsson AC, Johnson PJ, Lopes MA, Perry SC, Lanter HR.Horses are exquisitely sensitive to non-specific gastrointestinal disturbances as well as systemic and extraintestinal conditions related to gut health, yet minimal data are available regarding the composition of the microbiota present in the equine stomach, small intestine, and cecum and their relation to fecal microbiota. Moreover, there is minimal information regarding the concordance of the luminal and mucosal microbial communities throughout the equine gut. Illumina-based 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the luminal and mucosal microbiota present in seven regions of the gastrointestin...
Palaniappan RU, Chang YF, Jusuf SS, Artiushin S, Timoney JF, McDonough SP, Barr SC, Divers TJ, Simpson KW, McDonough PL, Mohammed HO.A clone expressing a novel immunoreactive leptospiral immunoglobulin-like protein A of 130 kDa (LigA) from Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona type kennewicki was isolated by screening a genomic DNA library with serum from a mare that had recently aborted due to leptospiral infection. LigA is encoded by an open reading frame of 3,675 bp, and the deduced amino acid sequence consists of a series of 90-amino-acid tandem repeats. A search of the NCBI database found that homology of the LigA repeat region was limited to an immunoglobulin-like domain of the bacterial intimin binding protein of Esc...
White LM, Sussman MS, Hurtig M, Probyn L, Tomlinson G, Kandel R.To prospectively assess T2 mapping characteristics of normal articular cartilage and of cartilage at sites of arthroscopic repair, including comparison with histologic results and collagen organization assessed at polarized light microscopy (PLM). Methods: Study protocol was compliant with the Canadian Council on Animal Care Guidelines and approved by the institutional animal care committee. Arthroscopic osteochondral autograft transplantation (OAT) and microfracture arthroplasty (MFx) were performed in knees of 10 equine subjects (seven female, three male; age range, 3-5 years). A site of art...
Guo Y, Wang M, Kawaoka Y, Gorman O, Ito T, Saito T, Webster RG.In March 1989 a severe outbreak of respiratory disease occurred in horses in the Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces of Northeast China that caused up to 20% mortality in some herds. An influenza virus of the H3N8 subtype was isolated from the infected animals and was antigenically and molecularly distinguishable from the equine 2 (H3N8) viruses currently circulating in the world. The reference strain A/Equine/Jilin/1/89 (H3N8) was most closely related to avian H3N8 influenza viruses. Sequence comparisons of the entire hemagglutinin (HA), nucleoprotein (NP), neuraminidase (NA), matrix (M), and NS...
Dakin SG, Dudhia J, Smith RK.Injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in equine athletes, but the healing response is poorly understood. One important drive for the healing of connective tissues is the inflammatory cascade, but the role of inflammation in tendinopathy has been contentious in the literature. This article reviews the processes involved in the healing of tendon injuries in natural disease and experimental models. The importance of inflammatory processes known to be active in tendon disease is discussed with particular focus on recent findings ...
Frank N, Tadros EM.Abnormalities of insulin metabolism include hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance, and these problems are collectively referred to as insulin dysregulation in this review. Insulin dysregulation is a key component of equine metabolic syndrome: a collection of endocrine and metabolic abnormalities associated with the development of laminitis in horses, ponies and donkeys. Insulin dysregulation can also accompany prematurity and systemic illness in foals. Causes of insulin resistance are discussed, including pathological conditions of obesity, systemic inflammation and pituitary pars intermedi...
Thorpe CT, Udeze CP, Birch HL, Clegg PD, Screen HR.Age-related tendinopathy is common in both humans and horses; the initiation and progression of which is similar between species. The majority of tendon injuries occur to high-strain energy storing tendons, such as the human Achilles tendon and equine superficial digital flexor (SDFT). By contrast, the low-strain positional human anterior tibialis tendon and equine common digital extensor (CDET) are rarely injured. It has previously been established that greater extension occurs at the fascicular interface in the SDFT than in the CDET; this may facilitate the large strains experienced during l...
De Cock AW, Mendoza L, Padhye AA, Ajello L, Kaufman L.Pythium insidiosum sp. nov., the etiologic agent of pythiosis, a cosmopolitan disease of horses, cattle, and dogs, is described and illustrated.
Ehlers B, Borchers K, Grund C, Frölich K, Ludwig H, Buhk HJ.A consensus primer PCR approach was used to (i) investigate the presence of herpesviruses in wild and zoo equids (zebra, wild ass, tapir) and to (ii) study the genetic relationship of the herpesvirus of pigeons (columbid herpesvirus 1) to other herpesvirus species. The PCR assay, based on degenerate primers targeting highly conserved regions of the DNA polymerase gene of herpesviruses, was modified by using a mixture of degenerate and deoxyinosine-substituted primers. The applicability of the modification was validated by amplification of published DNA polymerase genes of 16 herpesvirus specie...
Li L, Giannitti F, Low J, Keyes C, Ullmann LS, Deng X, Aleman M, Pesavento PA, Pusterla N, Delwart E.Metagenomics was used to characterize viral genomes in clinical specimens of horses with various organ-specific diseases of unknown aetiology. A novel parvovirus as well as a previously described hepacivirus closely related to human hepatitis C virus and equid herpesvirus 2 were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of horses with neurological signs. Four co-infecting picobirnaviruses, including an unusual genome with fused RNA segments, and a divergent anellovirus were found in the plasma of two febrile horses. A novel cyclovirus genome was characterized from the nasal secretion of another fe...
Puffer BA, Watkins SC, Montelaro RC.We have identified an interaction between the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) late assembly domain and the cellular AP-2 clathrin-associated adapter protein complex. A YXXL motif within the EIAV Gag late assembly domain was previously characterized as a sequence critical for release of assembling virions. We now show that this YXXL sequence interacts in vitro with the AP-50 subunit of the AP-2 complex, while the functionally interchangeable late assembly domains carried by the Rous sarcoma virus p2b protein and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 p6 protein, which utilize PPPY and PTAPP ...
Couetil L, Cardwell JM, Leguillette R, Mazan M, Richard E, Bienzle D, Bullone M, Gerber V, Ivester K, Lavoie JP, Martin J, Moran G, Niedźwiedź A....The 2019 Havemeyer Workshop brought together researchers and clinicians to discuss the latest information on Equine Asthma and provide future research directions. Current clinical and molecular asthma phenotypes and endotypes in humans were discussed and compared to asthma phenotypes in horses. The role of infectious and non-infectious causes of equine asthma, genetic factors and proposed disease pathophysiology were reviewed. Diagnostic limitations were evident by the limited number of tests and biomarkers available to field practitioners. The participants emphasized the need for more accessi...
McCracken MJ, Kramer J, Keegan KG, Lopes M, Wilson DA, Reed SK, LaCarrubba A, Rasch M.Subjective evaluation of mild lameness has been shown to have poor interobserver reliability. Traditional methods of objective lameness evaluation require specialised conditions and equipment. Wireless inertial sensor systems have been developed to allow for simple, rapid, objective lameness detection in horses trotted over ground. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivities of an inertial sensor system and subjective evaluation performed by experienced equine practitioners at detecting lameness in horses. We hypothesised that the inertial sensor system would identify...
Nedland H, Wollman J, Sreenivasan C, Quast M, Singrey A, Fawcett L, Christopher-Hennings J, Nelson E, Kaushik RS, Wang D, Li F.Influenza D virus (IDV) is a newly described influenza type of the Orthomyxoviridae virus family that was first isolated from diseased swine in 2011 and has subsequently been detected in cattle around the world in 2014. In addition, serological evidence for IDV infection in humans has been recently established. Despite all the progress, the full range of susceptible hosts for this novel virus has yet to be determined, but includes swine, bovine, small ruminants and human. This study was designed to determine if equine is a possible host to this newly emerging influenza virus. Three hundred and...
Stewart HL, Kawcak CE.Subchondral bone plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteochondral disease across veterinary species. The subchondral bone is highly adaptable, with the ability to model and remodel in response to loading stresses experienced by the joint. Repetitive stress injuries within the joint can result in primary or secondary pathologic lesions within the subchondral bone, which have been recognized to contribute to the development and progression of osteoarthritis. Recent advances in diagnostic imaging, particularly volumetric imaging modalities have facilitated earlier identification of subc...
de Laat MA, McGowan CM, Sillence MN, Pollitt CC.Hyperinsulinaemia is known to induce laminitis experimentally in healthy ponies with no history of the condition. Horses are more insulin sensitive than ponies and whether prolonged hyperinsulinaemia and euglycaemia would have a similar laminitogenic effect requires study. Objective: To determine if laminitis results when the prolonged euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp technique (p-EHC) is applied to clinically normal Standardbred horses, and to monitor hoof wall temperature seeking an association between vascular activity and laminitis development. Methods: Eight young, clinically normal St...
Pezzanite LM, Fortier LA, Antczak DF, Cassano JM, Brosnahan MM, Miller D, Schnabel LV.This study tested the hypothesis that Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) incompatible equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) would induce cytotoxic antibodies to donor MHC antigens in recipient horses after intradermal injection. No studies to date have explored recipient antibody responses to allogeneic donor MSC transplantation in the horse. This information is critical because the horse is a valuable species for assessing the safety and efficacy of MSC treatment prior to human clinical application. Methods: Six MHC heterozygote horses were identified as non-ELA-A2 haplotype by microsat...
Treiber KH, Kronfeld DS, Hess TM, Byrd BM, Splan RK, Staniar WB.To evaluate genetic and metabolic predispositions and nutritional risk factors for development of pasture-associated laminitis in ponies. Methods: Observational cohort study. Methods: 160 ponies. Methods: A previous diagnosis of laminitis was used to differentiate 54 ponies (PL group) from 106 nonlaminitic ponies (NL group). Pedigree analysis was used to determine a mode of inheritance for ponies with a previous diagnosis of laminitis. In early March, ponies were weighed and scored for body condition and basal venous blood samples were obtained. Plasma was analyzed for glucose, insulin, trigly...
Lichtenfels JR, Kharchenko VA, Dvojnos GM.The Equidae (the horse, Equus caballus, the ass, Equus asinus, zebras and their hybrids) are hosts to a great variety of nematode parasites, some of which can cause significant morbidity or mortality if individual hosts are untreated. Worldwide the nematode parasites of horses belong to 7 suborders, 12 families, 29 genera and 83 species. The great majority (19 of 29 genera and 64 of 83 species) are members of the family Strongylidae, which includes the most common and pathogenic nematode parasites of horses. Only the Strongylidae are included in this treatise. The Strongylidae (common name str...
