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.
Brown JJ, Ollier WE, Thomson W, Matthews JB, Carter SD, Binns M, Pinchbeck G, Clegg PD.Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a crucial role in the regulation of inflammatory and immune responses. In all vertebrate species the genes encoding TNF-alpha are located within the major histocompatability complex. In the horse TNF-alpha has been ascribed a role in a variety of important disease processes. Previously two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported within the 5' un-translated region of the equine TNF-alpha gene. We have examined the equine TNF-alpha promoter region further for additional SNPs by analysing DNA from...
Duarte PC, Ebel ED, Traub-Dargatz J, Wilson WD, Conrad PA, Gardner IA.To assess the use of CSF testing with an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) caused by Sarcocystis neurona. Methods: Test results of 428 serum and 355 CSF samples from 182 naturally exposed, experimentally infected, or vaccinated horses. Methods: EPM was diagnosed on the basis of histologic examination of the CNS. Probability distributions were fitted to serum IFAT results in the EPM+ and EPM-horses, and correlation between serum and CSF results was modeled. Pairs of serum-CSF titers were generated by simulation, and titer-specifi...
Koenig JB, Sawhney S, Cote N, LaMarre J.To determine whether inflammation of the jejunum of horses decreases the number of motilin receptors and amounts of motilin receptor mRNA and alters erythromycin lactobionate binding affinity to the motilin receptor in jejunal tissues. Methods: Jejunal segments in 6 adult horses. Methods: Each horse was anesthetized, and a ventral median celiotomy was performed; 2 segments of jejunum underwent a sham operation, 2 segments underwent ischemic strangulation obstruction (ISO), and 2 segments underwent intraluminal distension (ILD). Treatments were maintained for 120 minutes. From each segment, ful...
Spadavecchia C, Levionnois O, Kronen PW, Leandri M, Spadavecchia L, Schatzmann U.To investigate effects of isoflurane at approximately the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) on the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) of the forelimb of ponies as a method for quantifying anesthetic potency. Methods: 7 healthy adult Shetland ponies. Methods: Individual MAC (iMAC) for isoflurane was determined for each pony. Then, effects of isoflurane administered at 0.85, 0.95, and 1.05 iMAC on the NWR were assessed. At each concentration, the NWR threshold was defined electromyographically for the common digital extensor and deltoid muscles by stimulating the digital nerve; additional el...
van Ginneken MM, de Graaf-Roelfsema E, Keizer HA, van Dam KG, Wijnberg ID, van der Kolk JH, van Breda E.To investigate the effects of exercise on activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling proteins in horses. Methods: 6 young trained Standardbred geldings. Methods: Horses performed a 20-minute bout of exercise on a treadmill at 80% of maximal heart rate. Muscle biopsy specimens were obtained from the vastus lateralis and pectoralis descendens muscles before and after exercise. Amount of expression and intracellular location of phosphospecific MAPK pathway intermediates were determined by use of western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Results: Exercise resulted in a...
Lin YL, Moolenaar H, van Weeren PR, van de Lest CH.To determine the relationship between the output of an electrical treatment device and the effective field strength in the superficial digital flexor tendon of horses. Methods: Cadaver horse forelimbs without visible defects (n = 8) and 1 live pony. Methods: Microcurrents were generated by a microcurrent electrical therapy device and applied in proximodistal, dorsopalmar, and mediolateral directions in the entire forelimbs, dissected tendons, and the pony with various output settings. Corresponding field strengths in the tendons were measured. Results: A linear relationship was detected betwee...
Ho EN, Leung DK, Wan TS, Yu NH.This paper reports two highly efficient liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods for the screening of anabolic steroids, corticosteroids, and acidic drugs for the purpose of doping control in equine sports. Sample extraction was performed using a mixed-mode C8-SCX solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. The first eluted fraction (acidic/neutral fraction) was base-washed and the resulting organic extract was used for the screening of anabolic steroids and corticosteroids by LC-MS using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in the positive electrospray ionisation (ESI) mode. The rema...
Leblond A, Pradier S, Pitel PH, Fortier G, Boireau P, Chadoeuf J, Sabatier P.Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum and transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks. According to some reports the disease can be introduced into disease-free zones by migrating birds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of A. phagocytophilum in horses in the Camargue. Data concerning 424 horses were gathered and the sera were tested for A. phagocytophilum and for piroplasmoses using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a complement fixation test, respectively. The seroprevalence rates were 11.3 % for A. phagocytophilum, 64.4 % for Theileria equi...
Firth EC.Horses can gallop within hours of birth, and may begin training for athletic competition while still growing. This review cites studies on the effects of exercise on bone, tendon and articular cartilage, as detected by clinical and research imaging techniques, tissue biochemical analysis and microscopy of various kinds. For bone, alterations in bone mineral content, mineral density and the morphology of the mineralized tissue are the most common end-points. Apparent bone density increases slightly after athletic training in the cortex, but substantially in the major load paths of the epiphyses...
Bogaert L, Van Poucke M, De Baere C, Peelman L, Gasthuys F, Martens A.Real-time quantitative PCR can be a very powerful and accurate technique to examine gene transcription patterns in different biological conditions. One of the critical steps in comparing transcription profiles is accurate normalisation. In most of the studies published on real-time PCR in horses, normalisation occurred against only one reference gene, usually GAPDH or ACTB, without validation of its expression stability. This might result in unreliable conclusions, because it has been demonstrated that the expression levels of so called "housekeeping genes" may vary considerably in different t...
Cassotis NJ, Schiffman P.A 12-year-old Paso Fino mare was evaluated for a chronic nasal and ocular discharge. A calcification was identified eroding through the nasal mucosa of the middle meatus. Differential considerations for this mass included dacryolith, nasal calculus, or calcified tooth root abscess. Anatomical location and case history and progression supported a dacryolith. Following removal, the calculus was submitted for mineralogic analysis. The calculus was primarily carbonate hydroxylapatite (Ca10(PO4)3(CO3)3(OH)2) with a minor NaCl halite constituent. Dacryoliths, or nasolacrimal calculi, are an uncommon...
Brommer H, Laasanen MS, Brama PA, van Weeren PR, Helminen HJ, Jurvelin JS.To evaluate an arthroscopic indentation instrument (Artscan 200) for assessment of the health status of equine articular cartilage. Methods: In vitro experiment using equine isolated proximal phalanx (P1) specimens. Methods: P1 specimens from 39 horses (aged 1.5-22 years). Methods: Reproducibility was tested by determination of the coefficient of variation (CV). Dynamic modulus and cartilage degeneration index (CDI) values were measured at 2 predefined sites (site 1, joint margin; site 2, joint center) to assess the accuracy and to evaluate the relation with surface integrity. Results: CV was ...
Cheetham J, Nixon AJ.To identify sites for arthroscopic access to the palmar aspects of the antebrachiocarpal (AC) and middle carpal (MC) joints, and describe visible carpal bone surfaces for each approach. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Equine carpi: 16 cadavers, 8 live horses. Methods: A latex model was used to identify possible sites for arthroscopic access to the palmar aspects of the AC and MC joints. Carpi (n = 24) were examined arthroscopically and arthroscopic access sites and visible carpal bone surfaces were described. Results: Arthroscopic approaches and instrument portals were develo...
Budras KD, Scheibe K, Patan B, Streich WJ, Kim K.Semireserves were created by the European Conservation Project for scientific research in preparation for reintroduction in the wilderness. They are defined as enclosures large enough to carry a group of Przewalski horses throughout the year without any additional feeding. The semireserve offers diverse opportunities for significant scientific research. As part of a general screening program, the hoof development in a group of Przewalski horses was investigated in the semireserve Schorfheide near Berlin. Since the foundation of this semireserve in 1992, veterinary treatment was not necessary w...
Koziorowska-Gilun M, Gilun P, Mietelska K, Kordan W.The key prerequisite for successful insemination is sperm characterized to have positive values for morphological and biological variables which are determined by, among others, effective antioxidant protection during the lifespan of sperm cells. This study evaluated the activity and relative abundance of mRNA for antioxidant enzymes in stallion testicular and epididymal tissues during breeding (n = 5) and non-breeding (n = 5) seasons. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was greater (P < 0.05) during the breeding season, in particular in the testes and the caput epididymis, ...
Caron JP.Laparoscopic techniques for veterinary surgery are growing in popularity for the same reason the use of minimally invasive procedures has increased tremendously in human surgery. Compared with open surgery, the benefits of laparoscopic surgery include smaller incisions, reduced postoperative morbidity and pain, shorter hospitalization, a more rapid return to normal activities, and, in some instances, superior access. Laparoscopic surgery is different from open surgery in equipment/instrumentation and psychomotor skills. This first article in a series on equine laparoscopic surgery introduces t...
Carrigan M, Cosgrove P, Kirkland P, Sabine M.Thirty-three of the 44 mares on a Thoroughbred stud in New South Wales aborted or lost foals within one day of birth. Gross pathological and histological changes were in keeping with Equid herpesvirus I (EHV-1) abortion. In the six foals that underwent virological examination, EHV was isolated and typed as EHV-1 by restriction endonuclease analysis. EHV-1 abortion had not occurred previously on this stud and the source of the infection was not identified.
Moran CT, James ER.Eyes from 292 old (15-20 years) horses originating in the eastern, southeastern and midwestern United States were examined for the presence of Onchocerca cervicalis microfilariae (mf) and concurrently for anterior and posterior segment ocular pathological changes. One-hundred-fifty-three animals (52.4%) were positive for dermal mf (range 0.03-5,364/mg). Of these, 60 animals had anterior segment changes. An additional 58 animals with pathological changes had no dermal mf. Mf were recovered from the ocular tissues of 18% of animals (range 0.07-29/mg). All animals with ocular mf were positive for...
Penhallow RC, Mason AB, Woodworth RC.1. Human, bovine and equine transferrins have been characterized with respect to mol. wt, and behavior on urea-polyacrylamide gels, and isoelectric focussing gels. 2. As shown by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis human transferrin has one major polypeptide whereas both bovine and equine transferrins have two polypeptides. 3. The transferrins show multiple banded patterns on urea-polyacrylamide and isoelectric focussing gels, particularly when iron saturated. The various forms are not resolved by neuraminidase treatment.
Nóbrega FS, Selim MB, Arana-Chavez VE, Correa L, Ferreira MP, Zoppa ALV.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of castor oil polyurethane polymer with calcium carbonate for use in a unicortical ostectomy on the dorsal surface of the third metacarpal bone of horses. ANIMALS 6 adult horses. PROCEDURES A unicortical ostectomy was created on the dorsal surface of both third metacarpal bones of each horse. Castor bean (Ricinus communis) oil polyurethane polymer with calcium carbonate was implanted into the ostectomy on 1 limb, and the ostectomy of the contralateral limb was left unfilled and served as a control sample. Ostectomy sites were evaluated histologically 120 days...
Stefanik E, Górski K, Turek B, Drewnowska-Szczepakowska O, Kliczkowska-Klarowicz K, Stefanik A.Melanomas in horses are most often associated with gray, older horses with an average age of over 16 years. Anaplastic malignant melanoma, however, can very rarely affect non-gray horses. Herein, we report a case of a 16-year-old Wielkopolski gelding with a chronic lameness caused by a mass in the hoof. The first resection of the lesion and histopathological examination confirmed the presence of a keratoma. The regrown mass and persistent lameness resulted in another mass resection. The second histopathological examination result suggested a neoplastic growth of melanocytic origin with a low h...
Duan W, Lopez MJ.OBJECTIVE To evaluate effects of various concentrations of collagenase and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on yield of equine adipose-derived multipotent stromal cells (ASCs) before and after cryopreservation. SAMPLE Supragluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue from 7 Thoroughbreds. PROCEDURES Tissues were incubated with digests containing 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.025% type I collagenase. Part of each resulting stromal vascular fraction was cryopreserved in 80% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 10% DMSO, and 10% Dulbecco modified Eagle medium F-12 and in 95% FBS and 5% DMSO. Half of each fresh and cryopreserved hetero...
van Galen G, Delguste C, Sandersen C, Verwilghen D, Grulke S, Amory H.Few studies exist about factors affecting the outcome of horses with tetanus. Methods: 31 equids (30 horses and 1 donkey) with a clinical diagnosis of tetanus admitted to the Equine Clinic of the University of Liege between 1991 and 2006. The cases were divided into two groups according to the outcome (survivors and non-survivors). Methods: The clinical data of survivors and non-survivors were compared using an ANOVA (continuous data) or a Fisher's test (discrete data). Results: The survival rate was 32%. Most animals were 5 years or younger, and none had been appropriately vaccinated. The non...
Edwards SE, Martz KE, Rogge A, Heinrich M.Equine dysautonomia or equine grass sickness (EGS), as it is more commonly known, is a usually fatal disease of equids of uncertain etiology, although associated with grazing, that affects the autonomic and enteric nervous system. Lowered gastrointestinal motility, leading to paralysis of the gut, is one of the main symptoms of EGS. Previous studies have implicated anaerobic bacteria, notably Clostridium botulinum, but what triggers the severe bacterial infestations remains enigmatic. We hypothesized that a detailed comparison of soil mineral and botanical composition of EGS and control sites ...
Seitz-Cherner E, Bauck AG, Denagamage T, Freeman DE.To compare single-layer anastomoses (modified continuous Lembert [mod-CL] and modified-interrupted Lembert [mod-IL]) and a 2-layer simple continuous anastomosis (2 L; seromuscular and mucosal) for jejunojejunal anastomoses in equine cadavers and to compare ex vivo to in vivo time to complete the anastomosis and stoma size with a mod-IL pattern. Methods: Measurements in jejunum from cadaver and anesthetized horses. Methods: Ten live horses and 18 equine cadavers. Methods: Time to complete anastomosis, bursting pressures (BP), leakage sites, and anastomotic index (size ratio of anastomotic lume...
