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Topic:Equine Diseases
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.
Equine herpesviruses 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4)–epidemiology, disease and immunoprophylaxis: a brief review. This review concentrates on the epidemiology, latency and pathogenesis of, and the approaches taken to control infection of horses by equine herpesvirus types 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4). Although both viruses may cause febrile rhinopneumonitis, EHV-1 is the main cause of abortions, paresis and neonatal foal deaths. The lesion central to these three conditions is necrotising vasculitis and thrombosis resulting from lytic infection of endothelial cells lining blood capillaries. The initiation of infection in these lesions is likely to be by reactivated EHV-1 from latently infected leukocytes. Howev...
Equine infection with Leishmania in Portugal. The present report describes the first case of equine leishmaniasis in Portugal. Leishmania infection was detected in one animal, which presented an ulcerated skin lesion. Diagnosis was based on serology by CIE, and parasite DNA detection by real-time PCR using a probe specific for L. infantum. This finding requests further leishmaniasis equine surveys in order to clarify the role of the horse as reservoir host in european endemic areas.
Assessment of feto-placental well-being in the mare from mid-gestation to term: transrectal and transabdominal ultrasonographic features. Ultrasound assessment of feto-placental well-being has found its application in the equine field, as a valid diagnostic tool. Most reports on equine fetal parameters focus on advanced to late gestation. The aim of the present study was to further validate the technique of ultrasound evaluation of the equine fetal environment, by extending its application to earlier stages of pregnancy. Fetal parameters were collected (on 150 pregnancies) over a 3-year period. Data included in the study were selected according to the clinical behaviour of the mare, the neonate/fetus and fetal membranes at the t...
Transient complete atrioventricular block following transvenous electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in a horse. Transvenous electrical cardioversion was attempted in a horse with drug refractory atrial fibrillation. A temporary pacing catheter and two defibrillation catheters were inserted transvenously into the right ventricular apex, the right atrium and the pulmonary artery, respectively. Under general anaesthesia 100, 200, 300 and 360 J monophasic shocks were delivered between both defibrillation catheters but sinus rhythm could not be restored. Immediately after the 200, 300 and 360 J shock, transient third-degree atrioventricular block occurred for a period of, respectively, 15, 40 and 55 s. These...
Equine infectious anemia virus Gag p9 function in early steps of virus infection and provirus production. We have previously reported that serial truncation of the Gag p9 protein of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) revealed a progressive loss in replication phenotypes in transfected cells, such that a proviral mutant (E32) expressing the N-terminal 31 amino acids of p9 produced infectious virus particles similarly to parental provirus, while a proviral mutant (K30) with two fewer amino acids produced replication-defective virus particles, despite containing apparently normal levels of processed Gag and Pol proteins (C. Chen, F. Li, and R. C. Montelaro, J. Virol. 75:9762-9760, 2001). Based on ...
Envelope glycoprotein mutations mediate equine amplification and virulence of epizootic venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. Epidemics of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) result from high-titer equine viremia of IAB and IC subtype viruses that mediate increased mosquito transmission and spillover to humans. Previous genetic studies suggest that mutations in the E2 envelope glycoprotein allow relatively viremia-incompetent, enzootic subtype ID strains to adapt for equine replication, leading to VEE emergence. To test this hypothesis directly, chimeric VEEV strains containing the genetic backbone of enzootic subtype ID strains and the partial envelope glycoprotein genes of epizootic subtype IC and IAB strains, as ...
Evaluation of Lactobacillus pentosus WE7 for prevention of diarrhea in neonatal foals. To evaluate the efficacy of Lactobacillus pentosus WE7, an equine-origin organism with potentially beneficial in vitro properties, as a probiotic for prevention of neonatal diarrhea in foals. Methods: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Methods: 153 foals. Methods: Foals were enrolled at 24 to 48 hours of age and randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. The treatment group received approximately 2 x 10(11) CFU of freeze-dried L. pentosus WE7 orally once daily for 7 days, whereas the control group received a placebo. Clinical monitoring was performed for 14 days. Results: Probiotic a...
An in vitro study on spontaneous myometrial contractility in the mare during estrus and diestrus. Uterine smooth muscle specimens were collected from euthanatized mares in estrus and diestrus. Longitudinal and circular specimens were mounted in organ baths and the signals transcribed to a Grass polygraph. After equilibration time and 2 g preload, their physiologic isometric contractility was recorded for a continuous 2.0 h. Area under the curve, frequency and time occupied by contractions were studied. Differences between cycle phases, between muscle layers, and over the recorded time periods were statistically evaluated using linear mixed-effect models. In the mare, physiologic contractil...
Recombinant NhSAG1 ELISA: a sensitive and specific assay for detecting antibodies against Neospora hughesi in equine serum. Neospora hughesi is a recently identified cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. However, the significance of this parasite is poorly understood. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a recombinant form of the N. hughesi 29-kDa surface antigen (rNhSAG1) was developed for serodiagnosis of equine N. hughesi infections. Parallel ELISA analysis showed that animals immunized or infected with N. hughesi exhibited greater antibody reactivity with rNhSAG1 than with the Neospora caninum homolog, rNcSAG1. The rNhSAG1 ELISA showed 94.4% sensitivity and 95.0% specificity when compared wi...
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes in protection against equine infectious anemia virus. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are associated with virus control in horses infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Early in infection, control of the initial viremia coincides with the appearance of CTL and occurs before the appearance of neutralizing antibody. In carrier horses, treatment with immunosuppressive drugs results in viremia before a change in serum neutralizing antibody occurs. Clearance of initial viremia caused by other lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus-1 and simian immunodeficiency virus, is also associated with CTL and not neutralizing antibody. ...
Treatment strategies for mares with placentitis. Equine placentitis, and resultant preterm labor, are important sources of fetal and neonatal loss. The primary cause of equine placentitis is infection of the placenta with Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, which ascends through the caudal reproductive tract. Current treatment protocols for mares affected with placentitis are empirical. This paper reviews treatment approaches for resolving placentitis and preterm labor in both equine and non-equine species. Specific therapies reviewed include antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, tocolytic, and progestin agents.
The emergence of Clostridium difficile as a pathogen of food animals. Clostridium difficile causes pseudomembranous colitis in humans, usually after disruption of the bowel flora by antibiotic therapy. Factors mediating the frank disease include the dose and toxigenicity of the colonizing strain, its ability to adhere to colonic epithelium, the concurrent presence of organisms that affect multiplication and toxin production or activity, and the susceptibility of the host. Toxins A (an enterotoxin) and B (a cytotoxin) play the major role in pathogenesis and the detection of toxins in gut contents is the gold standard for diagnosis. Disease in horses takes the for...
Immunologic testing of xeno-derived osteochondral grafts using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy human donors. One means of treating osteoarthritis is with autologous or allogeneic osteochondral grafts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the innate immunological response in humans toward xeno-derived osteochondral grafts that have been partially or entirely treated by the photooxidation process. Methods: The antigens tested included bovine, porcine, ovine and equine osteochondral samples that have been treated in successive steps of photooxidation. ELISPOT assays were used to evaluate the production of IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-alpha by human monocytes in response to the antigens. R...
Post-breeding inflammation and endometrial cytology in mares. Endometritis has been reported to be the third most common medical condition of horses. Timely diagnosis and treatment of endometritis in mares increases the chance of pregnancy. Exfoliative endometrial cytology is often used as a clinical tool to evaluate endometrial inflammation through detection of neutrophils. There is a lack of information on the time frame for changes in endometrial cytologic parameters following breeding. The main objectives of this article are to use current information to describe systematic analysis of endometrial cytology using standardized methods for sample collec...
A tumor necrosis factor receptor family protein serves as a cellular receptor for the macrophage-tropic equine lentivirus. Characterization of cellular receptors for human, simian, and feline immunodeficiency viruses that are tropic for lymphocytes and macrophages have revealed a common theme of a sequential binding of viral envelope proteins with two coreceptors to mediate virus infection of target cells. In contrast to these dual tropic immunodeficiency viruses, the ungulate lentiviruses, including equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), exclusively infect cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage to cause progressive degenerative diseases without clinical immunodeficiency. EIAV causes a uniquely dynamic disease t...
Early detection of dominant Env-specific and subdominant Gag-specific CD8+ lymphocytes in equine infectious anemia virus-infected horses using major histocompatibility complex class I/peptide tetrameric complexes. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are critical for control of lentiviruses, including equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Measurement of equine CTL responses has relied on chromium-release assays, which do not allow accurate quantitation. Recently, the equine MHC class I molecule 7-6, associated with the ELA-A1 haplotype, was shown to present both the Gag-GW12 and Env-RW12 EIAV CTL epitopes. In this study, 7-6/Gag-GW12 and 7-6/Env-RW12 MHC class I/peptide tetrameric complexes were constructed and used to analyze Gag-GW12- and Env-RW12-specific CTL responses in two EIAV-infected horses (A2164 an...
Control of endoparasites in horses with a gel containing moxidectin and praziquantel. A gel formulation containing moxidectin (20 g/kg) and praziquantel (125 g/kg) reduced the geometric mean faecal strongyle egg count in horses to below 100 eggs per gram of faeces (epg) for at least 12 weeks despite their being exposed continuously to reinfection from pasture grazed by treated and untreated horses. The geometric mean egg count of horses treated with a proprietary paste containing abamectin (3.7 g/kg) and praziquantel (46.2 g/kg) increased steadily from six weeks after the treatment, peaking at over 820 epg after 12 weeks. Relative to the efficacy of the abamectin/praziquantel t...
Endometritis in the mare: a diagnostic study comparing cultures from swab and biopsy. The objective of this study was to compare results from endometrial culture swabs with results from culturing of endometrial biopsies. The culture results were related to cytological findings (polymorphonuclear; PMN-cells) and histological observations (PMN-cells). Biopsy and swab samples were smeared on the surface of a blood agar petri dish, and examined for growth of bacteria. Cytology samples were obtained from endometrial biopsies, stained and examined under microscopy for the presence of PMN-cells. Endometrial biopsies were examined for the presence of PMN-infiltration of the endometrial...
Analysis of the strongylid nematodes (Nematoda: Strongylidae) community after deworming of brood horses in Ukraine. Communities of intestinal helminths in horses are commonly studied post mortem. The study objectives were here to examine the species composition of the strongylid community in brood horses in Ukraine after deworming with an aversectin drug Univerm. The site distribution of the strongylid species was analysed according to dynamics of their expulsion in faeces. Forty-four horses of different ages from Poltavska oblast (22 horses), Kyivska oblast (17 horses) and Sumska oblast (5 horses) of Ukraine were included in the study. Horses were treated with Univerm anthelmintic (0.2% aversectin) at a do...
Myosin heavy chain isoforms in equine gluteus medius muscle: comparison of mRNA and protein expression profiles. The major structural protein in skeletal muscle, myosin heavy chain (MyHC), is primarily transcriptionally controlled. We compared the expression of MyHC isoforms on the mRNA and protein level in biopsies from the m. gluteus medius from adult untrained horses. In transverse sections, the majority of fibers showed qualitatively identical mRNA and protein expression patterns. However, coexpression of 2a and 2d/x MyHCs was substantially more common at the protein than at the mRNA level, suggesting a fine-tuning of these two genes in normal muscle not subjected to any training protocol. Because tr...
Temperature changes in dental pulp associated with use of power grinding equipment on equine teeth. To quantify the temperature changes in the dental pulp associated with equine dental procedures using power grinding equipment. Methods: A matrix experimental design with replication on the same sample was followed to allow the following independent variables to be assessed: horse age (young or old), tooth type (premolar or molar), powered grinding instrument (rotating disc or die grinder), grinding time (15 or 20 seconds) and the presence or absence of water coolant. Methods: Sound premolar and molar teeth from a 6-year-old horse and a 15-year-old horse, which had been removed postmortem, wer...
Role of endothelium and nitric oxide in modulating in vitro responses of colonic arterial and venous rings to vasodilatory neuropeptides in horses. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the in vitro responses of equine large colon arterial and venous rings to vasodilatory neuropeptides; calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP); substance P (SP); vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP); and acetylcholine (ACh), a standard nonpeptide endothelium-dependent vasodilator. Responses of vessel rings to graded concentrations (10(-11) M to 10(-5) M) of each drug were determined in endothelium-intact, denuded, and Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10(-5) M)-treated rings that were pre-contracted with norepinephrine. Perc...
Musculoskeletal modeling and dynamic simulation of the thoroughbred equine forelimb during stance phase of the gallop. Because thoroughbred racehorses have a high incidence of forelimb musculoskeletal injuries, a model was desired to screen potential risk factors for injuries. This paper describes the development of a musculoskeletal model of the thoroughbred forelimb and a dynamic simulation of the motion of the distal segments during the stance phase of high-speed (18 m/s) gallop. The musculoskeletal model is comprised of segment, joint, muscle-tendon, and ligament information. The dynamic simulation incorporates a proximal forward-driving force, a distal ground reaction force model, muscle activations, and ...
Evidence to support horses as natural intermediate hosts for Sarcocystis neurona. Opossums (Didelphis spp.) are the definitive host for the protozoan parasite Sarcocystis neurona, the causative agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Opossums shed sporocysts in feces that can be ingested by true intermediate hosts (cats, raccoons, skunks, armadillos and sea otters). Horses acquire the parasite by ingestion of feed or water contaminated by opossum feces. However, horses have been classified as aberrant intermediate hosts because the terminal asexual sarcocyst stage that is required for transmission to the definitive host has not been found in their tissues despite...
Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease in a horse. Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is reported in a 16-year-old Pure Spanish breed female horse suffering from progressive ataxia and motor deficiencies. The neuropathological study revealed NIIs throughout the central nervous system, although mainly in the brain stem and spinal cord. This distribution did not correlate with neuron loss, which was marked in the hippocampus and moderate in the neocortex, particularly in the occipital cortex. As in humans, NIIs in the horse were hyaline autofluorescent inclusions composed of non-membrane-bound aggregates of filaments and fine granule...
