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.
Wang E, Bowen RA, Medina G, Powers AM, Kang W, Chandler LM, Shope RE, Weaver SC.Following a 19-year hiatus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) reemerged in western Venezuela in December 1992. This outbreak is important in understanding VEE emergence because phylogenetic studies imply that sympatric, enzootic, subtype ID VEE viruses mutated to generate the epizootic/epidemic. Although the 1992-1993 strains belong to subtype IC, a serotype implicated in extensive outbreaks during the 1960s and in 1995, relatively small numbers of human and equine cases occurred in 1992-1993. We, therefore, evaluated the pathogenicity of these Venezuelan enzootic ID and epizootic IC viruse...
Seidl AF, Moraes AS, Silva RA.The impact of three treatment strategies for Trypanosoma evansi control on horse mortality in the Brazilian Pantanal based on four size categories of cattle ranches is explored. The region's 49,000 horses are indispensable to traditional extensive cattle ranching and T. evansi kills horses. About 13% of these horses would be lost, annually, due to T. evansi if no control were undertaken. One preventive and two curative treatment strategies are financially justifiable in the Pantanal. The best available technology for the treatment of T. evansi from a horse mortality perspective is the preventi...
Sanders SG, Tucker RL, Bagley RS, Gavin PR.Magnetic resonance imaging (MR) was used to make a diagnosis of equine nigropallidal encephalomalacia in a horse. Equine nigropallidal encephalomalacia is a neurodegenerative disease that has many characteristics with Parkinson-like diseases in humans. Historically, horses were euthanized based on clinical signs and exposure to the toxic weed, yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis). Previously, the disease has only been confirmed on necropsy. MR imaging can provide accurate and sensitive visualization of typical lesions seen in the brain of horses affected with equine nigropallidal encep...
Beck C, Charles JA, Maclean AA.A 16-year-old thoroughbred stallion developed sudden swelling of the left testicle. The stallion had previously been regarded as a unilateral cryptorchid. Ultrasound examination of the left testicle revealed a diffusely heterogeneous parenchyma. The testicle was diffusely hypoechoic with ill defined regions of hyperechogenicity giving the appearance of hypoechoic nodules throughout the testicular parenchyma. No normal testicular tissue was identifiable. An echogenic band, representing a pseudocapsule could be seen surrounding the testicle. Histopathologic diagnosis a seminoma.
Valentine BA, Hedstrom OR, Miller WH, Scott DW, Mathies S.A blue roan Percheron foal was born with poorly circumscribed patchy alopecia of the trunk and legs. Teeth and hoof development were normal. Alopecia was progressive, becoming almost complete by 1 year of age. Histopathological findings in a skin biopsy obtained at 7 months of age were consistent with severe follicular hypoplasia. Sebaceous glands, epitrichial sweat glands and arrector pilae muscles were normal. The horse is alive and otherwise well at 6 years of age, although adult stature is considered small for this breed. The clinical history and histopathological findings are most consist...
Brounts SH, Rashmir-Raven AM, Black SS.This case report describes a distinctive deep cutaneous lesion in a 1-year-old Quarter Horse filly with hyperelastosis cutis. The horse had a typical clinical presentation of hyperelastic skin associated with a 6-month history of cutaneous wounds that developed following minor cutaneous trauma. Punch biopsies of skin from the affected horse were thinner than similar biopsies from an age- and breed-matched control. Significant microscopic lesions were not seen in cutaneous punch biopsies stained with haematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome stains, but the ultrastructure of the dermis from...
Twardock AR.It is well known that skeletal scintigraphy is an imaging modality with high sensitivity but low specificity. Sites of IRU provide good evidence of increased bone turnover but not its specific cause. Results of lameness workups, blocks, and other imaging techniques are required to determine specific causes. Overinterpretation of causes of IRU is tempting, especially in assigning diagnoses to EIBR--adaptive or non-adaptive. Nevertheless, a quarter of a century's experience with equine skeletal scintigraphy has shown that certain patterns and locations can be fairly predictive of certain patholo...
Reef VB.Stress echocardiography in the horse is in its infancy, and investigations need to continue to determine the significance and mechanism of postexercise echocardiographic abnormalities detected in horses. This work should be coupled with investigations on the exercise-induced changes in cardiac isoenzymes, cTnI, arterial oxygen content, and cardiac rhythm that may occur concurrently. With continued investigations into the cardiovascular problems that occur in the exercising horse, the sport horse veterinarian should be better able to accurately diagnose and treat problems causing poor performan...
Tucker RL, Farrell E.Horses are frequently presented with clinical conditions warranting diagnostic imaging of the head. Unfortunately, evaluation of the equine head can be difficult using conventional radiography. The anatomic complexity and superimposition of the osseous, dental, and soft tissue structures complicate radiographic interpretation and diagnoses. Multiple radiographic projections may be necessary to image specific regions, and side-to-side comparison is often essential.
Roberts GD, Graham JP.CR is a useful tool for the equine veterinarian and has many advantages. Its only major disadvantage is the initial cost, in dollars and time, for setup in one's practice. CR is already in use at several universities and private practices in the United States and around the world. In the future, as is the case with any computer-based technology, this modality should become more affordable and readily available to smaller practices. The potential of CR in veterinary medicine combined with saturation of the human market is driving the development of specialized software and algorithms for veteri...
Turner TA.Thermography is a practical aid in the clinical evaluation of the equine patient. It is particularly germane to the evaluation of lameness. This modality specifically increases the accuracy of diagnosis. Thermography is the pictorial representation of skin temperature. The technique involves the detection of infrared radiation, which can be directly correlated to blood flow. To be accurate, thermography must be performed in a controlled area free of drafts. The area should be protected from sunlight to avoid erroneous heating of the skin, and the horse's hair length should be uniform. Thermogr...
Tucker RL, Sande RD.There is a growing interest in the use of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in equine orthopedic patients. It is well established that CT and MR imaging offer superior diagnostic information in a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries in human beings and small animals. The highly detailed cross-sectional images obtained with these two modalities can often demonstrate pathologic changes undetected with other common imaging techniques. Based on their multiple applications in human beings and small animals, CT or MR imaging may prove to be the optimal diagnostic imagi...
Lester GD, Lester NV.Plain and contrast radiographic techniques are used infrequently in the diagnostic evaluation of abdominal or thoracic disease in the adult horse because of the animal's large body size and the limited availability and expense of suitable equipment. The importance of radiography as a critical tool has also been lessened through the accessibility of ultrasound, although this technique is limited by depth and offers only a superficial window. Traditional radiographic techniques can be readily used in young foals because of their small body size, and radiography frequently provides critical infor...
Kraft SL, Gavin P.This article discusses how cross-sectional imaging methods such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can provide unique and diagnostically important information in situations where radiography or diagnostic ultrasound have been unrewarding.
Reef VB.Until recently, it was difficult to critically evaluate tendon healing in vivo. Superficial digital flexor tendon injuries were considered healed when the injured tendon was cold, non-painful, adequate time had passed for tendon healing to occur, and no recurrence of the injury was detected when the horse returned to athletic work. This article discusses how ultrasonography has revolutionized the diagnosis, treatment, and management of tendon injuries.
Takeda A, Tanaka H, Shinohara T, Ohtake I.A sample preparation method for mass chromatographic detection of doping drugs from horse plasma is described. Bond Elut Certify (1 g/6 ml) is used for the extraction of 4 ml of horse plasma. Fractionation is performed with 6 ml of CHCl3-Me2CO (8:2) and 5 ml of 1% TEA-MeOH according to its property. Simple and effective clean-up based on non-aqueous partitioning is adopted to remove co-eluted contaminants in both acid and basic fractions. Two kinds of 1-(N,N-diisopropylamino)-n-alkanes are co-injected with the sample into the GC-MS system for the calculation of the retention index. Total recov...
Klomkleaw W, Kasashima Y, Kobayashi A, Fuller GA, Morimoto M, Nakade T, Muto M, Oba T, Hamlin RL, Yamaguchi M.Tubular aggregates (TAs) originate from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and form polymorphic double (or single) -walled structures in cross section. TAs are involved in various human skeletal muscle disorders including periodic paralysis, congenital myasthenic syndromes, inflammatory myopathies, and malignant hyperthermias. Horse lumbrical muscle (LM) is a slender fusiform muscle that shows varying degrees of regression due to its limited activity in the limb. Double-walled TAs were found in degenerating spindle fibers and with a range of 80-116 nm (average 92 nm, n=135) for outer layer and 50...
Sofronic-Milosavljevic L, Pozio E, Patrascu IV, Skerovic N, Gomez Morales MA, Gamble HR.From 1998 to 2000, 5,267 horse sera were collected from several Trichinella regions in Romania. Sera were initially screened in laboratories in Romania, Serbia and Italy with an ELISA and a Western blot (Wb) using an excretory/secretory (ES) antigen and several conjugates (protein A, protein G, and sheep or goat anti-horse). Differences in serology results were obtained among the different conjugates and also between ELISA and Wb. Depending on the test used, specific antibodies were found at a prevalence rate of 3-6% of horses. Serum samples classified as positive were tested again by ELISA us...
Arata AB, Cooke CL, Jang SS, Hirsh DC.It is difficult to distinguish isolates of Taylorella equigenitalis, the cause of contagious equine metritis, from a T. equigenitalis-like organism isolated from asymptomatic donkeys and horses. Although T. equigenitalis is responsible for a severe, contagious disease of the reproductive tract of equids, the T. equigenitalis-like organism, although contagious, does not appear to produce disease. Because of the economic consequences of correctly distinguishing isolates of these 2 microorganisms, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay was developed that will distinguish isolates of T. equ...
Lear TL.Telomeres are a class of repetitive DNA sequences that are located at chromosome termini and that act to stabilize the chromosome ends. The rapid karyotypic evolution of the genus Equus has given rise to ten taxa, all with different diploid chromosome numbers. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) we localized the mammalian telomere sequence, (TTAGGG)(n), to the chromosomes of nine equid taxa. TTAGGG signal was located at chromosome termini in all species, however additional signal was seen at interstitial sites on some chromosomes in the Burchell's zebra, Equus quagga burchelli, the...
Lacombe VA, Podell M, Furr M, Reed SM, Oglesbee MJ, Hinchcliff KW, Kohn CW.Electroencephalography (EEG) is a valuable diagnostic test to identify functional disturbances in brain activity. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of EEG as a diagnostic indicator of intracranial diseases in horses. The validity of EEG was estimated by comparing clinical, clinicopathologic, and histopathologic findings to EEG findings in 20 horses examined for seizures. collapse, or abnormal behavior between 1984 and 1997. A bipolar left-to-right, back-to-front montage and a bipolar circular montage were recorded from sedated (4) and anesthetized (16) horses. Visual and sem...
Skiöldebrand E, Lorenzo P, Zunino L, Rucklidge GJ, Sandgren B, Carlsten J, Ekman S.The aim of the present investigation was to study the metabolic activity of the third carpal bone and the release of COMP, aggrecan and collagen type II molecules in the synovial fluid as a result of injury. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), aggrecan and collagen type II or fragments of these molecules released to the synovial fluid and serum (COMP) were quantified in samples from 73 left equine middle carpal joints from 2 breeds with different activity profiles (52 Standardbred trotters [STB] and 21 Swedish Warmblood riding horses [SWH]) and different articular cartilage lesions. Sy...
Meershoek LS, Roepstorff L, Schamhardt HC, Johnston C, Bobbert MF.Tendon injuries are an important problem in athletic horses and are probably caused by excessive loading of the tendons during demanding activities. As a first step towards understanding these injuries, the tendon loading was quantified during jump landings. Kinematics and ground reaction forces were collected from the leading and trailing forelimbs of 6 experienced jumping horses. Joint moments were calculated using inverse dynamic analysis. It was found that the variation of movement and loading patterns was small, both within and between horses. The peak flexor joint moments in the coffin a...
Murray MJ, Nout YS, Ward DL.Medical records and endoscopy images were examined for 209 horses that had gastroscopic examinations performed with a 2.5- or 3-m-long endoscope by one of the authors (MJM) during a 4-year period (1996-2000). The antrum and pylorus were viewed in 162 horses, and the duodenum was viewed in 94 horses. Of these 162 horses, the gastric squamous mucosa was seen in 157 horses and 50% or more of the glandular mucosa of the body of the stomach was seen in 156 horses. Erosions or ulcers were seen in the gastric squamous mucosa in 91 (58%) horses. Erosions or ulcers were seen in the glandular mucosa of ...
Benamou AE, Marlin DJ, Lekeux P.Based on previous in vitro studies, we hypothesised that endothelin (ET) would induce vasoconstriction in the pulmonary circululation of the horse and that this action would be mediated via ET(A) receptors. Pulmonary and systemic haemodynamic responses to endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoactive endogenous peptide, were investigated in 6 conscious, nonsedated horses at rest. Bolus i.v. injections of exogenous ET-1 (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 microg/kg bwt) caused significant increases in pulmonary (PAP) and carotid (CAP) artery pressures, with peak increases of 79% and 51% for mean PAP and CAP, respecti...
Ralston SL, Foster DL, Divers T, Hintz HF.To test the hypothesis that routine dental correction (removal only of sharp hooks and points from molars and premolars) would improve digestion of a hay/grain ration whereas performance 'floats' (rounding and smoothing of the dental arcades) would adversely affect digestion, 8 mature horses free from dental correction for over a year were used. Five-day digestion trials were conducted before and 2 and 4 weeks after correction in all horses. Although all horses had sharp points and minor premolar hooks, none had severe dental abnormalities. There were no significant differences found in appare...
Ellis JA, Bogdan JR, Kanara EW, Morley PS, Haines DM.The ability of monovalent and bivalent equine herpesvirus (EHV) vaccines to stimulate cellular and antibody responses to EHV-1 and EHV-4 was compared in healthy horses. Comparison of data from lymphocyte blastogenesis tests in which live viruses were used as antigens and that were conducted prior to vaccination and after 2 vaccinations revealed that horses given modified-live EHV-1 had significant increases in proliferative responses to EHV-1 (P = 0.03) and EHV-4 (P = 0.04). Responses to EHV-1 and EHV-4 in horses given the inactivated-virus bivalent vaccine were less; however, significant diff...
Buss DD, Rwalings CA, Bisgard GE.Twelve-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded from 52 resting mature female domestic grade ponies. Evaluation of the 50 ECG's ultimately selected for analysis revealed numerous differences from accepted normal values of horses. Among these differences are shorter durations of the P and QRS complexes as well as P-R and Q-T intervals and a lower amplitude of the P wave. Pony ECG's displayed a lower incidence of wandering pacemaker and complete absence of second degree atrioventricular block, in contrast to the relatively routine occurrence of these phenomena in the horse. The existence of ...
Sod GA, Riggs LM, Mitchell CF, Hubert JD, Martin GS.To compare in vitro monotonic biomechanical properties of an axial 3-hole, 4.5 mm narrow dynamic compression plate (DCP) using 5.5 mm cortical screws in conjunction with 2 abaxial transarticular 5.5 mm cortical screws inserted in lag fashion (DCP-TLS) with 3 parallel transarticular 5.5 mm cortical screws inserted in lag fashion (3-TLS) for the equine proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint arthrodesis. Methods: Paired in vitro biomechanical testing of 2 methods of stabilizing cadaveric adult equine forelimb PIP joints. Methods: Cadaveric adult equine forelimbs (n=15 pairs). Methods: For each fore...
Ahmed W, Elbrønd VS, Harrison AP, Hart JO, Williams RE.Back pain is a common condition in horses, yet despite this, quantitative assessments of the efficacy of treatment are scarce. Mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNTs) and acoustic myography (AMG) recordings were obtained, both preinterventionand postintervention, from the left and right epaxial muscles in eight healthy general riding horses (mean age 17 ± 6 yrs). Using an algometer, MNT readings were taken at each of the 6 preselected points along the thoracolumbar M. longissimus and M. gluteus medius region. AMG recordings of the M. longissimus and M. gluteus medius were taken while wal...
Johnston JK, Morris DD.Sixty-eight horses with colic caused by small intestinal disease were allotted into 2 groups of 34 on the basis of recorded findings during exploratory celiotomy, necropsy, or response to medical treatment alone. Signalment, history, physical examination findings, and laboratory findings were compared between the group of horses with small intestinal obstruction and the group with duodenitis/proximal jejunitis. A significantly greater proportion of horses with duodenitis/proximal jejunitis were older than 2 years old (P less than 0.05). Differences in sex or breed distribution, or in seasonali...
Grages AM, Verhaar N, Pfarrer C, Breves G, Burmester M, Neudeck S, Kästner S.In experimental studies investigating strangulating intestinal lesions in horses, different ischaemia models have been used with diverging results. Therefore, the aim was to comparatively describe ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in a low flow (LF) and no flow (NF) model. Under general anaesthesia, 120 min of jejunal ischaemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion was induced in 14 warmbloods. During ischaemia, blood flow was reduced by 80% (LF, n = 7) or by 100% (NF, n = 7). Intestinal blood flow and oxygen saturation were measured by Laser Doppler fluxmetry and spectrophotometry. Clinical, hi...
Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) and its familial basis in Warmblood horses is incompletely understood. Objective: To describe the case details, clinical signs and management of ER-affected Warmblood horses from a family with a high prevalence of ER, to determine if histopathological signs of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) and the glycogen synthase (GYS1) mutation are associated with ER in this family, and to investigate potential risk factors for development of ER. Methods: A family consisting of a sire with ER and 71 of his descendants was investigated. History of episodes of ER, husba...
Domanska-Kruppa N, Venner M, Bienert-Zeit A.Overjet is defined as the projection of the maxillary incisors labial to their antagonists in a horizontal direction. This malocclusion in horses can lead to incorrect dental wear and is aesthetically undesirable. Whether lengthening of the maxilla or shortening of the mandible causes the condition has not yet been determined. Therefore, a measurement technique was developed to investigate the correlations between skull bone measurements in overjet-affected individuals. The position of the incisors in 650 Warmblood foals born in a private German stud was examined at two weeks of age, revealing...
Grosenbaugh DA, Amoss MS, Hood DM, Morgan SJ, Williams JD.Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor binding kinetics and EGF-mediated stimulation of DNA synthesis and cellular proliferation were studied in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from the equine thoracic aorta. Binding studies, using murine 125I-labeled EGF, indicate the presence of a single class of high-affinity binding sites (apparent KD = 2.8 X 10(-11) M), with an estimated maximal binding capacity of 5,800 sites/cell. EGF stimulated [3H]thymidine uptake in confluent quiescent monolayers in a dose-dependent fashion, half-maximal stimulation occurring at 7.5 X 10(-11) M. Likewise...
Cho SN, Collins MT, Reif JS.The indirect fluorescent antibody test was used to examine 109 samples of equine sera randomly selected from serum pools. Results were compared with titers obtained by the microagglutination (MA) test. A high correlation (r = 0.89) was found between titers measured by the 2 tests. Blood samples were obtained serially from a total of 156 horses at a research farm and the sera were tested against Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 through 4 using the MA test; 29 horses (19%) seroconverted to at least 1 serogroup of L pneumophila. The indirect fluorescent antibody test substantiated the results ...
Hontoir F, Paques F, Simon V, Balau B, Nicaise C, Clegg P, Dugdale A, Vandeweerd JM.Foot pain is a frequent cause of lameness in horses and can involve multiple structures within the hoof. The T-ligament (an anatomical structure connecting the synovium of the distal interphalangeal joint, the digital flexor tendon sheath and the navicular bursa) is poorly described. Five pairs of equine cadaver distal forelimbs were collected from a slaughterhouse. Sagittal sections (medial, middle and lateral) were obtained and processed with Haematoxylin Eosin Safran, Unna's Orcein, and Picrosirius red stains. Histological assessment revealed that the T-ligament was covered by the surroundi...
Nourian AR, Baldwin GI, van Eps AW, Pollitt CC.The pathology of equine laminitis has been well-documented 48 h after dosing with oligofructose when clinical lameness and lamellar disintegration is well advanced. Further analysis of the earliest lesions, by collecting lamellar samples at the first sign of foot lameness after oligofructose dosing is required in order to increase understanding of the disease. Objective: To investigate lamellar epidermal hemidesmosome damage and basement membrane dysadhesion by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Methods: Eight clinically normal, mature Standardbred horses were divided randomly into 2 grou...
Bos H, van der Meij GJ, Dik KJ.Bone structure, nutrient canals, form and definition, and a total evaluation of both fore navicular bones were radiologically evaluated in 169 three- and four-year-old Dutch warmblood mares divided into eleven daughter (half sister) groups. On the basis of the 'total evaluation', differences between the three- and four-year-old horses were detectable. Using the 'total evaluation', significant differences were found between daughter groups consisting of three-year-old mares. These differences support the theory that podotrochleosis may be (partly) due to the presence of genetic factors. The pos...
Hartig W, Houe H, Andersen PH.The plentiful data on Danish horses are currently neither organized nor easily accessible, impeding register-based epidemiological studies on Danish horses. A common database could be beneficial. In principle, databases can contain a wealth of information, but no single database can serve every purpose. Hence the establishment of a Danish equine health database should be preceded by careful consideration of its purpose and content, and stakeholder attitudes should be investigated. The objectives of the present study were to identify stakeholder attitudes to the importance, purpose, research ar...
Keen JA, O'Connor SA.Short-term electrocardiogram (ECG) examinations of horses may not detect paroxysmal arrhythmias. Twenty-four hour Holter equipment can be unwieldy and inconvenient for long-term use. This study evaluated a novel long-term ECG patch recorder, the Carnation Ambulatory Monitor (CAM) in horses, determining ideal placement, practicality, durability and performance. Methods: Twenty-one adult mixed-breed horses. Methods: Prospective observational study. Three horses had ECG patches fitted at selected sites (phase 1); the two most promising sites were used for further wear testing (phase 2) and the b...
Deng L, Li Z, Tang C, Han Y, Zhang L, Liao Q.Equine pregnancy is currently diagnosed by rectal palpation, ultrasonographic examination, or by measuring changes in hormones in the blood. In the present study, we identified proteins that are differentially expressed in the sera of early pregnant and non-pregnant mares in order to develop a novel method for diagnosing equine pregnancy. Serum samples were obtained from 18 adult mares, pregnancy at day 32 after ovulation (n = 9) and in diestrus (n = 9). Proteomic analysis of the samples was conducted using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. We iden...
Reeves MJ, Vansteenhouse J, Stashak TS, Yovich JV, Cockerell G.A study was undertaken to evaluate the significance and mechanism of reperfusion injury in the equine large colon following 1 h of haemorrhagic strangulation obstruction (HSO) or ischaemic strangulation obstruction (ISO) and to assess the effect of treatment with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). ISO or HSO were created 40 cm from the pelvic flexure and maintained for 60 mins under general anaesthesia. Normal saline or 20 per cent DMSO (1 g/kg bodyweight) was administered intravenously 10 mins prior to the end of the ischaemic period. Four groups of four horses in a 2 x 2 factorial design were used....
Todhunter RJ, Wootton JA, Altman N, Lust G, Minor RR.Collagen type I and type II were purified from equine flexor tendon and articular cartilage, respectively. Equal amounts of these collagens were cleaved with cyanogen bromide, and 11 mixtures containing increasing proportions of type II collagen were separated in seven identical sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The density of bands was measured in wet gels and the peak areas were used to form six ratios of peptide bands that had polynomial relationships with the known proportions of type I and type II collagen in the mixtures. Calibration curves for determining the proportion of typ...
McFadden A, Martin K, Foster G, Vierra M, Lundquist EW, Everts RE, Martin E, Volz E, McLoone K, Brooks SA, Lafayette C.Mutations in KIT, a gene that influences melanoblast migration and pigmentation, often result in mammalian white spotting. As of February 2023, over 30 KIT variants associated with white spotting were documented in Equus caballus (horse). Here we report an association of increased white spotting on the skin and coat with a variant in the 5'UTR of KIT (rs1149701677: g.79,618,649A>C). Horses possessing at least one alternate allele demonstrate phenotypic characteristics similar to other KIT mutations: clear borders around unpigmented regions on the body, face, and limbs. Using a quantitative ...
Conner AL, Davis AJ, Porr CA.This study evaluated the effect of a dietary supplement on the treatment of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Gastroscopy was performed on university riding horses of mixed breeds at two locations and only horses exhibiting gastric ulcers were selected to participate in this study (location A, n = 13; location B, n = 15). Gastric ulcer severity was assessed using two different methods depending on location before treatment (Pre). After gastroscopy, horses were fed the supplement in addition to their regular diet for 44 d (14-d adaptation period followed by 30-d feeding period). All horses ...
Roussel AJ, Hooper RN, Cohen ND, Bye AD, Hicks RJ, Bohl TW.To evaluate the effect of erythromycin on motility of the ileum, cecum, and pelvic flexure of horses during the postoperative and post-recovery periods. Methods: 8 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses were anesthetized and bipolar electrodes were implanted in smooth muscle of the ileum, cecum, and pelvic flexure. Approximately 4, 16, and 24 hours (postoperative recording sessions) and at least 8 days (post-recovery recording session) after surgery, myoelectric activity was recorded before and after administration of erythromycin (0.5 mg/kg). Results: Following erythromycin administration, myo...
Murray JA, Longland AC, Moore-Colyer MJ, Dunnett C.A series of experiments was conducted to determine the effects of a fibrolytic enzyme preparation (enzyme 1; E1) on the in vitro fermentation of lucerne incubated with equine faecal inocula. In experiment 1, high-temperature-dried (HT) lucerne was treated with five levels of E1 (0 to 2.4 ml/g DM) and incubated at 50 degrees C for 20 h. Samples then received a simulated foregut digestion (SFD) treatment before DM and NSP analysis. In experiment 2, HT lucerne was treated with the same enzyme levels used in experiment 1. Samples were then split into two groups; plus or minus an SFD treatment befo...
Gibson MJ, Roca Fraga FJ, Bolwell CF, Gee EK, Rogers CW.The objective of this study was to describe the incident and non-incident reporting of harness racing in New Zealand, the primary injury and reporting outcomes, and to examine horse- and race-level variables associated with the odds of these outcomes. Retrospective stipendiary stewards' reports of race day events during the 2015/16 to 2016/17 racing seasons were examined. The number of incident and non-incident events and binomial exact 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated per 1000 horse starts. Most reports were for non-incidents and an examination was requested for poor performance ...
Burba DJ.Managing traumatic foot wounds in horses may require surgical intervention. These wounds include coronary-band and heel-bulb lacerations, septic pedal osteitis, septic navicular bursitis, sepsis of the collateral cartilages, and hoof-wall injuries. This article provides a practical overview of the surgical management of these types of wounds.
Mlekoday JA, Mickelson JR, Valberg SJ, Horton JH, Gallant EM, Thompson LV.To determine whether the basis for recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) in Thoroughbreds lies in an alteration in the activation and regulation of the myofibrillar contractile apparatus by ionized calcium. Methods: 4 Thoroughbred mares with RER and 4 clinically normal (control) Thoroughbreds. Methods: Single chemically-skinned type-I (slow-twitch) and type-II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers were obtained from punch biopsy specimens, mounted to a force transducer, and the tensions that developed in response to a series of calcium concentrations were measured. In addition, myofibril preparation...
Conner M, Kalica A, Kita J, Quick S, Schiff E, Joubert J, Gillespie J.Reoviruses have been isolated from a number of species including human, bovine, feline, canine and equine. In most species they seem to produce mild to inapparent disease. We have isolated a reovirus type 3 from a foal with diarrhea. The virus designated the Ralph strain has been propagated in both the MA-104 and A-72 cell lines. The strain produced cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in these cell cultures. Tissue-cultured virus fixed complement in the presence of reovirus antibodies, but failed to do so in the presence of rotavirus antiserum. By electron microscopy the viral particle measured +/- 6...
Dai X, Hilsen RE, Hu WG, Fulton RE.An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunoassay, incorporating chemically biotinylated and ruthenylated antibodies down-selected from a panel of monoclonal and polyclonal reagents, was developed to detect and identify Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV). The limit of detection (LOD) of the optimized ECL assay was 10(3)pfu/ml VEEV TC-83 virus and 1 ng/ml recombinant (r) VEEV E2 protein. The LOD of the ECL assay was approximately one log unit lower than that of a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) incorporating the same immunoreagents. Repetition of ECL assays over time and...
Cornick-Seahorn J.There is a plethora of information regarding anesthetic management of horses; however, controlled studies of the critically ill equine patient are few. These patients should be managed like any equine anesthetic candidate but much more stringently:I. Preoperative evaluation and appropriate therapy may represent the difference between life and death during the intraoperative and recovery periods. 2. The anesthetic induction and maintenance protocol should be based on the individual situation of the veterinary facility and personnel("comfort zone"). 3. Appropriate monitoring and intraoperative s...
Pereira HG, Takimoto S, Piegas NS, do Valle LA.Influenza equine (Heq2Neq2) strains isolated during the course of epizootics observed in Guanabara (Rio de Janeiro) and São Paulo, Brazil, in July-October 1969 were shown to differ antigenically from earlier strains of the same subtype (A/equine/Miami/1/63 (Heq2Neq2)). The difference could be clearly demonstrated in haemagglutination inhibition tests performed with postinfection horse or ferret sera but not with hyperimmune rooster sera. Antibody responses of diseased horses were higher and more frequent against current isolates than against strain equine/Miami/1/63. Some animals also showed ...
Cohen JM, Southwood LL, Engiles J, Leitch M, Nunamaker DM.To examine the efficacy and biocompatibility of a thiolated gelatin-thiolated carboxymethyl hyaluronan (CMHA-SGX) sponge as an osteoconductive device in an equine second and fourth metacarpal bone defect model. Methods: Seven millimetre segmental ostectomies were created bilaterally in the second and fourth metacarpal bones of four horses. The left and right metacarpal defects were randomly assigned to (1) be filled with a CMHA-SGX sponge (treated) or (2) were left unfilled (control). The duration of the study was nine weeks. Bone healing was evaluated using serial radiology, as well as histol...
