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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.
Occurrence of Gasterophilus intestinalis and some parasitic nematodes of horses in Sweden. A survey was performed on the occurrence of some internal parasites in 461 horses (1-30 years old) slaughtered from October 1992 to September 1993 at the Linköping abattoir in central Sweden. Macroscopical examination was carried out specifically for parasites of the tear ducts and conjunctival sacs of the eyes, and of selected parts of the alimentary tract and cardio-vascular system. The following parasites were found in selected parts of the large intestine: encapsulated cyathostome larvae (in 35.6% of the horses), and mature strongyle worms (17.4%); in the stomach: Gasterophilus intestinal...
Survey of diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons regarding clinical aspects and treatment of endotoxemia in horses. A questionnaire designed to elicit information concerning prevalence, underlying causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and complications of endotoxemia in horses was mailed to diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons who identified themselves as equine practitioners. Gastrointestinal tract compromise, conditions associated with foaling, and grain overload were reported to be the most common clinical conditions that led to endotoxemia. Most of the respondents diagnosed endotoxemia on the basis of the following clinica...
Biochemical, histochemical, and immunohistochemical characterization of distal tibial osteochondrosis in horses. To compare the biochemical, histochemical, and immunohistochemical profiles of articular cartilage from horses with naturally acquired distal tibial osteochondrosis (OC) with cartilage from a similar location in clinically normal horses. Methods: 9 affected horses (group 1, 16 OC lesions) and 4 control horses (group 2, 8 normal osteochondral specimens). Methods: OC specimens were collected during arthroscopic removal of the fragment, and control specimens were collected by aseptic osteotomy. Uronic acid, total protein, total glycosaminoglycan (GAG), chondroitin sulfate (CS), and keratan sulfat...
Proteoglycan metabolism of equine articular chondrocytes cultured in alginate beads. Equine chondrocytes were cultured in vitro for 30 days in ionically gelled alginate beads. The alginate polymerises into a stable gel in the presence of divalent cations (calcium), and rapid depolymerisation in the presence of a calcium chelator releases the viable chondrocytes. The chondrocytes maintained a spherical appearance for 30 days in culture, in marked contrast to monolayer cultures, which develop a dedifferentiated fibroblastic morphology. The major proteoglycan molecule produced by the encapsulated chondrocytes was aggrecan, of similar hydrodynamic size to aggrecan molecules presen...
Myoglobin oxygen dissociation by multiwavelength spectroscopy. Multiwavelength optical spectroscopy was used to determine the oxygen-binding characteristics for equine myoglobin. Oxygen-binding relationships as a function of oxygen tension were determined for temperatures of 10, 25, 35, 37, and 40 degrees C, at pH 7.0. In addition, dissociation curves were determined at 37 degrees C for pH 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5. Equilibration was achieved with a myoglobin solution, at the desired temperature and pH, and 16 oxygen-nitrogen gas mixtures of known oxygen fraction. Correction for the inevitable presence of metmyoglobin was made by using a three-component least squ...
Distribution and relevance of equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2) infections. Equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2) is a slow-growing, cytopathogenic gammaherpesvirus, which is suggested to be ubiquitous in the equine population. However, its precise role as a pathogen and its tissue tropism remains uncertain. To estimate the prevalence of EHV-2 in Germany and to investigate the possible pathogenicity of the virus, peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL) from 172 horses were examined for EHV-2 DNA by a sensitive and specific nested PCR based on the EcoRI-N genomic fragment and by classical cocultivation. PBL samples from 51% of the horses were positive by PCR and virus was isolat...
Laparoscopic abdominal anatomy of foals positioned in dorsal recumbency. Eleven foals (nine cadavers and two anesthetized) positioned in dorsal recumbency were examined to describe normal abdominal anatomy viewed by laparoscopy. The foals ages ranged from 1 to 150 days. Insertion sites were selected for a Verres needle, laparoscope and instrument portals to avoid trauma to the umbilical structures. The abdominal cavity was insufflated to a pressure of 10 to 12 mm Hg using an automatic carbon dioxide insufflator. Laparoscopic examination allowed excellent observation of the umbilical structures, the bladder, the genital tract, the inguinal area, the liver and segmen...
Characterization of horse (Equus caballus) immunoglobulin mu chain-encoding genes. Horse (Equus caballus) immunoglobulin mu chain-encoding (IgM) variable, joining, and constant gene segments were cloned and characterized. Nucleotide sequence analyses of 15 cDNA clones from a mesenteric lymph node library identified 7 unique variable gene segments, 5 separate joining segments, and a single constant region. Based on comparison with human sequences, horse variable segments could be grouped into either family 1 of immunoglobulin (Ig) clan I or family 4 of Ig clan II subclan IV. All horse sequences had a relatively conserved 16 base pair (bp) segment in framework 3 which was reco...
[Poisoning of horses by the bark of the false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia)]. The present study describes the poisoning due to Robinia pseudoacacia in two horses. One of the horses showed mainly intestinal symptoms such as decreased intestinal motility and obstipation of the pelvic flexure. In the second animal central nervous symptoms were predominant. It showed intermittent phases of somnolence alternating with phases of excitation and head pressing. In addition mydriasis and a lacking menace response could be observed. Sensation to the head and the spinal reflexes were reduced. Symptomatic treatment was initiated in both animals and recovery occurred within 2 days.
A survey for antibodies to equine arteritis virus in donkeys, mules and zebra using virus neutralisation (VN) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A seroepidemiological survey of donkeys in South Africa (n = 4300) indicated a wide distribution and increasing prevalence of antibodies to equine arteritis virus (EAV). Donkey sera inhibited equine arteritis virus infection in virus neutralisation (VN) tests and in ELISA specifically bound to a recombinant antigen derived from the Bucyrus isolate of EAV. These results suggest that donkeys have been exposed to the same serotype of this virus as circulates among horses. A good correlation existed between EAV neutralising antibody titres and ELISA absorbance values (0.8631); the ELISA was sensit...
Identification, cloning and sequence analysis of the equine adenovirus 1 hexon gene. Based on sequence homology with human adenovirus 2 (HAdV2), the hexon gene of equine adenovirus 1 (EAdV1) was identified. HindIII restriction fragments containing the hexon and other viral genes were cloned into the plasmids pUC19 and pBlueScript SK(-) and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of the hexon gene was completely determined and partial sequence data were obtained for seven other EAdV1 genes. Amino acid (aa) sequence comparison with published adenovirus (AdV) proteins identified the genes for the IIIa, penton, pVII, PVI, 23K proteinase, DNA binding and 100K proteins. The eight EAdV1 g...
Adaptation of equine herpesvirus 1 to unnatural host led to mutation of the gC resulting in increased susceptibility of the virus to heparin. Heparin extensively inhibited infection of MDBK cells by equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) strains adapted to bovine cells or hamsters, while the reagent merely reduced infectivity of strains passaged only in equine cells. The gC of two strains adapted to non-equine cells seemed to have higher affinity for heparin, although the reagent bound to both the gC and gB of all strains tested. Amino acid substitutions of the gC of the EHV-1 strains adapted to non-equine cells converged on the hydrophilic regions, amino acid residues 92 to 175, resulting in the glycoprotein becoming more cationic. These res...
Immunoepidemiology of the equine tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata: age-intensity profile and age-dependency of antibody subtype responses. The equine intestinal cestode Anoplocephala perfoliata has been the subject of recent epidemiological and immunological studies because of its suspected association with intestinal disease in the horse. We have previously shown that the IgG(T) subtype antibody response to the 12/13 kDa component of the parasite excretory/secretory (E/S) antigen is positively correlated with parasite intensity. In this study, we utilize that correlation to examine the changes in natural infection intensity with age. Infection intensity based on IgG(T) responses showed a triphasic age-dependency pattern with pea...
Quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography in the horse: a review. Quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) was introduced into equine cardiology in the early 1990s. At first, linear and area dimensions and left ventricular volume were validated by the comparison of parameters determined during in vitro 2DE and autopsy measurements. Based on these studies, tomographic planes and intracardiac reference points for in vivo measurements were established and 2DE values have been determined for healthy adult horses by various authors. These data were similar to each other and proved to be comparable with M-mode echocardiography measurements. However, dif...
Mutational changes in the hemagglutinin of equine H3 influenza viruses result in the introduction of a glycosylation site which enhances the infectivity of the viruses. The complete amino acid sequences of the hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein of three equine-2 influenza viruses from tropical Africa are presented in comparison with that of a well characterized European equine-2 virus (Suffolk/89) and a consensus sequence from the database. The sequences of the tropical African viruses were deduced from the complete nucleotide sequences of their HA genes reported earlier. Mutational changes in the nucleotide sequences resulted in amino acid changes in the HA which led to the introduction of a new asparagine-linked (N-linked) glycosylation site in two viruses. Th...
Expression of equine morbillivirus (EMV) matrix and fusion proteins and their evaluation as diagnostic reagents. Full-length cDNA clones coding for the matrix (M) and fusion (F) proteins of equine morbillivirus (EMV) were isolated by RT-PCR, and expressed in Escherichia coli using two different expression systems. Western blot analysis indicated that the M and F proteins, expressed either by itself or as fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase (GST), were insoluble and degraded after expression. Analysis of the degradation pattern of recombinant M protein suggested that the N-terminus of the matrix protein might be more stable and antigenic than the C-terminal region. Therefore a third system was ...
Primary structure of stallion seminal plasma protein HSP-7, a zona-pellucida-binding protein of the spermadhesin family. The primary-structure of HSP-7, a 14-kDa protein isolated from stallion seminal plasma, has been determined, HSP-7 belongs to the spermadhesin protein family, shares 98% sequence identity with the boar seminal plasma protein AWN, and, like its boar homolog, displays zona-pellucida-binding activity. Despite these conserved structural and functional features, the equine and porcine spermadhesins differ in their topography on spermatozoa.
Fibronectin concentrations correlate with ovarian follicular size and estradiol values in equine follicular fluid. The amounts of total protein, albumin, fibronectin, alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-M), immunoglobulin G, ceruloplasmin and antithrombin were determined in fluids collected from 53 preovulatory equine follicles and compared with the contents of estradiol-17 beta, progesterone and androstenedione, with follicle size and the amounts of the equivalent proteins in normal equine plasma. The concentration of fibronectin and the fibronectin/albumin ratios increased significantly with follicle size and with follicular estradiol levels. The alpha 2-M levels and alpha 2-M/albumin ratios correlated with f...
Study on the gastrointestinal parasite fauna of ponies in northern Germany. Quantitative faecal and post-mortem examinations of 16 ponies, 1 to 2 1/2 years of age, originating from 3 farms in northern Germany were performed in February 1995 to determine the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites in these animals. A total of 33 species of metazoan parasites was recovered: three tapeworm species (Anoplocephala perfoliata, A. magna, Paranoplocephala mamillana), Strongylus vulgaris, S. edentatus, small strongyles (including four Triodontophorus spp., Craterostomum acuticaudatum and 19 cyathostome species), Oxyuris equi, Parascaris equorum, Habronema majus ...
Equine synovial villi: distinctive structural organization of vasculature and novel nerve endings. The structural arrangement and cellular distribution of endothelial and lining cells of the synovial villi were studied in the equine palmar/plantar recess of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints by light microscopy and electron microscopy. The extent and distribution of blood vessels varied with villous shape and length. The majority of vessels formed concentric circles in cross and longitudinal sections and probably are arranged in a convoluted, spiral or helical pattern. The villi do not contain smooth muscle cells or typical capillaries as observed in other organs. Under the elect...
Evaluation of young or unproven horses for potential exercise intolerance. The determination of poor performance in the young or unproven horse can be a difficult experience for the practitioner. This article describes an incremental exercise test that may be helpful in determining the cause of poor performance in horses when a complete physical examination and a lameness examination fail to elucidate the causes of poor performance. Included are values from normal yearling and 2-year-old horses that have undergone the incremental exercise test.
[Observations of Setaria equina (Nematoda: Setariidae) with the optical microscope and scanning electron microscope]. Adults of S. equina (Spirurida, Setariidae), 1 male and 2 females, collected from vaginal sac of stallion, were studied by soanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amphids, cephalic and cervical papillae, peribuccal ring, fine transverse bands and bosses of the cuticle, as well as caudal papillae were visualized clearly at this examination. The results of the present survey contribute towards the identification of S. equina, improve the definition of the characters which are demonstrated by common light microscopy and give the exact number of male caudal papillae including the lateral cloacal r...
Testing methods for exercise intolerance in horses. The many testing methods available and the increasing sophistication of diagnostic equipment have enhanced greatly our capabilities to diagnose causes of exercise intolerance in the equine athlete during the last several years. High-speed treadmill examination has become the focus of this form of evaluation. Not all clinicians perform or have access to high-speed treadmill examinations. Testing methods that require the use of the high-speed treadmill, as well as methods that do not, are discussed.
Exercise intolerance and poor performance in western performance and sprint horses. This article deals with the presenting histories, clinical examinations, and therapies of the causes of poor performance and exercise intolerance in the western performance horse and the sprint racehorse. The veterinarian's ability to diagnose and treat various pathophysiologic conditions that affect these horses is crucial to the major goals of a return to optimal performance and a long athletic career. Although these horses are a significant portion of most veterinary practices, there exists a minimal amount of information on their clinical evaluation and treatment. This article intends to f...
A sero-epidemiological survey of equine piroplasmosis in the northern and eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. Serum samples from yearling Thoroughbred horses (n = 176) in the magisterial districts of Colesberg, Venterstad, and Wodehouse in the Northern and Eastern Cape Provinces were collected between September and November 1995 to determine the prevalence of antibodies to Babesia equi and Babesia caballi in these regions. Samples were examined for specific antibodies using the indirect fluorescent antibody test. The 95% confidence intervals for the prevalence of serum antibodies in the 3 districts combined varied from 47% to 61% for B. equi and from 26% to 40% for B. caballi. Antibody prevalence did ...
Upper respiratory causes of exercise intolerance. The respiratory system is a frequent cause of exercise intolerance in performance horses. Labored breathing, fatigue during performance, and prolonged recovery after exercise are common complaints. Inadequate fitness level and diseases of the cardiovascular system are differential diagnoses that share these complaints and should be ruled out. Generation of increased airway noise is a clinical sign that implicates the upper respiratory system. A careful history from the owner and endoscopy of the upper airway are the most useful diagnostic tools. Endoscopy during exercise on a treadmill is indi...
