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.
Oke SL, Hurtig MB, Keates RA, Wright JR.To develop a new 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay for measurement of sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) concentrations in equine synovial fluid (SF) by use of membrane technology and to compare the assay's ability to measure sGAG concentrations with that of 2 other established DMMB assays. Methods: 25 samples of SF collected from affected joints of 14 horses and 13 samples of SF collected from nonaffected (control) joints of 4 horses. Methods: A solid-phase DMMB assay was developed to measure sGAG concentrations in SE Results for the assay were then compared with results obtained by use ...
Vonaparti A, Lyris E, Panderi I, Koupparis M, Georgakopoulos C.In equine sport, salicylic acid is prohibited with a threshold level of 750 microg mL(-1) in urine; hence, doping control laboratories have to establish quantitative and qualitative methods for its determination. A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for the quantification and identification of salicylic acid. Urine samples after 900-fold dilution and addition of the internal standard (4-methylsalicylic acid) were directly injected to the liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry system. Electrospray ionization i...
Fernández-Garayzábal JF, LaFrentz S, Casamayor A, Abarca E, Mohammed HH, Cuming RS, Arias CR, Domínguez L, Vela AI.Twenty-two unidentified Gram-positive, rod-shaped organisms were recovered from the conjunctival surface of apparently healthy horses and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Based on cellular morphology and biochemical criteria, the isolates were tentatively assigned to the genus , although they did not match any recognized species. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies demonstrated that all of the isolates were phylogenetically members of the genus The isolates shared 99.4 to 100% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity among the strains and 96.5% similarity with 2385/12, which w...
Drudge JH, Lyons ET, Tolliver SC.Four controlled tests (experiments A, B, C, and D) were conducted in naturally infected yearling equids to evaluate activity of ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg IM) against migrating Strongylus vulgaris and S edentatus in mesenteric arteries and ventral abdominal wall, respectively. Data were also obtained on activity against other internal parasites of the gastrointestinal tract and eyeworms. The type and number of equids in the experiments were as follows: experiment A-3 ponies, 2 treated and 1 non-treated; experiment B-4 mixed-bred horses, 2 treated and 2 nontreated; experiment C-5 mixed-bred horses, ...
Lewis CW, Williamson AK, Chen AC, Bae WC, Temple MM, Wong WV, Nugent GE, James SP, Wheeler DL, Sah RL, Kawcak CE.To determine and correlate subchondral bone mineral density and overlying cartilage structure and tensile integrity in mature healthy equine stifle (low magnitude loading) and metacarpophalangeal (high magnitude loading) joints. Methods: 8 healthy horses, 2 to 3 years of age. Methods: Osteochondral samples were acquired from the medial femoral condyle (FC) and medial trochlear ridge (TR) of the stifle joint and from the dorsal (MC3D) and palmar (MC3P) aspects of the distal medial third metacarpal condyles of the metacarpophalangeal joint. Articular cartilage surface fibrillation (evaluated via...
Cota LO, Malacarne BD, Dias LA, Neto ACP, Kneipp MLA, Cavalcante MA, Cunha MSLD, Paz CFR, Carvalho AM, Faleiros RR, Xavier ABDS.The analgesic specificity of navicular bursa (NB) anesthetic infiltration is still questionable. The study aimed to determine the mechanical nociceptive threshold of non-specific analgesia in the dorsal lamellar stratum, as well as in the sole, coronary band, and heel bulbs of the hoof, after navicular bursa anesthetic infiltration. Six healthy horses with no clinical or radiographic changes of the digits and no communication between the NB and the distal interphalangeal joint, were used. After random selection, the NB of one of the forelimbs was infiltrated with 2% lidocaine and the contralat...
Gabal MA, Mohammed KA.An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was evaluated for the detection of antibody in sera of equine naturally infected with Histoplasma farciminosum 'epizootic lymphangitis'. Ten sera from naturally infected horses were tested. A hydrogen peroxide ABTS mixture constituted the substrate. The reactions were read as the absorbance values measured at 405 nm using a spectrophotometer. The standard deviation and the average percentage of the absorbance values of the different serum samples were considered in the interpretation of the results. All sera were proved positive with variations in the diffe...
Lloyd KC.Despite clinical signs compatible with obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract, the clinician occasionally is unable to identify a gastrointestinal cause for colic. In this article, disorders not originating from obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract but causing real or apparent abdominal pain are presented as alternative causes of colic. In addition, colic of gastrointestinal origin may be the primary inciting factor or a secondary complication of an alternative disorder, causing colic-like signs. Recognition of alternative diagnoses relies on a thorough and cons...
Lepage OM, Eicher R, Uebelhart B, Tschudi P.To evaluate applicability of a human osteocalcin (OC) immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for use with equine serum and compare it with a bovine radioimmunoassay (RIA) previously proven valid for such samples, and to describe the effect of type and breed of horses on serum OC concentration. Methods: 100 healthy horses of either sex, classified as type I or II (draught or warmblood, respectively). Each type was represented by 2 breed groups, each comprising 25 horses. Methods: Blood samples were collected in the morning, and the serum was separated. Osteocalcin was measured, using commercially avail...
Silva GF, Cunha R, Carvalho F, Ribeiro M, Rocha A, Amorim I, Guimarães T.A 30-year-old Lusitano stallion presented with an enlarged right epididymis. The ultrasound scan revealed a cyst-like formation and the histopathological examination was compatible with epididymal cyst located at the body/tail transition, epididymal spermatocele and sperm granuloma and epididymitis. However, these conditions did not seem to affect the animal's reproductive performance, nor did the semen parameters analyzed over the 8 years after the diagnosis show significant changes. Nevertheless, since the ejaculate contains mostly sperm cells from the tail of the epididymis, where fertile s...
Reed L, MacNicol JL, Charchoglyan A, Brewer D, Murrant C, Pearson W.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a botanical-based equine nutraceutical on contractility of gastric smooth muscle in vitro. Gastric ulcers are prevalent in performance horses and negatively impact horse welfare. Gastric hypermotility has been positively associated with the development of gastric ulceration in nonequine species, and reduction of hypermotility may be protective against their development. Stomachs from 12 pigs processed for food at a provincially inspected abattoir were collected within 1 hour of slaughter. Explants of nonglandular gastric tissue were p...
Bostedt H, Sieme H, Bartmann CP, Handler J, Sobiraj A, Wehrend A.This review describes stepwise the recto-manual and transrectal ultrasonographic evidence of early pregnancy detection in the horse. The morphological and physiological conditions in the individual phases of early pregnancy are presented in correlation to the potential clinical findings. The importance of embryonic and early foetal losses is presented. Communication and documentation of findings are also addressed. The final section is devoted to the evaluation of the examination effort. In this regard, it is emphasized that the gynaecological examination for the evaluation of the pregnancy st...
Kumar S, Rakha NK, Goyal L, Goel P, Kumar R, Kumar A, Kumar S.Theileria equi merozoite surface antigens have been an important candidate for development of diagnostics. We developed ELISA based on EMA-1 recombinant antigen, so as to widen our diagnostic confidence in detection of antibodies against T. equi in sero-surveillance studies. The 547 bp EMA-1 gene fragment encoding high hydrophilic antigenic region was expressed with glutathione-S-transferase tag in prokaryotic system and purified protein (43 kDa) was used for development of ELISA (EMA-1t/ELISA). The EMA-1t/ELISA clearly differentiated T. equi-infected from Babesia caballi-infected horse sera o...
Brosnan RJ, Steffey EP, Esteller-Vico A, Vaughan B, Liu IK.Digital perfusion pressure (DPP) equals mean arterial pressure (MAP) at the hoof coronet minus digital interstitial pressure (DIP) within the hoof. To test whether lamellar blood flow (LBF) changes proportionately to DPP, anesthesia was induced and maintained with isoflurane in six horses to target a MAP of 60 mmHg. Arterial, venous, and hoof interstitial pressures were measured in each pelvic limb. LBF was measured using fluorescent microspheres during dobutamine infusions targeting either 60 (low), 80 (medium), or 100 (high) mmHg MAP. Following euthanasia, hoof lamina was collected for micro...
Carnevale EM.Methods for the collection and transfer of equine oocytes have been developed, and uses of these techniques have resulted in new clinical and research possibilities. Because oocyte transfer avoids reproductive problems associated with the oviduct, uterus, and cervix, pregnancies can be produced from many mares that cannot carry a pregnancy or produce embryos. Oocytes for clinical transfers are usually collected from preovulatory follicles and cultured for a short interval or transferred directly into a recipient's oviduct. For oocyte transfer, the recipient is inseminated within the uterus. A ...
Kohn CW, Knight DA, Yvorchyk-St Jean KE, Scaman PA, Ruey PR.After a three day acclimatization period, six healthy, young (aged 4 to 20 days) orphan foals of mixed breeding were fed 100 per cent of their caloric needs (estimated at 523 kjoules/kg bodyweight [bwt] or 125 kcal/kg bwt/day) as a low residue isotonic feeding solution (LRF) for seven days. The solution provided 4.18 kjoules (1 kcal/ml) and was fortified with minerals and protein to meet estimated foal requirements. The solution was fed through an indwelling 12 French feeding tube. Five of the six foals completed the study; the loss of the sixth foal apparently was unrelated to the feeding pro...
Wallace FJ, Emery JD, Cripps AW, Husband AJ.The ability of mucosally administered antigen to provide protection against Streptococcus equi ('Strangles') infections in horses was examined. First, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect the immune status of horses to S. equi. This assay was used to select Strangles-naive horses for the study and also to monitor their response to immunisation. Potential vaccine candidates were: (a) orally administered paraformaldehyde killed S. equi; (b) intraperitoneally (IP) administered paraformaldehyde killed S. equi in a non-inflammatory adjuvant; (c) orally administered l...
Dyke TM, Sams RA, Hinchcliff KW.To measure renal clearance of antipyrine and urinary excretion of antipyrine (AP) metabolites in horses by use of validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. Methods: 8 Standardbred mares. Methods: HPLC methods for measurement of AP in equine plasma and AP and its metabolites in equine urine were validated. Antipyrine (20 mg/kg of body weight) was administered i.v., and blood samples and urine specimens were collected over 24 hours. Results: Median plasma clearance of AP in horses was 6.2 ml/min/kg, of which < 2% could be attributed to renal clearance. Urinary excretion...
Tutunaru A, Dupont J, Gougnard A, Ida K, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.To the authors' knowledge, there are no reports describing the use of cis-atracurium in the horse. To describe the onset time and the duration of the neuromuscular blockade (NMB) of three different doses of cis-atracurium in horses and to determine the appropriate dose needed maintain a NMB. Retrospective study. Horses which received cis-atracurium as part of a balanced anaesthetic protocol at the Equine Teaching Hospital of the University of Liège between March 2014 and June 2017 were included in this study. A train-of-four (TOF) stimulation pattern was used to assess the NMB. The cis-atracu...
Guimarães AM, Bruhn FRP, Ribeiro MJM, Rosa MHF, de Mello Garcia A, da Rocha CMBM, de Assis Rocha I.Theileria equi, a protozoon in the phylum Apicomplexa, is the causative agent of equine theileriosis. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of IgG antibodies against T. equi, by using the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) reaction and correlating the serostatus with some epidemiological variables relating to the way in which Mangalarga Marchador horses are raised in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. In this study, 506 horses were used, all clinically healthy, on 53 horse farms distributed across 27 municipalities in southern Minas Gerais. The statistical te...
Ma X, Wang C, Zhang B, Xia L, Su Y.Strangles is a highly prevalent, extremely contagious, and occasionally lethal infectious disease affecting horses worldwide. Prophylactic antibiotics are ineffective in prevention of disease but are recommended for exposed horses at the first sign of fever and any horse obviously ill from strangles or with complications and there is an urgent need of a cost-effective, safe, efficacious vaccine. In the present study, we sought to develop effective vaccines by fusing the Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) antigen SeM with the flagellin of Salmonella abortus equi FljB. We also explored...
Waldern NM, Kubli V, Dittmann MT, Amport C, Krieg C, Weishaupt MA.In Icelandic horses (ICE), high, long hooves with added weights are often used to improve gait quality in competitions. From a biomechanical point of view, excessively long hooves can be problematic as they increase forces acting on the distal limb. The study aimed to determine if hoof capsule size and angle of ICE at competitions are comparable to those of Warmblood horses (WB) requiring shoeing. Hoof dimensions and balance were quantified in 13 horses of each breed at the beginning of a shoeing period (BSP), allowing a baseline comparison between breeds, as well as for WB at the end of a sho...
Gee EK, Firth EC, Morel PC, Fennessy PF, Grace ND, Mogg TD.To determine the influence of copper (Cu) supplementation by injection of mares in late gestation on the frequency and severity of osteochondrosis (OC) lesions in their foals at around 160 days of age. To determine if there was any influence of the concentration of Cu in the liver, growth rate, birthweight, weight at 160 days of age, fatness, sex, or year of birth of the foal on the frequency and severity of OC lesions. To determine the influence of dam's age, and sex and birthweight of the foal on the growth rate from birth to 160 days of age, and weight at 160 days of age. Methods: Thirty-th...
Holguin-Rocha AF, Calle-Tobon A, Vásquez GM, Astete H, Fisher ML, Tobon-Castano A, Velez-Tobon G, Maldonado-Ruiz LP, Silver K, Park Y....Ticks are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit pathogens among various vertebrates, including humans. The composition of the microbial and viral communities in addition to the pathogenic microorganisms is highly diverse in ticks, but the factors driving the diversity are not well understood. The tropical horse tick, , is distributed throughout the Americas and it is recognized as a natural vector of and , the causal agents of equine piroplasmosis. We characterized the bacterial and viral communities associated with partially-fed females collected by a passive survey on hors...
Zhang XY, Zhu FX, Robinson NE.To investigate the effects of changes in intracellular cAMP on alpha 2-adrenoceptor (AR)-induced inhibition of airway acetylcholine (ACh) release, we examined the effects of the alpha 2-AR agonist clonidine on electrical field stimulation-evoked ACh release from equine tracheal parasympathetic nerves before and after treatment with 8-bromo-cAMP or forskolin. We also tested whether charybdotoxin (ChTX)- or iberiotoxin (IBTX)-sensitive Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels mediate alpha 2-AR-induced inhibition by examining the effect of clonidine in the absence and presence of ChTX or IBTX on ACh release...
Olive J, Vila T, Serraud N.To compare navicular bone marrow lesion (BML) conspicuity in the feet of horses as determined via 2 fat-suppressed MRI techniques, including standard short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and inversion recovery gradient echo (IRGE). Methods: Feet (n = 150) of horses with lameness referable to the distal portion of the digit. Methods: STIR and IRGE sequences were obtained prospectively in all feet with a standing low-field equine MRI system. Presence of a BML was ascertained by identification of a characteristic combination of marrow alterations in T1-weighted, T2*-weighted, T2-weighted, and STIR...
Moore RM, Bertone AL, Muir WW.To evaluate the effect of high-molecular weight (MW) dextran macromolecules on low-flow ischemia and reperfusion of the large colon in horses. Methods: Horses subjected to low-flow ischemia and reperfusion of the large colon were treated with either 0.9 NaCl (group 1, n = 6) or high-MW dextran (group 2, n = 6) solutions. Methods: 12 adults horses. Methods: Horses were subjected to 3 hours' low-flow ischemia followed by 3 hours' reperfusion. A dose of either 0.9% NaCl or a 6% solution of high-MW (250,000) dextran (10 ml/kg of body weight) was administered i.v., 30 minutes prior to reperfusion. ...
Gordon D, Clark-Price S, Keating S, Schaeffer DJ, Lascola KM.This study evaluated the effects of various flow rates and fractions of oxygen on arterial blood gas parameters and on the fraction of inspired oxygen (FO) delivered to the distal trachea. Oxygen was administered to 6 healthy, conscious, standing, adult horses via single nasal cannula positioned within the nasopharynx. Three flow rates (5, 15, 30 L/min) and fractions of oxygen (21, 50, 100%) were delivered for 15 minutes, each in a randomized order. FO was measured at the level of the nares and distal trachea. Adverse reactions were not observed with any flow rate. FO (nares and trachea) and P...
A 25-year-old pony mare was presented to the clinic with preliminarily reported severe acute colic. The pony during the previous week had shown inappetence, apathy and fever of unknown origin. Clinical examination and placement of a gastric tube were indicative of a secondary gastric dilation. Rectal exploration found moderate caecal meteorism with a tensed and painful medial taenia as well as a dilated and fluid-filled small intestine. In addition, a solid, mobile, non-painful structure of approximately 10 cm diameter was palpated ventrally. A hyperechogenic mass close to the caecum was detec...
Powers JD, Powers TE, Varma KJ, Gabel AA, Spurlock SL.Quantification of the clinical manifestations of a disease has been a serious problem particularly as related to clinical trials or drug efficacy studies. Historically, this quantification has been limited to categorizing each patient into one of three or four groups, e.g. worse, no improvement, improved. This problem becomes serious when an investigation utilizes an experimentally induced animal disease model. A health index, which quantifies the clinical state of horses which have an experimentally induced beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection, is described. Aspects of experimental design a...
