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Topic:Equine Health
Equine health encompasses the study and management of diseases, disorders, and overall well-being of horses. It involves understanding various physiological systems, preventive care, and treatment strategies to maintain optimal health in equine populations. Common areas of focus include nutrition, infectious diseases, orthopedic conditions, and reproductive health. Research in equine health aims to advance knowledge on diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions, and management practices that improve horse welfare and performance. This page collects peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse aspects of equine health, offering insights into current findings and advancements in the field.
Practical uses for ecdysteroids in mammals including humans: an update. Ecdysteroids are widely used as inducers for gene-switch systems based on insect ecdysteroid receptors and genes of interest placed under the control of ecdysteroid-response elements. We review here these systems, which are currently mainly used in vitro with cultured cells in order to analyse the role of a wide array of genes, but which are expected to represent the basis for future gene therapy strategies. Such developments raise several questions, which are addressed in detail. First, the metabolic fate of ecdysteroids in mammals, including humans, is only poorly known, and the rapid catabo...
Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia in three related Quarter horses in Brazil. Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia belongs to a group of inherited, congenital connective tissue dysplasias usually described as hyperelastosis cutis, cutaneous asthenia, dermatosparaxis, or Ehlers-Danlos-like syndrome. This report presents the clinical and histological features of three related Quarter horses affected with regional dermal asthenia. These horses had bilateral asymmetric lesions of the trunk and lumbar regions, where the skin was hyperextensible. Handling of the skin elicited a painful response and superficial trauma led to skin wounds. The skin was thinner than normal ...
Equine infectious anemia virus-infected dendritic cells retain antigen presentation capability. To determine if equine monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC) were susceptible to equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infection, ex vivo-generated DC were infected with virus in vitro. EIAV antigen was detected by immunofluorescence 3 days post-infection with maximum antigen being detected on day 4, whereas there was no antigen detected in DC incubated with the same amount of heat-inactivated EIAV. No cytolytic activity was observed after EIAV(WSU5) infection of DC. These monocyte-derived DC were more effective than macrophages and B cells in stimulating allogenic T lymphocytes. Both infected...
Neurological syndromes among horses in The Netherlands. A 5 year retrospective survey (1999-2004). The presence of toxins or infectious agents combined with environmental factors in combination with a susceptible host can be the cause for neurological disease in groups of horses. During a 5 year observational period outbreaks of neurological diseases among horses were evaluated. Causes of occurring neurological diseases were equine botulism, lolitrem intoxications, equine herpesvirus type 1-associated myelo(encephalo)pathy, and encephalitis caused by (disseminated) Streptococcus equi subspecies equi infection. This article focuses on the first three syndromes because of their predominant in...
Serum osteocalcin and CTX-MMP concentration in young exercising thoroughbred racehorses. Bone responds to exercise with changes in bone (re-)modelling, which might be monitored non-invasively with biochemical bone markers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of exercise on serum osteocalcin and serum carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen generated by matrix metalloproteinases (CTX-MMP) concentration in young racehorses. Seventy-one 2 to 4-year-old Thoroughbreds were included in this prospective infield study. Blood sampling was performed six times (i.e. six sampling cycles) during a 9-month period. Serum samples were analysed with commercial ...
Disseminated acute concomitant aspergillosis and mucormycosis in a pony. A 6-year-old female pony died after 2 days of prostration. Clinical signs included hyperthermia and abnormal pulmonary auscultation sounds. Necropsy revealed diffuse severe necrohaemorrhagic colitis and splenitis, multiple visceral ecchymoses, petechial haemorrhages in the brain and lungs. Microscopical examination showed acute necrohaemorrhagic colitis, encephalitis, pneumonia and splenitis associated with fibrinoid vasculitis, thrombosis and fungal hyphae within and around vessels. Immunohistologically, concomitant aspergillosis (caused by Aspergillus fumigatus) and mucormycosis (causde by A...
Simultaneous analysis of twenty-one glucocorticoids in equine plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. A method for the simultaneous separation, identification, quantification and confirmation of the presence of 21 glucocorticoids (GCC) in equine plasma by liquid chromatography coupled with triple stage quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC/TSQ-MS/MS) is described. Plasma sample augmented with the 21 GCC was extracted with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and analyzed by positive electrospray ionization. Desoxymetasone or dichlorisone acetate was used as the internal standard (IS). Quantification was performed by IS calibration. For each drug, one major product ion was chosen and used for scree...
Optimization of assay conditions for leukotriene B4 synthesis by neutrophils or platelets isolated from peripheral blood of monogastric animals. Neutrophils are involved in inflammation through leukotriene (LT) production. The predominant proinflammatory leukotriene released from neutrophils is LTB4, which serves as a biological marker of inflammation. The purpose of this study was to optimize the conditions ex vivo for LTB4 production by neutrophils from horses and dogs, and platelets from chickens. Optimal production of LTB4 was characterized by incubation time (2.5, 5, 10, 15 or 20 min), temperature (25 or 37 degrees C), and calcium ionophore A23187 concentration (0.1, 1, 10 or 20 microM). Incubation longer than 2.5 min did not incr...
Expression of aromatase and oestrogen receptors in reproductive tissues of the stallion and a single cryptorchid visualised by means of immunohistochemistry. Androgen metabolism may proceed to amplify the action of testosterone by its aromatisation to oestradiol. Recently, a growing body of evidence suggests a role of oestrogens in the male reproductive tract via their specific oestrogen receptors (ERs). In order to check whether androgens are converted to oestrogens in the testis, epididymis and prostate of the stallion, the expression of aromatase was visualised by means of immunohistochemistry. Moreover, to show the cellular targets for oestrogens the presence of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and oestrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) was demonst...
The detection of modafinil and its major metabolite in equine urine by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. A method has been developed for the detection of modafinil and its major metabolite, modafinil acid, in equine urine by solid-phase extraction and positive ion electrospray ionisation liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The method has been applied to the analysis of equine urine samples obtained after the oral administration of modafinil. Modafinil acid was the major component in the urine, and was detected up to 4 days post-administration. Unchanged modafinil was present at substantially lower concentrations, and was detected for only 24 hours.
Nitric oxide levels and nitric oxide synthase expression in uterine samples from mares susceptible and resistant to persistent breeding-induced endometritis. Breeding-induced endometritis (BIE) in the mare is resolved by 36 hr after insemination in resistant mares. However, 10-15% susceptible broodmares fail to do so because of impaired uterine contractility between 7 and 19 hr after exposure to seminal or bacterial challenge, which reduces their fertility. Methods: Nitric oxide (NO) in uterine secretions, and expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in uterine biopsies were compared between susceptible and resistant groups 13 hr after insemination. Results: Susceptible mares had a higher NO in their uterine secretions and greater inducible NOS (i...
Expression patterns of hedgehog signaling peptides in naturally acquired equine osteochondrosis. Hypertrophic differentiation and endochondral ossification of growth cartilage are regulated by a complex array of signaling peptides, including parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP), Indian hedgehog (Ihh), and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). This study investigated the expression of Ihh, Patched1 and 2 (Ptc1, Ptc2), Smoothened (Smo), Gli1, and Gli3, in naturally acquired articular osteochondrosis, using an equine model. Cartilage was harvested from osteochondrosis (OC) affected femoropatellar or scapulohumeral joints from immature horses and normal control horses of similar age. Ih...
Molecular characterization of Thelazia lacrymalis (Nematoda, Spirurida) affecting equids: a tool for vector identification. Equine thelaziosis caused by the eyeworm Thelazia lacrymalis is a parasitic disease transmitted by muscid flies. Although equine thelaziosis is known to have worldwide distribution, information on the epidemiology and presence of the intermediate hosts of T. lacrymalis is lacking. In the present work, a PCR-RFLP based assay on the first and/or second internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) of ribosomal DNA was developed for the detection of T. lacrymalis DNA in its putative vector(s). The sensitivity of the technique was also assessed. The restriction patterns obtained readily differentiat...
Susceptibility of 7 freshwater gastropod species in Zimbabwe to infection with Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus (Cobbold, 1876) Looss, 1896. Gastrodiscosis outbreaks due to Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus were recorded in horses in the vicinity of Harare, Zimbabwe, in the absence of Bulinus forskalii, B. senegalensis and Cleopatra sp. which are considered to be the only intermediate host snails. This suggested the possibility of other snail species acting as intermediate hosts in the life cycle of the trematode. A study was carried out to determine the susceptibility of 7 freshwater snail species to infection with G. aegyptiacus. First generation (F-1) of 5 freshwater pulmonate snail species, Bulinus tropicus, Bulinus globosus, Biomphalar...
The inheritance of liability to epistaxis in the southern African Thoroughbred. This study was carried out to estimate the heritability of liability to epistaxis in the southern African Thoroughbred population. Data of all horses that suffered epistaxis while racing in southern Africa and Mauritius from 1986 to 2002 and involving 1252 bleeders were analysed. Pedigree data covering the period 1960-1986 was used as required to calculate the incidence of bleeding amongst ancestors of the post-1986 era. Only pedigrees of horses that raced were included in this study as it was not possible to predict whether non-runners would have bled had they raced. Consequently all non-runn...
Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural detection of intestinal spirochetes in Thoroughbred horses. Studies of equine intestinal spirochetes have long focused on intestinal contents alone, but intestinal spirochetosis has been reported recently in a 21-month-old Thoroughbred colt in Japan. To define the clinical and pathological significances of intestinal spirochetosis in several horses, an epizootiologic survey with histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural methods was conducted for Brachyspira antigen-containing intestinal spirochetes in 12 diseased or injured Thoroughbred horses, aged from 35 days to 17 years. Brachyspira antigen-containing spirochetes were found in 7 of 12 ho...
Dopamine receptors in equine ovarian tissues. Dopamine (DA) agonist and antagonist treatments can affect ovarian reproductive events in the mare. To support our theory that DA produces these effects by acting directly on the ovary, we analyzed equine ovarian tissues for the presence of dopamine receptor-1 (D1r) and dopamine receptor-2 (D2r) mRNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and D1r and D2r proteins by Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC). RT-PCR was performed on RNA isolated from ovarian cortex, medulla, granulosa/theca or corpus luteum (CL) tissues and from pituitary (D2r control) and renal artery (D...
Effects of short-term feed deprivation and melatonin implants on circadian patterns of leptin in the horse. Leptin is a protein hormone produced by adipose tissue that influences hypothalamic mechanisms regulating appetite and energy balance. In species tested thus far, including horses, concentrations of leptin increase as animal fat mass increases. The variables and mechanisms that influence the secretion of leptin are not well known, nor is it known in equine species how the secretion of leptin is influenced by acute alterations in energy balance, circadian patterns, and/or reproductive competence. Our objectives were to determine in horses: 1) whether plasma concentrations of leptin are secreted...
Evaluation of gastrointestinal activity patterns in healthy horses using B mode and Doppler ultrasonography. Healthy adult horses were examined by using transabdominal ultrasonography to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate activity of the jejunum, cecum, and colon with B mode and Doppler techniques. Doppler ultrasound was used to assess jejunal peristaltic activity. Examinations were performed on multiple occasions under imposed colic evaluation conditions, including fasting, nasogastric intubation, and xylazine sedation. In fasted horses, jejunal visibility was increased and jejunal, cecal, and colonic activity was decreased. The stomach was displaced ventrally and was visualized ventral to th...
Evaluation of a PCR to detect Salmonella in fecal samples of horses admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital. The diagnostic accuracy of a PCR used to identify horses shedding Salmonella spp. in their feces during hospitalization was estimated, relative to bacterial culture of serially collected fecal samples, using longitudinal data. Five or more fecal samples were collected from each of 116 horses admitted as inpatients, for reasons other than gastrointestinal disease, between July 26, 2001 and October 25, 2002. All 873 fecal samples collected were tested with a PCR based on oligonucleotide primers defining a highly conserved segment of the histidine transport operon gene of Salmonella typhimurium, ...
Culicoides and other biting flies on the Palos Verdes Peninsula of Southern California, and their possible relationship to equine dermatitis. Biting insects were sampled to investigate the cause(s) of dermatitis (putative Culicoides hypersensitivity [CHS]) on horses on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, California. Suction traps baited with CO2 were operated at 5 sites from April 2002 to August 2003, supplemented by sampling from horses. Six species of Culicoides, 7 species of mosquitoes, and occasional Simulium and Stomoxys were collected in traps. Culicoides sonorensis was the most common midge trapped, although C. obsoletus and C. freeborni also were collected repeatedly. Insects from the belly region of horses in sp...
The timing and distribution of strains around the surface of the midshaft of the third metacarpal bone during treadmill exercise in one Thoroughbred racehorse. To confirm that the midshaft dorsal cortex of the third metacarpal bone experienced higher compressive strains during fast exercise than the medial or lateral cortices, and that the strain peak occurred earlier in the hoof-down phase of the stride on the dorsal cortex than the medial or lateral cortices. Methods: Observations of a single horse. Methods: Strains were collected from a single, sound, 3-year-old Thoroughbred mare during treadmill exercise from rosette strain gauges implanted onto the medial, lateral and dorsal surfaces of the midshaft of the right cannon bone, simultaneously with ...
Influence of starch intake on growth and skeletal development of weanling horses. Forty-four weanling horses were used in two experiments to evaluate the effect of starch intake on growth and skeletal development. In Exp. 1, the weanlings were fed either a grain-based, high-starch (31.1%, DM basis) concentrate or a by-product-based, low-starch (0.0%) concentrate with coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) hay. Corn oil was used to equalize the energy concentration of the concentrates. The concentrate:hay ratio was 64:36 (as-fed basis), and intake was the same for both diets. Body weight gains were greater by the weanlings consuming the high-starch concentrate (0.81 vs. 0.6...
Potential of equine herpesvirus 1 as a vector for immunization. Key problems using viral vectors for vaccination and gene therapy are antivector immunity, low transduction efficiencies, acute toxicity, and limited capacity to package foreign genetic information. It could be demonstrated that animal and human cells were efficiently transduced with equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) reconstituted from viral DNA maintained and manipulated in Escherichia coli. Between 13 and 23% of primary human CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD11b+, and CD19+ cells and more than 70% of CD4+ MT4 cells or various human tumor cell lines (MeWo, Huh7, HeLa, 293T, or H1299) could be transduced with o...
Evolution of the equine infectious anemia virus long terminal repeat during the alteration of cell tropism. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a lentivirus with in vivo cell tropism primarily for tissue macrophages; however, in vitro the virus can be adapted to fibroblasts and other cell types. Tropism adaptation is associated with both envelope and long terminal repeat (LTR) changes, and findings strongly suggest that these regions of the genome influence cell tropism and virulence. Furthermore, high levels of genetic variation have been well documented in both of these genomic regions. However, specific EIAV nucleotide or amino acid changes that are responsible for cell tropism changes have ...
LH and IGF-1 release during oestrus and early luteal phase in lactating and non-lactating horse mares. The aim of the present study was to determine effects of lactation on basal LH and IGF-1 concentrations and on the LH response to a GnRH-analogue at different stages of the oestrous cycle in mares. A total of 17 cyclic Haflinger mares were included in the study. Experiments were performed on lactating mares in first postpartum oestrus, the subsequent early luteal phase, and second postpartum oestrus. Non-lactating mares were used in oestrus and early luteal phase. Blood samples were taken for 1 h at 15 min intervals. Mares were then injected with the GnRH-analogue buserelin (GnRHa; 5 microg i....
Laboratory confirmed positive cases of equine West Nile virus in Alberta in 2003. Through collaborations with Alberta Health and Wellness; Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; Alberta Sustainable Resource Development; and Alberta Environment, a surveillance program was implemented to detect West Nile virus (WNV) in Alberta and to explore the distribution of the virus in mosquito pools, wild birds, humans, and horses. The surveillance in horses was to detect the presence of the virus in Alberta and to explore possibilities of reducing the risk of infection in both humans and horses. This report gives the frequency, distribution, clinical symptoms, and associated ...
