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.
Suvá M, Arnold VH, Wiedenmann EA, Jordan R, Galvagno E, Martínez M, Vichera GD.Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is an asexual reproductive technique where cloned offspring contain the same genetic material as the original donor. Although this technique preserves the sex of the original animal, the birth of sex-reversed offspring has been reported in some species. Here, we report for the first time the birth of a female foal generated by SCNT of a male nuclear donor. After a single SCNT procedure, 16 blastocysts were obtained and transferred to eight recipient mares, resulting in the birth of two clones: one male and one female. Both animals had identical genetic prof...
Aparicio IM, Rojo-Domínguez P, Castillejo-Rufo A, Peña FJ, Tapia JA.Despite its importance in somatic cells and during spermatogenesis, little is known about the role that autophagy may play in ejaculated spermatozoa. Our aim was to investigate whether the molecular components of autophagy, such as microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), are activated in stallion spermatozoa during the capacitation and acrosome reaction and if this activation could modulate these biological processes. To analyze the autophagy turnover, LC3I and LC3II proteins were assessed by western blotting, and the ratio between both proteins (LC3II/LC3I) was calculated. In so...
Song Y, Day CM, Afinjuomo F, Tan JE, Page SW, Garg S.While the global market for veterinary products has been expanding rapidly, there is still a lack of specialist knowledge of equine pharmaceutics. In many cases, the basic structure of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and integumentary system of the horse shares similarities with those of humans. Generally, the dosage form developed for humans can be repurposed to deliver equine medications; however, due to physiological variation, the therapeutic outcomes can be unpredictable. This is an area that requires more research, as there is a clear deficiency in literature precedence on drug delivery...
Gysens L, Depuydt E, Patruno M, Haspeslagh M, Spaas JH, Martens A.Sarcoids are the most common equine skin tumours Although they do not metastasize, they can be locally aggressive and cause significant clinical symptoms in affected horses. Despite being common, very little is known about the host immune response and the biological mechanisms underlying persistence and recurrence of equine sarcoids. The latter reflects the need for further research in this field. This in-vitro study used sarcoid explants from horses with naturally occurring sarcoids (n = 12) to evaluate the induction of a humoral immune response directed against equine sarcoid-derived bovin...
Yildirim F, Yildiz A, Cengiz MM, Temel M, Küreksiz A.Horses in stalls generally remain in single-stall housing, so abnormal behavior can be observed in this management condition. Abnormal behavior can harm the horse's keeper, rider, or even the animal itself. The present study aims to examine the effect of goats on abnormal behaviors in horses. For this purpose, it placed six horses and six goats in the single-stall housing of the horses, one horse and one goat, and monitored them for 45 d. The research was divided into three observation phases during this time: in the first observation, the horses were left alone (0-15 d), in the second obs...
Halvarsson P, Tydén E.Gastrointestinal nematode parasites are of major concern for horses, where Strongylus vulgaris is considered the most pathogenic among the Strongylus species. Diagnosis of S. vulgaris infections can be determined with next generation sequencing techniques, which are inherently dependent on reference sequences. The best marker for parasitic nematodes is internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and we provide the first complete ITS2 sequences from five morphologically identified S. vulgaris and additional sequences from two S. edentatus. These sequences have high similarity to already published part...
Tyma JF, Epstein KL.Sinusitis and pneumonia following exploratory celiotomy in horses were studied, evaluating associations between these 2 respiratory complications and selected pre-, peri-, and post-operative variables. The incidence of sinusitis was 2.5% (8/318) and pneumonia 3.5% (11/318). These respiratory complications were associated with peri-operative reflux, longer antimicrobial treatment, and longer hospitalization. . La sinusite et la pneumonie consécutives á une coeliotomie exploratoire chez le cheval ont été étudiées, afin d’évaluer les associations entre ces deux complications respiratoire...
Harding C, Viljanto M, Habershon-Butcher J, Taylor P, Scarth J.YK-11 is a steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator, a compound class prohibited in both equine racing and human sports because of their potentially performance enhancing properties. YK-11 is easily accessible via internet-based supplement vendors making this compound a possible candidate for doping; however, its phases I and II metabolism has not yet been reported in the horse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo metabolites of YK-11 in urine and plasma following oral administration with three daily doses of 50 mg to two Thoroughbred horses. In vitro incubations ...
Ternisien T, Dunn M, Vachon C, Manguin E, Bonilla AG, Jean D.Three client-owned horses diagnosed with obstructive ureteral stones were referred and treated in a minimally invasive manner by retrograde ureteroscopy in conjunction with electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) or laser Holmium:YAG lithotripsy (HYL). For all 3 horses, additional tests revealed variable degrees of azotemia and ureteral obstruction. Ultrasound examination (2 horses) revealed a loss of cortico-medullary distinction consistent with a chronic nephropathy. Ultrasound-guided biopsy of the right kidney in 1 horse revealed moderate glomerulosclerosis and lymphoplasmacytic nephritis. A sta...
Johnson SA, Frisbie DD, Griffenhagen GM, King MR.Blood flow restriction (BFR) has become a key rehabilitative tool for human orthopaedic conditions. With modernised technology and evolution of clinical application, patient-specific delivery of occlusion percentages is now considered the standard of care in human patients due to improved therapeutic outcomes and minimised safety risks. Safety validation and limb occlusion pressure (LOP) data for horses, however, are lacking. Objective: (1) To determine if BFR exposure resulted in forelimb biomechanical gait dysfunction as safety validation and (2) to investigate inter-horse and inter-limb LOP...
Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Nemoto M, Ohta M, Tsujimura K.The immune response and protective efficacy of a modified equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) vaccine administered by two different routes were tested in horses. Horses that received intramuscular (IM) priming and an intranasal (IN) booster with a 28-day interval (IM-IN group [n = 6]), IN priming and IM booster (IN-IM group [n = 5]), or no vaccination (control group [n = 6]) were challenged with EHV-1 strain 10-I-224 28 days after the second vaccination. Both vaccinated groups had significantly higher serum virus-neutralizing titers than the control group, with increased levels of ser...
Donnelly CG, Finno CJ.Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy, a marker of neuroaxonal damage, is increased in horses with equine neuroaxonal dystrophy. However, the temporal dynamics of this biomarker during the post-natal risk period are not understood. Objective: To measure serum and cerebrospinal fluid phosphorylated neurofilament heavy concentrations in juvenile foals across the post-natal window of susceptibility for equine neuroaxonal dystrophy. Methods: Case-control in vivo experimental study. Methods: Concentrations of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy were measured using frozen serum and cerebrospinal fluid c...
Shilton CA, Kahler A, Roach JM, Raudsepp T, de Mestre AM.Embryonic and foetal loss remain one of the greatest challenges in equine reproductive health with 5-10% of established day 15 pregnancies and a further 5-10% of day 70 pregnancies failing to produce a viable foal. The underlying reason for these losses is variable but ultimately most cases will be attributed to pathologies of the environment of the developing embryo and later foetus, or a defect intrinsic to the embryo itself that leads to lethality at any stage of gestation right up to birth. Historically, much research has focused on the maternal endometrium, endocrine and immune responses ...
Jones MM, Nuñez CMV.Stress responses can be triggered by several physical and social factors, prompting physiological reactions including increases in glucocorticoid concentrations. In a population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, females previously immunized with the immunocontraceptive agent porcine zona pellucida (PZP) change social groups (bands) more often than unimmunized females, disrupting the social stability within the population. We assessed the effects of increased female group changing behavior (or female turnover) on individual male stress by comparing fecal cor...
Mattei D, Fenn MS, Caraguel C, Vinardell T.The characterization of the blood groups, antibody profiles, and its distribution pattern among different horse breeds and geographic locations, can be very useful in life-threatening situations where a blood transfusion is needed, and compatibility tests are not readily available. This study estimated the distribution of blood types and antibody profiles in Straight Egyptian Arabian horses from Qatar. A total of 20 Straight Egyptian Arabian horses, from multiple origins and genetic background were included. Venous blood from each horse was typed and screened for anti-red blood cell (RBC) hemo...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Fašmon Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of a tincture from the fruit of Mill. ssp. v var. (sweet fennel tincture) when used as a sensory additive in feed and water for drinking for all animal species. The product is a ■■■■■ solution, with a dry matter content of approximately 2.16%. The product contained 0.0586% polyphenols (of which 0.0052% were flavonoids), anethole (0.0006%), anisaldehyde (0.0035%) and estragole (0.0006%). The Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FE...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Fašmon Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of a tincture derived from the fruit of (Mill.) Fuss (parsley tincture) when used as a sensory feed additive for all animal species. The product is a ■■■■■ solution, with a dry matter content of approximately 0.82%. The product contained 0.0198% polyphenols (of which 0.0085% were flavonoids), apiole (0.0083%), elemicin (0.0015%) and myristicin (0.0011%). The Panel on Additives and Prod...
Manfredi JM, Jacob S, Norton E.Endocrine disorders are associated with joint pain and tendon injury in humans, but the effects in the horse are only starting to be understood. Similar patterns of clinical signs and injury appear to affect horses and humans for both orthopedic and endocrine disorders, supporting the use of a one-health approach to tackle these issues. In this Currents in One Health, we will discuss common equine endocrinopathies, current testing recommendations, dietary management, genetic predispositions, and endocrine disorders' effects on performance. Our aim is to use a one-health lens to describe curren...
He H, Palm-Vlasak LS, Chen C, Banks SA, Biedrzycki AH.This study aims to quantitatively characterize the passive kinematics of the healthy, soft tissue-intact equine stifle to establish an objective foundation for providing insights into the etiology of stifle disorders and developing a possible surgical treatment for stifle degenerative disease. Methods: 5 whole-horse specimens. Methods: Reflective markers with intracortical bone pins and a motion capture system were used to investigate the stifle joint kinematics. Kinematics of 5 whole-horse specimens euthanized within 2 hours were calculated for internal/external rotation, adduction/abduction,...
Kimura R, Borankulova S, Maratbek SZ.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of differences in trainer skills on horse training during the early stages of riding habituation by measuring the levels of stress and changes in stress levels. Among nine untrained horses employed, five in Group A were trained by two low-skilled trainers, whereas the remaining four in Group B were trained by two high-skilled trainers using the traditional Kazakh method. Salivary α-amylase concentration was measured as a biomarker of stress immediately before and after each riding session during the training period. In the duration of riding and mooring...
Poradowski D, Chrószcz A.The study consisted of the immunohistochemical analysis of fundic and pyloric mucosa in the equine stomach between the 4th and 11th month of gestation. The accessible material was classified into three age groups using the CRL method. The adult reference group was used to define potential differences between foetal and adult populations of gastric APUD cells. The samples were preserved, prepared, and stained according to the standard protocols. The immunohistochemical reaction was assessed using the semi-quantitative IRS method. The results were documented and statistically analysed. The most ...
Musa-Gobe R, Omeiza G, Nafarnda W, Adamu A.West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging arbovirus which affects humans and horses. A cross sectional study was carried out on 106 local horses in Kaduna and 78 domestic chickens in Federal Capital Territory. A total of 184 sera were screened for West Nile virus anti Pr‑E antibodies using ID Screen® West Nile competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. For the horses, an overall prevalence of 92.45% was recorded while domestic chickens had a preponderance of 7.69%. From our study, there was a statistical significant difference between the occurrences of WNV in stallions than mares with p <...
Hammad A, Gadallah S, Misk T, Sharshar A, Thabet N, Mourad A.This study describes the selected pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of nalbuphine (NAL) in xylazine (XYL)‑sedated horses. Five adult healthy horses were randomly received 2 treatments at a 1‑week interval; XYL treatment (0.55 mg/kg IV) and XYL/NAL treatment (XYL, 0.55 mg/kg IV; NAL, 0.3 mg/kg IV). The measured pharmacodynamic variables were sedative and analgesic effects and the effect on ataxia and some physiological parameters. for the pharmacokinetics of NAL, its plasma concentrations were measured using HPLC and a 2‑compartment analysis was performed. Greater and prolonged sedati...
The Kushum breed is one of the top breeds in the structure of horse breeds in the Aktobe region. In terms of numbers, it ranks third after the Kazakh and Mugalzhar breeds. The Kushum breed in the Aktobe region compares favorably with a number of horse-draft factory breeds in terms of early maturity, fertility, high meat, milk productivity, and economy of keeping. This article describes a new intra-breed type, the "Mamyr-Aktobe" type of the Kushum horse breed of the Aktobe population. The structure of the intra-breed type of Mamyr-Aktobe of the Kushum breed includes three factory lines of stall...
Felici M, Cogger N, Riley CB, Padalino B.There is a lack of information on the number of horses shipped globally by air annually, the purpose of air travel and the routes of their journeys. This pilot study aimed to collect retrospective data on the international movements of horses by air from 2018 to 2021, describe their routes, and identify the possible effects of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Equine transport data was gathered from 7 of 15 international shipping companies (ISCs) and 5 of 8 airlines contacted by email. The seven ISCs performed a median of 10,401 horse movements annually, ranging from a few hundre...
Tou K, Cawley A, Bowen C, Bishop DP, Fu S.The current approach to equine anti-doping is focused on the targeted detection of prohibited substances. However, as new substances are rapidly being developed, the need for complimentary methods for monitoring is crucial to ensure the integrity of the racing industry is upheld. Lipidomics is a growing field involved in the characterisation of lipids, their function and metabolism in a biological system. Different lipids have various biological effects throughout the equine system including platelet aggregation and inflammation. A certain class of lipids that are being reviewed are the eicosa...
Ibrahim M.Rhinoestrus species larvae are considered obligatory parasites of the nasal cavities of equine. This type of myiasis is characterised by sneezing, coughing, olfactory nerve damage and encephalomyelitis. Also, it has a zoonotic importance as the larvae might cause ophthalmomyiasis and conjunctivitis in human. While few studies describing R. purpureus adult fly antennal sensillae are available, the R. usbekistanicus antennal sensillae have never been described. Also, scanty data are available on the adult flies of Rhinoestrus species morphology. For this reason, the current study aimed at identi...
de Laat MA, Warnken T, Delarocque J, Reiche DB, Grob AJ, Feige K, Carslake HB, Durham AE, Sillence MN, Thane KE, Frank N, Brojer J, Lindase S....A glycemic challenge test is used for the diagnosis of insulin dysregulation (ID) in horses and ponies. Different forms of the test exist where the administrative route and dose of glucose vary, which makes interpretation of results challenging. Objective: To evaluate the palatability of, and blood glucose and insulin responses to, carbohydrate pellets fed as an oral glucose test (OGT), and to establish the diagnostic threshold for ID when using the pellets. Methods: University and privately-owned horses and ponies (n = 157) comprised of 31 breeds and both sexes. Methods: Multicenter cohort ...
Frey J.RTX toxins are bacterial pore-forming toxins that are particularly abundant among pathogenic species of Pasteurellaceae, in which they play a major role in virulence. RTX toxins of several primary pathogens of the family of Pasteurellaceae are directly involved in causing necrotic lesions in the target organs. Many RTX toxins are known as haemolysins because they lyse erythrocytes in vitro, an effect that is non-specific, but which serves as a useful marker in bacteriological identification and as an easily measurable signal in vitro in experimental studies. More recent studies have shown that...
Malekipour F, Whitton C, Oetomo D, Lee PV.Despite the important role of subchondral bone in maintaining the integrity of the overlying articular cartilage, little research has focused on measuring its mechanical behavior, particularly under injurious load conditions such as impact compression. In this study, the stiffness and the absorbed energy of subchondral bone were compared to that of its overlying cartilage by applying impact compression to equine cartilage-bone specimens. Deformations of the cartilage and subchondral bone were examined independently within the cartilage-bone unit by analyzing real-time images of cartilage-bone ...
Rossi SL, Guerbois M, Gorchakov R, Plante KS, Forrester NL, Weaver SC.Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an arbovirus that causes periodic outbreaks that impact equine and human populations in the Americas. One of the VEEV subtypes located in Mexico and Central America (IE) has recently been recognized as an important cause of equine disease and death, and human exposure also appears to be widespread. Here, we describe the use of an Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) from encephalomyocarditis virus to stably attenuate VEEV, creating a vaccine candidate independent of unstable point mutations. Mice infected with this virus produced antibodies and wer...
Soboll G, Horohov DW, Aldridge BM, Olsen CW, McGregor MW, Drape RJ, Macklin MD, Swain WF, Lunn DP.We have previously demonstrated that hemagglutinin (HA) gene vaccination and influenza virus infection generate protective antibody responses in equids. However, these antibody responses differ substantially in that particle mediated DNA vaccination does not induce an immunoglobulin A (IgA) response. A study was performed to investigate the regional immunoregulatory mechanisms associated with these different immune responses. Ponies were either vaccinated with equine HA DNA vaccines at skin and mucosal sites, infected with influenza virus or left untreated and influenza-specific antibody respo...
Levine JM, Scrivani PV, Divers TJ, Furr M, Mayhew IJ, Reed S, Levine GJ, Foreman JH, Boudreau C, Credille BC, Tennent-Brown B, Cohen ND.To compare signalment of horses with cervical vertebral malformation-malarticulation (CVM) with that of control horses and to describe results of clinical examination, diagnostic imaging and necropsy findings, and reported outcome in horses with CVM. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: 270 horses with CVM and 608 control horses admitted to 6 veterinary hospitals from 1992 through 2007. Methods: Medical records of participating hospitals were reviewed to identify horses with CVM (ie, case horses) and contemporaneous control (non-CVM-affected) horses that were admitted for treatm...
Sieme H, Harrison RA, Petrunkina AM.Success in cryopreserving stallion semen has been very variable. Several different freezing regimes have been published. However, because extenders and procedures used in each regime have differed, direct comparison of these techniques has been very difficult, and controlled studies comparing different techniques have not been reported. A number of different factors affect sperm cryosurvival. In this article we review briefly current cryopreservation procedures for stallion semen, and then in more detail cryobiological determinants of sperm function, and mechanisms of cryoinjury and cryoprotec...
Cullinane AA, Rixon FJ, Davison AJ.The genome structure of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) subtype 2 was shown by electron microscopic studies and restriction endonuclease site mapping to comprise two covalently linked segments (L, 109 kbp; S, 35 kbp). The S segment contains a unique sequence (US) flanked by a substantial inverted repeat (TRS/IRS). Thus, the genome structure of EHV-1 subtype 2 is similar to that published previously for EHV-1 subtype 1, but the two subtypes differ in the occurrences of EcoRI and BamHI restriction sites. Hybridization studies using cloned EHV-1 DNA showed that the genome of EHV-1 subtype 2 is colin...
Suh TK, Schenk JL, Seidel GE.Sexing sperm by high-speed flow cytometry subjects them to high pressure. The routine operating pressure of the MoFlo SX flow cytometer for sperm sorting for commercial production has been 50 pounds/square inch (psi), with a standard 70 microm standard nozzle tip. It was hypothesized that lowering the sorting pressure could reduce sperm damage. Therefore, a series of experiments using semen from six bulls, sorted with three MoFlo SX sorters, was conducted to determine optimal pressure. An additional experiment was done with stallion spermatozoa. In Experiment 1, sorting at 30 psi compared to 5...
Tell A, Egenvall A, Lundström T, Wattle O.Oral soft tissue ulcers are common disorders of horses, but it is unclear if their prevalence is increased by riding horses with a bit and bridle. Oral examinations were performed on 113 horses and ponies, all which had received routine dental floating, that were divided into four groups depending on when they had last been ridden with a bit and bridle. The subjects comprised: group 1, a randomly selected population of ridden horses; group 2, a group of horses examined after being rested at pasture for 5 weeks; group 3, the previous group following 7 weeks of riding with a bit and bridle, and ...
Hale BW, Goodrich LR, Frisbie DD, McIlwraith CW, Kisiday JD.To evaluate the effect of fibrin concentrations on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) migration out of autologous and commercial fibrin hydrogels. Methods: Blood and bone marrow from six 2- to 4-year-old horses. Methods: Autologous fibrinogen was precipitated from plasma and solubilized into a concentrated solution. Mesenchymal stem cells were resuspended in fibrinogen solutions containing 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of the fibrinogen precipitate solution. Fibrin hydrogels were created by mixing the fibrinogen solutions with MSCs and thrombin on tissue culture plates. After incubation for 24 hours in cel...
Sangster NC.Anthelmintic-resistance has emerged as a problem in several animal industries. In the horse, cyathostome resistance to all available treatments except for the avermectin/milbemycins means that these drugs provide the cornerstone of control. Ivermectin has been available for several years; the related compound moxidectin is more recent. Although we do not know for sure, aspects of moxidectin such as its persistent action and its efficacy against mucosal stages of cyathostomes, may enhance the rate of development of resistance. On the other hand, selection pressure would be reduced if the persis...
Gohari IM, Arroyo L, Macinnes JI, Timoney JF, Parreira VR, Prescott JF.Up to 60% of cases of equine colitis have no known cause. To improve understanding of the causes of acute colitis in horses, we hypothesized that Clostridium perfringens producing enterotoxin (CPE) and/or beta2 toxin (CPB2) are common and important causes of severe colitis in horses and/or that C. perfringens producing an as-yet-undescribed cytotoxin may also cause colitis in horses. Fecal samples from 55 horses (43 adults, 12 foals) with clinical evidence of colitis were evaluated by culture for the presence of Clostridium difficile, C. perfringens, and Salmonella. Feces were also examined by...
Gottschalk M, Metzger J, Martinsson G, Sieme H, Distl O.We performed a genome-wide association study for semen quality traits in 139 German Warmblood stallions. Stallions were genotyped using the Illumina equine SNP50 Beadchip. Traits analysed were de-regressed estimated breeding values (EBVs) for gel-free volume, sperm concentration, total number of sperm, progressive motility and the total number of progressively motile sperm. The GWAS revealed 29 SNPs on 12 different chromosomes as genome-wide significantly associated with semen quality traits. For ten genomic regions we could retrieve candidate genes influencing stallion fertility. Among the ca...
Tennent-Brown BS, Wilkins PA, Lindborg S, Russell G, Boston RC.Sequential lactate concentration ([LAC]) measurements have prognostic value in that hospitalized humans and neonatal foals that have a delayed return to normolactatemia have greater morbidity and case fatality rate. Objective: Prognosis for survival is decreased in horses with a delayed return to normal [LAC]. Methods: Two hundred and fifty adult horses presented for emergency evaluation excepting horses evaluated because of only ophthalmologic conditions, superficial wounds, and septic synovitis without systemic involvement. Methods: Prospective observational study. [LAC] was measured at admi...
de Laat MA, Sillence MN, McGowan CM, Pollitt CC.Endocrinopathic laminitis is frequently associated with hyperinsulinaemia but the role of glucose in the pathogenesis of the disease has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to determine the endogenous insulin response to a quantity of glucose equivalent to that administered during a laminitis-inducing, euglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemic clamp, over 48 h in insulin-sensitive Standardbred racehorses. In addition, the study investigated whether glucose infusion, in the absence of exogenous insulin administration, would result in the development of clinical and histopathological evidence of ...
Norrdin RW, Kawcak CE, Capwell BA, McIlwraith CW.Gross examination of metacarpo-/metatarsophalangeal (fetlock) joints from racehorses revealed defects on the condylar surface that ranged from cartilage fibrillation and erosion to focal cartilage indentations and cavitation in subchondral bone characteristic of traumatic osteochondrosis. Because these lesions represented a spectrum of mechanically induced arthrosis in which microdamage is thought to play a role, a histologic study of sagittal sections was made to study the morphogenesis. Subchondral bone failure developed beneath a flattened section of the condyle where the margin of the sesa...
Woolcock JB, Mutimer MD, Farmer AM.Using a selective medium, the epidemiology of Corynebacterium equi in horses was studied. Twelve horse studs in different geographical locations were investigated. In addition, a group of horses was monitored over a period of time to determine whether faecal carriage of C equi is constant or intermittent. It was found that C equi could be recovered from every property tested and from all horse breeds. The organism was found in mares, stallions, yearlings and two year olds, and foals aged from 10 days to several months. It appears that C equi is widespread and that its occurrence is not related...
Badenhorst M, de Heus P, Auer A, Tegtmeyer B, Stang A, Dimmel K, Tichy A, Kubacki J, Bachofen C, Steinmann E, Cavalleri JMV.Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) research is in its infancy. Information regarding prevalence, geographical distribution, genetic diversity, pathogenesis and risk factors enhances understanding of this potentially fatal infection. Objective: Determining the prevalence of EqPV-H in Austrian equids. Investigating factors increasing probability of infection, liver-associated biochemistry parameters, concurrent equine hepacivirus (EqHV) infection and phylogenetic analysis of Austrian EqPV-H variants. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Sera from 259 horses and 13 donkeys in Austria were a...
Tesarowski DB, Viel L, McDonell WN.To evaluate the degree of reproducibility in clinical variables, blood gas measurements, and lung function variables, and the changes in these variables caused by exposure to moldy hay in naturally sensitized and control horses. Methods: The magnitude of variation in arterial blood gas and pulmonary function measurements were evaluated in a model of naturally acquired heaves. Horses with heaves and similarly aged control horses were studied prior to moldy hay challenge and again after the horses with heaves manifested clinical signs of airway obstruction. This cycle of testing was repeated 3 t...
McGuire TC, Van Hoosier GL, Henson JB.The role of non-complement-fixing anti-equine infectious anemia (EIA) antibody in the conversion of complement fixation (CF) tests from positive to negative in EIA-infected horses was investigated. Complement-fixation inhibition (CFI) tests demonstrated antibodies in sera that were CF negative. These antibodies would bind to antigen, but would not fix complement. The inhibiting antibodies were isolated and shown to be IgG(T) by immunoelectrophoresis and immunodiffusion against monospecific anti-IgG(T) antisera. Separation of immunoglobulins from affected horse sera by DEAE cellulose chromatogr...
Hinrichs K.There is currently much interest in assisted reproduction techniques in the horse, however, many aspects of oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo development in the horse differ from those in other species. Because of the close attachment of the equine oocyte to the follicle wall, scraping of the follicle is the most effective method for oocyte recovery. A notable feature of equine oocytes is that those with expanded cumuli (Ex oocytes), which originate from atretic follicles, have higher meiotic competence (ability to mature to metaphase II in vitro) than do oocytes with compact cumuli...
Leadon D, Waran N, Herholz C, Klay M.Enormous numbers of horses are transported locally, nationally and internationally every year. National legislation and international guidelines set standards for the health and welfare of animals during transport. As a consequence, equine clinicians have major responsibilities in safeguarding the horse industry against the spread of disease and in being aware of the problems inherent in horse transport. The authors explore road, sea and air transport and their effect on horses. Various types of road transport are available and there are various sources of impact on horses. These include loadi...
Padalino B, Raidal SL.The regulations for minimal space and direction of travel for land transport in horses vary worldwide and there is currently no definitive guidance to promote equine health and welfare. This study evaluated the effects of bay size and direction of travel (forwards/backwards) in horses by comparing the behavioural, physiological, laboratory and gastroscopy parameters between transported and confined horses. A total of twenty-six mares took part in the study; 12 horses were confined for 12 h, and all mares underwent 12 hours' transportation, travelling in single (n = 18) or wide bays (n = 8), an...
Fitzgerald DM, Anderson ST, Sillence MN, de Laat MA.Generalized obesity, regional adiposity, hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglyceridemia are all potential indicators of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). This study aimed to assess the relationship between morphometric measurements of body condition and metabolic hormone concentrations in ponies, with and without a neck crest or generalised obesity. Twenty-six ponies were assigned a body condition score (BCS) and cresty neck score (CNS). Height, girth, and neck measurements were taken. An oral glucose test (OGT; 0.75g dextrose/kg BW) was performed and blood samples collected prior to and 2 hours pos...
Jolly RD, Palmer DN, Dalefield RR.Analytical studies of three lipopigments show that much can be achieved. Lipopigment from ovine ceroid-lipofuscinosis is composed of discrete protein and lipid molecules in orderly arrays and lipid peroxidation is not involved in its formation. Subunit c of mitochondrial ATP synthase accounts for approximately 50% of accumulated material and is specific to the disease process in this and other forms of the disease. Lipofuscin from bovine heart was mostly soluble and also contained discrete proteins, lipids and metals. Equine thyroid lipofuscin was less soluble but also had a relatively high pr...
Tenter AM, Friedhoff KT.The sensitivity and specificity of the complement fixation (CF) test for the diagnosis of Babesia infections in equines was assessed, using the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test as a reference. Antibodies were first detected between 11 and 20 days post infection (dpi) in the CF test and between 7 and 14 dpi in the IFA test in ponies infected experimentally with B. equi (USDA strain). The CF test became negative in four of five ponies 63-174 dpi although B. equi was demonstrated microscopically in two of these four ponies up to 364 and 455 dpi. The IFA test remained positive up to 476 dp...
Mariñas-Pardo L, García-Castro J, Rodríguez-Hurtado I, Rodríguez-García MI, Núñez-Naveira L, Hermida-Prieto M.Osteoarthritis commonly causes lameness in the horse and has a great impact in performance animals. Due to the limitations of current medical therapies, allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may become an alternative method to control inflammation, reduce tissue damage and pain, and therefore improve lameness. We present the results of a regulatory clinical trial testing adipose-derived MSCs (Horse Allo 20) in veterinary (Agencia Española del Medicamento y Productos Sanitarios, Spanish Medicines Agency, Reference number 325/ECV) involving a total number of 80 participants and with 90 days o...
Jansson A, Lindberg JE.Most athletic horses are fed a high-starch diet despite the risk of health problems. Replacing starch concentrate with high-energy forage would alleviate these health problems, but could result in a shift in major substrates for muscle energy supply from glucose to short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) due to more hindgut fermentation of fibre. Dietary fat inclusion has previously been shown to promote aerobic energy supply during exercise, but the contribution of SCFA to exercise metabolism has received little attention. This study compared metabolic response with exercise and lactate threshold (VLa...
Landolt GA.For decades the horse has been viewed as an isolated or "dead-end" host for influenza A viruses, with equine influenza virus being considered as relatively stable genetically. Although equine influenza viruses are genetically more stable than those of human lineage, they are by no means in evolutionary stasis. Moreover, recent transmission of equine-lineage influenza viruses to dogs also challenges the horse's status as a dead-end host. This article reviews recent developments in the epidemiology and evolution of equine influenza virus. In addition, the clinical presentation of equine influenz...
