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.
Molenkamp R, Greve S, Spaan WJ, Snijder EJ.Equine arteritis virus (EAV), the prototype arterivirus, is an enveloped plus-strand RNA virus with a genome of approximately 13 kb. Based on similarities in genome organization and protein expression, the arteriviruses have recently been grouped together with the coronaviruses and toroviruses in the newly established order Nidovirales. Previously, we reported the construction of pEDI, a full-length cDNA copy of EAV DI-b, a natural defective interfering (DI) RNA of 5.6 kb (R. Molenkamp et al., J. Virol. 74:3156-3165, 2000). EDI RNA consists of three noncontiguous parts of the EAV genome fused ...
Racklyeft DJ, Love DN.To investigate associations between the bacteriology and aspects of history, clinical presentation, outcome and pathology of lower respiratory tract disease of 34 horses. Methods: Detailed aerobic and anaerobic bacteriological investigations were performed on clinical specimens from horses with pneumonia, lung abscessation and necrotic pneumonia with or without pleurisy in an attempt to identify those bacteria that might contribute to the initiation and progression of infection. Results: Bacteria were cultured from 33 of the 34 horses. In ten cases, only aerobic/facultatively anaerobic isolate...
Bowers J, Slocombe R.To determine commonly used girth tensions in Thoroughbred racehorses in the Melbourne metropolitan area. Methods: A prospective industry survey. Methods: Strappers were instructed to tension girths, using the same saddle, under-saddle packing and girth, sufficiently to hold the saddle for racing. These tensions were continuously recorded by an in-line load cell in the girth. Seventeen strappers from five stables participated in the study, which was conducted on 91 horses. Results: Resting girth tensions varied considerably. The mean tension on inhalation was 13 +/- 0.4 kg. Male strappers recor...
Kramer J, Keegan KG, Wilson DA, Smith BK, Wilson DJ.To identify hind limb and pelvic kinematic variables that change in trotting horses after induced lameness of the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints and after subsequent intra-articular administration of anesthetic. Methods: 8 clinically normal adult horses. Methods: Kinematic measurements were made before and after transient endotoxin-induced lameness of the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints and after intra-articular administration of anesthetic. Fourteen displacement and joint angle (metatarsophalangeal [fetlock] and tarsal joints) measurements were made on the right h...
Raulo SM, Sorsa TA, Maisi PS.To determine whether samples of tracheal epithelial lining fluid (TELF) obtained from horses have elastinolytic activity characteristic of metalloproteinases, to compare elastinolytic activity in TELF obtained from healthy horses and horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to determine whether chemically modified tetracycline-3 (CMT-3) inhibits elastinolytic activity in TELF ANIMALS: 10 horses with COPD and 10 healthy control horses. Methods: Zymography and fluorometry were used to measure elastinolytic activity, and EDTA was used to inhibit elastinolytic activity and ver...
Davis PR, Meyer GA, Hanson RR, Stringfellow JS.An 18-year-old 454-kg (1,000-lb) American Quarter Horse gelding was evaluated because of chronic intermittent malodorous right-sided nasal discharge. Endoscopy revealed a mycotic plaque in the nasal cavity adjacent to the nasomaxillary opening of the right caudal maxillary sinus. The nasomaxillary opening appeared to be larger than normal. Fungal culture of specimens of the mycotic plaque yielded Pseudallescheria boydii. The horse was treated with 2% miconazole intranasally, sodium iodide i.v., and potassium iodide p.o. Thirty and 60 days after treatment was initiated, the nasal cavity was fou...
Ball BA, Gravance CG, Medina V, Baumber J, Liu IK.To characterize the activity of catalase in equine semen. Methods: 15 stallions of known and unknown reproductive history. Methods: Seminal plasma was collected from raw equine semen by centrifugation, and samples of seminal plasma were frozen prior to assay for catalase activity. Tissue samples (n = 3 stallions) from the bulbourethral gland, prostate gland, vesicular gland, and testis were homogenized, and cauda epididymal fluid was collected for determination of catalase activity. Catalase activity was determined as an enzyme kinetic assay by the disappearance of H2O2 as measured by ultravio...
Worster AA, Nixon AJ, Brower-Toland BD, Williams J.To determine the morphologic and phenotypic effects of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) on cultured equine mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and articular chondrocytes. Methods: Bone marrow aspirates and articular cartilage samples from a 2-year-old and two 8-month-old horses. Methods: After initial isolation and culture, MSC and chondrocytes were cultured in Ham's F-12 medium supplemented with TGF-beta1 at a concentration of 0, 1, 5, or 10 ng/ml. Medium was exchanged on day 2, and cells were harvested on day 4. Medium was assayed for proteoglycan (PG) content. Total RNA was isolated fro...
Sheoran AS, Timoney JF, Holmes MA, Karzenski SS, Crisman MV.To determine concentrations of IgA and IgG subclasses in serum, colostrum, milk, and nasal wash samples of adult horses and foals. Methods: Seven 2-year-old Welsh ponies, 27 adult mixed-breed horses, and 5 Quarter Horse mares and their foals. Methods: Serum was obtained from ponies and adult horses. Colostrum and milk were obtained from mares and serum and nasal wash samples from their foals immediately after parturition and on days 1, 7, 14, 28, 42, and 63. Nasal wash samples were also obtained from 23 adult horses. Concentrations of immunoglobulins were determined by use of inhibition ELISA....
Van Hoogmoed LM, Snyder JR, Nieto JE, Vatistas NJ, Harmon FA.To determine efficacy of an extracorporeal circuit to maintain a segment of equine large colon for 3.5 hours and to evaluate the effect of low arterial flow on histologic and metabolic variables. Methods: Segments of large colon from 15 healthy adult horses. Methods: The pelvic flexure was surgically removed and maintained in an isolated circuit. In the control group, tissue was evaluated for 3.5 hours, whereas in the low-flow group, arterial flow was reduced to 20% of baseline for 40 minutes followed by 2 hours of reperfusion. Various metabolic and hemodynamic variables were evaluated at 30-m...
Kitchen DL, Burrow JA, Heartless CS, Merritt AM.To determine the origin of the nonacid (nonparietal) component of gastric secretions in horses induced by pentagastrin infusion. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: A Latin square design was used, involving 6 horses, 3 treatments, and 2 duodenal intubation conditions (catheter with balloon to obstruct pylorus [B] or without balloon allowing movement of contents between stomach and duodenum [NB]). Each horse had an indwelling gastric cannula and a catheter positioned in the duodenum. Gastric and duodenal contents were collected during 15-minute periods. Each experiment consisted of serial collection pe...
Lakritz J, Wilson WD, Marsh AE, Mihalyi JE.To determine effects of prior feeding on pharmacokinetics and estimated bioavailability of orally administered microencapsulated erythromycin base (MEB) in healthy foals. Methods: 6 healthy foals, 3 to 5 months old. Methods: Foals were given 2 doses of MEB (25 mg/kg of body weight, PO). One dose was administered after food was withheld overnight, and the other was administered after foals had consumed hay. The study used a crossover design with a 2-week period between doses. Blood was collected via a jugular vein prior to and at specific times after drug administration. Concentrations of eryth...
Burling K, Seguin MA, Marsh P, Brinkman K, Madigan J, Thurmond M, Moon-Massat P, Mannis M, Murphy CJ.OBJECTIVE-To characterize healing of corneal epithelial defects in horses and to evaluate the ability of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to modulate rate of corneal epithelial healing in horses. Methods: 20 eyes in 12 adult horses. Methods: Corneal epithelial wounds were created by mechanically debriding the limbus. Corneal healing was recorded for 3 treatment groups: 50 microg of EGF/ml (n = 5 eyes), 5 microg of EGF/ml (7), and PBS solution (8). Corneal healing was recorded once daily after instillation of fluorescein stain by use of photography and calculating the area of the wound, using imag...
Sarma PN, Tang YJ, Prindiville TP, Osborne PD, Jang S, Silva J, Cohen SH.In order to determine genetic relatedness of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from different clinical sources, arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (AP-PCR) was used to compare 17 strains isolated from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 20 strains isolated from foals with diarrhea. Three reference ATCC strains were also analyzed. Eighteen unique types were identified with a 22-mer arbitrary primer (ERIC-2) among the 20 patient isolates. Types 1 (enterotoxigenic) and 9 (nonenterotoxigenic), were each found in the stools of two patients. All other isolates showed a dis...
Martínez AC, Rivera L, Raposo R, García-Sacristán A, Benedito S.The effect of histamine (10(-9)-10(-3) M) on horse penile dorsal artery was evaluated. Precontracted vessels showed a biphasic response (relaxation-contraction) to histamine, while at basal tone, histamine only induced a contractile effect. The H1 receptor agonist, 2-pyridylethylamine (PEA) (10(-9)-10(-3) M), induced concentration-dependent relaxation in precontracted rings and provoked vasoconstriction at basal tone. Mepyramine (10(-9)-10(8) M), an H1 receptor antagonist, competitively antagonized the relaxant response to histamine (pA2 = 9.7) and PEA (pA2 = 9.2). At basal tone, mepyramine (1...
Alexander SL, Irvine CH.Alpha-2-adrenoceptor activation may lower adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by reducing secretagogue input and/or increasing the release of an inhibitory factor (CIF). To investigate this, we gave clonidine, an alpha-2-agonist, to seven horses, and collected pituitary venous blood every minute for 20 min before treatment and 40 min after treatment. Six horses were given saline vehicle. Mean secretion rates of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and ACTH were calculated before and during four 5-min then two 10-min periods after clonidine or saline. Reduction in A...
Nikolakopoulos E, Kindahl H, Gilbert CL, Goode J, Watson ED.Mating has been shown in many species to provoke the release of oxytocin (OT). In our study, various stimuli were applied to mares to study release of OT and prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGF(2alpha)) associated with mating. Blood samples were collected from mares around the time of teasing both in oestrus and dioestrus and at mating. For comparison, blood samples were also collected at the time of manual manipulation of the genital tract and after intrauterine infusion of 500 ml phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Additional samples were collected 16 to 18 h after mating. Mating caused a significant ...
Selected equine cutaneous diseases for which there is strong evidence of an immunological aetiology are discussed in this section. The reactive disorders of urticaria, Culicoides hypersensitivity, erythema multiforme, drug eruptions and systemic granulomatous disease are included. The autoimmune diseases of the horse with cutaneous manifestations (pemphigus foliaceus, pemphigus vulgaris, bullous pemphigoid and cutaneous lupus erythematosus) are discussed. The clinical signs and diagnostic features of these immunologically induced equine dermatoses are defined, and the challenges in making a de...
This section includes clinical conditions which have unique characteristics which make them unsuitable for inclusion in the first six sections. The clinical description, aetiology and histopathologic findings of the unusual ear lesion, aural plaques, are described. Dermatoses complicated by, or caused by, photosensitivity are discussed in regards to their aetiology and pathogenesis as well as clinical features. The suggestion that photosensitization plays a role in the development of the lesions seen in pastern leukocytoclastic vasculitis is made. This section ends with an in depth discussion ...
Woods J, Rigby S, Brinsko S, Stephens R, Varner D, Blanchard T.Two trials were conducted to investigate the effects of intrauterine infusion of PGE2 and uterine horn insemination on pregnancy rates in mares achieved by breeding with a suboptimal number of normal spermatozoa. Estrus was synchronized and mares were teased daily with a stallion to detect estrus. Mares in estrus were examined by transrectal palpation and ultrasonography to monitor follicular status. On the first day a 35-mm diameter follicle was present, hCG (1500 IU, iv) was administered and the mares were bred the next day. Mares (Trial 1, n = 34; Trial 2, n = 28) were inseminated with 25 m...
Gravance CG, Garner DL, Baumber J, Ball BA.The fluorescent carbocyanine dye, JC-1, labels mitochondria with high membrane potential orange and mitochondria with low membrane potential green. Evaluation of mitochondrial membrane potential with JC-1 has been used in a variety of cell types, including bull spermatozoa; however, JC-1 staining has not yet been reported for equine spermatozoa. The aim of this study was to apply JC-1 staining and assessment by flow cytometry or a fluorescence microplate reader for evaluation of mitochondrial function of equine spermatozoa. Six ejaculates from four stallions were collected and centrifuged thro...
The development of a nodule is a fairly common reaction pattern in the skin and subcutaneous tissues of the horse. In many such nodules, the inciting aetiologic agent or antigen is unknown, but in some equine cases there is significant evidence for insect bite origin. The pathogenesis of some equine nodular diseases appears to involve marked collagen degeneration which varies from hyalinization to lysis and can become mineralized. The exact role the lytic collagen has in the pathogenesis of these lesions is still unknown. Vascular changes may be present in some entities. Other nodules may be c...
John HA, Marrs J, Laffling AJ.In the autonomic nervous system (ANS) of equine grass sickness (GS) cases, some neurones show abnormal changes while neighbouring neurones are unaffected. To test whether noradrenergic neurones showed variable susceptibility to the GS toxin in culture, clonally-derived populations isolated from the same fetal thoracic sympathetic chain ganglion were challenged with plasma from GS cases previously shown to induce ANS damage when injected into normal horses. During the early stages of exposure to toxic plasma, cells within a clonal population showed variable susceptibility ranging from no obviou...
Ousey JC, Rossdalet PD, Palmer L, Grainger L, Houghton E.The aims of this study were to ascertain 1) whether fetal maturation could be induced precociously by maternal administration with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and 2) whether maturation could be achieved without significant risk to mare or fetus. Twenty-two mares received either 1 mg (low dose, LD, n = 6) or 4 or 5 mg (higher dose, HD, n = 16) synthetic Depot ACTH(1-24) at 300, 301 and 302 days gestation. Because, during the course of the study, ACTH appeared to have a greater influence on mares mated during the later part of the breeding season, the HD group were divided retrospectivel...
van Bergen T, Wiemer P, Bosseler L, Ugahary F, Martens A.Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is, based on the number of reports in the literature, a relatively important life-threatening cause of colic in horses that could be prevented by closing the epiploic foramen (EF) in horses at risk of developing EFE. Objective: To describe the laparoscopic foramen epiploicum mesh closure (FEMC) technique and its outcome. Methods: Descriptive experimental study. Methods: The EF of 6 horses was closed with the FEMC technique. A diabolo-shaped constructed mesh was introduced into the omental vestibule through the EF under laparoscopic visualisation in the standin...
Mihajlovic V, Cascone O, Biscoglio de Jiménez Bonino MJ.1. Reactivity of methionine residues towards Chloramine-T was studied in the equine growth hormone. 2. With a 20.0-fold molar excess of reagent over methionine, full oxidation of the four residues of the protein is achieved. 3. Methionine 4 is the most reactive group, followed by methionines 72 and 178--methionine 123 being the less reactive residue. 4. As judged by circular dichroism spectra and binding assays, protein conformation and binding capacity to specific receptors remains unchanged even after full oxidation of all four methionine residues. 5. Results agree with data previously obtai...
Rodriguez M, Hooghuis H, Castaño M.African horse sickness (AHS) is an infectious, non-contagious, highly fatal viral disease of Equidae, transmitted by arthropod vectors of the genus Culicoides, and endemic in Africa south and east of the Sahara. The disease is caused by a virus of the Reoviridae family, genus Orbivirus, and 9 serotypes have been recognized. Recent outbreaks of AHS in the Iberian peninsula and Northern Africa emphasize the need for accurate diagnosis and rapid implementation of control measures. In this paper, the epizootiological factors, clinical signs and necropsy findings of AHS are discussed, and an update...
Hiss PH, Atkinson JP.THE RESULTS OF THE FOREGOING EXPERIMENTS MAY BE BRIEFLY SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS: The amount of antitoxic substance obtained by precipitation with magnesium sulphate from the blood-serum of the horse corresponds, as nearly as can be determined by the use of test guinea-pigs, in full to the protective power of the serum from which it is obtained, i. e. the precipitate from 1 cc. of serum will protect against the same amount of toxin as 1 cc. of the serum itself. Equal amounts of the precipitates by magnesium sulphate from immunized and non-immunized horses act differently toward toxin; i. e. the p...
Jeannerat E, Marti E, Thomas S, Herrera C, Sieme H, Wedekind C, Burger D.The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) influences sexual selection in various vertebrates. Recently, MHC-linked social signaling was also shown to influence female fertility in horses (Equus caballus) diagnosed 17 days after fertilization. However, it remained unclear at which stage the pregnancy was terminated. Here we test if MHC-linked cryptic female choice in horses happens during the first days of pregnancy, i.e., until shortly after embryonic entrance into the uterus and before fixation in the endometrium. We exposed estrous mares to one of several unrelated stallions, instrumentally...
Walker JE, Lewis CW, MacLeay JM, Kawcak CE, Wheeler DL.Functional relationships between articular cartilage and underlying subchondral bone have been shown to be associated with the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). However, quantifiable factors substantiating this relationship do not exist. Therefore, the study objective involved quantifying subchondral bone mineral density (BMD) of the equine metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and stifle joints as a step in determining if regional subchondral BMD may be associated with OA changes. BMD was bilaterally quantified using dual energy xray absorptiometry (DEXA) for four subchondral regions: palmer and dorsal...
Philip M, Karakka Kal AK, Subhahar MB, Karatt TK, Mathew B, Perwad Z.Performance-enhancing substances and methods have become a serious problem in competitive sports. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizers can enhance the organism's capacity for molecular oxygen transport and are likely to be abused as performance-enhancing agents in sports. This paper describes the metabolic conversion of the popular hypoxia inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) inhibitors, namely, daprodustat, desidustat, and vadadustat using equine liver microsomes, determined on a QExactive high-resolution mass spectrometer. During this study, a total of 10 metabolites for da...
Lacitignola L, Luca P, Santovito R, Comite MSD, Crovace A.Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (NSH) is uncommon in horses. Aim of this report is evaluate an alternative therapeutic approach and provide more information on the diagnostic procedures, through detailed microscopic findings of the bone lesions pony with NSH. Administration of tiludronate along with a balanced diet can be used in a treatment protocol for ponies with NSH. This case report suggests that tiludronate can be used to ameliorate the clinical signs of NSH.
Veronesi MC, Carluccio A, Kindahl H, Faustini M, Battocchio M, Cairoli F.The aim of the present study was to evaluate within 24 h post-ovulation oxytocin-induced PGF(2alpha) release in mares with and without post-breeding delayed uterine clearance (DUC). Twenty-one of 34 mares with a variable amount of intrauterine fluids accumulation were considered to be affected by delayed uterine clearance (DUC group), while the other 13 mares did not show any uterine fluid accumulation, and were considered as controls (WDUC group). Both DUC and WDUC mares were administered with 20 IU oxytocin i.m. 90 min after the ultrasound examination performed 24 h after breeding. Immediate...
Rose RJ, Rossdale PD, Leadon DP.Six spontaneously delivered foals, 8 Thoroughbred foals induced at term with fluprostenol and 17 Pony foals induced prematurely with fluprostenol and oxytocin at a gestational age of 270 to 330 days were studied to determine PO2, PCO2, pH, base excess and HCO3 values in arterial blood between birth and 7 days of age. The Pony foals were subdivided into those that survived greater than 24 h (N = 9) and less than 9 h (N = 8). Blood gas and acid base values in the term-induced foals were similar to those in spontaneously delivered foals. The induced premature foals surviving greater than 24 h had...
Kemper T, Spier S, Barratt-Boyes SM, Hoffman R.Five horses were admitted for treatment of smoke-inhalation injuries sustained in a barn fire. Three of the horses were mildly affected, with high respiratory rates (24 to 36 breaths/min) and normal to low arterial oxygen tensions (77.0 to 94.1 mm of Hg), and responded well to administration of diuretics, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and antibiotics. The 2 remaining horses were severely affected. Both were in respiratory distress, with markedly low arterial oxygen tensions (50.4 and 57.1 mm of Hg) and cyanosis. These 2 horses required fluid resuscitation in addition to the treatments give...
Dakin SG, Dyson SJ, Murray RC, Newton R.There are currently few long-term follow-up data relating to recovery from injury of a collateral ligament (CL) of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint and limited information about the effect of associated osseous injury on prognosis. Objective: To describe long-term follow-up results for horses with CL injury, with and without associated osseous injury; and to determine the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ECSWT) or radial pressure wave therapy (RPWT) on outcome. Objective: Prognosis for return to performance for horses with CL-related osseous injury would be worse than for hor...
Ragnarsson S, Lindberg JE.Eight mature Icelandic geldings were used in an experiment arranged as a change-over design to evaluate the effect of feeding level on the digestibility of a high-energy haylage-only diet. The horses were fed a low feeding level 10.7 g dry matter (DM)/kg body weight (BW) (maintenance) and a high feeding level 18.1 g DM/kg BW (1.5 × maintenance) during two 23 days experimental periods. Total collection of faeces was performed for 6 days at the end of each period to determine the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD). The CTTAD for DM, organic matter, neutral detergent fibre...
Arden WA, Slocombe RF, Stick JA, Parks AH.Morphologic changes in equine jejunal segments subjected to 1 hour of ischemia and 1 hour of reperfusion, and protective effects of systemic administration of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; 1 g/kg of body weight) were investigated in 18 ponies, using light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Ponies were allotted to 4 groups: group 1--control (n = 3); group 2--DMSO (n = 3); group 3--ischemia (n = 6); and group 4--ischemia and DMSO (n = 6). In each pony, 2 jejunal sections were evaluated. The first section was obtained prior to induction of ischemia, and the second was obtai...
Sobral GG, Gomes Neto OC, Carneiro GF.The objective of this study was to determine whether supplementation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or β-glucan, in the maternal diet during late pregnancy affects the concentration of total IgG in the colostrum of mares and influences the concentration of IgG in its foals. A total of 21 pregnant mares were used, aged 6±2 years, 3±1 pregnancies, 450±50kg in weight, and they were distributed into three groups: the control group (n=7); the S. cerevisiae group (n=7), which received 10CFU of S. cerevisiae orally; and the β-glucan group (n=7), which received 0.35g of β-glucan orally. All group...
Salciccia A, Grulke S, de la Rebière de Pouyade G, Franck T, Detilleux J, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.To determine changes in blood granulocyte counts and in plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase (ELT) concentrations in surgical colic cases, and to determine the relationship between these changes and the surgical procedure performed, occurrence of postoperative ileus, and final outcome. Methods: Prospective clinical study conducted over a 12-month period. Methods: University teaching hospital. Methods: Fifty-three horses undergoing emergency laparotomy and surviving at least 12 hours postoperatively. Methods: Blood samples were taken before surgery, during surgery, at the recovery from ane...
Greet TR.Thirty eight horses with epiglottal entrapment were examined. In 29 the dorsally displaced mucosa was split axially with a curved hook knife, per nasum. The condition was also treated by subepiglottal mucosal resection (4 horses) and solely by the administration of an anti-inflammatory throat spray (4 horses). All surgical cases were treated with an anti-inflammatory throat spray and parenteral phenylbutazone. Those horses treated via a laryngotomy incision were box rested until the laryngotomy incision healed. The other horses were restricted to walking and trotting exercise for 10 days befor...
Willis AT, Barnum S, Pusterla N.This study aimed to validate a point-of-care polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for detection of subsp. in rostral nasal swabs from horses with suspected acute strangles and to compare the results against the molecular gold standard of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Two hundred thirty-two individual swabs of rostral nasal passages were characterized by qPCR as positive, subsp. positive, or and negative. The specificity and sensitivity of the point-of-care PCR assay were 89% and 84%, respectively. The limits of detection of the qPCR assay and the point-of-care PCR anal...
Spiers S, May SA, Bennett D, Edwards GB.Isolated equine blood and articular cells were investigated for proteolytic enzyme production by means of gel filtration and analysis on 14C-acetylated collagen and casein substrates. Significant amounts of collagenase and caseinase activity were produced by cultured synoviocytes stimulated with equine interleukin 1, although large amounts of collagenase also originated from neutrophils.
Degueurce C, Chateau H, Denoix JM.Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) disease is associated with poor hindlimb action, lameness and poor performance in horses. However, little is known about the biomechanics of this low-motion joint. Objective: To determine in vitro the capacities of movement of the SIJ in the sagittal plane, and to test the effect of a sacrosciatic and sacrotuberal desmotomy on its stabilisation. Methods: Six anatomical specimens underwent cycles of flexion-extension of the lumbosacral joint (LSJ) before and after desmotomy. Kinematic triads were linked rigidly to the sacrum, spinous process of vertebra L5 and iliac wing....
Debski B.Erythrocytes, due to their simple metabolic processes, differ greatly from nucleated
cells. Their main metabolite of glycolysis is 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), which
serves also as an energy store for producing ATP in the pyruvate kinase reaction. 2,3-DPG
modifies also the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen (4). Increase in the concentration of
2,3-DPG, ATP and body temperature, or a decrease in the pH value of blood causes
decreased affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen as blood transverses muscle capillaries,
facilitating oxygen delivery. In equine erythrocytes, the level of ATP is s...
Lavach JD, Severin GA, Roberts SM.Perforating corneal wounds in horses have a better prognosis than wounds that involve both cornea and sclera. Sharp objects tend to produce more isolated corneal wounds and have a better prognosis than do wounds produced by blunt objects. The records of 43 horses that sustained penetrating wounds of the cornea were reviewed. In addition, the surgical approach and postoperative wound management is described. The report attempts to provide more information regarding the management of ocular trauma in horses.
