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.
Yuen KY, Henning J, Eng MD, Wang ASW, Lenz MF, Caldwell KM, Coyle MP, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H.The increased frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change has complicated the epidemiological pattern of mosquito-borne diseases, as the host and vector dynamics shift to adapt. However, little is known about the seroprevalence of common mosquito-borne virus infections in horses in Australia. In this study, serological surveys for multiple alphaviruses were performed on samples taken from 622 horses across two horse populations (racehorses and horses residing on The University of Queensland (UQ) campus) in Queensland using the gold standard virus neutralization test. As is the ca...
Kudrimoti S, Machin J, Arojojoye AS, Awuah SG, Eisenberg R, Fenger C, Maylin G, Lehner AF, Tobin T.Based on structural similarities and equine administration experiments, Barbarin, 5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinethione from Brassicaceae plants, is a possible source of equine urinary identifications of aminorex, (R,S)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazol-2-amine, an amphetamine-related US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) controlled substance considered illegal in sport horses. We now report the synthesis and certification of d -barbarin to facilitate research on the relationship between plant barbarin and such aminorex identifications. D -barbarin synthesis commenced with production of d -2-oxo-2-phe...
Grages AM, Verhaar N, Pfarrer C, Breves G, Burmester M, Neudeck S, Kästner S.In experimental studies investigating strangulating intestinal lesions in horses, different ischaemia models have been used with diverging results. Therefore, the aim was to comparatively describe ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in a low flow (LF) and no flow (NF) model. Under general anaesthesia, 120 min of jejunal ischaemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion was induced in 14 warmbloods. During ischaemia, blood flow was reduced by 80% (LF, n = 7) or by 100% (NF, n = 7). Intestinal blood flow and oxygen saturation were measured by Laser Doppler fluxmetry and spectrophotometry. Clinical, hi...
Nylund LE, Sinclair PJ, Hitchens PL, Cobley S.To identify characteristics of jockey falls associated with high-risk landings using a modified Equestrian Fall Assessment Instrument. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Video footage of 22 flat and 58 jump racing falls (N = 80) which occurred in Great Britain, Ireland, and New Zealand from 2013 to 2018 was systematically analysed using the modified Equestrian Fall Assessment Instrument. Race, horse, and jockey-level factors, including the nature of ground contact (landings), were characterised identifying factors associated with high-risk landings. High-risk landings refer to cases ...
Brown JA, Murphy BG, Clapp KS, LaDouceur EEB.Hypercementosis is infrequently reported to affect the cheek teeth of horses and presents as mineral deposits either attached (peripheral) or solitary ovoid (nodular) structures in the tooth bearing region. There is overlap between radiological and histological appearance of hypercementosis, cementoma, and equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH). The clinical presentation, imaging features, surgical management, and histological findings of nine horses that presented for dental lesions and associated hypercementosis of cheek teeth are reported. Horses were 4-15 years o...
Gömer A, Delarocque J, Puff C, Nocke MK, Reinecke B, Baumgärtner W, Cavalleri JMV, Feige K, Steinmann E, Todt D.More than 70 million people worldwide are still infected with the hepatitis C virus 30 years after its discovery, underscoring the need for a vaccine. To develop an effective prophylactic vaccine, detailed knowledge of the correlates of protection and an immunocompetent surrogate model are needed. In this study, we describe the minimum dose required for robust equine hepacivirus (EqHV) infection in equids and examined how this relates to duration of infection, seroconversion, and transcriptomic responses. To investigate mechanisms of hepaciviral persistence, immune response, and immune-media...
Sielhorst J, Roggel-Buecker U, Neudeck KC, Kahler A, Rohn K, Luettgenau J, Bollwein H, Hollinshead F, Sieme H.The aim of this double-blinded placebo-controlled study was to investigate the effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on uterine blood flow, gestation length, placental and foal weights in pregnant mares. Sixteen Thoroughbred mares of different age (13.3 ± 4.1) and parity (7.4 ± 3.1) were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. Mares in group C (n = 4) served as controls and received 5,000 mg lactose orally once daily from D 120 (D 0 = day of ovulation) until parturition. Mares in group ASA1 (n = 7) received 5,000 mg ASA orally once daily from D 120 until parturition. Mares in group...
Zeitoun MM, Ateah MA, Almaiman AT, Mansour MM.The present study attempted to investigate the effect of various concentrations of spirulina platensis additions to the semen extender on Arabian stallion spermatozoa quality. Semen samples were collected with artificial vagina from five fertile stallions and diluted with an extender containing spirulina (2, 4, 6, and 8 mg/100 mL) or without spirulina (control). Aliquots of diluted semen were cooled (5°C, 90 minutes) and frozen (-196°C, 7 days), then physical traits of thawed spermatozoa were examined. Furthermore, antioxidant activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (...
Geiger T, Gerhards H, Bjelica B, Mackenthun E, Wollanke B.In the equine clinic of the LMU in Munich, therapeutic vitrectomies have been routinely performed in horses for three decades. The vitreous samples obtained during vitrectomies were usually tested for anti-Leptospira antibodies and for more than 20 years also by PCR for leptospiral DNA. If the indication for surgery was ophthalmologically inconclusive, an aqueous humor was collected preoperatively and examined for evidence of leptospiral infection. In this study, medical records from 2002 to 2017 were analyzed. Records for 1387 eyes affected by equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) and 237 eyes affec...
Lazarus BS, Luu RK, Ruiz-Pérez S, Bezerra WBA, Becerra-Santamaria K, Leung V, Durazo VHL, Jasiuk I, Barbosa JDV, Meyers MA.The horse hoof wall exhibits exceptional impact resistance and fracture control due to its unique hierarchical structure which contains tubular, lamellar, and gradient configurations. In this study, structural characterization of the hoof wall was performed revealing features previously unknown. Prominent among them are tubule bridges, which are imaged and quantified. The hydration-dependent viscoelasticity of the hoof wall is described by a simplified Maxwell-Weichert model with two characteristic relaxation times corresponding to nanoscale and mesoscale features. Creep and relaxation tests r...
Cain JL, Nielsen MK.The equine ascarids, Parascaris spp., are important nematode parasites of juvenile horses and were historically model organisms in the field of cell biology, leading to many important discoveries, and are used for the study of chromatin diminution. In veterinary parasitology, Parascaris spp. are important not only because they can cause clinical disease in young horses but also because they are the only ascarid parasites to have developed widespread anthelmintic resistance. Despite this, much of the general biology and mechanisms of anthelmintic resistance are poorly understood. This review co...
Ter Woort F, Stefanovski D, Reef VB.Hyperthyroidism is a predisposing factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) in humans. The relationship between high thyroid hormone (TH) and AF in horses has not been evaluated. Objective: The aim of this study is to identify whether (1) high TH concentrations were present in horses with AF, (2) other cardiovascular effects were observed in horses with high TH and AF, and (3) TH status affected recurrence rate. Methods: Twenty-three horses presented with naturally occurring AF. Methods: Prospective case-control clinical study. Thyroid hormone concentration was measured in horses presenting with AF....
Kang H, Sole-Guitart A, Mellor VA, Gaughan JB, Zsoldos RR.Continuous accurate attainment of the body temperature of foals is important to detect early stages of severe heat stress or fever due to a systemic illness. Among a number of methods to measure body temperature, measuring rectal temperature with a digital thermometer is most frequently used due to being relatively fast and simple method. It is also comparatively accurate and correlates well with the core body temperature. However, this method requires restraining the foal for a few seconds to obtain the temperature, and it can be dangerous for the handling person. Percutaneous thermal sensing...
Collinet A, Grimm P, Jacotot E, Julliand V.Large intestine barrier disturbances can have serious consequences for the health of horses. The loss of mucosal integrity that leads to increased intestinal permeability may result from a local inflammatory immune response following alterations of the microbiota, known as dysbiosis. Therefore, our research aimed to identify noninvasive biomarkers for studying the intestinal permeability and the local inflammatory immune response in horses. Regarding the biomarkers used in other mammalian species, we measured the concentrations of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), reflected by 3-OH C14, C16, and C18 ...
Rosenfeld R, Alcalay R, Zvi A, Ben-David A, Noy-Porat T, Chitlaru T, Epstein E, Israeli O, Lazar S, Caspi N, Barnea A, Dor E, Chomsky I, Pitel S....Hyper-immune antisera from large mammals, in particular horses, are routinely used for life-saving anti-intoxication intervention. While highly efficient, the use of these immunotherapeutics is complicated by possible recipient reactogenicity and limited availability. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for alternative improved next-generation immunotherapies to respond to this issue of high public health priority. Here, we document the development of previously unavailable tools for equine antibody engineering. A novel primer set, EquPD v2020, based on equine V-gene data, was designed for ef...
Casanova E, Knowles TDJ, Outram AK, Stear NA, Roffet-Salque M, Zaibert V, Logvin A, Shevnina I, Evershed RP.Direct and accurate radiocarbon dating of lipid residues preserved in ceramics is a recently established method that allows direct dating of specific food products and their inception in human subsistence strategies. The method targets individual fatty acids originating from animal fats such as ruminant dairy, ruminant adipose, non-ruminant adipose and aquatic fats. Horse lipid residues found in Central Asian pottery vessels are also directly dateable using this new method. Here we present the identification of equine lipid residues preserved in two pottery assemblages from the Neolithic and E...
Pye J, Spriet M, O'Brion J, Carpenter R, Blea JA, Dowd JP.To assess the repeatability of equine 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) positron emission tomography (PET) findings, and to evaluate the ability of PET to monitor the progression of areas of increased radiopharmaceutical uptake (IRU) in the fetlocks of Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: 25 racehorses with clinical signs related to fetlock injuries. Methods: This study is a prospective, longitudinal clinical study. Twenty-five racehorses (54 fetlocks) underwent three 18F-NaF PET scans 6 weeks apart. The first 18F-NaF PET scan was performed at the start of a 12-week period of rest from racing (lay-up...
Bernardino PN, Smith WA, Galuppo LD, Mur PE, Cassano JM.Mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells (MSCs) have been studied to treat many common orthopedic injuries in horses. However, there is limited information available on when and how to use this treatment effectively. The aim of this retrospective study is to report case features, treatment protocols, and clinical outcomes in horses treated with MSCs. Methods: 65 horses presenting with tendinous, ligamentous, and articular injuries, and treated with MSCs prepared by a single laboratory between 2016 and 2019. Outcome information was available for 26 horses. Methods: Signalment, clinical signs, diagnosti...
Bailey J, Redpath A, Hallowell G, Bowen M.The clinical examination of lame horses in real world settings often requires the use of sloped surfaces. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of uphill and downhill locomotion on asymmetry in horses with naturally occurring lameness affecting forelimbs and hindlimbs. Ten horses (8-19 years) with forelimb lameness and eight horses (7-16 years) with hindlimb lameness were fitted with inertial sensors at the poll, withers, sacrum and both tuber coxae. Data were collected whilst the horses were trotted in hand on a level surface (20 mm) among conditions in individual horses. Two horse...
Jung T, Park H, Kwon JY, Sohn S.Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Avian Influenza (AI) frequently occur in South Korea, resulting in high levels of occupational stress among quarantine workers forced to partake in massive livestock killings. This study explored the usefulness of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) in improving these workers' psychological and emotional functioning. A total of 51 FMD/AI control workers participated in 16 sessions of an EAL program facilitated by therapeutic riding professionals and trained horses. Results showed significant changes in their stress level, coping style, and overall quality of life-re...
Schmucker S, Preisler V, Marr I, Krüger K, Stefanski V.Domestic horses are currently often subject to management practices that can entail social stressors, which in turn can negatively influence immunocompetence and disease susceptibility. The present study therefore aimed to characterize the number of various blood leukocyte subsets in horses, focusing on two potentially stressful housing environments: changes in group composition and relocation to individual stabling. Immune measurements were conducted before as well as one and eight days after changes were made. They were complemented by an assessment of plasma cortisol concentrations as well ...
Desantis S, Santamaria N, Zizza S, Accogli G, Mastrodonato M, Scillitani G, Mentino D.Urothelium is a multilayer epithelium covering the inner surface of the urinary bladder that acts as a blood-urine barrier and is involved in maintaining the wellbeing of the whole organism. Glycans serve in the maturation and differentiation of cells and thus play a key role in the morphology and function of the multilayered epithelium. The aim of the present study was to examine the glycoprotein pattern of the horse urinary bladder urothelium by lectin histochemistry. Methods: The study involved urinary bladders from four horse stallions. Tissue sections were stained with a panel of eleven l...
Greening L, McBride S.Sleep is a significant biological requirement for all living mammals due to its restorative properties and its cognitive role in memory consolidation. Sleep is ubiquitous amongst all mammals but sleep profiles differ between species dependent upon a range of biological and environmental factors. Given the functional importance of sleep, it is important to understand these differences in order to ensure good physical and psychological wellbeing for domesticated animals. This review focuses specifically on the domestic horse and aims to consolidate current information on equine sleep, in relatio...
Orsolini MF, Verstraete MH, van Heule M, Orellana D, Ortega A, Meyers S, Dini P.Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the only method for in vitro embryo production (IVP) in horses. Besides oocyte developmental competence, the outcome of IVP is also highly dependent on sperm quality. Therefore, it is not only essential to employ superior methods of selecting high quality sperm, but also to be able to characterize which quantifiable properties of sperm quality are most indicative of its fertility. In men, a net negative surface charge, estimated by zeta potential (ZP) is highly correlated with sperm quality and in vitro embryo developmental outcomes. However, there ...
Petrucciani A, Yu G, Ventresca M.Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is an arbovirus that, while it has been known to exist since the 1930's, recently had a spike in cases. This increased prevalence is particularly concerning due to the severity of the disease with 1 in 3 symptomatic patients dying. The cause of this peak is currently unknown but could be due to changes in climate, the virus itself, or host behavior. In this paper we propose a novel multi-season deterministic model of EEE spread and its stochastic counterpart. Models were parameterized using a dataset from the Florida Department of Health with sixteen years of ...
Suter A, Schmitt S, Hübschke E, Kowalska M, Hartnack S, Pot S.Bacterial corneal infections are common and potentially blinding diseases in all species. As antibiotic resistance is a growing concern, alternative treatment methods are an important focus of research. Photoactivated chromophore for keratitis-corneal crosslinking (PACK-CXL) is a promising oxygen radical-mediated alternative to antibiotic treatment. The main goal of this study was to assess the anti-bactericidal efficacy on clinical bacterial isolates of the current standard and an accelerated PACK-CXL treatment protocol delivering the same energy dose (5.4 J/cm2). Methods: Clinical bacterial...
Klier J, Fuchs S, Winter G, Gehlen H.Severe equine asthma is the most common globally widespread non-infectious equine respiratory disease (together with its mild and moderate form), which is associated with exposure to hay dust and mold spores, has certain similarities to human asthma, and continues to represent a therapeutic problem. Immunomodulatory CpG-ODN, bound to gelatin nanoparticles as a drug delivery system, were successfully administered by inhalation to severe equine asthmatic patients in several studies. It was possible to demonstrate a significant, sustained, and allergen-independent one-to-eight-week improvement in...
Zahra PW, Jayasinghe NS, Selvadurai NS, Willers SJ, Krsta D, Batty DC, Vine JH.Pre-race dosing of horses with alkalinising agents to manipulate performance has been evident in racing worldwide for over 30 years. To regulate the use of alkalinising agents, racing authorities adopted thresholds for total plasma carbon dioxide (TCO ) in racehorses. Traditionally, racing laboratories have measured plasma TCO using ion selective electrode (ISE) technology, with the Association of Official Racing Chemists (AORC) approving the use of only three ISE instruments for measurement. Because of the manufacture and support of these instruments ceasing, racing laboratories have explor...
Rocchigiani G, Verin R, Uzal FA, Singer ER, Pregel P, Ressel L, Ricci E.Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is a common condition of Thoroughbred racehorses that is usually responsible for reduced performance, while exercise-associated fatal pulmonary hemorrhage (EAFPH) is characterized by severe pulmonary bleeding of unknown pathogenesis resulting in sudden death during strenuous exercise. The aim of the study was to characterize and compare anamnestic data together with pulmonary gross, histologic, and ultrastructural findings in racehorses with EIPH (n = 10), EAFPH (n = 10), and control horses (n = 5). No differences in anamnesis were identified betwee...
McParland TJ, Horne CR, Robertson JB, Schnabel LV, Nelson NC.Limited information exists regarding associations between distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) abnormalities and synovial invagination changes in the distal sesamoid (navicular) bone. This retrospective, analytical study aimed to measure specific characteristics of the synovial invaginations of the navicular bone to determine whether any single characteristic was associated with abnormalities in the DIPJ or navicular apparatus (NA) using high field MRI and a sample of 200 horses' feet. The DIPJ and NA were graded independently by three scorers. The grades were averaged, creating a global pathol...
Pounder DJ.The fatalities associated with the riding and handling of horses in South Australia over the 11-year period 1973-1983 are reviewed. There were 18 deaths, including two sudden natural deaths in the saddle and one drowning. The 15 cases of horse-related trauma represent a death rate of approximately one per million population per annum. Thirteen of the deaths were the result of a head injury after a fall. Nine persons were not wearing protective headgear. The two principal groups at risk were male professional riders with a mean age of 32 years and female amateurs with a mean age of 19 years.
Lin C, Holland RE, Donofrio JC, McCoy MH, Tudor LR, Chambers TM.Equine influenza virus (EIV) is the leading cause of acute respiratory infection in horses worldwide. In recent years, the precise mechanism by which influenza infection kills host cells is being re-evaluated. In this report, we examined whether caspases, a group of intracellular proteases, are activated following EIV infection and contribute to EIV-mediated cell death. Western blotting analysis indicated that a nuclear target of caspase-3, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was proteolytically cleaved in EIV-infected MDCK cells, but not in mock-infected cells. In comparison with caspase-3 spe...
Fritz KL, Kaese HJ, Valberg SJ, Hendrickson JA, Rendahl AK, Bellone RR, Dynes KM, Wagner ML, Lucio MA, Cuomo FM, Brinkmeyer-Langford CL, Skow LC....Appaloosa horses are predisposed to equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), an immune-mediated disease characterized by recurring inflammation of the uveal tract in the eye, which is the leading cause of blindness in horses. Nine genetic markers from the ECA1 region responsible for the spotted coat color of Appaloosa horses, and 13 microsatellites spanning the equine major histocompatibility complex (ELA) on ECA20, were evaluated for association with ERU in a group of 53 Appaloosa ERU cases and 43 healthy Appaloosa controls. Three markers were significantly associated (corrected P-value <0.05): a SNP ...
Fritzen B, Rohn K, Schnieder T, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.Increasing prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in equine nematodes calls for a reexamination of current parasite control programmes to identify factors influencing control efficacy and development of resistance. Objective: To investigate if associations occur between prevalence of parasitic nematodes and management practices. Methods: German horse farms (n = 76) were investigated in 2003 and 2004. Information on farm and pasture management with respect to endoparasite control measures obtained using a questionnaire survey. Faecal examinations were performed in parallel. Results: Horses (n = ...
Ayoub C, Arroyo LG, MacNicol JL, Renaud D, Weese JS, Gomez DE.The association of microbiota with clinical outcomes and the taxa associated with colitis in horses remains generally unknown. Objective: Describe the fecal microbiota of horses with colitis and investigate the association of the fecal microbiota with the development of laminitis and survival. Methods: Thirty-six healthy and 55 colitis horses subdivided into laminitis (n = 15) and non-laminitis (n = 39, 1 horse with chronic laminitis was removed from this comparison) and survivors (n = 27) and nonsurvivors (n = 28). Methods: Unmatched case-control study. The Illumina MiSeq platform tar...
Weishaupt MA.The skill to diagnose lameness in horses is paramount for every equine practitioner. Early recognition of locomotor deficiencies plays a central role in sports medicine management, preventing deterioration of the disease or catastrophic injuries. Horses use characteristic compensatory movements of specific body parts to decrease loading of the affected limb. This article describes the underlying changes in intra- and interlimb coordination and the resulting load redistribution between the limbs. This enables the practitioner to better understand the changes in movement associated with lameness...
Hofmaier F, Hauck SM, Amann B, Degroote RL, Deeg CA.Autoimmune uveitis is a sight-threatening disease in which autoreactive T cells cross the blood-retinal barrier. Molecular mechanisms contributing to the loss of eye immune privilege in this autoimmune disease are not well understood. In this study, the authors investigated the changes in the matrix metalloproteinase network in spontaneous uveitis. Methods: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) MMP2, MMP9, and MMP14 expression and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 and lipocalin 2 (LCN2) expression were analyzed using Western blot quantification. Enzyme activities were examined with zymog...
Sack A, Oladunni FS, Gonchigoo B, Chambers TM, Gray GC. Worldwide, horses play critical roles in recreation, food production, transportation, and as working animals. Horses' roles differ by geographical region and the socioeconomic status of the people, but despite modern advances in transportation, which have in some ways altered humans contact with horses, potential risks for equine zoonotic pathogen transmission to humans occur globally. While previous reports have focused upon individual or groups of equine pathogens, to our knowledge, a systematic review of equine zoonoses has never been performed. Using PRISMA's systematic review guidelines...
Penedo MC, Millon LV, Bernoco D, Bailey E, Binns M, Cholewinski G, Ellis N, Flynn J, Gralak B, Guthrie A, Hasegawa T, Lindgren G, Lyons LA, Røed KH....A comprehensive male linkage map was generated by adding 359 new, informative microsatellites to the International Equine Gene Map half-sibling reference families and by combining genotype data from three independent mapping resources: a full sibling family created at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, United Kingdom, eight half-sibling families from Sweden and two half-sibling families from the University of California, Davis. Because the combined data were derived primarily from half-sibling families, only autosomal markers were analyzed. The map was constructed from a total of 766 marker...
Turtinen LW, Allen GP, Darlington RW, Bryans JT.The molecular and serologic relatedness of 2 recent respiratory tract isolates of equine herpesvirus type 1, designated T1 and T2, were compared with the Army 183, Kentucky-A hamster-adapted (KyA-ha), and L-M cell-adapted (KyA-LM) strains. Electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels revealed differences in virion structural proteins among 4 purified strains. Seven envelope glycoproteins (molecular weight of 93,000, 65,000, 62,000, 60,000, 36,000, 20,000, and 18,000) corresponding to virion proteins 13, 16, 17, 18, 23, 25, and 26a, respectively, found in both the Army 183 and KyA-ha strains had slig...
Henry S, Richard-Yris MA, Hausberger M.Whereas the way animals perceive human contact has been particularly examined in pet animals, a small amount of investigations has been done in domestic ungulates. It was nevertheless assumed that, as pet animals, non-aggressive forms of tactile contact were as well rewarding or positive for these species, even though the features of intraspecific relationships in pet animals and domestic ungulates may be to some extent different. We test here the hypothesis that horses may not consider physical handling by humans as a positive event. When comparing different early human-foal interactions, we ...
Anzai T, Walker JA, Blair MB, Chambers TM, Timoney JF.To determine whether streptococcal pneumonia is caused by strains of Streptococcus zooepidemicus similar to those obtained from the tonsils of healthy horses. Methods: 5 tonsils from healthy horses, 8 tracheal washes and 6 lung specimens from foals with pneumonia, and 5 nasopharyngeal swab specimens from donkeys with acute bronchopneumonia. Methods: Variable M-like protectively immunogenic SzP proteins of 5 isolates of S. zooepidemicus from each tonsil and clinical specimen were compared, using immunoblots. The SzP gene of 13 isolates representative of various SzP immunoblot phenotypes from 1 ...
Isa P, Wood AR, Netherwood T, Ciarlet M, Imagawa H, Snodgrass DR.DIG-labelled ssRNA probes were prepared from variable regions of VP4 and VP7 cognate genes, and used in hybridization assays for P and G genotyping of group A cell culture-adapted equine rotaviruses and fecal samples collected from foals with and without diarrhea. The probes confirmed known P and G serotypes of sixteen cell culture-adapted strains. From one-hundred and twenty-one rotavirus-positive samples, 83 reacted when tested for their P and G genotype specific probes. From these, 71 were found to contain G3 P12 genotypes, and 11 G14 P12 genotypes. No sample reacted with H1 or L338 P and G...
Ortega-Ferrusola C, González-Fernández L, Muriel A, Macías-García B, Rodríguez-Martínez H, Tapia JA, Alonso JM, Peña FJ.In an attempt to evaluate the possible relationship between the microbial flora in the stallion ejaculate and its ability to freeze,three ejaculates from five stallions were frozen using a standard protocol. Before freezing, an aliquot was removed for bacteriological analysis. Bacterial growth was observed in all the ejaculates studied. The isolated microorganisms were:Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus spp. (in all the stallions), beta-haemolytic Streptococcus (in stallions 3 and 4), Corynebacterium spp. (in stallions 1, 3-5), Rhodococcus spp. (in stallion number 2), Pseudomonas spp. (in sta...
Lane HE, Burns TA, Hegedus OC, Watts MR, Weber PS, Woltman KA, Geor RJ, McCutcheon LJ, Eades SC, Mathes LE, Belknap JK.Insulin dysregulation, obesity, and exposure to high-nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) forage are risk factors for equine metabolic syndrome-associated laminitis (EMSAL); high systemic insulin concentrations in EMSAL are proposed to induce cellular dysregulation in the digital lamellae through activation of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor. Objective: To use a dietary challenge model (DCM) and a euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) model to assess lamellar growth factor-related signalling. Methods: Lamellar phospho (P)-protein concentrations of signalling proteins important in gro...
Robinson VL, Smith BB, Arnone A.In 1947, Perutz and co-workers reported that crystalline horse methemoglobin undergoes a large lattice transition as the pH is decreased from 7.1 to 5.4. We have determined the pH 7.1 and 5.4 crystal structures of horse methemoglobin at 1.6 and 2.1 A resolution, respectively, and find that this lattice transition involves a 23 A translation of adjacent hemoglobin tetramers as well as changes in alpha heme ligation and the tertiary structure of the alpha subunits. Specifically, when the pH is lowered from 7.1 to 5.4, the Fe(3+) alpha heme groups (but not the beta heme groups) are converted from...
Barton MH, Collatos C.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic significance of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) activities and endotoxin concentration in blood and peritoneal fluid of 155 adult horses with acute abdominal disease (colic). Samples also were obtained from 20 healthy adult horses. Blood and peritoneal fluid supernatant TNF and IL-6 activities and endotoxin concentration were significantly greater in horses with colic, compared with healthy horses. In horses with colic, the peritoneal fluid endotoxin concentration and TNF and IL-6 activities were...
Young LE, Rogers K, Wood JL.Cardiac murmurs associated with valvular regurgitation occur commonly in conditioned performance horses, but their association with athletic performance is unknown. Objective: Cardiac valvular regurgitation has a negative association with race performance. Methods: Five hundred and twenty-six "race fit" Thoroughbred racehorses engaged in either flat (race distance 1,000-2,500 m) or jump racing (race distance 3,200-6,400 m). Methods: Cardiac auscultation and color flow Doppler (CFD) echocardiography were performed on 777 occasions. The associations between the presence and severity of either an...
Schwarzwald CC, Schober KE, Bonagura JD.Noninvasive assessment of left ventricular (LV) function is incompletely studied in horses. Objective: The goals of this study were to investigate the feasibility, techniques, and reliability of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) for characterization of LV radial wall motion in healthy horses. Methods: Three Standardbreds, 3 Thoroughbreds; age 8-14 years; body weight 517-606 kg. Methods: Repeated echocardiographic examinations were performed by 2 observers in unsedated horses using TDI. Test reliability was determined by estimating measurement variability, within-day interobserver variability, and b...
Scheidegger MD, Gerber V, Bruckmaier RM, van der Kolk JH, Burger D, Ramseyer A.This study tested the hypothesis that adrenocortical function would be altered in horses with equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Twenty-six sport horses competing at national or international levels in eventing (n=15) or endurance (n=11) were subjected to a gastroscopic examination and an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test. Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured before (baseline) and after (30, 60, 90, 120 and 150min) IV ACTH injection (1μg/kg bodyweight). Within EGUS, two distinct diseases, equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric diseas...
Staiger EA, Tseng CT, Miller D, Cassano JM, Nasir L, Garrick D, Brooks SA, Antczak DF.The common equine skin tumors known as sarcoids have been causally associated with infection by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Additionally, there is evidence for host genetic susceptibility to sarcoids. We investigated the genetic basis of susceptibility to sarcoid tumors on a cohort of 82 affected horses and 270 controls genotyped on a genome-wide platform and two custom panels. A Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) identified candidate regions on six chromosomes. Bayesian probability analysis of the same dataset verified only the regions on equine chromosomes (ECA) 20 and 22. Fine mapping us...
Wiebke M, Hensel B, Nitsche-Melkus E, Jung M, Schulze M.This review is part of the Festschrift in honor of Dr. Duane Garner and provides an overview of current techniques for cooled storage of semen from livestock animals. The first part describes the current state of the art of liquid semen preservation in boars, bulls, and stallions, including the diluents, use of additives, processing, temperature, and cooling of semen. The species-specific physiology and varying extents of cold shock sensitivity are taken into consideration. In addition, factors influencing the quality of cooled-stored semen are discussed. Methods, trends, and the most recent a...
Sprague LD, Zachariah R, Neubauer H, Wernery R, Joseph M, Scholz HC, Wernery U.The internationally mandatory complement fixation test (CFT) for testing of equine sera for the absence of glanders has repeatedly led to discrepant results. Not only do "false positive" sera pose a problem for the diagnostician and the animal health authorities but they can also result in significant financial losses for the animal owners.Due to the very low prevalence of glanders in the horse population it is of major importance to use tests with a high specificity to overcome unreliable predictive values. We have compared formalin-fixed B. mallei whole cell antigen and a well characterised ...
Gibney KB, Robinson S, Mutebi JP, Hoenig DE, Bernier BJ, Webber L, Lubelczyk C, Nett RJ, Fischer M.Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is one of the most severe arboviral encephalitides in North America. Before 2009, limited nonhuman EEE virus activity had been reported in Maine, all from the southernmost area of the state. No human case has been reported in a Maine resident. Methods: We review all EEE virus activity reported to Maine Centers for Disease Control in 2009 and describe current testing practices for possible human EEE cases. Results: In 2009, fatal cases of EEE were identified in 15 horses, 1 llama, and 3 flocks of pheasants in Maine, with activity extending into the central part...
Natenstedt J, Kok AC, Dankelman J, Tuijthof GJ.Articular cartilage has limited regeneration capacities. One of the factors that appear to affect the in vitro cultivation of articular cartilage is mechanical stimulation. So far, no combination of parameters has been identified that offers the best results. The goal is to review the literature in search of the best available set of quantitative mechanical stimuli that lead to optimal in vitro cultivation.The databases Scopus and PubMed were used to survey the literature, and strict in- and exclusion criteria were applied regarding the presence of quantitative data. The review was performed b...
Raudsepp T, Chowdhary BP.A pilot study comparing horse and donkey karyotypes on a molecular basis was initiated using the chromosomal microdissection approach. All equine meta- and submetacentric chromosomes, viz. ECA1 to ECA13 and the X and Y chromosomes, were microdissected. The DNA was PCR amplified, non-radioactively labelled and used as probes on equine metaphase chromosomes to confirm their origin. Once tested, the paints were used as probes on donkey metaphase chromosomes to detect homologous chromosomal segments between the two species. The results not only detected conservation of whole chromosome and/or arm ...
Angulo-Valadez CE, Scholl PJ, Cepeda-Palacios R, Jacquiet P, Dorchies P.Larvae causing obligatory myiasis are numerous and they may affect cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, wounds, nasopharyngeal cavities (nasal bots), internal organs and the digestive tract (bots) of domestic and wild animals and humans as well. Nasal bots belong to the Family Oestridae, Subfamily Oestrinae, which includes several important genera: Oestrus, Kirkioestrus, and Gedoelstia infecting Artiodactyla (except Cervidae) in Africa and Eurasia, Cephenemyia and Pharyngomyia infecting Cervidae, Rhinoestrus infecting horses, Cephalopina infecting camels, Pharyngobolus infecting African elephan...
Côté GP.The non-muscle tropomyosins (TMs), isolated from such tissues as platelets, brain and thyroid, are structurally very similar to the muscle TMs, being composed of two highly alpha-helical subunits wound around each other to form a rod-like molecule. The non-muscle TMs are shorter than the muscle TMs; sequence analysis demonstrates that each subunit of equine platelet TM consists of 247 amino acids, 37 fewer than for skeletal muscle TM. The major differences in sequence between platelet and skeletal muscle TM are found near the amino and carboxyl terminal ends of the proteins. Probably as the re...
