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.
Varandas M, Lozano J, Agrícola R, Gomes L, Rosa T, Magalhães M, Lamas L, Rinaldi L, Oliveira M, Paz-Silva A, Madeira de Carvalho L.The diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) strongyle infections in equids is still mainly performed using quantitative coprological techniques, like the McMaster (McM), but more sensitive and precise techniques, like FLOTAC (FL) and Mini-FLOTAC (MF), have been proposed over the past 20 years. The present study aimed to compare the analytical performance of these three methods in the diagnosis of strongyle infections in horses. Between October 2023 and June 2024, 32 fecal samples were processed using the McM, FL and MF techniques to identify strongyles' eggs, estimate their shedding (eggs per gram ...
Linde P, Kurihara J, Chow L, Williams ZJ, Hendrickson D, Bass L, Dow S, Pezzanite LM.Innate immune responses within the joint are now known to play a key role in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. However, comparatively little is known regarding the role of adaptive immune responses in OA, and whether they may be important for initiating and sustaining progressive low-level joint inflammation. Therefore, we evaluated spontaneous osteoarthritis in horses to investigate whether antibodies recognizing live joint cells (chondrocytes, synoviocytes) were present in blood or synovial fluid, and to identify possible cellular target antigens. We found that horses with advanced OA had an...
Simonin EM, Torsteinsdóttir S, Svansson V, Björnsdóttir S, Freer H, Tarsillo J, Wagner B.The origins of allergy are both genetic and environmental. We performed a full-sibling study to determine the role of early-in-life or delayed allergen introduction on hypersensitivity development in a cohort with history of an allergic phenotype and Culicoides hypersensitivity. IgE-mediated allergies naturally develop in many mammalian species, and we used a horse model of allergy called hypersensitivity. hypersensitivity is a seasonal, recurrent, IgE-mediated allergy caused by the salivary proteins of biting midges. Unassigned: The study included four cohorts that lived together in the s...
Beck C, Hitchens PL, Muir P, Whitton RC.Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used for metacarpo/tarsophalangeal or fetlock joint (MC/TPJ) evaluation in Thoroughbred racehorses. CT features and lesion prevalence in competing Thoroughbreds are unknown. Objective: To identify standing CT features within the MC/TPJ of elite Thoroughbred staying racehorses. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Computed tomography scans of the MC/TPJ were performed as part of pre-race screening for fracture risk and graded for CT features. Descriptive statistics and univariable logistic regression models were generated to investigate associat...
Roxon CA, Deacon LJ, Abraham M, Stefanovski D, Sertich PL.Gestation length is not a reliable indicator of fetal maturity due to the variability of normal gestation length in the mare. A standard method to accurately predict equine fetal maturity is not being used clinically. The presence of continuous gastrointestinal peristalsis, as detected ultrasonographically, is an indicator that both human and canine fetuses are mature (can survive after elective cesarean section). To determine if continuous gastrointestinal peristalsis, which we termed Phase 5, was a valid indicator of fetal maturity in the horse, and whether this indicator varied in late-gest...
Ostendarp C, Barton AK.Intraocular neoplasia in horses is rare and only few case reports and small case series exist. Intraocular neoplasia has various clinical signs and includes important differential diagnoses in ocular disease. This narrative review of the current literature aims to provide a clinically relevant overview and classification of intraocular tumors in horses and adds a comparative oncological perspective concerning diagnosis, treatment and future considerations. The available clinical and imaging examination techniques allow for a reliable and differentiated investigation of the tumor, even in the s...
Machado RZ, André MR, Pereira JG, Oliveira MDSC, Ribeiro LSDS, Toledo CZP, Gonçalves LR.Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by the protozoan parasites Babesia caballi, Theileria equi, and Theileria haneyi, characterized by intravascular hemolysis and associated systemic illness. Although T. equi and B. caballi have been widely reported in some regions of Brazil, data from other states are limited. Additionally, despite reports of T. equi genotype C, currently recognized as T. haneyi, has been identified in Brazil, there are no investigations using T. haneyi-specific molecular tools. This study assessed the presence of these three agents in horses from Baixada...
Klinck M, Lovett A, Sykes B.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) refers to mucosal gastric disease in horses, including equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD), which present as two distinct disease entities differing in pathophysiology and approach to disease management. Both diseases are a source of pain in affected horses, partly explaining why EGUS continues to receive substantial attention in the equine medical, welfare and equitation research sectors. There is a complex interplay between EGUS and a variety of physical and psychological stressors. Horses with EGUS are often...
Abbas G, Nielsen MK, E-Hage C, Ghafar A, Beveridge I, Bauquier J, Beasley A, Wilkes EJA, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, Jabbar A.Over the past 25 years, significant progress has been made in understanding and managing equine gastrointestinal parasites in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. This review synthesises current knowledge of the epidemiology, diagnostic methods, anthelmintic resistance (AR), and control strategies for major equine intestinal parasites, including cyathostomins, Parascaris spp., Anoplocephala perfoliata, and Strongyloides westeri. Recent studies highlight substantial regional variation in parasite prevalence, egg shedding and cyathostomin population composition, sh...
Wesołowska M, Szczuka E. In animals, staphylococci constitute a significant part of the normal skin microbiota and mucous membranes. There is limited information available on staphylococci isolated from healthy horses. These skin-associated bacteria can be easily transferred between animals and horse riders via direct contact. Patients undergoing hippotherapy (i.e., medical or therapeutic sessions with horses) are especially at risk of being colonized by horse skin-associated bacteria. However, it remains unclear whether equine skin is colonized by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) opportunistic pathogens, which may be o...
Braga C, Prazeres J, Borges J, Ribeiro G.To noninvasively characterize skin thickness and elasticity in healthy horses using B-mode ultrasound and shear wave elastography (SWE) and to verify whether there are differences between the skin of stabled and outdoor horses. Unassigned: 10 clinically healthy horses were enrolled in this study. Five animals were housed exclusively indoors (indoor group), and 5 had temporary or permanent access to an outdoor environment (outdoor group). All horses underwent bilateral ultrasonographic examination of 3 anatomical regions: neck, withers, and girth region caudal to the elbow. Skin thickness was a...
Dalla Costa E, Bovo M.Flowchart illustrating interdisciplinary collaboration in animal research. A horse symbolizes the focus, with pathways connecting physiology, behavior, and environment to decision-making and regulatory indications. Data analysis, system understanding, and data interpretation lead to feedback and warning. Visual elements include sun, clouds, a light bulb, gears, and a graph.
Villalba-Díez M, Benavente-Sánchez L, Bustamante R, Santiago-Llorente I, Villalba-Orero M.Several induction quality scoring systems (IQSS) have been described to evaluate drugs and risk factors of this anaesthetic period in horses, but no attempts to compare their reliability have been performed. Objective: To elucidate the reliability of three IQSS: the visual analogue scale (VAS), a simple descriptive scale (SDS), and a composite grading scale (CGS) proposed by the authors. Methods: Reliability study. Methods: Eight randomly selected video-recorded anaesthetic inductions from horses that underwent general anaesthesia were evaluated twice by four blinded evaluators with experience...
Rosanowski SM, Milne H, Pearce P, McDonald N, Zobel G, McFadden A.An essential component of a timely response to a disaster event or disease outbreak is an accurate understanding of the population at risk, its location, and the owners' contact details. In equines, this can be achieved through individual identification, via microchipping, and the registration of these individuals in a centralised database. This review outlines the development by the New Zealand Equine Health Association (NZEHA) of a centralised database for equines in New Zealand, the National Equine Identification and Traceability (NEIT) system, which is built using Companion Animal New Zeal...
Musial F, Weiss T.Bit pressure and rein tension-induced mouth pain in horses have recently become a significant welfare concern, fueling debates within the equestrian community and beyond. Evidence indicates that bits can cause pain-related behaviors and even oral lesions. Although studying pressure-induced pain in animals is challenging, the similarities in the physiology of pain processing (nociception) across mammals suggest that it is reasonable to assume that pain perception in humans and horses is principally comparable. Therefore, we compared human pressure pain detection thresholds (PPDTs) to reported r...
Wnuk E, Janicka W, Stachurska A, Owerczuk R, Łuszczyński J.Differences in the ranges and capacities of sensory modalities cause horses to perceive their surroundings differently than humans. To date, the horses' sense of smell has been studied mainly regarding social and reproductive behaviour. The role of olfaction in horse management and use also seems to be of utmost importance. The aim of this study was to determine the response to a scent of different intensities by horses of different sexes and types (warmblood horses vs ponies). The study involved 21 adult mares and geldings, of which 15 subjects learned how to complete the required task and we...
Khalid E, Tartor YH, Ammar AM, Abdelaziz R, Mahmmod Y, Abdelkhalek A.Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health issue requiring a coordinated response. This study investigated for the first time the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of bacteria causing infections in Arabian horses, and the potential of bacteriophage therapy for wound treatment. One hundred clinical samples from infected Arabian horses, presenting respiratory disorders, diarrhea, abortion, wound, and ocular infection, were examined using direct sample multiplex PCR and phenotypic methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the recovered isolates was performed using pane...
Hobbs KJ, Ludwig EK, Martin EM, Bayless R, Bauck AG, Freeman DE, Gonzalez LM.To determine if blood and peritoneal fluid levels of syndecan-1, heparan sulfate, and hyaluronan are elevated in horses with small intestinal disease compared to healthy counterparts. Unassigned: 61 horses were categorized into control (n = 20), inflammatory (11), and strangulating (30) groups. Paired peritoneal fluid and blood samples were obtained from each group from December 2016 through December 2024 and analyzed via equine-validated ELISAs for syndecan-1, heparan sulfate, and hyaluronan concentrations. Patient survival to discharge was recorded for all groups. Immunofluorescence staining...
Dindo S, Tovar-Pascual L, Baldassarro VA, Bucci D, Mislei B, Spinaci M, Ortiz-Rodriguez JM.Nanoplastics (NP) accumulation in biological tissues and their adverse effects on fertility through inflammatory and oxidative stress responses have recently been described as consequences of global plastic pollution. However, little is known about the impact of NP on gametes. This study aimed to assess the internalization of NP and their effects on mature equine spermatozoa. Frozen-thawed ejaculates from five stallions were divided into untreated control (CTR) and samples supplemented with different concentrations (10, 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL) of 30 nm polystyrene NP. At baseline (T0), and a...
Memarian P, Basso G, Rigo M, Falomo ME, Isola M.Patellar luxation is a rare orthopedic condition in horses, with congenital lateral patellar luxation being the most frequently reported form. A few sporadic reports have described surgical options for addressing equine patellar luxation. This report details the clinical presentation of a 2-month-old Italian Trotter foal diagnosed with bilateral lateral patellar luxation. Staged surgical correction of both stifles was performed, including block recession trochleoplasty combined with the application of polypropylene mesh for reinforcing medial imbrication sutures. Intra- and post-operative eval...
Boado A, Pollard D, Lopez-Sanroman FJ, Dyson S.There is limited information regarding orthopaedic injuries in dressage horses. This study assessed the prevalence of injuries in a mixed referral and first opinion population of 272 horses training and competing in dressage, 238 of which were followed up one to five years after injury. Warmblood (55.8%) and Iberian (38.6%) breeds predominated. The median age was 8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 5,11; range 1,21). Horses were examined due to lameness (85.3%) or poor performance (14.7%). The median lameness grade was 2/5 (IQR 2,4; range 0,4). Forelimb lameness was more prevalent than hindlimb...
Rocha IA, McPeek JL, Hulverson MA, Choi R, Orr K, Sponseller BT, Kennedy T, Ojo KK, Barrett LK, Ruby R, Janes J, Reed SM, Arnold SLM, Van Voorhis WC....To determine the systemic and CNS distribution of bumped-kinase inhibitors (BKIs) in healthy horses, assess potential side effects, and identify a candidate compound for a clinical trial in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) cases. Unassigned: 9 pharmacokinetic (PK) experiments were conducted from March 2021 through November 2024. Bumped-kinase inhibitors 1708, 1748, and 1841 were screened in Sarcocystis neurona growth assays and IV PKs, followed by investigation of a lead BKI compound by single-dose or multiday oral administration. Serial plasma collections were performed to assess syst...
Nilsson E, Moazzami AA, Lindberg JE, Jansson A.Feeding a high amount of starch-rich grains is common practice for performance horses even though the horse has evolved to eat a grass based, i.e. low starch diet. To our knowledge, there are no studies using metabolomics to investigate the effects of a high-starch diet in horses. In this study we investigated differences in the plasma metabolic profile of 6 Standardbred horses fed a no-starch, forage-only (F) diet or a high-starch forage-concentrate (FC) diet for 29 days, respectively in a cross-over design. Postprandial plasma samples were collected on the morning of day 25 of each dietary ...
Maniego J, Swinburne J, Hincks P, Habershon-Butcher J, Given J, Ryder E.Gene editing and genome manipulation offer great promise for treating diseases in both humans and animals. There is a danger, however, that this technology could be used for other purposes such as performance enhancement. To detect such 'gene doping' events, we evaluated a targeted enrichment panel and next-generation sequencing to assess its reproducibility, sensitivity, and capability of variant detection on a wide variety of samples and biological matrices. The panel was verified against existing data for the myostatin gene, a PCR-based SNP panel, and whole genome sequencing in a subset of ...
Saitua A, Pérez-Umbría J, García-Álamo K, Muñoz A.Dynamic mobilization exercises (DME) are an effective strategy to prevent musculoskeletal injuries and promote back health in sport horses. Previous studies focused mainly on multifidus muscle cross-sectional area, with limited data on locomotion and adaptation timing. This study evaluated locomotor changes using accelerometry, over 8 weeks of DME application in 14 sedentary horses: a DME group ( = 8) performing 10 different DME (3 neck flexions, 1 neck extension and 3 lateral bending exercises to each side), 5 repetitions of each DME per session, 3 sessions/week, and a control group ( = 6), t...
Garland A, van Doorn DA, van den Boom R, Roelfsema E, Jung L, Boast M, Papadakis K, Margiotta M, Wafelbakker S, Briggs M, McCrae P, Pearson W.Up to 70% of horses in domestic equine populations are overweight. Promotion of weight loss is an important component of limiting the detrimental co-morbidities associated with excess adipose tissue. The use of a body condition score (BCS) can help equine caregivers track their horse's weight-status. However, this single score doesn't reflect changes in individual adipose depots. The purpose of this study was to characterize morphometric changes (including 8 anatomic BCS measurements that make up the whole-BCS) in horses during 3 different weight-loss programs over 10 weeks. Methods: Thirty-tw...
Austin MMP, Ivey JLZ, Shepherd EA, Myer PR.Starvation in horses presents critical welfare, economic, and management challenges with underlying molecular mechanisms of metabolic modification and recovery left poorly defined. Prolonged caloric deprivation induces significant systemic shifts in carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism, reflected in coordinated changes in tissue-specific gene expression. This review synthesizes current knowledge on equine metabolic responses to starvation, emphasizing pathways found through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) studies. Molecular investi...
Jeong S, Bond S, Bayly W, Sole-Guitart A.To quantify the impact of experimentally induced dorsal nasopharyngeal collapse (NPC) on respiratory performance parameters and assess the efficacy of laser fenestration of the dorsal pharyngeal recess as a treatment option for experimentally induced NPC. Methods: Experimental interventional study. Methods: Six adult Standardbreds (one with naturally occurring disease). Methods: After an 8 week conditioning program, baseline parameters (V̇Omax, pharyngeal pressure, peak airflows, upper airway resistance) and dynamic endoscopy videos were collected in a high-speed treadmill test (T1). Dorsal N...
Bollens J, Gheysen L, Verkade M, Stael J, Martens A, Segers P.Postoperative incisional complications are common in horses following abdominal surgery, which typically involves an incision through the abdominal wall along the linea alba. The linea alba is a fibrous band running in the craniocaudal direction along the ventral abdomen. This incision is closed with sutures, where the choice of suture pattern and surgical technique has shown to influence the rate of complications. Therefore, this study investigated how different suture patterns and variations influence the stresses in the tissue by combining experimental and computational biomechanics. The me...
Park T, Hong S, Murray L, Lee J, Shah A, Mesa JC, Lee H, Couetil L, Lee CH.Continuous physiological monitoring is well-established in human healthcare for early disease detection and management. However, translation of these technologies to large animals such as equines remains underdeveloped due to anatomical constraints, dense hair coat coverage, and requirements for unimpeded mobility. Equines, particularly racehorses, are prone to asthma and cardiovascular abnormalities, with nearly 80 % affected by mild to moderate asthma, impacting performance and long-term health. Despite the need for continuous monitoring, existing solutions require shaving hairs, often lack...
Patterson-Kane JC, Becker DL, Rich T.The equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is a frequently injured structure that is functionally and clinically equivalent to the human Achilles tendon (AT). Both act as critical energy-storage systems during high-speed locomotion and can accumulate exercise- and age-related microdamage that predisposes to rupture during normal activity. Significant advances in understanding of the biology and pathology of exercise-induced tendon injury have occurred through comparative studies of equine digital tendons with varying functions and injury susceptibilities. Due to the limitations of in-...
Ayliffe LK, Cerling TE, Robinson T, West AG, Sponheimer M, Passey BH, Hammer J, Roeder B, Dearing MD, Ehleringer JR.Temporal stable isotope records derived from animal tissues are increasingly studied to determine dietary and climatic histories. Despite this, the turnover times governing rates of isotope equilibration in specific tissues following a dietary isotope change are poorly known. The dietary isotope changes recorded in the hair and blood bicarbonate of two adult horses in this study are found to be successfully described by a model having three exponential isotope pools. For horse tail hair, the carbon isotope response observed following a dietary change from a C3 to a C4 grass was consistent with...
Vargas A, Boivin R, Cano P, Murcia Y, Bazin I, Lavoie JP.Severe neutrophilic asthma is poorly responsive to glucocorticosteroids (GC). Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) within the lungs have been associated with the severity of airway obstruction and inflammation in asthma, and were found to be unaffected by GC in vitro. As IL-17 is overexpressed in neutrophilic asthma and contributes to steroid insensitivity in different cell types, we hypothesized that NETs formation in asthmatic airways would be resistant to GC through an IL-17 mediated pathway. Six neutrophilic severe asthmatic horses and six healthy controls were studied while being treated...
Marsh GA, Wang LF.Henipavirus, including Hendra and Nipah viruses, is a group of emerging bat-borne paramyxoviruses which were responsible for severe disease outbreaks in humans, horses and pigs. The mortality rate of human infection varies between 50 and 100%, making them one of the most deadly viruses known to infect humans. Its use of highly conserved cell surface molecules (ephrin) as entry receptors and its highly effective replication and fusion strategies are believed to be important characteristics responsible for its high pathogenicity. Henipavirus also encodes multiple accessory proteins which play a ...
Adams MR, Register TC, Golden DL, Wagner JD, Williams JK.Although estrogen replacement therapy is associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease and reduced extent of coronary artery atherosclerosis, the effects of combined (estrogen plus progestin) hormone-replacement therapy are uncertain. Some observational data indicate that users of combined hormone replacement consisting of continuously administered oral conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and oral sequentially administered (7 to 14 days per month) medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) experience a reduction in risk similar to that of users of CEE alone. However, the effects of combined, con...
Dowling BA, Dart AJ, Hodgson DR, Smith RK.The superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is an elastic structure that during maximal exercise appears to operate close to its functional limits. The biomechanical and biochemical responses to exercise, injury, and healing are still poorly understood but ongoing research is providing valuable new information which is addressed in this review. It appears that the SDFT matures early, after which time it has limited ability to adapt to stress and undergoes progressive degeneration. Focal hypocellularity, collagen fibril degeneration, selective fibril loading and alterations in the noncollageno...
Kappmeyer LS, Thiagarajan M, Herndon DR, Ramsay JD, Caler E, Djikeng A, Gillespie JJ, Lau AO, Roalson EH, Silva JC, Silva MG, Suarez CE, Ueti MW....Transmission of arthropod-borne apicomplexan parasites that cause disease and result in death or persistent infection represents a major challenge to global human and animal health. First described in 1901 as Piroplasma equi, this re-emergent apicomplexan parasite was renamed Babesia equi and subsequently Theileria equi, reflecting an uncertain taxonomy. Understanding mechanisms by which apicomplexan parasites evade immune or chemotherapeutic elimination is required for development of effective vaccines or chemotherapeutics. The continued risk of transmission of T. equi from clinically silent,...
Schmidt A, Möstl E, Wehnert C, Aurich J, Müller J, Aurich C.Based on plasma cortisol concentrations it is widely accepted that transport is stressful to horses. So far, cortisol release during transport has not been evaluated in depth by non-invasive techniques such as analysis of salivary cortisol and faecal cortisol metabolites. Transport also causes changes in heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV). In this study, salivary cortisol, faecal cortisol metabolites, heart rate and HRV in horses transported by road for short (one and 3.5 h) and medium duration (8 h) were determined. With the onset of transport, salivary cortisol increased immediately...
Smith RK.Optimal management of tendon overuse injuries in equine and human athletes should avoid the formation of excessive scar tissue, regenerate normal tendon matrix, and reduce re-injury rates. We hypothesized that the implantation of marrow-derived stromal stem cells (BM-MSCs), in far greater numbers than are present normally within tendon tissue, would synthesize a matrix more closely resembling tendon matrix than scar tissue, and hence increase the capacity to return to performance successfully. This article reviews the technique used clinically in the horse and the current outcome data for hors...
Carrade Holt DD, Wood JA, Granick JL, Walker NJ, Clark KC, Borjesson DL.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are used in both human clinical trials and veterinary medicine for the treatment of inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases. MSCs modulate inflammation by decreasing the cells and products of the inflammatory response. Stimulated equine MSCs from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT), cord blood (CB), and umbilical cord tissue (CT) inhibit lymphocyte proliferation and decrease inflammatory cytokine production. We hypothesized that equine MSCs inhibit T cell proliferation through secreted mediators and that MSCs from different tissue sources decrease T cell proli...
Science (New York, N.Y.)March 10, 2011
Volume 331, Issue 6021 1178-1181 doi: 10.1126/science.1196166
Mihlbachler MC, Rivals F, Solounias N, Semprebon GM.The evolution of high-crowned molars among horses (Family Equidae) is thought to be an adaptation for abrasive diets associated with the spread of grasslands. The sharpness and relief of the worn cusp apices of teeth (mesowear) are a measure of dietary abrasion. We collected mesowear data for North American Equidae for the past 55.5 million years to test the association of molar height and dietary abrasion. Mesowear trends in horses are reflective of global cooling and associated vegetation changes. There is a strong correlation between mesowear and crown height in horses; however, most horse ...
Labruna MB, Kasai N, Ferreira F, Faccini JL, Gennari SM.Natural tick infestations were assessed every 14 days on horses over a 2-year period. Amblyomma cajennense adult ticks were counted individually, without detachment from the horses. Larvae and nymphs of A. cajennense were collected using a rubber scraper that scratched engorged immature ticks from the host. Adult females of Anocentor nitens larger than 4mm length were counted on the horses. Blood samples were also obtained from the horses every 14 days and macroclimatic data were obtained for the study period. Infestations of A. cajennense demonstrated distinct peaks of activity for each of th...
Guest DJ, Smith MR, Allen WR.Injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is common in racing and sport horses and poor tendon regeneration leads to high reinjury rates. Autologous mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are being used clinically to improve tendon regeneration but they have some practical limitations. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) may overcome these limitations but their fate following injection into the damaged SDFT is unknown. Objective: To inject MSCs and ESCs into distinct areas of damage in the SDFT and monitor their survival over a 3 month period. Methods: MSCs and ESCs expressing different reporte...
Kriek NP, Kellerman TS, Marasas WF.An isolate of Fusarium verticillioides (MRC826) that induced experimental leukoencephalomalacia, also caused acute toxicity when fed to pigs and administered per rumen fistula to sheep. Pigs developed severe pulmonary oedema while sheep manifested severe nephrosis and hepatosis. A less toxic isolate (F. verticillioides MRC602), fed to baboons, resulted in acute congestive heart failure or hepatic cirrhosis, depending on the dose. Both isolates were toxic to rats and caused similar lesions, namely, hepatic cirrhosis and intraventricular cardiac thrombosis.
Scheel TK, Kapoor A, Nishiuchi E, Brock KV, Yu Y, Andrus L, Gu M, Renshaw RW, Dubovi EJ, McDonough SP, Van de Walle GR, Lipkin WI, Divers TJ....Nonprimate hepacivirus (NPHV) is the closest known relative of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and its study could enrich our understanding of HCV evolution, immunity, and pathogenesis. High seropositivity is found in horses worldwide with ∼ 3% viremic. NPHV natural history and molecular virology remain largely unexplored, however. Here, we show that NPHV, like HCV, can cause persistent infection for over a decade, with high titers and negative strand RNA in the liver. NPHV is a near-universal contaminant of commercial horse sera for cell culture. The complete NPHV 3'-UTR was determined and consists...
Katila T.This review attempts to summarize the current knowledge on uterine inflammatory response after mating in horses, pigs and cattle. Post-mating endometritis has been extensively studied in horses as it has been considered to cause infertility. The inflammation is known to occur also in cattle, but it has not been investigated to a similar extent. There are a number of publications about mechanisms of post-mating uterine inflammation in pigs, which seem to resemble those in horses. The major focus of this review is the horse, but relevant literature is presented also on swine and cattle. Spermato...
Grieder FB, Vogel SN.To investigate the role of type I interferon (IFN) and its regulatory transacting proteins, interferon regulatory factors (IRF-1 and IRF-2), in early protection against infection with virulent Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE), we utilized mice with targeted mutations in the IFN-alpha/beta receptor, IRF-1, or IRF-2 genes. IFN-alpha/beta-receptor knockout mice are highly susceptible to peripheral infection with virulent or attenuated VEE, resulting in their death within 24 and 48 h, respectively. Treatment of normal macrophages with anti-IFN-alpha/beta antibody prior to and during infe...
Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Parreira VR, Nowell VJ, Nicholson VM, Oliphant K, Prescott JF.A role for type A Clostridium perfringens in acute hemorrhagic and necrotizing gastroenteritis in dogs and in necrotizing enterocolitis of neonatal foals has long been suspected but incompletely characterized. The supernatants of an isolate made from a dog and from a foal that died from these diseases were both found to be highly cytotoxic for an equine ovarian (EO) cell line. Partial genome sequencing of the canine isolate revealed three novel putative toxin genes encoding proteins related to the pore-forming Leukocidin/Hemolysin Superfamily; these were designated netE, netF, and netG. netE a...
Müller N, Welle M, Lobsiger L, Stoffel MH, Boghenbor KK, Hilbe M, Gottstein B, Frey CF, Geyer C, von Bomhard W.The present report describes a novel etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses that, at least for some cases, sporadically appeared as autochthonous infections in geographically distant regions of Germany and Switzerland. The infection was initially diagnosed upon clinical and immunohistological findings. Subsequent comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ssrRNA classified the respective isolates as neither Old World nor New World Leishmania species. However, four isolates subjected to molecular analyses all exhibit...
Bossart KN, Wang LF, Eaton BT, Broder CC.Hendra virus (HeV) is an emerging paramyxovirus first isolated from cases of severe respiratory disease that fatally affected both horses and humans. Understanding the mechanisms of host cell infection and cross-species transmission is an important step in addressing the risk posed by such emerging pathogens. We have initiated studies to characterize the biological properties of the HeV envelope glycoproteins. Recombinant vaccinia viruses encoding the HeV F and G open reading frames were generated and glycoprotein expression was verified by metabolic labeling and detection using specific antis...
Chambers G, Ellsmore VA, O'Brien PM, Reid SWJ, Love S, Campo MS, Nasir L.The equine sarcoid, a locally aggressive, fibroblastic skin tumour, is the most common dermatological neoplasm reported in horses; there is no consistently effective therapy. It is widely accepted that bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 are associated with the pathogenesis of sarcoid disease. Most sarcoids appear to contain detectable viral DNA and RNA and are also known to express the BPV types 1 and 2 major transforming protein, E5, but appear not to produce infectious virions. While the mode of transmission of infection has not been elucidated, viral gene expression, in particular of...
Rossdale PD, Hopes R, Digby NJ, offord K.An epidemiological study of wastage among racehorses was conducted in 1982 and 1983 among six stables, five of which were in Newmarket. The basis of the survey was the inability of horses to take part in cantering exercise as a result of injury or disease. The greatest number of days lost to training was caused by lameness (67.6 per cent) and respiratory problems (20.5 per cent). Conditions of the foot (19 pe cent), muscle (18 per cent), carpus (14 per cent), fetlock joints (14 per cent), tendons (10 per cent) and sore shins (9 per cent) were the major reasons for training days being lost in 1...
Pirie RS.Recurrent airway obstruction is a widely recognised airway disorder, characterised by hypersensitivity-mediated neutrophilic airway inflammation and lower airway obstruction in a subpopulation of horses when exposed to suboptimal environments high in airborne organic dust. Over the past decade, numerous studies have further advanced our understanding of different aspects of the disease. These include clarification of the important inhaled airborne agents responsible for disease induction, improving our understanding of the underlying genetic basis of disease susceptibility and unveiling the fu...
Cheevers WP, McGuire TC.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a chronic, relapsing infectious disease of horses caused by a nononcogenic retrovirus. Virus persists in infected animals for life and can be reliably detected by serologic tests that measure levels of antibody to the major structural protein of the virus. Periodic virus replication in macrophages leads to an immunologically mediated acute disease characterized primarily by severe anemia. Recrudescence of acute EIA is the result of antigenic variation of the surface glycoprotein of EIA virus. The frequency and severity of clinical episodes of EIA decrease in m...
Lyons S, Kapoor A, Sharp C, Schneider BS, Wolfe ND, Culshaw G, Corcoran B, McGorum BC, Simmonds P.Although the origin of hepatitis C virus infections in humans remains undetermined, a close homolog of this virus, termed canine hepacivirus (CHV) and found in respiratory secretions of dogs, provides evidence for a wider distribution of hepaciviruses in mammals. We determined frequencies of active infection among dogs and other mammals in the United Kingdom. Samples from dogs (46 respiratory, 99 plasma, 45 autopsy samples) were CHV negative by PCR. Screening of 362 samples from cats, horses, donkeys, rodents, and pigs identified 3 (2%) positive samples from 142 horses. These samples were gene...
Bond S, Léguillette R, Richard EA, Couetil L, Lavoie JP, Martin JG, Pirie RS.The term "equine asthma" has been proposed as a unifying descriptor of inflammatory airway disease (IAD), recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), and summer pasture-associated obstructive airway disease. Whilst the term will increase comprehensibility for both the lay and scientific communities, its biologic relevance must be compared and contrasted to asthma in human medicine, recognizing the limited availability of peer-reviewed equine-derived data, which are largely restricted to clinical signs, measures of airway obstruction and inflammation and response to therapy. Such limitations constrain ...
Giguère S, Cohen ND, Chaffin MK, Slovis NM, Hondalus MK, Hines SA, Prescott JF.Rhodococcus equi, a gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen, is one of the most common causes of pneumonia in foals. Although R. equi can be cultured from the environment of virtually all horse farms, the clinical disease in foals is endemic at some farms, sporadic at others, and unrecognized at many. On farms where the disease is endemic, costs associated with morbidity and mortality attributable to R. equi may be very high. The purpose of this consensus statement is to provide recommendations regarding the diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of infections caused by R. equi...
