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.
Krueger K, Schwarz S, Marr I, Farmer K.For centuries, a goal of training in many equestrian disciplines has been to straighten the horse, which is considered a key element in achieving its responsiveness and suppleness. However, laterality is a naturally occurring phenomenon in horses and encompasses body asymmetry, motor laterality and sensory laterality. Furthermore, forcibly counterbalancing motor laterality has been considered a cause of psychological imbalance in humans. Perhaps asymmetry and laterality should rather be accepted, with a focus on training psychological and physical balance, coordination and equal strength on bo...
Lovett AL, Gilliam LL, Sykes BW, McFarlane D.Both obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with hypercoagulability in people, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and thromboembolic events. Whether hypercoagulability exists in obese, insulin-dysregulated horses is unknown. Objective: To determine if coagulation profiles differ between healthy horses and those with obesity and insulin dysregulation. Methods: Fifteen healthy horses (CON) and 15 obese, insulin-dysregulated horses (OBID). Individuals were university or client owned. Methods: Case-control study. Obesity was defined as a body condition score (BCS) ≥7.5/9 (modif...
Smith K, Templeton A.Previous research suggests that shared social identification and expected support from others can reduce the extent to which attendees of mass events perceive that others pose health risks. This study evaluated the social identity processes associated with perceived risk at UK pilot sporting events held during COVID-19, including the government Events Research Programme. An online survey (N = 2029) measured attendee perceptions that other spectators adhered to safety measures, shared social identity with other attendees, expectations that others would provide support, and the perceived risk ...
Bukoski A, Hodgson D, Downs J, LeBert C, Thombs L, Bailey J.To compare the cardiopulmonary effects of apneustic anesthesia ventilation (AAV) and conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) in dorsally recumbent anesthetized horses. Methods: Randomized, crossover design. Methods: A total of 10 healthy adult horses from a university-owned herd. Methods: Following xylazine, midazolam and ketamine administration, horses were orotracheally intubated and positioned in dorsal recumbency. Anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen [inspired oxygen fraction (FiO) = 0.3 initially, with subsequent titration to maintain PaO ≥ 85 mmHg (11.3 kPa)]. Horses ...
Stewart RM, Lack AC, Telle MR, Ellis JK, Betbeze CM.To retrospectively evaluate the complication rate following dorsal placement of a commercially available 1-hole subpalpebral lavage system (SPL) at a veterinary teaching hospital. 102 client-owned horses with ophthalmic disease. Medical records of horses (2010 to 2020) with ophthalmic disease were reviewed to determine whether a commercially available SPL system was dorsally placed. Data collected from the medical record included signalment, presenting complaint(s), diagnosis, ophthalmic procedures performed, SPL laterality, hospital service that placed the SPL, anesthetic technique for placem...
Gibson MJ, Bolwell CF, Gee EK, Legg KA, Rogers CW.The objective of this study was to describe the incident and non-incident reports of Thoroughbred flat racing in New Zealand. Retrospective stipendiary stewards' reports of race day events during the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 racing season were examined. The primary injury and reporting outcomes were analysed to assess the horse- and race-level risk factors associated with the occurrence of incident and non-incident reports. The number of incident and non-incident events and binomial exact 95% confidence intervals were calculated per 1000 horse starts. Most reports were for non-incidents and exa...
Roepstorff C, Imogen Gmel A, Arpagaus S, Manuel Serra Bragança F, Hernlund E, Roepstorff L, Rhodin M, Andreas Weishaupt M.Differences in peak vertical ground reaction forces (dFz) between contralateral forelimbs and hindlimbs are considered the gold standard for quantifying weight-bearing lameness. However, measuring kinematics for the same purpose is more common and practical. Vertical movement asymmetries (VMA) of the horse's upper body have previously been correlated to fore- and hindlimb lameness. But the combined response of head, withers and pelvis VMA to fore- and hindlimb dFz has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Deriving the kinetic responses from kinematics would help the interpretation and understa...
Ruíz-López P, Morgaz J, Quirós-Carmona S, Navarrete-Calvo R, Domínguez JM, Gómez-Villamandos RJ, Granados MM.Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity can modify cardiovascular parameters in response to nociceptive stimuli or drugs in anesthetized animals. The aim of this study was to determine if a surgical nociceptive stimulus and morphine, ketamine, and dobutamine administration would modify ANS activity observed as a change in the mean parasympathetic tone activity (PTAm) in anesthetized horses. In 20 anesthetized horses, heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and PTAm were monitored before and 1, 3, and 5 min after surgical incision, and before and 10 min after the administration of morphi...
Ahdy AM, Ahmed BM, Elgamal MA, Shaalan M, Farag IM, Mahfouz ER, Darwish HR, Sayed-Ahmed MZ, Shalaby MA, El-Sanousi AA.Equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is an important virus causing pathological disorders in horses. This highly contagious pathogen causes persistent outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infection, ocular affections, abortion, and neurological disorders with high mortality in Arabian horses in Egypt. The quick and accurate diagnosis is important to broaden our understanding about EHV-1 in the field, and to implicate stronger preventive, and control measures. Sixty-six Arabian horses from Cairo and Giza governorates were sampled from respiratory, abortigenic and neurological outbreaks over a perio...
Valberg SJ, Schultz AE, Finno CJ, Bellone RR, Hughes SS.The prevalence of clinical signs and factors triggering muscle atrophy and rhabdomyolysis associated with an MYH1 mutation in Quarter Horses and related breeds (QH) remain poorly understood. Objective: Determine the prevalence and potential triggers of atrophy and stiffness in horses homozygous reference (N/N), heterozygous (My/N), and homozygous (My/My) for the MYH1 mutation. Methods: Two-hundred seventy-five N/N, 100 My/N, and 10 My/My QH. Methods: A retrospective case-control study using a closed-ended questionnaire completed by clients of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the Universit...
Gough R, McGovern K, Bladon B, De Oliveira F.This report describes two cases of spontaneous small intestinal evisceration via normally inserted umbilical stumps, without abdominal wall trauma. Both cases occurred immediately following uneventful parturition. The authors believe that these represent cases of umbilical cord herniation. This is a well-recognised condition in humans, but has not been previously described in equines. One foal died before veterinary intervention. The second foal underwent a jejunal resection with end-to-end anastomosis and survived to successfully race. This report describes a previously unrecognised condition...
Sanigavatee K, Poochipakorn C, Charoenchanikran P, Joongpan W, Chanda M.Z-bar shoeing has been implemented to relieve uniaxial palmar pain arising from the structures in the affected region. However, there have been no reports on the long-term application of the z-bar shoe during exercise training regimens. A 10-year-old mixed-breed show jumping pony presented with an occasional short stride and abnormal rhythm while turning during routine exercise for three months. Gait analysis conducted by trotting off on both hard and soft surfaces showed no lameness in the straight line on both types of surfaces. However, right forelimb lameness was detected with moderate and...
Macleay CM, Carrick J, Shearer P, Begg A, Stewart M, Heller J, Chicken C, Brookes VJ.Equine pregnancy loss is frustrating and costly for horse breeders. The reproductive efficiency of mares has significant implications for a breeding operation's economic success, and widespread losses can have a trickle-down effect on those communities that rely on equine breeding operations. Understanding the causes and risks of equine pregnancy loss is essential for developing prevention and management strategies to reduce the occurrence and impact on the horse breeding industry. This PRISMA-guided scoping review identified 514 records on equine pregnancy loss and described the global spatio...
Lee SK, Choi J, Yoon J, Jung J, Park JY, Park J, Kim Y, Park JY, Park D.Equine adenovirus 1 (EAdV-1) can cause upper respiratory disease in horses and has been reported worldwide. In this study, and for the first time in Korea, the prevalence of EAdV-1 in equine nasal swabs was investigated using a PCR to identify potential risk factors and examine the genetic diversity of its DNA sequences by a comparison with foreign strains. Nasal swabs collected from 359 horses reared at Korea Racing Authority facilities were tested using an EAdV-1 hexon-specific PCR and the associations between EAdV-1 infection and sex, age, region, breed, and activity were analyzed. Five sam...
Thieulent CJ, Carossino M, Balasuriya UBR, Graves K, Bailey E, Eberth J, Canisso IF, Andrews FM, Keowen ML, Go YY.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA), a respiratory, systemic, and reproductive disease of equids. Following natural infection, up to 70% of the infected stallions can remain persistently infected over 1 year (long-term persistent infection [LTPI]) and shed EAV in their semen. Thus, the LTP-infected stallions play a pivotal role in maintaining and perpetuating EAV in the equine population. Previous studies identified equine C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16) as a critical host cell factor determining LTPI in the stallion's reproductive trac...
Saba C, Eggleston R, Parks A, Peroni J, Sjoberg E, Rice S, Tyma J, Williams J, Grosenbaugh D, Leard AT.Sarcoid tumors are common in horses and may negatively impact the performance and value of the horse. No known treatment is reliably successful. Objective: To determine tolerability, overall response rate, time to response, and progression-free survival of horses with biopsy-confirmed or suspected sarcoids treated with ALVAC-fIL2. Methods: Client-owned horses with measurable, presumed- or biopsy-confirmed sarcoid tumors. Methods: Prospective pilot study. One milliliter of ALVAC-fIL2 was injected into 4 to 5 areas of the sarcoid(s) in each horse (week 0); this treatment was repeated in weeks 1,...
Suzuki Y, Takai S, Kubota H, Hasegawa N, Ito S, Yabuuchi Y, Sasaki Y, van Duijkeren E, Kakuda T.Rhodococcus equiis the causative agent of pyogenic pneumonia in foals, and a virulence-associated protein A (VapA) encoded on the pVAPA virulence plasmid is important for its pathogenicity. In this study, we analyzed the virulence of R. equi strain U19, originally isolated in the Netherlands in 1997 and the genetic characteristics of the pVAPA_U19 plasmid. U19 expressed VapA that was regulated by temperature and pH and underwent significant intracellular proliferation in macrophages. The restriction fragment length polymorphism of pVAPA_U19 digested with EcoRI was similar to that of pREAT701 (...
Schnabel CL, Fletemeyer B, Lübke S, Marti E, Wagner B, Alber G.Despite the relevance of adaptive immunity against equine pathogens antigen-specific T cell responses of horses are not well characterized and the lack of insight into T cell responses hampers the understanding of the pathogeneses of important diseases. In this study we used tetanus toxoid (TT) as a well-defined antigen to characterize antigen-reactive T cells. Six healthy adult horses received a routine booster against tetanus with an immune stimulating complex (ISCOM)-based vaccine and were followed for 28 days. TT-specific serum antibodies were quantified by ELISA and increased in all horse...
Liepman RS, Swink JM, Habing GG, Boyaka PN, Caddey B, Costa M, Gomez DE, Toribio RE.Alterations in the gastrointestinal microbiota after antimicrobial therapy in horses can result in loss of colonization resistance and changes in bacterial metabolic function. It is hypothesized that these changes facilitate gastrointestinal inflammation, pathogen expansion and the development of diarrhea. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of intravenous administration of antimicrobial drugs (ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, oxytetracycline) on equine fecal bacterial communities over time, to investigate whether those changes are detectable after 5 days of treatment and whether...
Walters B, Trumble TN, Wendt-Hornickle E, Kennedy M, Guedes A.Apoptosis is an important mechanism underlying chondrocyte loss in osteoarthritis that could be affected by modulation of lipid signaling via inhibition of cyclooxygenases (COX) and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). Objective: To determine the impact of inhibiting COX and sEH alone or in combination on apoptosis of equine chondrocytes. Methods: Cultured primary equine chondrocytes were subjected to serum deprivation or incubation with 1 μg/ml tunicamycin for 24 h to induce apoptosis via caspase activation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, respectively. Cells were treated with the non-se...
ELKhamary AN, Keenihan EK, Schnabel LV, Redding WR, Schumacher J.While MRI is the modality of choice for the diagnosis of longitudinal tears (LTs) of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) of horses, differentiating between various grades of tears based on imaging characteristics is challenging due to overlapping imaging features. In this retrospective, exploratory, diagnostic accuracy study, a machine learning (ML) scheme was applied to link quantitative features and qualitative descriptors to leverage MRI characteristics of different grades of tearing of the DDFT of horses. A qualitative MRI characteristic scheme, combining tendon morphologic features, alt...
Rassoli A, Fatouraee N, Guidoin R, Zhang Z, Ravaghi S.Extracting the mechanical behaviors of bioprosthetic aortic valve leaflets is necessary for the appropriate design and manufacture of the prosthetic valves. The goal of this study was to opt a proper tissue for the valve leaflets by comparing the mechanical properties of the equine, porcine, and donkey pericardia with those of the bovine pericardium and human aortic valve leaflets. Methods: After tissue fixation in glutaraldehyde, the mechanical behaviors of the pericardial tissues were experimentally evaluated through computational methods. The relaxation tests were performed along the tissue...
Schwarz S, Marr I, Farmer K, Graf K, Stefanski V, Krueger K.Laterality in horses has been studied in recent decades. Although most horses are kept for riding purposes, there has been almost no research on how laterality may be affected by carrying a rider. In this study, 23 horses were tested for lateral preferences, both with and without a rider, in three different experiments. The rider gave minimal aids and rode on a long rein to allow the horse free choice. Firstly, motor laterality was assessed by observing forelimb preference when stepping over a pole. Secondly, sensory laterality was assessed by observing perceptual side preferences when the hor...
Villa L, Gazzonis AL, Allievi C, De Maria C, Persichetti MF, Caracappa G, Zanzani SA, Manfredi MT.Tick-borne diseases in horses are considered an emergent problem worldwide; the geographical redistribution of ticks, due to climatic and ecological changes, and the movements of infected horses between different nations play important roles in the spread of tick-borne diseases affecting these hosts. In this study, a survey was planned to estimate the seroprevalence of the Gram-negative bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum and the piroplasmid protozoa Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in Italian horses, as well as to evaluate possible risk factors associated with seropositive cases. Serum samp...
Pratt S, Bowen I, Hallowell G, Shipman E, Redpath A.Equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) is a common condition causing signs of gastric pain although lesions are highly variable in their appearance. The only definitive method to diagnose EGGD ante-mortem is gastroscopy. The current recommended method for describing these lesions is the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM) guidelines; however, repeatability between users is variable. This study aimed to validate the reliability of lesion descriptions using ECEIM consensus guidelines, using four blinded equine internal medicine diplomates. Ninety-two horses with EGGD with pre- ...
Bartlett AP, Harman RM, Weiss JR, Van de Walle GR.Mammary organoid (MaO) models are only available for a few traditional model organisms, limiting our ability to investigate mammary gland development and cancer across mammals. This study established equine mammary organoids (EqMaOs) from cryopreserved mammary tissue, in which mammary tissue fragments were isolated and embedded into a 3D matrix to produce EqMaOs. We evaluated viability, proliferation and budding capacity of EqMaOs at different time points during culture, showing that although the number of proliferative cells decreased over time, viability was maintained and budding increased....
Ferreira C, Palhares MS, de Melo UP, Chiarini-Garcia H, Maranhão RPA, Gheller VA, Leme FOP.To determine the effect of the inclusion method on the histomorphometric evaluation of the gastrointestinal mucosa of horses, jejunum samples were collected using flank laparotomy. Sixteen mixed breed healthy adult horses, including four males and 12 females, aged 4-14 years with an average body weight of 248.40 ± 2.28 kg, were used. Jejunal biopsies were collected and analyzed by light microscopy using two methods: group 1 comprised biopsies fixed using 10% neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin; biopsies in group 2 were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer pH 7.2, follo...
Carossino M, Lee PY, Nam B, Skillman A, Shuck KM, Timoney PJ, Tsai YL, Ma LJ, Chang HF, Wang HT, Balasuriya UB.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA), a respiratory and reproductive disease of horses. Most importantly, EAV induces abortion in pregnant mares and can establish persistent infection in up to 10-70% of the infected stallions, which will continue to shed the virus in their semen. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a reverse transcription insulated isothermal polymerase chain reaction (RT-iiPCR) for the detection of EAV in semen and tissue samples. The newly developed assay had a limit of detection of 10 RNA copies and a 10-fol...
Tucker RL, Farrell E.Horses are frequently presented with clinical conditions warranting diagnostic imaging of the head. Unfortunately, evaluation of the equine head can be difficult using conventional radiography. The anatomic complexity and superimposition of the osseous, dental, and soft tissue structures complicate radiographic interpretation and diagnoses. Multiple radiographic projections may be necessary to image specific regions, and side-to-side comparison is often essential.
Clayton HM, Lanovaz JL, Schamhardt HC, van Wessum R.Ground reaction force (GRF) measurements are often normalised to body mass to facilitate inter-individual comparisons. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of a rider on the GRFs and fetlock joint kinematics of trotting horses. The subjects were 5 dressage-trained horses and 3 experienced dressage riders. Ground reaction force measurements and sagittal view videotapes were recorded as the horses trotted at the same velocity in hand (3.49 +/- 0.52 m/s) and with a rider (3.49 +/- 0.46 m/s). Data were time-normalised to stance duration. Ground reaction force measurements were exp...
Dyson S, Nagy A, Murray R.Eight sports horses with unilateral (4) or bilateral (3) forelimb or unilateral hindlimb (1) lameness had subtle radiologic abnormalities of the subchondral bone of the sagittal groove of the proximal phalanx associated with moderate or intense increased radiopharmaceutical uptake. High-field or low-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging confirmed the presence of a fissure fracture or subchondral and trabecular bone trauma. Seven of eight lesions were located approximately midway between the dorsal and palmar cortices of the proximal phalanx; the eighth was sited more dorsally. Two horses under...
Almeida J, Ball BA, Conley AJ, Place NJ, Liu IK, Scholtz EL, Mathewson L, Stanley SD, Moeller BC.Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily of growth and differentiation factors, is expressed in granulosa cells of preantral and small antral ovarian follicles. In humans, AMH appeared to regulate recruitment and growth of small ovarian follicles. Furthermore, circulating AMH concentrations were elevated in women with granulosa-cell tumors (GCT). In the horse, GCTs are the most common tumor of the ovary, and a variety of endocrine assays have been used to diagnose presumptive GCTs. The objectives of the present study were to validate a heterologo...
Fitzgerald BP, McManus CJ.The objectives of this study were to compare the timing and mechanisms controlling the onset of anestrus in young and mature mares treated either continuously with melatonin and in those that remained untreated. Changes in body weight, subcutaneous body fat measured to provide an estimate of total body fat, and circulating concentrations of leptin were compared throughout the 1-yr experimental period. The results demonstrate that in young mares the timing of anestrus occurs significantly earlier in the year than in mature mares and that mature mares are more likely to exhibit continuous reprod...
Garré B, van der Meulen K, Nugent J, Neyts J, Croubels S, De Backer P, Nauwynck H.Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is an important equine pathogen that causes respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death and paralysis. Although vaccines are available, they are not fully protective and outbreaks of disease may occur in vaccinated herds. Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective antiviral treatment. For three abortigenic (94P247, 97P70 and 99P96) and three neuropathogenic isolates (97P82, 99P136 and 03P37), the effect of acyclovir, ganciclovir, cidofovir, adefovir, 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP) and foscarnet on plaque number was studied. Addition...
Neild DM, Gadella BM, Chaves MG, Miragaya MH, Colenbrander B, Agüero A.Many theories have been postulated concerning the possible effects of cryopreservation on spermatozoa, including suggestions the freeze-thawing process produces membranes that have greater fluidity and are more fusogenic, thus inducing changes similar to those of capacitation. The main objectives of this study were to determine at what stage of the freeze-thaw process membrane changes occur and whether evaluation with chlortetracycline (CTC) stain could predict the freezability of stallion sperm. Sperm viability and state of capacitation were simultaneously evaluated using CTC and Hoechst 3325...
Kawai M, Aida H, Hiraga A, Miyata H.Although satellite cells are well known as muscle stem cells capable of adding myonuclei during muscle repair and hypertrophy, the response of satellite cells in horse muscles to a run to exhaustion is still unknown. Objective: To investigate the time course of satellite cell activation in Thoroughbred horse muscle after running to exhaustion. We hypothesised that this type of intense exercise would induce satellite cell activation in skeletal muscle similar to a resistance exercise. Methods: Nine de-trained Thoroughbred horses (6 geldings and 3 mares) aged 3-6 years were studied. Biopsy sampl...
Flanagan J, Collin N, Timoney J, Mitchell T, Mumford JA, Chanter N.The haemolytic activity of Streptococcus equi, the cause of equine strangles, was characterized. Production of haemolysin in Todd Hewitt broth was dependent on an equine serum supplement and the logarithmic phase of growth after which activity declined sharply. RNA core also induced haemolysin production from cells harvested at the end of the logarithmic phase of growth. Haemolysis was not affected by cholesterol, was only slightly increased in reducing conditions and was completely inactivated by trypan blue, identifying the haemolytic activity as streptolysin S-like (SLS-like). Purification ...
Fogarty U, Buckley T.Significant differences were detected by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) between horses racing successfully and those showing exercise intolerance. Neutrophil percentage, haemosiderophage percentage and total bacterial numbers were significantly elevated in horses with exercise intolerance. BAL provided a more accurate indication of the incidence and extent of exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) than visual inspection.
Sepulveda Caviedes MF, Forbes BS, Pfau T.With the view of implementing gait symmetry measurements in Thoroughbreds in training for early detection of injuries, repeatability of inertial measurement unit (IMU) gait parameters needs to be established. Objective: To assess the variation of head and pelvis movement symmetry in Thoroughbreds in training. Methods: Repeated observations in horses in race training. Methods: Daily and weekly repeat gait assessments were conducted in 14 Thoroughbreds equipped with IMUs on poll, sacrum and right (RTC) and left (LTC) tuber coxae. Gait was assessed in trot, in-hand, on a level concrete surface. D...
Huang H, Zhang B, Chu H, Zhang D, Li K.We investigated infections with Gasterophilus spp. in three equids within the Kalamaili Nature Reserve (northern China). We conducted necropsies on 6 Przewalski's horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) and 6 Mongolian wild asses (Equus hemionus) and administered ivermectin to 10 overwintering domestic horses to expel parasites during winter periods. All 22 equids studied (100%) were infested with Gasterophilus spp. and a total of 17,225 larvae were collected. These included six species: G. haemorrhoidalis, G. inermis, G. intestinalis, G. nasalis, G. nigricornis, and G. pecorum. The mean intensity of...
Magdesian KG, Williams DC, Aleman M, Lecouteur RA, Madigan JE.To evaluate deafness in American Paint Horses by phenotype, clinical findings, brainstem auditory-evoked responses (BAERs), and endothelin B receptor (EDNBR) genotype. Methods: Case series and case-control studies. Methods: 14 deaf American Paint Horses, 20 suspected-deaf American Paint Horses, and 13 nondeaf American Paint Horses and Pintos. Methods: Horses were categorized on the basis of coat color pattern and eye color. Testing for the EDNBR gene mutation (associated with overo lethal white foal syndrome) and BAERs was performed. Additional clinical findings were obtained from medical reco...
Traversa D, Milillo P, Barnes H, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Schurmann S, Demeler J, Otranto D, Lia RP, Perrucci S, Frangipane di Regalbono A....A broad scale study was carried out in 2008 to evaluate the distribution and species-specific occurrence of cyathostomin populations in horse yards from Europe. In total 102 properties and 3123 horses were included in Italy (60 yards and 1646 animals), United Kingdom (22 yards and 737 animals) and Germany (20 yards and 740 animals). Individual faecal samples were examined with a McMaster technique while pooled samples were subjected to the microscopic examination of in vitro cultured larvae and to a Reverse Line Blot (RLB) assay able to molecularly identify the most diffused 13 species of cyat...
Tozaki T, Gamo S, Takasu M, Kikuchi M, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Kusano K, Nagata SI.Doping control is an important and indispensable aspect of fair horse racing; genetic doping has been recently included to this. In this study, we aimed to develop a detection method of gene doping. A plasmid cloned with human erythropoietin gene (p.hEPO, 250 μg/head) was intramuscularly injected into a microminipig. Subsequently, p.hEPO was extracted from 1 mL of plasma and detected by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Results: The results confirmed that the maximum amount of plasmid was detected at 15 min after administration and the majority of the plasmid was degraded in the b...
Czycholl I, Klingbeil P, Krieter J.Objective tools for the assessment of animal welfare are needed. The present study analyzed the interobserver reliability of the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) welfare assessment protocol for horses to further enhance knowledge concerning reliability. Therefore, two trained observers conducted 18 assessments on farm at the same time and on the same animals. The results were compared at individual level by calculation of Cohen's kappa (κ), weighted kappa (κ), and prevalence-adjusted, bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK). Spearman rank correlation coefficient (RS), intraclass correlation coefficient ...
van der Meulen KM, Nauwynck HJ, Pensaert MB.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) may cause abortion in vaccination- and infection-immune horses. EHV-1-infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) play an important role in virus immune evasion. The mechanisms by which infected PBMCs can avoid destruction by EHV-1-specific antibody and equine complement were examined. The majority of EHV-1-infected PBMCs (68.6 %) lacked surface expression of viral antigens and these cells were not susceptible to complement-mediated lysis. In infected PBMCs with surface expression of viral antigens, 63 % showed focal surface expression, whereas 37 % showed ...
Paillot R, Prowse L, Montesso F, Stewart B, Jordon L, Newton JR, Gilkerson JR.Equine influenza (EI) is a major respiratory disease of horses. Recent outbreaks of EI have demonstrated the ease with which EI virus (EIV) can be transmitted internationally. This study aimed to improve our understanding of EIV shedding after infection of vaccinated horses, which would inform possible changes to current quarantine requirements. Our objectives were to compare commonly used diagnostic tests and to evaluate the relative merits of nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs for detection of EIV in vaccinated and unvaccinated ponies following EIV infection and to use these data to inform optim...
Janssen P, Tosi I, Hego A, Maréchal P, Marichal T, Radermecker C.Asthma encompasses a spectrum of heterogenous immune-mediated respiratory disorders sharing a similar clinical pattern characterized by cough, wheeze and exercise intolerance. In horses, equine asthma can be subdivided into severe or moderate asthma according to clinical symptoms and the extent of airway neutrophilic inflammation. While severe asthmatic horses are characterized by an elevated neutrophilic inflammation of the lower airways, cough, dyspnea at rest and high mucus secretion, horses with moderate asthma show a milder neutrophilic inflammation, exhibit intolerance to exercise but no...
Buff PR, Dodds AC, Morrison CD, Whitley NC, McFadin EL, Daniel JA, Djiane J, Keisler DH.Obesity has been a major concern in the horse industry for many years, and the recent discovery of leptin and leptin receptors in numerous nonequine species has provided a basis for new approaches to study this problem in equine. The objectives were to: 1) clone a partial sequence ofthe equine leptin and leptin receptor genes so as to enable the design of primers for RT-PCR determination of leptin and leptin receptor gene presence and distribution in tissues, 2) develop a radioimmunoassay to quantify peripheral concentrations of leptin in equine, 3) determine if peripheral concentrations of le...
Yates P, Mumford JA.To investigate the level of cross-protection induced by equine influenza H3N8 vaccines derived from different lineages, two studies have been carried out with ponies vaccinated with 'American-like' and 'European-like' vaccines and experimentally challenged with a European-like strain. The results demonstrated that equine influenza vaccines clearly protect against challenge with homologous virus if serum antibody titres are sufficiently high. On the other hand, protection is incomplete even when animals vaccinated with heterologous strains have comparative antibody levels. Nevertheless, the pro...
Castelijns G, Crawford A, Schaffer J, Ortolano GA, Beauregard T, Smith RK.Platelet preparations have become a treatment for soft tissue injuries in horses. This study evaluated a novel filter-based system to concentrate platelets and assesses its value in the treatment of suspensory ligament branch desmitis. Methods: Filtered platelet concentrate was prepared from 55 ml of venous blood obtained from 21 normal horses. Platelets and white blood cells in whole blood and filtered platelet concentrate were measured, as was platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) release. Eleven horses with 18 focal acute suspensory ligament br...
Lightbody KL, Davis PJ, Austin CJ.Tapeworm infections pose a significant threat to equine health as they are associated with clinical cases of colic. Diagnosis of tapeworm burden using fecal egg counts (FECs) is unreliable, and, although a commercial serologic ELISA for anti-tapeworm antibodies is available, it requires a veterinarian to collect the blood sample. A reliable diagnostic test using an owner-accessible sample such as saliva could provide a cost-effective alternative for tapeworm testing in horses, and allow targeted deworming strategies. Objective: The purpose of the study was to statistically validate a saliva ta...
Navas de Solis C.Arrhythmias are common in equine athletes during and immediately after exercise. Many of these rhythm variations are not clinically relevant. In horses, a link between different exercising arrhythmias and poor performance or between exercising arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) is strongly suspected but not fully understood or proven. SCD during races or competitions is rare, but has catastrophic consequences for the safety of the human partner and public perceptions of welfare during equestrian sports. This review summarises current knowledge of equine exercise arrhythmias and their i...
Snyder RE, Feiszli T, Foss L, Messenger S, Fang Y, Barker CM, Reisen WK, Vugia DJ, Padgett KA, Kramer VL.The California Arbovirus Surveillance Program was initiated over 50 years ago to track endemic encephalitides and was enhanced in 2000 to include West Nile virus (WNV) infections in humans, mosquitoes, sentinel chickens, dead birds and horses. This comprehensive statewide program is a function of strong partnerships among the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the University of California, and local vector control and public health agencies. This manuscript summarizes WNV surveillance data in California since WNV was first detected in 2003 in southern California. From 2003 through ...
Ximenes MF, Souza MF, Castellón EG.The objective of the present study was to determine the association of sand flies with the presence of domestic and wild animals in the peridomiciliary area. The sand flies were collected using direct aspiration and CDC light traps placed in animal shelters. The results suggest that different sand flies species have different behavioral characteristics in an apparent preference for animal baits and that Lutzomyia longipalpis and Lu. evandroi were the most eclectic species regarding their biotope choice. Lu. longipalpis showed a distinct preference for horses and Lu. evandroi for armadillos.
Raidal SL, Love DN, Bailey GD.Confinement of horses with their heads elevated for periods up to 24 hours was used to evaluate the extent and the effects of bacterial contamination of the equine lower respiratory tract. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in bacterial numbers (up to 10(9) colony forming units/mL in transtracheal aspirate derived samples) occurred within 6 or 12 hours in most horses. Pasteurella/Actinobacillus spp and Streptococcus spp were most commonly isolated. Lowering of the head for 30 minutes every 6 hours to facilitate postural drainage did not prevent multiplication of organisms to levels equivalent...
Wilson WD, Mihalyi JE, Hussey S, Lunn DP.Influenza and tetanus-specific antibodies of the IgG sub-isotypes are posively transferred to foals via colostrum and inhibit their response to inactivated influenza vaccines and tetanus toxoid. High titres of influenza antibodies of IgGa and IgGb subisotypes and tetanus antibodies of the IgGa, IgGb and IgG(T) subisotypes were detected in postsucking serum samples collected from foals born to mares that had received booster doses of multicomponent vaccines during the last 2 months of gestation. Thereafter, titres declined in an exponential manner but were still detectable in all foals at age 2...
