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.
Palmieri G, Panu R, Asole A, Branca A.The proprioceptive innervation of the external cremaster muscle of some domestic animals was studied. Muscle spindles and tendon organs with their well-known features were found, but this finding was uncommon and unexpected in the investigated animals. For this reason, we believe that there is no relationship between the presence of these proprioceptors and the cremasteric reflex.
Jemmerson R, Margoliash E.Of the antigenic determinants so far identified for cytochrome c, only one involves more than a single amino acid substitution between the immunogen and host proteins. Both a threonine at position 89 and a glutamic acid at position 92 control one of the three antigenic sites identified in horse cytochrome c, as expressed in rabbits. Three antibody subpopulations, all directed against this region of the molecule, were isolated from the serum of a single rabbit by adsorption on a series of insolubilized cytochromes c. Antibody fluorescence quenching titrations with a variety of cytochromes c wer...
Webster WR.A controlled on-farm trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercial gonadotrophin hormone mixture at overcoming a seasonal decrease in fertility in pigs in a sub-tropical environment (summer infertility). The average weaning to oestrus interval of the untreated sows was more than double that of the treated sows and this difference was highly significant. However, fewer of the treated sows farrowed and they produced smaller litters. The improvement in fertility in the treated group achieved by reducing the weaning to oestrus interval was more than cancelled out by an overall ...
Tax WJ, Veerkamp JH.1. Activities of ADA and PNP were measured in erythrocytes and lymphocytes of man, horse and cattle. 2. In bovine hemolysates both enzyme activities are low when compared with activities in human hemolysates. In horse hemolysates both enzyme activities are virtually absent. 3. Enzyme activities are consistently lower (about 50%) in intact lymphocytes than in sonicated lymphocytes. This finding suggests that the uptake of nucleosides is rate-limiting for both enzymes in intact lymphocytes. 4. The activity of ADA in horse lymphocytes is comparable to that in lymphocytes of patients with severe c...
Allen GP, Cohen JC, Randall CC, O'Callaghan DJ.The replication of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and type 3 (EHV-3) was unimpeded in three different cell types-equine epithelial cells, equine fibroblasts, and mouse fibroblasts-which had been blocked in their capacity to synthesize host DNA by 2.5 mM hydroxyurea (HU) or 2 mM thymidine (TdR). The rate of DNA synthesis in uninfected or equine herpesvirus-infected cells in the presence of HU or TdR was measured by pulse-labeling cell samples with a labeled DNA precursor at different times after infection. DNA synthesis in uninfected cultures was completely inhibited by both compounds. Howev...
Bergan T, Versland I.To be active, antimicrobials must reach the bacteria in the infectious foci in adequate concentrations. Direct measurements of levels in the various foci are difficult to perform, but a number of animal models with artificial extravascular foci have been developed. In many ways, the physiology of pigs resemble that of humans. Consequently, it was thought that pigs might also parallel humans in the handling of penicillins. General pharmacokinetics of ampicillin and flucloxacillin and the penetration of the substances to subcutaneously implanted teflon tistisue chambers were investigated. Ampici...
Kaminski M.The detection of the recessive null allele of horse serum esterase (Es) is possible in heterozygotes Es+/EsO which by starch gel electrophoresis appear like homozygotes Es+/Es+. Two methods are proposed, the titration of enzymatic activity of esterase and the immunochemical titration of esterase as antigen. These methods can be applied to solve the cases of suspect parentage or in population studies.
Cybinski DH, St George TD, Paull NI.Neutralising antibody to Akabane virus was shown to develop in cattle in northern Australia throughout the year and also on the east coast of New South Wales in the summer during 1975/1976. Other species found to have antibody to Akabane virus were buffaloes, horses, camels and sheep, but no antibody was found in domestic chickens, ducks, wallabies or man. The biting midge Culicoides brevitarsis has been detected in all the major areas where antibody was demonstrated in this study.
Auer JA, Garner HE, Amend JF, Hutcheson DP, Salem CA.The duration and quality of recovery after separate 2 hour anaesthetic periods with equipotent alveolar concentrations of isoflurane, enflurane, halothane and methoxyflurane were evaluated in experimental ponies. Recovery was shortest after isoflurane anaesthesia, followed by enflurane, halothane and finally methoxyflurane, although standing was achieved more rapidly after enflurane than after isoflurane. This sequence of recovery times was compatible with the respective solubilities of the 4 agents. The smoothest recovery was obtained after isoflurane anaesthesia, followed by methoxyflurane, ...
Shehata R.The anatomy and histology of the male uterus were studied in the donkey and the horse. In the former it was found complete and long, while in the latter it was incomplete or absent. Some variations met with are described. A new concept of "internal male hermaphroditism' is presented and two types are differentiated.
Cockerell GL, MacCoy DM.This report provides a general overview of the pathobiology of neoplasia, and an update on the clinicopathological manifestations of lymphosarcoma, mastocytoma, histiocytoma, melanoma, sarcoid and circumanal gland tumors in domestic animals. Neoplasia represents a continuum of events from reversible hyperplasia to irreversible and pathological changes in tissue growth patterns. In some instances the causes of this disease process have been identified, but the etiology of the majority of naturally occurring neoplasms remain unknown. Surgical excision is the preferred treatment for tumors, but i...
Attenburrow DP.The development of a radio-stethoscope for horses is described. The equipment consisted of a sound transducer applied to the skin adjacent to the trachea and a radio transmitter attached to the saddle. The signals emitted were detected by telemetry and recorded on a magnetic tape-recorder. The recorder incorporated a monitor earphone so that sounds could be reproduced at the time of recording. The frequency response obtainable ranged from a few Hz to 4 KHz. This technique provided an objective means of studying the respiratory sounds generated during exercise although absolute values could not...
Hillidge CJ.The serum activities of creatine kinase (CPK), aldolase (ALD) and alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBD) were determined in a group of Welsh Mountain ponies before and after a 30 minute period of neuroleptanalgesia induced by i.v. injection of Immobilon and terminated by i.v. injection of Revivon. There were slight but significant increases in the serum activities of CPK and HBD following neuroleptanalgesia, but no change in the serum activity of ALD. It is suggested that this form of neuroleptanalgesia may be associated, in ponies, with a degree of reversible myocardial hypoxic change, pos...
Ludwig H, Thein P.From 18 horses with clinical symptoms of an affection of the central nervous system and with histopathologic alterations in the brain, four were demonstrated to have Bornavirus-specific antibodies. The antibodies are monospecific, recognizing identical antigens from infected brains of different animal species as well as from persistently infected tissue culture cells. Discrete immunoglobulin species (oligoclonal IgG) can be demonstrated in concentrated horse cerebrospinal fluid; they carry Bornavirus antibody specificity. Their presence, together with the higher antibody titers in the cerebros...
Jones RH, Hayes RO, Potter HW, Francy DB.A survey of biting flies in the southwestern United States resulted in the recovery of 34 species as they attacked equines. The geographic distribution of each species at 15 sites and the abundance of attacking flies were used to determine that 22 species commonly attack equines. Culicoides variipennis (Coquillett) was the most common species collected; it was recovered at 12 sites and comprised the highest percentage (29.8%) of the total survey catch for all species collected. The next 2 most common species were Psorophora columbiae (Dyar & Knab) and Aedes vexans (Meigen). C. variipennis was ...
Deanesly R.During the 340 day pregnancy of the horse, the germ cells in the fetal ovary showed a meiotic prophase which began in days 60-70 and might be prolonged after day 200. Three or four successive oogonial mitotic proliferations passed into the meiotic prophase but the great majority of the oocytes first involved degenerated, and no appreciable numbers of primordial follicles were left behind. At 150 days of pregnancy and again at 197 days, oocytes in early meiotic stages filled the ovarian cortex. Primordial follicles were present, but rare. As the prophase gradually came to an end, groups of oocy...
Rosskopf U, Noeske K, Werner E.The bacterium Clostridium (C.) tetani is an ubiquitous pathogen. This anaerobic, gram-positive bacterium can form spores and can be found in the whole environment. It enters the body via injuries of the skin and wounds where it releases the neurotoxin "tetanospasmin" (= tetanus toxin). The animals most susceptible to tetanus infection are horses and sheep. Only active immunisation by tetanus vaccine provides effective protection against tetanus intoxication. The marketing authorisation requirements stipulate that efficacy of tetanus vaccines ad us. vet. must be demonstrated in all target anima...
Hodder AD, Coyne CP, Madigan JE.An 11-year-old American Buckskin mare gave birth to live triplets unattended at approximately 300 days gestation. All foals were small and dysmature, requiring intensive care. The smallest foal died 4 days after admission, the second was subjected to euthanasia 24 days after admission due to poor healing of a third metatarsal fracture. The remaining foal survived to discharge and was considered small but otherwise normal at age one year.
Sandh G.The author has modified a surgical technique, which was originally developed at the turn of the century, for the aseptic establishment of an intestinal anastomosis. The principle of this technique, known as the "cutting thread" principle, was that a loop of thread was introduced into the lumen of each of two approximated loops of intestine. After suturing the two loops of intestine together around the intraluminal parts of the thread, the latter was used as a "wire-saw" to create a stoma between the two intestinal loops. The author modified the method in such a way that the cutting could be pe...
Riddell LP, Yoshimura S, MacKay AV, Wilson DG.A 17-year-old Quarter horse mare was presented because of traumatic luxation of the fifth sacral and first coccygeal vertebrae resulting in loss of sensation, motor function, and perfusion of the tail. The case was complicated by an associated tail head hematoma. Due to the severity of the injury, tail amputation was performed at the level of the luxation. Tail amputations in horses at the sacrococcygeal junction following a suspected tail pull injury are infrequently reported in the literature. . Une jument Quarter horse âgée de 17 ans fut présentée pour cause de luxation traumatique de l...
Sangiah S, McAllister CC, Amouzadeh HR.The basal gastric pH, free and total acid contents from five adult horses were determined at two-hour intervals for six- to eight-hour periods. The basal gastric pH, free and total acid contents varied from 2.14 +/- 0.08 to 2.41 +/- 0.14, 28.63 +/- 8.27 to 17.89 +/- 2.86 mmol litre-1 and 41.38 +/- 9.72 to 37.38 +/- 3.70 mmol litre-1, respectively. Cimetidine (8.8 mg kg-1 orally) and ranitidine (2.2 mg kg-1 orally) increased the basal gastric pH to above 3.6 (P less than 0.05) with a concomitant reduction of 75 per cent and 75 to 100 per cent in the basal gastric free acid content, respectively...
Dabareiner RM, Chaffin MK, Quirham H, Carter GK.4 horses with enthesopathy and desmitis of the medial collateral ligament of the cubital joint were examined. Results: All 4 horses had a history of acute, severe, unilateral forelimb lameness and had signs of pain during manipulation of the affected upper forelimb; 2 also had swelling in the axillary region. There was no improvement in lameness after diagnostic local analgesia below the carpal region, and 1 of 4 horses had mild improvement after cubital joint analgesia. Radiography revealed enthesophyte formation on the radial tuberosity and linear mineralization of the medial collateral liga...
Labens R, Jermyn K.To assess suspensory ligament extensor branch location and fracture gap reduction with simulation of standing and recumbent cortical bone screw repair of experimental incomplete parasagittal proximal phalanx (P1) fractures. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Twenty equine cadaver forelimbs. Methods: Simulated fractures were repaired twice in random order. A proximal cortical bone screw was placed in lag fashion with the limb unloaded (simulated recumbent repair) and loaded to 38% of body weight (range, 375-568 kg; simulated standing repair). Changes in fracture gap width were ass...
Holl HM, Armstrong C, Galantino-Homer H, Brooks SA.Laminitis results in impaired tissue integrity and Inflammation of the epidermal and dermal lamellae connecting the hoof capsule to the underlying distal phalanx and causes loss-of-use, poor quality of life and euthanasia in horses. Historically, studies to better understand the etiology of laminitis by documenting changes in gene expression were hampered by the paucity of gene annotation specific to hoof tissues. Next-generation sequencing enables improvements to annotation by incorporating equine- and hoof-specific transcripts. Here we characterize the hoof lamellar tissue transcriptome of n...
Busschers E, Richardson DW.A 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was examined because of chronic right forelimb lameness. Results: On radiographs of the right front foot, the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint space was narrow, and osteophytes and periarticular bony proliferation indicative of severe osteoarthritis were seen. Arthrodesis of the right DIP joint was recommended to improve the horse's comfort on the limb. Results: The horse was anesthetized, and palmar and dorsal arthroscopic approaches were used to remove as much of the articular cartilage as was accessible. Holes were then drilled through the dorsal aspect ...
Jalim SL, McKinnon AO.To evaluate the surgical results and fertility of mares bred at various intervals relative to surgical management of urovagina. Methods: Sixty-one mares underwent surgery to correct vesicovaginal reflux. Surgery was performed at varying times relative to breeding and postoperative fertility was evaluated. Results: Five mares were lost to follow-up and a further four were electively not bred. Of the remaining 52 mares, seasonal pregnancy and live foaling rates were 67% (35/52) and 54% (26/48), respectively. When mares were bred in the same cycle as the surgery, the first cycle following surgery...
Brown CM, Sonea I, Nachreiner RF, Obradovich JE.Using commercially available diagnostic reagents, serum immunoreactive gastrin activity was measured in five normal horses that were starved of food and water for 24 hours. Blood samples were taken every 15 minutes for two hours. The horses were then fed a pelleted diet for 15 minutes and samples were taken every 15 minutes for a further two hours. Three further samples were taken at hourly intervals. The total sampling period was seven hours. Basal immunoreactive gastrin activity was lower than that reported in other mammals, ranging from a mean of 7.0 pg/ml to 13.8 pg/ml. At 30, 60 and 75 mi...