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.
Stewart HL, Kawcak CE, Inscoe CR, Puett C, Lee YZ, Lu J, Zhou OZ, Selberg KT.To describe the technique and assess the diagnostic potential and limitations of tomosynthesis for imaging of the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) of equine cadavers; compare the tomosynthesis appearance of pathological lesions with their conventional radiographic, CT, and MRI appearances; and evaluate all imaging findings with gross lesions of a given MCPJ. Methods: Distal portions of 4 forelimbs from 4 equine cadavers. Methods: The MCPJs underwent radiography, tomosynthesis (with a purpose-built benchtop unit), CT, and MRI; thereafter, MCPJs were disarticulated and evaluated for the presence...
Druml T, Brem G, Horna M, Ricard A, Grilz-Seger G.Melanoma prevalence in gray horses reaches up to 50% and more. Several studies have documented a genetic melanoma predisposition which is referred to the 4.6 kb duplication in intron 6 of STX17 and its surrounding haplotype. However, the genetic background and mechanisms responsible for differences in etiopathogenesis of equine dermal melanomatosis still remain unknown. In the current study, we performed a genome wide association analysis in 141 Lipizzan horses and subsequently identified one candidate gene on chromosome 24 putatively involved in melanoma pathogenesis in gray horses. The assoc...
Bresnahan DR, Lupole RE, Stilz CR, Carnevale EM.Zona pellucida (ZP) proteins are important for fertilization and sperm binding and are closely associated with cumulus cells. Communication between cumulus and oocytes is facilitated by intracellular membrane channels composed of connexins. The extent aging impacts potential differences in fertilization and reductions in fertility is not well understood. This study characterized age-related differences in transcript abundance of ZP proteins and connexins in cells from ovarian follicles. Additionally, differences in sperm binding to oocytes from old and young mares was evaluated. For experiment...
Snider C, Grant D, Grant SA.Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a progressive articular degenerative disease that degrades articular cartilage and stimulates apoptosis in chondrocyte cells. An injectable decellularized, extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold, that might be able to combat the effects of PTOA, was developed where the ECM was conjugated with 20 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and supplemented with curcumin and hyaluronic acid (HA). Porcine diaphragm ECM was decellularized and homogenized; AuNPs were conjugated using chemical crosslinking followed by mixing with curcumin and/or HA. Injection force testing and...
Broyles AH, Embertson RM, Brett Woodie J, Machado V.There is persistent concern among some trainers, owners and veterinarians regarding the effect of preoperative laryngeal function grade on the outcome of laryngoplasty and ventriculocordectomy (LPVC). Objective: To determine the effect of laryngeal function grade prior to LPVC on postoperative performance. Methods: Retrospective case-series. Methods: Medical and race records of Thoroughbred racehorses diagnosed with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) and treated with LPVC between 1998 and 2013 were reviewed. Horses were placed into three groups based on preoperative laryngeal function grade ...
McQuillan S, Kearney C, Hoey S, Connolly S, Rowan C.Computed tomographic arthrography (CTA) has been described as a method for detecting articular cartilage defects in equine carpal joints; however, published studies on the effects of contrast volume for lesion detection are currently lacking. The purpose of this prospective, experimental, pilot study was to determine a threshold volume of iodinated contrast for CTA of the antebrachiocarpal (ABC) and middle carpal (MC) joints for detection of articular cartilage surface defects. Articular cartilage defects were iatrogenically created in the surfaces of the ABC and MC joints of 20 equine cadaver...
Harman RM, Churchill KA, Jager MC, Van de Walle GR.Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) outbreaks occur when virus spreads from infected horses to in-contact horses, primarily via nasal shedding. This study evaluated the efficacy of factors secreted by equine peripheral blood derived mesenchymal stromal cells (PB-MSCs), collectively named the secretome, to inhibit the growth of EHV-1 in (i) 2D epithelial cell cultures (RK-13) in vitro, (ii) 3D equine nasal explants in vitro and (iii) an EHV-1 infection mouse model in vivo. The PB-MSC secretome was found to inhibit EHV-1 in RK-13 cells as well as in the epithelium of equine nasal explants. Although the ...
Takai S, Sudo M, Sakai M, Suzuki K, Sasaki Y, Kakuda T, Suzuki Y.Rhodococcus equi was isolated from the gastrointestinal contents of earthworms (family Megascolecidae) and their surrounding soil collected from pastures of two horse-breeding farms in Aomori Prefecture, outdoor pig pens, forest in Towada campus, orange groves and forest where wild boars (Sus scrofa) are established in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture. The number of R. equi in the lower gastrointestinal contents of 23 earthworms collected from our campus was significantly larger than that of the upper gastrointestinal content. The mean numbers of R. equi from the gastrointestinal contents of earthw...
Marčeková P, Mad'ar M, Styková E, Kačírová J, Sondorová M, Mudroň P, Žert Z.Equine hoof canker and bovine digital dermatitis are infectious inflammatory diseases of the hooves with an unknown etiology. However, anaerobic spirochetes of the genus Treponema are considered to be potential etiological agents. The aim of this study was to find a suitable way to isolate DNA and to detect the presence of treponemal DNA in samples of equine hoof canker and bovine digital dermatitis. DNAzol®® Direct and column kits were used to isolate DNA from samples of equine hoof canker and bovine digital dermatitis. The presence of Treponema spp. was detected using PCR and Sanger sequen...
Librado P, Khan N, Fages A, Kusliy MA, Suchan T, Tonasso-Calvière L, Schiavinato S, Alioglu D, Fromentier A, Perdereau A, Aury JM, Gaunitz C....Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 BC. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia and Anatolia, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don regi...
Gough RL, McGovern KF.Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is widely used in other species as a marker of renal dysfunction and is considered a more sensitive indicator of glomerular filtration rate than creatinine. Reference ranges are established in healthy adult horses (≤14 μg/dL) and concentrations are increased in horses with acute kidney injury (median 32 μg/dL; range 15-92). Objective: To establish the normal range of SDMA concentrations in neonatal Thoroughbreds. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Blood samples were collected from Thoroughbred foals <36 h old deemed healthy by physical examination. E...
Grenager NS.Endocrinopathic laminitis (EL) primarily occurs because of insulin dysregulation (ID) mediated through downstream effects of insulin on IGF-1R in lamellar tissues. There is likely contributing vascular and metabolic dysfunction within the lamellae, but EL is relatively non-inflammatory. EL is associated with lamellar stretching, proliferation, and failure, ultimately causing failure of the suspensory apparatus of the distal phalanx. Proper education regarding mitigating risk factors makes this a largely preventable cause of laminitis. Annual hoof evaluation plus screening geriatric horses for ...
Hopster K, Driessen B.One of the biggest challenges in managing laminitis in horses remains the control of pain. The best analgesic approach is a multimodal approach, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and/or constant rate infusions of α-2 agonists, ketamine, and lidocaine. Recent literature indicates that amitriptyline and soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor might be beneficial. Clinically oriented studies will be needed if they have a place in laminitis pain management. The systemic pain control can be combined with local techniques such as long-acting local anesthetics or epidural catheter...
Orsini JA.The multiple topics summarized in this article and discussed in detail in this issue of VCNA are comprehensive and in-depth, exploring concepts and clinical experiences for state-of-the-art care of the equine foot. The research on the equine foot will translate to the clinical setting and with this the compassionate care of the horse.
Bennet ED, Cameron-Whytock H, Parkin TDH.Eventing is an equestrian sport that tests athletes' and horses' skill over three phases: dressage, jumping and cross-country. Falls during the cross-country phase can have very serious outcomes up to and including death for both horse and athlete. Therefore, understanding risk factors associated with falls is essential for improving equine and human welfare. Objective: To provide descriptive statistics and identify risk factors at the horse-, athlete- and course-level affecting horses competing in Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) events worldwide. Methods: Retrospective cohort study...
Ehrle A, Lilge S, Clegg PD, Maddox TW.Flexor tendon injuries are a major cause of lameness in performance horses and have considerable impact on equine welfare and the wider horse industry. Ageing and repetitive strain frequently cause varying degrees of tendon micro-damage prior to the recognition of clinical tendinopathy. Whilst B-mode ultrasonography is most commonly utilised for detection and monitoring of tendon lesions at the metacarpal/metatarsal level, the emphasis of recent research has focused on the identification of subclinical tendon damage in order to prevent further tendon injury and improve outcomes. The introducti...
Ehrle A, Lilge S, Clegg PD, Maddox TW.Flexor tendon injuries are a common cause of lameness and early retirement in equine athletes. While ultrasonography is most frequently utilised, advanced diagnostic imaging modalities are becoming more widely available for detection and monitoring of flexor tendon lesions. Part two of this literature review details current experience with low- and high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) for the diagnosis of equine flexor tendinopathy with a focus on the deep digital flexor tendon. Implications of the 'magic angle' artefact as well as injection techniques and t...
Lencioni GC, de Sousa RV, de Souza Sardinha EJ, Corrêa RR, Zanella AJ.The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a machine vision algorithm to assess the pain level in horses, using an automatic computational classifier based on the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) and trained by machine learning method. The use of the Horse Grimace Scale is dependent on a human observer, who most of the time does not have availability to evaluate the animal for long periods and must also be well trained in order to apply the evaluation system correctly. In addition, even with adequate training, the presence of an unknown person near an animal in pain can result in behavioral ch...
Pusterla N, James K, Barnum S, Delwart E.Three newly identified equine parvoviruses (equine parvovirus hepatitis (EqPV-H), equine parvovirus CSF (EqPV-CSF) and equine copivirus (Eqcopivirus)) have recently been discovered in horses with respiratory signs. However, the clinical impact of these three equine parvoviruses has yet to be determined. Nasal fluid samples and blood from 667 equids with acute onset of fever and respiratory signs submitted to a diagnostic laboratory were analyzed for the presence of common equine respiratory pathogens (equine influenza virus, equine herpesvirus-1/-4, equine rhinitis A and B virus, subspecies )...
VOR DER DOMESTIKATION HING DAS ÜBERLEBEN DER EQUIDEN VON DER FäHIGKEIT AB, SICH IHRER UMGEBUNG UND MIT IHR VERBUNDENEN GEFAHREN ANZUPASSEN. DIES BETRAF V. A. RAUBTIERE, AUF DIE DIE PFERDE SCHNELL REAGIEREN MUSSTEN. MODERNE PFERDE UNTERSCHEIDEN SICH VON IHREN VORFAHREN U. A. IN IHRER REAKTION AUF STRESSOREN. SIE WURDEN üBER JAHRHUNDERTE HINWEG SO GEZüCHTET, DASS EIN FüR MENSCHEN SICHERER UMGANG MIT IHNEN MöGLICH IST. DIES REDUZIERTE AUCH IHRE REAKTIONEN AUF ANGSTERZEUGENDE FAKTOREN. DIE STUDIE UNTERSUCHTE, OB PFERDE NOCH IMMER DIE FäHIGKEIT BESITZEN, RECHTZEITIG AUF GEFAHREN DURCH RAUBTI...
Amaral A, Fernandes C, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Lukasik K, Rebordão MR, Pinto-Bravo P, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Cathepsin G (CAT) is a protease released by neutrophils when forming neutrophil extracellular traps that was already associated with inducing type I collagen (COL1) in equine endometrium in vitro. Endometrosis is a fibrotic condition mainly characterized by COL1 deposition in the equine endometrium. The objective was to evaluate if noscapine (an alkaloid for cough treatment with anti-neoplastic and anti-fibrotic properties) would reduce transcription (evaluated by qPCR) and COL1 protein relative abundance (evaluated by western blot) induced by CAT in equine endometrial explants from follicula...
Dupuis-Dowd F, Lavoie JP.Airway smooth muscle remodelling in severe equine asthma includes both thickening of airway smooth muscle, resulting from hyperplasia and hypertrophy, and changes in contractility. However, airway smooth muscle changes have not been studied in milder forms of the disease. Objective: To investigate bronchial smooth muscle remodelling in horses with mild and moderate asthma (MEA). Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: The endobronchial biopsies from 18 horses with MEA referred to the Equine Hospital of the Université de Montréal and from seven healthy age-matched control horses w...
Gallastegui A.Over the past 5 years, advancements in diagnostic imaging technology have led to improvement of radiographic technique and development of standing computed tomography (CT) and PET-CT scanners. Although these modalities are in their initial stages of development and clinical applications, they are meant to revolutionize the diagnosis and management of diseases of the foot in the standing patient, in particular detecting subclinical lesions, and the establishment of computer-assisted surgical suits. This article also reviews the improved radiographic projections of the equine foot and benefits ...
Lanci A, Ingrà L, Dondi F, Tomasello F, Teti G, Mariella J, Falconi M, Castagnetti C.Exfoliative cytology of human amniotic fluid (AF) has been extensively studied since 1940s, but no data exist in equine species. The AF compartment represents the environment in which the foetus grows and matures, and its composition changes, reflecting foetal well-being and development. The aim of this study was to describe for the first time the morphology of equine AF cells and amniotic membrane (AM) with light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). AF was collected at parturition within 5 min after the appearance of the AM with a 60 mL syringe from 34 mares and sampl...
Gerard MP.This article provides an overview of foot anatomy and physiology, with a focus on fundamental knowledge. The foot is defined as the epidermal hoof capsule and all structures enveloped by the capsule. The anatomy is described using terminology published in Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria.
Burns TA.Nutrition plays an important role in equine health, including that of the foot. Deficiencies and excesses of dietary components can affect the growth and function of the foot and have been associated with important podiatric diseases. The recognition, prevention, and treatment of specific notable nutritional diseases of the foot are discussed, as well as information regarding specific ingredients included in supplements meant to improve equine hoof quality. Ensuring provision of a balanced diet, maintaining horses in appropriate body condition, and seeking guidance from an equine nutritionist ...
Louro LF, Robson K, Hughes J, Loomes K, Senior M.In equine anaesthesia, the recovery period is critical, accounting for most anaesthesia-related fatalities reported. Horses may recover unassisted or may be assisted, for example, using a head and tail rope recovery method. Objective: To compare the impact of head and tail rope and unassisted recovery method on quality of recovery in horses undergoing colic surgery under general anaesthesia (GA). Methods: Single centre retrospective cross-sectional study, with prospective model performance analysis. Methods: Clinical data were obtained from horses undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy ov...
Büttner J, Brehm W, Gittel C.In horses, colic is associated with relatively high mortality rates. Identification of parameters associated with poor outcome may aid in providing a more accurate prognosis. This study aimed to assess the early prognostic value towards survival of the horse based on parameters of the clinical examination. Methods: In a retrospective study (2013-2017), results of the clinical examination of horses with colic were analyzed. Obtained parameters were categorized from physiologic up to different pathophysiologic manifestations. The risk of death was calculated as odds ratios in comparison to norma...
Herb VM, Zehetner V, Blohm KO.This is the first description of Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalies (MCOA) in a silver coat Missouri Fox Trotter determined to be heterozygous for the Silver PMEL17 missense mutation associated with MCOA and a silver coat in other breeds. The stallion was treated for meningoencephalitis and bilateral uveitis of unknown origin. A complete ophthalmic examination and ocular ultrasonography were performed. As an incidental finding, the patient exhibited bilateral cystic lesions restricted to the temporal anterior uvea consistent with the Cyst phenotype and was genotyped heterozygous for the Silv...
Walter J, Huwiler F, Fortes C, Grossmann J, Roschitzki B, Hu J, Naegeli H, Laczko E, Bleul U.Maturation of oocytes under in vitro conditions (IVM) results in impaired developmental competence compared to oocytes matured in vivo. As oocytes are closely coupled to their cumulus complex, elucidating aberrations in cumulus metabolism in vitro is important to bridge the gap towards more physiological maturation conditions. The aim of this study was to analyze the equine "cumulome" in a novel combination of proteomic (nano-HPLC MS/MS) and metabolomic (UPLC-nanoESI-MS) profiling of single cumulus complexes of metaphase II oocytes matured either in vivo (n = 8) or in vitro (n = 7). Re...
Del Piero F.Equine viral arteritis (EVA) can cause prominent economic losses for the equine industry. The purpose of this review is to provide the pathologist some familiarity with the clinical history, lesions, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of EVA. EVA is caused by an arterivirus (equine arteritis virus, EAV), and the vascular system is the principal but not unique viral target. EVA has variable presentations, including interstitial pneumonia, panvasculitis with edema, thrombosis and hemorrhage, lymphoid necrosis, renal tubular necrosis, abortion, and inflammation of male accessory genital glands. EAV anti...
Tomlinson JE, Wolfisberg R, Fahnøe U, Patel RS, Trivedi S, Kumar A, Sharma H, Nielsen L, McDonough SP, Bukh J, Tennant BC, Kapoor A, Rosenberg BR....Equine hepacivirus (EqHV) is phylogenetically the closest relative of HCV and shares genome organization, hepatotropism, transient or persistent infection outcome, and the ability to cause hepatitis. Thus, EqHV studies are important to understand equine liver disease and further as an outbred surrogate animal model for HCV pathogenesis and protective immune responses. Here, we aimed to characterize the course of EqHV infection and associated protective immune responses. Seven horses were experimentally inoculated with EqHV, monitored for 6 months, and rechallenged with the same and, subsequen...
Diaz-San Segundo F, Dias CC, Moraes MP, Weiss M, Perez-Martin E, Owens G, Custer M, Kamrud K, de los Santos T, Grubman MJ.We have previously shown that delivery of the porcine type I interferon gene (poIFN-α/β) with a replication-defective human adenovirus vector (adenovirus 5 [Ad5]) can sterilely protect swine challenged with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) 1 day later. However, the need of relatively high doses of Ad5 limits the applicability of such a control strategy in the livestock industry. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) empty replicon particles (VRPs) can induce rapid protection of mice against either homologous or, in some cases, heterologous virus challenge. As an alternative approach ...
Robertson AT, Caughman GB, Gray WL, Baumann RP, Staczek J, O'Callaghan DJ.Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) gene expression is coordinately regulated in an alpha, beta, gamma fashion. Viral alpha gene products include a 6.0-kb immediate early (IE) mRNA species (W. L. Gray et al., 1987, Virology 158, 79-87) and at least four closely related IE polypeptides (IEPs) (G.B. Caughman et al., 1985, Virology 145, 49-61). In this report, we describe results obtained from a series of in vitro translation experiments which were performed in an effort to characterize the IEPs and identify the mechanism by which individual IE protein species are generated. Our data indicate that ...
Buzatti A, de Paula Santos C, Fernandes MA, Yoshitani UY, Sprenger LK, dos Santos CD, Molento MB.Horses can harbor a large amount of parasites that may cause serious clinical signs even death. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predatory activity of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans against infective larvae (L3) of gastrointestinal nematodes of horses in fecal culture. The experimental design was completely randomized with three treated groups (G1, G2 and G3) and one control (CG), using eight animals/group. The treated animals received G1: 1.5 × 10(5); G2: 3 × 10(5) and G3: 6 × 10(5) chlamydospores of D. flagrans/kg body weight during 21 days. The fungi preparation was give...
Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Clarke KW, Vainio O, Aliabadi F, Demuth D.The pharmacokinetics of intravenous (i.v.) medetomidine (7 mcg kg(-1)) were best described by a two-compartment model in five ponies. Total body clearance was 4 (SD 0.60) 1 kg h,(-1)t(1/2alpha)7. 6 (0.91) minutes and t(1/2beta)51.3 (13.09) minutes. In one pony the one-compartmental model was best fit, and total body clearance was 4. 2 l kg h(-1)and t(1/2)was 11 minutes. Medetomidine plasma levels had fallen below the limits of quantification (0.05 ng ml(-1)) within 4 hours. Medetomidine 5 mcg kg(-1)i.v. followed by an infusion of 3.5 mcg kg h(-1)for two hours provided a constant level of sedat...
Stancampiano L, Mughini Gras L, Poglayen G.The spatial distribution of large intestinal helminth parasites of 50 horses was studied. Both adult and mucosal larval stages were examined and counted within the ventral colon, dorsal colon and caecum. Thirty-three species of adult parasites were identified and their distribution in the three large intestinal regions reported, together with the localization of cyathostome encysted larvae and of empty mucosal cysts. In order to highlight interspecific interactions, both Spearman pairwise correlation (among all parasites) and multivariable negative binomial regression (among the most abundant ...
Munday JS, Knight CG, Luff JA.Papillomaviruses (PVs) are well recognized to cause pre-neoplastic and neoplastic diseases in humans. Similarly, there is increasing evidence that PVs play a significant role in the development of pre-neoplastic and neoplastic diseases of the haired skin of dogs and cats, and the mucosa of horses. As the mechanisms by which PVs cause neoplasia are well studied in humans, it is valuable to compare the PV-induced neoplasms of humans with similar PV-associated neoplasms in the companion animal species. In the second part of this comparative review, the pre-neoplastic and neoplastic diseases thoug...
Frischknecht M, Neuditschko M, Jagannathan V, Drögemüller C, Tetens J, Thaller G, Leeb T, Rieder S.A cost-effective strategy to increase the density of available markers within a population is to sequence a small proportion of the population and impute whole-genome sequence data for the remaining population. Increased densities of typed markers are advantageous for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic predictions. Methods: We obtained genotypes for 54 602 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in 1077 Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses and Illumina paired-end whole-genome sequencing data for 30 FM horses and 14 Warmblood horses. After variant calling, the sequence-derived SNP geno...
Frisbie DD, Kawcak CE, Baxter GM, Trotter GW, Powers BE, Lassen ED, McIlwraith CW.To determine effects of intra-articularly administered 6alpha-methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) in exercised horses with carpal osteochondral fragmentation. Methods: 18 horses: 3 groups of 6 each. Methods: An osteochondral (chip) fragment was created in 1 randomly chosen middle carpal joint of each horse. Polyionic fluid (PF) was injected into both middle carpal joints of horses in the control group. In horses of the MPA-control group, MPA was injected into the middle carpal joint without an osteochondral fragment; a similar volume of PF was injected into the contralateral middle carpal joint. ...
Capucchio MT, Márquez M, Pregel P, Foradada L, Bravo M, Mattutino G, Torre C, Schiffer D, Catalano D, Valenza F, Guarda F, Pumarola M.Many age-related changes are described in the nervous system of different species, but detailed studies of brain lesions in ageing horses are lacking. The aim of the present study was to systematically characterize lesions in the brains of 60 horses aged from 7 to 23 years. No gross changes were present in any brain. Microscopically, spongiform changes, lipofuscin storage, corpora amylacea, gliosis and satellitosis were common, together with axonal and neuronal swellings. The most important findings were the presence of pseudocalcium-calcium (pCa-Ca) deposits and arterial wall degeneration. Sc...
Samuel CA, Allen WR, Steven DH.In early pregnancy the equine placenta consists of a simple apposition of fetal and maternal epithelia, but it becomes more complex with the formation of microcotyledons between 75 and 100 days of gestation. Although the placental barrier maintains an epitheliochorial arrangement throughout the course of pregnancy, a thinning of the maternal epithelium and a progressive indentation of the chorionic epithelium by fetal capillaries shortens the length of the diffusion pathway and reduces the amount of placental tissue between fetal and maternal bloodstreams. These structural modifications may re...
Swiderski CE, Klei TR, Horohov DW.Quantification of cytokine mRNA using reverse transcription coupled with the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has become a corner stone of the study of cytokine regulation. Quantitative competitive RT-PCR (QCRT-PCR) is commonly accepted as a reliable method for quantifying differences in mRNA levels but is both labor- and reagent-intensive. A noncompetitive polymerase chain reaction method that utilizes cytokine-specific, plasmid-derived, standard curves was developed for the quantification of equine cytokine mRNA. The assay can be performed on minute samples of cellular material, utilizes s...
Gibson CA, Daniels RS, Oxford JS, McCauley JW.The nucleotide sequences of ten haemagglutinin genes of representative H7N7 equine influenza viruses isolated between 1956 and 1977 have been determined by primer extension sequencing. Their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences demonstrate a high degree of homology. These equine viruses can be divided into two distinct subgroups, the prototype-like, and a group comprising the early American isolates and the remaining equine viruses. The equine H7 haemagglutinins form a quite distinct group compared to H7 haemagglutinins isolated from other species. Each of these equine H7 haemagglutinin...
Rochais C, Henry S, Hausberger M.Distractibility (i.e. individual distraction from his ongoing activity) is thoughts to affect daily life. The present study develops an easy way to assess inter-individual variations of distractibility of an animal model, the domestic horse. We developed the 'distractibility test' (DT), based on auditory stimuli, a major source of distraction in daily life. We hypothesized that the broadcast of unusual sounds would provide a reliable source of distraction and that the responses to these unusual sounds would yield a good estimation of a horse's level of distractibility. Validity of the DT was a...
Olivares R, Michalland S, Aboitiz F.A cross-species morphometric study of the corpus callosum was performed in the rat, rabbit, cat, dog, horse, cow and human. Across species, the results indicate a strong, although less than linear, dependency of callosal size on brain weight. This relation tends to lose significance within species. This is consistent with other morphometric studies indicating a tendency to decrease the correlations between morphometric variables in within-species analyses as compared to between-species analyses. There are species differences in the relative size of some callosal segments particularly in the po...
Abbara A, Ratnasabapathy R, Jayasena CN, Dhillo WS.The Kiss1 gene encodes a 145-amino acid pre-peptide, kisspeptin, which is cleaved into smaller peptides of 54, 14, 13, and 10 amino acids. This chapter reviews in detail the effects of kisspeptin on gonadotropin secretion in non-human mammals. Studies of kisspeptin's effects have included both acute and chronic administration regimens via a number of administration routes. Acute kisspeptin stimulates gonadotropin secretion in a wide range of species of non-human mammals, including rats, mice, hamsters, sheep, pigs, goats, cows, horses, and monkeys. In general, the stimulatory effect of kisspep...
Moon S, Lee JW, Shin D, Shin KY, Kim J, Choi IY, Kim J, Kim H.Using next-generation sequencing, we conducted a genome-wide scan of selective sweeps associated with selection toward genetic improvement in Thoroughbreds. We investigated potential phenotypic consequence of putative candidate loci by candidate gene association mapping for the finishing time in 240 Thoroughbred horses. We found a significant association with the trait for Ral GApase alpha 2 (RALGAP2) that regulates a variety of cellular processes of signal trafficking. Neighboring genes around RALGAP2 included insulinoma-associated 1 (INSM1), pallid (PLDN), and Ras and Rab interactor 2 (RIN2)...
Chang YF, Novosel V, Dubovi E, Wong SJ, Chu FK, Chang CF, Del Piero F, Shin S, Lein DH.Human blood collected from two patients from Westchester County, New York with human granulocytic ehrlichia (HGE) infection was inoculated into two ponies. Inoculated ponies developed clinical signs similar to a previous report (Madigan et al., 1995). Histopathological changes involved follicular hyperplasia of lymphoid tissues. HGE DNA was detected by PCR in muscle, fascia, peritoneum, and adrenal gland after the ponies produced a high level of antibodies to HGE. We suggest that HGE may reside in poorly vascularized connective tissues, where the antibodies may have some difficulties to penetr...
Khosravi AR, Mahmoudi M.Between 1994 and 1998, a total of 790 feather, hair and skin specimens from a variety of animals with suspected dermatophytoses were studied, of which 248 (31.4%) yielded dermatophytes. The most frequent dermatophytes isolated were Microsporum canis (38.3%), Trichophyton verrucosum (31.8%), T. mentagrophytes (13.3%) and M. gypseum (7.7%). There was a significantly higher proportion of positive cultures from cats (54.8%) than dogs (8.2%), and M. canis was the most common species isolated (87.2 and 50% respectively). Trichophyton verrucosum was the most frequent causative agent of dermatophytose...
Radunsky D, Blumenfeld-Katzir T, Volovyk O, Tal A, Barazany D, Tsarfaty G, Ben-Eliezer N.Multi-echo spin-echo (MESE) protocol is the most effective tool for mapping T relaxation in vivo. Still, MESE extensive use of radiofrequency pulses causes magnetization transfer (MT)-related bias of the water signal, instigated by the presence of macromolecules (MMP). Here, we analyze the effects of MT on MESE signal, alongside their impact on quantitative T measurements. Study used 3 models: in vitro urea phantom, ex vivo horse brain, and in vivo human brain. MT ratio (MTR) was measured between single-SE and MESE protocols under different scan settings including varying echo train lengths, n...
Chagnaud BP, Simmers J, Straka H.In guiding adaptive behavior, efference copy signals or corollary discharge are traditionally considered to serve as predictors of self-generated sensory inputs and by interfering with their central processing are able to counter unwanted consequences of an animal's own actions. Here, in a speculative reflection on this issue, we consider a different functional role for such intrinsic predictive signaling, namely in stabilizing gaze during locomotion where resultant changes in head orientation in space require online compensatory eye movements in order to prevent retinal image slip. The direct...
Johansson J, von Bahr-Lindström H, Jeck R, Woenckhaus C, Jörnvall H.The primary structure of the mitochondrial form of horse liver aldehyde dehydrogenase has been determined, utilizing peptide analyses and homology with other enzyme forms. The subunit exhibits N-terminal heterogeneity in size similar to that for the corresponding human mitochondrial protein, the longest form having 500 residues. Catalase was identified as a contaminant of the preparations. All four pairs within a set of aldehyde dehydrogenases can now be compared, including the same two species variants (horse and human) for both the cytosolic and mitochondrial enzyme, revealing characteristic...
Ishihara A, Zekas LJ, Weisbrode SE, Bertone AL.Cell-mediated and direct adenoviral (Ad) vector gene therapies can induce bone regeneration, including dermal fibroblasts (DFbs). We compared two effective therapies, DFb-mediated and direct Ad vector delivery of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2), for relative efficacy in bone regeneration. Equine rib drill defects were treated by percutaneous injection of either DFb-BMP2 or an Ad-BMP2 vector. At week 6, both DFb-BMP2- and Ad-BMP2-treated rib defects had greater bone filling volume and mineral density, with DFb-BMP2 inducing greater bone volume and maturity in the cortical bone aspect of the...
