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.
Ley KD, Burger D, McGuire T, Henson JB.The role of interferon in the pathogenesis of per-
sistent or chronic viral diseases has not been elu-
cidated. However, interferon or inducers of inter-
feron may have a marked effect on the course of
certain chronic viral diseases [1-3]. Equine infec-
tious anemia (EIA) is a viral disease of horses
that may take an inapparent, acute, subacute, or
chronic course in the affected host [4]. Chronically
infected horses suffer from recurrent attacks of
fever that are accompanied by severe anemia.
After the infection has been established, infected
horses may carry the virus for the rest ...
Vandeplassche M, Podliachouk L, Beaud R.A study has been made of 44 cases of twin pregnancy in mares. The fetuses, foals, fetal membranes and blood groups of parents and foals were examined in order to determine the incidence of chorio-vascular anastomosis, blood chimaerism and freemartinism. All of the twins proved to be dizygotic and 33 of the 34 pregnancies were bicornual. Fusion of the chorion was seen in 14 of 22 placentas and macroscopic choriovascular bridges were observed in five of these, although blood chimaerism was diagnosed in 11 of 25 cases (44 per cent) examined. This would indicate a high incidence of microchoriovasc...
De Botton D, Janett F, Burger D, Imboden I, Kähn W, Thun R.The aim of the present study was to investigate the spermatogenic and Leydig cell activity in stallions with impaired semen quality after treatment with equine somatotropin. Experiments were performed using 18 adult clinically healthy stallions with poor semen quality which did not pass breeding soundness evaluation. The animals were randomly divided into a treatment (n = 9) and a control (n = 9) group. Over a period of 90 days, nine stallions received a daily intramuscular injection of 10 mg recombinant equine somatotropin (EquiGen, BresaGen Limited, Adelaide, Australia) and 9 control animals...
Barshick MR, Gonzalez ML, Busse NI, Helsel PJ, Johnson SE.Satellite cell (SC) activation is defined as the time frame during which the stem cell becomes poised to reenter G1 of the cell cycle. The growth factors and events leading to full mitotic activation in equine SCs remain largely unknown. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) are sequentially transcribed during the muscle repair and recovery period following strenuous exercise in adult horses. Expression of IGF-I occurs within 24 h of the postexercise recovery period suggesting it may affect early SC actions. As a first step,...
Mayers J, Westcott D, Steinbach F.Using the commercially available PEPperCHIP® microarray platform, a peptide microarray was developed to identify immunodominant epitopes for the detection of antibodies against Equine arteritis virus (EAV). For this purpose, the whole EAV Bucyrus sequence was used to design a total of 1250 peptides that were synthesized and spotted onto a microarray slide. A panel of 28 serum samples representing a selection of EAV strains was tested using the microarray. Of the 1250 peptides, 97 peptides (7.76%) showed reactivity with the EAV-positive samples. No single peptide was detected by all the positi...
Van Hoogmoed L, Snyder JR.The medical management of postoperative abdominal disorders remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the equine clinician. Recent advances in the development of techniques and medications to offset or attenuate ischemia-reperfusion injury, endotoxemia, and ileus are encouraging and potentially will decrease the incidence of additional complications.
Rousselle JC, Gillet G, Fillion G.The solubilization of the serotonergic 5HT1 and 5HT3 sites was performed with digitonin and sodium cholate at 1% (final concentration). Two binding sites for [3H]5HT were observed on rat or horse brain synaptosomal membranes solubilized with these detergents. The corresponding dissociation constants (KD) were 1-3 nM and 13-30 nM respectively. These values were closely similar to those corresponding to 5HT1 and 5HT3 sites located in intact membranes. The solubilized sites specifically bound 5HT. The effect of GTP decreasing the binding to 5HT1 sites was lost on solubilized 5HT1 sites; it was re...
Emmerich IU.In 2020, one novel pharmaceutical agent for horses or food-producing animals was released on the German market, rendering the inhaled glucocorticoid ciclesonide (Aservo EquiHaler) available for horses for the first time. The authorization of one established veterinary active ingredient was extended to an additional species: The anthelmintic fenbendazole (Gallifen) from the benzimidazole group is now also authorized for pheasants. Additionally, 3 veterinary drugs with a new combination of active ingredients (ketoprofen + tilmicosin, ketoprofen + tulathromycin, prednisolone + lidoc...
Forsell PK, Lindberg A, Karlsson S, Lindgren JA, Claesson HE.It has been demonstrated that equine neutrophils, but not eosinophils, require exogenous arachidonic acid for calcium ionophore A23187-induced leukotriene synthesis. Because cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) plays an essential role in leukotriene formation in leukocytes, we investigated the presence of a functional cPLA(2) in equine neutrophils. To determine whether cPLA(2) from neutrophils was catalytically active, we purified the enzyme >6,500 fold with 3% recovery from equine neutrophils. The full-length cDNA sequence encoded a 749-amino acid protein. The deduced amino acid sequence...
Jackson K, Kelty E, Tennant M.Equine peripheral caries can cause significant morbidity and can have considerable welfare implications. Recent research suggests that diets with high water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content are associated with high risk of peripheral caries. Previous work has indicated that the condition may be treatable if the inciting cause is removed and the damaged tooth allowed to erupt out, being replaced by the unaffected tooth previously under the gingival margin. Objective: To see whether the peripheral caries process can be ceased if oaten hay (typically high WSC) is removed from the diet and repla...
Keener MM, Tumlin KI.Equestrian sport has various welfare issues and educational needs. To address these complex interactions, we propose an integrated approach called the Triple-E Model, which focuses on the equine, equestrian, and environmental triad. A literature review of existing models suggests that complexities of these interactions are overlooked, despite the significant impact of equine industries on economics, healthcare, and animal welfare. This paper discusses current models and theories used to evaluate equine-equestrian-environmental interactions and introduces the Triple-E Model to foster multidisci...
Deuel NR, Park J.Limb contact variables of the gallop of 3-day event horses were determined for competitors in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games. Horses were filmed during the steeplechase, phase B of the speed and endurance test on day 2 of competition. Two 16-mm high-speed cameras were aimed perpendicularly to the direction of subject motion along a straightaway on the steeplechase track, filmed at 200 frames/s. Thirty-four of 48 competitors were filmed and 108 gallop strides analyzed. Velocity (VEL) averaged 12.09 +/- 0.10 m/s (mean +/- SE), stride length (SL) 6.04 +/- 0.05 m and stride frequency (SF) 2.0...
Nilsson O, Klingborn B.The effect of oxfendazole (Synanthic vet. Syntex) on the strongyle egg output of naturally infected horses was evaluated. It was demonstrated that the compound, administered orally as an 18,5% paste or as 6,48% pellets mixed in feed (46.3 grams per 300 kg bodyweight) at a dose-rate of 10 mg per kg bodyweight, markedly reduced the strongyle egg output over a 10 week period. As this period to egg reappearance is considerably longer than for most other anthelmintics at recommended dose levels, oxfendazole may be considered a valuable compound for the control of strongylosis in horses.
