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.
Sarma PN, Tang YJ, Prindiville TP, Osborne PD, Jang S, Silva J, Cohen SH.In order to determine genetic relatedness of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from different clinical sources, arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (AP-PCR) was used to compare 17 strains isolated from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 20 strains isolated from foals with diarrhea. Three reference ATCC strains were also analyzed. Eighteen unique types were identified with a 22-mer arbitrary primer (ERIC-2) among the 20 patient isolates. Types 1 (enterotoxigenic) and 9 (nonenterotoxigenic), were each found in the stools of two patients. All other isolates showed a dis...
Britton AL, Major DA, Perry GH, Read AJ.The interaction and stabling of horses at equine events may have a substantial impact on the spread of a zoonotic disease. This study aimed to investigate the spread of equine influenza (EI) at an equestrian event at the start of the Australian outbreak. Around one-third of the competing horses were stabled overnight at the event and, of these, 70% developed symptoms of EI within 7 days. The index case was never positively identified, but stabling position and disease onset provided clues to its potential identity.
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of 4-methyl-5-vinylthiazole [15.018] belonging to chemical group 29 (thiazoles, thiophene and thiazoline), when used as sensory additive (flavourings) in feed for all animal species. The FEEDAP Panel concluded that 4-methyl-5-vinylthiazole [15.018] was safe at the maximum proposed use level of 0.5 mg/kg complete feed for veal calves (milk replacer), dogs, salmonids and ornamental fish. For the other species, the calculated safe concentrations in complete feed are: 0.4â€...
Nadruz V, Beard LA, Delph-Miller KM, Larson RL, Bai J, Chengappa MM.Prevention of spread of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) after an outbreak is best accomplished by endoscopic lavage of the guttural pouch, with samples tested by culture and real time, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Disinfection of endoscopes must eliminate bacteria and DNA to avoid false diagnosis of carrier horses of S. equi. Objective: Compare failure rates of disinfection of endoscopes contaminated with S. equi using 2 disinfectants (accelerated hydrogen peroxide [AHP] or ortho-phthalaldehyde [OPA]). The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference bet...
Given BD, Mostrom MS, Tully R, Ditkowsky N, Rubenstein AH.A mare with signs of hypoglycemia had high serum insulin concentrations before it was euthanatized. High pressure liquid chromatography revealed that the insulin in the mare's blood was of commercial origin. Surreptitious insulin injection has been suspected as the cause of several suspicious deaths of insured horses. The use of high-pressure liquid chromatography should help put an end to this practice.
Berardinelli P, Barazzoni AM, Russo V, Brunetti O, Della Torre G, Scapolo PA, Muttini A, Bortolami R.Based on previous observations that capsaicin can selectively damage group III and IV afferents and induce muscle fibre transformation, we hypothesized that eliminating, by means of capsaicin, the group III and IV afferents of a peripheral territory it could lead to a fibre transformation in a muscle involved in the flexor reflexes of the same peripheral territory. Therefore, capsaicin was injected into the palmar nerves of the forelimb of the horse to investigate if eliminating group III and IV afferents from the hand of the horse a muscle fibre transition would occur in the flexor carpi radi...
Colquhoun KM, Eckersall PD, Renton JP, Douglas TA.Six mares were studied over a period of two years under varying conditions of lighting from total darkness to normal ambient lighting. The mares continued to cycle during the winter under natural lighting and also when kept in total darkness. Circulating melatonin, progesterone and oestrogen concentrations were determined and related to clinical changes in the reproductive tract.
Jha S, Hall JA, Cherian G, Henry LR, Schlipf JW.Neutrophils are involved in inflammation through leukotriene (LT) production. The predominant proinflammatory leukotriene released from neutrophils is LTB4, which serves as a biological marker of inflammation. The purpose of this study was to optimize the conditions ex vivo for LTB4 production by neutrophils from horses and dogs, and platelets from chickens. Optimal production of LTB4 was characterized by incubation time (2.5, 5, 10, 15 or 20 min), temperature (25 or 37 degrees C), and calcium ionophore A23187 concentration (0.1, 1, 10 or 20 microM). Incubation longer than 2.5 min did not incr...
Wu D, Murakami K, Liu N, Konishi M, Muneta Y, Inumaru S, Kokuho T, Sentsui H.The equine interleukin-18 (IL-18) cDNA that contains the coding sequence was cloned and a recombinant baculovirus, named AcEIL-18, was constructed. The recombinant protein of the equine IL-18 was expressed by AcEIL-18 and its expression was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. Insect cells infected with AcEIL-18 secreted a precursor IL-18 with 24 kilo dalton (kDa) into the culture supernatant. Western blot analysis showed that mature equine IL-18 about 18 kDa was also confirmed without co-expression of caspase-1. Culture supern...
Roscher KA, Failing K, Schenk I, Moritz A.The reasons for this prospective experimental study were to determine a dosing scheme with loading and maintenance dose of aspirin inducing inhibition of platelet function measured by whole blood impedance aggregometry. Ten horses received aspirin orally in the morning with one loading dose of 4.7-5 mg/kg and maintenance doses of 1-1.3 mg/kg daily the following 4 days. Aggregometries (COLtest, ASPItest, ADPtest) and serum salicylic acid were measured. ASPItest showed significant difference in inhibition at 24 and 48 hr (p < .05) and 96 hr (p < .01). Significant change for ADPtes...
Yamauchi S.The luminal and cut surface of endometrial cups were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The distribution of PAS-positive and lipid materials in cup tissue was studied and most of the lipid material was localized in the large polyhedral cup cells. The lipid droplets gave positive reactions for DNPH in the cholesterol test of Schultz. They also exhibited autofluorescence and were therefore considered to be steroidal in nature. The significance of this possibility, particularly with regard to maintenance of early pregnancy in the mare, is discussed.
de Clercq T, Verschooten F, Ysebaert M.A collection of 69 isolated navicular bones, normal or affected with navicular disease, was examined radiographically using dorsopalmar, lateromedial and palmaroproximal-palmarodistal views. Radiographic findings on each view were recorded. A radiographic diagnosis of normality or navicular disease was made, first on each view separately and afterwards based on the combination of the 3 views. Forty-four navicular bones were considered radiographically normal and 25 navicular bones had distinct signs of radiographic navicular disease. The dorsopalmar and the lateromedial views of each navicular...
