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.
Delvescovo B, Bouton J.This issue focuses on the potential complications caused by prolonged recumbency in horses. It discusses how managing a recumbent horse involves treating the primary illness while also preventing and addressing secondary issues that can arise from recumbency itself. The authors explore the underlying pathophysiology of these complications, along with strategies for prevention and treatment. By understanding these aspects, veterinarians can improve care and outcomes for horses that are immobilized for extended periods. The issue provides insights into the most common complications and emphasize...
Ralletti MV, Meistro F, Tarasconi MA, Mandrioli L, Renzi A, Rinnovati R, Spadari A.Extraskeletal chondromas (ESCs) are rare benign tumours composed of mature cartilage that typically develop in soft tissues. Their occurrence in horses is extremely uncommon and, to the authors' knowledge, no previous cases of lingual ESCs in equines have been reported. This report describes a two-year-old Quarter Horse colt presented with progressive dysphagia. Clinical examination revealed a solitary, multilobulated, firm-elastic mass located at the dorsal aboral portion (base) of the tongue. Diagnostic imaging ruled out bone involvement. The mass was surgically excised under general anaesth...
Kapusniak A, Lara NM, Hitchens PL, Bailey S, Nath L, Franklin S.Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to enhance electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation in human medicine. In equine athletes, exercise-associated arrhythmias are common and linked to sudden cardiac death at rates higher than in humans. However, ECG interpretation in horses remains time-consuming and subjective, with the clinical relevance of mild rhythm disturbances often unclear. Objective: Evaluate the application of AI to ECG interpretation for arrhythmia detection, with emphasis on current and potential use in athletic species, particularly horses. Methods: About 17 studies we...
Zedler S, Jukic C, van Eps A, Stefanovski D, Genton M, Rossignol F.To compare the biomechanical properties of a three-dimensional (3D) printed titanium plate and spacer (3DM) and a 4.5 mm broad locking compression plate (LCP) for intervertebral fusion of C4-C5 in the horse. Methods: Ex vivo experimental study. Methods: Twenty-four equine cadaveric cervical spines. Methods: Twenty-four cadaver equine cervical spines were randomly assigned to ventral intervertebral fusion with either 3DM (n = 12) or LCP (n = 12) at C4-C5. Four-point bending tests were performed in flexion (3DM n = 6, LCP n = 6) and extension (3DM n = 6, LCP n = 6) in a sin...
Jelocnik M, Hall C, Dennis S, Mitchell K, Blishen A, Mashkour N, Anstey SI, Jenkins C, Jeffers K, El-Hage C, McMillan D, Gilkerson J.Infectious diseases significantly impact equine health and welfare, causing illness and death, and loss of productivity globally. One such disease is 'strangles', a highly contagious upper respiratory condition in horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (SEE). Diagnostic methods for this pathogen include sensitive molecular assays and less reliable bacterial isolation and biochemical testing. However, the presence of closely related streptococci, such as Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (SZOO), may confound diagnosis. Rapid assays for SEE are crucial for outbreak control...
Meistro F, Ralletti MV, Rinnovati R, Spadari A.Subjective lameness evaluation during lungeing is routinely performed in equine practice, but its consistency remains limited, especially in cases of mild or complex asymmetry. Objective: This study aimed to assess the agreement between subjective gait evaluations and a markerless AI-based gait analysis system (OAI-MS) in traditional racehorses during lungeing. Intra- and inter-observer agreement of subjective evaluations was also investigated. Methods: 24 traditional racehorses were assessed during routine pre-race inspections (T0) while trotting on a soft surface. Two experienced equine clin...
Scala E, Durie I, Gommeren K, Saegerman C, van Galen G.(1) Background: Ultrasonography of major vessels helps evaluate fluid status and responsiveness in critical human and canine patients. Aims: transrectal and inguinal ultrasonography of caudal vena cava (CVC), aorta (Ao), and femoral artery (FA) and vein (FV) in horses; calculate CVC collapsibility index (CI CVC) and vein-to-artery ratios; compare B- and M-mode; and evaluate repeatability and reproducibility. (2) Methods: B-mode and M-mode video loops were recorded twice by transrectal (Ao, CVC) and inguinal ultrasonography (FV, FA) by two operators on 17 healthy, sedated adult horses. Diameter...
Mège M, Bonsergent C, Viry L, Dhune M, Lecollinet S, Malandrin L.Equine piroplasmosis is a major tick-borne horse disease, caused by the intracellular development of piroplasms (Theileria equi sensu lato and Babesia caballi), with significant economic and sanitary consequences. In 2024, 203 blood samples were collected in Guadeloupe (Caribbean) from asymptomatic horses. Using an 18S rRNA nested PCR (nPCR) specific for each equine genus parasite, 79 samples tested positive for Theileria equi and 9 for Babesia caballi, resulting in respective prevalence of 38.9% and 4.4%. Three horses were co-infected. For B. caballi, 18S rRNA sequence analysis revealed the p...
Phillips NAI, Hackett ES.Respiratory surgery and procedures typically focus on conditions of the upper airway that restrict airflow at rest or exercise. This article focuses on respiratory anatomy and common surgeries of the trachea and larynx in horses. The trachea serves as the airway conduit from the larynx to the bronchi. A variety of upper airway disorders can lead to obstruction and in these instances, tracheotomy is typically utilized to bypass these obstructions and maintain airway patency. Emergency and permanent tracheotomy procedures are discussed. Other common upper airway operations, such as laryngotomy, ...
Cremer J, Ross J, Paranjape V.General anesthesia in equine patients is associated with a higher risk of mortality despite improved monitoring equipments and anesthetic techniques most likely due to their large body size, unique physiology and anatomy, behavioral tendencies, and therefore the challenging recovery. Larger body mass, increased age, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status, out-of-hours surgery, and longer duration of anesthesia have been identified as contributing factors increasing the risk of perioperative mortality in equine patients. Especially the recovery period remains a critical time ...
Mouncey R, de Mestre AM, Verheyen KL.Analyses of industry-level data suggest that around one-third of the UK and Ireland Thoroughbred foal crop fail to enter training. Prospective follow-up of individual horses could provide additional insight, particularly around individuals not attaining specific career milestones. Methods: A Thoroughbred birth cohort was established on stud farms across the UK and Ireland. Training, race performance, sales, export data, destinations and reasons for individuals failing to meet career milestones were collected from stud records, follow-up with owners, stud book and racing authorities' databases,...
Mazur SE, Toribio RE.Complications in critically ill equine patients are often related to the underlying disease process but can also be a consequence of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Complications can be specific to the affected organ or body system; however, in critically ill patients, they frequently affect the vasculature, acid-base, electrolyte, and fluid balance, energy homeostasis, and coagulation, with systemic consequences. Infrequent monitoring, late detection, failure to adapt therapies, hematologic and biochemical abnormalities, coagulopathies, and systemic inflammation can all contribute t...
Nelson B.Complications of equine musculoskeletal procedures and surgery are an inevitable occurrence. This article summarizes complications principally encountered by primary equine veterinarians who perform and manage musculoskeletal procedures and surgeries. Topics discussed include complications of musculoskeletal diagnostic procedures, angular/flexural limb deformities, and muscle, tendon, and ligament surgery; surgery of the foot, orthopedic and arthroscopic surgery, and cast management. Each section lists complications encountered and includes diagnostic and treatment considerations. Awareness of...
Allen TS, Johnson S.The physical stresses on equine athletes are unique and differ across various disciplines. Recognizing these differences is essential for early detection of injuries and effective management of the competition horse's health. Equine sports medicine involves specific challenges and risks that can be reduced through proper care, careful attention to technique, and a deep understanding of the demands of each sport. Proper training, regular monitoring, and sport-specific expertise are crucial in preventing injuries and ensuring optimal performance. By focusing on these aspects, veterinarians and t...
Corradini I, Jose-Cunilleras E, Nolis P, López-Murcia MM, Mayordomo-Febrer A.This study aims to generate foundational metabolomic data of aqueous humor (AH) in healthy horses and donkeys, and to investigate potential changes or trends in the metabolomic profile associated with age, sex or ocular pathology in horses. The AH metabolomic fingerprint from 5 donkeys and 35 equine eyes (17 controls, 8 with cataracts, 6 with retinal disease and 4 with anterior chamber disease (ACD)) were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A linear mixed-effects model, with individual horse as a random effect and group as a fixed effect, with multiple testing correct...
Siedler C, Zinkanel YM, Schramel JP, Peham C.The interaction between equine hooves and various ground surfaces is a critical factor for injury prevention and performance in modern equestrian sports. Accurate measurement of surface grip is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of different hoof protection systems. This study introduces the Vienna Grip Tester (VGT), a novel sensor-based device developed to quantify rotational resistance-an important parameter for assessing hoof-surface interaction. The VGT utilizes a torque wrench and spring-loaded mechanism to simulate lateral hoof movements under a standardized vertical load (~700 N...
Kędzierski W, Chałabis-Mazurek A, Bełkot Z, Janczarek I, Kowalik S.Microelement deficiencies are a current problem in horse breeding, causing infertility and fetal development disorders. The aim of the study was to control the concentration of zinc, copper and selenium in the blood serum of pregnant herd mares. The study included 154 mares in the second half of pregnancy, kept in five regions of south-eastern Poland: Łęczyńsko-Włodawska Plain, Chełmskie Hills, Łukowska Plain, Beskid Niski and Działy Grabowieckie. The concentration of zinc, copper and selenium in the obtained blood serum was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The seru...
Studzińska M, Klockiewicz M, Szczepaniak K, Demkowska-Kutrzepa M, Roczeń-Karczmarz M, Tomczuk K.The resistance of strongyles to pyrantel pamoate has been reported in publications worldwide. There is no data on its efficacy in horses in Poland. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pyrantel pamoate to control strongyle invasions in young horses. The study involved horses of both sexes, aged 1 to 2 years, and was conducted in two seasons (spring and the end of summer). Feces were collected 24 hours before and 14 days after deworming, and they were then examined using McMaster's and combined sedimentation-flotation methods. Results revealed that in spring, th...
Verna M, Amitrano FN, Boeder ZJ.To assess the clinical impact of the cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) myectomy in the short- and long-term postoperative abduction grade in racehorses. Unassigned: Records from horses presented for surgical treatment of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy from January 2019 through December 2023 were divided into 2 groups: horses that received standard prosthetic laryngoplasty and horses that received a complete myectomy of the CAD (modified myectomy laryngoplasty). Outcomes were compared through endoscopic evaluation after anesthetic recovery, both short term (7 to 10 days) and long term (80 to 90 ...
Hain AM, Tretow M, Bienert-Zeit A.Outside of Iceland, the Icelandic horse is prone to the development of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH). The aim of this study was to determine the radiographic prevalence and clinical signs of EOTRH in elderly horses (≥15 years) in Iceland. The rostral oral cavity of 170 horses (aged 15-30 years) was examined clinically. In addition, husbandry and nutritional management history was recorded by use of a questionnaire. Radiographs (2-4 views) of 188 horses were evaluated, findings were categorized by numerical staging of the condition and collated with clinica...
Larson MK, Gaffney C, Hoagland C, Jayawickrama J, Kamm JL.To determine the xenogen-free serum source that provides the greatest number of live equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) while maintaining the MSC phenotype. Unassigned: Equine bone marrow-derived MSCs from 8 horses were cultured for 7 days in media containing one of the following serum treatments: 10% xenogeneic serum, 10% or 20% commercial allogeneic equine serum, 10% autologous serum, 10% equine pooled platelet lysate (PPL), or a staged media reduction of xenogeneic media. Live cell numbers, MSC viability, and MSC immunophenotype were compared. Unassigned: The use of 10% commercial allo...
Mudge M.Morbidity after equine abdominal surgery is common and post-operative complications can be costly to owners. The focus of this article is on intraoperative decision-making and current evidence, including surgical techniques and prognostic information that can prevent and predict complications. Emerging techniques for intra-operative monitoring and intestinal viability assessment, anastomotic techniques, body wall suturing, peritonitis treatment, and pain management are discussed.
Countrymann K, Ruby R, Miller AD.Equine meningoencephalomyelitis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality and is associated with a wide variety of infectious etiologies. Because of the lack of large retrospective studies, the prevalence and incidence of these diseases are unknown. Here we describe 171 cases of meningoencephalomyelitis in horses submitted to the Section of Anatomic Pathology at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA) from 1996-2023. Neuroinflammatory disease was identified in 5.4% of submitted horses with a wide breed, age, and sex distribution. A parasi...
Brauns M, Ali A, Berger J, McLean A.Small stalls and regulated feedings restrict horses' natural foraging and locomotion, increasing risks to welfare. Environmental enrichment may promote more naturalistic behavioral time budgets, yet little is known about how enrichment type or timing affects physiology and behavior. This study examined nine stabled Quarter Horses provided with hay feeders, activity balls, or mirrors across randomized trials. Each trial included 30 min observations, four times per day, with enrichment removed between sessions and 5-day washouts between trials. Nightwatch Smart Halters™ recorded heart and resp...
Luštrek B, Šimon M, Turk K, Bogičević S, Potočnik K.In small, closed populations such as the Lipizzan horse, maintaining genetic diversity while limiting inbreeding is a key challenge in conservation breeding. The Lipizzan is an indigenous Slovenian breed with a small population and restricted gene flow from other subpopulations. Inbreeding is traditionally monitored with pedigree-based coefficients, but these often underestimate realised autozygosity, particularly when pedigree depth is limited. This study compared pedigree-based inbreeding (F_PED) with four genomic estimators (F_HOM, F_ROH, F_HBD, F_GRM) in 329 Slovenian Lipizzan horses genot...
Berglund P, Andonov S, Strandberg E, Eriksson S.Harness racing is popular in several parts of the world, and the ability to race barefoot is an important trait for success because of its effect on racing time. Barefoot racing is also discussed in terms of animal welfare because not all horses have hooves that tolerate racing without shoes. In Swedish Standardbred trotters (SB) and Swedish-Norwegian Coldblooded trotters (CB), the proportion of barefoot races and the probability to race barefoot in any given race (barefoot status) have low-to-moderate heritability (h = 0.07-0.28). However, the genetic correlation between the ability to race...
Domańska-Kruppa N, Benoit P, Żukiewicz-Benoit K, Domino M, Kliczkowska K, Szubart M, Stefanik E.Limited data is available on the diagnostic and therapeutic methods for pathologies caused by scarring after castration. It is well recognized that specific behaviors or untypical hindlimb lameness may be observed in geldings with gelding scars and adhesions caused by spermatic cord remnants after castration OBJECTIVES: To describe how to diagnose movement disorders associated with excessive adhesions caused by spermatic cord remnant after castration and to present a successful surgical treatment method. Methods: To assess the impact of gelding scars on horses' movement and behavior, medical r...
Wang T, Yang X, Wang C, Wang J, Meng J, Yao X, Zeng Y, Ren W.Studying the genetic characteristics and molecular mechanisms of immune regulation in horses is of great significance for protecting their genetic resources, improving breeding strategies, and enhancing their disease resistance, thereby ensuring their healthy performance in both sports and production. Objective: This study investigates the genetic characteristics and molecular mechanisms underlying immune regulation in Yili horses, comparing them with Thoroughbreds and Kazakh horses. Methods: Blood samples from each breed were analyzed for physiological, biochemical, and immune indices alongsi...
Tucker-Retter EK, Yamagata M, Gilger B, Oh A.To assess whether topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) with or without episcleral brinzolamide implants control intraocular pressure (IOP) in horses with glaucoma. Methods: 12 client-owned horses diagnosed with glaucoma. Methods: Medical records of horses treated with topical CAIs for ≥ 14 days, with a subset receiving episcleral brinzolamide implants, were reviewed. Diagnosis, signalment, concurrent ocular disease, medications, IOP, visual status, and additional procedures were recorded. Treatment failure was defined as horses with IOP > 30 mmHg resulting in phthisis bulbi o...
In light of the increasing reports of anthelmintic (AH) resistance in equids, a national survey on helminth control practices was distributed to 42 528 keepers. A total of 4 344 responses was obtained. Respondents implemented preventive pasture practices with varying frequency according to the age of the animals, such as pasture rotations (78.1-80.6 %), excrement removal from pastures several times a year (15.9-27.2 %) and/or mixed or rotational grazing with ruminants (14.5-18.1 %). A majority of keepers routinely used AH treatments even though they did not perceive any major risk to the...
West JB, Mathieu-Costello O, Jones JH, Birks EK, Logemann RB, Pascoe JR, Tyler WS.Bleeding into the lungs in thoroughbreds is extremely common; there is evidence that it occurs in essentially all horses in training. However, the mechanism is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is caused by stress failure of pulmonary capillaries. Three thoroughbreds with known EIPH were galloped on a treadmill, and after the horses were killed with intravenous barbiturate the lungs were removed, inflated, and fixed for electron microscopy. Ultrastructural studies showed evidence of stress failure of pulmonary capillaries, including disruptions...
Meijer WG, Prescott JF.Rhodococcus equi is an important cause of subacute or chronic abscessating bronchopneumonia of foals up to 3-5 months of age. It shares the lipid-rich cell wall envelope characteristic of the mycolata, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as the ability of pathogenic members of this group to survive within macrophages. The possession of a large virulence plasmid in isolates recovered from pneumonic foals is crucial for virulence. The plasmid contains an 27 kb pathogenicity island (PI) that encodes seven related virulence-associated proteins (Vaps), including the immunodominant surface...
Holcombe SJ, Jackson C, Gerber V, Jefcoat A, Berney C, Eberhardt S, Robinson NE.We examined the effect of stabling on upper and lower airway inflammation in 14 yearling Arabian horses that had been at pasture since birth. Horses were divided into 2 groups of 7. One group was stabled for 3 months and the other remained at pasture. The groups were then switched over for another 3 months. The nasopharynx, guttural pouches and trachea were examined endoscopically and bronchoalveolar lavage performed every month. An upper airway inflammation score was devised based on the magnitude of pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia and guttural pouch inflammation. During stabling this score r...
Venter M, Human S, Zaayman D, Gerdes GH, Williams J, Steyl J, Leman PA, Paweska JT, Setzkorn H, Rous G, Murray S, Parker R, Donnellan C, Swanepoel R.Serologic evidence suggests that West Nile virus (WNV) is widely distributed in horses in southern Africa. However, because few neurologic cases have been reported, endemic lineage 2 strains were postulated to be nonpathogenic in horses. Recent evidence suggests that highly neuroinvasive lineage 2 strains exist in humans and mice. To determine whether neurologic cases are being missed in South Africa, we tested 80 serum or brain specimens from horses with unexplained fever (n = 48) and/or neurologic signs (n = 32) for WNV. From March 2007 through June 2008, using reverse transcription-PCR (RT-...
Singh AK, Jiang Y, White T, Spassova D.The performances of a radioimmunoassay method, a chemiluminescent immunoassay method, and a chemiluminescent-enzyme immunoassay method were evaluated for the analysis of cortisol and total thyroxine in blood samples obtained from dogs, cats, horses, and humans (reference samples). The analysis of cortisol in human and animal samples exhibited good precision, linearity, and recovery. The 3 methods gave comparable values for the ACTH-induced increase and the dexamethasone-induced decrease in cortisol concentrations in animal samples. The recoveries of total thyroxine from human samples, analyzed...
Giguère S, Prescott JF.Since the 1986 Rhodococcus equi workshop, there have been major breakthroughs in understanding the epidemiology of, the virulence of, and the immune response to, this intriguing pathogen. However, with the exception of the use of hyperimmune plasma for the prevention of the disease (Martens et al., 1989; Madigan et al., 1991) the clinical aspects of R. equi infections have essentially remained unchanged. This article reviews the various clinical manifestations and summarizes recent advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of R. equi infections in foals.
Lunardi M, de Alcântara BK, Otonel RA, Rodrigues WB, Alfieri AF, Alfieri AA.Equine sarcoids are locally aggressive fibroblastic neoplasms considered to be the most common skin tumors of horses worldwide. Bovine papillomavirus types 1 and 2 have typically been associated with sarcoids in equids. Investigations aiming to identify papillomavirus strains, aside from bovine papillomaviruses 1 and 2, which might be associated with sarcoid lesions, have been lacking. The aim of this article is to report the identification of a third bovine papillomavirus type, bovine papillomavirus 13, associated with equine sarcoids. Six sarcoid lesions were collected from diverse anatomica...
Nielsen MK, Baptiste KE, Tolliver SC, Collins SS, Lyons ET.Increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance in equine nematodes have led to recommendations of more sustainable anthelmintic treatment protocols with emphasis on parasite surveillance and diagnosis, rather than prophylactic calendar-based treatments. This requires knowledge of the diagnostic test performance of techniques for counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) as well as methods for culturing, counting and identifying third stage (L(3)) strongyle larvae per gram of feces (LPG). For horses, such information does not exist in the published literature. The aim of this study was to examine th...
Walther B, Monecke S, Ruscher C, Friedrich AW, Ehricht R, Slickers P, Soba A, Wleklinski CG, Wieler LH, Lübke-Becker A.Despite the increasing importance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in veterinary medicine, knowledge about the epidemiology of the pathogen in horses is still poor. The phylogenetic relationship of strains of human and equine origins has been addressed before, usually by analyzing results of common standard classification methods for MRSA. This work intends to go beyond the baseline of typing procedures in order to comparatively characterize equine and human MRSA strains with similar phylogenetic backgrounds. In addition to multilocus sequence typing, pulsed-field gel elec...
Su TW, Choi I, Feng J, Huang K, McLeod E, Ozcan A.We report the discovery of an entirely new three-dimensional (3D) swimming pattern observed in human and horse sperms. This motion is in the form of 'chiral ribbons', where the planar swing of the sperm head occurs on an osculating plane creating in some cases a helical ribbon and in some others a twisted ribbon. The latter, i.e., the twisted ribbon trajectory, also defines a minimal surface, exhibiting zero mean curvature for all the points on its surface. These chiral ribbon swimming patterns cannot be represented or understood by already known patterns of sperms or other micro-swimmers. The...
Nawroth C, Langbein J, Coulon M, Gabor V, Oesterwind S, Benz-Schwarzburg J, von Borell E.Farm animal welfare is a major concern for society and food production. To more accurately evaluate animal farming in general and to avoid exposing farm animals to poor welfare situations, it is necessary to understand not only their behavioral but also their cognitive needs and capacities. Thus, general knowledge of how farm animals perceive and interact with their environment is of major importance for a range of stakeholders, from citizens to politicians to cognitive ethologists to philosophers. This review aims to outline the current state of farm animal cognition research and focuses on u...
Weese JS, Rousseau J, Willey BM, Archambault M, McGeer A, Low DE.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging equine pathogen. To attempt to control nosocomial and zoonotic transmission, an MRSA screening program was established for all horses admitted to the Ontario Veterinary College Veterinary Teaching Hospital, whereby nasal screening swabs were collected at admission, weekly during hospitalization, and at discharge. MRSA was isolated from 120 (5.3%) of 2,283 horses: 61 (50.8%) at the time of admission, 53 (44.2%) during hospitalization, and 6 from which the origin was unclear because an admission swab had not been collected. Clinic...
Gray WL, Baumann RP, Robertson AT, Caughman GB, O'Callaghan DJ, Staczek J.The regulation of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) transcription was examined in infected rabbit kidney cells using metabolic inhibitors. In order to map EHV-1 immediate early, early, and late transcripts, viral RNA was 32P-labeled in vivo and hybridized to EHV-1 DNA restriction fragments immobilized on nitrocellulose filters. Immediate early viral RNA was mapped to one region of the viral genome within the inverted repeat DNA sequences (map units 0.78-0.83 and 0.95-1.0). Northern blot hybridization analysis using a 32P-labeled cloned DNA probe from this region identified a single immediate e...
Anderson MA, Whitlock JE, Harwood VJ.Escherichia coli is the most completely characterized prokaryotic model organism and one of the dominant indicator organisms for food and water quality testing, yet comparatively little is known about the structure of E. coli populations in their various hosts. The diversities of E. coli populations isolated from the feces of three host species (human, cow, and horse) were compared by two subtyping methods: ribotyping (using HindIII) and antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA). The sampling effort required to obtain a representative sample differed by host species, as E. coli diversity was consis...
Endimiani A, Hujer KM, Hujer AM, Bertschy I, Rossano A, Koch C, Gerber V, Francey T, Bonomo RA, Perreten V.We investigated whether Acinetobacter baumannii isolates of veterinary origin shared common molecular characteristics with those described in humans. Methods: Nineteen A. baumannii isolates collected in pets and horses were analysed. Clonality was studied using repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). PCR and DNA sequencing for various β-lactamase, aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme, gyrA and parC, ISAba1 and IS1133, adeR and adeS of the AdeABC efflux pump, carO porin and class 1/2/3 integron genes were performed. Results: Two main clones [A (n =...
Rosser J, Bachmann B, Jordan C, Ribitsch I, Haltmayer E, Gueltekin S, Junttila S, Galik B, Gyenesei A, Haddadi B, Harasek M, Egerbacher M, Ertl P....In this work, we describe a microfluidic three-dimensional (3D) chondrocyte culture mimicking in vivo articular chondrocyte morphology, cell distribution, metabolism, and gene expression. This has been accomplished by establishing a physiologic nutrient diffusion gradient across the simulated matrix, while geometric design constraints of the microchambers drive native-like cellular behavior. Primary equine chondrocytes remained viable for the extended culture time of 3 weeks and maintained the low metabolic activity and high Sox9, aggrecan, and Col2 expression typical of articular chondrocytes...
Tagliabue S, Figarolli BM, D'Incau M, Foschi G, Gennero MS, Giordani R, Giordani R, Natale A, Papa P, Ponti N, Scaltrito D, Spadari L, Vesco G....Nowadays, leptospirosis is a re‑emerging widespread infectious disease often underestimate worldwide. The National Reference Centre for Leptospirosis (NRCL), at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia (Italy), with the cooperation of all the other Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali (IIZZSS), evaluated the distribution of such important zoonosis in Italy. Serological data obtained between 2010‑2011 by each laboratory were collected by the NRCL and discussed. Serum samples collected from 43,935 animal specimens were analysed by the Microsco...
Santschi EM, Purdy AK, Valberg SJ, Vrotsos PD, Kaese H, Mickelson JR.Overo lethal white syndrome (OLWS) is an inherited syndrome of foals born to American Paint Horse parents of the overo coat-pattern lineage. Affected foals are totally or almost totally white and die within days from complications due to intestinal aganglionosis. Related conditions occur in humans and rodents in which mutations in the endothelin receptor B (EDNRB) gene are responsible. EDNRB is known to be involved in the developmental regulation of neural crest cells that become enteric ganglia and melanocytes. In this report we identify a polymorphism in the equine EDNRB gene closely associa...
Dakin SG, Werling D, Hibbert A, Abayasekara DR, Young NJ, Smith RK, Dudhia J.Macrophages (Mφ) orchestrate inflammatory and reparatory processes in injured connective tissues but their role during different phases of tendon healing is not known. We investigated the contribution of different Mφ subsets in an equine model of naturally occurring tendon injury. Post mortem tissues were harvested from normal (uninjured), sub-acute (3-6 weeks post injury) and chronically injured (>3 months post injury) superficial digital flexor tendons. To determine if inflammation was present in injured tendons, Mφ sub-populations were quantified based on surface antigen expression of...
Dalla Costa E, Stucke D, Dai F, Minero M, Leach MC, Lebelt D.Acute laminitis is a common equine disease characterized by intense foot pain, both acutely and chronically. The Obel grading system is the most widely accepted method for describing the severity of laminitis by equine practitioners, however this method requires movement (walk and trot) of the horse, causing further intense pain. The recently developed Horse Grimace Scale (HGS), a facial-expression-based pain coding system, may offer a more effective means of assessing the pain associated with acute laminitis. The aims of this study were: to investigate whether HGS can be usefully applied to a...
Slovis NM, Elam J, Estrada M, Leutenegger CM.Diarrhoea caused by infectious agents is common in foals but there is no comprehensive molecular work-up of the relative prevalence of common agents and appearance of coinfections. Objective: To determine the prevalence of 9 infectious agents in gastrointestinal (GI)-diseased and healthy foals with ages ranging from 1 to 20 weeks of age and to what degree coinfections are associated with clinical signs of GI disease. Methods: Retrospective controlled observational study. Methods: The population consisted of 88 Thoroughbred foals aged 2 days to 17 weeks born on 32 different studfarms in Kentuck...
Uller C, Lewis J.The ability to select the greater numerosity over another in small sets seems to stem from the calculation of which set contains more, and has been taken as evidence of a primordial representation at the roots of the primate numerical system. We tested 56 horses (Equus caballus) in a paradigm previously used with human infants and nonhuman primates. Horses saw two quantities paired in contrasts-2 versus 1, 3 versus 2, 6 versus 4 and a control for volume, 2 versus 1 big-and had to make a choice by snout touching the container holding the numerosity selected. The horses spontaneously selected th...
Rivas F, Zahid OK, Reesink HL, Peal BT, Nixon AJ, DeAngelis PL, Skardal A, Rahbar E, Hall AR.Hyaluronan (or hyaluronic acid, HA) is a ubiquitous molecule that plays critical roles in numerous physiological functions in vivo, including tissue hydration, inflammation, and joint lubrication. Both the abundance and size distribution of HA in biological fluids are recognized as robust indicators of various pathologies and disease progressions. However, such analyses remain challenging because conventional methods are not sufficiently sensitive, have limited dynamic range, and/or are only semi-quantitative. Here we demonstrate label-free detection and molecular weight discrimination of HA w...
Hegewald AA, Ringe J, Bartel J, Krüger I, Notter M, Barnewitz D, Kaps C, Sittinger M.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have the potential to differentiate into distinct mesenchymal tissues including cartilage, which suggest these cells as an attractive cell source for cartilage tissue engineering approaches. Our objective was to study the effects of TGF-beta1, hyaluronic acid and synovial fluid on chondrogenic differentiation of equine MSC. For that, bone marrow was aspirated from the tibia of one 18-month-old horse (Haflinger) and MSC were isolated using percoll-density centrifugation. To promote chondrogenesis, MSC were centrifuged to form a micromass and were cultured in a mediu...
Doan R, Cohen N, Harrington J, Veazey K, Juras R, Cothran G, McCue ME, Skow L, Dindot SV.Copy number variants (CNVs) represent a substantial source of genetic variation in mammals. However, the occurrence of CNVs in horses and their subsequent impact on phenotypic variation is unknown. We performed a study to identify CNVs in 16 horses representing 15 distinct breeds (Equus caballus) and an individual gray donkey (Equus asinus) using a whole-exome tiling array and the array comparative genomic hybridization methodology. We identified 2368 CNVs ranging in size from 197 bp to 3.5 Mb. Merging identical CNVs from each animal yielded 775 CNV regions (CNVRs), involving 1707 protein- and...
Druart X, Rickard JP, Mactier S, Kohnke PL, Kershaw-Young CM, Bathgate R, Gibb Z, Crossett B, Tsikis G, Labas V, Harichaux G, Grupen CG, de Graaf SP.Seminal plasma contains a large protein component which has been implicated in the function, transit and survival of spermatozoa within the female reproductive tract. However, the identity of the majority of these proteins remains unknown and a direct comparison between the major domestic mammalian species has yet to be made. As such, the present study characterized and compared the seminal plasma proteomes of cattle, horse, sheep, pig, goat, camel and alpaca. GeLC-MS/MS and shotgun proteomic analysis by 2D-LC-MS/MS identified a total of 302 proteins in the seminal plasma of the chosen mammali...
El Garch H, Minke JM, Rehder J, Richard S, Edlund Toulemonde C, Dinic S, Andreoni C, Audonnet JC, Nordgren R, Juillard V.Successful vaccination against West Nile virus (WNV) requires induction of both neutralizing antibodies and cell-mediated immune responses. In this study, we have assessed the ability of a recombinant ALVAC-WNV vaccine (RECOMBITEK WNV) to elicit neutralizing antibodies and virus-specific cell-mediated immune responses in horses. In addition, we examined whether prior exposure to ALVAC-WNV vaccine would inhibit B and cell-mediated immune responses against the transgene product upon subsequent booster immunizations with the same vaccine. The results demonstrated that the recombinant ALVAC-WNV va...
Higuera A, Herrera G, Jimenez P, García-Corredor D, Pulido-Medellín M, Bulla-Castañeda DM, Pinilla JC, Moreno-Pérez DA, Maloney JG, Santín M.... is frequently reported in fecal samples from animals and humans worldwide, and a variety of subtypes (STs) have been observed in wild and domestic animals. In Colombia, few studies have focused on the transmission dynamics and epidemiological importance of in animals. In this study, we characterized the frequency and subtypes of in fecal samples of domestic animals including pigs, minipigs, cows, dogs, horses, goats, sheep, and llama from three departments of Colombia. Of the 118 fecal samples included in this study 81.4% ( = 96) were positive for using a PCR that amplifies a fragment of t...
