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.
Dominguez-Medina CC, Rash NL, Robillard S, Robinson C, Efstratiou A, Broughton K, Parkhill J, Holden MTG, Lopez-Alvarez MR, Paillot R, Waller AS.Bacterial superantigens (sAgs) are powerful activators of the immune response that trigger unspecific T cell responses accompanied by the release of proinflammatory cytokines. () and () produce sAgs that play an important role in their ability to cause disease. Strangles, caused by , is one of the most common infectious diseases of horses worldwide. Here, we report the identification of a new sAg of , SpeS, and show that mutation of the putative T cell receptor (TCR)-binding motif (YAY to IAY) abrogated TCR-binding, whilst maintaining interaction with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) c...
Houben RMAC, Meersschaert C, Hendrickx G, Pitel PH, Amory H.Serological screening tests for Lyme borreliosis have poor specificity, with potential for misdiagnosis and unnecessary antimicrobial treatment. Objective: To evaluate the impact of Lyme borreliosis seroprevalence and serologic test characteristics on the probability of obtaining a false-positive result and impact on antimicrobial use. Methods: Cross-sectional serological survey and modelling. Methods: Sera from 303 horses in southern Belgium were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Apparent seroprevalence was derived from serological data and a Bayesian estimate of true ser...
Lacitignola L, Imperante A, De Siena R, Acquafredda C, Trisciuzzi R, Stabile M, Confalonieri E, Crovace AM, Staffieri F.Cryptorchidectomy is the most commonly performed laparoscopic procedure in horses. However, its use for the extraction of an abdominal testis has disadvantages such as loss of a resected testis from grasp and fragmentation of the specimen because of the excessive tension required for extraction through a thick body wall. The ring wound retractor laparoscopic port system was recently used in human and small animal surgery to perform laparoscopic-assisted procedures and retrieve large specimens from the abdomen. In the present case, the wound retractor was placed as the ventral port in the right...
Baran Ketencioğlu B, Yilmaz I, Tutar N, Gülmez I, Oymak FS.Sensitivity and symptoms related to animal proteins have been investigated in various occupational groups. However, data from horse farm workers are limited. We aimed to determine horse allergen sensitivity in the horse farm workers, and to evaluate its relationship with respiratory symptoms and functional parameters. A total of 110 subjects were enrolled in the study. The study group consisted of 80 horse farm workers. Face-to-face surveys, skin prick tests (SPT), and pulmonary function tests (PFT) were performed in the study group. Control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects. SPT and PFTs...
Dahlgren AR, Tablin F, Finno CJ.Genetic bleeding disorders can have a profound impact on a horse's health and athletic career. As such, it is important to understand the mechanisms of these diseases and how they are diagnosed. These diseases include haemophilia A, von Willebrand disease, prekallikrein deficiency, Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia and Atypical Equine Thrombasthenia. Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage also has a proposed genetic component. Genetic mutations have been identified for haemophilia A and Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia in the horse. Mutations are known for von Willebrand disease and prekallikrein deficienc...
Mançanares ACF, Cabezas J, Manríquez J, de Oliveira VC, Wong Alvaro YS, Rojas D, Navarrete Aguirre F, Rodriguez-Alvarez L, Castro FO.In mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), it has been reported that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) stimulation of EP2 and EP4 receptors triggers processes such as migration, self-renewal, survival, and proliferation, and their activation is involved in homing. The aim of this work was to establish a genetically modified adipose (aMSC) model in which receptor genes EP2 and EP4 were edited separately using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. After edition, the genes were evaluated as to if the expression of MSC surface markers was affected, as well as the migration capacity in vitro of the generated cells. Adipose MSCs we...
Durham AE, Clarke BR, Potier JFN, Hammarstrand R, Malone GL.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is commonly investigated using plasma ACTH concentrations but problems exist with currently available diagnostic thresholds. Objective: To derive temporally specific diagnostic thresholds for equine plasma ACTH concentration to be used alongside clinical judgement in each individual week of the year and appropriate for the degree of clinical suspicion in any given case. Furthermore, to apply these thresholds to compare the prevalence of high and low ACTH in two subgroups of animals with high and low clinical suspicion of PPID. Methods: A retrospecti...
Vourchakbé J, Tiofack AAZ, Mbida M, Simo G.Equine trypanosomiases are complex infectious diseases with overlapping clinical signs defined by their mode of transmission. Despite their economic impacts, these diseases have been neglected by the scientific community, the veterinary authorities and regulatory organizations. To fill the observed knowledge gap, we undertook the identification of different trypanosome species and subspecies naturally infecting horses and donkeys within the Chadian sleeping sickness focus. The objective of the study was to investigate the potential role of these domestic animals as reservoirs of the human-infe...
Knych HK, Weiner D, Arthur RM, Baden R, McKemie DS, Kass PH.Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory drugs and as such are commonly administered to performance and racehorses. The objectives of the current study were to describe blood and urine concentrations and the pharmacokinetics and effects on cortisol and inflammatory mediator concentrations, following intravenous and oral administration to 12 exercised horses. Horses received an intravenous administration of 40 mg of dexamethasone sodium phosphate and 20 mg of dexamethasone tablets with a 4 week washout in between administrations. Blood and urine samples were collected prior to and for up to...
Cervantes I, Gutiérrez JP, García-Ballesteros S, Varona L.The racing time and rank at finish traits are commonly used for endurance horse breeding programs as a measure of their performance. Even so, given the nature of endurance competitions, many horses do not finish the race. However, the exclusion of non placed horses from the dataset could have an influence on the prediction of individual breeding values. The objective of the present paper was to develop a multitrait model including race time (T), rank (R) and placing (P), with different methodologies, to improve the genetic evaluation in endurance competitions in Spain. The database contained 6...
Abdel-Gaber R, Al Quraishy S, Dkhil MA, Alghamdi J, Al-Shaebi E.Sarcocystosis is a parasitic disease caused by an intracellular protozoan parasite Sarcocystis belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. These parasites have a requisite two-host life cycle. Recently, there are many Sarcocystis species that identified morphologically. In the present study, diaphragmatic muscle samples from the domestic horse (Equus caballus) were examined for Sarcocystis infection. The natural infection with sarcocysts was recorded to be 62·5% for only microcysts in the infected muscles. Molecular analysis using the 18S rRNA gene was conducted to swiftly and accurately identify th...
Norris SL, Kubasiewicz LM, Watson TL, Little HA, Yadav AK, Thapa S, Raw Z, Burden FA.Equids fulfil many different roles within communities. In low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), in addition to providing a source of income, equids also provide essential transport of food, water, and goods to resource-limited and/or isolated communities that might otherwise lack access. The aim of this investigation was to understand the welfare conditions that donkeys, mules, and horses are exposed to whilst working in Nepalese brick kilns. To understand the welfare conditions of equids in Nepalese brick kilns, the Welfare Aggregation and Guidance (WAG) tool in conjunction with the Equid ...
Voß K, Tetens J, Thaller G, Becker D.Roan (Rn) horses show a typical seasonal change of color. Their body is covered with colored and white hair. We performed a descriptive statistical analysis of breeding records of Icelandic horses to challenge the hypothesis of roan being lethal in utero under homozygous condition. The roan to non-roan ratio of foals from roan × roan matings revealed homozygous roan Icelandic horses to be viable. Even though roan is known to be inherited in a dominant mode and epistatic to other coat colors, the causative mutation is still unknown. Nevertheless, an association between roan phenotype and the K...
Valle-Casuso JC, Gaudaire D, Martin-Faivre L, Madeline A, Dallemagne P, Pronost S, Munier-Lehmann H, Zientara S, Vidalain PO, Hans A.RNA viruses are responsible for a large variety of animal infections. Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) is a positive single-stranded RNA virus member of the family Arteriviridae from the order Nidovirales like the Coronaviridae. EAV causes respiratory and reproductive diseases in equids. Although two vaccines are available, the vaccination coverage of the equine population is largely insufficient to prevent new EAV outbreaks around the world. In this study, we present a high-throughput in vitro assay suitable for testing candidate antiviral molecules on equine dermal cells infected by EAV. Using t...
McLean RG.The epidemic strain of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) 1B invaded south Texas in 1971. The success of the eventual containment and control of the virus invasion was the early recognition and immediate detection, cooperation, coordination, and participation among multiple federal agencies. There were 4739 wild vertebrate animals trapped on a ranch in the area with only 1 VEE virus isolation from a Virgina opossum (Didelphis virginiana). A large number of mosquitoes were also collected on the ranch and tested, resulting in 240 VEE virus isolations. Virus isolations were obtained from ...
Reck C, Menin Á, Pisetta NL, Batista F, Miletti LC.This study reports the first autochthonous "surra" outbreak in horses in the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Six horses with clinical suspicion of trypanosomosis had the natural infection by T. evansi confirmed by PCR and rapid serum agglutination test. Clinical, parasitological, and hematology evaluations were performed at initial observation (T0) and 90 days after (T1). At T0, all animals that tested positive for T. evansi in PCR presented with severe clinical signs and out of normal range hematological hematological (hematocrit, leukocytes, platelets, hemoglobin) and serum bioche...
Han Y, Tang C, Liao Q, Li Z, Deng L.Serum and plasma are commonly used in clinical practice considering the widely accepted fact that the "normal" protein expression pattern of a healthy animal changes under disease conditions. We herein used a label-free mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics approach to characterize the serum proteome of donkeys. A total of 277 unique proteins were identified from 2,388 unique peptides. Gene ontology analyses showed that the most frequent processes were related to metabolic activities and biological regulation, response to stimulus, and immune system processes. The main annotated area...
Data in briefJune 20, 2020
Volume 31 105887 doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105887
Martín-Cano FE, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Silva A, Gil C, Ortega-Ferrusola C, Peña FJ.This paper provides the dataset of proteins of stallion ejaculates before and after cryopreservation. The data report the analysis and identification of stallion sperm proteins obtained from the same ejaculates and split in two subsamples. The first aliquot consisted on fresh spermatozoa and the second aliquot was frozen and thawed spermatozoa. Samples were analyzed using a UHPLC/MS/MS system consisting of an Agilent 1290 infinity series UHPLC coupled to an Agilent 6550 Q-TOF mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). We provide a data set of 2226 different proteins, with ...
Salat J, Ruzek D.Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), a disease caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), represents a serious neural infection of humans in Europe and Asia. The main reservoir hosts of TBEV are ticks, rodents and insectivores, but domestic animals may also be infected with the virus. This review summarizes what is known about TBE in domestic species (e.g., dogs, horses), in which infection may manifest with clinical signs similar to those seen in severe human cases. We also focus on TBE in ruminants where TBE infections are typically asymptomatic and do not cause health problems in the infecte...
Alonso JM, Esper CS, Pantoja JCF, Rosa GDS, Giampietro RR, Dos Santos B, Guerra ST, Ribeiro MG, Takahira RK, Watanabe MJ, Alves ALG, Rodrigues CA....Difference in blood and peritoneal glucose (DBPG) is used in clinical practice to support a diagnosis of septic peritonitis in horses. It is inexpensive, easy and rapid to perform. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the DBPG to differentiate between septic and non-septic peritonitis in horses. Blood and peritoneal fluids were harvested from suspected animals. Plasma and peritoneal glucose levels, total nucleated cell count, direct microscopic and microbiological examinations of the peritoneal fluid were evaluated. Using DBPG levels, the animals were classified into two group...
Williams CA, Kenny LB, Weinert JR, Sullivan K, Meyer W, Robson MG.The objective of this study was to determine whether rotational grazing generates horse, pasture, or cost benefits over continuous grazing. The study established two replicates (1.57 ha each) of rotational (R; four grazing sections and a stress lot per replicate, where horses were fed a moderate quality grass hay at 2% of body weight when not grazing) and continuous (C) grazing systems (treatments). Twelve Standardbred mares were grazed for an overall stocking rate of 0.52 ha/horse ( = 3 in each pasture). Recommended management practices for each grazing system were followed for 27 mo includin...
Giantsis IA, Diakakis NE, Avdi M.Tendinopathies constitute a very common category of musculoskeletal disorders, causing economic losses in the equine industry and animal welfare issues in horse populations. Sport and racehorses are in general sensitive to tendinopathies, whereas local indigenous horse populations are often more tolerant to various disorders. Particularly, indigenous Greek horse breeds have evolved and adapted in the rough topographic features of mountainous and semimountainous Greek terrain and are less prone to develop tendinopathies. Susceptibility to tendinopathy has been proposed to be associated with thr...
Dau SL, Azevedo MDS, Mazaro RD, de La Corte FD, Fighera R.Neurolytic compounds are widely used by equine practitioners for the management of lameness, mostly related to the foot. The present study aimed to evaluate the neurotoxicity of 2% ammonium chloride (2% AC) applied adjacent to the palmar digital nerves in six miniature horses. The 2% AC and 0.9% saline solution were randomly injected into three and one palmar digital nerve of each horse, respectively. Nerve samples were collected by neurectomy performed under general anesthesia at 5, 12, 19, 35, 47, and 62 days after treatment, with one horse per day of surgery. The inflammatory reaction to p...
Koenig JB, Westlund A, Nykamp S, Kenney DG, Melville L, Cribb N, Oberbichler D.The accuracy of using radiographs to diagnose cervical facet osteoarthritis (CFA) in horses is undetermined. Further investigation is required to determine the clinical significance of radiographic evidence of CFA, the prevalence of radiographic changes in horses without clinical signs, and the long-term efficacy of intra-articular CFA treatment. The objectives of this study is to compare degenerative changes of the cervical facet joints of the cervical vertebrae on radiographs of horses with clinical signs of CFA with healthy cohort-matched horses, to compare clinical findings between groups,...
Gillen A, Kottwitz J, Munsterman A.A variety of treatment strategies for nephrosplenic entrapment of the large colon are reported, with conflicting evidence in the published literature as to the preferred treatment option. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic meta-analytical assessment of the efficacy of different treatment strategies in horses with confirmed or suspected nephrosplenic entrapment. This study involves meta-analysis including nonrandomized studies. A comprehensive literature search was performed from January 1970 to January 2017. Inclusion criteria were retrospective studies involving horses with conf...
Fehér O, Bakonyi T, Barna M, Nagy A, Takács M, Szenci O, Joó K, Sárdi S, Korbacska-Kutasi O.In the last decade in Hungary and the neighbouring countries, West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND) has been caused in dramatically increasing numbers by lineage 2 West Nile Virus (WNV) strains both in horses and in humans. The disease in this geographical region is seasonal, so vaccination of horses should be carefully scheduled to maintain the highest antibody titres during outbreak periods. The objective of this study was to characterise the serum neutralising (SN) antibody titres against a lineage 2 WNV strain in response to vaccination with an inactivated lineage 1 vaccine (Equip® WNV)....
Castro R, Morales P, Parraguez VH.In this work, we investigated the influence of age and seasonality on sperm motility and DNA fragmentation in post-thawing semen from Chilean Purebred Stallions (CPS), a horse breed presenting the oldest genealogy record in South America with an interesting reproductive industry. Despite that semen from aged CPS is frozen all year round, there is a lack of studies characterizing the breed semen freezability in accordance with age and seasonality. Twenty fertile CPS were grouped into the young group, the middle group, and the aged group. Ten ejaculates from each stallion were obtained by using ...
Lawless SP, Cohen ND, Lawhon SD, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, Wu J, Rivera-Vélez A, Weeks BR, Whitfield-Cargile CM.Distal limb wounds are common injuries sustained by horses and their healing is fraught with complications due to equine anatomy, prevalence of infection, and challenges associated with wound management. Gallium is a semi-metallic element that has been shown to possess antimicrobial properties and aid in wound healing in various preclinical models. The effects of Gallium have not been studied in equine wound healing. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare healing rates between gallium-treated and untreated wounds of equine distal limbs and to demonstrate the antimicrobial effect...
Journal of proteomicsJune 19, 2020
Volume 225 103880 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103880
Chiaradia E, Miller I.Equine medicine represents a relevant field of veterinary science and the horse industry generates a significant economic impact. Horses can be involved in different sport disciplines, meat production, work and recreational purposes. Horses are also important for human health as they can be used as animal models for studying human diseases and in equine-assisted therapy. This review summarizes the data related to body fluids such as plasma/serum, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, saliva, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and peritoneal fluid obtained using proteomic analysis. Horse body f...
Animal-assisted interventions are considered an innovative rehabilitation approach to improve social, emotional, and physical domains in several diseases. Among such treatments, the equine-assisted activities and therapies have been developed to support the conventional approaches. There is growing evidence on the beneficial effects of hippotherapy, whereas few data are available regarding donkey therapy. Herein, we compare such treatments, hypothesizing their best application field to reach the proper therapeutic outcomes.
Ahern BJ, Parente EJ.Upper respiratory abnormalities are common performance-limiting problems in horses. The complications of various treatment methods, including laryngoplasty surgery, sinus surgery, intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate, laser surgery, and tracheal disorders, are discussed.
Pirrone A, Mariella J, Gentilini F, Castagnetti C.Amniotic fluid (AF) lactate concentration and time-dependent changes in blood lactate concentration in mares after parturition have never been evaluated. In this study, the venous blood lactate concentration of mares and foals during the first 72 h of the postpartum period was assessed, and the concentration of lactate in the AF collected during delivery and the utility of its measurement for evaluating the foal's health were investigated. This prospective observational study was carried out on mares attended at delivery. They were divided into mares delivering healthy (Group 1) and sick (Grou...
Cousillas H, Oger M, Rochais C, Pettoello C, Ménoret M, Henry S, Hausberger M.Electroencephalography (EEG) that has been extensively studied in humans presents also a large interest for studies on animal brain processes. However, since the quality of the recordings is altered by muscular activity, most EEG recordings on animals are obtained using invasive methods with deeply implanted electrodes. This requires anesthesia and can thus only be used in laboratory or clinical settings. As EEG is a very useful tool both for detecting brain alterations due to diseases or accidents and to evaluate the arousal and attentional state of the animal, it seemed crucial to develop a ...
Mathewos M, Teshome D, Fesseha H.Parasitic infections can cause a variety of respiratory, intestinal, and other problems in horses, as well as contribute to some performance issues. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in and around Bekoji, South Eastern Ethiopia, from November 2020 to June 2021 to identify species and evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in donkeys and horses, using direct fecal smear, floatation methods, and larval cultures. In this study, the overall prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode parasites was 94.5% (363 out of 384), with donkeys accounting for 95.8% and horses accounting for 9...
Brama PA, Tekoppele JM, Bank RA, van Weeren PR, Barneveld A.This study aimed to examine whether biochemical characteristics of juvenile articular cartilage are changing during the first year post partum and whether they can be influenced by exercise at young age. Water, glycosaminoglycan (GAG), DNA, total collagen, hydroxylysine and hydroxylysylpyridinoline (HP) content were measured in articular cartilage of 43 foals that were subdivided into 3 groups (n = 15, 14 and 14) which were subjected to different exercise regimens from one week after birth to age 5 months. At the age of 5 months all foals were weaned and 8 foals were selected randomly from eac...
Holt C, Jenness R.Skim-milk samples from rat, rabbit, pig, sheep, goat, horse and man were analysed for lactose, casein and the total and ultrafilterable concentrations of the main salts. Results are compared with data for the cow. The ultrafiltrate concentrations of Ca and Mg were positively correlated with that of citrate and the colloidal concentrations of Ca, Mg and citrate were positively correlated with that of Pi, suggesting that common, general, principles determine the partition of salts in milks. Casein concentration in the skim-milks was inversely related to that of lactose in accordance with a recen...
Röcken M, Mosel G, Seyrek-Intas K, Seyrek-Intas D, Litzke F, Verver J, Rijkenhuizen AB.To evaluate surgical techniques, perioperative complications and outcome of laparoscopic surgery for unilateral and bilateral ovariectomy in mares. Methods: Retrospective multicenter case series. Methods: Mares (n = 157). Methods: Indications for surgery were neutering, fertility problems, elimination of hormone-related abnormal behavior, ovarian tumors as well as nonregressive ovarian hematomas or cysts. Ovariectomy (n = 206) were performed by a standard laparoscopic procedure in 157 standing sedated mares. Dissection and hemostasis were achieved by using either (1) a linear stapling device, ...
Deluca TH, Patterson Iv WA , Freimund WA, Cole DN./ Various types of recreational traffic impact hiking trails uniquely and cause different levels of trail degradation; however, trail head restrictions are applied similarly across all types of packstock. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative physical impact of hikers, llamas, and horses on recreational trails. Horse, llama, and hiker traffic were applied to 56 separate plots on an existing trail at Lubrecht Experimental Forest in western Montana. The traffic was applied to plots at intensities of 250 and 1000 passes along with a no-traffic control under both prewetted and dry t...
Han H, Randhawa IAS, MacHugh DE, McGivney BA, Katz LM, Dugarjaviin M, Hill EW.Thousands of years of natural and artificial selection since the domestication of the horse has shaped the distinctive genomes of Chinese Mongolian horse populations. Consequently, genomic signatures of selection can provide insights into the human-mediated selection history of specific traits and evolutionary adaptation to diverse environments. Here, we used genome-wide SNPs from five distinct Chinese Mongolian horse populations to identify genomic regions under selection for the population-specific traits, gait, black coat colour, and hoof quality. Other global breeds were used to identify r...
Sadeghi R, Moradi-Shahrbabak M, Miraei Ashtiani SR, Miller DC, Antczak DF.Previous research on the equine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) demonstrated strong correlations between haplotypes defined by polymorphic intra-MHC microsatellites and haplotypes defined using classical serology. Here, we estimated MHC diversity in a sample of 124 Arabian horses from an endangered strain native to Iran (Persian Asil Arabians), using a validated 10-marker microsatellite panel. In a group of 66 horses related as parent-offspring pairs or half-sibling groups, we defined 51 MHC haplotypes, 49 of which were new. In 47 of the remaining 58 unrelated horses, we could assign on...
Blythe LL, Hultgren BD, Craig AM, Appell LH, Lassen ED, Mattson DE, Duffield D.A clinical, viral, hematologic , and genetic study was conducted over a 4-year period on a family of Appaloosas with high incidence of clinical ataxia and pathologic features of equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Marginal to deficient serum vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and blood selenium values were the only other consistent antemortem abnormalities in the affected horses. Members of this family were all descendants of a clinically normal mare and were raised in 3 separate environments with variable quality of feed. All horses had access to pasture grasses. Normal chromosomal karyotypes ...
Abo-Aziza FAM, Hendawy SHM, Namaky AHE, Ashry HM.The aim of this study was to investigate the early diagnosis of strongyle infection based on early changes in Th1 and Th2 cytokines beside the diagnostic accuracy values and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western blotting profiles using prepared strongyles antigens. Methods: A total of 73 donkeys had a mean age of 4-32 years old were parasitologically examined for strongyle infection. The early changes in Th1 and Th2 cytokines were determined, and the diagnostic accuracy values and SDS-PAGE and western blotting profiles were performed using prepared st...
van Schie HT, Bakker EM, Jonker AM, van Weeren PR.To evaluate effectiveness of computerized discrimination between structure-related and non-structure-related echoes in ultrasonographic images for quantitative evaluation of tendon structural integrity in horses. Methods: 4 superficial digital flexor tendons (2 damaged tendons, 2 normal tendons). Methods: Transverse ultrasonographic images that precisely matched histologic sections were obtained in fixed steps along the long axis of each tendon. Distribution, intensity, and delineation of structure-related echoes, quantitatively expressed as the correlation ratio and steadiness ratio , were co...
Grimmett A, Sillence MN.Preparations that contain tryptophan are marketed world wide as calmative agents to treat excitable horses. Tryptophan is the amino acid precursor for serotonin, a neurotransmitter implicated in sedation, inhibition of aggression, fear and stress, in various animal species and humans. Experiments have shown that tryptophan supplementation decreases aggression in humans, dogs, pigs, poultry, and fish, and that it may reduce fearfulness and stress in calves, vixens and poultry. However, behavioural characteristics more closely linked to excitement, such as hyperactivity in dogs, are not modified...
Ishak GM, Bashir ST, Gastal MO, Gastal EL.Color Doppler ultrasonography was used to study the temporal relationships between pre-ovulatory follicle (POF) and corpus luteum (CL) diameter and blood flow, with systemic progesterone (P4) concentration during two transitional ovulatory seasons in mares. Variables of POF and CL/P4 were evaluated for 6days before and 17days after ovulation, respectively. Evaluations were performed during two consecutive estrous cycles in spring and fall seasons, and during the last estrous cycle of the season. There were significant correlations among POF and CL variables, and P4 concentration that ranged fr...
Gunson DE, Soma LR.Acute renal papillary necrosis occurred in five horses given normal therapeutic doses of phenylbutazone and deprived of water for 36 to 48 hours prior to euthanasia. Five horses given phenylbutazone alone and four horses subjected to water deprivation alone did not develop papillary necrosis. Urinalyses were normal prior to water deprivation, and also after water deprivation in the horses that did not receive phenylbutazone, but the water-deprived, phenylbutazone-treated horses had many red blood cells, transitional epithelial cells, and large numbers of oxalate crystals in their urine. Ulcera...
Eydal M, Bambir SH, Sigurdarson S, Gunnarsson E, Svansson V, Fridriksson S, Benediktsson ET, Sigurdardóttir ÓG.Opportunistic infections with the free living nematode Halicephalobus gingivalis are infrequently reported in horses but the cases are widespread geographically. The nematodes are believed to penetrate wounds and subsequently reproduce within the host tissues. This paper reports two cases of a fatal disease in stallions of the Icelandic breed in Iceland. Case 1: a stallion, which sustained injuries to the mouth after an accident, developed severe neurological signs and had to be euthanatized. Histological examination revealed mild inflammation and malacia in the cerebellum associated with the ...
Larson EM, Babasyan S, Wagner B.Human IgE-binding monocytes are identified as allergic disease mediators, but it is unknown whether IgE-binding monocytes promote or prevent an allergic response. We identified IgE-binding monocytes in equine peripheral blood as IgE+/MHCIIhigh/CD14low cells that bind IgE through an FcεRI αɣ variant. IgE-binding monocytes were analyzed monthly in Culicoides hypersensitive horses and nonallergic horses living together with natural exposure to Culicoides midges. The phenotype and frequency of IgE-binding monocytes remained consistent in all horses regardless of Culicoides exposure. All horses ...
Proudman CJ, Trees AJ.Until recently, the equine tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata was difficult to diagnose and considered to be of questionable pathogenicity. Here, Chris Proudman and Sandy Trees describe recent advances in the immunodiagnosis of this parasite that have facilitated epidemiological studies. These studies suggest that A. perfoliata may be an important cause of intestinal disease in the horse and demonstrate a dose-response relationship between infection intensity and risk of disease. If tapeworm infection is a risk factor for ileocaecal colic, the identification and treatment of infected individual...
Lacombe VA, Hinchcliff KW, Devor ST.To characterize insulin-sensitive glucose-transporter (GLUT-4) protein in equine tissues and determine effects of exercise and glucose administration on content of GLUT-4 protein in equine skeletal muscle. Methods: Tissue samples from 9 horses. Methods: Western blot analyses were performed on crude membrane preparations of equine tissues to characterize GLUT-4. In a crossover, randomized study, horses were strenuously exercised for 3 consecutive days and then administered 13.5% glucose or isotonic saline (0.9% NaCl; control) solution, i.v., at similar infusion rates for 12.1 hours. Samples wer...
Taylor SE, Clegg PD.Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are derived from adult mesenchymal tissues and have the ability to undergo differentiation into bone, cartilage, and fat, and have therefore attracted great interest in regenerative medicine. Many isolation and culture methods have been described, making comparison between laboratories and quality-control protocols difficult. A uniform protocol to characterize equine MSC has recently been proposed, aiming to introduce consistency across the equine stem cell research field. This article reviews the published techniques for collection and propagation of equine MSC...
Pollock PJ, Russell T, Hughes TK, Archer MR, Perkins JD.To report a technique for eye enucleation in standing sedated horses and to report outcome in 40 horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses (n=40) requiring eye enucleation. Methods: The eye was enucleated using a transpalpebral technique in 40 horses restrained in stocks and sedated. Anesthesia of orbital structures was provided by local nerve blocks and infiltration of the surgical site with local anesthetic solution. Results: Affected eyes were successfully enucleated with the horse standing. Short-term complications included moderate swelling (5 horses) and wound discharge (1). ...
Palmer JE, Whitlock RH, Benson CE.Equine ehrlichial colitis (Potomac horse fever), a newly identified colitis of the horse, was first recognized in Maryland. In this report, we document occurrence of the disease in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Idaho, and Connecticut. Enzootic areas were recognized by a characteristic pattern. Frequently there was a seasonal pattern and high prevalence of sporadic colitis in unstressed horses. The attack rate per farm generally was low. Horses on pasture, as well as those stabled, were affected. Clinical signs varied from fever and depression to severe diarrhea and laminitis. Occas...
Banse HE, McCann J, Yang F, Wagg C, McFarlane D.Diagnosis of equine hyperinsulinemia requires an accurate method for quantification of equine insulin concentrations. The objectives of the current study were to compare 2 commercially available techniques for measurement of equine insulin, the radioimmunoassay (RIA) and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA). Recovery was poor for both assays, but worse for the CIA. Serial dilution of a high endogenous insulin sample yielded better linearity for the RIA ( r = 0.99, P < 0.001) than the CIA ( r = 0.92, P = 0.009). Bland-Altman analysis indicated that the CIA was, on average, 91 pmol/l higher tha...
Delarocque J, Frers F, Feige K, Huber K, Jung K, Warnken T.Little is known about the implications of hyperinsulinemia on energy metabolism, and such knowledge might help understand the pathophysiology of insulin dysregulation. Objective: Describe differences in the metabolic response to an oral glucose test, depending on the magnitude of the insulin response. Methods: Twelve Icelandic horses in various metabolic states. Methods: Horses were subjected to 3 oral glucose tests (OGT; 0.5 g/kg body weight glucose). Basal, 120 and 180 minutes samples were analyzed using a combined liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and flow injection analysis ...
Kisiday JD, Goodrich LR, McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD.To compare the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) yield and chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation from 5- and 50-mL bone marrow aspirates from horses. Methods: Six 2- to 5-year-old mixed-breed horses. Procedures-2 sequential 5-mL aspirates were drawn from 1 ilium or sternebra. A single 50-mL aspirate was drawn from the contralateral ilium, and 2 sequential 50-mL aspirates were drawn from a second sternebra. The MSC yield was determined through the culture expansion process. Chondrogenesis and osteogenesis were evaluated by means of conventional laboratory methods. Results: The second of the 2 s...
Maliye S, Voute L, Lund D, Marshall JF.In order for changes in lameness to be accurately and repeatably detected and recorded during diagnostic investigations, an objective measure of lameness is required. Objective: To ascertain whether an inertial sensor-based system can distinguish between a positive and negative response to diagnostic anaesthesia of the foot and objectively assess the effect of a positive response on the trot. Methods: Restrospective clinical study. Methods: Data obtained during lameness investigations undertaken between August 2011 and December 2012 in which either a palmar digital or abaxial sesamoid nerve bl...
Molla AM, Fentahun T, Jemberu WT.Epizootic lymphangitis (EL) is a chronic, contagious, fungal disease of equids. The disease is highly prevalent in cart pulling equines of Ethiopia affecting the livelihood of the cart owning households and welfare of the cart animals. This study estimated the economic impacts of EL and assessed cart owners' knowledge and practices related to the disease in northwest Ethiopia. A multistage cluster sampling approach was implemented to select cart animal owners for the study. A total of 274 cart animal owners were interviewed to collect data for the study. The average annual economic loss per ca...
Weishaupt MA, Hogg HP, Wiestner T, Denoth J, Stüssi E, Auer JA.To develop and validate a novel instrumented treadmill capable of determining vertical ground reaction forces of all 4 limbs simultaneously in horses. Methods: Data obtained while a horse was walking and trotting on the treadmill. Methods: 18 piezo-electric force transducers were mounted between the treadmill frame and supporting steel platform to measure the actual forces at the corresponding bearing points. Each of the 18 sensor forces is equal to the sum of the unknown hoof forces weighted with the transfer coefficients of the corresponding force application points. The 4 force traces were ...
