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.
Langner K, Vervuert I.The hindgut microbiota of the horse is a complex structure which can be highly influenced by the diet or nutrients such as starch. For instance, a diet rich in starch promotes the growth of bacteria that can utilize starch and produce lactate while it reduces the growth of fiber fermenting cellulolytic bacteria. Therefore, attempts are made to balance the hindgut microbiota and to minimize the impacts of feeds which are rich in starch such as the supplementation of probiotics. Up to date only different strains of the yeast (SC) are officially registered probiotics for horses in the European U...
Vidović A, Jansen D, Hermeyer K.A 2-year-old Arabian horse was presented with severe colic symptoms. During explorative laparotomy, a jejuno-jejunal invagination secondary to a submucosal intestinal mass was detected. The involved jejunal segment was surgically removed and an end-to-end anastomosis was created. Opening the specimen demonstrated the presence of a nodular mass on the head of the intussusceptum, measuring 10 cm in diameter, and almost completely obliterating the intestinal lumen. Additionally, a severe hyperemia of the jejunal mucosa was visible. Histological examination, which revealed a well-demarcated mass...
Brister H, Barnum SM, Reedy S, Chambers TM, Pusterla N.We validated 2 multiplex real-time PCR (rtPCR) assays based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the hemagglutinin-1 ( HA1) gene of H3N8 equine influenza A virus (EIV) to determine clade affiliation of prototype and field isolates. Initial validation of the 2 multiplex rtPCR assays (SNP1 and SNP2) was performed using nucleic acid from 14 EIV Florida sublineage clade 1 and 2 prototype strains. We included in our study previously banked EIV rtPCR-positive nasal secretions from 341 horses collected across the United States in 2012-2017 to determine their clade affiliation. All 14 EIV prot...
Adam EN, Janes J, Lowney R, Lambert J, Thampi P, Stromberg A, MacLeod JN.To determine the chondrogenic potential of cells derived from interzone tissue, the normal progenitor of articular cartilage during fetal development, compared to that of adult bone marrow-derived and adipose-derived mesenchymal cell isolates. The objective of this study was to compare the chondrogenic potential of fetal musculoskeletal progenitor cells to adult cell types, which are currently used therapeutically to facilitate joint cartilage repair in equine clinical practice. The hypothesis tested was that cells derived from interzone tissue have a chondrogenic potential that exceeds that o...
Santos VHD, Pfeifer JPH, Souza JB, Stievani FC, Hussni CA, Golim MA, Deffune E, Alves ALG.Osteoarthritis is an incapacitating disease characterized by pain and a progressive decrease in joint mobility. The implantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has shown promising results for its treatment. The challenge remains to keep the cells longer at the site of action, increasing their therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Qtracker® 655 nanocrystal marking on allogeneic synovial membrane (SM) MSCs, encapsulated in alginate hydrogel, evaluating the migration of these cells. The 10 radiocarpal joints were submitted to arthroscopic surgery...
Cercone M, Hokanson CM, Olsen E, Ducharme NG, Mitchell LM, Piercy RJ, Cheetham J.The dorsal cricoarytenoid (DCA) muscles, are a fundamental component of the athletic horse's respiratory system: as the sole abductors of the airways, they maintain the size of the rima glottis which is essential for enabling maximal air intake during intense exercise. Dysfunction of the DCA muscle leads to arytenoid collapse during exercise, resulting in poor performance. An electrodiagnostic study including electromyography of the dorsal cricoarytenoid muscles and conduction velocity testing of the innervating recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLn) was conducted in horses with normal laryngeal fu...
Valdez R, Cavinder CA, Varner DD, Welsh TH, Vogelsang MM, Ing NH.Glucocorticoids impair testosterone synthesis by an unknown mechanism. Stallions treated with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone had testes collected at 6 or 12 hours postinjection. The testicular expression of selected genes encoding nuclear receptors and steroidogenic enzymes was measured. At 6 hours, dexamethasone treatment decreased levels of NR0B2, NR4A1, NR5A1, and NR5A2 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and NR5A2 mRNA levels remained depressed at 12 hours. In contrast, dexamethasone increased levels of NFKBIA mRNA at both time points. At 6 hours, dexamethasone did not alter levels ...
Bourebaba L, Röcken M, Marycz K.Osteochondrosis (osteochondrosis dissecans; OCD) is a disease syndrome of growing cartilage related to different clinical entities such as epiphysitis, subchondral cysts and angular carpal deformities, which occurs in growing animals of all species, including horses. Nowadays, these disorders are affecting increasing numbers of young horses worldwide. As a complex multifactorial disease, OCD is initiated when failure in cartilage canals because of existing ischemia, chondrocyte biogenesis impairment as well as biochemical and genetic disruptions occur. Recently, particular attention have been ...
Mebarki M, Kaidi R, Azizi A, Basbaci M.Ultrasonographic fetal sexing is of utmost economic importance for horse breeders. Relatively, a few studies have been conducted to determine fetal sex in mare using transrectal Doppler ultrasound. This study aimed to compare two sexing techniques, two-dimensional (2D) mode and color Doppler ultrasonography. Methods: The study was conducted on 39 mares under field conditions. Examinations were performed using the ultrasonic model device (Medison SonoAce Pico, South Korea), equipped with real-time 3-7 MHz convex multifrequency transducer. Fetal sex diagnosis was carried out in two periods of pr...
Daniel AJ, Leise BS, Selberg KT, Barrett MF.Injuries to the structures within the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) can lead to lameness with a variable degree of effusion in horses. In some cases, effusion is absent or minimal, and this may be related to the chronicity and type of injury, or veterinary interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine if saline injection into the DFTS would improve ultrasonographic and magnetic resonance imaging of the distal limb without introducing artifact. Nine normal equine cadaver forelimbs were collected. Non-weight-bearing ultrasonographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinat...
Diel de Amorim M, Montanholi Y, Morrison M, Lopez Rodriguez M, Card C.The ability to predict impending foaling is invaluable, as attending foaling improves mare and foal outcome during parturition; therefore, a comparison of foaling prediction technologies is warranted. The purpose of this study was to compare technologies to predict foaling. Forty Standardbred mares were monitored daily for parturition. Prefoaling mammary secretion was collected daily and evaluated using a: calcium titration method (Ca titration), calcium and magnesium strip (Ca and Mg), handheld digital pH device (pH digital), pH strip, and refractometer (Brix). In addition, a birth monitoring...
Siemieniuch MJ, Kozdrowski R, Szóstek-Mioduchowska AZ, Raś A, Nowak M.Endometritis is one of the most important causes of infertility in mares. Mares may suffer from endometritis outside the breeding season; however, pathological condition is often undiagnosed in anestrus. The aim of this study was to examine whether the secretion profiles of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and a metabolite of prostacyclin I2 (6-keto-PGF1α) differ in endometrial tissue cultures of heavy draft mares in anestrus with endometritis compared to those without endometritis. The endometrial biopsies were collected from 51 heavy draft mares. Inclusion criteria for ...
Elashry MI, Gegnaw ST, Klymiuk MC, Wenisch S, Arnhold S.Cell-based therapies have become a promising approach to promote tissue regeneration and the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Bone regeneration maintains bone homeostasis, mechanical stability and physical performance. Mechanical stimulation showed to induce stem cell differentiation into the osteogenic fate. However, the effect of various osteogenic protocols on the osteogenic commitment of equine adipose-derived stem cells is not fully elucidated. Here we examined the influence of fluid-based shear stress (FSS) via mechanical rocking to assess whether mechanical stimulation promotes o...
Kraouchi DE, Meradi S, Bentounsi B.The composition, prevalence, and seasonal dynamic of species were studied at the slaughterhouse of Constantine region (East Algeria) in 128 horses over an 18 months period. Our survey revealed that 124 (96.9%) horses were infected with a mean intensity of 161 larvae of spp. Four species of were identified; and were by far the predominant species with 95.3% and 77.3% respectively, followed by (14.0%) and (10.1%). The age, sex, and breed of horses did not affect the distribution of the infection. Second-stage larvae (L2) of were absent between April and July and present in higher numbers...
Potocnik E, Drozdzewska K, Schwarz B.We describe the case of a four-year-old Quarter Horse mare that presented with fever, respiratory infection with productive cough, disorientation, and bilateral anterior uveitis with discharge that had been previously treated with trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (TMPS). Acinetobacter johnsonii was cultured from an endoscopic tracheal wash. Treatment was initiated with cefquinome, systemic flunixin-meglumine, local ocular atropine, and corticosteroids. On subsequent days, the mare exhibited bilateral edematous, painful swelling of the face, primarily affecting the eyelids and lips. There were neither...
Alexeenko V, Fraser JA, Dolgoborodov A, Bowen M, Huang CL, Marr CM, Jeevaratnam K.The analysis of equine electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings is complicated by the absence of agreed abnormality classification criteria. We explore the applicability of several complexity analysis methods for characterization of non-linear aspects of electrocardiographic recordings. We here show that complexity estimates provided by Lempel-Ziv '76, Titchener's T-complexity and Lempel-Ziv '78 analysis of ECG recordings of healthy Thoroughbred horses are highly dependent on the duration of analysed ECG fragments and the heart rate. The results provide a methodological basis and a feasible refer...
Bredtmann CM, Krücken J, Murugaiyan J, Balard A, Hofer H, Kuzmina TA, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.Rapid, cost-effective, efficient, and reliable helminth species identification is of considerable importance to understand host-parasite interactions, clinical disease, and drug resistance. Cyathostomins (Nematoda: Strongylidae) are considered to be the most important equine parasites, yet research on this group is hampered by the large number of 50 morphologically differentiated species, their occurrence in mixed infections with often more than 10 species and the difficulties associated with conventional identification methods. Here, MALDI-TOF MS, previously successfully applied to identify n...
Ball AN, Phillips JN, McIlwraith CW, Kawcak CE, Samulski RJ, Goodrich LR.Optimizing the environment of complex bone healing and improving treatment of catastrophic bone fractures and segmental bone defects remains an unmet clinical need both human and equine veterinary medical orthopaedics. The objective of this study was to determine whether scAAV-equine-BMP-2 transduced cells would induce osteogenesis in equine bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMDMSCs) in vitro, and if these cells could be cryopreserved in an effort to osteogenically prime them as an "off-the-shelf" gene therapeutic approach for fracture repair. Our study found that transgene expressio...
Pritchard A, Nielsen B, McLean A, Robison C, Yokoyama M, Hengemuehle S, Bailey S, Harris P.Donkeys are often kept, especially in industrialized countries, as companion animals. Donkeys have greater digestive efficiency and tend to expend less energy than horses or ponies, which contributes to obesity in nonworking donkeys. Obesity in all equine species increases risk of chronic health conditions such as laminitis and insulin resistance. Previous studies in horses and ponies have documented obesity's potential effects on glucose-insulin dynamics with lower insulin sensitivity and higher insulin responses to glucose. However, limited studies on obesity and its health impacts in donkey...
Shang S, Yu Y, Zhao Y, Dang W, Zhang J, Qin X, Irwin DM, Wang Q, Liu F, Wang Z, Zhang S, Wang Z.Through domestication and human selection, horses have acquired various coat colors, including seven phenotypes: black, brown, dark bay, bay, chestnut, white, and gray. Here we determined the genotypes for melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) and agouti signaling protein (ASIP) in 709 horses from 15 breeds. We found that the EEEE genotype frequency at MC1R decreased from dark to light colors (black = 64.5%, brown = 67.5%, dark bay = 47.0%, bay = 16.5%, and chestnut = 0.0%), whereas the AAAA genotype frequency at ASIP increased as coat color lightened (black = 0.0%, brown = 22.9%, dark bay = 69.2%, a...
Tozaki T, Miyake T, Kikuchi M, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Kusano K, Ishikawa Y, Nomura M, Kushiro A, Nagata SI.Thoroughbred racehorses are produced by mating small numbers of Arabian stallions and native British mares, and have been improved by selection of horseracing performance for about 300 years. While these improvements led to good performance as racehorses, they exposed horses to numerous medical disorders, aggravated by extensive exercise. Fractures are frequent medical disorders in Thoroughbred racehorses. In this study, fracture heritability was estimated using 3,927 Japanese Thoroughbred racehorses to elucidate the risk of racehorse fractures. The heritability estimates of all examined frac...
Trauma case reportsFebruary 21, 2019
Volume 20 100179 doi: 10.1016/j.tcr.2019.100179
van Delft EAK, Thomassen I, Schreuder AMM, Sosef NL.Every year patients present to the emergency department due to bites, scratches and falls caused by animals. Although bite and scratch injuries have been described in literature, the exact number of patients that visit the emergency department due to all animal related injuries has never been described before. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all emergency department visits throughout a 1-year period was performed from April 2015 until March 2016. Results: 516 Patients were treated at the emergency department because of animal related injuries. Most were female and the median age was 38 ...
Leśniak K, Whittington L, Mapletoft S, Mitchell J, Hancox K, Draper S, Williams J.Despite the likelihood that a horse's mass influences hoof morphology, empirical evidence is lacking. A clearer understanding of factors influencing hoof shape could enable prevention, or better treatment, of foot-based disorders; common causes of equine lameness. The study's aim was to investigate the relationship between horse body size, in terms of mass and height, and fore hoof dimensions. A further aim was to determine changes in the occurrence of hoof asymmetry as body size increases. Height, mass, and fore hoof dimensions; coronet band width (CBW); hoof base width (HBW); dorsal hoof wal...
Rangel-Nava A, Ramírez-Uribe JM, Recillas-Morales S, Ibancovichi-Camarillo JA, Venebra-Muñoz A, Sánchez-Aparicio P.The objective of the study was to conduct a review of the pharmacological regulation and pharmacokinetic parameters of firocoxib when administered orally or intravenously in horses. A search for literature was done in SCOPUS and PubMed for studies that had to evaluate the pharmacological regulation as well as the pharmacokinetic parameters of firocoxib when administered in horses. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretics, and antiendotoxic effects. The newly developed is selective to COX2 characterized by less adverse effects in veterinary patien...
Arfuso F, Assenza A, Fazio F, Rizzo M, Giannetto C, Piccione G.Physical exercise induces several adaptations involving modulation of the energetic pathways to meet the energy demand during physical exercise. The branched-chain amino acids, leucine in particular, are considered as the most relevant amino acids, especially for exercise physiology. In this study, the change of leucine, valine, and tryptophan concentration was investigated in athletic horses before and after different exercise type. A total of 40 sport horses were equally divided into 4 groups according to the exercise type: group A (jumping), group B (reining), group C (32 km ride), and grou...
Hession CE, Law Smith MJ, Watterson D, Oxley N, Murphy BA. This study aims to investigate the impact of a therapeutic horse riding (HR) intervention and an audiovisual (AV) intervention comprising exposure to equine rhythm and motion on developmental parameters of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The study design was a pretest/post-test. The study took place in three locations across Ireland-St. Michael's Boys School in Mervue, Co Galway, The Hunt Museum in Limerick City, Co. Limerick, and Fettercairn Youth Horse Project in Tallaght, Co. Dublin. Eighty-three children (6-14 years) with a primary diagnosis of DCD. Children m...
Álvarez C, Luño V, González N, Guerra P, Gil L.This study aimed to evaluate the addition of mare colostrum in stallion freezing extenders to improve sperm quality. First, colostrum samples were collected from four mares after the foal's birth and their composition was determined. Ejaculates were collected from nine fertile stallions. Sperm samples were pooled, diluted, and cryopreserved into three experimental extender groups: Lactose-based extender supplemented with mare colostrum (20%), lactose-based extender supplemented with egg yolk (20%), and BotuCrio. The quality of the post-thaw semen samples were evaluated assessing sperm motility...
Nuttall HE, Ravenhill PJ.Equine dental disease remains a widespread affliction in domestic horses, with the potential to cause significant welfare problems. This retrospective study aimed to increase understanding of this aspect of equine health by examining dental records of 932 horses, taken from a 1-year period of first-opinion practice in south-western England and southern Wales. Three grossly-identifiable dental diseases were analysed: equine periodontal disease, diastemata and peripheral caries. The prevalence of active periodontal disease, diastemata and peripheral caries were 13.9%, 8.7% and 8.2%, respectively...
Malinska M, Havlicek Z, Koru E, Rezac P.Little is known about factors influencing gestation length in heavier types of horses. The objective was to assess the effects of the weight and age of mares, weight and sex of foals, lactation, month and year of conception, month of foaling, stallion and mare on gestation length in the endangered Old Kladruber breed that once served as a heavy coach horse for ceremonies of the Imperial Court in Vienna. The study was performed at the stud farm Slatinany, Czech Republic and reports data from foaling seasons between 2001 and 2018. A total of 649 gestations were included in the study. Gestation i...
Love EJ, Taylor PM, Clark C, Whay HR, Murrell J.In the UK butorphanol has a marketing authorisation for administration to horses for sedation in combination with detomidine, and at a higher dose (0.1 mg/kg bwt), for the alleviation of pain. There is only a limited number of clinical studies designed to examine the analgesic effects of butorphanol administration following surgery. Objective: To investigate the effect of premedication with butorphanol on post operative pain following castration under general anaesthesia in ponies. Objective: Ponies receiving butorphanol would experience less pain after castration than ponies that did not rece...
Epp TY, Waldner C, Berke O.The objective of this study was to develop a model using equine data from geographically limited surveillance locations to predict risk categories for West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses in all geographic locations across the province of Saskatchewan. The province was divided geographically into low-, medium-, or high-risk categories for WNV, based on available serology information from 923 horses obtained through 4 studies of WNV infection in horse populations in Saskatchewan. Discriminant analysis was used to build models using the observed risk of WNV in horses and geographic division...
Wilkins PA, Glaser AL, McDonnell SM.Horses naturally exposed to West Nile Virus (WNV) or vaccinated against WNV develop humoral immunity thought to be protective against development of clinical disease in exposed or infected animals. No reports evaluate the efficacy of passive transfer of naturally acquired specific WNV humoral immunity from dam to foal. The purpose of this study was to investigate passive transfer of naturally acquired immunity to WNV to foals born in a herd of semi-feral ponies, not vaccinated against WNV, in an endemic area, with many dams having seroconverted because of natural exposure. Microwell serum neut...
Smith MR, Wright IM, Smith RK.Clinical lesions of the deep digital flexor tendon and navicular bone are being reported with increasing frequency. However, the role of direct visualisation by navicular bursoscopy in the diagnosis and management of such injuries has not been explored. Objective: Navicular bursoscopy: 1) corroborates information obtained from other, noninvasive imaging modalities; 2) allows direct visualisation of lesions unidentified by other diagnostic modalities; 3) provides further information on morphology of lesions; and 4) permits minimally invasive surgical access to lesions. Methods: The case records...
Reichert C, Kästner SB, Hopster K, Rohn K, Rötting AK.To evaluate the use of a micro-lightguide tissue spectrophotometer for measurement of tissue oxygenation and blood flow in the small and large intestines of horses under anesthesia. Methods: 13 adult horses without gastrointestinal disease. Methods: Horses were anesthetized and placed in dorsal recumbency. Ventral midline laparotomy was performed. Intestinal segments were exteriorized to obtain measurements. Spectrophotometric measurements of tissue oxygenation and regional blood flow of the jejunum and pelvic flexure were obtained under various conditions that were considered to have a potent...
Udén P, Van Soest PJ.1. The abilities of cattle, sheep, goats, equines and rabbits to digest mature timothy (Phleum pratense) hay were compared. Apparent digestibilities were partitioned into true digestibility, metabolic faecal output (MFO) and fibre digestibility. The aid of the study was to determine the relative effects of fermentation site (among groups) and of body-weight (within groups) on the efficiency of digestion. 2. The ruminants were superior to equines, which were in turn superior to rabbits, in digesting fibre-components of the hay. A large individual variation in digestibility was noted only for th...
Stock AE, Bouchard N, Brown K, Spicer AP, Underhill CB, Doré M, Sirois J.In contrast to other species, the preovulatory rise in gonadotropins in mares causes a remarkable expansion of the entire granulosa cell layer in vivo, suggesting that hyaluronan (HA) synthesis may be regulated in mural granulosa cells in this species. The objectives of this study were to clone and characterize equine hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) and investigate the regulation of its transcript and of HA synthesis in equine follicles during human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)- induced ovulation. Results showed that the equine HAS2 cDNA contains a 5'-untranslated region of 436 bp, an open readin...
Elghryani N, Duggan V, Relf V, de Waal T.Knowledge regarding helminth control strategies and nematode infection of horses in Ireland is limited and only one study has been published recently. This present study was designed to investigate the current helminth control strategies followed by horse owners in Ireland. A questionnaire was formulated to collect data on general grazing, pasture management and deworming strategies including the use of fecal egg counts. Questionnaires were emailed to 700 members of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association and Horse Sport Ireland. Only 78 questionnaires were returned. Respondents indicated ...
Loughridge AB, Hess AM, Parkin TD, Kawcak CE.Changes in subchondral bone density, induced by the repetitive cyclical loading of exercise, may potentiate fatigue damage and the risk of fracture. Objective: To use computed tomography (CT) to characterise bone density patterns at the articular surface of the third metacarpal bone in racehorses with and without lateral condylar fractures. Methods: Case control METHODS: Computed tomographic images of the distal articulating surface of the third metacarpal bone were obtained from Thoroughbred racehorses subjected to euthanasia in the UK. Third metacarpal bones were divided into 3 groups based ...
Dierks C, Komm K, Lampe V, Distl O.In this study, we refine a quantitative trait locus for equine osteochondrosis (OC) on horse chromosome (ECA) 2 to a genome-wide significant interval at 20.08-30.94 Mb. The marker set contained 27 newly developed microsatellites equidistantly distributed over ECA2 and 44 nucleotide polymorphisms, located in 16 positional candidate genes for OC. Genotyping was performed in 211 Hanoverian horses from 14 paternal half-sib groups. A NCDN-associated SNP and haplotype were significantly associated with OC in fetlock and/or hock joints. This study is a further step towards the identification of genes...
Koivunen AL, Maisi P, Konttinen YT, Sandholm M.The gelatinolytic activity in tracheal aspirates (TA) of horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was analyzed using SDS-PAGE-gelatin-gel electrophoresis (zymography) and compared to TAs from healthy controls. The 110-90 kD MMP-9 type gelatinase was high in symptomatic disease phases (permanent disease 0.46 +/- 0.15, p < 0.001; or intermittent disease 0.47 +/- 0.12, p < 0.001) compared to healthy controls (0.10 +/- 0.07). Similarly, the overall gelatinolytic activity, the activity in high-mw gelatinolytic bands (210-190 and 150 kD) and in proteolytically processed fragments in ...
Singer-Berk M, Knickelbein KE, Vig S, Liu J, Bentley E, Nunnery C, Reilly C, Dwyer A, Drögemüller C, Unger L, Gerber V, Lassaline M, Bellone RR.Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common cancer affecting the equine eye, with a higher incidence documented in Haflinger horses. Recently, a missense variant in the gene damage specific DNA binding protein 2 (DDB2, p.Thr338Met) on ECA12 was identified as a risk factor for the development of limbal SCC in Haflinger horses. SCC also occurs on the nictitating membrane; therefore, investigating the role of this missense variant in nictitating membrane SCC is warranted. In this study, a common ancestor was identified among Haflinger horses affected with limbal SCC or with nictitating membr...
Centonze R, Agostini E, Massaccesi S, Toninelli S, Morabito L.A large variety of biological and artificial materials are employed in dural repair, each of them with major limitations. Autologous grafts have limited availability and require an additional incision and surgical time. Cadaveric preparations and heterologous materials entail the risk of iatrogenic transmission of prions, whereas synthetic substitutes have been reported to cause inflammatory reactions and graft rejection. An equine-derived pericardium membrane has been developed (Heart(®), Bioteck, Vicenza, Italy) with mechanical and safety-related features that could make it suitable for neu...
Gaitskell-Phillips G, Martín-Cano FE, Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Silva-Rodríguez A, Rodríguez-Martínez H, Gil MC, Ortega-Ferrusola C, Peña FJ.Some stallions yield ejaculates that do not tolerate conservation by refrigeration prior to artificial insemination (AI), showing improvement after removal of most of the seminal plasma (SP) by centrifugation. In this study, the SP-proteome of 10 different stallions was defined through high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and bioinformatic analysis in relation to the ability of the ejaculates to maintain semen quality when cooled and stored at 5°C. Stallions were classified into three groups, depending on this ability: those maintaining good quality after direc...
Hood DM, Taylor D, Wagner IP.To determine whether solar load distribution pattern on a solid nondeformable ground surface is the product of contact erosion and is the mirror image of load distribution on a deformable surface in horses. Methods: 30 clinically normal horses. Methods: Solar load distribution was compared among 25 clinically normal horses during quasistatic loading on a solid nondeformable surface and on a highly deformable surface. Changes in solar load distribution patterns were evaluated in 5 previously pasture-maintained horses housed on a flat nondeformable surface. Changes in solar load distribution cre...
Barr B, Nieman NM.Sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals, especially during the first 7 days of life. Diagnosing sepsis in neonatal foals can be challenging because initial clinical signs are often ambiguous and non-specific. Objective: To determine if the major acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) as measured by a point-of-care SAA testing device can be used as an evidence-based biomarker of sepsis. Methods: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Clinical diagnosis of sepsis based on positive bacterial blood culture or a positive sepsis score was obtained and compared to SAA v...
Cain JL, Jarisch K, Macaluso KR, Luedtke BE.Approximately 700 feral horses, dubbed "trespass horses" by the United States Army, occupy Fort Polk, Louisiana and the surrounding Kisatchie National Forest. These horses are considered a nuisance and hazard, and the military is seeking to remove the horses via adoption. The aim of this research was to evaluate the fecal egg count (FEC), body condition score (BCS), and the presence of Strongylus vulgaris within this previously unstudied horse population prior to removal. The feral horse data was compared to domestic horses living on a single farm in the same area. A modified McMaster FEC, Hen...
Wada S, Hobo S, Ode H, Niwa H, Moriyama H.To describe the incidence, clinical progress, visual outcome, and laboratory findings of equine keratomycosis in Japan. Methods: Retrospective study of the medical records of horses clinically and mycologically diagnosed with keratomycosis at the Equine Hospitals of the Japan Racing Association from 2005 to 2011. Results: The diagnosis of keratomycosis was confirmed in eight horses (40.0% of the 20 horses with infectious keratitis from which fungi and/or bacteria were isolated). Fungi recovered from corneal swabs were identified as Aspergillus flavus (4), Aspergillus niger (1), Fusarium sol...
Matthews JB.Horses worldwide are exposed to a complex mixture of intestinal parasitic helminths. When burdens are high, these parasites can seriously compromise health and welfare. Some helminth species have an extremely high prevalence and are difficult to control, not least because there is a limited understanding of their most basic biology. Furthermore, levels of resistance to some of the commonly used anthelmintics are widespread and increasing. The cyathostomins are the most common nematode species affecting equids worldwide. Within this group of parasites are more than 50 different species. Until r...
Thomas LA, Brown SA.The relationship between colloid osmotic pressure (COP) and protein concentration was investigated for purified proteins and plasma samples obtained from cattle, horses, dogs, and cats. At equivalent concentrations, bovine albumin exerted a COP that exceeded that of gamma-globulins by a mean factor of 4.4. Similar relationships between COP and protein were observed in the other species. Consequently, for a given total protein concentration, COP was dependent on the albumin/gamma-globulins ratio. A commonly used nomogram for estimating COP from protein concentration, the Landis-Pappenheimer equ...
Velie BD, Raadsma HW, Wade CM, Knight PK, Hamilton NA.Post exercise epistaxis, the manifestation of a severe form of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH), has been observed in many equine racing populations. Although multiple analyses have suggested that non-genetic factors may lead to the development of this condition, relatively little consensus has been reached regarding its genetic aetiology. The objective of this study was to provide insight into both genetic and non-genetic factors that may contribute to the expression of epistaxis in the Australian Thoroughbred racing population. Racing records and reported epistaxis occurrences w...
McGuire TC, O'Rourke KI, Baszler TV, Leib SR, Brassfield AL, Davis WC.Cells infected with vaccinia viruses expressing the equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) gag gene (VGag) or gag plus the 5' pol encoding protease (VGag/PR) were evaluated with monoclonal antibody to a p26 capsid protein linear epitope (QEISKFLTD). Both recombinant viruses expressed Gag precursor protein (55K) whereas only VGag/PR expressed a detectable Gag-Pol fusion protein (82K) with a functional protease, shown by subviral particles containing processed p26. Horses inoculated with VGag/PR produced antibodies reactive with EIAV Gag proteins.
Anderson SL, Devick I, Bracamonte JL, Hendrick S, Barber SM, Carmalt JL, Wilson DG.To report the occurrence of, and risk factors associated with, incisional complications of equine ventral median celiotomies closed with USP 7 polydioxanone (7PD). Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Horses (n = 73; 75 celiotomies). Methods: Medical records (2000-2010) were retrieved and reviewed for horses that had a ventral celiotomy closed with 7PD and survived ≥14 days. Follow-up (>1 year) was obtained from the medical record, owner, or referring veterinarian. Independent variables were selected based on risk factors identified in previous studies, perceived clinical relevan...
Valberg SJ, Macleay JM, Billstrom JA, Hower-Moritz MA, Mickelson JR.Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) is a distinct cause of exertional rhabdomyolysis in Quarter Horses that results in glycogen and abnormal polysaccharide accumulation. The purpose of this study was to determine if excessive glycogen storage in PSSM is due to a glycolytic defect that impairs utilisation of this substrate during exercise. Muscle biopsies, blood lactates and serum CK were obtained 1) at rest from 5 PSSM Quarter Horses, 4 normal Quarter Horses (QH controls) and 6 Thoroughbreds with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (TB RER) and 2) after a maximal treadmill exercise test in ...
Lindbloom SM, Farmerie TA, Clay CM, Seidel GE, Carnevale EM.Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was administered to mares in estrus with large, dominant ovarian follicles to initiate follicular and oocyte maturation. Follicular contents were collected at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h after hCG. Epiregulin, amphiregulin and phosphodiesterase (PDE) mRNA contents of granulosa cells (PDE 4D) were determined by reverse transcription and real-time PCR; PDE 3A mRNA content of single oocytes was determined similarly. Copy numbers of mRNA did not increase for PDE 3A or 4D over the time interval studied. Amounts of epiregulin and amphiregulin mRNA were correlated (r=0.98) when...
Mancini F, Nannarone S, Buratta S, Ferrara G, Stabile AM, Vuerich M, Santinelli I, Pistilli A, Chiaradia E.To assess the effects of xylazine and dexmedetomidine on equine chondrocytes, in vitro. Methods: Prospective, experimental study. Methods: Equine articular chondrocytes from five male horses. Methods: Chondrocytes were isolated from healthy equine articular cartilage of the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal joints. Cell viability was assessed using the WST-8 assay by exposing chondrocytes to xylazine (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16.6, 25, 50 mg mL) or dexmedetomidine (0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.175, 0.25 mg mL) for 15, 30 and 60 minutes. Based on the results of these tests, cells were treated with xyla...
Gilboa Y, Helmer A. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, is currently one of the most common diagnoses given to children. Children with ADHD have a unique cognitive profile that involves difficulties in executive functions (EFs) and in the self-management system of the brain, and are at higher risk for educational failure, social and emotional difficulties, and high risk behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of self-management intervention for attention and executive functions using equine-assisted occupatio...
Cripps PJ, Eustace RA.The significance of clinical and radiological parameters as prognostic indicators for laminitis, 'founder' and 'sinking syndrome' was studied using case records of 216 horses and ponies. Five animals were destroyed without treatment and were not included in the results of the study. One hundred and sixty-two (77%) animals returned to athletic soundness; 7 animals (3%) did not regain full athletic function, 42 animals (20%) died or were destroyed. Cases were assigned to 4 groups on the basis of initial clinical examination alone. These groups were laminitis, acute founder, 'sinker' and chronic ...
Wagner B, Ainsworth DM, Freer H.Soluble CD14 (sCD14) binds bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and acts as an anti-inflammatory LPS-inhibitor in vivo. In humans, sCD14 is one of the soluble biomarkers used for various inflammatory diseases and conditions, however, sCD14 assays have not yet been evaluated in horses. Here, we developed and optimized a bead-based assay for the quantification of sCD14 in horses. The assay was then used to determine native sCD14 concentrations in serum from healthy and septic foals, in the colostrum of healthy mares and in plasma from adult horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and contro...
