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.
Rinnovati R, Meistro F, Ralletti MV, D'Angelo P, Spadari A, Zingariello E, Pollera C, Stancampiano L.In horses, surgical site infections (SSIs) are multifactorial complications influenced by patient-related, procedural, and environmental factors. While perioperative contamination has been extensively studied in the operating theater, the anesthetic induction and recovery environment has received limited attention. The aim of this study was to characterize bacterial contamination within an equine anesthetic induction and recovery stall and to evaluate its spatial and temporal distribution. Environmental samples were collected from four predefined locations within the stall at three time points...
Hmb O, L W, M V, Jm W, Ct F.A systematic study of regional skin thickness in different types of horses has not yet been described. Knowledge about regional skin thickness has long been used in human medicine to optimise wound care and skin grafting outcomes and similar knowledge could prove useful in equine wound management. The objective of the current study was to report the topographical variation in skin thickness of Warmblood (WB) and Coldblood (CB) type horses and to compare different methods for measuring skin thickness. Horses free of skin conditions and euthanised for reasons unrelated to this study were include...
Mendes RP, Gonzaga MS, Matheus MM, Bittar MJ, Doria RGS, Corrêa RR.Developmental and eruption abnormalities are common and can result in progressive dental diseases. Ectopic eruption of the affected tooth may be the result of these processes. This study aims to report the occurrence of a permanent mandibular tooth in a horizontal position, with retention of the corresponding deciduous tooth, in a miniature horse. A 2-year-old female miniature horse was admitted to the veterinary hospital with a hard swelling on the left mandibular ramus, which had been growing continuously for three months. After a complete evaluation, it was concluded that the swelling was t...
Migliorisi A.The goal of this article is to provide the equine practitioners with a framework for a diagnostic algorithm for the patient presented with possible seizures/epilepsy. Using a comparative approach, a review of companion animal and human research is provided with the intention of expanding our current knowledge on seizure/epilepsy, as well as diagnostic and treatment strategies for equine patients.
Ledbetter EC, Knickelbein KE, Irby NL, Schmidt C.To describe the clinical and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) characteristics of horses with corneal stromal invasive squamous cell carcinoma (CSI-SCC). Methods: Retrospective study of 7 horses with histopathologically confirmed unilateral CSI-SCC. Methods: Horses with corneal CSI-SCC were examined by laser scanning IVCM. Signalment, clinical findings, and histopathology results were compared with IVCM findings. Results: Clinical ocular lesions in all horses included a heavily vascularized, opaque, gray or tan, anterior or midstromal opacity invading the cornea from the limbus. The corneal ...
Skierbiszewska K, Turek B, Jasiński T, Kaczorowski M, Kozłowska N, Higuchi J, Domino M.Bone grafting in equine medicine offers a promising contribution to treating orthopaedic developmental diseases and chondral, osteochondral and segmental bone defects. Among grafts, synthetic bone substitutes-alloplastics-show favourable biological properties addressing numerous limitations presented by autografts, xenografts and allografts. Objective: To compile and disseminate clinical data and research findings from existing publications on the use of alloplastics in horses. Methods: Systematic review. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis 202...
Zebeli Q, Lindner L, Metzler-Zebeli BU.Grasslands are the cornerstone of horse feeding, used for grazing and to produce roughages and their products. However, improper grassland management hides several threats for equine health. In this context, grasslands contaminated with toxin-producing endophytes are considered an increasing threat for horses in many parts of the world. Endophytes are fungi that may grow in a mutualistic relationship in a range of grasses, including fescue grass and perennial ryegrass, two foliage species commonly found in European and American meadows and pastures. The endophytes produce alkaloids that are hi...
Cottone A, Seiter K, Thomas B, Schank N, Wulf M, Miller L, Anderson S, Munkhsaikhan U, Verma A, Abidi AH, Kassan M.Colic remains one of the most frequent and costly causes of equine morbidity and mortality, with significant welfare and economic implications. Disturbances in the gut microbiome are increasingly recognized as an important contributing factor. In recent years, prebiotics, non-digestible substrates that promote beneficial microbes, have emerged as promising microbiome-targeted strategies. () has gained attention for its unique ability to degrade mucin, maintain epithelial integrity, and exert potent anti-inflammatory effects. Although its benefits are well established in humans and rodent mode...
Dillmann JB, Dos Santos TS, Dos Santos RC, Monteiro SG.Equine cutaneous pythiosis, caused by Pythium insidiosum, is a severe disease in tropical and subtropical regions, often leading to progressive granulomatous lesions with poor response to conventional therapies. Standard treatment includes surgical excision and immunotherapy, but recurrence is common, particularly in distal limb lesions. Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT) with disinfected Lucilia cuprina larvae provides selective debridement, microbial control, and stimulation of granulation, representing a potential adjunctive option. This report describes the successful use of MDT combined wit...
Watson W, MacKay JRD, Dwyer C.This study aims to improve the welfare and management of recreational horses by identifying how different management styles affect horse health and behaviour. We examined the management styles of recreational horse owners in the UK and Ireland, focusing on social interaction (friends), access to suitable forage (forage), and unrestricted movement (freedom). We collected 1,501 survey responses, distributed via social media, and summarised the characteristics and management choices of the respondents. Using the Divisive ANAlysis cluster package in R, three distinct management styles were identif...
Armangau M, Lurier T, Josson A.Offspring Sex Ratio (OSR) at birth in mammals is generally assumed to follow a 1:1 male-to-female distribution, yet deviations in OSR have been observed and may be influenced by maternal and paternal factors. In this study we have focused on the effect of paternal factors (stallion age and breed) and breeding methods on the OSR. Using a retrospective dataset of 251,783 foal births recorded in France between 2015 and 2024, we applied generalized linear mixed models to evaluate the effects of these variables on the likelihood of producing a female foal. Stallion identity was included as a random...
Chan ZYS, Ho W, Slobodova A, Parkes RSV, Forbes B, Pfau T.To investigate associations between contralateral (left-right) hoof width asymmetry and vertical movement asymmetry in racing Thoroughbreds. We hypothesized that forehoof differences would be associated with poll and withers movement asymmetry and hind hoof differences with pelvis movement asymmetry. Unassigned: This observational cross-sectional study included 169 Thoroughbred racehorses recently retired from clockwise racing and assessed the day of scheduled farriery work. Contralateral hoof width differences were quantified and movement asymmetry during trot measured using inertial sensors ...
Rosa MCB, Campos MEST, Albuquerque AS, Braz MS, Mapele RO, de Oliveira MCG, Toma HS, Ferraz PFP, Pereira RN, Raymundo DL.Skin wounds in horses, particularly in the distal extremities, often heal slowly due to mechanical stress, compromised perfusion, and excessive fibroplasia. This study evaluated the effects of topical Croton lechleri (CL) cream, alone or in combination with nitroglycerin, on the healing of skin wounds in the metatarsal region of horses. Six mares received six standardized wounds in each region and were treated with: saline solution, nitroglycerin (0.1 or 1 mg/mL), CL (1 or 10 µg/mL), or CL + nitroglycerin (10 µg/mL + 1 mg/mL). Wound contraction, histology, and bacterial culture were evaluate...
Granello ME, Young JM, Cleff DB, Banks EBM, Trumble TN.To describe characteristics of postoperative peritoneal fluid following exploratory laparotomy for naturally-occurring gastrointestinal lesions in horses. Methods: Prospective, observational cohort study. Methods: A total of 26 client-owned horses that underwent exploratory laparotomy for naturally-occurring gastrointestinal lesions. Methods: Abdominocentesis was performed pre- or intraoperatively, and at three time points postoperatively (24, 72, and 168 h). Peritoneal lactate, total protein (TP), total nucleated cell count (TNCC), cytology, and systemic lactate were performed at each time ...
Dundjerovic I, Sneddon LU.Animal welfare concerns both the physical and mental wellbeing of animals so the assessment of animals kept in captivity, for example zoos, is important and necessary both legally and ethically. Good welfare is especially vital when breeding endangered species as stress impairs reproductive investment. As zoos often have high numbers of visitors, it is important to know if humans and the associated noise might influence the animals' welfare. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of visitors and activities offered to the visitors caused a stress response in horses housed...
Aleman M, Morales CJ.Idiopathic trigeminal-mediated headshaking is a painful neuropathic disorder characterized by sudden, violent, predominantly vertical head movements of unknown etiology. Clinical signs may be seasonal or persistent and triggered by light, sound, exercise, or tactile nasal stimulation. The pathophysiology is multifactorial, involving abnormal trigeminal nerve excitability influenced by hormonal, environmental, and dietary factors. Treatment is challenging and typically multimodal, aiming to reduce trigeminal hypersensitivity and improve quality of life.
Tsopp E, Kilk K, Gambini A, Tvrdà E, Viljaste-Seera A, Tuppits U, Jaakma Ü.Equine in vitro embryo production (IVP) via ovum pick-up (OPU) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has gained prominence in sport-horse breeding due to high success rates, efficient semen utilization, and year-round embryo production, including from mares with fertility challenges or postmortem. However, assessing viability of early-stage ICSI-produced equine embryos remains challenging due to subjective morphological evaluations and limited visibility of developmental features. Non-invasive metabolomic analysis of culture media offers a promising alternative to enhance embryo selectio...
Mazzucco L, Marcatili M, Withers J, Cantatore F.Superficial digital flexor tendinopathy is a common cause of forelimb lameness in Thoroughbred racehorses and sports horses; however, this condition is rarely observed in the hindlimb. A 16-year-old Irish sports horse gelding was presented with bilateral swelling in the plantar metatarsal region and severe bilateral hindlimb lameness visible at the walk. The lameness occurred after the cross-country phase of an eventing competition. The clinical suspicion of superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injury was confirmed after ultrasonographic examination, which revealed an extensive core lesion...
Gartland KL, Leśniak K, Twigg-Flesner A.Scientific interest in relation to Fragile Foal Syndrome (FFS) has proliferated in the last decade, but before this, many clinical cases were attributed to other similarly presenting equine neonatal disorders. It was thought that FFS-affected foals were mainly miscarried throughout gestation, but recent study results suggest that often, foals are born alive and die shortly after birth. FFS is proposed to have originated as long ago as the Godolphin Arabian, but the definite derivation of the mutant allele is unconfirmed. The discovery that FFS is present in 11-30% of Warmbloods and 2-3% of Tho...
Cifuentes V, Zuluaga-Cabrera AM, Vargas-Muñoz LJ, Estrada-Gómez S.Albumin is one of the most abundant and physiologically important blood protein in horses due to its ability to regulate vascular volume and transport blood metabolites or drugs. Despite the importance of this protein, in Colombia there is no previous reference of the use of equine albumin in horses as a pharmacological therapy and there is no available any pharmaceutical preparation of this protein to be administrated in horses. This study aims to evaluate for first time the preliminary clinical response of healthy adult Colombian Creole horses after the intravenous administration of an equin...
DeBel NA, Yalavarthi G, Johnson JR, Simoneau AT, Sweeney B, Stearns G, Saliceti A, Rutstein H, Amalaradjou MA, Govoni KE, McBride ZG, Moore TE....Strongyles are nematode parasites that affect the large intestine and cecum of the horse, with symptoms ranging from poor hair coat to colic. This can influence gut health, nutrient absorption, and overall body condition. Objective: Determine the effects of parasitic load, breed, age, housing, and season on skin and hair coat conditions. We hypothesized that horses with low fecal egg counts would have better hair and skin coat condition compared with those with high fecal egg counts. Methods: A total of forty-five Morgan and 11 Thoroughbred horses were included in this study. We tested the eff...
Nixon W, Buckley P, Butler R.There is a lack of information on horse parasite management practices currently used by individual horse owners in Australia. A voluntary, anonymous online survey was developed for and distributed by Pony Club Australia to its members seeking information on horse population; housing; paddock, manure and parasite management; and owner attitudes. From a total of 98 completed responses, 95/98 of participants indicated their horses spent time in paddocks, 91/98 administered anthelmintics, 42/98 guessed their horse's body weight for dosing, 78/98 recalled the dewormer brand or active ingredient las...
O'Reilly K, Aldworth-Yang S, Catalano DN.There are many different concentrate feeders available to horse owners, but little data exists on feeder effect of equine intake rate. Rapid consumption ("bolting") is associated with issues such as esophageal obstruction. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate three common concentrate feeders on intake rate. We hypothesized horses would have the slowest intake rate when fed from the trough. Methods: Four geldings were fed 0.454 kg of concentrate from a pan on the ground (P), shallow trough (T), or hanging feeder (H). Horses were randomly assigned a first feeder and then rotate...
Boeger L, Volkmann N, Probst J, Kemper N, Venner M.The emergence of antimicrobial resistance raises concerns about using antibiotics in veterinary medicine, particularly in cases of bronchopneumonia in foals diagnosed early based on a screening programme. Many subclinical foals recover spontaneously, thus, interest in more restrictive antibiotic usage is increasing. Objective: To determine whether initiating antimicrobial therapy at a later stage of bronchopneumonia decreases antimicrobial usage without compromising successful resolution of pathology in affected foals. Methods: A total of 1200 warmblood foals born in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 ...
Byrne J, Guedes AG, Hickey C, Hatschbach E, Walters B, Rendahl A, Tearney C.To evaluate the utility of the dynamic indices, systolic pressure variation (SPV%), pulse pressure variation (PPV%) and plethysmographic variability index (PVI%) during induced hypovolemia, and to determine their correlation with cardiac output (CO) in anesthetized horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: A group of eight healthy adult research horses. Methods: After sedation with intravenous (IV) xylazine, anesthesia was induced with IV ketamine and diazepam and maintained with constant-dose isoflurane delivered in 100% oxygen. Horses were positioned in dorsal recumbency, par...
Aliani C, Lorenzetto Bologna C, Francia P, Bocchi L.Standing equine computed tomography (CT) acquisitions are susceptible to residual postural sway, which can introduce view-inconsistent motion and degrade image quality. External optical tracking based on ChArUco fiducials is a promising, low-cost strategy to enable projection-wise motion compensation, yet quantitative guidance on how camera-marker geometry affects pose-estimation performance remains limited. This CT-motivated benchtop study characterizes how the relative camera-ChArUco configuration influences both the accuracy (bias with respect to ground truth) and the precision (repeatabili...
Mukai K, Takahashi Y, Ebisuda Y, Sugiyama F, Yoshida T, Miyata H.This study tested the hypothesis that 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) would induce greater physiological adaptations than moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in Thoroughbred horses. Seven untrained horses completed two distance-matched treadmill training protocols (three sessions per week) in a randomized crossover design, separated by a three-month washout: MICT (6 min at 70% ) and HIIT (6 × [30 s at 100% with 30 s at 30% ]). Incremental exercise tests were conducted at weeks 0, 3, and 6 to assess exercise performance and physiological responses. M...
Samuels AN, Collins N, Albrecht M, Cuming R, Reed S, Gomez D, Toribio R.To evaluate associations between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), nonsurvival, illness severity, and infectious etiologies. Unassigned: This was a retrospective multicenter study that included 100 healthy horses and 444 horses presenting with acute diarrhea to 5 equine referral hospitals. Inclusion criteria were diarrhea duration < 48 hours, complete hemograms, and outcome data. Illness severity was assessed using systemic inflammatory response syndrome. The results of pathogen testing for Salmonella spp, equine coronavirus, Clostridium spp, and Neorickettsia risticii/findlayensis ...
Mählmann K, Lischer CJ.This technical note describes the use of a manual graphic roadmap (MGR) to assist fluoroscopic guidance during transarterial coil embolization (TACE) for guttural pouch (GP) arterial hemorrhage. Horses underwent MGR-assisted TACE at the Equine Clinic, Free University of Berlin, between 2012 and 2024. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia with fluoroscopic guidance. Following the initial angiogram, a transparent foil was secured to the fluoroscopy monitor, and an assistant traced the vascular anatomy with a waterproof marker to create the MGR, which then served as a guide for catheter ...
Schnabel LV, Mohammed HO, Miller BJ, McDermott WG, Jacobson MS, Santangelo KS, Fortier LA.Platelet rich plasma (PRP) has recently been investigated for use in tissue regeneration studies that seek to utilize the numerous growth factors released from platelet alpha-granules. This study examined gene expression patterns, DNA, and collagen content of equine flexor digitorum superficialis tendon (SDFT) explants cultured in media consisting of PRP and other blood products. Blood and bone marrow aspirate (BMA) were collected from horses and processed to obtain plasma, PRP, and platelet poor plasma (PPP). IGF-I, TGF-beta1, and PDGF-BB were quantified in all blood products using ELISA. Ten...
Science (New York, N.Y.)February 22, 2018
Volume 360, Issue 6384 111-114 doi: 10.1126/science.aao3297
Gaunitz C, Fages A, Hanghøj K, Albrechtsen A, Khan N, Schubert M, Seguin-Orlando A, Owens IJ, Felkel S, Bignon-Lau O, de Barros Damgaard P....The Eneolithic Botai culture of the Central Asian steppes provides the earliest archaeological evidence for horse husbandry, ~5500 years ago, but the exact nature of early horse domestication remains controversial. We generated 42 ancient-horse genomes, including 20 from Botai. Compared to 46 published ancient- and modern-horse genomes, our data indicate that Przewalski's horses are the feral descendants of horses herded at Botai and not truly wild horses. All domestic horses dated from ~4000 years ago to present only show ~2.7% of Botai-related ancestry. This indicates that a massive genomic ...
McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD, Kawcak CE, Fuller CJ, Hurtig M, Cruz A.Equine models of osteoarthritis (OA) have been used to investigate pathogenic pathways of OA and evaluate therapeutic candidates for naturally occurring equine OA which is a significant clinical disease in the horse. This review focuses on the macroscopic and microscopic criteria for assessing naturally occurring OA in the equine metacarpophalangeal joint as well as the osteochondral fragment-exercise model of OA in the equine middle carpal joint. Methods: A review was conducted of all published OA studies using horses and the most common macroscopic and microscopic scoring systems were summar...
van Dinten LC, den Boon JA, Wassenaar AL, Spaan WJ, Snijder EJ.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is a positive-strand RNA virus that uses a discontinuous transcription mechanism to generate a nested set of six subgenomic mRNAs from which its structural genes are expressed. A stable bacterial plasmid (pEAV030) containing a full-length cDNA copy of the 12.7-kb EAV genome was constructed. After removal of a single point mutation in the replicase gene, RNA transcripts generated in vitro from pEAV030 were shown to be infectious upon electroporation into BHK-21 cells. A genetic marker mutation was introduced at the cDNA level and recovered from the genome of the pro...
Pritchard JC, Lindberg AC, Main DC, Whay HR.Working animals provide an essential transport resource in developing countries worldwide. Many of these animals are owned by poor people and work in harsh environments, so their welfare is a cause for concern. A protocol was developed to assess the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys in urban and peri-urban areas, using direct observation of health and behaviour parameters. In this study, 4903 animals used for draught, pack and ridden work in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Jordan and Pakistan were assessed between December 2002 and April 2003. The data showed that donkeys were more likel...
Sangioni LA, Horta MC, Vianna MC, Gennari SM, Soares RM, Galvão MA, Schumaker TT, Ferreira F, Vidotto O, Labruna MB.We compared the rickettsial infection status of Amblyomma cajennense ticks, humans, dogs, and horses in both Brazilian spotted fever (BSF)-endemic and -nonendemic areas in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Most of the horses and few dogs from BSF-endemic areas had serologic titers against Rickettsia rickettsii antigens. In contrast, no dogs or horses from BSF-nonendemic areas had serologic titers against R. rickettsii antigens, although they were continually exposed to A. cajennense ticks. All human serum samples and ticks from both areas were negative by serologic assay and polymerase chain rea...
Thorpe CT, Udeze CP, Birch HL, Clegg PD, Screen HR.Tendons transfer force from muscle to bone. Specific tendons, including the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), also store and return energy. For efficient function, energy-storing tendons need to be more extensible than positional tendons such as the common digital extensor tendon (CDET), and when tested in vitro have a lower modulus and failure stress, but a higher failure strain. It is not known how differences in matrix organization contribute to distinct mechanical properties in functionally different tendons. We investigated the properties of whole tendons, tendon fascicles ...
Durham AE, Frank N, McGowan CM, Menzies-Gow NJ, Roelfsema E, Vervuert I, Feige K, Fey K.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a widely recognized collection of risk factors for endocrinopathic laminitis. The most important of these risk factors is insulin dysregulation (ID). Clinicians and horse owners must recognize the presence of these risk factors so that they can be targeted and controlled to reduce the risk of laminitis attacks. Diagnosis of EMS is based partly on the horse's history and clinical examination findings, and partly on laboratory testing. Several choices of test exist which examine different facets of ID and other related metabolic disturbances. EMS is controlled ...
Wise LN, Kappmeyer LS, Mealey RH, Knowles DP.Equine piroplasmosis is caused by one of 2 erythrocytic parasites Babesia caballi or Theileria equi. Although the genus of the latter remains controversial, the most recent designation, Theileria, is utilized in this review. Shared pathogenesis includes tick-borne transmission and erythrolysis leading to anemia as the primary clinical outcome. Although both parasites are able to persist indefinitely in their equid hosts, thus far, only B. caballi transmits across tick generations. Pathogenesis further diverges after transmission to equids in that B. caballi immediately infects erythrocytes, wh...
Mansfield KL, Hernández-Triana LM, Banyard AC, Fooks AR, Johnson N.Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a significant cause of neurological disease in humans throughout Asia causing an estimated 70,000 human cases each year with approximately 10,000 fatalities. The virus contains a positive sense RNA genome within a host-derived membrane and is classified within the family Flaviviridae. Like many flaviviruses, it is transmitted by mosquitoes, particularly those of the genus Culex in a natural cycle involving birds and some livestock species. Spill-over into domestic animals results in a spectrum of disease ranging from asymptomatic infection in some species t...
Caliari SR, Harley BA.Current surgical and tissue engineering approaches for treating tendon injuries have shown limited success, suggesting the need for new biomaterial strategies. Here we describe the development of an anisotropic collagen-glycosaminoglycan (CG) scaffold and use of growth factor supplementation strategies to create a 3D platform for tendon tissue engineering. We fabricated cylindrical CG scaffolds with aligned tracks of ellipsoidal pores that mimic the native physiology of tendon by incorporating a directional solidification step into a conventional lyophilization strategy. By modifying the freez...
Nagy K, Sung HK, Zhang P, Laflamme S, Vincent P, Agha-Mohammadi S, Woltjen K, Monetti C, Michael IP, Smith LC, Nagy A.The domesticated horse represents substantial value for the related sports and recreational fields, and holds enormous potential as a model for a range of medical conditions commonly found in humans. Most notable of these are injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have sparked tremendous hopes for future regenerative therapies of conditions that today are not possible to cure. Equine iPS (EiPS) cells, in addition to bringing promises to the veterinary field, open up the opportunity to utilize horses for the validation of stem cell based therapi...
Kinney RM, Johnson BJ, Welch JB, Tsuchiya KR, Trent DW.Nucleotide sequence analysis of cDNA clones covering the entire genomes of Trinidad donkey (TRD) Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus and its vaccine derivative, TC-83, has revealed 11 differences between the genomes of TC-83 virus and its parent. One nucleotide substitution and a single nucleotide deletion occurred in the 5'- and 3'-noncoding regions of the TC-83 genome, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of the nonstructural polypeptides of the two viruses differed only in a conservative Ser(TRD) to Thr(TC-83) substitution in nonstructural protein (nsP) three at amino acid ...
Whitlock GC, Estes DM, Torres AG.Burkholderia mallei, the etiologic agent of the disease known as glanders, is primarily a disease affecting horses and is transmitted to humans by direct contact with infected animals. The use of B. mallei as a biological weapon has been reported and currently, there is no vaccine available for either humans or animals. Despite the history and highly infective nature of B. mallei, as well as its potential use as a bio-weapon, B. mallei research to understand the pathogenesis and the host responses to infection remains limited. Therefore, this minireview will focus on current efforts to elucida...
Heizmann CW, Berchtold MW, Rowlerson AM.The physiological role of the Ca2+-binding protein parvalbumin in skeletal muscle has been investigated by measuring the parvalbumin content by HPLC in a variety of mammalian muscles, including man, and comparing the results with the respective muscle relaxation properties and fiber type compositions. The parvalbumin concentrations were highest in the skeletal muscles of the smallest animal investigated (mouse, gastrocnemius: 4.9 g/kg), which has the highest relaxation speed, and lowest in the larger animals (horse, deep gluteal muscle: less than or equal to 0.001 g/kg) and man (vastus, tricep...
Jansen T, Forster P, Levine MA, Oelke H, Hurles M, Renfrew C, Weber J, Olek K.The place and date of the domestication of the horse has long been a matter for debate among archaeologists. To determine whether horses were domesticated from one or several ancestral horse populations, we sequenced the mitochondrial D-loop for 318 horses from 25 oriental and European breeds, including American mustangs. Adding these sequences to previously published data, the total comes to 652, the largest currently available database. From these sequences, a phylogenetic network was constructed that showed that most of the 93 different mitochondrial (mt)DNA types grouped into 17 distinct p...
Joswig AJ, Mitchell A, Cummings KJ, Levine GJ, Gregory CA, Smith R, Watts AE.Intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is efficacious in osteoarthritis therapy. A direct comparison of the response of the synovial joint to intra-articular injection of autologous versus allogeneic MSCs has not been performed. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical response to repeated intra-articular injection of allogeneic versus autologous MSCs prepared in a way to minimize xeno-contaminants in a large animal model. Intra-articular injections of bone marrow-derived, culture-expanded MSCs to a forelimb metacarpophalangeal joint were performed at week 0 ...
Heglund NC, Taylor CR.In this study we investigate how speed and stride frequency change with body size. We use this information to define 'equivalent speeds' for animals of different size and to explore the factors underlying the six-fold difference in mass-specific energy cost of locomotion between mouse- and horse-sized animals at these speeds. Speeds and stride frequencies within a trot and a gallop were measured on a treadmill in 16 species of wild and domestic quadrupeds, ranging in body size from 30 g mice to 200 kg horses. We found that the minimum, preferred and maximum sustained speeds within a trot and a...
de Vries AA, Chirnside ED, Horzinek MC, Rottier PJ.We have recently shown that the genome of equine arteritis virus (EAV) contains seven open reading frames (ORFs). We now present data on the structural proteins of EAV and the assignment of their respective genes. Virions are composed of a 14-kDa nucleocapsid protein (N) and three membrane proteins designated M, GS, and GL. M is an unglycosylated protein of 16 kDa, and GS and GL are N-glycosylated proteins of 25 and 30 to 42 kDa, respectively. The broad size distribution of GL results from heterogeneous N-acetyllactosamine addition since it is susceptible to digestion by endo-beta-galactosidas...
Fages A, Hanghøj K, Khan N, Gaunitz C, Seguin-Orlando A, Leonardi M, McCrory Constantz C, Gamba C, Al-Rasheid KAS, Albizuri S, Alfarhan AH....Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, and the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present the largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals and 129 ancient genomes (≥1-fold coverage), 87 of which are new. This extensive dataset allows us to assess the modern legacy of past equestrian civilizations. We find that two extinct horse lineages existed during early domestication, one at the far western (Iberia) and the other at the far eastern range (Siberia) of Eurasia. None of these contr...
Murgue B, Murri S, Zientara S, Durand B, Durand JP, Zeller H.On September 6, 2000, two cases of equine encephalitis caused by West Nile (WN) virus were reported in southern France (Hérault Province), near Camargue National Park, where a WN outbreak occurred in 1962. Through November 30, 76 cases were laboratory confirmed among 131 equines with neurologic disorders. The last confirmed case was on November 3, 2000. All but three cases were located in a region nicknamed "la petite Camargue," which has several large marshes, numerous colonies of migratory and resident birds, and large mosquito populations. No human case has been confirmed among clinically ...
McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD, Rodkey WG, Kisiday JD, Werpy NM, Kawcak CE, Steadman JR.This study evaluated intra-articular injection of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to augment healing with microfracture compared with microfracture alone. Methods: Ten horses (aged 2.5 to 5 years) had 1-cm2 defects arthroscopically created on both medial femoral condyles of the stifle joint (analogous to the human knee). Defects were debrided to subchondral bone followed by microfracture. One month later, 1 randomly selected medial femorotibial joint in each horse received an intra-articular injection of either 20 × 10(6) BMSCs with 22 mg of hyaluronan or 22 mg of hyalurona...
Librado P, Khan N, Fages A, Kusliy MA, Suchan T, Tonasso-Calvière L, Schiavinato S, Alioglu D, Fromentier A, Perdereau A, Aury JM, Gaunitz C....Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 BC. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia and Anatolia, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don regi...
Ytrehus B, Carlson CS, Ekman S.Osteochondrosis is a common and clinically important joint disorder that occurs in human beings and in multiple animal species, most commonly pigs, horses, and dogs. This disorder is defined as a focal disturbance of enchondral ossification and is regarded as having a multifactorial etiology, with no single factor accounting for all aspects of the disease. The most commonly cited etiologic factors are heredity, rapid growth, anatomic conformation, trauma, and dietary imbalances; however, only heredity and anatomic conformation are well supported by the scientific literature. The way in which t...
Smith RK, Werling NJ, Dakin SG, Alam R, Goodship AE, Dudhia J.Tendon injuries are a common age-related degenerative condition where current treatment strategies fail to restore functionality and normal quality of life. This disease also occurs naturally in horses, with many similarities to human tendinopathy making it an ideal large animal model for human disease. Regenerative approaches are increasingly used to improve outcome involving mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), supported by clinical data where injection of autologous bone marrow derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) suspended in marrow supernatant into injured tendons has halved the re-injury rate in racehorses....
Viana D, Blanco J, Tormo-Más MA, Selva L, Guinane CM, Baselga R, Corpa J, Lasa I, Novick RP, Fitzgerald JR, Penadés JR.Staphylococci adapt specifically to various animal hosts by genetically determined mechanisms that are not well understood. One such adaptation involves the ability to coagulate host plasma, by which strains isolated from ruminants or horses can be differentiated from closely related human strains. Here, we report first that this differential coagulation activity is due to animal-specific alleles of the von Willebrand factor-binding protein (vWbp) gene, vwb, and second that these vwb alleles are carried by highly mobile pathogenicity islands, SaPIs. Although all Staphylococcus aureus possess c...
Signer-Hasler H, Flury C, Haase B, Burger D, Simianer H, Leeb T, Rieder S.The molecular analysis of genes influencing human height has been notoriously difficult. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for height in humans based on tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of samples so far revealed ∼200 loci for human height explaining only 20% of the heritability. In domestic animals isolated populations with a greatly reduced genetic heterogeneity facilitate a more efficient analysis of complex traits. We performed a genome-wide association study on 1,077 Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses using ∼40,000 SNPs. Our study revealed two QTL for height at withers on c...
Carter RA, Geor RJ, Burton Staniar W, Cubitt TA, Harris PA.This study described a scoring system for the assessment of apparent neck adiposity and evaluated morphometric measurements for assessment of neck and overall adiposity. Twenty-one barren Thoroughbred mares, 13 Arabian geldings and 75 Welsh, Dartmoor, or crossbred pony mares, were clinically examined and blood samples analysed for insulin, glucose, leptin, and triglycerides. Bodyweight (BW), height, length, girth and abdominal circumferences, neck length, neck crest height and neck circumference were measured, and body condition scores (BCS) and cresty neck scores (CNS) were rated. Girth:heigh...
