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.
Lösle M, Lin CW, Beil-Wagner J, Aebi M, Buch T.Equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) is a widely used hormone that synchronizes the female cycle and induces estrus in livestock. eCG is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed of non-covalently linked α- and β-chains whose glycosylation profiles determine the in vivo activity of the hormone. The commercially available eCG products are crudely purified from the serum of pregnant mares, hence called pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG). Appropriate glycosylation of the protein is crucial for the correct binding to the receptor, receptor activation, and its half-life. The exact protein composi...
McCarthy RD, Ordóñez HJ, Semevolos SA.To compare core temperatures of superficial and deep digital flexor tendons (SDFT, DDFT) during application of a compression cooling system versus ice boots and during subsequent lower limb bandaging. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Paired forelimbs of six sedated horses. Methods: Thermocouples were placed in the core of SDFT and DDFT of both front limbs of each horse. A compression cooling system was applied to one front limb and an ice boot was applied to the other front limb for 60 min and then removed for 60 min. Standing bandages were then applied to both front limbs for 60 mi...
Hardefeldt LY, Thomas K, Begg L.Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a problem for equine practitioners in Australia, but antimicrobial use in practice has been largely understudied. We aimed to evaluate equine veterinarians' intentions of prescribing antimicrobials in areas where we perceived there to be wide ranges of practice - dentistry, reproduction and for nonbactericidal effects. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey of veterinarians working in equine practice was conducted over 4 months in 2023 and 2024. Antimicrobial use, including compounding practices, for reproductive and dental disorders, and nonbactericidal...
Berglund P, Andonov S, Jansson A, Olsson C, Lundqvist T, Strandberg E, Eriksson S.In equine sports, shoes are used to protect the hooves from wear and tear. In Swedish trotting races, pulling off the shoes to race barefoot is popular because it improves racing time. Good hoof quality is essential for high-performance horses, but not all trotting horses have hooves that tolerate barefoot racing. The ability to race barefoot is a complex trait that is known to be influenced by environmental factors, but the genetic basis of this trait has not been studied. The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and correlations between estimated breeding values for three nov...
Visser EK, Jens AL, Nieuwe Weme LE, Spaapen AA, Maarleveld KN, Enzerink KH, Tromp PN, Haven-Pross SC.Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) offer significant benefits for individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. However, ensuring the welfare of the horses involved remains a key ethical concern. The objective of this study was to assess the affective states of horses involved in EAS while also establishing behavioural thresholds for indicators of positive or negative affective states. A total of 98 horses were observed over a two-month period, accumulating data about horse behaviour and session characteristics from 830 EAS sessions. Horses participating in coaching programs averaged...
Entwisle IG, McConnell EJ.Sand enteropathy describes the clinical signs attributed to accumulation of sand in the gastrointestinal tract. Psyllium combined with magnesium sulphate has been recommended for clearing intestinal sand, but this has only been evaluated in one population. The combination of these two agents with paraffin oil has not been investigated. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of paraffin oil, psyllium and magnesium sulphate combined in clearing intestinal sand in horses diagnosed with sand enteropathy. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Medical records of horses presenting for san...
de Freitas MG, Dos Santos GH, Silva DLZ, Costa TD, Borges DGL, Reckziegel GH, Cleveland H, do Nascimento Ramos CA, Pereira FB, de Almeida Borges F.The strategic control of equine gastrointestinal nematodes is based on epidemiology. The aim is the reduction of the population of parasites as a whole in the hosts and environment while seeking the number of treatments that achieves the balance between not risking animal health and not exerting selection pressure for resistant parasites. This is the first study in a tropical region to assess a strategic control protocol for equines. The study was conducted in the municipality of Anastácio in the state of Mata Gross do Sul, Brazil, over a two-year period from April 2021 to March 2023, involvi...
Page AE, Rauber-Ramos AM, Humiston M, McPeek JL, Adam EN.Given the metabolic effects of intra-articular (IA) corticosteroids, the goal of this project was to monitor the effects of IA betamethasone in both insulin dysregulated (ID)(n = 3) and non-ID (n = 5) horses. A cross-over design was used where eight geldings were injected with either 9 mg of betamethasone or saline into both metacarpophalangeal joints, followed by regular blood collections for adrenocorticotropin releasing hormone (ACTH), cortisol, insulin, and glucose, as well as pre- and post-administration oral sugar testing. Results were analyzed via two-way repeated measures analysis of v...
The protein journalFebruary 22, 2025
Volume 44, Issue 3 271-282 doi: 10.1007/s10930-025-10259-8
Akay MB, Sener K, Sari S, Bodur E.Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; EC 3.1.1.8), a serine hydrolase found in various tissues, hydrolyses choline esters such as acetylcholine and succinylcholine, as well as other esters such as heroin and acetylsalicylic acid. It is considered to play a role in lipid metabolism as it belongs to the same enzyme group as lipases and its catalytic subunits are similar. In this study, the effects of unsaturated fatty acids, namely arachidonic (AA), linoleic (LA), alpha-linolenic (ALA) and oleic acid (OA), on equine serum BChE (EqBChE) were investigated. Enzyme activity was measured by the modified Ellma...
Botía M, Muñoz-Prieto A, Martínez-Subiela S, Martín-Cuervo M, Hansen S, Manteca X, Cerón JJ, López-Arjona M.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a frequent disease in horses that comprises two different entities: equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD). This disease considerably reduces the quality of life of affected horses and can negatively affect performance. Saliva contains biomarkers, such as oxytocin, that have been used as a welfare indicator and can develop a function as a protective factor against stress-induced changes in gastric function due to its gastric antisecretory and antiulcer effects. The objective of this work was to evaluate changes...
Dubeibe-Marin DF, Borraez DF, Gomez-López DL, Velasco-Acosta DA.This study evaluated the effect of the presence and location of the corpus luteum (CL) on quantity and competence of equine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). Pairs of ovaries were collected at the slaughterhouse and classified into three groups: ovaries with CL (CL+); ovaries with CL in the contralateral ovary (CL-) and ovaries without a CL (NCL). Were evaluated COC quantity, morphology, nuclear maturation rate, and intrafollicular progesterone concentration and gene expression (BAX, BMP-15, ODC1, GDF9, AURKA) in both cumulus cells and oocytes after in vitro maturation. Results showed a lower r...
Shnaiderman-Torban A, Meltzer L, Zilberman-Daniels T, Navon-Venezia S, Cohen A, Sutton GA, Blum SE, Amit S, Steinman A.Infections with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) contribute to morbidity and mortality in human neonates. In foals, data are scarce. Objective: Determine the association between ESBL-PE gastrointestinal colonization on hospital admission and infections in hospitalized neonates. Methods: Sixty-seven foals. Methods: Prospective study of foals admitted to a veterinary hospital. Foals were screened for ESBL-PE colonization and for infections. Risk factors and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results: Seventy-six percent of foals suffered from at least 1 bacteri...
Júnior GS, de Souza JV, de Souza Ferreira W, Florentino VRD, Valente TC, Comassetto F, Oleskovicz N.This study aimed to evaluate the sedation degree, cardiopulmonary effects, and detomidine-sparing during dental occlusal adjustment in standing horses using a bolus and constant rate infusion (CRI) of detomidine alone or in combination with butorphanol or methadone. In this randomized, blinded clinical trial, 24 healthy adult horses were assigned to the detomidine (DT), detomidine-butorphanol (DB), or detomidine-methadone (DM) group. DT received an intravenous bolus of detomidine (20 μg/kg), followed by CRI at 20 μg/kg/h. DB received detomidine (10 μg/kg) and butorphanol (0.02 mg/kg) boluse...
MacMillan KM, Burns JJ, John E, Clancey N, Stull JW.Decreased total T4 (tT4) concentrations are frequently observed in racing Standardbred horses lacking clinical evidence of hypothyroidism. This poses a diagnostic challenge as primary hypothyroidism is reported to be rare in adult horses. Despite this, owners frequently wish to administer thyroid supplementation to horses having low tT4 concentrations. Forty racing Standardbred horses were sampled. Baseline tT4 concentrations were determined using human-based (equine) and canine-based chemiluminescent assays. Dynamic evaluation of tT4 was performed using a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) s...
Branda F, Yon DK, Albanese M, Binetti E, Giovanetti M, Ciccozzi A, Ciccozzi M, Scarpa F, Ceccarelli G.Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the equine influenza virus (EIV), posing a significant threat to equine populations worldwide. EIV exhibits considerable antigenic variability due to its segmented genome, complicating long-term disease control efforts. Although infections are rarely fatal, EIV's high transmissibility results in widespread outbreaks, leading to substantial morbidity and considerable economic impacts on veterinary care, quarantine, and equestrian activities. The H3N8 subtype has undergone significant antigenic evolution, resulting in the...
Gillen A, Archer D, Ireland J, Rocchigiani G.Strangulating lipomata are the most common cause of small intestinal strangulating obstruction. Evaluation of histological features of pathological and non-pathological lipomata, and the histological properties of omental and retroperitoneal fat have not been described. Objective: To characterise histological features of equine abdominal lipomata, omental and retroperitoneal adipose tissue, and associations between them. Methods: Prospective observational anatomic (gross and histological). Methods: Horses undergoing emergency laparotomy for management of abdominal pain in a single hospital wer...
Sijtsema M, Stringer T, Hopman NEM, van der Graaf-van Bloois L, Duim B, van den Brom-Spierenburg A, Theelen M, Zomer A, Broens EM.Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) associated with ESKAPEE pathogens are an emerging concern in equine hospitals, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). To gain insight into the occurrence of HAIs and to identify potential reservoirs and transmission routes of ESKAPEE pathogens in an equine ICU, a pilot study of two periods (December 2022-January 2023 and April-June 2023) was performed, where patient and environmental samples were obtained upon ICU admission and discharge. A sampling and laboratory protocol for the detection and identification of different ESKAPEE pathogens and Salm...
Rochais C, Akoka E, Amiot Girard S, Grandgeorge M, Henry S.Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have become increasingly popular, with horses being one of the most commonly used species. While the effects of equine-assisted interventions (EAIs) have been widely studied in humans, research focusing on animals involved in such work is limited. Understanding how animals perceive their world is ethically important because their perception reflects the valence of their underlying mood. We investigated the cognitive judgement bias (pessimistic vs. optimistic) and perception of humans (negative vs. positive) in horses from three different facilities, divided...
Christie KD, Epstein KL, Tyma JF, Afonso T, Fultz LE, Giguère S.Surgical site infection (SSI) is an important complication following emergency celiotomy in the horse. Judicious antimicrobial use is important for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance and the limitation of antimicrobial-associated complications. Previous studies in horses have found no association between SSI and perioperative antimicrobial duration, but the ideal duration of antimicrobial administration in horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy remains unclear. Objective: To compare SSI and describe post-operative complications, survival, duration and cost of hospitalisation in horses...
Risvanli A, Hatipoglu F, Salykov R, Timurkaan N, Kadiralieva N, Kasymalieva KK, Seker I, Ekinci E.In the current study, we aimed to determine the distribution of telocytes in the ovary, oviduct and uterus of Kyrgyz mares depending on whether they were pregnant. We also studied the progression during the first 6 months of pregnancy. To this end, ovary, oviduct and uterus tissues from 53 Kyrgyz mares were obtained post-mortem. The mare tissue samples were divided into two groups: pregnant (n = 43) and non-pregnant (n = 10). Telocyte levels in the tissues were determined using light microscopic and immunohistochemical methods. Subsequently, the data acquired were evaluated based on ...
Gaspari G, Lange-Consiglio A, Cremonesi F, Desantis S.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important mediators of cell-cell communication thanks to their ability to transfer their bioactive cargo, thus regulating a variety of physiological contexts. EVs derived from amniotic mesenchymal/stromal cells (eAMC-EVs) are internalized by equine endometrial cells (eECs) with positive effects on regenerative medicine treatments. As the cellular uptake of EVs is influenced by the glycan profile of both EVs and target cells, this study is focused on the role of surface glycans in the uptake of eAMC-EVs by recipient eECs. Equine ECs were obtained by enzymatic di...
Asif S, Gulzar MW.Endometritis is a significant cause of infertility in mare. Some infectious agents disrupt the endometrium's innate immune system, resulting in a prolonged systemic inflammatory response that circulates via the blood or cellular degeneration, which ultimately leads to endometritis from bacterial endotoxins. Numerous biological processes use various small, non-coding RNA molecules called MicroRNAs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression after transcription by blocking transcription and translation. This manuscript examines patho-morphological discoveries in equine endometritis, the express...
Adler DMT, Nielsen AT, Olsen C, Verwilghen D, Damborg P, Olsen RH.To investigate the in vitro efficacy of antibiotics (amikacin, ceftiofur, and gentamicin) in combination with local anesthetics (LAs; bupivacaine hydrochloride, lidocaine hydrochloride, and mepivacaine hydrochloride), a combination commonly performed for IA injectate and regional limb perfusion (RLP) in horses. Unassigned: 17 equine clinical isolates were tested by the checkerboard method for their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against a combination of concentrations of LAs and antibiotics from August 2020 through December 2023. Unassigned: For the majority of combinations, the antibi...
Engiles JB, Stefanovski D, van Eps A.To examine the effects of prolonged preferential weight bearing (PWB) and reduced ambulation (RA) on hoof lamellae using a nonpainful in vivo experimental model. Unassigned: 12 healthy Standardbred horses were housed in stocks continuously for 92 hours. A platform shoe was placed on 1 forelimb in the PWB group (n = 6) to increase the load on the supporting limb (SL) by approximately 10% bodyweight, whereas the RA group (n = 6) had normal weight bearing. Archived healthy horse (n = 8) samples were used as controls. Histomorphometry and histochemistry (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP ...
Isgren CM, Pinchbeck GL, Salem SE, Hann MJ, Townsend NB, Cullen MD, Archer DC.Surgical site infection (SSI) is a frequent complication following emergency equine laparotomy, negatively impacting equine welfare, increasing treatment costs and presenting a hospital biosecurity risk. Objective: To determine if a sutured-on stent dressing for incisional protection during anaesthetic recovery reduced SSI following emergency laparotomy. Methods: Randomised controlled trial. Methods: Eligible horses were randomised to a sutured-on stent (intervention) or textile dressing (control) as the primary component of a 3-layer abdominal bandage placed for anaesthetic recovery. Horses w...
Fernandes TA, Paulino PG, Dos Santos Juliano D, Rabello CA, de Oliveira NVB, de Souza Santana M, Peckle M, Massard CL, da Costa Angelo I, Jacob JCF....Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a reportable disease according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), caused by Babesia caballi, Theileria equi and T. haneyi. This syndrome is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, including various areas in Brazilian. This study examines EP in the Distrito Federal, Brazil, focusing on prevalence, epidemiological characteristics, and circulating genotypes. Epidemiological data and whole blood samples were collected from horses in the Distrito Federal. DNA was analyzed using qPCR for Theileria sp. and B. caballi, followed by cPCR for 18S rDNA ...
Hudson S, Blackburn J, Fish M, Ousey K.Police officers wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce their risk of injury while on duty. Despite the unique policing activity of riding a horse, little is known about the PPE used by mounted officers. The aim of this research was to assess the use, comfort, and functionality of mounted police PPE. Twenty officers from three UK Mounted Sections were recruited. Semi-structured interviews and range of movement assessments were conducted. Interview data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three main themes were generated: and Much of the PPE worn by mounted officers is ...
Pain management in horses plays a pivotal role in the therapeutic approach to several diseases. Horses have cannabinoid receptors at the level of dorsal root ganglia, blood vessels, and synoviocytes that can be up or down- regulated by inflammatory conditions, justifying the possible efficacy of exogenous cannabinoids (i.e., phytocannabinoids) in managing several painful pathologies in this animal species. However, the current use of supplements containing cannabidiol (CBD) in equines is based on anecdotal evidence, without the support of sufficient pharmacokinetic studies. In humans, the conc...
John KD, Vincent AL, Nieforth LO, Schafroth J.This article used an intersectional feminist analytic framework to theorize the role of anthropomorphizing human-equine interactions in the HERD Institute's modality for practitioners of Equine-facilitated learning and equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFL/P). EFL/P is a traditionally human-centered activity which leverages anthropomorphizing equine behavior and emotions to better understand human selves and dynamics by assigning human emotions to equids and human-equine interactions. Intersectional feminist theories were used to interpret 11 in-depth interviews with EFL/P practitioners. The d...
Li D, Wang X, Yao J, Chen S.Adipose tissue-derived extracellular vesicles (ATEVs) have garnered attention for their roles in intercellular communication and regulation. This study presents the first investigation of equine adipose tissue, with ATEV being extracted concurrently during the isolation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs). Through CCK-8 cell proliferation assays and scratch migration assays, a significant promotional effect of ATEV on ADSCs was observed, which not only accelerated the proliferation rate of the stem cells but also enhanced their migratory capacity. The application of Trypan Blue e...
Kuwahara M, Hashimoto S, Ishii K, Yagi Y, Hada T, Hiraga A, Kai M, Kubo K, Oki H, Tsubone H, Sugano S.We studied power spectral analysis of heart rate (HR) variability in the horse, with the hypothesis that the quantitative information provided by the spectral analysis of HR variability reflects the interaction between sympathetic and parasympathetic regulatory activities. For this purpose, electrocardiogram, blood pressure (BP) and respiratory (Resp) waveform were simultaneously recorded from Thoroughbred horses (3-5 years old) and analyzed by power spectrum. There were two major spectral components at low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands for HR variability. The peak of Resp varia...
Campbell AJ, Gasser RB, Chilton NB.In the current study, molecular techniques were evaluated for the species identification of individual strongyle eggs. Adult worms of Strongylus edentatus, S. equinus and S. vulgaris were collected at necropsy from horses from Australia and the U.S.A. Genomic DNA was isolated and a ribosomal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) amplified and sequenced using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. The length of the ITS-2 sequence of S. edentatus, S. equinus and S. vulgaris ranged between 217 and 235 nucleotides. Extensive sequence analysis demonstrated a low degree (0-0.9%) of intraspecific variation...
Schauer SN, Sontakke SD, Watson ED, Esteves CL, Donadeu FX.Previous evidence from in vitro studies suggests specific roles for a subset of miRNAs, including miR-21, miR-23a, miR-145, miR-503, miR-224, miR-383, miR-378, miR-132, and miR-212, in regulating ovarian follicle development. The objective of this study was to determine changes in the levels of these miRNAs in relation to follicle selection, maturation, and ovulation in the monovular equine ovary. In Experiment 1, follicular fluid was aspirated during ovulatory cycles from the dominant (DO) and largest subordinate (S) follicles of an ovulatory wave and the dominant (DA) follicle of a mid-cycle...
Nunamaker DM, Butterweck DM, Provost MT.The North American Thoroughbred racehorse was chosen as a model to study the pathogenesis of fatigue failure of bone. This species has a high incidence of spontaneous fatigue failure of bone (bucked shins) during its early training. In vivo strain gauge studies of the third metacarpal bone of four young racehorses running at racing speeds showed high principal compressive strains [-4,841 +/- 572 (SD) microstrain] while two older horses had lower principal compressive strains (-3,317 microstrain measured at racing speed, -3,250 microstrain extrapolated from a slower speed run). Previously repor...
Wagner PD, Gillespie JR, Landgren GL, Fedde MR, Jones BW, DeBowes RM, Pieschl RL, Erickson HH.Arterial hypoxemia has been reported in horses during heavy exercise, but its mechanism has not been determined. With the use of the multiple inert gas elimination technique, we studied five horses, each on two separate occasions, to determine the physiological basis of the hypoxemia that developed during horizontal treadmill exercise at speeds of 4, 10, 12, and 13-14 m/s. Mean, blood temperature-corrected, arterial PO2 fell from 89.4 Torr at rest to 80.7 and 72.1 Torr at 12 and 13-14 m/s, respectively, whereas corresponding PaCO2 values were 40.3, 40.3, and 39.2 Torr. Alveolar-arterial PO2 di...
Burrell MH, Wood JL, Whitwell KE, Chanter N, Mackintosh ME, Mumford JA.A longitudinal study of respiratory disease in racehorses was carried out to assess its relative associations with different infectious agents and to examine any role that the environmental conditions might play. The relationships between coughing, nasal discharge, pyrexia and lower respiratory tract disease were also examined to provide information for improving clinical diagnosis, particularly of disease of the lower respiratory tract. Lower airway disease was closely associated with infection with Streptococcus zooepidemicus. It was also found that equine herpesvirus seroconversions and S p...
Maury W.In vivo, equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) replicates in tissues rich in macrophages, and it is widely believed that the tissue macrophage is the principal, if not sole, cell within the host that replicates virus. No viral replication has been detected in circulating peripheral blood monocytes. However, proviral DNA can be detected in these cells, and monocytes may serve as a reservoir for the virus. In this study, an in vitro model was developed to clarify the role of monocyte maturation in regulating EIAV expression. Freshly isolated, nonadherent equine peripheral blood monocytes were in...
Carpenter S, Evans LH, Sevoian M, Chesebro B.Equine infectious anemia virus was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes collected during two early febrile cycles of an experimentally infected horse. RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotide fingerprint analyses indicated that the nucleotide sequences of the isolates differed by approximately 0.25% and that the differences appeared randomly distributed throughout the genome. Serum collected in the interval between virus isolations was able to distinguish the isolates by membrane immunofluorescence on live cells. However, no neutralizing antibody was detected in the interval between virus isola...
Naskou MC, Sumner SM, Chocallo A, Kemelmakher H, Thoresen M, Copland I, Galipeau J, Peroni JF.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) produced for clinical purposes rely on culture media containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) which is xenogeneic and has the potential to significantly alter the MSC phenotype, rendering these cells immunogenic. As a result of bovine-derived exogenous proteins expressed on the cell surface, MSCs may be recognized by the host immune system as non-self and be rejected. Platelet lysate (PL) may obviate some of these concerns and shows promising results in human medicine as a possible alternative to FBS. Our goal was to evaluate the use of equine platelet lysate (ePL) poo...
Colenbrander B, Gadella BM, Stout TA.Pregnancy rates in managed horse populations depend on the innate fertility of the mares and stallions involved and on the quality of breeding management. Of course, because a single stallion usually mates many mares, stallion fertility is a critical factor in the overall success of a breeding program. Unfortunately, accurate evaluation of stallion fertility per se requires a large number of normal mares to be mated and is necessarily retrospective. Rather, the ideal is to predict fertility in advance of the stallion's breeding career, and this is currently attempted by way of a thorough physi...
Hendrickson DA, Nixon AJ, Grande DA, Todhunter RJ, Minor RM, Erb H, Lust G.Cartilage resurfacing by chondrocyte implantation, with fibrin used as a vehicle, was examined in large (12 mm) full-thickness articular cartilage defects in horses. Articular chondrocytes, isolated from a 9-day-old foal, were mixed with fibrinogen and injected with thrombin, in a 1:1 mixture, into 12 mm circular defects on the lateral trochlea of the distal femur of eight normal horses. The contralateral femoropatellar (knee) joint served as a control in which the defect was left empty. Synovial fluid from the femoropatellar joints was sampled on days 0, 4, 7, 30, 120, and 240 postoperatively...
Smith RK, Birch H, Patterson-Kane J, Firth EC, Williams L, Cherdchutham W, van Weeren WR, Goodship AE.In human athletes, conditioning, training and competition are commenced before skeletal maturity. Yet in equine athletics, racing of young (age 2 years) horses remains contentious. Tendon injury persists as major causes of wastage in equine athletes. Minimising injury and associated welfare issues could involve a radical approach to the timing and implementation of conditioning and training. Tendons were examined from Thoroughbreds, Dutch Warmblood foals, working horses and also a group of wild horses to evaluate effects of age, function and exercise. Gross mechanical properties did not differ...
Qablan MA, Oborník M, Petrželková KJ, Sloboda M, Shudiefat MF, Hořín P, Lukeš J, Modrý D.Microscopic diagnosis of equine piroplasmoses, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, is hindered by low parasitaemia during the latent phase of the infections. However, this constraint can be overcome by the application of PCR followed by sequencing. Out of 288 animals examined, the piroplasmid DNA was detected in 78 (27·1%). Multiplex PCR indicated that T. equi (18·8%) was more prevalent than B. caballi (7·3%), while mixed infections were conspicuously absent. Sequences of 69 PCR amplicons obtained by the 'catch-all' PCR were in concordance with those amplified by the multiplex str...
Thomas KE, Annest JL, Gilchrist J, Bixby-Hammett DM.To characterise and provide nationally representative estimates of persons with non-fatal horse related injuries treated in American emergency departments. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) is a stratified probability sample comprising 66 hospitals. Data on injuries treated in these emergency departments are collected and reported. NEISS-AIP data on all types (horseback riding and otherwise) of non-fatal horse related injuries from 2001 to 2003 were analysed. Results: An estimated 102,904 persons with non-fatal horse related injuries (35...
Schmidt A, Hödl S, Möstl E, Aurich J, Müller J, Aurich C.Domestic animals are often repeatedly exposed to the same anthropogenic stressors. Based on cortisol secretion and heart rate, it has been demonstrated that transport is stressful for horses, but so far, changes in this stress response with repeated road transport have not been reported. We determined salivary cortisol concentrations, fecal cortisol metabolites, cardiac beat-to-beat (RR) interval, and heart rate variability (HRV) in transport-naive horses (N = 8) transported 4 times over a standardized course of 200 km. Immunoreactive salivary cortisol concentrations always increased in respon...
Schoster A, Weese JS, Guardabassi L.The gastrointestinal microbiota is extremely important for human and animal health. Investigations into the composition of the microbiota and its therapeutic modification have received increasing interest in human and veterinary medicine. Probiotics are a way of modifying the microbiota and have been tested to prevent and treat diseases. Probiotics are proposed to exert their beneficial effects through various pathways. Production of antimicrobial compounds targeting intestinal pathogens, general immune stimulation, and colonization resistance are among these mechanisms. Despite widespread ava...
Goodship AE, Birch HL, Wilson AM.Injury of the collagenous structures comprising tendons and ligaments, either from acute trauma or from repetitive strain lesions, results in protracted periods of disability. The resolution of such injuries often fails to restore the normal morphologic and functional characteristics of the structure and, therefore, either compromises the future performance of the individual or predisposes to an increased risk of recurrent injury.
Marędziak M, Marycz K, Smieszek A, Lewandowski D, Toker NY.The aim of this study was to evaluate the proliferation rate and morphological changes of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells of canine and equine origin (Eq- and CaAdMSC). Investigated cells were exposed to a static magnetic field (MF) with the intensity of 0.5 T. Proliferation activity of cells was determined with the Alamar Blue assay. Obtained results, normalized in respect to the control culture, showed that EqAdMSC exposed to MF maintained a high proliferation status, whereas proliferation activity of CaAdMSC cultured in the presence of MF was decreased. Estimations of population doub...
Hoopes JT, Stark CJ, Kim HA, Sussman DJ, Donovan DM, Nelson DC.Streptococcus equi is the causative agent of the purulent infection equine strangles. This disease is transmitted through shedding of live bacteria from nasal secretions and abscess drainage or by contact with surfaces contaminated by the bacteria. Disinfectants are effective against S. equi, but inactivation by environmental factors, damage to equipment, and toxicity are of great concern. Bacteriophage-encoded lysins (cell wall hydrolases) have been investigated as therapeutic agents due to their ability to lyse susceptible gram-positive organisms. Here, we investigate the use of one lysin, P...
de la Rosa G, Olvera F, Archundia IG, Lomonte B, Alagón A, Corzo G.Antivenoms are fundamental in the therapy for snakebites. In elapid venoms, there are toxins, e.g. short-chain α-neurotoxins, which are quite abundant, highly toxic, and consequently play a major role in envenomation processes. The core problem is that such α-neurotoxins are weakly immunogenic, and many current elapid antivenoms show low reactivity towards them. We have previously developed a recombinant consensus short-chain α-neurotoxin (ScNtx) based on sequences from the most lethal elapid venoms from America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Here we report that an antivenom generated by immu...
Brommer H, Brama PA, Laasanen MS, Helminen HJ, van Weeren PR, Jurvelin JS.The concept of functional adapatation of articular cartilage during maturation has emerged from earlier biochemical research. However, articular cartilage has principally a biomechanical function governed by joint loading. Objective: To verify whether the concept of functional adaptation can be confirmed by direct measurement of biomechanical properties of cartilage. Objective: Fetuses have homogeneous (i.e. site-independent) cartilage with regard to biomechanical properties. During growth and development to maturity, the biomechanical characteristics adapt according to functional (loading) de...
Mensing N, Gasse H, Hambruch N, Haeger JD, Pfarrer C, Staszyk C.The equine periodontium provides tooth support and lifelong tooth eruption on a remarkable scale. These functions require continuous tissue remodeling. It is assumed that multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) reside in the periodontal ligament (PDL) and play a crucial role in regulating physiological periodontal tissue regeneration. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize equine periodontal MSC. Tissue samples were obtained from four healthy horses. Primary cell populations were harvested and cultured from the gingiva, from three horizontal levels of the PDL (apical, midtoo...
Perkins GA, Wagner B.The development of equine immunity from the fetus to adulthood is complex. The foal's immune response and the immune mechanisms that they are equipped with, along with changes over the first months of life until the immune system becomes adult-like, are only partially understood. While several innate immune responses seem to be fully functional from birth, the onset of adaptive immune response is delayed. For some adaptive immune parameters, such as immunoglobin (Ig)G1, IgG3, IgG5 and IgA antibodies, the immune response starts before or at birth and matures within 3 months of life. Other antib...
O'Meara B, Bladon B, Parkin TD, Fraser B, Lischer CJ.There is limited information regarding the number of races and the period for evaluation of outcome which is critical for assessment of SDF tendonitis treatments. Objective: To evaluate the re-injury rate and racing performance of Thoroughbred racehorses that sustain SDF tendonitis in relation to matched controls in terms of number of races post treatment and maximum racing performance ratings before and after injury. Methods: Clinical records and racing histories of 401 racehorses with a first occurrence of SDF tendonitis diagnosed by ultrasonography. Controls were of the same age, sex and we...
Frischknecht M, Jagannathan V, Plattet P, Neuditschko M, Signer-Hasler H, Bachmann I, Pacholewska A, Drögemüller C, Dietschi E, Flury C, Rieder S....The identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) such as height and their underlying causative variants is still challenging and often requires large sample sizes. In humans hundreds of loci with small effects control the heritable portion of height variability. In domestic animals, typically only a few loci with comparatively large effects explain a major fraction of the heritability. We investigated height at withers in Shetland ponies and mapped a QTL to ECA 6 by genome-wide association (GWAS) using a small cohort of only 48 animals and the Illumina equine SNP70 BeadChip. Fine-mapping re...
Klaus C, Hörügel U, Hoffmann B, Beer M.During a routine examination of 130 horse sera from 13 herds in Thuringia one TBEV antibody positive serum - with a very high titre - could be detected. The horse had been bought from a holding in Bavaria, and was reported to have clinical signs that may have been caused by a TBEV infection. To identify the source of the suspected TBEV infection, ticks from the surroundings of the barn in Thuringia as well as horse sera and ticks from two herds in Bavaria were examined. In the holding in Bavaria, where the horse was kept before, two out of ten horse sera were found to be TBEV antibody positive...
de Grauw JC, van de Lest CH, Brama PA, Rambags BP, van Weeren PR.Meloxicam is a commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in equine practice, but little is known about its in vivo effects on joint inflammation and cartilage turnover. Objective: To study the effects of meloxicam on biomarkers of inflammation, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, and cartilage biomarkers in joints with experimental synovitis. Methods: In a 2-period cross-over study, synovitis was induced at T = 0 h in the L or R intercarpal joint of 6 horses by intraarticular injection of 0.5 ng lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Horses received once daily meloxicam (0.6 mg/kg bwt per os) ...
Ali A, Zahid H, Zeb I, Tufail M, Khan S, Haroon M, Tufail M, Bilal M, Hussain M, Alouffi AS, Muñoz-Leal S, Labruna MB.Studies on ticks infesting equids are lacking in various parts of the world, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity of ticks infesting equids, associated risk factors and rickettsial detection in ticks from equids in KP. Methods: Inspection of 404 equid hosts from November 2018 to October 2019 resulted in the collection of 550 ticks. Data on tick-associated risk factors were collected from equid owners by means of a questionnaire. After morphological identification, partial DNA sequences of the tick mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene were u...
Bartolomé E, Sánchez MJ, Molina A, Schaefer AL, Cervantes I, Valera M.The aims of this study were, first, to evaluate eye temperature (ET) with infrared thermography and heart rate (HR) to measure stress in horses during show jumping competitions and their relationship with competition results, and second, to evaluate the influence of different extrinsic and intrinsic factors of the horse on the stress measurements analysed. One hundred and seventy-three Spanish Sport Horses were analysed for ET and HR, and these measurements were taken 3 h before the competition, just after and 3 h after it. Two interval measurements were also assessed for each parameter. Posit...
Kotilainen T, Huhtinen M, Katila T.The objective of this study was to investigate the inflammatory reaction induced in the equine uterus by insemination with fresh and frozen semen. Eleven groups (6 to 8 mares per group) were studied during 2 breeding seasons. The mares were inseminated using raw semen, frozen semen, extended fresh and frozen semen, concentrated fresh semen, seminal plasma and seminal extenders only. One group was bred naturally. Six hours after insemination, the uteri were flushed with 50 ml of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Seventeen out of 104 samples (16%) exhibited slight bacterial growth. Neutrophil con...
