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.
Sherwood JA, Brittain DC, Howard JJ, Oliver J.Eastern equine encephalitis diagnostic serum antibody can appear 6 days after the onset of symptoms, and its numbers can increase 4-fold in 4 days, arguing for early and frequent serum testing. In populations where cerebrospinal fluid viral nucleic acid testing sensitivity and specificity remain undetermined, cerebrospinal antibody testing should also be performed.
Taylor PM, Hoare HR, de Vries A, Love EJ, Coumbe KM, White KL, Murrell JC.Buprenorphine, a μ-agonist opioid, has recently been licensed for equine use, but butorphanol, a κ-agonist opioid, is more commonly used in horses. The effect of the 2 opioids has not previously been compared in a large clinical study. Objective: To compare post operative analgesia and physiological variables in horses undergoing elective surgery following premedication with either buprenorphine or butorphanol in a conventional clinical setting. Methods: Multicentre, prospective, randomised, blinded clinical investigation. Methods: Eighty-nine healthy horses admitted for elective surgery to ...
Thorpe CT, McDermott BT, Goodship AE, Clegg PD, Birch HL.Advancing age is a well-known risk factor for tendon disease. Energy-storing tendons [e.g., human Achilles, equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT)] are particularly vulnerable and it is thought that injury occurs following an accumulation of micro-damage in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Several authors suggest that age-related micro-damage accumulates due to a failure of the aging cell population to maintain the ECM or an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic pathways. We hypothesized that ageing results in a decreased ability of tendon cells to synthesize matrix components and m...
Kim EJ, Kim BH, Yang S, Choi EJ, Shin YJ, Song JY, Shin YK.In this study, antibody responses after equine influenza vaccination were investigated among 1,098 horses in Korea using the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. The equine influenza viruses, A/equine/South Africa/4/03 (H3N8) and A/equine/Wildeshausen/1/08 (H3N8), were used as antigens in the HI assay. The mean seropositive rates were 91.7% (geometric mean antibody levels (GMT), 56.8) and 93.6% (GMT, 105.2) for A/equine/South Africa/4/03 and A/equine/Wildeshausen/1/08, respectively. Yearlings and two-year-olds in training exhibited lower positive rates (68.1% (GMT, 14) and 61.7% (GMT, 11.9)...
Falomo ME, Ferroni L, Tocco I, Gardin C, Zavan B.Endometriosis is a degenerative process due to a chronic inflammatory damage leading to extracellular matrix components deposition and glandular fibrosis. It is known that mesenchymal stem cells secrete a wide range of bioactive molecules, some of them modulating the immune inflammatory response, and others providing regeneration and remodeling of injured tissue. We have performed in vitro experiments in order to analyze the capability of allogenic equine adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) to infiltrate mares' endometrial tissues and to stimulate the expression of cytokines and metallopeptidas...
Beltran E, Grundon R, Stewart J, Biggi M, Holloway A, Freeman C.A 16-year old Warmblood gelding presented with a nonhealing corneal ulcer and absent corneal sensation in the left eye. A lesion affecting the maxillary and ophthalmic branches of the left trigeminal nerve was suspected. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging identified marked thickening of the ophthalmic and maxillary branches of the left trigeminal nerve. The nerve was iso- to hypointense on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images with heterogeneous enhancement. A peripheral nerve sheath tumor was suspected, however granulomatous neuritis was histopathologically confirmed. These inflammatory changes can...
Beccati F, Pepe M, Pascucci L, Ceccarelli P, Chiaradia E, Mancini F, Mandara MT.The purpose of this study was to delineate the pattern of sympathetic innervation in the suprasesamoidean region of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in horses using immunohistochemical staining (IHC) for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and alpha-1 adrenergic receptor (α1-AR). Fourteen forelimbs were collected from 10 horses. Longitudinal sections of the suprasesamoidean region of healthy DDFTs were harvested. Most of the sympathetic innervation was found to be in the walls of blood vessels. The tendon tissue proper was sparsely innervated, with a lesser degree of innervation within the dorsal ...
Wang AL, Kern T.Melanocytic neoplasms in veterinary species occur in various ophthalmic locations including the eyelid, conjunctiva, cornea, sclera, anterior and posterior uvea, and orbit. Histology usually provides the definitive diagnosis for melanocytic ocular neoplasias. The degree of tissue invasiveness and anaplastic cellular characteristics are more reliable indicators of biological behavior than is mitotic index in most ophthalmic melanocytic tumors. Melanocytic neoplasias of the eyelid are predominantly benign in canines and equines, though in felines, there is the potential for metastasis, especiall...
Puhakka PH, Te Moller NCR, Afara IO, Mäkelä JTA, Tiitu V, Korhonen RK, Brommer H, Virén T, Jurvelin JS, Töyräs J.The aim was to investigate the applicability of multivariate analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) information for determining structural integrity, composition and mechanical properties of articular cartilage. Methods: Equine osteochondral samples (N = 65) were imaged with OCT, and their total attenuation and backscattering coefficients (μt and μb) were measured. Subsequently, the Mankin score, optical density (OD) describing the fixed charge density, light absorbance in amide I region (Aamide), collagen orientation, permeability, fibril network modulus (Ef) and non-fibrillar mat...
Nixon J.Equine consultant, Jane Nixon, attended the first equine biosecurity course at the British Racing School in November last year, organised by Whorl Publishing. Here, she reports on some of the issues covered.
Kamr AM, Dembek KA, Reed SM, Slovis NM, Zaghawa AA, Rosol TJ, Toribio RE.Hypocalcemia is a frequent abnormality that has been associated with disease severity and outcome in hospitalized foals. However, the pathogenesis of equine neonatal hypocalcemia is poorly understood. Hypovitaminosis D in critically ill people has been linked to hypocalcemia and mortality; however, information on vitamin D metabolites and their association with clinical findings and outcome in critically ill foals is lacking. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (hypovitaminosis D) and its association with serum calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hor...
Arnold CE, Brinsko SP, Varner DD.6 mares with pyometra secondary to transluminal cervical adhesions were examined. Results: Reasons for hospital admission included infertility (5 mares) and acute colic (1 mare). In the 6 mares, palpation per rectum of the reproductive tract revealed uterine distention, and transrectal ultrasonography confirmed the presence of echogenic fluid accumulation within the uterus. Cervical palpation during vaginal speculum examination indicated transluminal cervical adhesions. Three mares had severe distortion of the cervix as a result of diverticula and fibrosis. All 6 mares had a diagnosis of pyome...
McClure SR, Koenig R, Hawkins PA.To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel trimethoprim-sulfadiazine oral suspension for the treatment of naturally acquired Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus infection in horses. Methods: Randomized, controlled field trial. Methods: 180 horses with S equi subsp zooepidemicus infection. Methods: Horses with lower respiratory tract infections caused by S equi subsp zooepidemicus were treated with a new formulation of combined trimethoprim-sulfadiazine oral suspension at a dosage of 24 mg/kg (10.9 mg/lb) twice daily for 10 days (treatment group) or with an equivalent volume of saline (0.9% Na...
Laskoski LM, Locatelli-Dittrich R, Valadão CA, Deconto I, Gonçalves KA, Montiani-Ferreira F, Brum JS, de Brito HF, de Sousa RS.The present study was aimed at identifying laminar lesions and leukocyte infiltration in hoof laminar tissue of horses with colic syndrome and its correlation with the total leukocyte count before death. Six healthy horses were used as control group (CG), and eighteen horses with lethal gastrointestinal disease were divided into two groups: leukopenic group (LG) with seven leukopenic horses, and non-leukopenic group (NLG) with 11 horses with total leukocyte count within reference range for the species. Leukocyte infiltration was examined by immunohistochemistry. Laminar lesions were observed i...
Martínez-Valladares M, Geurden T, Bartram DJ, Martínez-Pérez JM, Robles-Pérez D, Bohórquez A, Florez E, Meana A, Rojo-Vázquez FA.The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of anthelmintic resistance (AR) in ruminants and horses in Spain. The efficacy of commonly used macrocyclic lactones (MLs) - ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX) - was measured in sheep, cattle and horses. In addition, albendazole (ABZ) and levamisole (LEV) were evaluated in sheep and oxibendazole (OXI) and pyrantel (PYR) in horses. Efficacy was evaluated based on the difference between the arithmetic mean pre- and post-treatment faecal egg count (in cattle and horses), or compared to an untreated control group (in sheep). AR was present ...
Li L, Giannitti F, Low J, Keyes C, Ullmann LS, Deng X, Aleman M, Pesavento PA, Pusterla N, Delwart E.Metagenomics was used to characterize viral genomes in clinical specimens of horses with various organ-specific diseases of unknown aetiology. A novel parvovirus as well as a previously described hepacivirus closely related to human hepatitis C virus and equid herpesvirus 2 were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of horses with neurological signs. Four co-infecting picobirnaviruses, including an unusual genome with fused RNA segments, and a divergent anellovirus were found in the plasma of two febrile horses. A novel cyclovirus genome was characterized from the nasal secretion of another fe...
Bogaert L, Woodham AW, Da Silva DM, Martens A, Meyer E, Kast WM.Equine sarcoids are highly recurrent bovine papillomavirus (BPV)-induced fibroblastic neoplasms that are the most common skin tumours in horses. In order to facilitate the study of potential equine sarcoid prophylactics or therapeutics, which can be a slow and costly process in equines, a murine model for BPV-1 protein-expressing equine sarcoid-like tumours was developed in mice through stable transfection of BPV-1 E5 and E6 in a murine fibroblast tumour cell line (K-BALB). Like equine sarcoids, these murine tumour cells (BPV-KB) were of fibroblast origin, were tumorigenic and expressed BPV-1 ...
Faverjon C, Leblond A, Hendrikx P, Balenghien T, de Vos CJ, Fischer EA, de Koeijer AA.African horse sickness (AHS) is a major, Culicoides-borne viral disease in equines whose introduction into Europe could have dramatic consequences. The disease is considered to be endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent introductions of other Culicoides-borne viruses (bluetongue and Schmallenberg) into northern Europe have highlighted the risk that AHS may arrive in Europe as well. The aim of our study was to provide a spatiotemporal quantitative risk model of AHS introduction into France. The study focused on two pathways of introduction: the arrival of an infectious host (PW-host) and the arri...
Karikoski NP, Patterson-Kane JC, Singer ER, McFarlane D, McGowan CM.Hoof lamellar pathology in horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) has not been described previously. Objective: To describe the histomorphometry and pathological lesions in hoof lamellar tissue of animals that had PPID with or without concurrent laminitis, with reference to age-matched controls. We hypothesised that lamellar lesions consistent with laminitis would be associated with PPID, even in animals without current or historical laminitis. Methods: Prospective case-control study. Methods: Mid-dorsal hoof histological sections were obtained post mortem from the forelimbs ...
Matsuu A, Hobo S, Ando K, Sanekata T, Sato F, Endo Y, Amaya T, Osaki T, Horie M, Masatani T, Ozawa M, Tsukiyama-Kohara K.Non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV) is a recently discovered homolog of the hepatitis C virus in horses. The frequency and distribution of NPHV infections among horses in Japan is unknown. In this study, serum samples from 453 horses across Japan were screened for NPHV RNA using real-time RT-PCR and anti-nonstructural 3 protein (NS3) antibodies using the Gaussia luciferase immunoprecipitation system assay. In order to monitor the course of NPHV infection in horses, we examined 31 stored samples (9 adult horses and 22 young horses) obtained one year ago and compared the results to the recent data. S...
Oduori DO, Onyango SC, Kimari JN, MacLeod ET.Equine piroplasmosis is one of the most significant tick-borne disease of equids. The prevalence of this disease in donkeys of semi-arid Kenya remains largely unexplored. The primary objective of this study was to demonstrate the extent to which donkeys in Nuu division, Kenya have been exposed to the haemoprotozoans Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis. The study also assessed the effect of age and sex on seroprevalence. A stratified sampling approach was used and three hundred and fourteen donkeys were sampled across nine sub-locations in Nuu divisi...
Destrez A, Grimm P, Cézilly F, Julliand V.The digestive system of horses is adapted to a high-fiber diet consumed in small amounts over a long time. However, during training, high-starch and low-fiber diets are usually fed which may induce hindgut microbial disturbances and intestinal pain. These diets can be described as alimentary stress. The aim of the present study was to investigate to what extent changes in behavior are associated with alimentary stress and microbial composition changes of the cecal or colonic ecosystem. Six fistulated horses were used. The alimentary stress was a modification of diet from a high-fiber diet (100...
Davidson SB, Blostein PA, Schrotenboer A, Sloffer CA, VandenBerg SL.The size, speed, and unpredictable nature of horses present a significant risk for injury in all equine-related activities. Objective: We sought to examine the mechanism, severity, frequency, body regions affected, surgical requirements, rehabilitation needs, safety equipment utilization, and outcomes of equine-related injured patients. Methods: Records of inpatients who sustained an equine-related injury from 2002-2011 with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes E828 and E906 were retrospectively reviewed for pertinent data. Results: Ninety patients, 70% female, age (m...
Douglas HF, Southwood LL, Meyer-Ficca ML, Hart SK, Meyer RG.To evaluate the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) enzyme and its inhibition in horses and explore its potential as a novel therapeutic target for equine intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury by (1) identifying poly (ADP-ribose) (PAR) as an indication of PARP1 activation in equine cells using available immunoblot analytical techniques, (2) inducing PARP1 activation in an in vitro oxidative DNA damage model, (3) and demonstrating the inhibition of PARP1 in equine cells using commercially available PARP1 inhibitors. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Blood samples were collected from sys...
Schvartz G, Epp T, Burgess HJ, Chilton NB, Pearl DL, Lohmann KL.Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) and Lyme borreliosis (LB) are an emerging concern in Canada. We estimated the seroprevalence of EGA and equine LB by testing 376 convenience serum samples from 3 provinces using a point-of-care SNAP(®) 4Dx(®) ELISA (IDEXX Laboratories, Westbrook, Maine, USA), and investigated the agreement between the point-of-care ELISA and laboratory-based serologic tests. The estimated seroprevalence for EGA was 0.53% overall (0.49% in Saskatchewan, 0.71% in Manitoba), while the estimated seroprevalence for LB was 1.6% overall (0.49% in Saskatchewan, 2.86% in Manitob...
Unilateral orchiectomy (UO) may interfere with thermoregulation of the remaining testis caused by inflammation surrounding the incision site, thus altering normal spermatogenesis and consequently sperm quality. Two measures of sperm DNA quality (neutral comet assay and the sperm chromatin structure assay [SCSA]) were compared before UO (0 days) and at 14, 30, and 60 days after UO to determine whether sperm DNA changed after a mild testis stress (i.e., UO). The percent DNA in the comet tail was higher at 14 and 60 days compared to 0 days (P < 0.05) after UO. All other comet tail measures (i....
Morota G, Peñagaricano F, Petersen JL, Ciobanu DC, Tsuyuzaki K, Nikaido I.An integral part of functional genomics studies is to assess the enrichment of specific biological terms in lists of genes found to be playing an important role in biological phenomena. Contrasting the observed frequency of annotated terms with those of the background is at the core of overrepresentation analysis (ORA). Gene Ontology (GO) is a means to consistently classify and annotate gene products and has become a mainstay in ORA. Alternatively, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) offers a comprehensive life science vocabulary including additional categories that are not covered by GO. Although...
Zweygarth E, Just MC, De Waal DT.By means of an in vitro culture technique, 75 samples of horse blood were examined for Babesia equi, a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis. At the time of culture initiation, 15 samples were microscopically positive for B. equi, and this was subsequently confirmed by culture diagnosis. Sixty samples showed no parasites in Giemsa-stained thin blood smears. However, after the culturing process, parasites were found in blood smears of 36 of these samples. The sensitivity of the in vitro culture method was such that 2.5 microliters (1/40 of the usual volume used for the above-mentioned samples...
Vesicular stomatitis is an infrequent yet important vesicular disease of cattle, horses, and swine. Periodic outbreaks of this disease in the United States have caused economic losses in cattle herds because of decreased production, movement restrictions, and trade embargoes. Vesicular stomatitis causes clinical signs indistinguishable from those of foot-and-mouth disease. It is of utmost importance that appropriate samples are collected from clinical cases of vesicular disease in cattle and swine so a rapid laboratory diagnosis can be made.
Sellers RF, Maarouf AR.Outbreaks of vesicular stomatitis, serotype New Jersey, during epidemics in the United States and northern Mexico, 1982-5, were examined by backward trajectories of winds to investigate spread and possible sources. The outbreaks selected for analysis did not involve introduction of disease by infected animals. The findings indicate that wind could have been responsible for carrying infection from northern Mexico to Arizona and New Mexico and thence to Colorado and Utah and on to Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The results of these analyses are consistent with the findings from T1 RNAse fingerprint...
Gale P, Kelly L, Snary EL.The emergence of bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus in Great Britain (GB) during the last decade has highlighted the need for understanding the relative importance of the various pathways of the entry of livestock arboviruses so as to help focus surveillance and mitigation. This study summarizes what is known for the main routes of entry and assesses the strength of the current evidence for and against. Entry through infected arthropod vectors is considered at the level of each life cycle stage for tick-, biting midge- and mosquito-borne viruses, and while there is evidence that this cou...
Jardat P, Ringhofer M, Yamamoto S, Gouyet C, Degrande R, Parias C, Reigner F, Calandreau L, Lansade L.Recently, research on domestic mammals' sociocognitive skills toward humans has been prolific, allowing us to better understand the human-animal relationship. For example, horses have been shown to distinguish human beings on the basis of photographs and voices and to have cross-modal mental representations of individual humans and human emotions. This leads to questions such as the extent to which horses can differentiate human attributes such as age. Here, we tested whether horses discriminate human adults from children. In a cross-modal paradigm, we presented 31 female horses with two simul...
Lopez A, Brundage C.The possibilities that photobiomodulation has brought on to the medical field are ever expanding and the scope it has reached is infinite. Determining how this relatively new treatment technique can be incorporated into the veterinary medical field is of interest to many medical professionals. In this review, we examine the treatment outcomes of low-level-laser therapy (LLLT) in different animal models to pinpoint any similarities between the studies. A search was conducted to identify LLLT studies using different animal models with an open or closed wound. The studies were compared to identif...
Barta O, Oyekan PP.Lymphocyte transformation test is a powerful tool in laboratory testing of immunologic competence of animals. The impaired function of the lymphocytes or presence of mitogenesis suppressing factors in the patient serum were detected by comparing lymphocyte transformation (expressed as thymidine incorporation) obtained in media containing either autologous, homologous, or fetal calf serum additions. Most valuable results were obtained by using at least two, preferably three, different phytomitogens: concanavalin A (Con A), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) at optimal concentr...
Wang L, Pawlak E, Johnson PJ, Belknap JK, Alfandari D, Black SJ.To determine whether increased gene expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-4 (ADAMTS-4) in laminae of horses with starch gruel-induced laminitis was accompanied by increased enzyme activity and substrate degradation. Methods: Laminae from the forelimb hooves of 8 healthy horses and 17 horses with starch gruel-induced laminitis (6 at onset of fever, 6 at onset of Obel grade 1 lameness, and 5 at onset of Obel grade 3 lameness). Methods: Gene expression was determined by use of cDNA and real-time quantitative PCR assay. Protein expression and processing were ...
Greene DA, Naughton GA, Jander CB, Cullen SJ.Our aim was to use Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) to assess the bone health of male and female apprentice jockeys and age- and sex-matched peers. 2 groups of 25 young adults (n=50) (age range 15-38 years) were comprised of male and female apprentice jockeys, and male and female controls. We used pQCT to measure the distal tibia and distal radius. After covarying for weight and limb length, apprentice jockeys displayed less tibial cortical area and lower strength strain index at 14% distal shaft, 38% mid shaft and 66% proximal sites measured distally than controls (p=0.001)....
Mirza MH, Oliver JL, Seahorn TL, Hosgood G, Moore RM.The purpose of this study was to determine whether nitric oxide (NO) is present in clinically normal horses under basal conditions and if it increases secondary to naturally acquired small intestinal strangulation obstruction. Thirty-one horses were used; 20 horses with naturally acquired small intestinal strangulation obstruction and 11 clinically normal horses with no signs of gastrointestinal tract disease. Jugular venous blood, abdominal fluid, and urine were collected for NO quantification. Plasma, abdominal fluid, and urine were stored at -70 degrees C until analyzed for NO using a chemi...
Tait AD, Hodge LC, Allen WR.The production of equilin and the other ring B-unsaturated estrogens by the pregnant mare is anomalous in that they are biosynthesised by a cholesterol-independent pathway. Fetal horse gonads were incubated with tritiated sodium acetate and radiochemically pure 3 beta-hydroxy-5,7-pregnadien-20-one and 3 beta-hydroxy-5,7-androstadien-17-one were isolated. A fetal gonad--placental system is proposed for equilin production, 3 beta-hydroxy-5,7-pregnadien-20-one being a precursor for 3 beta-hydroxy-5,7-androstadien-17-one in the fetal gonad and the latter being the precursor of equilin in the place...
Moyo NA, Marchi E, Steinbach F.Dendritic cells (DC) are the main immune mediators inducing primary immune responses. DC generated from monocytes (MoDC) are a model system to study the biology of DC in vitro, as they represent inflammatory DC in vivo. Previous studies on the generation of MoDC in horses indicated that there was no distinct difference between immature and mature DC and that the expression profile was distinctly different from humans, where CD206 is expressed on immature MoDC whereas CD83 is expressed on mature MoDC. Here we describe the kinetics of equine MoDC differentiation and activation, analysing both ph...
Thway TM, Clay CM, Maher JK, Reed DK, McDowell KJ, Antczak DF, Eckert RL, Nilson JH, Wolfe MW.Immortalized cell lines have many potential experimental applications including the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying cell-specific gene expression. We have utilized a recombinant retrovirus encoding the simian virus-40 (SV-40) large T antigen to construct several immortalized cell lines of equine chorionic girdle cell lineage - the progenitor cells that differentiate into the equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) producing endometrial cups. Morphologically, the immortalized cell lines appear similar to normal chorionic girdle cells. Derivation of the immortalized cell lines from a cho...
Sharma AK, Rajashankar KR, Yadav MP, Singh TP.The structure of mare apolactoferrin (MALT) has been determined at 3. 8 A resolution by the molecular-replacement method, using the structure of mare diferric lactoferrin (MDLT) as the search model. The MDLT structure contains two iron-binding sites: one in the N-terminal lobe, lying between domains N1 and N2, and one in the C-terminal lobe between domains C1 and C2. Both lobes have a closed structure. MALT was crystallized using the microdialysis method with 10%(v/v) ethanol in 0.01 M Tris-HCl. The structure has been refined to a final R factor of 0.20 for all data to 3.8 A resolution. Compar...
Benbarek H, Grülke S, Deby-Dupont G, Deby C, Mathy-Hartert M, Caudron I, Dessy-Doize C, Lamy M, Serteyn D.We studied the interactions of isolated equine neutrophils with endothelial cells in culture, mimicking a situation of acute inflammation. Our main purpose was to demonstrate that the supernatant of activated neutrophils was sufficient to damage endothelial cells. Equine endothelial cells (from carotid arteries) were covered either with increased numbers of equine neutrophils stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate, or with the supernatant collected after an in vitro stimulation of the neutrophils. Cytotoxicity was estimated by the release of preincorporated 51Cr, and by light microscopy obser...
Dybicz M, Perkowski K, Baltaza W, Padzik M, Sędzikowska A, Chomicz L.The protozoan is considered to be a human specific flagellate of the oral cavity, found in humans with poor oral hygiene and advanced periodontal disease. Morphological variability and great similarity between species occurring in humans and animals, complicate the specific identification of trichomonads, using microscopic examination and other standard parasitological techniques. Objective: The aim of the study was to search for and identify in domesticated animals using molecular methods. The obtained data were assessed in terms of potential effects of a spread of the species deriving from...
Serrano AL, Rivero JL.Fourteen 4-year old Andalusian mares were used to examine the plasticity of myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition in horse skeletal muscle with heavy draught-exercise training and detraining. Seven horses underwent a training programme based on carriage exercises for 8 months. Afterwards, they were kept in paddocks for 3 months. The remaining seven animals were used as control horses. Three gluteus medius muscle biopsies were removed at depths of 20, 40 and 60 mm from each horse before (month 0), during the training (months 3 and 8) and after detraining (month 11). Myosin heavy chain compositio...
Dyke TM, Hubbell JA, Sams RA, Hinchcliff KW.To determine effects of walking or standing on hepatic blood flow of horses after brief, intense exercise. Methods: 6 adult Thoroughbreds (4 mares, 2 geldings). Methods: Horses were preconditioned on a treadmill to establish uniform level of fitness. Once fit, treadmill speed causing each horse to exercise at 120% of maximal oxygen consumption was determined and used in simulated races at 14-day intervals. In a three-way crossover study, horses were exercised at a speed inducing 120% of maximal oxygen consumption until fatigued or for a maximum of 2 minutes. Three interventions were studied: r...
Morais JF, de Freitas MC, Yamaguchi IK, dos Santos MC, da Silva WD.IgG and F(ab')2 fragments were prepared from horse plasma rich in specific antibodies against Brazilian Bothrops or Crotalus venoms. Both preparations, free of gross contamination with non-immunoglobulin proteins, were able to combine in vitro with their respective antigens, forming immune complexes at antigen excess, equivalence or antibody excess, and activating the C system, through either the classical or the alternative pathways. The IgG preparation was more effective in neutralizing the lethal factors in Bothrops or Crotalus venoms, compared with the F(ab')2 fragments. In contrast, IgG a...
Belknap JK, Moore JN, Crouser EC.The horse with gram negative sepsis is known to be at particular risk of succumbing to laminitis. This review summarizes recent evidence indicating that similar pathologic events relating to inflammatory injury occur in laminar failure in laminitis as occur in organ injury/failure in human sepsis. The discussion also points out some important differences between the laminae and target organs in human sepsis that impact the clinical nature of the disease.
Stobierski MG, Signs K, Dinh E, Cooley TM, Melotti J, Schalow M, Patterson JS, Bolin SR, Walker ED.Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is an emerging public health concern in the state of Michigan. Although Michigan has one of the highest incidence rates of EEE in the United States, much of the information known about cases in humans, equines, and other animals residing in Michigan is unpublished. This article summarizes such information and explores spatial trends in the historic distribution of EEE in Michigan. Outbreaks in Michigan have occurred over an 80-yr interval, involving only horses in 1942-1943 and 1973-1976, and then episodically from 1...
Setchell BP, Cox JE.In 3 testes of 2 adult Pony stallions under halothane anaesthesia, catheters were inserted into a vein and a lymphatic vessel in the spermatic cord and into a vein on the surface of the testis. Lymph and venous blood were collected from the catheters in the cord and p-aminohippurate (2% w/v, 0 . 1 ml/min) was infused into the vein on the testis to determine blood flow by dilution. After 1 h, 6000 i.u. hCG was injected i.v. and collections continued for 45 min. The testes weighed 126-176 g. Lymph flow was 20-150 microliter/min before hCG and 100-270 microliter/min after hCG; the range of blood ...
Dell'Aquila ME, Cho YS, Minoia P, Traina V, Fusco S, Lacalandra GM, Maritato F.Conventional IVF as well as several assisted microfertilization techniques have shown limited success in the horse. After recent positive results achieved with intracytoplasmic injection of a single spermatozoon (ICSI) in human IVF, we chose to try the method in the horse. We compared conventional IVF to ICSI by fertilization rates of oocytes with compact and expanded cumuli and by developmental potential of the resulting embryos. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were obtained by aspirating the follicular fluid from the ovaries of slaughtered mares. Complexes showing complete cumulus investment...
Waldron-Mease E, Klein LV, Rosenberg H, Leitch M.Malignant hyperthermia developed in a 4-year-old Thoroughbred horse following 3 hours and 15 minutes of halothane anesthesia, with supplementary succinylcholine. Clinical signs included fever, sweating, hyperventilation, tachycardia, and decreased blood pressure followed by a rapid increase in blood pressure. Biochemical aberrations included hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, myoglobinuria, and high creatine phosphokinase and ornithine carbamyl transferase activities. Treatment consisted initially of surface cooling with cold water, alcohol and ice, IV administration of cooled bala...
Thomas SJ, de Solis CN, Coleman MC.Equine asthma is a common condition in horses, for which few host-related risk factors have been identified. The objective of this study was to identify host-related risk factors for the development of equine asthma. A retrospective, case-control study was performed, utilizing horses presented to the Texas A&M University, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital from January 2014 December 2018. Incident cases of mild to severe equine asthma (n = 37), diagnosed clinically with cytologic support of disease were examined. For each case, two control populations were identified, including one tem...
Clarke DL.Chondromalacia of the tracheal and bronchial cartilages and redundancy of the dorsal tracheal membrane result in collapse of the large airways, leading to coughing and airway obstruction. It most commonly affects small-breed dogs, although larger-breed dogs, cats, and miniature horses are also sporadically reported. Dynamic airway imaging is used to confirm the diagnosis. The primary goal of medical management is to control clinical signs attributable to coughing and airway inflammation. When this is no longer effective, tracheal stents provide a minimally invasive, rapid way to restore airway...
Porcello A, Gonzalez-Fernandez P, Jordan O, Allémann E.Hyaluronic acid (HA) constitutes a versatile chemical framework for the development of osteoarthritis pain treatment by means of injection in the joints, so-called viscosupplementation. Without appropriate physico-chemical tuning, such preparations are inherently hindered by prompt in vivo degradation, mediated by hyaluronidases and oxidative stress. To prolong hydrogel residence time and confer optimized product functionality, novel thermoresponsive nanoforming HA derivatives were proposed and characterized. Combined use of sulfo-dibenzocyclooctyne-PEG4-amine linkers and poly(N-isopropylacryl...
