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.
Misra KK, Roy S, Choudhury A.Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) evansi is a causative agent of the dreadful mammalian disease trypanosomiasis or 'Surra' and carried as a latent parasite in domestic cattle but occasionally proves fatal when transmitted to horses and camel. Sporadic outbreak of 'Surra' to different animals (beside their natural hosts) reminds that T. evansi may be zoonotic, as their close relative cause sleeping sickness to human being. This haemoflagellate is mechanically transmitted by horse fly and its effect on different host varies depending on certain factors including the effectiveness of transmission by mech...
Mahaffey CA, Peterson ML, Thomason JJ, McIlwraith CW.Different horseshoe designs have been developed in an attempt to optimise footing for equine athletes. Horseshoe performance is assumed to be dependent on the surface and gait, but there are limited data on horseshoe performance on different surfaces, independent of gait variation. Objective: To quantify the dynamic loading for 3 aluminium racing shoe designs on Thoroughbred racetrack surface materials, using a biomechanical surface tester. Methods: A flat racing plate, a serrated V-Grip and a shoe with a 6 mm toe grab and 10 mm heel calks were tested on synthetic and dirt surfaces under t...
Steinrücken M, Bhaskar A, Song YS.The increased availability of time series genetic variation data from experimental evolution studies and ancient DNA samples has created new opportunities to identify genomic regions under selective pressure and to estimate their associated fitness parameters. However, it is a challenging problem to compute the likelihood of non-neutral models for the population allele frequency dynamics, given the observed temporal DNA data. Here, we develop a novel spectral algorithm to analytically and efficiently integrate over all possible frequency trajectories between consecutive time points. This advan...
Regan FH, Hockenhull J, Pritchard JC, Waterman-Pearson AE, Whay HR.To identify pain-related behaviour in working donkeys in order to assist their owners and veterinarians to recognise and manage pain. Objective: To identify general and specific behaviours associated with pain or its relief using a trial with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam (Metacam). Methods: Observer-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Forty adult male working donkeys with common clinical abnormalities were randomly assigned to receive either a single loading dose of meloxicam (1.2 mg/kg bwt per os; n = 20) or a placebo (30 mg honey/250 ml water per os; n = 20...
Hines SA, Ramsay JD, Kappmeyer LS, Lau AO, Ojo KK, Van Voorhis WC, Knowles DP, Mealey RH.The apicomplexan hemoparasite Theileria equi is a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis, eradicated from the United States in 1988. However, recent outbreaks have sparked renewed interest in treatment options for infected horses. Imidocarb dipropionate is the current drug of choice, however variation in clinical response to therapy has been observed. Methods: We quantified the in vitro susceptibility of two T. equi isolates and a lab generated variant to both imidocarb dipropionate and a bumped kinase inhibitor compound 1294. We also evaluated the capacity of in vitro imidocarb dipropionate ...
Symons JE, Fyhrie DP, Hawkins DA, Upadhyaya SK, Stover SM.Race surfaces have been associated with the incidence of racehorse musculoskeletal injury, the leading cause of racehorse attrition. Optimal race surface mechanical behaviors that minimize injury risk are unknown. Computational models are an economical method to determine optimal mechanical behaviors. Previously developed equine musculoskeletal models utilized ground reaction floor models designed to simulate a stiff, smooth floor appropriate for a human gait laboratory. Our objective was to develop a computational race surface model (two force-displacement functions, one linear and one nonlin...
Laatamna AE, Wagnerová P, Sak B, Květoňová D, Xiao L, Rost M, McEvoy J, Saadi AR, Aissi M, Kváč M.A total of 219 and 124 individual fecal samples of horses and donkeys, respectively, were screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp., Encephalitozoon spp., and Enterocytozoon bieneusi DNA by genus-specific nested PCR. Isolates were genotyped by sequence analysis of SSU rRNA, GP60, TRAP-C1, COWP, and HSP70 loci in Cryptosporidium, and the ITS region in microsporidia. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected on 3/18 horse farms and 1/15 farms where donkeys were kept. Overall, five (2.3%) horse and two (1.6%) donkey specimens were PCR positive for Cryptosporidium. Genotyping at SSU and GP60 loci ...
Endo Y, Hobo S, Korosue K, Ootsuka K, Kitauchi A, Kikkawa R, Hidaka Y, Hagio M, Tsuzuki N.The present study evaluated the effects of single-dose filgrastim on hematology in 16 healthy horses after long-distance transportation. Horses were assigned to receive filgrastim (0.23 µg/kg, SC, once; G-CSF group; n=8) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (0.3 ml, SC, once; control group; n=8) ≤ 1 hr before transportation. Horses were transported 2,530 km using commercial vans over the course of approximately 44 hr. Clinical examinations and hematologic analyses were performed on all horses before and after transportation. Because the post-transportation white blood cell counts and bacillary ne...
Sanz MG, Villarino N, Ferreira-Oliveira A, Horohov DW.Rhodococcus equi is a common cause of pneumonia in young foals worldwide and has considerable economic effects on the global equine industry. Despite ongoing efforts, no vaccine is currently available to prevent rhodococaal pneumonia. This is due, in part, to an incomplete understanding of the protective immune response to this bacterium. While antibodies to VapA, a lipoprotein produced by virulent R. equi, are useful in differentiating antibody production in response to pathogenic versus non-pathogenic strains, the significance of the humoral response of foals to this lipoprotein remains poor...
Frellstedt L, Gosset P, Kervoaze G, Hans A, Desmet C, Pirottin D, Bureau F, Lekeux P, Art T.Respiratory diseases, including inflammatory airway disease (IAD), viral and bacterial infections, are common problems in exercising horses. The airway epithelium constitutes a major physical barrier against airborne infections and plays an essential role in the lung innate immune response mainly through toll-like receptor (TLR) activation. The aim of this study was to develop a model for the culture of equine bronchial epithelial cells (EBEC) in vitro and to explore EBEC innate immune responses in trained horses. Bronchial epithelial biopsies were taken from 6 adult horses during lower airway...
Decloedt A, Bailly-Chouriberry L, Vanden Bussche J, Garcia P, Popot MA, Bonnaire Y, Vanhaecke L.Doping control is a main priority for regulatory bodies of both the horse racing industry and the equestrian sports. Urine and blood samples are screened for the presence of hundreds of forbidden substances including anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs). Based on the suspected endogenous origin of some AASs, with β-boldenone as the most illicit candidate, this study aimed to improve the knowledge of the naturally present AAS in horse urine. To this extent, a novel ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated according to...
Chesen AB, Whitfield-Cargile C.This article reviews dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) and nasopharyngeal cicatrix. Palatial instability results in exercise intolerance and upper respiratory noise in performance horses. Palatial instability can progress to DDSP either permanently or only during exercise. There have been advancements related to the etiopathogensis, diagnosis, and treatment of DDSP. The laryngeal tie-forward has gained popularity and is the most widely accepted treatment option for this condition, either alone or in combination with other procedures. Nasopharyngeal cicatrix affects a small geograph...
Holbrook TC, Gilliam LL, Stein FP, Morgan SE, Avery AL, Confer AW, Panciera RJ.Caley Pea (Lathyrus hirsutus) is potentially toxic to horses, but large case series are not reported. Objective: To describe the clinical signs of horses intoxicated with Lathyrus hirsutus and speculate on the neuroanatomical lesion localization and pathogenesis based upon the observed clinical signs. Methods: Twenty-two of 25 horses ranging in age from 6 to 34 months were affected. Five affected horses were presented to the OSUCHVS for evaluation and treatment after having been attended at the ranch by a local veterinarian (ALA). An additional horse that had been euthanized was also presented...
Matthijnssens J, Ons E, De Coster S, Conceição-Neto N, Gryspeerdt A, Van Ranst M, Raue R.Equine group A rotavirus (RVAs) mainly cause disease in foals under the age of 3 months. Only sporadic data are available on the circulation of RVAs in equine populations in Europe. In this study, 65 diarrheic samples from foals under 4 months of age were collected in Belgium (n=32), Germany (n=17), Slovenia (n=5), Sweden (n=4), Hungary (n=3), Italy (n=2), France (n=1) and The Netherlands (n=1). Forty percent of these samples (n=26) were found to be RVA positive by a quantitative RT-PCR assay. The viral load in 11 of these samples was sufficiently high to be (partially) genotyped. G3, G14 and ...
Reuss SM, Giguère S.Bacterial infections of the lower respiratory tract in adult horses occur when bacteria from the nasopharynx reach the lower airways and overwhelm normal defense mechanisms. Although Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus is the most commonly isolated bacterial species, mixed infections are possible. Tracheobronchial aspiration for microbiologic culture and sensitivity is suggested in cases presenting with severe clinical signs or not responding to treatment. Early intervention and appropriate antimicrobial selection results in a good prognosis for both survival and return to athletic function...
Reuss SM, Cohen ND.Bacterial pneumonia is a common cause of disease in both neonatal and weanling foals. The causal organism or organisms differ with the age of the foal, should be identified via microbiologic culture, and will ultimately dictate appropriate treatment. Initial treatment in neonates should be broad spectrum and bactericidal, whereas weanling age foals may receive more targeted treatment. The combination of a macrolide antibiotic and rifampin remains the gold standard for treatment of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia; however, resistance to these antimicrobials is a concern.
Mallicote M.There are few diseases that ignite as much fervor among horse owners as strangles. Streptococcus equi subsp equi (strangles) infections frequently require the treating veterinarian to manage not only the clinical cases but also the biosecurity and provision of information to all involved parties. Although the disease is typically characterized by low mortality and high morbidity, restrictions of horse movement that result from appropriate quarantine procedures often frustrate the involved parties. The aims of this article are to provide clinically relevant information for diagnosis, treatment,...
Hollingsworth SR, Pusterla N, Kass PH, Good KL, Brault SA, Maggs DJ.To determine the role of equine herpesvirus (EHV) in idiopathic keratoconjunctivitis in horses and to determine whether sample collection method affects detection of EHV DNA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Methods: Twelve horses with idiopathic keratoconjunctivitis and six horses without signs of ophthalmic disease. Methods: Conjunctival swabs, corneal scrapings, and conjunctival biopsies were collected from 18 horses: 12 clinical cases with idiopathic keratoconjunctivitis and six euthanized controls. In horses with both eyes involved, the samples were taken from the eye judg...
Cuervo-Arango J, Mateu-Sánchez S, Aguilar JJ, Nielsen JM, Etcharren V, Vettorazzi ML, Newcombe JR.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the interval from induced luteolysis to ovulation on fertility of mares from two different farms. At farm 1, 215 mares were inseminated with frozen/thawed semen during 513 estrous cycles over seven consecutive breeding seasons. Estrus was induced with analogues of PGF2α in 179 cycles. At farm 2, 375 embryo flushings were performed in 65 donor mares inseminated with fresh semen; of which, 327 were performed following artificial insemination after PGF-induced luteolysis. In both farms, the intervals from PGF treatment to ovulation (ITO)...
Robinson C, Heather Z, Slater J, Potts N, Steward KF, Maskell DJ, Fontaine MC, Lee JJ, Smith K, Waller AS.Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) is one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses and there remains a significant need to develop new preventative vaccines. We generated a live vaccine strain of S. equi containing deletions in six genes: sagA, hasA, aroB, pyrC, seM and recA, which was administered to nine Welsh mountain ponies via the intramuscular route. Four vaccinated ponies developed adverse reactions following the first vaccination from which the live vaccine strain was isolated. Two of these ponies were withdrawn from the study and se...
Mayberry C, Mawson P, Maloney SK.Plasma cholinesterase activity levels of various species may be of interest to toxicologists or pathologists working with chemicals that interfere with the activity of plasma cholinesterase. Methods: We used a pH titration method to measure the plasma cholinesterase activity of six mammalian species. Results: Plasma cholinesterase activity varied up to 50-fold between species: sheep (88 ± 45 nM acetylcholine degraded per ml of test plasma per minute), cattle (94 ± 35), western grey kangaroos (126 ± 92), alpaca (364 ± 70), rats (390 ± 118) and horses (4539 ± 721). Conclusions: We present ...
Okai K, Taharaguchi S, Orita Y, Yokota H, Taniyama H.To contribute to early diagnosis and treatment of gastric ulcer of foals, we examined the gastric mucosa of healthy and affected foals using an endoscope. In healthy foals, the characteristic changes in the development of the squamous mucosa were seen mainly in the squamous mucosa, and maturation of the squamous mucosa in the greater curvature (GC-S) occurred more slowly than that of the squamous mucosa in the lesser curvature (LC-S). Epithelial desquamation in the LC-S and GC-S was observed between 6 and 90 days but was not observed in the LC-S at about 60 days, whereas it was observed in the...
Ma Y, Wen X, Hoshino Y, Yuan L.Group A equine rotavirus (ERV) is the main cause of diarrhea in foals and causes severe economic loss due to morbidity and mortality on stud farming worldwide. Molecular evolution of equine rotaviruses remains understudies. In this study, whole-genomic analysis of 2 group A ERV, FI-14 (G3P[12]), H-2 (G3P[12]) isolated from American, and FI23 (G14P[12]) from British was carried out and genotype constellations were determined as G3-P[12]-I6-R2-C2-M3-A10-N2-T3-E2-H7 for FI-14; G14-P[12]-I2-R2-C2-M3-A10-N2-T3-E2-H7 for FI23; and G3-P[12]-I6-R2-C2-M3-A10-N2-T3-E2-H7 for H-2, respectively. With the ...
Kilgenstein HJ, Schöniger S, Schoon D, Schoon HA.After their retirement from sports, performance mares often show a poor breeding success. The objective of this study was the microscopic evaluation of endometrial biopsies of retired sports mares (n = 189) to search for alterations that may explain subfertility. Mares of this study aged 3-23 years showed endometritis (30%) and endometrosis (77%); mild forms predominated. In regard to those mares biopsied during the breeding season (n = 99), 50% had glandular differentiation disorders, i.e. glandular inactivity (8%) or irregular glandular differentiation (42%). Compared to literature d...
Zinchenko AV, Govorova YS.Critical to the understanding the mechanism of destruction and protection during cryopreservation of biological objects is the knowledge of the conformational transitions of biopolymers experiencing low temperatures in the presence of cryoprotective agents. This information may be derived from the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of macromolecular thermal denaturation kinetics under different environmental conditions. Objective: The study deals with the influence of cryoprotective agents (glycerol, 1.2-propanediol (1.2-PD), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) on thermodynamic and kinetic parame...
Gutiérrez S, Thébaud G, Smith DR, Kenney JL, Weaver SC.The within-host diversity of virus populations can be drastically limited during between-host transmission, with primary infection of hosts representing a major constraint to diversity maintenance. However, there is an extreme paucity of quantitative data on the demographic changes experienced by virus populations during primary infection. Here, the multiplicity of cellular infection (MOI) and population bottlenecks were quantified during primary mosquito infection by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, an arbovirus causing neurological disease in humans and equids.
Rhodes DM, Magdesian KG, Byrne BA, Kass PH, Edman J, Spier SJ.Few studies report the minimum inhibitory concentrations for antimicrobials against equine Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates. Objective: To evaluate trends in the in vitro activities of 20 antimicrobials against equine Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates from 1996 to 2012 and to determine if a relationship exists between the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and location of the abscess. Methods: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates from 196 horses with naturally occurring disease. Methods: Retrospective and cross-sectional design. Medical records were reviewed to ...
Irvine CH, Alexander SL.Conflicting views exist on the mode of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion during the ovulatory LH surge and the relative importance of changes in pituitary responsiveness to GnRH in generating the LH surge. This disagreement may stem from species differences and/or methodological problems. To provide data on the exact relationship between GnRH and gonadotrophin secretion during the spontaneous LH surge, we collected pituitary venous (PV) blood every 30 s for 3-4 h from eight mares and then assayed GnRH (in six of the mares), FSH and LH. Jugular blood was also collected from twelv...
Ayala MD, Carrillo A, Iniesta P, Ferrer P.Different welfare indicators were studied in three patients with psychomotor alterations and in two horses throughout 9-10 equine assisted therapy sessions in each patient. In horses, heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure, temperature and behavioral signs were studied. In patients, heart rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, sleep quality, psychomotor and emotional parameters were analyzed. Data collection was recorded in the anticipatory phase (15 min before the start of the session), two interaction phases (after 30 min of horse-patient interaction on the ground and on horseback, respe...
Barakzai SZ, Dixon PM.Trephination of the equine sinuses is a common surgical procedure in sedated standing horses. Standing sinus flap surgery has become increasingly popular in equine referral hospitals and offers several advantages over sinusotomy performed under general anesthesia, including reduced patient-associated risks and costs; less intraoperative hemorrhage, allowing better visualization of the operative site; and allows surgeons to take their time. Other minimally invasive surgical procedures include sinoscopic surgery, balloon sinuplasty, and transnasal laser sinonasal fenestration. Despite the proced...
The Journal of physiologyNovember 15, 1996
Volume 497 ( Pt 1), Issue Pt 1 19-29 doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1996.sp021746
Ko WH, Chan HC, Wong PY.1. Anion secretion induced by capacitative Ca2+ entry through apical and basolateral membranes of cultured equine sweat gland epithelium was studied using the short-circuit current (Isc) technique. 2. Thapsigargin induced an increase in Isc that could be inhibited when external Ca2+ was chelated by EGTA. 3. The inhibition of the thapsigargin-induced Isc could be reversed by re-addition of Ca2+ to apical or basolateral solutions. The magnitude of the reactivated Isc depended predominantly on basolateral Ca2+ concentration. 4. The magnitude of the reactivated Isc upon basolateral Ca2+ addition i...
Passman SN, Cheetham J, Bonassar LJ, Ducharme NG, Rawlinson JJ.Upper airway obstruction is a common problem in the performance horse as the soft tissues of the larynx collapse into the airway, yet there is a paucity of information on biomechanical properties for the structural cartilage components. Objective: To measure the geometry and compressive mechanical properties of the hyaline cartilage to improve understanding of laryngeal function and morphology. Methods: A total of 11 larynges were harvested from Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses. During gross dissection, linear dimensions of the cricoid were obtained. From both the cricoid and arytenoid...
Wysocka B, Kluciński W.The aim of the present study was to use endoscopic evaluation to compare the grade of accumulation of discharge in the lower airways of horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD), and to estimate the usefulness of endoscopic evaluation in differential diagnosis of these diseases. Endoscopic evaluation consists of: the amount of discharge in the lower part of the trachea and tracheal bifurcation, and the assessment of tracheal septum thickness. This study was performed on 248 horses, 10 were healthy, 97 were diagnosed as RAO, and 141 were diagnosed as I...
Broome TA, Brown MP, Gronwall RR, Casey MF, Meritt KA.Six healthy adult horses (5 mares and 1 stallion) were given a single dose of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), 20 mg/kg of body weight, by intravenous (IV), rectal, and intragastric (IG) routes. Serial blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture over a 36-h period, and plasma ASA and salicylic acid (SA) concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. After IV administration, the mean elimination rate constant of ASA (+/- the standard error of the mean) was 1.32 +/- 0.09 h(-1), the mean elimination half-life was 0.53 +/- 0.04 h, the area under the plasma concentra...
Murray JK, Singer ER, Morgan KL, Proudman CJ, French NP.Fatalities resulting from horse falls occurring during the cross-country phase of eventing competitions initiated epidemiological investigation of the risk factors associated with horse falls. Objective: To identify variables that increased or decreased the risk of a horse fall during the cross-country phase of an eventing competition. Methods: Data were collected from randomly selected British Eventing competitions held in Great Britain during 2001 and 2002. Data were obtained for 173 cases (jumping efforts resulting in a fall of the horse-and-rider partnership) and 503 matched controls (jump...
Arseneau AM, Hrabak TM, Waibel KH.A wealth of literature exists regarding common allergies to household pets such as cat or dog. Allergy to horse, however, is infrequently discussed in the medical literature despite significant sensitization rates among urban-dwelling subjects without direct exposure to horses. A literature search was conducted in PubMed and additional references were collected from surveying the references of the pulled articles. This review summarizes aspects of IgE-mediated horse allergy including the prevalence and mechanisms for sensitization, clinical presentation, molecular characterization of the major...
Lepeule J, Bareille N, Robert C, Valette JP, Jacquet S, Blanchard G, Denoix JM, Seegers H.The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for the severity of Juvenile OsteoChondral Conditions (JOCC) in limbs of French foals. Twenty-one farms in Normandy, France, were sampled and enrolled in a cohort study including 378 foals from three breeds, followed from the 8th month of pregnancy of the mares until the foals were approximately 6months old. Data on growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions were regularly collected. The carpus, the front and hind digits, the hock and the stifle of the foals were radiographed at the end of follow-up. JOCC severity in each foal was d...
Fedde MR, Wood SC.When horses maximally exercise, splenic contraction and fluid movement out of the vascular compartment greatly increase the hematocrit (up to 0.70). We studied the in vitro rheological characteristics of blood from Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses to determine the interaction of hematocrit and shear rate on apparent viscosity. We also compared the rheological characteristics of the blood before and after horses received furosemide, a drug commonly used to prevent exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Although the apparent viscosity of blood with a high hematocrit was high at low shear rates, ...
Reed SA, LaVigne EK, Jones AK, Patterson DF, Schauer AL.With improvements in care, the equine population is living longer, remaining active, and competing at increasingly older ages. Both advancing age and exercise result in increased concentrations of circulating and local cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Athletic endeavors in the aged horse may further increase the proinflammatory environment in muscle, decreasing the ability to react appropriately to exercise. Poor response to exercise limits the athletic ability of geriatric horses, thus reducing their useful life span and potentially increasing the risk of injur...
Miller MM, Sweeney CR, Russell GE, Sheetz RM, Morrow JK.To determine effects of blood contamination on western blot (WB) analysis of CSF samples for detection of anti-Sarcocystis neurona antibodies, and on CSF albumin and IgG concentrations, albumin quotient (AQ), and IgG index in horses. Methods: Prospective in vitro study. Methods: Blood with various degrees of immunoreactivity against S neurona was collected from 12 healthy horses. Cerebrospinal fluid without immunoreactivity against S neurona was harvested from 4 recently euthanatized horses. Methods: Blood was serially diluted with pooled nonimmunoreactive CSF so that final dilutions correspon...
Hristov P, Yordanov G, Ivanova A, Mitkov I, Sirakova D, Mehandzyiski I, Radoslavov G.It is believed that population structure of mountain horse breeds is preserved from any genetic introgression, because of their geographical isolation and specific semi-wild life style of husbandry. Till date there are no molecular data for the Balkan horses. In this study we try to give information about some autochthonous mountain horse breeds from Bulgaria. A total of 121 horses from three different mountain massifs are presented: Stara Planina (the Balkan mountain), the Rhodopes and Rila-Pirin massif were genotyped according to mitochondrial D-loop region. The results showed huge diversity...
House JA.AHS is a noncontagious vector-borne disease of Equidae caused by Orbiviruses. Species susceptibility in decreasing order is horses, mules, donkeys, and zebras. The main vectors of AHS are culicoides. The disease is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, but epizootics have occurred outside of this area on several occasions. The most recent outbreaks outside of the endemic area were in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal between 1987 and 1990. AHS causes mortality up to 95% and is classically divided into four clinical forms: the pulmonary, cardiac, mixed, and horse fever forms. Pathologic changes are subcuta...
Crabtree NE, Epstein KL.Despite the frequent inclusion of fluid therapy in the treatment of many conditions in horses, there are limited studies available to provide evidenced-based, species-specific recommendations. Thus, equine fluid therapy is based on the application of physiology and extrapolation from evidence in other veterinary species and human medicine. The physiologic principles that underly the use of fluids in medicine are, at first glance, straightforward and simple to understand. However, in the past 20 years, multiple studies in human medicine have shown that creating recommendations based on theory i...
Vanderperren K, Raes E, Hoegaerts M, Saunders JH.The equine tarsus is the most commonly affected hindlimb region associated with lameness. Diagnostic imaging is routinely applied but because of its complexity, being composed of 10 multifaceted bones and different joints, multiple ligaments, tendons and bursae, imaging this region can be a challenge. This is the first part of a two-part review of the structures and disorders of the equine tarsus. It describes the principal disorders affecting the soft tissues of the tarsal region and addresses some of the technical aspects in taking radiographic, ultrasonographic and scintigraphic images of t...
Zintl A, Westbrook C, Mulcahy G, Skerrett HE, Gray JS.In order to explore the feasibility of producing a Babesia divergens live vaccine free of bovine material contaminants the parasite's ability to grow in human, sheep and horse erythrocytes and serum and serum-free medium was investigated. B. divergens was successfully maintained in bovine erythrocytes overlaid with serum-free HL-1 medium. Supplementation of the culture medium with bovine or sheep serum improved parasite growth (monitored by measuring parasitaemia and uptake of tritiated hypoxanthine) whereas horse and human sera reduced parasite growth. As assessed by Giemsa's stained and FITC...
Boscan P, Watson Z, Steffey EP.To investigate the changes in colloid osmotic pressure (COP) and total protein concentrations during routine general anesthesia in horses. Methods: Prospective, clinical study. Methods: Twelve adult healthy horses aged 9.1 +/- 4.7 years and weighing 474 +/- 79 kg presented for elective surgery and 14 adult horses aged 8.7 +/- 7.3 years and weighing 510 +/- 85 kg. Methods: All horses were premedicated with xylazine and anesthesia induced with ketamine, diazepam and guaifenesin, and maintained with isoflurane for 2.5 hours. Lactate Ringer's solution was administered at 11 mL kg(-1) hour(-1). Osm...
Parsons KJ, Pfau T, Ferrari M, Wilson AM.During locomotion on an incline, mechanical work is performed to move an animal up the slope and increase the potential energy (PE) of the trunk and hence the centre of mass (CoM). Thus, at a given speed the total net mechanical work increases with the PE of the animal. In this study we investigate the mechanical energy (ME) fluctuations and the mechanical cost of transport (MCT) in six horses galloping up a range of gradients. We captured trunk movement with a six degrees-of-freedom inertial sensor mounted over the dorsal spinous process of the fourth to sixth thoracic vertebrae of the horse....
Zhang L, Lei Y, Liu X, Wang X, Liu Z, Li D, Zheng P, Zhang L, Chen S, Xie P.Borna disease virus (BDV) is a neurotropic, enveloped, non-segmented, negative-stranded RNA virus that infects a wide variety of vertebrate species from birds to humans across a broad global geographic distribution. Animal symptomatology range from asymptomatic infection to behavioral abnormalities to acute meningoencephalitis. Asymptomatic BDV infection has been shown to be more frequent than conventionally estimated. However, the molecular mechanism(s) underyling asymptomatic BDV infection remain largely unknown. Here, based on real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, a total of 18 h...
Cwiklinski K, Merga JY, Lake SL, Hartley C, Matthews JB, Paterson S, Hodgkinson JE.Clade V nematodes comprise several parasitic species that include the cyathostomins, primary helminth pathogens of horses. Next generation transcriptome datasets are available for eight parasitic clade V nematodes, although no equine parasites are included in this group. Here, we report next generation transcriptome sequencing analysis for the common cyathostomin species, Cylicostephanus goldi. A cDNA library was generated from RNA extracted from 17 C. goldi male and female adult parasites. Following sequencing using a 454 GS FLX pyrosequencer, a total of 475,215 sequencing reads were generate...
Žalienė L, Mockevičienė D, Kreivinienė B, Razbadauskas A, Kleiva Ž, Kirkutis A.. To evaluate the effects of riding for beginners (short-term) and advanced (long-term) riders with cerebral palsy on their whole mobility. The study involved 15 subjects (two girls and eleven boys). The subjects were aged from 3 to 19 years (8.73 years ± 5.85). All of the subjects had been diagnosed with a spastic form of cerebral palsy. The duration of the participation differed as follows: the advanced subjects had been riding for 1-4 years (2.66 years ± 1.16), while the beginners have been riding for two weeks (10 sessions). Group I (advanced riders) consisted of eight subjects (7 boys a...
Wagner AE, Mama KR, Steffey EP, Hellyer PW.To determine whether infusion of xylazine and ketamine or xylazine and propofol after sevoflurane administration in horses would improve the quality of recovery from anesthesia. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: For each horse, anesthesia was induced by administration of xylazine, diazepam, and ketamine and maintained with sevoflurane for approximately 90 minutes (of which the last 60 minutes were under steady-state conditions) 3 times at 1-week intervals. For 1 anesthetic episode, each horse was allowed to recover from sevoflurane anesthesia; for the other 2 episodes, xylazine and ket...
Jørgensen E, Bay L, Skovgaard LT, Bjarnsholt T, Jacobsen S.Objective: Relevant animal models to study effects of bacterial aggregates on wound healing are lacking. We aimed at establishing an equine wound model with bacterial aggregates to investigate the impact of bacterial inoculation on normal (thorax) and impaired (limb) wound healing. Approach: Wounds were created on three limbs and both thorax sides of six horses. Twelve out of 20 wounds per horse were inoculated with 104 Staphylococcus aureus and 105 Pseudomonas aeruginosa on day 4. Healing was monitored until day 27 by clinical assessment, including wound scoring, surface pH measurements, and ...
Back W, MacAllister CG, van Heel MC, Pollmeier M, Hanson PD.Lameness is a highly prevalent condition in horses and the principal cause of removal from athletic activity. In clinical studies to evaluate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapies, force plates are commonly used to assess improvement of lameness objectively. Objective: To use a force plate to determine the optimal dose of a new COX-2 inhibitor (firocoxib) that will reduce lameness, when administered orally to horses once daily. Methods: Sixty-four horses that exhibited chronic lameness presumed due to osteoarthritis, including navicular disease, in at least one of the frontlimbs and at...
Davie AJ, Priddle TL, Evans DL.This study was undertaken to invesigate the application of submaximal field tests in assessment of performance. A submaximal field exercise test consisting of 2 bouts of pacing for 1600 m, with 5 min rest or walking between runs was performed on Standardbred racehorses at 2 training centres (A and B). Performance indices were compiled for each horse: number of race starts, number of race wins, number of race placings (1, 2 or 3), and lifetime earnings. Regression analysis was conducted to describe the relationship between plasma lactate concentrations and speed for tests one, 2 and pooled resu...
Müller V, Curcio BR, Toribio RE, Feijó LS, Borba LA, Canisso IF, Nogueira CEW.This study aimed to evaluate steroid hormones in foals born from mares treated for ascending placentitis with different combinations of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMS), flunixin meglumine (FM), long-acting altrenogest (ALT) and estradiol cypionate (ECP) for ten consecutive days, starting two days after experimental induction of placentitis with Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Fourty-six pregnant mares and respective foals were assigned as healthy group (Control, n = 8) or treated groups as follows: TMS+FM (n = 8), TMS+FM+ALT (n = 8), TMS+FM+ALT+ECP (n = 6), TMS+FM+ECP (n = 6) and no...
