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.
de Ruijter-Villani M, van Tol HT, Stout TA.Endometrial oxytocin receptors (OXTR) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) are central components of the luteolytic pathway in cyclic mares, and their suppression is thought to be critical to luteal maintenance during early pregnancy. We examined the effect of pregnancy on endometrial expression of potential regulators of prostaglandin (PG) F2α secretion in mares. Expression of the nuclear progesterone receptor and oestrogen receptor ERα was high during oestrus, and depressed when progesterone was elevated; the opposite applied to the membrane progesterone receptor. PTGS2 was up...
Martig S, Chen W, Lee PV, Whitton RC.Musculoskeletal injuries are a common cause of lost training days and wastage in racehorses. Many bone injuries are a consequence of repeated high loading during fast work, resulting in chronic damage accumulation and material fatigue of bone. The highest joint loads occur in the fetlock, which is also the most common site of subchondral bone injury in racehorses. Microcracks in the subchondral bone at sites where intra-articular fractures and palmar osteochondral disease occur are similar to the fatigue damage detected experimentally after repeated loading of bone. Fatigue is a process that h...
Wilson G, Drust B, Morton JP, Close GL.Professional jockeys are unique amongst weight-making athletes given that they face the requirement to make weight daily. Furthermore, unlike other weight-limited sports, jockeys who have engaged in rapid weight loss cannot fully rehydrate prior to competition because post-race weight must not be more than 1 kg different to their pre-race weight. As such, jockeys have reported a variety of acute and chronic methods to make weight that include sporadic eating, caloric restriction, diuretics, laxatives, vomiting and fluid restriction as well as regular use of sweat suits and saunas. Typical dai...
Reichel M, Martinek J.Distribution of the electrical field is very important to activate muscle and nerve cells properly. One therapeutic method to treat Recurrent Laryngeal Neuropathy (RLN) in horses can be performed by Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). Current method to optimize the stimulation effect is to use implanted quadripolar electrodes to the musculus cricoarythenoideus dorsalis (CAD) and testing electrode configuration until best possible optimum is reached. For better understanding and finding of maximum possible activation of CAD a simulation model of the actual entire setting is currently in de...
Haeger-Eugensson M, Ferm M, Elfman L.The interest in equestrian sports has increased substantially during the last decades, resulting in increased number of horse facilities around urban areas. In Sweden, new guidelines for safe distance have been decided based on the size of the horse facility (e.g., number of horses) and local conditions, such as topography and meteorology. There is therefore an increasing need to estimate dispersion of horse allergens to be used, for example, in the planning processes for new residential areas in the vicinity of horse facilities. The aim of this study was to develop a method for calculating sh...
Murphy BA, Wagner AL, McGlynn OF, Kharazyan F, Browne JA, Elliott JA.Circadian rhythms are endogenously generated 24-h oscillations that coordinate numerous aspects of mammalian physiology, metabolism and behaviour. The existence of a molecular circadian clock in equine skeletal muscle has previously been demonstrated. This study investigates how the circadian 24-h expression of exercise-relevant genes in skeletal muscle is influenced by a regular exercise regime. Mid-gluteal, percutaneous muscle biopsies were obtained over a 24-h period from six Thoroughbred mares before and after an 8-week exercise programme. Real-time qPCR assays were used to assess the expr...
Gerding JC, Clode A, Gilger BC, Montgomery KW.To review the clinical features, treatments, complications, and outcomes of horses with traumatic orbital fractures. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Eighteen horses with confirmed orbital fractures. Methods: Medical records of horses presenting with orbital fractures between 2006 and 2013 were reviewed. Signalment, etiology of fracture, clinical signs, fracture descriptions, diagnostic imaging, treatments, complications, and outcomes were evaluated. Results: Eighteen horses presented with orbital fractures resulting from rearing in a confined space (n = 5), being kicked (4), colliding w...
Diarra M, Fall M, Fall AG, Diop A, Seck MT, Garros C, Balenghien T, Allène X, Rakotoarivony I, Lancelot R, Mall I, Bakhoum MT, Dosum AM, Ndao M....The African horse sickness epizootic in Senegal in 2007 caused considerable mortality in the equine population and hence major economic losses. The vectors involved in the transmission of this arbovirus have never been studied specifically in Senegal. This first study of the spatial and temporal dynamics of the Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) species, potential vectors of African horse sickness in Senegal, was conducted at five sites (Mbao, Parc Hann, Niague, Pout and Thies) in the Niayes area, which was affected by the outbreak. Methods: Two Onderstepoort light traps were used at each s...
Song SD, Barker SC, Shao R.The genus Haematopinus contains 21 species of blood-sucking lice, parasitizing both even-toed ungulates (pigs, cattle, buffalo, antelopes, camels and deer) and odd-toed ungulates (horses, donkeys and zebras). The mitochondrial genomes of the domestic pig louse, Haematopinus suis, and the wild pig louse, Haematopinus apri, have been sequenced recently; both lice have fragmented mitochondrial genomes with 37 genes on nine minichromosomes. To understand whether the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes and the gene content and gene arrangement of each minichromosome are stable within the g...
González-Iglesias P, Scortti M, MacArthur I, Hapeshi A, Rodriguez H, Prescott JF, Vazquez-Boland JA.The pathogenic actinomycete Rhodococcus equi causes severe purulent lung infections in foals and immunocompromised people. Although relatively unsusceptible to R. equi, mice are widely used for in vivo studies with this pathogen. The most commonly employed mouse model is based on systemic (intravenous) infection and determination of R. equi burdens in spleen and liver. Here, we investigated the murine lung for experimental infection studies with R. equi. Using a 10(7)CFU intranasal challenge in BALB/c mice, virulent R. equi consistently survived in quantifiable numbers up to 10 days in the lun...
Miszczak F, Tesson V, Kin N, Dina J, Balasuriya UB, Pronost S, Vabret A.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) is involved mainly in enteric infections. Following the recent description of ECoV in 2000, this study reports for the first time the presence of ECoV in France and, on a wider scale, in Europe. ECoV was molecularly detected from diarrheic and respiratory specimens. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that European strains are most closely related to the reference North American strain (ECoV-NC99) than the Asian strain (ECoV-Tokachi09).
Abreu RA, Weiss RR, Thomaz-Soccol V, Locatelli-Dittrich R, Laskoski LM, Bertol MA, Koch MO, Alban SM, Green KT.Sera from 112 mares from 5 horse-breeding farms was examined for the presence of antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii by an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), as well as from dogs and cattle present on these properties for the presence of antibodies to N. caninum. Among the 112 mares, 35 had a history of reproductive problems in the last breeding season and 77 had no reproductive problems. The rates of seroprevalence of N. caninum in mares with and without a history of reproductive problems were 25.71% and 6.49% and from T. gondii 2.85% and 1.29%, respectively. In dogs ...
Alonso A, Baca Castex C, Ferrante A, Pinto M, Castañeira C, Trasorras V, Gambarotta MC, Losinno L, Miragaya M.The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of air-dried spermatozoa for in vitro production of equine embryos and verify if sperm extract activation and in vivo culture improve in vitro embryo production. Cooled spermatozoa (control) and air-dried spermatozoa stored for 2, 14 or 28 days were used for ICSI sperm extract, or ionomycin was used for oocyte activation, and embryos were in vitro or in vivo (in mare's oviduct) cultured for 7 days. With in vitro culture, cleavage rate was higher when activating with sperm extract (P 0.05). Blastocysts were obtained with cooled spermatozoa, and ...
Gauff FC, Patan-Zugaj B, Licka TF.To determine the effect of short-term hyperinsulinemia on the localization and expression of endothelin receptor (ETR)-A and ETR-B in lamellar tissue of the forelimbs of horses. Methods: Distal portion of 15 cadaveric forelimbs from healthy adult horses (1 limb/horse) obtained immediately after slaughter at an abattoir. Methods: Each forelimb was assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups (perfused with autologous blood for 10 hours [control perfusion; n = 5], perfused with an insulin [142 ± 81 μU/mL] perfusate for 10 hours [insulinemic perfusion; 5], or not perfused [unperfused control; 5]). Immun...
Schemann K, Toribio JA, Taylor MR, Ward MP, Dhand NK.To evaluate the level of biosecurity training among Australian equine veterinarians and to assess their perceptions of biosecurity and infectious disease risk and their opinions about the management of the 2007 equine influenza (EI) outbreak. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A survey was conducted among equine veterinarians attending the 2010 annual conference of the Equine Veterinarians Australia (EVA) in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected using a self-completed questionnaire and analysed using Fisher's exact tests to assess veterinarians' levels of biosecurity training, ...
Textor JA, Murphy KC, Leach JK, Tablin F.To compare fiber diameter, pore area, compressive stiffness, gelation properties, and selected growth factor content of platelet-rich fibrin gels (PRFGs) and conventional fibrin gels (FGs). Methods: PRFGs and conventional FGs prepared from the blood of 10 healthy horses. Methods: Autologous fibrinogen was used to form conventional FGs. The PRFGs were formed from autologous platelet-rich plasma of various platelet concentrations (100 × 10³ platelets/μL, 250 × 10³ platelets/μL, 500 × 10³ platelets/μL, and 1,000 × 10³ platelets/μL). All gels contained an identical fibrinogen concentra...
Berghaus LJ, Giguère S, Sturgill TL.Rhodococcus equi, a facultative intracellular pathogen of macrophages, causes life-threatening pneumonia in foals and in people with underlying immune deficiencies. As a basis for this study, we hypothesized that macrophage lineage and age would affect intracellular survival of R. equi and cytokine induction after infection. Monocyte-derived and bronchoalveolar macrophages from 10 adult horses and from 10 foals (sampled at 1-3 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 5 months of age) were infected ex vivo with virulent R. equi. Intracellular R. equi were quantified and mRNA expression of IL-1β, ...
Westermann S, Windsteig V, Schramel JP, Peham C.To determine the skin temperature of the metacarpus in horses associated with the use of bandages and tendon boots, compared with the bare limb, at rest and after 20 minutes of lunging. Methods: 10 adult horses. Methods: Skin temperature on the bare metacarpus of both forelimbs was measured at rest and after lunging. Subsequently, a bandage was applied to the left metacarpus and a tendon boot to the right metacarpus and skin temperature was measured at rest and after lunging. Skin temperature was measured with fixed sensors and thermographically. Results: Mean ± SD skin temperatures of the ba...
Hopster-Iversen CC, Hopster K, Staszyk C, Rohn K, Freeman DE, Rötting AK.To determine characteristics of the inflammatory reaction in the jejunum of horses in response to various mechanical manipulations. Methods: 12 adult warm blood horses without gastrointestinal tract disorders. Methods: The proximal aspect of the jejunum in each horse was divided into 5 segments, and the following manipulations were performed: manual emptying, placement of Doyen forceps, enterotomy alone, enterotomy with mucosal abrasion, and serosal abrasion. Jejunum samples were collected before (control), immediately after, and 30 minutes after the end of manipulations and histologically eva...
Nemoto M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kondo T.Although many disinfectants are commercially available in the veterinary field, information on the virucidal effects of disinfectants against equine group A rotavirus (RVA) is limited. We evaluated the performance of commercially available disinfectants against equine RVA. Chlorine- and iodine-based disinfectants showed virucidal effects, but these were reduced by the presence of organic matter. Glutaraldehyde had a virucidal effect regardless of the presence of organic matter, but the effect was reduced by low temperature or short reaction time, or both. Benzalkonium chloride had the greatest...
Sánchez Guerrero MJ, Cervantes I, Valera M, Gutiérrez JP.The most popular use of the Pura Raza Español horse in sport is for dressage competitions. Tests on young sport horses were first established in 2004 in Spain to collect data for the genetic evaluation of this breed's suitability for dressage. The aim of this study was to compare eight different models to find out the most appropriate way to include the rider in the genetic evaluation of dressage. A progressive removal of systematic effects from model was also analysed. A total of 8867 performance records collected between 2004 and 2011 from 1234 horses aged between 4 and 6 years old were use...
Benmansour P, Husulak ML, Bracamonte JL, Beazley SG, Withnall E, Duke-Novakovski T.To examine the cardiopulmonary effects of infusions of remifentanil or morphine, and their influence on recovery of horses anesthetized with isoflurane and dexmedetomidine. Methods: Randomized crossover study with 7-day rest periods. Methods: Six adult horses (507 ± 61 kg). Methods: After the horses were sedated with xylazine, anaesthesia was induced with ketamine and diazepam, and maintained with isoflurane. After approximately 60 minutes, a dexmedetomidine infusion was started (0.25 μg kg(-1) then 1.0 μg(-1) kg(-1) hour(-1) ) in combination with either saline (group S), morphine (0.15 mg ...
Howe DK, MacKay RJ, Reed SM.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) can be caused by either of 2 related protozoan parasites, Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi, although S. neurona is the most frequent etiologic pathogen. Horses are commonly infected, but clinical disease occurs infrequently; the factors influencing disease occurrence are not well understood. Risk factors for the development of EPM include the presence of opossums and prior stressful health-related events. Attempts to reproduce EPM experimentally have reliably induced antibody responses in challenged horses but have not consistently produced acut...
Martina BE, Koraka P, Osterhaus AD.West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic Flavivirus that was associated with sporadic outbreaks of meningoencephalitis in Africa and the Middle East until 1999, when a more virulent strain emerged in the US that caused thousands of infections among humans and horses, with reported fatality rates between 10 and 50%. Although the epidemiology of WNV is changing into a more endemic pattern in the US, and the incidence of neuroinvasive disease is decreasing, the long-term effects of resolved WNV infections in humans, characterized as persistent movement disorders and various functional disabilities,...
MacKay RJ.Neurologic examination of the neonatal foal is quite different from the process used to examine older foals and adult horses. Abnormal neurologic signs are best appreciated in the context of a detailed knowledge of general neonatal medicine and awareness of nor-mal foal behavior and milestones of development. A systematic approach to neurologic examination is provided. The results of such examination are used to localize a lesion or lesions in the nervous system. Descriptions and treatment strategies are given for most common and important neonatal neurologic diseases.
Langsetmo I, Meyer MR, Erickson HH.Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is characterised by blood in the airways after strenuous exercise and results from stress failure of the pulmonary capillaries. The purpose of this experiment was to establish a threshold value of transmural pulmonary arterial pressure at which haemorrhage occurs in the exercising horse. Five geldings, age 4-14 years, were run in random order once every 2 weeks at 1 of 4 speeds (9, 11, 13, 15 m/s); one day with no run was used as a control. Heart rate, pulmonary arterial pressure and oesophageal pressure were recorded for the duration of the run. T...
Campos GA, Garcia VFC, Freitas-Dell'Aqua CP, Segabinazzi LGTM, Maciel LFS, Alvarenga MA, Papa FO, Dell'Aqua JA.This study aimed to assess the effects of sodium caseinate and cholesterol to extenders used for stallion semen cooling. Two ejaculates from 19 stallions were extended to 50 million/mL in four different extenders and cooled-stored for 24 hours at 5°C. The extender 1 (E1) consisted of a commercially available skim milk-based extender. The extender 2 (E2) consisted of E1 basic formula with the milk component being replaced by sodium caseinate (20 g/L). The extender 3 (E3) consisted of E1 basic formula added to cholesterol (1.5 mg/120 million sperm). The extender 4 (E4) consisted of a combinat...
Perricone V, Sandrini S, Irshad N, Comi M, Lecchi C, Savoini G, Agazzi A.To support the overall health of horses, it is essential to maintain an optimal gut health (GH) status, which encompasses several physiological and functional aspects, including the balance and functionality of intestinal microbial populations and, accordingly, the effective digestion and absorption of nutrients. Numerous biotic and abiotic stressors can lead to an imbalance of GH, such as the quality of forages and the composition of diet, e.g., the inclusion of high energy-dense feeds to meet the energy requirements of performance horses. To support the digestive function and the intestinal ...
Kilic S, Dixon PM, Kempson SA.Ultrastructural examinations of equine dentine found that dentinal tubules extended from the amelodentinal junction towards the pulp forming primary curvatures. The number of dentinal tubules/unit area and their diameters increased significantly from the amelodentinal junction towards the pulp cavities, particularly in regular secondary dentine, but irregular secondary (tertiary) dentine contained no dentinal tubules. Dentinal tubules contained odontoblast processes that appeared to extend as far as the amelodentinal junction, but due to iatrogenic loss during specimen preparation, odontoblast...
Zozaya H, Gutierrez L, Bernad MJ, Sumano H.Doxycyline (Dox) is a semisynthetic antibacterial drug with pharmacological advantages over its parent drug (tetracycline) in the treatment of various bacterial diseases in horses. Yet, at present a horse-customized pharmaceutical formulation is not available. Based on its pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) ratio, Dox is considered a time-dependent antibacterial drug and ideally expected to achieve sustained plasma drug concentrations both at or slightly above the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) level for as long as possible between dosing intervals. Hence, the objective of this st...
Tencza SB, Islam KR, Kalia V, Nasir MS, Jolley ME, Montelaro RC.The control of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infections of horses has been over the past 20 years based primarily on the identification and elimination of seropositive horses, predominantly by a standardized agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) assay in centralized reference laboratories. This screening for EIAV-seropositive horses has been to date hindered by the lack of a rapid diagnostic format that can be easily employed in the field. We describe here the development of a rapid solution-phase assay for the presence of serum antibodies to EIAV based on fluorescence polarization (FP) (pat...
Allen BV.The influence of plasma proteins on erythrocyte aggregation was studied in a population of young thoroughbred racehorses, using the 60 minute erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) with and without haematocrit standardisation. The ESR was correlated inversely with the haematocrit, but directly with fibrinogen, plasma viscosity and serum total globulins. When ESR values were standardised to a common haematocrit the correlation coefficients for the same plasma protein factors were increased. Albumin levels showed a strong direct relationship with haematocrit which accounted for the inverse correla...
Seo JP, Kambayashi Y, Itho M, Haneda S, Yamada K, Furuoka H, Tabata Y, Sasaki N.This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a synovial flap and gelatin/β-tricalcium phosphate (GT) sponge loaded with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and platelet rich plasma (PRP) for repairing of osteochondral defects in horses. Osteochondral defects were created on the medial condyle of both femurs (n=5). In the test group, a GT sponge loaded with MSCs, BMP-2, and PRP (GT/MSCs/BMP-2/PRP) was inserted into the defect and then covered with a synovial flap. In the control group, the defect was treated only with the GT/MSCs/BMP-2/PRP. The test group showe...
Mendoza FJ, Aguilera-Aguilera R, Gonzalez-De Cara CA, Toribio RE, Estepa JC, Perez-Ecija A.Glucose-insulin dynamic challenges such as the intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) and combined glucose-insulin test (CGIT) have not been described in donkeys. The objectives of this study were (1) to characterize the IVGTT and CGIT in healthy adult donkeys, and (2) to establish normal glucose-insulin proxies. Sixteen donkeys were used and body morphometric variables obtained each. For the IVGTT, glucose (300 mg/kg) was given IV. For the CGIT, glucose (150 mg/kg) followed by recombinant insulin (0.1 IU/kg) were administered IV. Blood samples for glucose and insulin determinations were c...
Lundin C, Sullins KE, White NA, Clem MF, Debowes RM, Pfeiffer CA.Twenty-two foals were divided into groups of intestinal distension and intestinal ischaemia as methods to induce peritoneal adhesions. In the first group, the lumen of a segment of distal small intestine was occluded without extramural vascular compromise and distended with lactated Ringer's solution to a constant pressure of 25 cm H2O for 2 h within the abdomen. The ischaemic group underwent 70 mins total vascular occlusion of identical segments of bowel. Serosal biopsies were obtained before and after each experimental procedure and following 60 mins of reperfusion. Similar biopsies were har...
Hanson RR.Extensive thermal injuries in horses can be difficult to manage. The large surface of the burn dramatically increases the potential for loss of fluids,electrolytes, and calories. Burns are classified by the depth of injury: first-degree burns involve only the most superficial layers of the epidermis;second-degree burns involve the entire epidermis and can be superficial or deep; third-degree burns are characterized by loss of the epidermal and dermal components; and fourth-degree burns involve all the skin and underlying muscle, bone, and ligaments. Burns cause local and systemic effects. Rout...
Hurcombe SD, Slovis NM, Kohn CW, Oglesbee M.A 2-year-old Thoroughbred filly was evaluated because of hemorrhage from the vulva and suspected hematuria of 5 days' duration. Results: A primary coagulopathy was ruled out on the basis of results of hematologic testing. Vaginoscopy and cystoscopy revealed a large bleeding mass in the bladder that extended into the vagina, causing marked obliteration of normal urogenital structures and difficulty in urination. Histologic examination of endoscopic and surgical biopsy specimens revealed a poorly differentiated neoplasia likely of mesenchymal origin. Chronic suppurative cystitis caused by Strept...
Shields E, Seiden-Long I, Massie S, Leguillette R.A "high-sensitivity" cardiac troponin-T (hscTnT) assay recently has been validated for use in horses and is a specific biomarker of myocardial damage. Postexercise release kinetics of cTnT utilizing the hscTnT assay have yet to be established in horses. Objective: To determine: (1) cTnT release kinetics in racing Thoroughbreds after a high-intensity 5/8th mile Chuckwagon race; (2) the effects of age on pre- and postrace cTnT concentrations; and (3) sampling guidelines for clinicians evaluating horses presenting after exercise. Methods: Samples were obtained from 38 Thoroughbred geldings aged 5...
Pedersen PJ, Thomsen KB, Flak JB, Tejada MA, Hauser F, Trachsel D, Buhl R, Kalbfleisch T, DePriest MS, MacLeod JN, Calloe K, Klaerke DA.The voltage-gated K-channel K7.1 and the subunit KCNE1, encoded by the KCNQ1 and KCNE1 genes, respectively, are responsible for termination of the cardiac action potential. In humans, mutations in these genes can predispose patients to arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Objective: To characterize equine K7.1/KCNE1 currents and compare them to human K7.1/KCNE1 currents to determine whether K7.1/KCNE1 plays a similar role in equine and human hearts. Methods: mRNA encoding K7.1 and KCNE1 was isolated from equine hearts, sequenced, and cloned into expression vectors. The channel subunits ...
Fourie I, Snyman J, Williams J, Ismail A, Jansen van Vuren P, Venter M.Although Old World alphaviruses, Middelburg- (MIDV) and Sindbis virus (SINV), have previously been detected in horses and wildlife with neurologic disease in South Africa, the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of MIDV and SINV infections in animals are not well documented. Clinical samples from horses across South Africa with acute or fatal neurologic and febrile infections submitted between 2014-2018 were investigated. In total, 69/1084 (6.36%) and 11/1084 (1.01%) horses tested positive for MIDV and SINV, respectively, by real-time reverse transcription (RT) PCR. Main signs/outcomes for ...
McKane SA, Slocombe RF.Histological studies of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) reveals inflammatory infiltrates within areas of lung that contain haemorrhage. This has resulted in the hypothesis that pulmonary inflammation could cause EIPH or contribute to an increased risk or severity of EIPH. Objective: To determine whether experimentally-induced pulmonary inflammation predisposes the lung to haemorrhage during exercise, by evaluating the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology of normal and inflamed regions of lung following high speed treadmill exercise. Methods: Transendoscopic airway inoculations o...
To evaluate the immunological response following vaccination, 40 WNV serologically negative horses were selected and divided in two groups of 20 animals. One group was vaccinated (booster after 28 days) with a whole inactivated viral strain and the second group with a live recombinant canarypox virus expressing the genes coding for the WNV preM/E viral proteins. IgM, IgG and neutralizing antibodies were monitored by class specific ELISAs and serum neutralization assay for 360 days. In both groups, IgM antibodies were first detected 7 days post vaccination (dpv). However, in the group vaccinate...
Al-Kass Z, Ntallaris T, Morrell JM, Johannisson A.Although previous studies have examined the relationship between the sperm DNA fragmentation index and fertility in stallions, other aspects of chromatin structure or packaging and fertility have not been explored. In the present study, relationships between fertility and DNA fragmentation index, protamine deficiency, total thiols, free thiols and disulfide bonds in stallion spermatozoa were investigated. Ejaculates (n = 36) were collected from 12 stallions and extended to prepare semen doses for insemination. One dose from each ejaculate was sent to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sc...
Thieulent CJ, Sutton G, Toquet MP, Fremaux S, Hue E, Fortier C, Pléau A, Deslis A, Abrioux S, Guitton E, Pronost S, Paillot R.Equid alphaherpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of the main pathogens in horses, responsible for respiratory diseases, ocular diseases, abortions, neonatal foal death and neurological complications such as equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). Current vaccines reduce the excretion and dissemination of the virus and, therefore, the extent of an epizooty. While their efficacy against EHV-1-induced abortion in pregnant mares and the decreased occurrence of an abortion storm in the field have been reported, their potential efficacy against the neurological form of disease remains undocumented. No ...
Ossiprandi MC, Buttrini M, Bottarelli E, Zerbini L.Clostridium difficile, associated with a wide spectrum of diseases in humans, as well as in several animal species, is an important cause of colitis in adult horses and foals. The aim of this study was to investigate by toxin gene profile and PCR-ribotyping the molecular characteristics of 14 C. difficile strains isolated from 42 faeces of healthy horses. Both toxin genes, tcdA and tcdB, were present in only 1 isolate (7.1%). Six isolates (42.9%) demonstrated tcdA-/tcdB+ genotype, and seven isolates (50.0%) were tcdA-/tcdB-. All strains were binary toxin genes negative (cdtA-/cdtB-). The PCR-p...
Calisher CH, Monath TP, Sabattini MS, Mitchell CJ, Lazuick JS, Tesh RB, Cropp CB.In 1983, 17 virus strains were isolated from mosquitoes collected during an outbreak of western equine encephalitis in Santa Fe Province, Argentina. Strains of western equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, and Antequera viruses were isolated, as were several bunyaviruses of the California and Bunyamwera serogroups and a new vesiculovirus. Complement fixation and neutralization tests were used to identify the California serogroup virus as a subtype of Melao virus, the Bunyamwera serogroup virus as a subtype of both Maguari and Playas viruses, and the vesic...
de Laat MA, Fitzgerald DM, Sillence MN, Spence RJ.Equine insulin dysregulation (ID) is a common and poorly understood disorder that increases the risk of laminitis. Recent data show that the condition may be associated with alteration of the enteroinsular axis and enhanced glucose bioavailability. Upregulation of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), an intestinotrophic peptide, leads to enhanced nutrient uptake and metabolic dysfunction in other species. Objective: The study aimed to 1) determine whether GLP-2 is differentially expressed in insulin-dysregulated ponies, compared with healthy ponies, and 2) confirm intestinal expression of the GLP-...
Baird JD, Valberg SJ, Anderson SM, McCue ME, Mickelson JR.The purpose of this study was to determine which continental European draught horse breeds harbour a mutation in the glycogen synthase 1 gene (GYS1) that is known to be responsible for type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy in quarter horses and North American draught horses. Of a non-random selection of continental European draught horses belonging to 13 breeds, 62 per cent (250 of 403) tested were found to carry the mutant allele. The horses were located in Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. The mutation was identified in animals from each of the breeds examined. In...
Cender AN, Mählmann K, Ehrle A, Merle R, Pieper L, Lischer CJ.Digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) pathology is an important cause of lameness in horses. The outcome after surgical treatment is variable and depends on the exact diagnosis. Objective: To (1) describe the prevalence of lesions associated with lameness caused by nonseptic DFTS tenosynovitis in a large population of German sports and pleasure horses; (2) determine the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic imaging techniques for identifying lesions within the DFTS with tenoscopic diagnosis being the gold standard; (3) explore associations between tenoscopically diagnosed lesions and signalm...
Das PJ, Lyle SK, Beehan D, Chowdhary BP, Raudsepp T.Sex chromosome aberrations commonly lead to abnormal sexual development. Here we cytogenetically and molecularly characterized Y isochromosome in an intersex horse. Blood lymphocyte analysis showed a mosaic karyotype with 96% 63,XO and 4% 64,Xi(Y) cells. Molecular analysis of the isochromosome was carried out by fluorescence in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction with male-specific and pseudoautosomal markers from the horse Y chromosome. We found that the isochromosome was monocentric, composed of 2 long arms, carrying 2 sets of genes of the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) and the ma...
