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.
Zetterberg E, Persson-Sjodin E, Lundblad J, Hernlund E, Rhodin M.A high proportion of horses in training, perceived as free from lameness by their owner, exhibit vertical movement asymmetries. These types of asymmetries are sensitive measures of lameness, but their specificity as indicators of orthopaedic pathology or locomotor function remains unclear. Equine athletes performing at a high level could be assumed to exhibit a higher degree of movement symmetry compared with the general horse population, but this has not been confirmed. This study investigated the prevalence of movement asymmetries in horses performing at a high level in three equestrian disc...
Feijo LS, Wolfsdorf KE, Canisso IF, Parry S, Felippe MJB.Placental infection is an important cause of late-term pregnancy loss and neonatal diseases in horses. Detection of changes in blood parameters especially during early placentitis could improve the diagnostic accuracy, treatment decision, and potential outcomes. The objectives of this 2-part study were to identify differences in circulating immunological, inflammatory, and hormonal parameters between mares with natural ascending placentitis and control mares; evaluate each and combination of parameters as predictors of placentitis; and determine how these parameters indicate severity of placen...
Lomnicka I, Dubey S, Waller P, Vora D, Dirikolu L.The screening of drugs in plasma and urine often requires initial extraction (such as liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction) before the samples are submitted to instrumental analyses. These extraction procedures are often laborious and time-consuming. In this manuscript, a high-throughput automated assay based on liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) suitable for use as an initial testing procedure covering multiple classes of compounds prohibited in horse racing is described. The assay requires a 600-μL plasma aliquot, which is subjected to solid pha...
Kabir A, Lamichhane B, Habib T, Adams A, El-Sheikh Ali H, Slovis NM, Troedsson MHT, Helmy YA.The equine industry holds substantial economic importance not only in the USA but worldwide. The occurrence of various infectious bacterial diseases in horses can lead to severe health issues, economic losses, and restrictions on horse movement and trade. Effective management and control of these diseases are therefore crucial for the growth and sustainability of the equine industry. While antibiotics constitute the primary treatment strategy for any bacterial infections in horses, developing resistance to clinically important antibiotics poses significant challenges to equine health and welfa...
Bachmann M, Schusser GF, Wensch-Dorendorf M, Pisch C, Bochnia M, Santo MM, Netzker H, Woitow G, Thielebein J, Kesting S, Riehl G, Greef JM....Concentrations of starch, mono- and disaccharides, fructans, hemicellulose and cellulose were analysed in feed and gastric digesta of horses in relation to acid insoluble ash as a marker indigestible in the stomach. Twenty-four horses were allocated to pasture 24 h/d (PST; n = 4), hay ad libitum (HAY; n = 8), hay ad lib. and oats at 1 g starch/kg body weight (BWT)/meal (OS1; n = 6) and hay ad lib. and oats at 2 g starch/kg BWT/meal (OS2; n = 5). One horse was excluded from the analysis. The horses were fed the ration a minimum of 34 days. Following euthanasia and dissection, digesta was sample...
Heaton CP, Cavinder CA, McClure EN, Smith T, Smith WB, Liburt N, Krotky A, Harris P.Insulin dysregulation (ID), core to equine metabolic syndrome, may present without obesity. Testing for ID risk is commonly based on breed and obese phenotype but might be valuable for non-obese stock-type horses. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ID in non-obese stock-type horses and evaluate if morphometric neck measurements (MNM) correlate with ID. Sixty-two, non-obese (BCS 5, range 2.5-6/9) stock-type horses were assessed for MNM: neck circumference at 25%, 50% (NC50), and 75% (NC75) length, and crest height. An oral sugar test (OST; 0.15 mL/kg BW corn syrup) was performed wi...
Sala-Ayala L, Pytel AT, Stychno K, Cuervo-Arango J.Ovum pick-up (OPU) by transvaginal ultrasound guided follicle aspiration in mares is a common assisted reproductive technique used for oocyte recovery and in vitro production of horse embryos. There has been relatively little research into the factors influencing oocyte recovery in OPU from live mares. The objective of this study was to compare oocyte recovery and morphology of ultrasound-guided follicle puncture and aspiration in live mares and in postmortem excised ovaries, in order to validate an experimental model for research purposes of the efficiency of OPU in mares. Data from OPU perfo...
Cardona GC, Dahlgren LA, Byron CR, McKenzie HC, Werre SR, Bogers SH.The aim of the present study was to determine if a three-dimensional (3D)-printed instrument technique would improve lavage removal of plastic beads (guttural pouch [GP] chondroid mimics) through a dorsal pharyngeal recess (DPR) fenestration. We hypothesized that using a 3D-printed instrument placed through the DPR fenestration would remove more beads, reduce lavage time and incur less soft tissue damage than using a lavage tube control or instrument placement through the salpingopharyngeal ostium (SPO). Methods: Experimental cadaveric study. Methods: A total of 30 cadaveric equine heads. Meth...
Ripollés-Lobo M, Molina A, Novales M, Ziadi C, Hernández E, Valera M.Osteochondrosis (OC) is a developmental orthopaedic disease of significant concern in numerous sport horse breeds, with significant international relevance. Using digital radiographs, we assessed the occurrence of hock (tarsocrural joint) OC in 3 048 Pura Raza Española (PRE) horses which took part in a morpho-functional test, in three specific locations in the tarsus limbs: the Distal Intermediate Ridge of the Tibia (DIRT), the lateral trochlear ridges of the talus (LTT), and the medial trochlear ridges of the talus (MTT). An incidence rate of 13.3% was found for hock OC in the analysed samp...
Maeda M, Abe M, Aoshima K, Kobayashi A, Fukushi H, Kimura T.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) causes respiratory diseases, abortion, and encephalomyelitis in horses. The EHV-1 immediate-early (IE) protein, essential for viral replication, is transactivated by the binding of a multiprotein complex including the open reading frame 12 (ORF12) and some host factors to the IE promoter region. Promoter-associated non-coding RNAs (pancRNAs), which are transcribed from bidirectional promoters, regulate the transcription of neighboring genes in mammals and pathogens. In this study, we identified a novel pancRNA transcribed from across the areas of the 5'-untranslate...
Usimaki A, Ciamillo SA, Barot D, Linardi RL, Engiles JB, Ortved KF.Autologous protein solution (APS) has been shown to decrease lameness in horses with osteoarthritis (OA). Synovitis is an early driver of OA, providing an opportunity to intervene in the progression of disease via intra-articular (IA) therapeutics. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a single IA APS injection in horses with interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-induced synovitis. We hypothesised that APS would decrease joint swelling and lameness, improve synovial fluid parameters and improve joint pathology scores in horses compared with untreated controls. Methods: Ra...
Calomeno SS, Freitas Santi T, Barbosa B, Weber SH, Oliveira TM, Machado GF, Michelotto PV.Horses maintained outdoors may experience a lower-allergenic environment compared to their stabled counterparts. This study hypothesizes that climatic changes in southern Brazil can influence respiratory status. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the lower airways of 17 horses from a teaching herd in southern Brazil, maintained outdoors, during winter, spring, and summer. Except for one mare with a history of severe asthma, all horses were considered healthy and underwent a physical examination. Airway endoscopic evaluation included scoring for tracheal mucus (0-5) and bronchial septum thic...
Bark C, Reilly P, Weller R, Pfau T.Hoof care providers are pivotal for implementing biomechanical optimizations of the musculoskeletal system in the horse. Regular visits allow for the collection of longitudinal, quantitative information ("normal ranges"). Changes in movement symmetry, e.g., after shoeing, are indicative of alterations in weight-bearing and push-off force production. Ten Warmblood show jumping horses (7-13 years; 7 geldings, 3 mares) underwent forelimb re-shoeing with rolled rocker shoes, one limb at a time ("limb-by-limb"). Movement symmetry was measured with inertial sensors attached to the head, withers, and...
Shams F, Jokar M, Abdous A, Mohammadi P, Abbassioun A, Seuberlich T, Rahmanian V.Neospora spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are two closely related protozoan parasites that are widely distributed throughout the world. Horses can act as intermediate hosts for both parasites and can acquire disease. Blood samples were taken from 487 clinically healthy horses from 17 different mechanized stables in Tehran, the capital of Iran, during September and November of 2022. IFAT and ELISA were employed to detect antibodies directed against Neospora spp. and T. gondii. The anti-N. caninum antibodies were detected in 52 of the horses (10.67%) based on IFAT and in 86 of the 487 horses (17.65%) ...
Skedros JG, Dayton MR, Cronin JT, Mears CS, Bloebaum RD, Wang X, Bachus KN.Many bones experience bending, placing one side in net compression and the other in net tension. Because bone mechanical properties are relatively reduced in tension compared with compression, adaptations are needed to reduce fracture risk. Several toughening mechanisms exist in bone, yet little is known of the influences of secondary osteon collagen/lamellar 'morphotypes' and potential interplay with intermolecular collagen cross-links (CCLs) in prevalent/predominant tension- and compression-loaded regions. Paired third metacarpals (MC3s) from 10 adult horses were prepared for mechanical test...
Gould J, Wells M, de Linde Henriksen M, Gilger BC.To determine the causes, time to resolution, effect of therapeutics, and ocular sequelae of hyphema, fibrin, and/or vitreal hemorrhage in horses. Methods: 225 horses (219 eyes) who were diagnosed with hyphema, fibrin, and/or vitreal hemorrhage. Methods: Records were retrospectively reviewed for the horses. Signalment, ophthalmic examination findings, causes, treatments, and outcomes were evaluated. Results: Common causes of intraocular fibrin or hemorrhage were equine recurrent uveitis (42/219 horses), corneal stromal abscess (32/219 horses), corneal stromal ulcer (25/219 horses), and trauma (...
Grzyb J, Podstawski Z, Bulski K.Horses stay in different types of stables; especially during the cold season, they stay inside for most of the day. A stable is also a place where many people spend quite a lot of time either as employees who care for and train horses or as equine enthusiasts. Keeping horses in stables causes their constant exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and molds in the air inside these facilities. The study was conducted in Udórz Stud Farm located in the southern region of Poland. It was carried out in two different types of stables: three runners and two box stables. The study c...
Nowak M, Martin-Cirera A, Jenner F, Auer U.Pain assessment in horses presents a significant challenge due to their nonverbal nature and their tendency to conceal signs of discomfort in the presence of potential threats, including humans. Therefore, this study aimed to identify pain-associated behaviors amenable to automated AI-based detection in video recordings. Additionally, it sought to determine correlations between pain intensity and behavioral and postural parameters by analyzing factors such as time budgets, weight shifting, and unstable resting. The ultimate goal is to facilitate the development of AI-based quantitative tools f...
Olguin-Perglione C, Politzki R, Alvarez I, Ruiz V.The novel Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis (EqPV-H) was first identified in the serum and liver of a horse that died of equine serum hepatitis, also known as Theiler's disease. Several reports in recent years strongly suggest that EqPV-H is the etiologic agent of Theiler's disease. Brazil is the only South American country where infection with this virus has been reported. This study investigated the presence of EqPV-H DNA in horse serum pools (n=51), commercial horse serum batches (n=5) and individual serum samples from donor horses (n=175) from Argentina. All serum samples were analyzed by quanti...
Martin F, Halvarsson P, Alm YH, Tydén E.Anthelmintic resistance is an increasing problem in many gastrointestinal parasites of grazing animals. Among these, the equine roundworm, Parascaris spp., has developed wide-spread resistance to macrocyclic lactones over the past decades. Additionally, there are recent observations of emerging treatment failure of both tetrahydropyrimidine and fenbendazole. Therefore, the aims of this study were to further investigate the occurrence of fenbendazole resistance on breeding farms and to explore potential management-related risk factors associated with resistance in Parascaris spp. in Sweden. Ele...
Stothart MR, McLoughlin PD, Medill SA, Greuel RJ, Wilson AJ, Poissant J.Gut microbiomes are widely hypothesised to influence host fitness and have been experimentally shown to affect host health and phenotypes under laboratory conditions. However, the extent to which they do so in free-living animal populations and the proximate mechanisms involved remain open questions. In this study, using long-term, individual-based life history and shallow shotgun metagenomic sequencing data (2394 fecal samples from 794 individuals collected between 2013-2019), we quantify relationships between gut microbiome variation and survival in a feral population of horses under natural...
Peat FJ, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW, Berk JT, Keenan DP.Changes in the proximal sesamoid bones (sesamoids) and the insertional region of the adjacent suspensory ligament branch (branch) are of particular importance in young Thoroughbreds sold at public auction. Little is known about the prevalence of concurrent ultrasonographical branch change, relative to the various grades of radiological sesamoid appearance. Objective: To examine the existence of concurrent radiological and ultrasonographical findings in individual sesamoid-branch units in sales horses; to determine whether there are any radiological findings that are consistently accompanied by...
Winther MF, Johnsson J, Madsen PK, Pihl TH, Paltrinieri S, Cerón JJ, Scavone D, Pardo-Marin L, Jacobsen S.Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) has been suggested as a marker of inflammation and oxidative stress in horses and could potentially be used for prognostication in horses with colitis. Objective: Assessment of PON-1 in horses with colitis and comparison of two methods. Methods: Serum PON-1 was measured by two methods (paraoxon and p-nitrophenyl acetate) in 161 horses with colitis and 57 controls. Follow-up samples obtained during hospitalization were available from 106 horses with colitis. The two methods were compared. Results: Serum PON-1 was significantly lower in horses with colitis than in healthy h...
Fanelli D, Moroni R, Sala G, Melanie P, Tarabella I, Telleschi N, Maltinti S, Giorgi M, Barsotti G, Passamonti F, Marmorini P, Rota A, Camillo F....Two studies were conducted to evaluate the use of medical ozone (O) in commercial extenders for equine semen cryopreservation. In the first study (Study 1), 0, 5, and 15 µg/mL of O were added to diluents of refrigerated or frozen semen. Samples were evaluated for sperm kinematics at different time points for the chilled samples and after a thermoresistence test for the frozen/thawed samples. In the second study (Study 2), 0, 5, and 10 µg/mL of O were added to an antibiotic-free diluent for refrigerated semen for comparison with the control group in which semen was diluted in the same diluent...
Rar V, Marchenko V, Suntsova O, Epikhina T, Tikunov A, Meltsov I, Fedorets V, Igolkina Y, Kozlova I, Tikunova N.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a global worldwide infection, which can lead to the death of animals. Despite the causative agents of EP being well studied, there are no data on the distribution and genetic characteristics of EP agents in any region of Russia. In this study, blood samples from 750 horses from Novosibirsk province, Irkutsk province, and Altai region of Russian Siberia were examined for the presence of EP agents. Theileria equi and Babesia caballi were detected in all examined regions, with mean prevalence rates of 60.4% and 7.2%, respectively. The identified pathogens were genetic...
Jobst ID, Zsoldos RR, Licka TF.Equine physiotherapy commonly includes basic exercises such as walking backward (BW) and voluntary lifting of single limbs (SLL), but trunk movements during these have not been studied. In order to compare the trunk kinematics during BW and SLL with forward walking (FW), nine horses were measured in FW, BW and during SLL triggered by tactile cue. Kinematics were obtained from skin markers captured by ten high-speed video cameras. Trunk angles were calculated in sagittal and horizontal planes from withers, dorsal to spinous processes of the 16th thoracic vertebra (T16), 2nd and 4th sacral verte...
Allen K, King M, Anderson L, Mullan S.The ethics of equine sports medicine is a complex subject that is currently understudied. It combines veterinary ethics, sports ethics and associated regulation. Equine sports medicine may raise unique ethical issues and combines common ethical issues in ways distinct from other forms of veterinary medicine. Objective: The purpose of this research was to identify and describe ethical issues concerning United Kingdom (UK) veterinary surgeons arising within the practice of equine sports medicine. Methods: Survey. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to UK veterinary surgeons via vete...
Azizi S, Mazaheri-Khameneh R, Davoodi F, Gooran MM, Ghoreishi SS, Mozaffari N, Dalir-Naghadeh B.In this case report, we present an unusual clockwise torsion of left colon around mesenteric root in a 10-month-old Arab filly, highlighting the clinical presentation, diagnostic approach and successful surgical intervention. A 10-month-old Arab filly weighing approximately 250 kg was referred with signs of acute abdominal pain. The history revealed anorexia, restlessness and severe abdominal pain that had begun the previous day. The local practitioner had previously administered flunixin meglumine, an analgesic, but it proved ineffective in relieving the pain. Upon physical examination, the ...
Ross C, White JM, Hibner-Szaltys M, Stephenson RS, Withers JM, Marcatili M.To describe the surgical technique for removal of hoof wall masses in horses under standing sedation (SS) and local anesthesia (LA), and to report complications and long-term outcome following surgery. Methods: Observational retrospective study. Methods: Client-owned horses (n = 30). Methods: Horses undergoing keratoma removal under SS and LA in a single equine hospital between August 2016 and July 2023 were included in the study. Signalment, affected foot, history of lameness and/or foot abscesses, degree of lameness on admission, imaging findings (radiography and magnetic resonance imagi...
Byron M, Lection J, Foster RA, Chenier T, Wagner B, Diel de Amorim M.Prostaglandins have many roles in the equine reproductive tract, including but not limited to luteolysis, luteal support, ovulation, transport through the uterine tube, uterine contraction, embryonic mobility, inflammation, and fibrosis. Altered secretion of inflammatory proteins are likely to disrupt the balance of endometrial function and could impair fertility. Our overall goal was to measure the expression of several prostaglandin- and inflammation-related genes in mares with different degrees of endometrial histological changes. Our hypothesis was that mares with neutrophilic and lymphocy...
Lu G, Sun L, Ou J, Xu H, Wu L, Li S.A novel equine parvovirus, equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H), was first discovered in a horse that died of equine serum hepatitis in the USA in 2018. EqPV-H was shown to be a novel etiological agent associated with equine serum hepatitis. Following this initial report, no additional studies on EqPV-H have been published. In this study, a total of 143 serum samples were collected from racehorses at 5 separate farms in China and were analyzed to detect EqPV-H DNA via nested PCR. The results indicated a high prevalence of EqPV-H (11.9%, 17/143) in the studied animals. In addition, a remarkably...
Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Kropinski AM, Weese SJ, Parreira VR, Whitehead AE, Boerlin P, Prescott JF.The recent discovery of a novel beta-pore-forming toxin, NetF, which is strongly associated with canine and foal necrotizing enteritis should improve our understanding of the role of type A Clostridium perfringens associated disease in these animals. The current study presents the complete genome sequence of two netF-positive strains, JFP55 and JFP838, which were recovered from cases of foal necrotizing enteritis and canine hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, respectively. Genome sequencing was done using Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) technology-PacBio and Illumina Hiseq2000. The JFP55 and JFP838...
Haddy E, Burden F, Prado-Ortiz O, Zappi H, Raw Z, Proops L.Factors affecting working equid welfare are wide-ranging and reflect cultural, economic and climatic conditions, the type of work equids are used for, and individual differences in the practices of their handlers. In Mexico working equids are widely used for facilitating agricultural activities, however, welfare issues are common. Objective: To assess working equids across three communities in Mexico, identify predominant welfare problems and document how these problems vary across locations, associated working roles and species type. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: The study combine...
Reghini MF, Ramires Neto C, Segabinazzi LG, Castro Chaves MM, Dell'Aqua Cde P, Bussiere MC, Dell'Aqua JA, Papa FO, Alvarenga MA.Degenerative changes of the endometrium are directly related to age and fertility in mares. Chronic degenerative endometritis (CDE) is correlated with uterine fluid retention and reduced ability to clear uterine inflammation. Recent research in the areas of equine surgery and sports medicine has shown that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment acts as an immunomodulator of the inflammatory response. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if the uterine infusion of PRP could modulate the local inflammatory response and modify the intrauterine NO concentrations after artificial insemin...
Zoonoses and public healthNovember 17, 2009
Volume 57, Issue 7-8 510-517 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01261.x
Veronesi F, Passamonti F, Cacciò S, Diaferia M, Piergili Fioretti D.Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two of the most common enteric pathogens of domestic and wild animals and humans. However, little is known on the prevalence, clinical manifestations and economic and zoonotic significance of these infections in horses. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence, excretion patterns and risk factors related to the faecal shedding of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in horses and the zoonotic potential of species/genotypes isolated. The survey was performed on 120 foals and 30 broodmares reared in five Italian farms. Foals were divided in fou...
Jacobsen S, Jensen JC, Frei S, Jensen AL, Thoefner MB.Early recognition of excessive inflammation and infectious complications after surgery, leading to early institution of therapy, reduces post operative discomfort and facilitates recovery. Because serum amyloid A (SAA) is a highly sensitive marker of inflammation, measurements of SAA and other acute phase reactants in the equine surgical patient may be valuable in assisting clinical assessment of post operative inflammation. Objective: To investigate changes in inflammatory markers after castration and to correlate levels of acute phase reactants with clinical severity of inflammation after ca...
Soboll Hussey G, Hussey SB, Wagner B, Horohov DW, Van de Walle GR, Osterrieder N, Goehring LS, Rao S, Lunn DP.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection remains a significant problem despite the widespread use of vaccines. The inability to generate a protective immune response to EHV-1 vaccination or infection is thought to be due to immunomodulatory properties of the virus, and the ORF1 and ORF2 gene products have been hypothesized as potential candidates with immunoregulatory properties. A pony infection study was performed to define immune responses to EHV-1, and to determine if an EHV-1 ORF1/2 deletion mutant (ΔORF1/2) would have different disease and immunoregulatory effects compared to wild type EH...
Fillion-Bertrand G, Dickson RP, Boivin R, Lavoie JP, Huffnagle GB, Leclere M.There is evidence that the lung microbiome differs between patients with asthma and healthy humans, but the effect of environmental conditions and medication is unknown and difficult to study. Equine asthma is a naturally occurring chronic airway disease characterized by reversible airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction upon exposure to inhaled antigens. In the present study, we evaluated the effect that environmental conditions and disease status have on pulmonary, nasal, and oral microbiomes. Six asthmatic and six healthy horses were studied while at pasture ("low antigen exposure"), as...
Bureau F, Delhalle S, Bonizzi G, Fiévez L, Dogné S, Kirschvink N, Vanderplasschen A, Merville MP, Bours V, Lekeux P.In most cells trans-activating NF-kappaB induces many inflammatory proteins as well as its own inhibitor, IkappaB-alpha, thus assuring a transient response upon stimulation. However, NF-kappaB-dependent inflammatory gene expression is persistent in asthmatic bronchi, even after allergen eviction. In the present report we used bronchial brushing samples (BBSs) from heaves-affected horses (a spontaneous model of asthma) to elucidate the mechanisms by which NF-kappaB activity is maintained in asthmatic airways. NF-kappaB activity was high in granulocytic and nongranulocytic BBS cells. However, NF...
van Loon JPAM, Van Dierendonck MC.In recent decades, much effort has been invested in scientific studies of objective and reliable assessment of pain in horses. Various types of pain assessment tools have been described and (partly) validated for different types of pain in horses. Currently, composite pain scales and facial expression-based pain scales seem to be the most promising tools for pain assessment in horses and numerous studies have recently been published on the use of these pain scales in horses. Therefore, this narrative review mainly focusses on these two types of pain scales and on the studies that have appeared...
Hoyt DF, Wickler SJ, Cogger EA.Using published values for twelve species of birds and mammals, we investigated the effects of limb length and running speed on time of contact and step length. In addition, we measured the time of contact in horses trotting up a 10 % incline and when carrying a load averaging 19 % of their body mass. From these values, we calculated stride period and step length. Our analysis of the interspecific data yielded the following relationship between time of contact (t(c) in s) and leg length (L in m) and running speed (v in m s(-)(1)): t(c)=0.80L(0.84)/v(0.87) (r(2)=0.97). Both exponents in this re...
Dik KJ, Enzerink E, van Weeren PR.In a longitudinal study the hocks and stifles of Dutch Warmblood foals were radiographed at age 1 month and subsequently at intervals of 4 weeks. Forty-three foals were radiographed until age 5 months and 19 foals until age 11 months. The chance for the development of osteochondrosis was enhanced by using only offspring from diseased sires with radiographically proven OC at either the intermediate ridge of the distal tibia or the lateral ridge of the femoral trochlea. The radiographic appearances of the intermediate ridge of the distal tibia, the distal aspect of the lateral trochlear ridge of...
Bourée P.Hydatidosis is a widespread zoonosis infecting a large number of animals and humans. Echinococcus granulosus has the smallest taenia adult of the cestodes but with the largest larva. Its morphologic and biologic features were identified with DNA analysis. Different strains were separated according to the intermediate hosts: sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, camels. Definitive host are canids, mostly dogs, where the worm grows to adulthood in several months. The eggs are scattered in the pasture by wind and water and are ingested by various hosts. The larvae migrate through the intestinal wall and p...
Snyder SP, England JJ, McChesney AE.Five of six immunodeficient Arabian foals that died of adenoviral infection were found to be infected with an intestinal coccidian of the genus Cryptosporidium. Various developmental stages of the organism were found in the microvillous border of the intestinal mucosa. The foals had diarrhea but it was not possible to separate the effects of the cryptosporidial infection from those of the concomitant adenoviral enteritis.
Wasko AJ, Barkema HW, Nicol J, Fernandez N, Logie N, Léguillette R.The diagnosis of equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is based on clinical signs and increased inflammatory cell percentages in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Since a BAL is an invasive procedure, a risk-screening questionnaire (RSQ) would be a valuable screening tool for lung inflammation. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of a RSQ to detect lower airway inflammation (LAI) in a large population of horses. Methods: A standardised BAL was performed in the field on 167 horses in Alberta, Canada. Horses were separated into 3 categories: 1) BAL...
Mazerbourg S, Overgaard MT, Oxvig C, Christiansen M, Conover CA, Laurendeau I, Vidaud M, Tosser-Klopp G, Zapf J, Monget P.IGF binding protein-4 (IGFBP-4) proteolytic degradation is a common feature of preovulatory follicles from human, ovine, bovine, porcine, and equine ovary. In all these species, the protease is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease and its ability to degrade IGFBP-4 is IGF dependent. The human intrafollicular IGFBP-4-degrading protease has recently been identified as pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A). The aim of this study was to investigate whether PAPP-A is also involved in IGFBP-4 degradation in ovine, bovine, porcine, and equine preovulatory follicles and to study the expression of...
Garvey M, Suárez NM, Kerr K, Hector R, Moloney-Quinn L, Arkins S, Davison AJ, Cullinane A.Equid herpesvirus 8 (EHV-8), formerly known as asinine herpesvirus 3, is an alphaherpesvirus that is closely related to equid herpesviruses 1 and 9 (EHV-1 and EHV-9). The pathogenesis of EHV-8 is relatively little studied and to date has only been associated with respiratory disease in donkeys in Australia and horses in China. A single EHV-8 genome sequence has been generated for strain Wh in China, but is apparently incomplete and contains frameshifts in two genes. In this study, the complete genome sequences of four EHV-8 strains isolated in Ireland between 2003 and 2015 were determined by I...
Arregui L, Rathi R, Zeng W, Honaramooz A, Gomendio M, Roldan ER, Dobrinski I.Xenografting of testis tissue from immature males from several mammalian species to immunodeficient mouse hosts results in production of fertilization-competent sperm. However, the efficiency of testis tissue xenografting from adult donors has not been critically evaluated. Testis tissue xenografting from sexually mature animals could provide an option to preserve the genetic material from valuable males when semen for cryopreservation cannot be collected. To assess the potential use of this technique for adult individuals, testes from adult animals of six species (pig, goat, cattle, donkey, h...
Martens RJ, Martens JG, Fiske RA, Hietala SK.The immunoprophylactic capacity of specific immune plasma was evaluated in pony foals infected experimentally with Rhodococcus equi. Immune plasma, produced by repeated parenteral administration of viable R. equi to adult horses, was harvested and frozen. Group I (six control foals) and Group II (six principal foals) received lactated Ringers solution and immune plasma respectively at three and five days of age. R. equi were aerosolised into a caudal lung lobe of all foals at seven days of age. Clinical signs, haematological alterations, immune responses, thoracic radiographs and technetium99m...
Crevier-Denoix N, Collobert C, Pourcelot P, Denoix JM, Sanaa M, Geiger D, Bernard N, Ribot X, Bortolussi C, Bousseau B.The objective of this study was to mechanically characterise superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) lesions. Eight pathological SDFTs, isolated from 6 adult horses, were tested in traction until rupture (at 1 mm/s). The stresses and strains simultaneously undergone by each of the 7 segments of a tendon were determined throughout the test, and the modulus of elasticity of each segment was evaluated from the segmental stress-strain curve thus obtained. These mechanical data were compared to those obtained on 10 normal SDFTs. After the test, the tendinous segments were submitted to a histologic...
Garner HE, Moore JN, Johnson JH, Clark L, Amend JF, Tritschler LG, Coffmann JR, Sprouse RF, Hutcheson DP, Salem CA.Caecal fluid samples collected 8 and 24 hours after carbohydrate overload were quantitatively compared to control samples in terms of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Concomitant increases in lactic acid-producing bacteria and decreases in Gram negative bacteria were substantiated during the onset of acute laminitis. Progressive decreases in caecal fluid pH were also quantitated. Although endotoxin assays of caecal fluid and blood were not done, the caecal flora changes suggest its presence during the onset of acute laminitis.
Risseti RM, Zastempowska E, Twarużek M, Lassa H, Pantoja JCF, de Vargas APC, Guerra ST, Bolaños CAD, de Paula CL, Alves AC, Colhado BS....Trueperella pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that causes diverse pyogenic infections in livestock. The genes that encode the exotoxin pyolysin (plo) and other putative factors that promote adhesion of pathogen to host cells (fimbriae fimA, fimC, fimE, fimG, neuraminidases nanH, nanP, and collagen-binding protein cbpA) have been associated with virulence, particularly in mastitis and uterus infections of dairy cows. However, the role of these virulence markers in the pathogenicity of the agent in domestic animals infections still is incompletely understood. The genes plo, fimA, fimC, fimE,...
Rivero JL, Ruz A, Martí-Korff S, Estepa JC, Aguilera-Tejero E, Werkman J, Sobotta M, Lindner A.This study examined the effects of the intensity and duration of exercise on the nature and magnitude of training adaptations in muscle of adolescent (2-3 yr old) racehorses. Six thoroughbreds that had been pretrained for 2 mo performed six consecutive conditioning programs of varying lactate-guided intensities [velocities eliciting blood lactate concentrations of 2.5 mmol/l (v2.5) and 4 mmol/l (v4), respectively] and durations (5, 15, 25 min). Pre- and posttraining gluteus muscle biopsies were analyzed for myosin heavy chain content, fiber-type composition, fiber size, capillarization, and fi...
Aberle KS, Hamann H, Drögemüller C, Distl O.We compared the genetic diversity and distance among six German draught horse breeds to wild (Przewalski's Horse), primitive (Icelandic Horse, Sorraia Horse, Exmoor Pony) or riding horse breeds (Hanoverian Warmblood, Arabian) by means of genotypic information from 30 microsatellite loci. The draught horse breeds included the South German Coldblood, Rhenish German Draught Horse, Mecklenburg Coldblood, Saxon Thuringa Coldblood, Black Forest Horse and Schleswig Draught Horse. Despite large differences in population sizes, the average observed heterozygosity (H(o)) differed little among the heavy ...
Swanson SP, Helaszek C, Buck WB, Rood HD, Haschek WM.The role of faecal and intestinal microflora on the metabolism of trichothecene mycotoxins was examined in this study. Suspensions of microflora obtained from the faeces of horses, cattle, dogs, rats, swine and chickens were incubated anaerobically with the trichothecene mycotoxin, diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS). Micro-organisms from rats, cattle and swine completely biotransformed DAS, primarily to the deacylated deepoxidation products, deepoxy monoacetoxyscirpenol (DE MAS) and deepoxy scirpentriol (DE SCP). By contrast, faecal microflora from chickens, horses and dogs failed to reduce the epoxide ...
Breckenridge WC, Kuksis A.The triglyceride compositions of the milk fats of man, dog, guinea pig, cow, sheep, goat, and horse were compared by gas-liquid chromatography of the intact triglycerides and of the butyl esters of the component fatty acids. The milk fats of man, dog, and guinea pig, which were largely made up of long-chain fatty acids, showed a common pattern with major contributions made by the glycerides with 48-54 acyl carbon atoms. The milk fats of cow, sheep, and goat, which were rich in short-chain acids, showed significant proportions of triglycerides with 28-54 acyl carbon atoms. Horse milk, which con...
Alghamdi AS, Foster DN, Troedsson MH.Seminal plasma (SP) is known to have immunosuppressive properties in several species. Equine SP has been reported to reduce or inhibit chemotaxis, phagocytosis and complement activity in vitro. The type and amount of the SP component that suppresses sperm-polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) binding in vitro was determined, and the effect of such suppression on the fertility of mares inseminated in the presence of uterine inflammation, was analyzed. Sperm cells were suspended in either SP, semen extender or a mixture of both, and each was mixed with PMN-rich uterine secretions collected at 12 h ...
Laumen E, Doherr MG, Gerber V.The horse owner assessed respiratory signs index (HOARSI-1-4, healthy, mildly, moderately and severely affected, respectively) is based on owner-reported clinical history and has been used for the investigation of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) genetics utilising large sample sizes. Reliable phenotype identification is of paramount importance in genetic studies. Owner reports of respiratory signs have shown good repeatability, but the agreement of HOARSI with an in-depth examination of the lower respiratory tract has not been investigated. Objective: To determine the correlation of HOARSI ...
Dionne RM, Vrins A, Doucet MY, Paré J.This study was performed to estimate the prevalence of gastric ulcers in Standardbred racehorses, to describe the lesion score and location, and to identify potential risk factors. Two hundred seventy-five (275) Standardbred horses from 5 training centers and 2 racetracks in Quebec, Canada, were studied. Historical data for the 2 months before examination were recorded for each horse, and the presence of gastric ulcers was determined by gastroscopy. A previously reported scoring system that used grades 0-3 for gastric lesions was used. Overall, 121 horses (44.0%; 95% CI, 38.1-50.1%) had gastri...
van Weeren PR, Back W.Musculoskeletal disorders are the most prevalent health problem in aging horses. They are not life threatening, but are painful and an important welfare issue. Chronic joint disease (osteoarthritis) and chronic laminitis are the most prevalent. Treating osteoarthritis in the elderly horse is similar to treating performance horses, but aims at providing a stable situation with optimal comfort. Immediate medical treatment of flare-ups, long-term pain management, and adaptation of exercise and living conditions are the mainstays of treatment. Laminitis in the geriatric horse is related often to p...
