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.
Li L, Cui X, Yu Y, Sun Q, Li W, Li Y, Li S, Chen L, Khan MZ, Wang C, Wang T.Equid herpesvirus type 8 (EqHV-8) poses a significant threat to equine health, leading to miscarriages and respiratory diseases in horses and donkeys, and results in substantial economic losses in the donkey industry. Currently, there are no effective drugs or vaccines available for EqHV-8 infection control. Unassigned: In this study, we investigated the and antiviral efficacy of Blebbistatin, a myosin II ATPase inhibitor, against EqHV-8. Unassigned: Our results demonstrated that Blebbistatin significantly inhibited EqHV-8 infection in Rabbit kidney (RK-13) and Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDB...
Ignácio FS, Garcia LV, de Souza GG, Amatti LZ, de Barros LD, Bergfelt DR, Camargo GS, de Meira C, de Almeida BFM.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent one of the most commonly used classes of drugs in both human and veterinary medicine. However, many clinical side effects have been observed, especially when treatment has been prolonged. While the anti-inflammatory efficacy and safety of repeated administration of firocoxib (Previcox®), which is a selective NSAID COX-2 inhibitor, has been evaluated for short-term use (one to fourteen days), its clinical relevance for longer-term use is not known. As a preliminary study, healthy, adult male and female horses (n = 7) were treated with fi...
Wester RJ, Baillie LL, McCarthy GC, Keever CC, Jeffery LE, Adams PJ.Free Fecal Liquid (FFL), also termed Fecal Water Syndrome (FWS), is an ailment in horses characterized by variable solid and liquid (water) phases at defecation. The liquid phase can be excreted before, during, or after the solid defecation phase. While the underlying causes of FFL are unknown, hindgut dysbiosis is suggested to be associated with FFL. Three European studies investigated dysbiosis in horses with FFL using 16S rRNA sequencing and reported results that conflicted between each other. In the present study, we also used 16S rRNA sequencing to study the fecal microbial composition in...
Faulkner JE, Joostens Z, Broeckx BJG, Hauspie S, Mariën T, Vanderperren K.Sagittal groove disease of the proximal phalanx in equine athletes is commonly considered a bone stress injury. Repetitive hyperextension of the fetlock under high load is thought to contribute to its development. Concurrent changes are often reported in the dorsal sagittal ridge of the third metacarpus/metatarsus (MC3/MT3). Objective: To describe the spectrum of associated osseous abnormalities that are present in the fetlock in a large group of horses diagnosed with sagittal groove disease on low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional. Methods: MRI im...
Douglas HF, Brandly J, Hopster K.To investigate the effects of FLow-controlled EXpiration (FLEX) ventilation expiration time and speed on respiratory and pulmonary mechanics in anesthetized horses in dorsal recumbency. Methods: 6 healthy adult research horses. Methods: In this randomized crossover experimental study, horses were anesthetized 3 times and were ventilated each time for 60 minutes using conventional volume-controlled ventilation (VCV), linear emptying of the lung over 50% of the expiratory time (FLEX50), or linear emptying of the lung over 100% of the expiratory time (FLEX100) in a randomized order. The primary o...
Merridale-Punter MS, Wiethoelter AK, El-Hage CM, Patrick C, Hitchens PL.Despite several millions of working equids worldwide, there are few published studies regarding the epidemiology of their health and welfare. Data collected by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the working equid sphere therefore have important epidemiological value and could be used towards animal health surveillance. The aim of this study was to identify common clinical findings and mortality patterns of working equids in low- and middle-income countries and investigate their epidemiology using data collected from an international NGO. A retrospective analysis was conducted t...
Getahun YA, Tsalke BS, Buzuneh AW, Mejo MM, Habtewold WT.Equines are indispensable in reducing the huge burden on children and women and income generation. On the other hand, minimal attention is given to improving their health and welfare. Objective: This study examined the prevalence and associated risk factors of helminth parasites of equine in the Gamo Gofa Zone. Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed from June 2019 to March 2020. The study districts and were selected purposively based on agroecology whereas selection of study households and animals were performed based on simple random sampling techniques. Identification of nematode, tr...
Local anaesthetics (LAs) can have detrimental effects on rat, bovine, canine, and human tendon tissues and cells. Currently, there has been no available data on the impact of these drugs on equine tenocytes. Even if LA injection for managing painful tendon conditions in horses is limited, it is usually used via intra-articular, intrasynovial, perineural, and intrathecal as well as for lameness examinations. In this in vitro study, the cytotoxic effects of LAs, including lidocaine, mepivacaine, and bupivacaine on equine tenocytes, in the presence and absence of platelet rich plasma (PRP), were ...
Silva AH, Lucena JEC, Taran FMP, Cunha DS, Almeida JAT, Lima RS, Dias WS, Santiago JM.This study aimed to compare the digestibility of tropical grasses by horses by the in vivo method using mobile nylon bags with the in vitro digestibility method using horse feces as a source of inoculum. Five horses were used in a 2 × 5 factorial design with randomized blocks featuring two methods (in vivo and in vitro) and five grasses: Tifton 85 hay (Cynodon spp.), sixweeks threeawn grass (Aristida adsencionis, Linn), Alexandergrass (Brachiaria plantaginea (Link) Hitchc.), capim-de-raiz (Chloris orthonoton, Doell), and Sabi grass (Urochloa mosambicensis). No difference (P>0.05) was foun...
de Souza AF, Pereira CAM, Costa C, Fürst A, Kümmerle JM, De Zoppa ALV. The aim of this study was to measure the mechanical properties and failure mode of an model of proximal interphalangeal arthrodesis in horses with different methods of proximal screw fixation using a locking compression plate. Methods: Pastern joint arthrodesis with a 3-hole 4.5-mm narrow locking compression plate was performed on 20 forelimbs of equine cadavers, randomized into four groups based on the fixation method and type of proximal screw used: unicortical cortex, bicortical cortex, unicortical locking, bicortical locking. Single-cycle axial compression testing was conducted unti...
Pandit PS, Smith WA, Finno CJ, Aleman M, Conrad PA, Packham A, Plancarte M, Woolard K, Marsh A, Pusterla N.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a challenging disease to diagnose in horses with neurological signs. To optimize contemporary diagnostic testing, including the use of serum:CSF antibody ratios, the SarcoFluor antibody test for Sarcocystis neurona requires revalidation. The SarcoFluor, a previously validated immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for the detection of antibodies specific to S. neurona in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of naturally infected horses was analyzed using recent data and considering a serum:CSF antibody ratio threshold. Utilization of serum and CSF pho...
Ding J, Wang Y, Liang J, He Z, Zhai C, He Y, Xu J, Lei L, Mu J, Zheng M, Liu B, Shi M.Equine influenza (EI) is a severe infectious disease that causes huge economic losses to the horse industry. Spatial epidemiology technology can explore the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and occurrence risks of infectious diseases, it has played an important role in the prevention and control of major infectious diseases in humans and animals. For the first time, this study conducted a systematic analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of EI using SaTScan software and investigated the important environmental variables and suitable areas for EI occurrence using the Maxent mode...
Baraille M, Buttet M, Grimm P, Milojevic V, Julliand S, Julliand V.Horse owners and veterinarians report that from the age of 15, their horses can lose body condition and be more susceptible to diseases. Large intestinal microbiome changes may be involved. Indeed, microbiota is crucial for maintaining the condition and health of herbivores by converting fibres into nutrients. This study aimed to compare the faecal microbiome in horses aged from 6 to 30 years old (yo), living in the same environment and consuming the same diet, in order to assess whether the parameters changed linearly with age and whether there was a pivotal age category. Fifty horses were se...
Dyson S, Zheng S, Aleman M.Detailed descriptions of clinical signs associated with radiological findings of the caudal cervical vertebral column are not available. Objective: Describe the clinical features associated with neck pain or stiffness, neck-related thoracic limb lameness, proprioceptive ataxia consistent with a cervicothoracic spinal cord or nerve lesion, and their frequency of occurrence compared with control horses. Methods: A total of 223 Warmblood horses. Methods: Case-control study. Controls and cases were recruited prospectively. All horses underwent predetermined lameness and neurologic examinations. Th...
Ferran AA, Roques BB, Chapuis L, Kuroda T, Lacroix MZ, Toutain PL, Bousquet-Melou A, Lallemand EA.Benzylpenicillin (BP) is a first-line antibiotic in horses but there are discrepancies between manufacturers and literature recommendations regarding dosing regimen. Objectives of this study were to evaluate pharmacokinetics and local tolerance of four different formulations of BP in adult horses, and to suggest optimized dosing regimen according to the formulation. Unassigned: A cross-over design was used in 3 phases for the intramuscular injection of three different products: procaine BP alone, procaine BP/ benzathine BP combination or penethamate hydriodide were administered IM in the glute...
Pereira R, Bowen M, Rapezzano G, Redpath A, Pratt S, Hallowell G.Recombinant intracameral tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA) administration can aid clearance of fibrin from the anterior chamber. In this retrospective multicentre case series, the effect of intracameral rTPA administration to treat fibrin in the anterior chamber resulting from trauma or inflammatory ocular disease was evaluated. Clinical data from 30 treatments in 29 horses were obtained from medical records from 2003 to 2022. Association between time from onset of clinical signs and time for rTPA treatment to effect was studied with regression analysis. Twenty-seven horses (93.1%) had no pr...
Wells B.Beth Wells, equine grass sickness project lead at the Moredun Research Institute, encourages vets to report any equine grass sickness cases they encounter and explains how case reports and samples are being used to support research into this complex disease.
Silva GF, Ribeiro TE, Cunha R, Salas PB, Guimarães T, Ribeiro MR, Barros G, Carvalho F, Mesquita JR, Amorim I.Although relatively uncommon, lymphoma is the most prevalent haematopoietic neoplasia in horses, and multicentric lymphoma remains the most common presentation of the disease. The pathogenesis of equine lymphoma is still poorly understood and the diagnosis is usually confirmed at an advanced stage of the disease, compromising the prognosis. This study investigated the clinical, pathological, and molecular features of a case of equine multicentric lymphoma. Unassigned: An apparently healthy 5-year-old crossbreed mare hospitalized at the Centre of Animal Reproduction of Vairão, Portugal, sudden...
Asahi Y, Arai T, Tanaka Y.In older horses, basal metabolic rate decreases, and plasma metabolite and hormone concentrations related to energy metabolism change. The occurrence of age-related diseases, which increases in old animals, may enhance inflammatory reactivity (inflammaging). Finding the appropriate treatment for inflammaging at an early stage may prevent various age-related diseases. Changes in metabolite and hormone concentrations and enzyme activities involved in energy metabolism in the plasma of clinically healthy riding horses of various ages were measured to identify biomarkers of inflammaging (persisten...
Harkin EE, Browne JA, Murphy BA.Hair follicles provide an easily accessible tissue for interrogating gene expression for multiple purposes in mammals. RNAlater® is a liquid storage solution that stabilises and preserves cellular RNA, eliminating the need to immediately process or freeze tissue specimens. The manufacturer advises storage of samples at 2-8°C overnight before transfer to -20°C. This study aimed to evaluate RNA integrity in hair follicle samples collected from horses, stabilized in RNAlater®, and stored under three short-term storage conditions. Mane hair samples complete with follicles were collected from f...
Lardone E, Landi A, Franci P.During electrochemotherapy (ECT), a chemotherapeutic drug is injected into the tumor and then an electroporation is provided. In horses, ear manipulation may be very painful, and combining a loco-regional technique with sedation might be a good option to avoid anesthesia-related risks. A two-injection-point block of the internal and external pinna and acoustic meatus was described in horse cadavers, and it permitted complete stain of all three branches of the great auricular nerve (GAN), internal auricular nerve branch (IAB), lateral auricular branch (LAB), and caudal auricular nerve (CAN), su...
Gudea AI, Bârcă V, Irimie A, Martonos CO, Socaciu A.The present paper deals with the archaeozoological investigation carried out on a horse skeleton discovered in a Late Iron Age La Tène tomb (coded CX 143) in Alba Iulia, Romania. The paper presents all the results of the investigation, with a description of finds, adding a detailed assessment of the dentition with some interesting conclusions on the usage of a horse bit and the possible consequences of this use. The morphological features of the horse indicate a 7-8-year-old male individual, with a recalculated height of 1200-1300 mm. What is also stressed in the investigated sample is the la...
Borowska M, Lipowicz P, Daunoravičienė K, Turek B, Jasiński T, Pauk J, Domino M.The paranasal sinuses, a bilaterally symmetrical system of eight air-filled cavities, represent one of the most complex parts of the equine body. This study aimed to extract morphometric measures from computed tomography (CT) images of the equine head and to implement a clustering analysis for the computer-aided identification of age-related variations. Heads of 18 cadaver horses, aged 2-25 years, were CT-imaged and segmented to extract their volume, surface area, and relative density from the frontal sinus (FS), dorsal conchal sinus (DCS), ventral conchal sinus (VCS), rostral maxillary sinus ...
Schoenecker KA, King SRB, Hennig JD, Cole MJ, Scasta JD, Beck JL.There are two species of free-roaming feral equids in North America: horses (Equus caballus) and donkeys or "burros" (E. asinus). Both species were introduced as domestic animals to North America in the early 1500s and currently inhabit rangelands across the western United States, Canada, and all continents except Antarctica. Despite their global distribution, little is known about their fine scale spatial ecology. Contemporary research tools to assess space use include global positioning system (GPS) tracking collars, but older models were problematic due to stiff collar belting causing poor ...
Kawaida MY, Maas KR, Moore TE, Reiter AS, Tillquist NM, Reed SA.To determine the effects of astaxanthin (ASTX) supplementation on the equine gut microbiota during a deconditioning-reconditioning cycle, 12 polo ponies were assigned to a control (CON; n = 6) or supplemented (ASTX; 75 mg ASTX daily orally; n = 6) group. All horses underwent a 16-week deconditioning period, with no forced exercise, followed by a 16-week reconditioning program where physical activity gradually increased. Fecal samples were obtained at the beginning of the study (Baseline), after deconditioning (PostDecon), after reconditioning (PostRecon), and 16 weeks after the ces...
Kranenburg LC, Bouwmeester BF, van den Boom R.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease characterized by different cell infiltrates in the intestine. The aims of this study were to report the clinical and clinicopathological findings in horses with histological changes compatible with IBD in the duodenum. Further, the clinical progression of IBD and survival were investigated. Patient records were reviewed for horses in which histological evidence of IBD was found in duodenal biopsies collected during endoscopy. The histological changes were classified as mild, moderate or severe and the predominant infiltrating cell type was ...
Henderson CS, Story MR, Nout-Lomas YS.To determine reasons for horses to have neck radiographs performed, the incidence of transposition of the ventral lamina of C6 onto C7 (TC67), and the final diagnoses for all horses. Our hypotheses were to find a similar incidence of TC67, as has been previously reported, and an increased incidence of neck pain and dysfunction in horses with TC67. Methods: 135 horses. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Medical records of 135 horses with cervical vertebral column radiographs between 2020 and 2022 were assessed. Patient signalment, reasons for radiographs, radiographic findings, and dia...
Elte Y, Wolframm I, van Grevenhof I, Nielen M, van Weeren R.Client satisfaction depends on the balance between expectations and service experience. Previous research identified seven aspects of equine veterinary professional conduct that are important for client satisfaction: quality of care, quality of service, horsemanship, transfer of knowledge, financial aspects, interpersonal skills and professionalism. Methods: By employing a cross-sectional study design through a survey-based investigation, horse owners' initial contact preferences and their perceptions of the importance of various aspects of veterinary care in different scenarios were explored....
Tallon RE, Allen SE, Bladon BM, McGovern KF.To determine the effect of a single intraoperative dose of dexamethasone on the risk of postoperative reflux (POR) in horses undergoing small intestinal surgery and to investigate its association with incisional complications and short-term survival. Methods: Retrospective cohort study over an 11-year period (2008-2019). Methods: UK-based private referral center. Methods: Two hundred and forty client-owned horses >6 months of age undergoing exploratory laparotomy for treatment of a small intestinal lesion. Methods: Ninety-seven horses received a single intraoperative dose of dexamethasone ...
Padalino B, Raidal SL, Hall E, Knight P, Celi P, Jeffcott L, Muscatello G.An online survey was conducted to determine associations between transport management and transport-related injuries and diseases in horses in Australia. The survey was composed of three sections: respondents' demographic information, transport management strategies or procedures (before, during and after transportation) and transport diseases experienced in the previous two year period. Univariate and multivariate modelling was performed exploring associations between variables (respondents' details and transport management strategies) and the following transport-related diseases as outcomes:...
Pacholewska A, Mach N, Mata X, Vaiman A, Schibler L, Barrey E, Gerber V.MiRNAs regulate multiple genes at the post-transcriptional level and therefore play an important role in many biological processes. It has been suggested that miRNA exported outside the cells contribute to inter-cellular communication. Consequently, circulating miRNAs are of particular interest and are promising biomarkers for many diseases. The number of miRNAs annotated in the horse genome is much lower compared to model organisms like human and mouse. We therefore aimed to identify novel equine miRNAs for tissue types and breed in serum. We analysed 71 small RNA-seq libraries derived from n...
Liburt NR, Adams AA, Betancourt A, Horohov DW, McKeever KH.Studies have demonstrated increases in mRNA expression for inflammatory cytokines following exercise in horses and have suggested those markers of inflammation may play a role in delayed onset muscle soreness. However, measurement of mRNA expression in white blood cells is an indirect method. No studies to date have documented the cytokine response to exercise directly in muscle in horses. Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that exercise increases cytokine markers of inflammation in blood and muscle. Methods: Blood and muscle biopsies were obtained from 4 healthy, unfit Standardbred m...
Giovannini S, Brehm W, Mainil-Varlet P, Nesic D.Tissue engineering (TE) has emerged as a promising new therapy for the treatment of damaged tissues and organs. Adult stem cells are considered as an attractive candidate cell type for cell-based TE. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been isolated from a variety of tissues and tested for differentiation into different cell lineages. While clinical trials still await the use of human MSC, horse tendon injuries are already being treated with autologous bone marrow-derived MSC. Given that the bone marrow is not an optimal source for MSC due to the painful and risk-containing sampling procedure, i...
Pusterla N, David Wilson W, Madigan JE, Ferraro GL.Equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM), although a relatively uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection, can cause devastating losses on individual farms or boarding stables. Although outbreaks of EHM have been recognized for centuries in domestic horse populations, many aspects of this disease remained poorly characterized. In recent years, an improved understanding of EHM has emerged from experimental studies and from data collected during field outbreaks at riding schools, racetracks and veterinary hospitals throughout North America and Europe. These outbreaks have h...
Samadi S, Wouters IM, Houben R, Jamshidifard AR, Van Eerdenburg F, Heederik DJ.Workers in horse stables are likely exposed to high levels of organic dust. Organic dusts play a role in increased risk of inflammatory reactions and are associated with respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate dust, endotoxin, beta(1-->3)-glucan, and culturable microorganisms exposure levels in horse stables. Methods: Ambient (n = 38) and personal (n = 42) inhalable dust samples were collected using PAS-6 sampling heads. As a special measurement, we included sampling near the horses' heads. Samples were analyzed for endotoxin and beta(1-->3)-glucan by Limulus amebo...
Murphy D, Love S.Nine pony breed foals were reared indoors, then allocated to one of three groups infected with either 3.9 million (Group A) or 3.15 million (Group B) cold-conditioned third stage cyathostome larvae or kept as uninfected controls (Group C). The larvae were administered as a 'trickle' infection of 150000 larvae per dose, three times weekly. Blood biochemical and haematological analyses were performed weekly and faecal worm egg counts bi-weekly. Complete parasitological examinations were performed on all ponies at various times post-initial infection (PI): one infected animal at 9 weeks PI, four ...
Polly SS, Nichols AEC, Donnini E, Inman DJ, Scott TJ, Apple SM, Werre SR, Dahlgren LA.Adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is a heterogeneous population of cells that yields a homogeneous population of plastic-adherent adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ASC) when culture-expanded. SVF and ASC have been used clinically to improve tendon healing, yet their mechanism of action is not fully elucidated. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential for ASC to act as trophic mediators for tendon healing. Flexor digitorum superficialis tendons and adipose tissue were harvested from adult horses to obtain SVF, ASC, and tenocytes. Growth factor gene expressi...
Aleman M, Williams DC, Brosnan RJ, Nieto JE, Pickles KJ, Berger J, Lecouteur RA, Holliday TA, Madigan JE.Idiopathic headshaking (HSK) in horses is a distressing disorder in which the etiology and pathophysiology are unknown. Objective: Differences in sensory function of the trigeminal nerve exist between healthy and affected horses. Methods: Six healthy mature geldings and 6 mature geldings with idiopathic HSK. Methods: Prospective study. Sensory nerve action and somatosensory evoked potentials studies were performed. The stimulus site comprised the gingival mucosa dorsal to the maxillary canine. A pair of recording electrodes was placed along the sensory pathway of the trigeminal complex at the ...
Hessel LN, Bosch G, van Weeren PR, Ionita JC.Autologous platelet concentrates (APCs) are being used increasingly in horses to enhance regeneration in tissues that have poor natural healing capabilities. Numerous APC systems, which are based on different preparation techniques and were originally developed for human patients, are now routinely used in equine cases. However, preliminary process validation and adequate in vitro biochemical characterisation of most of these systems do not exist for horses. Objective: To compare haematological findings and growth factor concentrations of equine APCs obtained with 4 commercially available syst...
Mach N, Ramayo-Caldas Y, Clark A, Moroldo M, Robert C, Barrey E, López JM, Le Moyec L.Endurance exercise in horses requires adaptive processes involving physiological, biochemical, and cognitive-behavioral responses in an attempt to regain homeostasis. We hypothesized that the identification of the relationships between blood metabolome, transcriptome, and miRNome during endurance exercise in horses could provide significant insights into the molecular response to endurance exercise. For this reason, the serum metabolome and whole-blood transcriptome and miRNome data were obtained from ten horses before and after a 160 km endurance competition. We obtained a global regulatory ...
Alipour F, Parham A, Kazemi Mehrjerdi H, Dehghani H.Because of the therapeutic application of stem cells (SCs), isolation and characterization of different types of SCs, especially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have gained considerable attention in recent studies. Adipose tissue is an abundant and accessible source of MSCs which can be used for tissue engineering and in particular for treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. This study was aimed to isolate and culture equine adipose-derived MSCs (AT-MSCs) from little amounts of fat tissue samples and determine some of their biological characteristics. Methods: In this descriptive study, only 3-...
Lesimple C, Hausberger M.Healthcare practitioners such as physicians or nurses often underestimate patients' well-being impairment (e.g., pain, anxiety) which may lead to undesirable consequences on treatment decisions. Lack of recognition/identification of signals and over-exposure are two reasons invoked, but a combination of factors may be involved. Studying human decoding of animals' expressions of emotions showed that "identification" to the subject was necessary to decode the other's internal state. In the present study we wanted to compare caretakers' reports on the prevalence of stereotypic or abnormal repetit...
Balogh N, Gaál T, Ribiczeyné PS, Petri A.Physical exercise in the horse induces a series of normal physiological and biochemical adaptations. Increasing metabolism and oxygen uptake may induce oxidative stress in various organs. The aim of this study was to examine exercise-induced changes in some plasma and RBC biochemical and antioxidant variables in pentathlon horses. Blood samples were taken from 14 horses before, immediately after, and 24 hours after competing in two 1-minute runs of intense exercise over jumps. The peak intensity periods were preceded by a 20-minute warm-up and separated by a 20-minute break. The following plas...
Bailey CJ, Reid SW, Hodgson DR, Bourke JM, Rose RJ.A retrospective case-control study was conducted to identify and quantify risk factors for serious musculoskeletal injury sustained at 4 Australian metropolitan racetracks. During the period of study (August 1988-July 1995) there were 196 cases from flat racing, 52 cases from hurdle racing and 53 cases from steeplechases. The incidences of fatal musculoskeletal injuries per start for flat, hurdle and steeple races were 0.06, 0.63 and 1.43% respectively. Logistic regression identified harder track surfaces, horses being older than age 3 years, one racecourse (Flemington) and jumping races as si...
Fettelschoss-Gabriel A, Fettelschoss V, Olomski F, Birkmann K, Thoms F, Bühler M, Kummer M, Zeltins A, Kündig TM, Bachmann MF.Insect-bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in horses is a chronic allergic dermatitis caused by insect bites. Horses suffer from pruritic skin lesions, caused by type-I/type-IV allergic reactions accompanied by prominent eosinophil infiltration into the skin. Interleukin-5 (IL-5) is the key cytokine for eosinophils and we have previously shown that targeting IL-5 by vaccination reduces disease symptoms in horses. Here, we analyzed the potential for long-term therapy by assessing a second follow-up year of the previously published study. The vaccine consisted of equine IL-5 (eIL-5) covalently linked to...
Ribera T, Monreal L, Armengou L, Ríos J, Prades M.Increased synovial fibrinolytic activity (detected by increases in synovial D-Dimer concentrations) has been observed in different joint diseases in humans and adult horses, presumably in order to minimize fibrin deposition within the joint and thus avoid its detrimental effects. Objective: To investigate fibrinolytic pathway activation in joint sepsis in foals by measuring synovial D-Dimer concentrations. Methods: Eighteen septic foals with septic joints, 9 septic foals without septic joints, 9 systemically healthy foals with septic joint, and 3 controls are included. Methods: Prospective obs...
Zoonoses and public healthJuly 30, 2009
Volume 57, Issue 7-8 476-486 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01245.x
Monaco F, Lelli R, Teodori L, Pinoni C, Di Gennaro A, Polci A, Calistri P, Savini G.In August 2008, West Nile disease re-emerged in Italy. The infection is affecting the North Eastern regions and, as of November 2008, has caused 33 clinical cases and five fatalities in horses. Until now, no deaths have been reported in birds. Mosquitoes, blood, serum and tissue samples, from horses and birds, within and around the outbreak area, have been collected and tested by various methods both serologically and virologically. West Nile virus strains have been isolated from blood samples of one horse and one donkey and from pools of brain, kidneys, heart and spleen of a pigeon and three ...
Griffin TM, Kram R, Wickler SJ, Hoyt DF.We studied nine adult horses spanning an eightfold range in body mass (M(b)) (90-720 kg) and a twofold range in leg length (L) (0.7-1.4 m). We measured the horses' walk-trot transition speeds using step-wise speed increments as they locomoted on a motorized treadmill. We then measured their rates of oxygen consumption over a wide range of walking and trotting speeds. We interpreted the transition speed results using a simple inverted-pendulum model of walking in which gravity provides the centripetal force necessary to keep the leg in contact with the ground. By studying a large size range of ...
Rink BE, Amilon KR, Esteves CL, French HM, Watson E, Aurich C, Donadeu FX.Equine mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are most commonly harvested from bone marrow (BM) or adipose tissue, requiring the use of surgical procedures. By contrast, the uterus can be accessed nonsurgically, and may provide a more readily available cell source. While human endometrium is known to harbor mesenchymal precursor cells, MSCs have not been identified in equine endometrium. This study reports the isolation, culture, and characterization of MSCs from equine endometrium. The presence of MSC and pericyte markers in endometrial sections was determined using immunohistochemistry. Strom...
Bauer N, Nakagawa J, Dunker C, Failing K, Moritz A.The automated laser-based hematology analyzer Sysmex XT-2000iV™ provides a 5-part differential count and specific cytograms that are of great interest for large veterinary laboratories. The aim of the study was to validate the Sysmex XT-2000iV compared to the laser-based hematology analyzer ADVIA® 2120 and manual differential in dogs, cats, and horses as well as the impact of anticoagulant (heparin, ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid [EDTA], and citrate) and storage at 22°C and 4°C. Consecutive fresh K(3)-EDTA blood samples from 216 cats, 314 dogs, and 174 horses were included. The impact ...
Sun Y, Wang C, Wang Y, Zhang T, Ren L, Hu X, Zhang R, Meng Q, Guo Y, Fei J, Li N, Zhao Y.Based on the recently released horse genome, we have characterized the genomic organization of the horse Ig gene loci. The horse IgH locus in genomic scaffold Un0011 contains 40 D(H) segments, 8 J(H) segments and 50 V(H) segments. The Igkappa locus contains only a single C(kappa) gene, 5 J(kappa) segments and a 60 V(kappa) segments, whereas the Iglambda locus contains 7 C(lambda) genes each preceded by a J(lambda) gene segment. A total of 110 V(lambda) segments with the same transcriptional polarity as J(lambda)-C(lambda) were identified upstream of the J(lambda)-C(lambda) cluster. However, 34...
Crothers SL, White SD, Ihrke PJ, Affolter VK.Sporotrichosis is an uncommon to rare cutaneous and subcutaneous mycosis of animals and humans caused by the dimorphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii. Twenty-three mammalian cases of sporotrichosis examined between 1987 and 2007 at the University of California, Davis - Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, were retrospectively evaluated with regard to the historical, clinical, diagnostic and treatment findings. Cats were the most common species affected (n = 14). In addition, sporotrichosis was diagnosed in four dogs, four horses and a donkey. Six of 23 cases were diagnosed with the localized cut...
Hollis AR, Furr MO, Magdesian KG, Axon JE, Ludlow V, Boston RC, Corley KT.Critical illness is associated with hyperglycemia in humans, and a greater degree and duration of hyperglycemia is associated with nonsurvival. Hypoglycemia is also seen in critically ill humans, and is associated with nonsurvival. This might also be true in the critically ill foal. Objective: To investigate the association of blood glucose concentrations with survival, sepsis, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Methods: Blood glucose concentrations at admission (515 foals) and 24 hours (159 foals), 36 hours (95), 48 hours (82), and 60 hours (45) after admission were analy...
Durand B, Chevalier V, Pouillot R, Labie J, Marendat I, Murgue B, Zeller H, Zientara S.During late summer and autumn 2000, a West Nile fever outbreak in southern France resulted in 76 equine clinical cases; 21 horses died. We report the results of a large serosurvey of all equines within a 10-km radius of laboratory-confirmed cases. Blood samples were obtained from 5,107 equines, distributed in groups of 1 to 91 animals. West Nile virus immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies were found in 8.5% of animals (n=432). Forty-two percent of the IgG-positive animals were also IgM positive. Horses living in small groups were more affected than those in large groups. The results suggest that We...
Gibb Z, Lambourne SR, Curry BJ, Hall SE, Aitken RJ.Although stallion spermatozoa produce significant quantities of reactive oxygen species, a lag between 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) adduction and the loss of motility in stallion spermatozoa suggests the presence of a robust aldehyde detoxification mechanism. Because there is a paucity of studies characterizing the role of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in sperm functionality, the aim of this study was to ascertain the relationship between 4HNE production and motility and ALDH expression by stallion spermatozoa. PCR analysis revealed the presence of the ALDH1A3, ALDH1B1, and ALDH2 isoforms in these ...
Ireland JL, Wylie CE, Collins SN, Verheyen KL, Newton JR.This study aimed to describe the provision of preventive health care and owner-reported disease prevalence in horses and ponies within Great Britain (GB), and to assess geographical variations in health care provision. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, using a postal questionnaire administered to a random sample of veterinary-registered owners of horses and ponies in GB (n=797). The majority of animals received regular preventive health care: 95.6% had regular hoof care; 71.3% were vaccinated for both influenza and tetanus and median time since last anthelmintic administration was 8.7 we...
Moore AI, Squires EL, Graham JK.Cryopreservation induces partially irreversible damage to equine sperm membranes. Part of this damage occurs due to membrane alterations induced by the membrane changing from the fluid to the gel-state as the temperature is reduced lower than the membrane transition temperature. One way to prevent this damage is to increase the membrane fluidity at low temperatures by adding cholesterol to the membrane. Different concentrations of cholesterol-loaded-cyclodextrins (CLC) were added to stallion sperm to determine the CLC concentration that optimizes cryosurvival. Higher percentages of motile sper...
Hillyer MH, Taylor FG, French NP.The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of colic in horses in Thoroughbred training premises in 1997 in the British Isles. The seasonal pattern and outcome of colic episodes were also investigated, together with any association between premises level variables and colic. Data were collected by a postal questionnaire. The results showed a colic incidence density of 7.19/100 horse years (s.e. 0.42) and a cumulative incidence of colic of 5.80% (s.e. 0.30). Premises were grouped according to whether they had more Flat than National Hunt horses (Flat premises) or more National Hunt than...
