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.
Love EJ, Taylor PM, Murrell J, Whay HR.To investigate the antinociceptive effects of buprenorphine administered in combination with acepromazine in horses and to establish an effective dose for use in a clinical environment. Objective: To evaluate the responses to thermal and mechanical stimulation following administration of 3 doses of buprenorphine compared to positive (butorphanol) and negative (glucose) controls. Methods: Observer blinded, randomised, crossover design using 6 Thoroughbred geldings (3-10 years, 500-560 kg). Thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds were measured 3 times at 15 min intervals. Horses then rec...
Eckert V, Lockemann U, Püschel K, Meenen NM, Hessler C.To analyze horse-related accidents caused by hoof kicks. Methods: Prospective study to evaluate hoof kick-related accidents. Methods: Multicenter study, including 9 trauma centers in Hamburg, Germany. Methods: Patients who were treated as the result of a hoof kick between January 1, 2010, and May 1, 2010, were included in the study. Methods: Horse and rider qualifications, riders' use of protective equipment, location and activity at time of accident, mechanism of injury, injuries sustained, and treatment required for these injuries. Results: Twenty-four equestrians received hoof kicks. The av...
Dupuis MC, Zhang Z, Druet T, Denoix JM, Charlier C, Lekeux P, Georges M.Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is a major upper-airway disease of horses that causes abnormal respiratory noise during exercise and can impair performance. Etiopathogenesis remains unclear but genetic factors have been suspected for many decades. The objective of this study was to identify risk loci associated with RLN. To that end we genotyped 234 cases (196 Warmbloods, 20 Trotters, 14 Thoroughbreds, and 4 Draft horses), 228 breed-matched controls, and 69 parents with the Illumina Equine SNP50 BeadChip. Using these data, we quantified population structure and performed single-marker and...
Milner PI, Sidwell S, Talbot AM, Clegg PD.Primary lesions of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) within the digit are an important cause of lameness diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) but appearance of these lesions over time has not been documented. Objective: To determine whether the magnetic resonance (MR) appearance of different primary DDFT lesions alter over a 6 month period and whether lesion type is a determinant of these changes. Methods: Cases included had lameness attributable to a primary lesion involving the DDFT in the digit diagnosed on MRI. Lesions were typed into parasagittal, dorsal border and core le...
Underwood C, van Eps AW, Ross MW, Laverman P, van Bloois L, Storm G, Schaer TP.Liposomes are phospholipid nanoparticles that extravasate at sites of increased vascular permeability. They have potential in equine medicine for targeted drug delivery and diagnostic imaging of infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic lesions. Objective: This study evaluates the safety and biodistribution of i.v. polyethyleneglycol(PEG) liposomes in normal horses. Methods: PEG-liposomes were prepared by the film hydration method and labelled using (99m) Tc-hexamethyl-propylene-amine-oxime. A single dose of 0.24 µmol/kg bwt (99m) Tc-PEG-liposomes and 2.4 µmol/kg bwt unlabelled PEG-liposomes...
Knowles EJ, Withers JM, Mair TS.The use of plasma fructosamine concentration ([fructosamine]) as a marker of abnormal glucose homeostasis in laminitic horses has not been investigated. Objective: Plasma fructosamine concentration may be higher amongst laminitic horses than normal horses; this might relate to underlying insulin resistance. Objective: 1) To compare [fructosamine] between laminitic and normal horses. 2) To investigate associations between [fructosamine] at presentation in laminitic horses with a) single sample markers of insulin resistance and b) outcome. Methods: Plasma fructosamine concentration, fasting seru...
Powell SE.The metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal (MCP/MTP) joint is a common site of lameness in the Thoroughbred racehorse. Radiographs may fail to show pathology consistent with the degree of lameness. With a high incidence of stress fractures occurring in the distal third metacarpal/metatarsal (MC3/MT3) condyles and proximal phalanx, a definitive diagnosis as to the nature of the pathology is essential. Objective: To describe the low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in Thoroughbred racehorses with MCP/MTP joint pain scanned under standing sedation. Methods: The MR images and clinical record...
Whitcomb MB, Doval J, Peters J.Ultrasonography has gained increased utility to diagnose pelvic fractures in horses; however, internal pelvic contours can be difficult to appreciate from external palpable landmarks. We developed three-dimensional (3D) simulations of the pelvic ultrasonographic examination to assist with translation of pelvic contours into two-dimensional (2D) images. Contiguous 1mm transverse computed tomography (CT) images were acquired through an equine femur and hemipelvis using a single slice helical scanner. 3D surface models were created using a DICOM reader and imported into a 3D modeling and animatio...
Pusterla N, Mapes S, Gebhart C.The cell-mediated immune response to Lawsonia intracellularis, the agent of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), was investigated in vaccinated and naturally infected foals. Interferon (IFN)-γ gene expression was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from vaccinated (n=6) and control foals (n=6) every 30 days for 180 days following first vaccine administration, and from clinically affected foals (n=16) within 7-10 days of diagnosing EPE. Seroconversion (immunoperoxidase monolayer assay titer ≥60) occurred in 5/6 vaccinated foals between 60 and 90 days following the f...
Al-Quraishy S, Abdel-Ghaffar F, Al-Rasheid KA, Mehlhorn J, Mehlhorn H.The hair of 300 horses belonging to short hair and long hair races had been routinely treated during the last 3 years with a neem seed extract (MiteStop®) in order to kill mallophages (e.g., specimens of the genus Werneckiella). It was found that in all cases, a hidden infestation with these biting lice had existed, which became visible when the product (diluted 1:20 with tap water) was brushed onto the hair. The mallophages left the body surface and became visible as a fine "wooly looking" layer at the tips of the hair. Furthermore, this treatment stopped the forming of dandruff of the skin...
Lindner A, Wäschle S, Sasse HH.The blood lactate concentration (LA) and heart rate (HR) of 10 horses exercising in water on a treadmill were examined. With the water at 10 and 50% of the withers height (WH), the blood LA increased up to mean values around 1.9 mm during the standardized exercise test (SET) until after step 3 of 5 (each step lasted 5 min, speed increasing step by step). Thereafter, blood LA of horses remained constant, while with the water at 80% of WH, the blood LA decreased from the mean peak of 2.16 ± 0.62 mm after the 4th step. The HR of the horses increased to 132 ± 14 beats/min until the 3rd step of S...
Lorange JB.WorldFengur is the database that contains and functions as the studbook of origin of the Icelandic horse. Only pure-bred Icelandic horses, whose ancestry can be traced back to Iceland entirely, may be registered into WorldFengur. The WorldFengur project is a joint effort by the FAIC (Farmers Association of Iceland) and FEIF (International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations) to construct an official and central database on horses of Icelandic origin located all over the world. It is used in this capacity in 19 countries so far; the number of data stored in the WorldFengur database has i...
Peters J, Block W, Oswald S, Freyer J, Grube M, Kroemer HK, Lämmer M, Lütjohann D, Venner M, Siegmund W.The delivery of clarithromycin (CRL) to its site of action in bronchial/alveolar epithelial cells (EC), bronchial epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BALC) may be influenced by CYP3A4 and the drug transporters, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) B1 and ABCC2 and organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs), which can be modulated and/or up-regulated via the nuclear pregnane X receptor (PXR) by rifampicin (RIF). Therefore, we evaluated the disposition and pulmonary distribution of CLR (7.5 mg/kg b.i.d., 21 days) and expression of ABCB1, ABCC2, OATP1A2, and OATP2B1 in EC ...
Egenvall A, Nødtvedt A, Roepstorff L, Bonnett B.In a world of limited resources, using existing databases in research is a potentially cost-effective way to increase knowledge, given that correct and meaningful results are gained.Nordic examples of the use of secondary small animal and equine databases include studies based on data from tumour registries, breeding registries, young horse quality contest results, competition data, insurance databases, clinic data, prescription data and hunting ability tests. In spite of this extensive use of secondary databases, integration between databases is less common. The aim of this presentation is to...
Dirikolu L, Karpiesiuk W, Lehner AF, Tobin T.Toltrazuril sulfone (ponazuril) is a triazine-based antiprotozoal agent with clinical application in the treatment of equine protozoal myeloencephalomyelitis (EPM). In this study, we synthesized and determined the bioavailability of a sodium salt formulation of toltrazuril sulfone that can be used for the treatment and prophylaxis of EPM in horses. Toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt was rapidly absorbed, with a mean peak plasma concentration of 2400 ± 169 (SEM) ng/mL occurring at 8 h after oral-mucosal dosing and was about 56% bioavailable compared with the i.v. administration of toltrazuril sul...
Verwilghen DR, Martens A, Busschers E, Franck T, Deberg M, Henrotin Y, Vanderheyden L, Serteyn D.The measurement of biomarkers that reflect cartilage breakdown is a powerful tool for investigating joint damage caused by disease or injury. Particularly in cases of osteochondrosis, synovial concentrations of these biomarkers may reveal the presence of osteoarthritic changes. Coll2-1, Coll2-1 NO2 and myeloperoxidase have recently been introduced in equine osteoarticular research but comparison between the concentrations of these markers in OCD affected and healthy joints has not been made. Therefore, this study aimed at reporting the synovial concentrations of these biomarkers in joints affe...
Hackett CH, Fortier LA.The field of regenerative medicine research is rapidly expanding. One area of interest to equine researchers is the possibility of isolating or generating pluripotent cells, capable of producing differentiated cell types derived from all 3 primary germ layers. Reports of equine embryonic stem-like (ES) cell isolation can be found in the literature. Other groups are working to produce equine-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. This article summarizes the essential features needed to characterize a cell type as pluripotent, specific challenges in using the horse as a model organism for pluripo...
Aitken MR, Parente EJ.To identify history, clinical signs, endoscopic findings, treatment, and outcome of mature (> 8 years old) nonracehorses with epiglottic abnormalities. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 23 horses with an epiglottic abnormality. Methods: Medical records of horses examined between 1990 and 2009 because of an epiglottic abnormality were reviewed to obtain information on signalment, history, clinical signs, clinical examination findings, upper airway endoscopic findings, diagnosis, surgical procedure, clinical management, postoperative care, and outcome. Results: Mean ± SD age was 16 Â...
Wagner AE, Mama KR, Contino EK, Ferris DJ, Kawcak CE.To evaluate the sedative and analgesic effects of subanesthetic doses of ketamine in horses sedated with xylazine, with or without butorphanol. Methods: Prospective, randomized, controlled study. Methods: 10 adult horses. Methods: Each horse was sedated multiple times by administration of xylazine (treatment X), xylazine and butorphanol (treatment XB), xylazine with 1 of 2 dosages of ketamine (treatment XK1 or XK2), or xylazine and butorphanol with 1 of 2 dosages of ketamine (treatment XBK1 or XBK2). Head height and various behaviors, including responses to noise, insertion of a dental float, ...
Suthers JM, Christley RM, Clutton RE.To assess the reproducibility and repeatability of two commonly used recovery quality scoring systems and compare them with those of a novel system based on a greater number of objective criteria. Methods: The video-recorded recoveries of ten client-owned horses selected from all recovery recordings taken between September 2005 and March 2006 at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Methods: A digital versatile disc (DVD) was produced using edited video recordings of ten horses recovering from general anaesthesia. Twelve experienced equine anaesthetists (raters) studied the DVD on thr...
Rijkenhuizen AB, de Graaf K, Hak A, Fürst A, ter Braake F, Stanek C, Greet TR.A multicentre study of 285 cases was performed to enhance the management of distal phalangeal fractures on the basis of clinical evidence. The outcome after treatment was available for 223 of the cases. Horses with a non-articular type I fracture had a better prognosis (91.7%) for return to original or expected level of use than horses with an articular type II or III fracture (69.6% and 74.1%, respectively). The prognosis for types IV and V fractures was fair (57.7% and 57.1%, respectively) and for type VI good (80%). Horses with a hindlimb fracture had a significantly greater chance of a suc...
Gumber S, Baia P, Wakamatsu N.A 15-year-old female gray Appaloosa horse was presented with history of a mass over the right dorsal commissure of vulva for the past 7 months. Based on histopathological examination, and positive staining with factor VIII-related antigen, vimentin, and Verhoeff-van Gieson stain, the vulvar mass was diagnosed as hemangiosarcoma with marked solar elastosis.
Söderlund R, Bölske G, Holst BS, Aspán A.Infection by Mycoplasma felis is associated with ocular and respiratory disease in cats and respiratory disease in horses. A correct diagnosis is beneficial since the use of specific antimycoplasmal treatment can lead to resolution. The objective of the present study was to develop a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on dual-labeled fluorogenic probe technology, targeting the gene encoding elongation factor Tu (tuf ), for the fast and specific detection of M. felis. Specificity was achieved by basing the assay design on partial sequencing of the tuf gene in strains and cli...
Nógrádi N, Tóth B, Macgillivray KC.Factors associated with the outcome of peritonitis in horses are seldom described. The objectives of this study were to determine the common clinical signs and clinicopathologic findings and to reveal prognostic factors associated with the outcome of peritonitis in equine patients. Data were examined in a retrospective manner in 55 horses diagnosed with and treated for peritonitis. The most common clinical and clinicopathologic findings were tachycardia (94%), increased amount of peritoneal fluid on ultrasound (84%), altered mucous membranes (82%), bacteria noted on the direct smear (67%), hyp...
Marenzoni ML, Passamonti F, Lepri E, Cercone M, Capomaccio S, Cappelli K, Felicetti M, Coppola G, Coletti M, Thiry E.A 15-year-old Belgian gelding was referred for fever, depression, and respiratory distress. Lung biopsy revealed interstitial fibrosis consistent with chronic interstitial pneumonia. Equid herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5) DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in bronchoalveolar lavage and biopsy specimens. A presumptive diagnosis of equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF) was made, and the horse was administered a systemic treatment with corticosteroids and antiviral drugs. Despite initial clinical improvement, 4 weeks later, the condition of the horse rapidly deteriorated, and the an...
Pusterla N, Kass PH, Mapes S, Johnson C, Barnett DC, Vaala W, Gutierrez C, McDaniel R, Whitehead B, Manning J.The prevalence and epidemiology of important viral (equine influenza virus [EIV], equine herpesvirus type 1 [EHV-1] and EHV-4) and bacterial (Streptococcus equi subspecies equi) respiratory pathogens shed by horses presented to equine veterinarians with upper respiratory tract signs and/or acute febrile neurological disease were studied. Veterinarians from throughout the USA were enrolled in a surveillance programme and were asked to collect blood and nasal secretions from equine cases with acute infectious upper respiratory tract disease and/or acute onset of neurological disease. A questionn...
Derar DR, Taya K, Watanabe G, Miyake YI.The aim of this study was to characterize ir-IGF-I pattern and its relation to other hormones during the oestrous cycle in mares. Nine non-pregnant non-lactating pluriparous thoroughbred mares were used. The studied mares were examined ultrasonically and bled daily to follow the ovarian changes and the hormonal milieu for a complete Interovulatory interval (IOI). Two (minor and major) follicular waves were characterized per IOI in thoroughbred mares. The largest follicle of the first follicular wave (DF1) was firstly detected at D - 1.75 ± 0.47 with a growth rate of 2.78 ± 0.14mm/day and max...
Wu L, Ou J, Cai S, Ji J, Ren Z, Shao R, Li S.Equine Hepacivirus (EqHV) is a newly discovered equine virus that is classified under the Hepacivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family. There are three sub-types of EqHV worldwide namely; sub-types 1-3. The majority of EqHV sub-type 1 strains were found in China. While different sub-types have been found in Japan and USA, therefore, to investigate whether the other sub-types of EqHV strains were present in China, a total of 60 horse serum samples were collected and screened for EqHV RNA through RT-PCR. The results revealed that 19 serum samples were RNA-positive (19/60) and the EqHV detection ...
Kloock T, Pickles KJ, Roberts V, Uhlendorf F, Twele L, Wilkens HL, Stehle E, Feige K, Niebuhr T.In horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking (TMHS), clinical signs are likely to be expression of neuropathic facial pain. Currently, subjective assessment of disease severity is used as measure of compromise of animal's welfare. Objective: To develop and validate a precise scoring system for TMHS: History, Rest and Exercise Score (HRE-S). The HRE-S consists of three subscores: history score (H-S), resting score (R-S) and exercise score (E-S). Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Seven masked observers with different experience used HRE-S to score 40 video recordings taken d...
Cohen ND, Parson EM, Seahorn TL, Carter GK.Medical records of 116 horses admitted to the Texas Veterinary Medical Center between Jan 1, 1984 and Dec 31, 1991 with duodenitis/proximal jejunitis (DPJ) were reviewed. The prevalence of laminitis was 28.4% (33/116; 95% confidence interval: 20.2 to 36.6%). The prevalence of DPJ and DPJ-associated laminitis did not appear to vary significantly by year during the study period. Anamnesis, physical examination, clinicopathologic data, and initial treatment recorded at the time of admission were reviewed to determine risk factors associated with development of laminitis associated with DPJ. A tre...
Horecky C, Horecka E, Futas J, Janova E, Horin P, Knoll A.Genotyping microsatellite markers represents a standard, relatively easy, and inexpensive method of assessing genetic diversity of complex genomic regions in various animal species, such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and/or natural killer cell receptor (NKR) genes. MHC-linked microsatellite markers have been identified and some of them were used for characterizing MHC polymorphism in various species, including horses. However, most of those were MHC class II markers, while MHC class I and III sub-regions were less well covered. No tools for studying genetic diversity of NKR com...
Mills PC, Scott CM, Marlin DJ.We investigated the role of NO in the control of thermoregulation. We measured sweating rate and body temperatures (core, rectal and skin) in five thoroughbred horses during exercise of variable intensity on a high-speed treadmill. A standard exercise test (SET) consisting of three canters (8 m s-1), with walking and trotting between each canter, was performed twice, in random order, by each horse and N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 20 mg ml-1), a competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), was infused into the central circulation after the first canter in the test SET...
Xie J, Tong P, Zhang A, Yan Y, Zhang L, Song X, Chen J, Zhai S, Shaya N, Wang D, Su Z, Kuang L.In May 2018, a 8 year old thoroughbred mare died at an equestrian club in Changji, Xinjiang, China. The horse had been imported from the United States in 2013. She became pregnant in December 2016 but, after foaling, gradually lost weight and died in May 2018. This study aim to identify the pathogen, who cause of horse death, using virome. Results: We have identified an Equ1-like virus from the fecal virome of a dead thoroughbred mare in China. Full genomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the virus, tentatively named "kirkovirus Cj-7-7", showed that it was closely related to kirkovirus...
Malik P, Pálfi V, Bálint A.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is a major pathogen of horses with worldwide distribution that can cause various clinical signs ranged from mild respiratory disease to neurological symptoms. Comparison of neuropathogenic and non-neuropathogenic EHV-1 strains revealed that a single non-synonymous nucleotide substitution (A/G2254) in the ORF30 region is associated with the altered functions of the viral DNA polymerase and therefore the neuropathogenicity of EHV-1 virus strains. The aim of the present study was the development of a new differentiation method of this particular single nucleotide poly...
Bidwell LA, Bowker RM.To evaluate morphologic changes of the stratum internum of hooves from near-term fetal, newborn, and yearling horses. Methods: Feet from 27 near-term equine fetuses, 19 newborn foals, and 8 yearlings. Methods: Primary epidermal laminae (PEL) of the stratum internum were examined for evidence of architectural changes. Results: In near-term fetuses, the PEL had a homogeneous appearance and symmetric distribution around the hoof wall with no significant differences in PEL density between the toe and quarters. However after birth, branched laminae at the toe formed within the first few weeks, whic...
Joongpan W, Tongsangiam P, Poochipakorn C, Charoenchanikran P, Chanda M.Horses were provided full-time housing in unfamiliar vector-protected facilities during the African horse sickness (AHS) outbreak in Thailand. This study aimed to investigate the impact of this housing arrangement on the equine stress response. Nine healthy horses were housed in both a traditional barn and a vector-protected barn. Equine behavior and stress response data were collected in association with the housing environment and time of day. The mean behavioral score of horses housed in the vector-protected barn was lower at night than during the day. In addition, the horses' mean heart ra...
Tóth F, Schumacher J, Schramme M, Holder T, Adair HS, Donnell RL.To describe pathologic changes in the deep branch of the lateral plantar nerve (DBLPN) of horses determined to be lame because of proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD), and to report the outcome after treatment by excision of a segment of the horses' DBLPN. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Adult horses (n=16). Methods: Horses determined to be lame on one or both pelvic limbs because of PSD were treated by excision of a segment of the DBLPN, and 30 nerves were examined histologically. Owners were contacted to obtain information about the horses >or=6 months after surgery. Results: H...
Parsons KJ, Spence AJ, Morgan R, Thompson JA, Wilson AM.Mechanical characterisation of the high speed gallop has significant importance for animal welfare and basic biology. Kinematic parameters such as the velocity of each foot at contact can inform theories of why animals gallop, and supplant epidemiological investigation into the mechanisms of musculoskeletal injury. Objective: To determine the velocity at which the fore and hind hooves of elite galloping horses impact the surface. Methods: High speed videography was used to measure the horizontal and vertical velocity of the hoof immediately prior to impact, and the subsequent sink (vertical) a...
Spadavecchia C, Andersen OK, Arendt-Nielsen L, Spadavecchia L, Doherr M, Schatzmann U.To investigate whether facilitation of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) can be evoked and quantified as a measure of temporal summation from the distal aspect of the left forelimb and hind limb in standing nonsedated horses via repeated stimulations of various subthreshold intensities and frequencies. Methods: 10 adult horses. Methods: Surface electromyographic activity evoked by stimulation of the digital palmar and plantar nerves was recorded from the common digital extensor and cranial tibial muscles. For each horse, the NWR threshold intensity to a single stimulus was determined for...
Holcomb KE, Stull CL, Kass PH.Nonprofit equine rescue organizations in the United States provide care for relinquished horses and may offer adoption programs. With an estimated 100,000 "unwanted" horses per year and few municipal shelters providing wholesale euthanasia, there is a need to minimize the number of unwanted horses and maximize their successful transition to new caregivers. This study's objectives were to characterize the relinquishing and adoptive owners interacting with nonprofit rescue organizations. Nonprofit organizations (n = 144) in 37 states provided information by survey on 280 horses relinquished betw...
Cottrill CM, Jeffers-Lo J, Ousey JC, McGladdery AJ, Ricketts SW, Silver M, Rossdale PD.One hundred twenty-four horse placentas were evaluated according to gross appearance, weight and surface area. Grossly abnormal placentas were photographed, and histological sections were taken from abnormal appearing areas, and from representative areas (pregnant horn, non-pregnant horn, body and cervical pole) in both normal and abnormal placentas. Information about the resulting foals was obtained and correlations examined. Histological sections were reviewed and related to the resulting foals. Four normal fresh placentas were infused with dyes to ascertain the blood supply to various areas...
Amory H, Lomba F, Lekeux PM, Solal AN, Jauniaux TP, Desmecht DJ.An adult pony had a 1-month history of severe respiratory distress that was resistant to treatment and environmental changes. Results of blood gas analysis were indicative of alveolar hypoventilation. Simultaneous recordings of thoracic and abdominal wall motion by inductance plethysmography, together with complete pulmonary mechanics evaluation that included transdiaphragmatic pressure monitoring, revealed complete passive behavior of the diaphragm during breathing. Because radiography, necropsy, and histologic examination did not reveal any major lesion to explain the clinical and functional...
Sahu SP.Pony mares were vaccinated with killed contagious equine metritis (CEM) bacteria by IV, subcutaneous, and intrauterine (IU) routes (or a combination of these routes). The serum agglutinating antibody titer varied from 1:64 to 1:1,024 after vaccination. In pony mares challenge exposed with 96-hour-old culture of CEM bacteria given by IU route, there were clinical signs of CEM, but these signs were less severe in vaccinated mares than in nonvaccinated mares. The bacterium was isolated for the exudate and from uterine samples collected from the mares after challenge exposure. A low titer of IU an...
Morrison PK, Harris PA, Maltin CA, Grove-White D, Argo CM.Anatomically distinct adipose tissues represent variable risks to metabolic health in man and some other mammals. Quantitative-imaging of internal adipose depots is problematic in large animals and associations between regional adiposity and health are poorly understood. This study aimed to develop and test a semi-quantitative system (EQUIFAT) which could be applied to regional adipose tissues. Anatomically-defined, photographic images of adipose depots (omental, mesenteric, epicardial, rump) were collected from 38 animals immediately post-mortem. Images were ranked and depot-specific descript...
Walshe N, Mulcahy G, Hodgkinson J, Peachey L.The importance of the gut microbiome for host health has been the subject of intense research over the last decade. In particular, there is overwhelming evidence for the influence of resident microbiota on gut mucosal and systemic immunity; with significant implications for the outcome of gastrointestinal (GI) infections, such as parasitic helminths. The horse is a species that relies heavily on its gut microbiota for GI and overall health, and disturbances in this complex ecosystem are often associated with life-threatening disease. In turn, nearly all horses harbour parasitic helminths from ...
Cousty M, Firidolfi C, Geffroy O, David F.To compare ultrasound-guided lateral and medial approaches for periarticular injections of the thoracolumbar intervertebral facet joints (IFJ). Methods: Experimental cadaveric study. Methods: Adult equine cadavers (n=4). Methods: IFJ (T12-T13 to L5-L6) were identified by ultrasound (transducer perpendicular to the spine axis) and insertion of a 13 cm, 18 g spinal needle monitored until bone contact using medial (right side) and lateral (left side) approaches. Number of needle insertions at each site, needle repositioning, and insertion depth were recorded. On bone contact 2 mL latex was ...
Theoret CL, Barber SM, Gordon JR.To describe the localization of immunoreactive transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 in both normal skin and full-thickness dermal wounds of the limb and the thorax of the horse. Methods: Six full-thickness excisional wounds were created on the lateral aspect of one metacarpal region and on the midthoracic area of each horse. Sequentially collected tissue specimens from wound margins were assessed for TGF-beta1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Methods: Four horses (2 to 4 years of age). Methods: A neutralizing monoclonal anti-human TGF-beta1 antibody was used to detect the spatial expressi...
Karagianni AE, Eaton SL, Kurian D, Cillán-Garcia E, Twynam-Perkins J, Raper A, Wishart TM, Pirie RS.Airway inflammation is highly prevalent in horses, with the majority of non-infectious cases being defined as equine asthma. Currently, cytological analysis of airway derived samples is the principal method of assessing lower airway inflammation. Samples can be obtained by tracheal wash (TW) or by lavage of the lower respiratory tract (bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid; BALF). Although BALF cytology carries significant diagnostic advantages over TW cytology for the diagnosis of equine asthma, sample acquisition is invasive, making it prohibitive for routine and sequential screening of airway ...
Viesselmann LC, Flatland B, Stokol T, Sisson S, Schaefer DMW.Accurate erythrocyte measurements with ADVIA hematology analyzers require isovolumetric cell sphering in one reaction and hemolysis in another. However, camelid erythrocytes are resistant to sphering and osmotic lysis, and no published evaluation of ADVIA methods for camelids exists. Objective: The objectives were to demonstrate whether camelid erythrocytes sphere in the ADVIA red blood cell/platelet (RBC/PLT) reagent and lyse in the ADVIA cyanide HGB reagent, and to determine optimal ADVIA settings for camelids. Methods: Camelid and canine blood were diluted to 1:625 in RBC/PLT reagent and ev...
Zhou P, Luo A, Xiao X, Hu X, Shen D, Li J, Wu X, Xian X, Wei C, Fu C, Zhang G, Sun L, Li S.Currently, Canine influenza virus (CIV) H3N2 is continuously circulating in dog populations in China, Korea, and the United States (US). Both influenza SA-α-2,3-Gal and SA-α-2,6-Gal receptors have been observed in the respiratory tracts of both horses and dogs. Hence, the increasing number of CIV H3N2 cases in the world indicates a potential risk for transspecies transmission to horses with dog exposure. Here, a seroepidemiological survey of CIV H3N2 infections in horses was conducted using hemagglutination inhibition (HI), microneutralization (MN) and the chicken embryo neutralization test ...
