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.
Bringewatt T, Hopster K, Kästner SB, Rohn K, Ohnesorge B.The influence of a modified open lung concept (mOLC) on pulmonary and cardiovascular function during total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) in horses was evaluated. Forty-two warmblood horses (American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1 to 2), scheduled for elective surgery (mean [sd] weight 526 [65] kg, age 6.4 [5.4] years) were randomly divided into three groups: ventilation with mOLC, intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (IPPV), and spontaneous breathing. Premedication (0.8 mg/kg xylazine), induction (2.2 mg/kg ketamine and 0.05 mg/kg diazepam) and maintenance of anaesthesia with TIVA...
Meyer A, Messer L, De Briel D, Moreau P.The field of zoonoses changes constantly. Streptococcus equi subsp. ruminatorum is a group C Streptococcus subspecies first identified in 2004. The first case of human infection with this agent was reported in 2007. Here, we report a second case. A 70-year-old man had acute spondylodiscitis and endocarditis involving the anterior mitral valve leaflet. S. equi subsp. ruminatorum was identified in the blood cultures. Antibiotic therapy was successful in eradicating the infection. The workup showed hypogammaglobulinemia with stage I myeloma. He reported frequent contacts with horses including tw...
Recent outbreaks of equine infectious anaemia and equine viral arteritis in the UK. Update on the equine infectious anaemia situation in Europe. West Nile virus reported in several Mediterranean countries. Current and future approaches to equine viral arteritis control in the UK. These are among matters discussed in the quarterly equine disease surveillance report for April to June 2010, prepared by Defra, the Animal Health Trust and the British Equine Veterinary Association.
Lu Z, Kasaragod DK, Matcher SJ.We describe a fibre-based variable-incidence angle (VIA) polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography (PS-SS-OCT) system to determine the 3D optical axis of birefringent biological tissues. Single-plane VIA-PS-OCT is also explored which requires measurement of the absolute fast-axis orientation. A state-of-the-art PS-SS-OCT system with some improvements both in hardware and software was used to determine the apparent optical birefringence of equine tendon for a number of different illumination directions. Polar and azimuthal angles of cut equine tendon were produced by the ...
Mendez-Angulo JL, Ernst NS, Mudge MC.In order to assess postoperative outcome in horses undergoing end-to-end anastomosis of the small intestine, performed using a one-layer technique, 15 horses that underwent exploratory coeliotomy, resection of the small intestine and end-to-end anastomosis using a continuous Lembert pattern were studied. Information on the age, breed, sex, diagnosis, treatment, complications and outcome of each case were obtained from medical records. Follow-up information was obtained via telephone conversations with clients and trainers. Five of the horses had short-term postoperative complications: one had ...
Conwell RC, Hillyer MH, Mair TS, Pirie RS, Clegg PD.This retrospective study was conducted in the UK and identifies the most frequent causes, diagnoses, treatment and prognoses for short- and long-term survival in 54 cases of horses with haemoperitoneum. Clinical signs of haemorrhagic shock and colic were common, and abdominal ultrasound was very useful for the identification of haemoperitoneum. Causes of haemoperitoneum included uterine injury (22 per cent), involvement of specific blood vessels (20 per cent), splenic injury (19 per cent), neoplasia (13 per cent) and other (4 per cent). No source was identified in 22 per cent of cases. Fifty-s...
Menzies-Gow NJ, Katz LM, Barker KJ, Elliott J, De Brauwere MN, Jarvis N, Marr CM, Pfeiffer DU.A retrospective study of laminitis was carried out to identify risk factors associated with this disease on an East Anglian farm with approximately 1000 animals living in an area of 1000 acres. Medical records between January 1997 and May 2000 and between April 2005 and March 2008 were reviewed, and the age, sex, weight (kg), height (inches [in] and hands [H]) and weight-to-height ratio (kg/in) was recorded. The prevalence, incidence and seasonality of laminitis were determined and their relationship to the monthly temperature, rainfall and hours of sunshine was evaluated. Averaged over the si...
Castleman WL, Toplon DE, Clark CK, Heskett TW, Farina LL, Lynch TM, Bryant UK, Del Piero F, Murphy B, Edwards JF.This multi-institutional report describes 8 cases of rhabdomyosarcoma in horses. Four neoplasms were in the tongue and other areas of the mouth or head, 2 were in the abdominal wall, and 1 each was in right shoulder muscles and heart. Four rhabdomyosarcomas that were less than 10 cm in diameter were treated by surgical excision or radiation with no recurrence. Two neoplasms greater than 10 cm in diameter in the abdominal wall and the right shoulder were considered inoperable and led to decisions to euthanize the horses. Two neoplasms were incidental findings at necropsy. All the neoplasms were...
Grandi G, Molinari G, Tittarelli M, Sassera D, Kramer LH.Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis. In this epidemiological study, 294 horses reared in a rural area of northern Italy were studied. During January 2008-January 2009, blood samples were taken for serology (indirect fluorescent antibody test) and for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Data on the geographical area, sex, and age were collected for statistical analysis of risk factors associated with infection. A seroprevalence of 8.5% was found: 8.2% of the animals were positive for anti-T. equi antibodies and 0.3% for anti-B. caballi antibodies. No...
Gibney KB, Robinson S, Mutebi JP, Hoenig DE, Bernier BJ, Webber L, Lubelczyk C, Nett RJ, Fischer M.Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is one of the most severe arboviral encephalitides in North America. Before 2009, limited nonhuman EEE virus activity had been reported in Maine, all from the southernmost area of the state. No human case has been reported in a Maine resident. Methods: We review all EEE virus activity reported to Maine Centers for Disease Control in 2009 and describe current testing practices for possible human EEE cases. Results: In 2009, fatal cases of EEE were identified in 15 horses, 1 llama, and 3 flocks of pheasants in Maine, with activity extending into the central part...
Oswald S, Peters J, Venner M, Siegmund W.Clarithromycin (CLA) is a well established macrolide antibiotic which is frequently used in therapy of airway diseases in foals. It is extensively metabolized by CYP3A4 resulting in the antimicrobial active metabolite 14-hydroxyclarithromycin (OH-CLA). Rifampicin (RIF) is often comedicated to prevent resistance and augment therapy. RIF is a known inducer for metabolizing enzymes and transporter proteins. Therefore, comedication might bare the risks of pharmacokinetic drug interactions which were investigated in a clinical trial. As no adequate method to determine CLA, RIF and their main metabo...
Kitai Y, Shirafuji H, Kanehira K, Kamio T, Kondo T, Konishi E.West Nile virus (WNV) and Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus are distributed separately in the world with some exceptions. There is a concern that WNV may invade into Asia where JE virus exists. On and after such invasion, any differential diagnosis could be complicated by serological crossreactivities. We previously demonstrated experimentally using horses infected with WNV that preimmunization with inactivated JE vaccine considerably affected the ability of neutralization tests and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to diagnose WNV infection. Here...
Vanderman KS, Tremblay M, Zhu W, Shimojo M, Mienaltowski MJ, Coleman SJ, MacLeod JN.Brother of CDO (BOC) is a cell surface receptor that derives its name from the structurally related protein, cell adhesion molecule-related/down-regulated by oncogenes (CDO, sometimes CDON). High levels of BOC mRNA and protein expression have been described in embryonic tissues with active cell proliferation and ongoing cellular differentiation(1,2). A microarray-based screen of RNA isolated from 11 different adult equine tissues unexpectedly identified BOC as having an expression pattern restricted to articular cartilage. The objective of this study was to further investigate BOC expression i...
Schwarz BC, van den Hoven R, Schwendenwein I.The myeloperoxidase index (MPXI) was investigated as a diagnostic indicator of systemic inflammation in a retrospective study using data from 859 hospitalised horses. A reference interval of 8.5-10.4 for the MPXI was established. In horses with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), the MPXI was significantly lower than in healthy horses, those with localised inflammation and those with sepsis. The MPXI in horses with sepsis was also significantly lower than in healthy animals and those with localised inflammation. Horses in the SIRS group with leucopenia, white blood cell (WBC) count...
Goyache F, Alvarez I, Fernández I, Pérez-Pardal L, Royo LJ, Lorenzo L.Empirical evidence of the usefulness of different molecular-based methods to estimate the effective population size (N(e)) for conservation purposes in endangered livestock populations is reported. The black-coated Asturcón pony pedigree (1,981 individuals) was available. Additionally, a total of 267 Asturcón individuals born in 1998, 2002, and 2008 were typed for 15 microsatellites. These yearly cohorts (cohort(1998, 2002, 2008)) included almost all individuals kept for reproduction at the end of the corresponding foaling season. The genealogical realized N(e) was estimated for each cohort ...
Hijazin M, Ulbegi-Mohyla H, Alber J, Lämmler C, Hassan AA, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Weiss R, Zschöck M.An Arcanobacterium haemolyticum strain isolated from a postcastrational lesion of a horse was identified phenotypically and genotypically. The latter was performed by sequencing the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region (ISR), by amplification of the gene encoding A. haemolyticum phospholipase D, by amplification of A. haemolyticum specific parts of ISR-23S rDNA and by amplification of the newly described CAMP factor family protein encoding gene of A. haemolyticum. This indicates (as described previously for seven additional A. haemolyticum strains; Hassan et al. 2009) that A. haemolyticum see...
Capomaccio S, Cappelli K, Spinsanti G, Mencarelli M, Muscettola M, Felicetti M, Verini Supplizi A, Bonifazi M.Horses and humans share a natural proclivity for athletic performance. In this respect, horses can be considered a reference species in studies designed to optimize physical training and disease prevention. In both species, interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a major role in regulating the inflammatory process induced during exercise as part of an integrated metabolic regulatory network. The aim of this study was to compare IL-6 and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in trained and untrained humans and horses. Results: Nine highly trained male swimmers (...
Overbeck W, Witte TS, Heuwieser W.The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of a uterine swab (US), a cytological brush (CB) and an endometrial biopsy (EB) to detect subclinical endometritis in mares. Cytological and bacteriological results of all three techniques were related to histological occurrence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in the stratum compactum, commonly known as 'best standard'; to diagnose endometritis. Samples were taken from 55 mares of different breeds without clinical signs of endometritis. Samples for US, CB and EB were collected, smeared on a microscopic slide and cultured for bacte...
Visser MB, Pollitt CC.The timing of lamellar basement membrane (BM) changes occurring during laminitis development is incompletely understood. Objective: To determine the temporal progression of lamellar BM changes and whether laminin-332 (Ln-332) γ2 cleavage products are generated during laminitis development. Methods: Eight clinically normal Standardbred horses were allocated into treatment (n = 5) or sham (n = 3) groups. The treatment group received, via nasogastric intubation, an oligofructose (OF) bolus (10 g/kg bwt) while the sham group was given water. Laminitis induction proceeded for 48 h followed by euth...
Sayasith K, Bouchard N, Doré M, Sirois J.The progressive rise in gonadotropins prior to ovulation triggers a marked increase in intrafollicular levels of prostaglandin F(2alpha)(PGF(2alpha)), which is known to interact with PGF(2alpha) receptor (FP). Little is known about the regulation of FP during ovulation. This study was undertaken to characterize the equine FP and its gonadotropin-dependent regulation in preovulatory follicles prior to ovulation. The full-length equine FP encodes a 366-amino acid protein that is 82-93% homologous to other species. Using semi-quantitative RT-PCR/Southern blot, we showed that FP mRNA expression wa...
D'Silva C.Equine liver glutathione S-transferase has been shown to consist of two identical subunits of apparent Mr 25,500 and a pl of 8.9. Kinetic data at pH 6.5 with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as a substrate suggests a random rapid-equilibrium mechanism, which is supported by inhibition studies using glutathione analogues. S-(p-Bromobenzyl)glutathione and the corresponding N alpha-, CGlu- and CGly-substituted derivatives have been found, at pH 6.5, to be linear competitive inhibitors, with respect to GSH, of glutathione transferase. N-Acetylation of S-(p-bromobenzyl)glutathione decreases binding by 1...
Amit T, Dibner C, Barkey RJ.The present study was undertaken to identify and characterize the diversity and species distribution of soluble prolactin binding-protein (PRL-BP) and growth hormone-binding protein (PRL-BP) in mammalian milk. We previously divided mammalian serum GH-BP into four main groups and identified a GH-BP with shared lactogenic/somatogenic properties in rabbit, horse, dog, pig and cat (Type III species). Here we describe PRL-BP in milk of Type III species and show it is relatively conserved within the group, having similar characteristics in terms of binding affinity for hGH (0.74-5.5 x 10(10) M(-1)),...
Ruohoniemi M, Kärkkäinen M, Tervahartiala P.Six Finnhorse cadaver forefeet were selected to represent radiographically different types and grades of ossification of the collateral cartilages of the distal phalanx. These cartilages and adjacent tissues were evaluated with computed tomography (CT) and high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In CT the internal structure of the cartilages was consistent, but in MRI some differences were noted. The shape of the collateral cartilages and their ligamentous attachments varied. The border between ossified and non-ossified cartilage appeared distinct, with considerable variation in the exten...
Pavone S, Veronesi F, Piergili Fioretti D, Mandara MT.Gastrointestinal motility disorders represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in horses. Previously regarded as a non-pathogenic tapeworm, Anoplocephala perfoliata has been recently associated with equine colic. In this study, pathological changes related to A. perfoliata at the ileocecal junction were investigated in 31 slaughtered horses. Our results showed a significant relationship between parasitic burden and grading of histopathological lesions in both the mucosa and submucosa. Moreover, in infested horses, hypertrophy of the circular muscle layer was determined. Finally, ...
Harvey JW, Stockham SL, Scott MA, Johnson PJ, Donald JJ, Chandler CJ.This report describes erythrocyte biochemical findings in an adult Spanish mustang mare that exhibited persistent methemoglobinemia, eccentrocytosis, and pyknocytosis that were not related to the consumption or administration of an exogenous oxidant. The methemoglobinemia was attributed to a deficiency in cytochrome-b5 reductase (Cb5R) activity, and the eccentrocytes and pyknocytes were attributed to a marked deficiency in reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent glutathione reductase (GR) activity that resulted in decreased reduced glutathione concentration within erythro...
Calvete JJ, Reinert M, Sanz L, Töpfer-Petersen E.Boar and stallion seminal plasmas were fractionated using affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose. In both species, among other proteins, the heparin-binding (H+) and non-heparin-binding (H-) fractions each contained glycoforms of either porcine PSP-I or equine HSP-1 and HSP-2. However, porcine H+/PSP-I eluted as a monomeric protein, whereas H-/PSP-I formed a heterodimer with PSP-II, another major seminal plasma protein. On the other hand, the stallion proteins H+/HSP-1 and H+/HSP-2 eluted together as an aggregate of relative molecular mass (M(r)) 90,000, whereas H-/HSP-1 and H-/HSP-2 elu...
Turner RM, Zeng W.Studies in laboratory rodents are shedding light on the pathophysiology of testicular ageing and now suggest a complicated basis for age-related declines in testicular function. A highly significant contributor to infertility may involve failure of specific and complex testicular microenvironments (niches) comprised of a variety of cellular and molecular components. Our laboratory has applied testis tissue xenografting to the study of testicular ageing in the stallion. Using this technique, we have confirmed that the disease is tissue autologous. As would be expected from a tissue autologous d...
Lafave MR, Butterwick DJ, Murray RP, Freeman T, Lau BH.The purpose of this study was to establish the content validity of the Rodeo SCAT for the sport of rodeo and bull riding. The study design was comprised of expert consensus and content validation. A modified Ebel procedure was employed to content validate the rodeo SCAT. Content validation using this method includes experts agreeing on the importance of each item that comprises the rodeo SCAT. This 3-stage process involved: 1) face validation by a local committee: 2) initial expert consensus measurement via distance; and 3) a face-to-face discussion for items that did not originally achieve 80...
Okamoto Y, Minami S, Matsuhashi A, Sashiwa H, Saimoto H, Shigemasa Y, Tanigawa T, Tanaka Y, Tokura S.The sponge-, cotton-, and flake-type remedies made of chitin (chitin-sponge, chitin-cotton, and chitin-flake, respectively), and non-woven fabric of polyester (NWF) composited with chitin (chitin-NWF) were applied to various types of trauma, abscess, surgical tissue defect and herniorrhaphy in 147 clinical cases including 72 dogs, 38 cows, 33 cats, 2 rabbits, one monkey and one horse. Chitin-sponge was applied in 30 cases as filling agent of surgical tissue defect, and in 25 cases of trauma, 31 cases of abscess as wound dressing or tissue defect filling agent. In 77 out of 86 cases (89.5%), go...
Contreras-Aguilar MD, Cerón JJ, Muñoz A, Ayala I.Salivary biomarkers could be useful to evaluate stress, fitness level, and skeletal muscle damage associated to exercise in horses in an easy and non-painful way. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate if cortisol in saliva (sCor), salivary alpha-amylase (sAMY) and butyrylcholinesterase (sBChE) and lactate (sLA) and creatine kinase (sCK) in saliva of horses can show changes during a standardized exercise test, and if they are related to heart rate variability (HRV) parameters related to sympathetic and parasympathetic tone, fitness level or skeletal muscle damage. For this purpose, ten enduran...
Flisikowski K, Flisikowska T, Sikorska A, Perkowska A, Kind A, Schnieke A, Switonski M.Cancer is a complex disease caused in part by predisposing germline gene polymorphisms. Knowledge of carcinogenesis in companion mammals (dog and cat) and some livestock species (pig and horse) is quite advanced. The prevalence of certain cancers varies by breed in these species, suggesting the presence of predisposing genetic variants in susceptible breeds. This review summarizes the present understanding of germline gene polymorphisms, including BRCA1, BRCA2, MC1R, KIT, NRAS and RAD51, associated with predisposition to melanoma, mammary cancer, osteosarcoma and histiocytic sarcoma in dogs, c...
Holl HM, Gao S, Fei Z, Andrews C, Brooks SA.Laminitis, the structural failure of interdigitated tissue that suspends the distal skeleton within the hoof capsule, is a devastating disease that is the second leading cause of both lameness and euthanasia in the horse. Current transcriptomic research focuses on the expression of known genes. However, as this tissue is quite unique and equine gene annotation is largely derived from computational predictions, there are likely yet uncharacterized transcripts that may be involved in the etiology of laminitis. In order to create a novel annotation resource, we performed whole transcriptome seque...
Clausen PH, Gebreselassie G, Abditcho S, Mehlitz D, Staak C.A field study of horses was conducted in the province of Bale, Ethiopian highlands. A rapid questionnaire analysis indicated that dourine, known as "Dirressa", is a major health problem of equines in this area. A total of 121 horses suspected of dourine were examined by use of clinical, parasitological, serological and DNA based techniques. Incoordination of hindlegs (76%), swelling of external genitalia (48.8%) and emaciation (39.7%) were the most common clinical signs observed. Using the haematocrit centrifugation technique (HCT), no trypanosomes were detected in blood, genital washes or tis...
Logan AA, Nielsen BD, Hiney KM, Robison CI, Manfredi JM, Buskirk DD, Popovich JM.Circular exercise is used in many equestrian disciplines and this study aimed to determine if circle diameter impacts juvenile animal forelimb bone and joint health. On day 0, 24 calves at 9 weeks of age were assigned the following exercise treatments: small circle (12 m clockwise), large circle (18-m clockwise), treadmill, or non-exercised control. Exercise was initiated at 1.1−1.5 m/s for 5 min/d and increased 5 min weekly until reaching 30 min/d. On day 49, synovial fluid was collected from multiple joints, cartilage was collected from the proximal surface of fused third and fourth metaca...
Larghi OP, González E, Held JR.The corneal test (CT) for rabies diagnosis was evaluated in samples from 313 subjects of different species. Some of the subjects were inoculated experimentally and others were naturally infected. When the CT was compared with immunofluorescence staining and mouse inoculation tests on brains of the same subjects, a sensitivity of 41.7% and a specificity of 100% were found. The authors conclude that a positive CT result would confirm the diagnosis of rabies, but a negative one would not exclude the possibility of disease.
Pin D.Dermatophytoses in animals are fungal diseases of the skin caused by dermatophyte fungi of the genus Microsporum or Trichophyton. Because the infection is generally follicular, the most common clinical sign is one or many circular areas of alopecia with variable erythema, scaling and crusting, and the primary differential diagnoses are follicular infections, such as bacterial folliculitis and demodicosis. Although dermatophyte folliculitis or ringworm is the most commonly observed lesion of dermatophytoses in animals, other presentations may be observed according to the host species and the de...
Boersema JH, Borgsteede FH, Eysker M, Saedt I.The reappearance of strongyle eggs in the faeces of horses treated with pyrantel embonate was studied. The horses (103) were divided in 11 groups on 8 different farms. The efficacy of pyrantel embonate against strongyles, based on egg count reduction tests, was 99.8%. Mean weekly egg counts performed between week 2 and week 9 after treatment showed that 5 weeks after treatment the egg output passed the 90% reduction level. It is concluded that strategic treatments of horses with pyrantel embonate for the prevention of strongylosis should be administered with intervals of 6 weeks.
Turkan F, Harbi Calimli M, Akgun A, Gulbagca F, Sen F.Benzimidazoles are antiparasitic drugs having an extensive application field like agriculture, medicine, and especially in veterinary medicine. In this study, we report the effect of some benzimidazole drugs such as ricobendazole (RBZ), thiabendazole (TBZ), albendazole (ALBA) and oxfendazole (OFZ) on glutathione s-transferase (GST) enzyme activity. The kinetics studies, IC and Ki values of the tested drugs on GSTs enzyme activity were investigated. The obtained ranking of IC values were found to be approximately RBZ (53.31 μM, r 0.9778) < OFZ (57.75 μM, r 0.9630) < ALBA (63.00 μM, r 0...
Dechant JE, Baxter GM, Frisbie DD, Trotter GW, McIlwraith CW.Clinical trials in human and veterinary literature have documented the benefits of oral nutraceutical joint supplements containing glucosamine (GU) and chondroitin sulphate (CS) to treat mild to moderate osteoarthritis, but the effects of these components have not yet been conclusively determined. Objective: To assess varying dosages of GU and CS on normal and interleukin-1alpha (IL-1) conditioned equine cartilage explants and rationalise the use of these products. Objective: Treatment would not be detrimental to cartilage metabolism and higher dosages and the combination of GU and CS would be...
Martins HM, Almeida IF, Camacho CR, Santos SM, Costa JM, Bernardo FM.Fumonisin B1 (FB1), fumonisin B2 (FB2), and overall mycotoxins feed contamination may cause several effects on crops production and animal health. The contamination occurred predominantly in corn and corn-based foods and feeds. Objective: This survey intends to provide the occurrence of fumonisins in swine and equine mixed feeds in Portugal, making an overview from 2007 to 2010. Methods: A total of 363 samples were analyzed, 258 from swine feed and 105 from horse feed with HPLC method. The detection limit was 50 μg/kg for FB1 and 100 μg/kg for FB2. Results: The overall results were 13% of FB...
