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.
Roth LS, Balkenius A, Kelber A.Most mammals have dichromatic colour vision based on two different types of cones: a short-wavelength-sensitive cone and a long-wavelength-sensitive cone. Comparing the signal from two cone types gives rise to a one-dimensional chromatic space when brightness is excluded. The so-called ;neutral point' refers to the wavelength that the animal cannot distinguish from achromatic light such as white or grey because it stimulates both cone types equally. The question is: how do dichromats perceive their chromatic space? Do they experience a continuous scale of colours or does the neutral point divi...
Röcken M, Mosel G, Stehle C, Rass J, Litzke LF.To describe a technique for, and outcome after, left- or right-sided laparoscopic-assisted nephrectomy in standing horses with unilateral renal disease. Methods: Clinical report. Methods: Horses (n=3) with unilateral renal disease. Methods: Horses were sedated with detomidine (0.01 mg/kg intravenously [IV]) and levomethadone (0.05 mg/kg IV). Paravertebral anesthesia and infiltration-anesthesia with 2% lidocaine were used to create a surgical field incorporating the 17th intercostal space and paralumbar fossa. Two separate, ipsilateral portals and a mini-laparotomy were used. The perirenal peri...
Rossignol F, Perrin R, Boening KJ.To evaluate the efficacy of a laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty (PFH) to close anatomically the vaginal ring and to evaluate its protective effect in horses with a history of strangulated inguinal hernia (SIH) against future herniation. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: A first group of 5 ponies, 3 horses and 1 donkey with no history of SIH and a second group of 4 horses 'clinical cases' with a history of SIH. Methods: A laparoscopic PFH was effected on all horses under general anaesthesia. Peritoneum ventro-lateral to the vaginal ring was elevated and cut on 3 sides, separated from...
Johns IC, Del Piero F, Wilkins PA.An 11-year-old Thoroughbred broodmare was evaluated for suspected hepatic dysfunction. Clinical signs of hepatic encephalopathy were evident at admission. Hepatic ultrasonographic evaluation revealed an increase in hepatic size, rounded borders and normal echogenicity. There was no evidence of cholelithiasis or bile duct distention. Increased activity of hepatic enzymes, increased bile acid and bilirubin concentration and an increased ammonia concentration were supportive of a diagnosis of hepatic disease and hepatic encephalopathy. Histopathological evaluation of a liver biopsy specimen was c...
Johnston K, Holcombe SJ, Hauptman JG.To determine the relationship between plasma lactate concentration and colonic viability and survival in horses with >or=360 degrees volvulus of the ascending colon. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses (n=73) with >or=360 degrees volvulus of the ascending colon. Methods: Medical records (January 2000-November 2005) of all horses examined for colic at Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital were reviewed. Horses were included only if plasma lactate concentration was measured preoperatively and a diagnosis of >or=360 degrees volvulus of the ascending colon was c...
Charman RE, Vasey JR.Chronic facial defects extending into the sinuses of two mares were repaired using periosteal flaps. Partial osseous bridging was established over the defects following repair. Previous attempts to close the defects with skin alone had failed. A periosteal flap is a simple surgical technique that provides the foundations for successful repair, despite the chronicity of some fistulae.
Labeda DP, Donahue JM, Sells SF, Kroppenstedt RM.A novel actinomycete, designated strain LDDC 2876-05(T), was isolated from an equine placenta during the course of routine diagnostic tests for nocardioform placentitis. In a preliminary study, the strain was observed to be phylogenetically distinct from the genera Crossiella and Amycolatopsis and probably a member of the genus Lentzea. A polyphasic study of strain LDDC 2876-05(T) confirmed its identification as a member of Lentzea on the basis of its chemotaxonomic and morphological similarity to all of the known species of the genus. Moreover, the strain could be distinguished from other spe...
Pearson RA, Krecek RC.Problems have been identified in the delivery of extension messages about the maintenance of healthy and well-fed working animals. The different factors that need to be considered in developing effective disease control and prevention programmes for working oxen and equids including vector-borne diseases, helminth disease, and vaccination programmes have been reported and discussed and experiences in improving husbandry including footcare, harness, and worm management reported. Most draught animals are owned by people who lack the financial means to pay for or to access the information needed ...
Richardson LE, Dudhia J, Clegg PD, Smith R.Stem cells have evoked considerable excitement in the animal-owning public because of the promise that stem cell technology could deliver tissue regeneration for injuries for which natural repair mechanisms do not deliver functional recovery and for which current therapeutic strategies have minimal effectiveness. This review focuses on the current use of stem cells within veterinary medicine, whose practitioners have used mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), recovered from either bone marrow or adipose tissue, in clinical cases primarily to treat strain-induced tendon injury in the horse. The backgr...
Seino KK, Long MT, Gibbs EP, Bowen RA, Beachboard SE, Humphrey PP, Dixon MA, Bourgeois MA.We used a severe challenge model that produces clinical West Nile virus (WNV) disease to test the efficacy of three commercially available equine WNV vaccines in horses. Twenty-four healthy, WNV-seronegative horses of varying ages and genders were placed, in random and blind manner, into three trial groups consisting of eight horses each; two horses in each group received (i) an inactivated WNV vaccine (K-WN), (ii) a modified-live vaccine (CP-WN) containing the WNV prM and E proteins expressed by a canarypox vector, (iii) a live-chimera vaccine (WN-FV) containing WNV prM and E proteins express...
Masri M, Lombardero G, Velasquillo C, Martínez V, Neri R, Villegas H, Ibarra C.The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of obtaining a large number of viable cells within a construct that will not be detached by high fluid flow during arthroscopic implantation. Methods: Arthroscopic osteochondral biopsy specimens were obtained from the medial femoral trochlea of 8 horses. Chondrocytes were isolated by collagenase digestion and expanded in M199 media until confluency. After 10 to 12 days, cultures were trypsinized and cells resuspended in culture media. Then, 5 x 10(6) cells x mL(-1) were seeded on a culture dish and the same amount in a flask. Once extracellu...
Williams CA, Lamprecht ED.Most herbs and functional foods have not been scientifically tested; this is especially true for the horse. This paper reviews some of the literature pertinent to herbal supplementation in horses and other species. Common supplements like Echinacea, garlic, ginger, ginseng, and yucca are not regulated, and few studies have investigated safe, efficacious doses. Ginseng has been found to exert an inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory cytokines and cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Equine studies have tested the anti-inflammatory effects of a single dose of ginger, post-exercise. Echinacea has been re...
Matsuda K, Kousaka Y, Nagamine N, Tsunoda N, Taniyama H.A 20-year-old thoroughbred mare had a mass in the right kidney. The mass was encapsulated with fibrous capsule and composed of variably-sized papillary projections lined by a single layer of flattened to cuboidal neoplastic epithelial cells with no cytological and nuclear atypia. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells were broadly positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and granular staining for alpha-1-antitrypsin was focally detected; this immunohistochemical property was similar to that of the normal distal nephron. From these results, this case was diagnosed as papillary renal adenoma of dis...
Iwatani S, Zendo T, Yoneyama F, Nakayama J, Sonomoto K.A novel bacteriocin, lacticin Z, produced by Lactococcus lactis QU 14 isolated from a horse's intestinal tract was identified. Lacticin Z was purified through a three step procedure comprised of hydrophobic-interaction, cation-exchange chromatography, and reverse-phase HPLC. ESI-TOF MS determined the molecular mass of lacticin Z to be 5,968.9 Da. The primary structure of lacticin Z was found to consist of 53 amino acid residues without any leader sequence or signal peptide. Lacticin Z showed homology to lacticin Q from L. lactis QU 5, aureocin A53 from Staphylococcus aureus A53, and mutacin BH...
Fietz S, Bondzio A, Moschos A, Hertsch B, Einspanier R.The aim of this study was to develop a specific myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity assay in the synovial fluid of horses and investigate whether MPO activity is increased in different forms of joint diseases. Synovial fluid samples were taken from affected joints from horses with osteoarthritis, chronic non-septic arthritis and septic arthritis, and from healthy control horses. MPO activity was measured using a specific modified o-dianisidine-assay containing 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide as a potent and specific inhibitor of the MPO. This assay is characterized by high reproducibility. The result...
Egenvall A, Bonnett B, Wattle O, Emanuelson U.Our objective was to determine the amount, type and cost of veterinary care during a 5-year follow-up period, in Swedish warmblooded riding horses with and without locomotor problems as recorded in 1997. The study population comprised horses with complete insurance both for veterinary care and life during 1997. The horses were followed from the beginning of January 1998 to the end of December 2002. The exposed cohort was composed of 1558 horses that had experienced >or=1 veterinary-care event because of locomotor problems in 1997 (LP-cohort). The exposure-negative (LN) cohort was composed of 1...
Zhang J, Miszczak F, Pronost S, Fortier C, Balasuriya UB, Zientara S, Fortier G, Timoney PJ.Genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships among 22 French isolates of equine arteritis virus (EAV) obtained over four breeding seasons (2001-2004) were determined by sequencing open reading frames (ORFs) 2a-7. The ORFs 2a-7 of 22 isolates differed from the prototype virulent Bucyrus strain of EAV by between 14 (99.5% identity) and 328 (88.7% identity) nucleotides, and differed from each other by between 0 (100% identity) and 346 (88.1% identity) nucleotides, confirming genetic diversity among EAV strains circulating in France. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial ORF5 sequences (n...
Osborne RL, Coggins MK, Walla M, Dawson JH.The heme-containing respiratory protein, myoglobin (Mb), best known for oxygen storage, can exhibit peroxidase-like activity under conditions of oxidative stress. Under such circumstances, the initially formed ferric state can react with H2O2 (or other peroxides) to generate a long-lived ferryl [Fe(IV)=O] Compound II (Cpd II) heme intermediate that is capable of oxidizing a variety of biomolecules. In this study, the ability of Mb Cpd II to catalyze the oxidation of carcinogenic halophenols is demonstrated. Specifically, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) is converted to 2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone...
Beech J, Boston R, Lindborg S, Russell GE.To compare the effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) administration on endogenous ACTH concentrations in healthy horses and those with pituitary pars inter-media hyperplasia and compare the test with the dexamethasone suppression test (DST). Methods: Prospective case series. Methods: 15 horses with clinical signs of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), 4 horses with equivocal signs of PPID, and 29 horses without signs of PPID. Methods: ACTH concentrations prior to and after administration of TRH were measured 61 times in 48 horses. Results of the DST (cortisol response) were c...
Pauwels FF, Hawkins JF, MacHarg MA, Rothenbuhler RD, Baird DK, Moulton JS.3 Horses were examined and treated because of sudden onset of signs of abdominal pain. Results: All horses had a retrosternal (Morgagni) hernia involving the right side of the diaphragm. In each horse, the large colon was incarcerated in a right muscular defect in the diaphragm with a large hernial sac. Results: Definitive surgical repair of the hernia was not performed during the initial celiotomy. The hernia was repaired with mesh herniorrhaphy, but without resection of the hernia sac in 2 horses. For 1 horse, conservative management was applied. In the 2 horses treated with surgical correct...
Easton KL, Kawcak CE.To quantitatively evaluate contact area under 2 loads and subjectively compare contact areas with subchondral bone (SCB) density patterns in intact metacarpophalangeal joints of horses. Methods: 6 forelimbs from horses without musculoskeletal disease. Methods: Computed tomographic scans of intact metacarpophalangeal joints were analyzed to obtain SCB density measurements. Each limb was loaded on a materials testing system to 150 degrees and 120 degrees extension in the metacarpophalangeal joint, and the joint was stained via intra-articular injection with safranin-O or toluidine blue, respecti...
Robertson TP, Moore JN, Noschka E, Lewis TH, Lewis SJ, Peroni JF.To determine the effects of inhibition of Rho-kinase or Src-family protein tyrosine kinases (srcPTK) on agonist-induced contractile responses in equine laminar arteries and veins. Methods: Laminar arteries and veins obtained from 13 adult mixed-breed horses. Methods: Laminar vessels were mounted on myographs and exposed to phenylephrine (PE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), prostaglandin F(2) (PGF(2)), and endothelin-1 (ET-1) with or without the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 (10 microM), srcPTK inhibitor PP2 (10 microM), or a negative control analogue for PP2 (PP3; 10 microM). Results: Responses to...
Lowden S, Gray S, Dawson K.The horse biting louse (Werneckiella equi) is a common global equine ectoparasite. To our knowledge, benzoyl(phenyl)urea insecticides (triflumuron, diflubenzuron) commonly used as sheep lousicides, have not been evaluated for efficacy against W. equi. The aim of this study was to determine louse control efficacy, general wellness and dermal safety following triflumuron application as a backline pour-on to horses. Two efficacy trials using 25 adult naturally infested lousy horses, and a dermal safety trial using 10 adult louse-free horses were conducted over a 14-month period. Lousy animals wer...
Young BD, Samii VF, Mattoon JS, Weisbrode SE, Bertone AL.To evaluate and correlate patterns of subchondral bone density and articular cartilage degeneration (derived by use of gross, histologic, and computed tomographic [CT] examinations) in equine third metacarpal condyles with and without osteoarthritis. Methods: 8 metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints (n = 4 horses) without osteoarthritis and 6 osteoarthritis-affected MCP joints (4). Methods: Horses were euthanized. The third metacarpal condyles of the joints were examined grossly and via CT (3 slice images/condyle). For 6 condylar zones, mean bone density and pattern of density distribution were dete...
Yapklç O, Yavru S, Kale M, Bulut O, Simşek A, Sahna KC.In this study, 162 horses, 80 donkeys and 51 mule serum samples were collected in Konya city. Additionally, 64 horse serum samples from Ankara and 49 samples from Kayseri city were included in the study. A total of 406 serum samples were examined by agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibody to equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) and no positive result was detected.
Westermann CM, Dorland L, Wijnberg ID, van der Kolk JH.This review gives an overview of the presently known human and equine metabolic myopathies with emphasis on the diagnostic approach. Metabolic myopathies are muscle disorders caused by a biochemical defect of the skeletal muscle energy system, which results in inefficient muscle performance. Myopathies can arise in different levels of the metabolic system. In this review the metabolic myopathies are categorized in disorders of the carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, mitochondrial myopathies (other than those described in lipid metabolism), disorders of purine metabolism, primary disorde...
Bollwein H, Kolberg B, Stolla R.In recent years, a positive relationship between genital perfusion and fertility has been established; in species other than horses, uterine and ovarian perfusion was improved by exogenous estrogen but impaired by exogenous progestin. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of exogenous estrogen and progestin on uterine and ovarian blood flow in cycling mares. Five Trotter mares were examined daily during three estrous cycles. Mares were given no treatment, altrenogest (0.044 mg/kg BW) orally from Day 0 (ovulation) to Day 14 and estradiol benzoate (5mg i.m.) on Days 0, 5, a...
Hosaka YZ, Takahashi H, Uratsuji T, Tangkawattana P, Ueda H, Takehana K.The aim of this study was to determine the characteristic differences in tendinocytes derived from tendons in the equine forelimb, superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and common digital extensor tendon (CDET), in morphology, proliferation, collagen production ability and ability for synthesis of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Significant differences were observed in cell number in vivo. The cellular number was largest in the SDFT and smallest in the CDET. The values of in vitro proliferation ratios and ability for synthesis of collagen and MMPs were l...
Fong CK, Hsiung GD.Development of equine herpesvirus strain 82A was studied in cells from primary horse kidney (HOK) cultures and an equine dermis (ED) cell strain. HOK and ED cells are equally susceptible to the 82A virus infection and yield about the same amount of infectious virus. Intranuclear inclusions were present in both cell systems, but a ring-shaped syncytial formation was observed only in infected ED cells. Ultrastructural studies revealed the presence of dense granules 30 nm in diameter and characteristic star-like clusters of granules in the infected HOK cells, but these granules were rarely seen i...
Guvenal T, Durna A, Erden O, Guvenal F, Cetin M, Cetin A.The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of different postmenopausal hormone therapy regimens, namely conjugated equine estrogens (CEE), CEE plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), tibolone, and raloxifene on cerebral blood flow and cognitive functions. Methods: A total of 64 healthy postmenopausal women admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cumhuriyet University, Turkey were included in this study. Patients were divided into five groups with respect to the treatment protocols: CEE 0.625 mg/day (n=13); CEE 0.625 mg/day + MPA 2.5 mg/day (n=14); tibolone 2.5 mg/day...
Hensel M, Meason-Smith C, Plumlee QD, Myers AN, Coleman MC, Lawhon S, Rodrigues Hoffmann A, Rech RR.Pulmonary mycosis secondary to enterocolitis is an uncommon diagnosis in equine medicine, but is thought to result from mucosal compromise and translocation of enteric fungi. The aetiological agent associated with translocation is often identified based on fungal culture or hyphal features in histological sections. In order to understand better the aetiological agents involved, six horses diagnosed with Salmonella enteritis and concurrent pulmonary mycosis were identified retrospectively through a database search of veterinary teaching hospital records. Samples from these cases were subjected ...
de Laat MA, van Haeften JJ, Sillence MN.Managing equine hyperinsulinemia is crucial for preventing laminitis, but our understanding of the mechanisms involved in insulin dysregulation in this species is incomplete. C-peptide is co-secreted with insulin but is resistant to hepatic metabolism and can be used to study insulin dysregulation. This study examined C-peptide secretion in serial blood samples collected after oral and i.v. dextrose (0.75 g/kg) administration to 9 ponies (BCS, 7.1 ± 0.5). The ponies were designated as hyperinsulinemic (HI) or normoinsulinemic (NI) responders before the study, using oral glucose tests and fast...
MacLellan KN, Crawford WH, MacDonald DG.To report clinical experience with arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint in horses using two parallel 5.5-mm cortical bone screws placed in lag fashion. Methods: Retrospective, clinical study. Methods: Thirty-four horses, aged 1 to 19 years. Methods: Medical records for all horses admitted (1991-1997) for pastern arthrodesis using two 5.5-mm ASIF cortical bone screws, in parallel orientation, and placed in lag fashion by use of a combined aiming device to facilitate accuracy were reviewed. Signalment, lameness diagnosis, duration of lameness, limb(s) involved, and outcome were reco...
Goodrich EL, McLean A, Guarino C.Recent removal and relocation of feral donkeys from vast public lands to more concentrated holding pens, training facilities, and offsite adoption locations raises several health and welfare concerns. Very little is known regarding the common equid pathogens that are circulating within the feral donkey population in and around Death Valley National Park, California, USA. The aim of this study was to utilize serologic assays to assess previous exposure of these donkeys to equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), equine influenza (EIV), West Nile virus (WNV), and (the causative agent of Lyme disease). The...
Arriola J, Foote RH.Because microfloral content of stallion semen tends to be high, and strains may be resistant to commonly used antibiotics, amikacin was tested with stallion semen and compared with bull semen. Nine ejaculates to stallion semen were incubated at 37 C in egg yolk-tris extender for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h in the presence of amikacin concentrations of 0, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000 and 10,000 microgram/ml, with penicillin and penicillin-streptomycin as controls. Averaged over all incubations, spermatozoal motility was 44, 48, 49, 46, 45, 45 and 19%, for increasing concentrations of amikacin, compared ...
Patel JR, Edington N.Eleven isolates of equine herpesvirus-1 (subtype 1) all infected the brain following intracerebral inoculation of 2 d.o. mice. Most isolates were from cases of paresis, abortion or respiratory disease in the U.K., but established strains were also included. They divided into two subgroups. The 5 less pathogenic isolates were characterized by being restricted predominantly to the olfactory lobes. The 6 pathogenic isolates included the three known to cause equine paresis and were detected in neurones throughout the brain as well as giving rise to viraemia and infecting bronchial and renal epithe...
Handler J, Schönlieb S, Hoppen HO, Aurich C.To investigate seasonal effects on the efficacy of estrus synchronization in mares, we administered a progesterone-releasing device (PRID) intravaginally to eight Haflinger mares for 11 days. In January 3 of 8 mares responded to the treatment with estrus and ovulation, in March 7 with estrus and 6 of 7 mares with ovulation, in June 6 of 7 and in October 7 of 8 mares with estrus and ovulation. Follicle distribution patterns at PRID insertion were different between January/October, March/June and June/October (P<0.05). Number of follicles decreased during PRID treatment in January, March and ...
Scavone D, Sgorbini M, Borges AS, Oliveira-Filho JP, Vitale V, Paltrinieri S.Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is an antioxidant enzyme, whose activity decreases during the acute phase response in many species. Little is known about PON-1 and its role as a negative acute phase protein during septic inflammation in horses, but promising findings about its utility in diagnosing SIRS and predicting the outcome in diseased horses, were recently highlighted. The objective of the study was to investigate the behaviour of PON-1 in horses after experimentally induced endotoxemia. To this aim, PON-1 activity was measured on 66 plasma samples collected from six clinically healthy mares, pre...
Scott EA, Snoy P, Prasse KW, Hoffman PE, Thrall DE.A yearling Quarter Horse colt was examined because of intermittent esophageal obstruction. A soft tissue mass was palpated in the cervical portion of the esophagus. Plain and contrast radiography and esophagoscopy were utilized to confirm the location of the lesion in the esophageal wall. Surgical exploration and removal of the mass was performed through a ventral midline cervical incision. Histologically, the mass was a keratinizing squamous epithelial inclusion cyst.
Else RW, Holmes JR.The normal histology of cardiac tissues has been described by many authors, for example Gross and Kugel (1931), Trautmann and Fiebiger (1952), Gould (1968), Bloom and Fawcett (1969) and Ham (1969). In the horse, a few reports have described microscopic valvular pathology in detail (Ackerknecht 1923, Imre 1933, Ubach and Cler 1944). Experimentally induced lesions have been reported by Wadsworth (1919), Wadsworth and Sickles (1927) and Miller (1944), and endocarditis was described by Winqvist (1945) and Dobin (1959, 1968).
In 1966, Smetzer, Bishop and Smith outlined the valvular pathology ass...
Maitan P, Bromfield EG, Stout TAE, Gadella BM, Leemans B.Conventional in vitro fertilization is not efficacious when working with equine gametes. Although stallion spermatozoa bind to the zona pellucida in vitro, these gametes fail to initiate the acrosome reaction in the vicinity of the oocyte and cannot, therefore, penetrate into the perivitelline space. Failure of sperm penetration most likely relates to the absence of optimized in vitro fertilization media containing molecules essential to support stallion sperm capacitation. In vivo, the female reproductive tract, especially the oviductal lumen, provides an environmental milieu that appropriate...
Warnken T, Brehm R, Feige K, Huber K.The aim of the study was to analyze key proteins of the equine insulin signaling cascade and their extent of phosphorylation in biopsies from muscle tissue (MT), liver tissue (LT), and nuchal AT, subcutaneous AT, and retroperitoneal adipose tissues. This was investigated under unstimulated (B1) and intravenously insulin stimulated (B2) conditions, which were achieved by injection of insulin (0.1 IU/kg bodyweight) and glucose (150 mg/kg bodyweight). Twelve warmblood horses aged 15 ± 6.8 yr (yr), weighing 559 ± 79 kg, and with a mean body condition score of 4.7 ± 1.5 were included in the s...
Bartoš L, Bartošová J, Pluháček J.In a previous study, we suggested that the common practice of transporting a mare for mating and then bringing her back to an environment that also contains males that did not sire the fetus may be a major cause of high percentages of pregnancy disruption in domestic horses. In this study, we tested whether disruption of pregnancies induced by AI occurs as frequently as after mating with a strange stallion away from home and is affected by the same factors in the home social environment. Based on 77 records, the probability of pregnancy disruption after AI depended on the social environment in...
Da Silva-Álvarez E, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Serres C, García-Rodríguez B, Gutiérrez-Cepeda L, Martín-Cano FE, Echegaray A....This study aimed to assess if Ecotext, a new software for evaluation of testicular echotexture, is a good method for diagnosis of stallions with testicular dysfunction (TD). Relationships between Ecotext parameters and sperm motility and production, testicular volume, and testicular blood flow were also studied. Ecotext provides a total of six echotexture parameters: Ecotext 1 (black pixels), 2 (white pixels) and 3 (grey pixels), and another 3 parameters related to hypoechogenic areas: Ecotext tubular density (ETD), Ecotext tubular diameter (ETd), and Ecotext tubular area (ETA). Stallions (n ...
Vimercati S, Elli S, Jagannathan V, Pandey AV, Peduto N, Leeb T, Mevissen M.Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) of the equine CYP3A subfamily are predominantly involved in drug metabolism. In this study, genetic variants of the equine CYP3A94, CYP3A95, and CYP3A97 were identified and characterized using in silico modeling and in vitro enzyme kinetics. The genomes of 81 horses were sequenced to obtain the genetic variants. Structural CYP modifications of the most frequent variants were analyzed in silico using the 3D-structures predicted by homology modeling. Enzyme kinetic analyses were performed using testosterone as substrate. Twenty genetic variants were found including...
Seahorn TL, Schumacher J.Chondroid masses were successfully removed from the guttural pouches of 2 horses, using an endoscope, a snare, and a vacuum pump. This technique is an alternative to surgical removal of chondroid masses in patients when basic lavage of the affected guttural pouch is ineffective. Complications were not encountered. Advantages of this snare technique include avoidance of surgery and its potential complications, minimal recovery time, and minimal expense.
de Solis CN, Palmer JE, Boston RC, Reef VB.Recognising the presence of a necrotising component of the gastrointestinal disease may be clinically useful in ill equine neonates. Objective: To study the importance of abdominal sonograms in neonatal foals suffering from gastrointestinal conditions and to describe the clinical features of necrotising gastrointestinal disease. Objective: There is a subgroup of neonates with sonographically detectable pneumatosis intestinalis (PI), reflecting a necrotising disease. Methods: Records of foals aged < or = 7 days hospitalised from 2005 to 2009 with signs of gastrointestinal disease were evaluated...
Santos RCD, Pinho FA, Passos GP, Larangeira DF, Barrouin-Melo SM.The most commonly used culture medium for the in vitro isolation of Leishmania spp. from canine biological samples is biphasic Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle (NNN) medium, whose solid phase is prepared using rabbit blood. Leishmania infantum parasites from natural infections are highly sensitive and demanding for growth in axenic conditions when firstly obtained from the dog's body. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether NNN medium (NNN-test) prepared with chicken blood (NNN-C), ox blood (NNN-O), horse blood (NNN-H) or sheep blood (NNN-S) was viable for the isolation of parasites from natur...
Nagy A, Bodo G, Dyson SJ, Szabo F, Barr AR.Proximal diffusion of local anaesthetic solution after perineural anaesthesia may lead to the desensitisation of structures other than those intended. However, there is no evidence-based study demonstrating the potential distribution and diffusion of local anaesthetic solution after perineural analgesia in the distal limb. Objective: To document the potential diffusion of local anaesthetic solution using a radiopaque contrast model and to evaluate the influence of walking compared with confinement in a stable after injection. Methods: Radiopaque contrast medium was injected subcutaneously over...
Kelly CM, Hoyer PB, Wise ME.Dispersed horse luteal cells were used to evaluate the ability of horse LH, hCG and PMSG to stimulate progesterone secretion in vitro. Morphological characterization of these cells before gonadotrophin stimulation indicated the presence of two populations of cells based on cell diameters. In luteal cells incubated as suspended cells, horse LH and hCG stimulated (P less than or equal to 0.05) progesterone production at all levels of treatment. Stimulation of progesterone secretion by hCG was greater (P less than or equal to 0.05) than by horse LH over the range of concentrations utilized. When ...
Fan Y, Lou J, Tam CC, Wen W, Conrad F, Leal da Silva Alves P, Cheng LW, Garcia-Rodriguez C, Farr-Jones S, Marks JD.Equine-derived antitoxin (BAT) is the only treatment for botulism from botulinum neurotoxin serotype G (BoNT/G). BAT is a foreign protein with potentially severe adverse effects and is not renewable. To develop a safe, more potent, and renewable antitoxin, humanized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated. Yeast displayed single chain Fv (scFv) libraries were prepared from mice immunized with BoNT/G and BoNT/G domains and screened with BoNT/G using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Fourteen scFv-binding BoNT/G were isolated with K values ranging from 3.86 nM to 103 nM (median K 2...
Madill S, Troedsson MH, Alexander SL, Shand N, Santschi EM, Irvine CH.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different breeding stimuli on uterine contractility and pituitary oxytocin release in five oestrous mares, in order to design better treatments for mares with defective physical uterine clearance mechanisms. Electrodes and strain gauges were implanted surgically on the uterine myometrium and myometrial activity was monitored with a Grass polygraph. A catheter was placed non-surgically in the intercavernous sinus of each oestrous mare to sample pituitary venous blood and a second catheter was placed in the jugular vein. Continuous sampling ...
