Genetics in horses encompasses the study of hereditary traits and the genetic makeup that influences various characteristics and health conditions in equine populations. This field involves the analysis of genes and their functions, inheritance patterns, and the impact of genetic variations on traits such as coat color, performance ability, and susceptibility to diseases. Research in equine genetics employs techniques such as genome mapping, sequencing, and genetic testing to identify specific genes and mutations associated with these traits. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the genetic basis of equine traits, the methodologies used in genetic research, and the implications for breeding, health management, and conservation of horse breeds.
Bannasch D, Rinaldo C, Millon L, Latson K, Spangler T, Hubberty S, Galuppo L, Lowenstine L.A female American saddlebred horse was presented for surgical correction of a possible pseudohermaphrodite condition. The horse had abnormal external genitalia and exhibited stallion-like behaviour. No evidence of uterine or ovarian tissue was identified on laparoscopic examination, but hypoplastic testicular-like tissue was removed, although this was found to contain no spermatogonia upon histopathological examination. A karyotype was performed and showed the normal chromosomal complement for a female horse (64,XX). Polymerase chain reaction to detect the SRY gene was negative in peripheral b...
Gupta AK, Kaur D, Rattan B, Yadav MP.Three abortigenic Indian isolates of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) (Tohana, Hisar and Bikaner), along with two exotic abortigenic isolates (AB4 and V592) and another EHV-1 isolate (Jind) obtained from a case of perinatal foal mortality, were studied for variability. For this purpose, PCR and restriction endonuclease (RE) digestion techniques were used simultaneously as a DNA fingerprinting system. Nine different regions of EHV-1 virus were amplified by PCR using primer pairs specific for the regions and the products obtained from these regions were subsequently subjected to various restriction ...
Duijkeren EV, Box AT, Schellen P, Houwers DJ, Fluit AC.Integrons in gentamicin- and cotrimoxazole-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from dogs and horses with clinical infections were analyzed by conserved segment PCR-RFLP. Five distinct integron types were found, most of which have previously been reported in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from humans and farm animals, indicating that resistance genes are exchanged between the reservoirs in humans, farm animals, and companion animals.
Nunnery C, Pickett JP, Zimmerman KL.This report documents congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) in two non-Appaloosa horse breeds (Thoroughbred and Paso Fino). History of vision impairment since birth, normal ocular structures on ophthalmic examination, and electroretinographic findings were consistent with CSNB. In one horse (Thoroughbred), a 9-year follow-up was carried out. In the Paso Fino, severe vision impairment from birth to approximately 1 year of age in both dim and bright light situations led to humane euthanasia and histopathologic confirmation of the disorder.
Skedros JG, Grunander TR, Hamrick MW.Osteocytes, which are embedded in bone matrix, are the most abundant cells in bone. Despite the ideal location of osteocytes to sense the local environment and influence bone remodeling, their functions, and the relative importance of these functions, remain controversial. In this study, we tested several hypotheses that address the possibilities that population densities of osteocyte lacunae (Ot.Lc.N/B.Ar) correlate with strain-, remodeling- or metabolism-related aspects of the local biomechanical environments of mid-third diaphyseal equine radii and third metacarpals from skeletally mature a...
Almagro JC, Martinez L, Smith SL, Alagon A, Estevez J, Paniagua J.We have constructed a chimeric antibody single-chain Fv (scFv) fragments phage-displayed library that combines an invariant human V(L) chain with the repertoire of V(H) domains amplified from a horse immunized against scorpion venom. To gain insight into the equine V(H) repertoire, the V(H) sequences of 46 unique clones randomly chosen from the library prior to antigenic selection were analyzed. Comparisons with previously reported equine V(H) sequences, as well as with the repertoire of human IGHV germline genes and known V(H) sequences of sheep, cattle and pig, suggest that the equine IGH lo...
Lange S, Hamann H, Deegen E, Ohnesorge B, Distl O.An epidemiological study on summer eczema (SE) was performed in 490 Icelandic horses from 24 stud farms located in Lower Saxony and Westphalia. The study revealed a prevalence of summer eczema of 29.8 %. Horses imported from Iceland were affected with a frequency of 71.9 %, whereas horses born in Germany and other countries had a prevalence of 15.6 % and 27.3 %. Mares (33.1 %) and geldings (29.1 %) were more often affected by summer eczema than stallions with 15.5 %. The most common sites of summer eczema were mane and tail. Five to eight years old horses were more severely affected by SE than...
Swinburne JE, Boursnell M, Hill G, Pettitt L, Allen T, Chowdhary B, Hasegawa T, Kurosawa M, Leeb T, Mashima S, Mickelson JR, Raudsepp T, Tozaki T....A genetic linkage map of the horse consisting of 742 markers, which comprises a single linkage group for each of the autosomes and the X chromosome, is presented. The map has been generated from two three-generation full-sibling reference families, sired by the same stallion, in which there are 61 individuals in the F2 generation. Each linkage group has been assigned to a chromosome and oriented with reference to markers mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The average interval between markers is 3.7 cM and the linkage groups collectively span 2772 cM. The 742 markers comprise 734 mic...
Elia G, Decaro N, Martella V, Campolo M, Desario C, Lorusso E, Cirone F, Buonavoglia C.A real-time PCR assay was developed for detection and quantitation of equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). The sensitivity of the assay was compared with an established nested-PCR (n-PCR). The real-time PCR detected 1 copy of target DNA, with a sensitivity 1 log higher than gel-based n-PCR. The assay was able to detect specifically EHV-1 DNA in equine tissue samples and there was no cross-amplification of other horse herpesviruses. Real-time PCR was applied to determine EHV-1 load in tissue samples from equine aborted fetuses. The high sensitivity and reproducibility of the EHV-1-specific fluorog...
Beg MA, Gastal EL, Gastal MO, Ji S, Wiltbank MC, Ginther OJ.Transvaginal ultrasound-guided luteal biopsy was used to evaluate the effects of prostaglandin (PG)F2alpha on steady-state concentrations of mRNA for specific genes that may be involved in regression of the corpus luteum (CL). Eight days after ovulation (Hour 0), mares (n=8/group) were randomized into three groups: control (no treatment or biopsy), saline+biopsy (saline treatment at Hour 0 and luteal biopsy at Hour 12), or PGF2alpha+biopsy (5mg PGF2alpha at Hour 0 and luteal biopsy at Hour 12). The effects of biopsy on CL were compared between the controls (no biopsy) and saline+biopsy group. ...
Musilova P, Kubickova S, Vychodilova-Krenkova L, Kralik P, Matiasovic J, Hubertova D, Rubes J, Horin P.Chromosomal locations of 19 horse immunity-related loci (CASP1, CD14, EIF5A, FCER1A, IFNG, IL12A, IL12B, IL12RB2, IL1A, IL23A, IL4, IL6, MMP7, MS4A2, MYD88, NOS2A, PTGS2, TFRC and TLR2) were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. For IFNG and PTGS2, this study is a confirmation of their previously reported position. In addition, microsatellite (HMBr1) was localized in the same region as IFNG. All genes were assigned to regions of conserved synteny and the data obtained in this study enhance the comparative human-horse map. Cytogenetic localization of IL6 to ECA4q14-q21.1 suggested a...
Milenkovic D, Mata X, Chadi S, Guérin G.Laminins are large heterotrimeric basement membrane glycoproteins composed of alpha, beta and gamma chains. The Laminin 5 isoform has an alpha3beta3gamma2 composition and is essential for the adhesion of basal keratinocytes to the underlying epithelial basement membrane where it is mainly located. Mutations in the genes coding for the 3 chains have been associated with a severe skin blistering disease, Herlitz's junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), observed in different species as man, dog, cat and horse. In this study, we report the sequence of the 5.2 kb horse laminin alpha 3 cDNA (LAMA3)...
Mittelholzer C, Johansson I, Olsson AK, Ronéus M, Klingeborn B, Belák S.Recovery of infectious Equine arteritis virus (EAV) from the semen of persistently infected Swedish stallions was attempted by classical cell culture isolation and by transfection of extracted total RNA. Whereas virus from semen samples stored for several months at -20 degrees C or from extended semen could only be recovered by transfection of extracted RNA, isolation in cell culture was achieved readily with fresh, unextended semen stored at -70 degrees C or directly used after sampling. In parallel, the viruses were examined in the variable region of the large glycoprotein GP5 by nested RT-P...
Brooks SA, Bailey E.Sabino (SB) is a white spotting pattern in the horse characterized by white patches on the face, lower legs, or belly, and interspersed white hairs on the midsection. Based on comparable phenotypes in humans and pigs, the KIT gene was investigated as the origin of the Sabino phenotype. In this article we report the genetic basis of one type of Sabino spotting pattern in horses that we call Sabino 1, with the alleles represented by the symbols SB1 and sb1. Transcripts of KIT were characterized by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequencing cDNA from horses with the g...
Mota MD, Abrahão AR, Oliveira HN.The aim of the present study was to investigate genetic parameters for racing time in Thoroughbred horses racing at distances between 1000 and 1600 m subdivided into 100-m intervals. The data provided by TURFETOTAL Ltda comprised races that occurred in the Gávea and Cidade Jardim race tracks over a period of 11 years (1992-2002) and consisted of 32,145 races and 238,890 time records. The variance components necessary to obtain the heritability and repeatability estimates of the traits studied were estimated with the MTDFREML program, and animal age at race (3 years old or younger, 4, 5 and ol...
Tallmadge RL, Lear TL, Antczak DF.The availability of a contig of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones spanning the equine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) made possible a detailed analysis of horse MHC class I genes. Prior to this study, only a single horse MHC class I gene had been sequenced at the genomic level. Although many ( approximately 60) MHC class I cDNA sequences had been determined and published, from this information, it was not possible to determine how many class I loci are expressed in horses or to assign individual sequences to allelic series. In this study, 15 MHC class I genes were identified ...
Peyrou M, Higgins R, Lavoie JP.Evolution of bacterial resistance to certain antibacterial agents in horses in a veterinary hospital. A total of 255 antibiograms, conducted according to the Kirby-Bauer method from bacterial isolates collected from horses at the Hôpital Vétérinaire d'Enseignement at the Université de Montréal between 1996 and 1998 were compared with the results obtained about 10 years ago with corresponding bacterial species. A significant increase in the percentage of strains resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SXT), penicilline, tetracycline, and to gentamicin was observed. The percentages ...
Kemper AM, Drnevich J, McCue ME, McCoy AM.Skeletogenesis is complex and incompletely understood. Derangement of this process likely underlies developmental skeletal pathologies. Examination of tissue-specific gene expression may help elucidate novel skeletal developmental pathways that could contribute to disease risk. Our aim was to identify and functionally annotate differentially expressed genes in equine neonatal and adult articular cartilage (AC) and subchondral bone (SCB). RNA was sequenced from healthy AC and SCB from the fetlock, hock, and stifle joints of 6 foals (≤4 weeks of age) and six adults (8-12 years of age). There w...
Wagner B, Greiser-Wilke I, Antczak DF.Nucleotide sequences of the immunoglobulin constant heavy chain genes of the horse have been described for IGHM, IGHG and IGHE genes, but not for IGHA. Here, we provide the nucleotide sequence of the genomic IGHA gene of the horse ( Equus caballus), including its secretion region and the transmembrane exon. The equine IGHA gene shows the typical structure of a mammalian IGHA gene, with only three exons, separated by two introns of similar size. The hinge exon is located at the 5' end of the CH2 exon and encodes a hinge region of 11 amino acids, which contains five proline residues. The coding ...
Saulez MN, Godfroid J, Bosman A, Stiltner JL, Breathnach CC, Horohov DW.To determine concentrations of cytokine mRNA in horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) after racing. Methods: 97 Thoroughbreds. Methods: Following tracheobronchoscopy, the severity of EIPH was graded (scale of 0 to 4), and venous blood samples were collected from 10 horses in each grade. After RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis, real-time PCR assay was conducted to detect cytokinespecific mRNA for interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and IL-10; interferon (INF)-gamma; and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Results: Neither location nor grade of EIPH affected the expression of IL-1 and INF...
Lange-Consiglio A, Arrighi S, Fiandanese N, Pocar P, Aralla M, Bosi G, Borromeo V, Berrini A, Meucci A, Dell'Aquila ME, Cremonesi F.There is no published information about follicular-fluid leptin concentrations or the presence of leptin and leptin receptor in the equine ovary or oocyte. Three groups of mares - adult draft mares, draft fillies and adult Standardbred mares - were included in the study. Leptin and leptin receptor were detected in all immature oocytes by immunofluorescence with higher intensity in oocytes from draft mares compared with draft fillies and Standardbred mares. After in vitro maturation a higher proportion of oocytes reached metaphase II in draft mares than in draft fillies and Standardbred mares, ...
Raftery AG, Garcia NC, Thompson H, Sutton DG.A 15-year-old Clydesdale cross gelding was investigated and managed over a 2-year period for intermittent collapse. The horse presented initially after an observed episode of collapse at rest, and had a resting tachycardia, elevated Cardiac Troponin I and polycythaemia. Multiple dysrhythmias were detected on telemetric electrocardiography. Vital parameters, cardiac rhythm and red cell count returned to reference range with prolonged rest but further resting syncopal episodes were observed, and due to safety concerns and limited treatment options the horse was euthanased. Post mortem evaluation...
Bradbery AN, Coverdale JA, Hartz CJ, Millican AA, Goehring MS, Fikes KK, Picking E, Hammer CJ, Dunlap KA, Cardoso RC, Wickersham TA, Leatherwood JL....Results from previous studies indicate that maternal overnutrition during late gestation predisposes foals to metabolic disease, however, specific mechanisms resulting in disease remain unknown. Quarter Horse mares (n = 16), were randomly assigned to dietary treatments, beginning on gestational day 235, and consisted of a control group (CON- diet meeting nutrient requirement; n = 8) or an overfed diet (HIGH; n = 8) where mares received an additional 40 % above CON. On gestational days 285 and 315, an intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT) was conducted. Following parturition, foals were s...
Lai AC, Lin YP, Powell DG, Shortridge KF, Webster RG, Daly J, Chambers TM.An outbreak of influenza occurred among thoroughbred racehorses in Hong Kong in November-December 1992, with morbidity of 37%. All horses involved had been vaccinated against equine-1 and equine-2 influenza viruses but not against the virus responsible for the 1989 equine influenza outbreak in northern China (influenza A/equine/Jilin/89, subtype H3N8). Therefore the source and nature of the virus causing the Hong Kong outbreak was investigated. Virus isolated from a horse infected during the outbreak was used for genetic analysis. All the viral gene segments were similar to those of equine-2 (...
Fernández-Hernández P, Marinaro F, Sánchez-Calabuig MJ, García-Marín LJ, Bragado MJ, González-Fernández L, Macías-García B.Equine fertilization cannot be performed in the laboratory as equine spermatozoa do not cross the oocyte's zona pellucida . Hence, a more profound study of equine oviductal fluid (OF) composition at the pre-ovulatory and post-ovulatory stages could help in understanding what components are required to achieve fertilization in horses. Our work aimed to elucidate the proteomic composition of equine OF at both stages. To do this, OF was obtained postmortem from oviducts of slaughtered mares ipsilateral to a pre-ovulatory follicle ( = 4) or a recent ovulation ( = 4); the samples were kept at -80°...
Bugno-Poniewierska M, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, -Kajtoch AP, Fornal A, Piórkowska K, Ropka-Molik K.The highly selective breeding of Arabian horses results in inbreeding depression and genetic disorders, thereby causing significant economic loss. The Polish population of Arabians has a great impact on many breeding programmes. The aim of the current study was to monitor genetic variants involved in the most common genetic disorders of this breed. A total of 808 elite Arabian horses were screened for cerebellar abiotrophy (CA), severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and lavender foal syndrome (LFS) genetic disorders by Sanger sequencing and allelic discrimination methods. The investigated po...
Back W, van der Lugt JJ, Nikkels PG, van den Belt AJ, van der Kolk JH, Stout TA.An extreme form of abnormal development, dwarfism, is common in man and some animals, but has not been officially reported in horses. Within the Friesian horse breed, congenital dwarfism has been recognised for many years, but no detailed report exists on its phenotype. The most salient feature of the dwarf syndrome is the physeal growth retardation in both limbs and ribs. Affected animals have approximately 25% shorter fore- and hindlimbs and approximately 50% reduced bodyweight. Postnatal growth is still possible in these animals, albeit at a slower rate: the head and back grow faster than t...
Gehlen H, Bildheim LM.An effect of aging on cardiac morphology and function has been shown in humans. In horses, cardiac wall motion analysis using two-dimensional speckle tracking (2D-ST) has not yet been reported. Our study included 57 horses of different warmblood breeds between 3 and 30 years old. Age had a significant influence on left ventricular free wall (LVFW) systolic strain rate ( ≤ 0.05) and early diastolic relaxation ( ≤ 0.01). In the interventricular septum (IVS), systolic ( ≤ 0.01) and late diastolic ( ≤ 0.05) contraction velocities also increased with age. In our study, 2D-ST revealed import...
Veronesi F, Passamonti F, Moretti A, Morganti G, Vardi DM, Laus F, Marenzoni ML, Spaterna A, Coletti M, Fioretti DP.The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a commercially available rapid enzyme-linked immonosorbent assay, the Snap® 4Dx test, in the detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum antibodies in horses. Two hundred apparently healthy horses (asymptomatic) and 244 animals showing clinical symptoms (symptomatic), were tested for A. phagocytophilum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using both the Snap® 4Dx kit and an indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT), with the latter serving as a comparative test. Horses belonging to the symptomatic group were also tested for evidence of active...
Tarr CJ, Thompson PN, Guthrie AJ, Harper CK.The carrier prevalence of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), lavender foal syndrome (LFS) and cerebellar abiotrophy (CA) in Arabian foals in South Africa was determined in order to quantify the potential impact of these conditions locally. Furthermore, the carrier prevalence of SCID prior to and following the introduction of a genetic test was compared to evaluate the effect of testing in the population. Objective: To estimate the carrier prevalence of SCID, LFS and CA in registered purebred Arabians born in South Africa in the 2004/5 and 2009/10 foaling seasons and compare the changes i...
equine sarcoids are the most frequent skin tumors in equidae worldwide. It is well known that delta bovine papillomaviruses are their causative agents. We have recently shown the presence in equine sarcoids of abnormal vessel structures, which could cause a hypoxic condition. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) in a subset of BPV positive equine sarcoids and explore the relationship with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. Results: 80% of equine sarcoids showed strong cytoplasmic staining in >60% of neoplastic f...
Castles JJ, Gershwin ME, Saito W, Ardans A, Osburn B.Previous studies of human congenital immunodeficiency states and in vitro observations of lymphocyte response to mitogens have implicated two purine salvage pathway enzymes, andenosine deaminase (ADA) and nucleoside phosphorylase (NP), as critical in the normal maturation and/or function of the immune system. Based on this information, ADA and NP activities were examined in a variety of congenital and acquired animal models of dysimmunity. The animals studied herein included: congenitally athymic (nude) mice; congenitally asplenic mice; congenitally athymic-asplenic mice; motheaten mice; New Z...
Lee HY, Kim JY, Kim KH, Jeong S, Cho Y, Kim N.Horses have been studied for exercise function rather than food production, unlike most livestock. Therefore, the role and characteristics of tissue landscapes are critically understudied, except for certain muscles used in exercise-related studies. In the present study, we compared RNA-Seq data from 18 Jeju horse skeletal muscles to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tissues that have similar functions and to characterize these differences. We identified DEGs between different muscles using pairwise differential expression (DE) analyses of tissue transcriptome expression d...
Haouz A, Glandieres JM, Zentz C, Pin S, Ramstein J, Tauc P, Brochon JC, Alpert B.The effects of the solvent conditions (buffer pH 9, 8, or 7 or buffer pH 6.5 alone or mixed with 3.2% ethanol or 6.2% formamide) on the protein dynamics of horse apomyoglobin were investigated through tryptophan fluorescence quenching, spectra, and decay properties. Raising the pH (which induces discontinuous protein conformation changes) increases the structural fluctuations inside the hydrophobic A, G, and H helix core. Mixed solutions containing either 3.2% ethanol or 6.2% formamide (which redistribute water molecules on the protein surface) produce protein dynamics changes in the vicinity ...
Iyer LK, Qasba PK.Alpha-lactalbumins (LAs) and c-type lysozymes (LYZs) are two classes of proteins which have a 35-40% sequence homology and share a common three dimensional fold but perform different functions. Lysozymes bind and cleave the glycosidic bond linkage in sugars, where as, alpha-lactalbumin does not bind sugar but participates in the synthesis of lactose. Alpha-lactalbumin is a metallo-protein and binds calcium, where as, only a few of the LYZs bind calcium. These proteins consist of two domains, an alpha-helical and a beta-strand domain, separated by a cleft. Calcium is bound at a loop situated at...
Vanderwall DK, Woods GL, Aston KI, Bunch TD, Li G, Meerdo LN, White KL.The objectives of the present study were to: (1) clone horses using adult cumulus cells; and (2) determine whether the cumulus cell donor affected the outcome. In vivo-matured cumulus-oocyte complexes were obtained using transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration; oocytes were used as cytoplasts, whereas cumulus cells (from one of three different mares) were used as donor cells. Immediately following nuclear transfer and activation procedures, cloned embryos were transferred surgically to the oviduct of recipient mares (n = 2-5 embryos per recipient) that had ovulated within 24 h prior...
McMonagle EL, Taylor S, van Zuilekom H, Sanders L, Scholtes N, Keanie LJ, Hopkins CA, Logan NA, Bain D, Argyle DJ, Onions DE, Schijns VE, Nicolson L.Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a key cytokine in the development of cell-mediated immune responses. Bioactive IL-12 is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of disulphide linked p35 and p40 subunits. The aim of this study was to verify biologically activity of the products expressed from equine interleukin-12 (IL-12) p35 and p40 cDNAs and to establish whether equine IL-12 could be expressed as a p35/p40 fusion polypeptide, as has been reported for IL-12a of several mammalian species. We report production of equine IL-12 through expression of p35 and p40 subunits in mammalian and insect cells and of a p...
Kay PH, Dawkins RL, Bowling AT, Bernoco D.The fourth component of complement (C4) is polymorphic in most species studied, and is encoded by a gene or genes within the MHC. In man and mouse there are two closely linked C4 and steroid 21-hydroxylase (21-OH) genes. Therefore we have used Southern blotting to determine whether equine C4 and 21-OH genes are linked. C4 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was found with the enzymes EcoRI and BamHI. Comparison of the sizes of EcoRI-digested fragments of genomic DNA hybridizing with C4 and 21-OH probes revealed that equine C4 and 21-OH genes are separated by no more than 13 kb. Fur...
Semik-Gurgul E, Ząbek T, Fornal A, Wnuk M, Pawlina-Tyszko K, Gurgul A, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Koch C, Mählmann K, Bugno-Poniewierska M.Genetic and epigenetic alterations in the equine sarcoid, a locally invasive skin tumour of equids, are still poorly characterized. Numerous studies have provided reliable evidence for the relationship between the development of cancer and the loss of function of a number of tumour suppressor genes. In the present study, we assessed methylation levels in the promoter region of SFN, S100A14 and POU2F3 genes in sarcoid samples to clarify whether DNA methylation may be associated with previously identified changes in the expression level of these genes during the course of tumour progression. Usi...
Pessoa V, Ramilo DW, Pereira da Fonseca I, Ferreira MB, Marti E, Tilley P.Insect Bite Hypersensitivity (IBH) is a common cutaneous disease, affecting a large number of horses worldwide. Several studies have identified Culicoides spp. saliva as a clinically relevant allergen source. The prevalence of IBH in Portugal, particularly in Lusitano horses, is still not known. However, the environmental characteristics of the national territory are favorable to the activity of Culicoides, and several species of this genus can be found, namely C. imicola and C. obsoletus/C. scoticus. In this study we characterized the Culicoides population present in Lusitano stud farms with ...
Silva AP, Curi RA, Langlois B, Silva JA.In this study, we estimated the heritability (h(2)) of earnings in the Quarter Horse in order to evaluate the inclusion of this trait in breeding programs. Records from 14,754 races of 2443 horses from 1978-2009 were provided by Sorocaba Hippodrome, São Paulo, Brazil. All ancestors of the registered horses were included in the pedigree file until the 4th generation. Log-transformed performance measures (LPM) were analyzed for animals aged 2, 3, and 4 years and during their entire career. The h(2) estimates were obtained using a multi-trait model and Gibbs sampling that included the effects of...
Matlina E.The investigation of catecholamine (CA) metabolism in animals subjected to various types of stress (different pain syndromes; cranial trauma; immobilization; cooling) and physical exercise shows considerable similarity among species in the sequence of changes, leading from the activation to the depletion of the sympathoadrenal system. The changes caused by physical exercise tend to be more pronounced in individuals with a genetic predisposition to greater stress responses. Stress adaption, induced by special training or by long-duration exposure to hypoxia, can substantially prevent the change...
Langsjoen RM, Key A, Shariatzadeh N, Jackson CR, Mahmood F, Arkun K, Alexandrescu S, Solomon IH, Piantadosi A.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a relatively little-studied alphavirus that can cause devastating viral encephalitis, potentially leading to severe neurological sequelae or death. Although case numbers have historically been low, outbreaks have been increasing in frequency and scale since the 2000 s. It is critical to investigate EEEV evolutionary patterns, especially within human hosts, to understand patterns of emergence, host adaptation, and within-host evolution. To this end, we obtained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from discrete brain regions from five contem...
Wilson WD, Hughes SJ, Ghoshal NG, McNeel SV.Occipitoatlantoaxial malformation was diagnosed in a 19-month-old mare of Appaloosa breeding and in a 3-year-old Quarter Horse gelding. Both horses had abnormal head and neck carriage since birth, but neurologic deficits did not become evident clinically until the horses reached 2 and 3 years of age, respectively. Palpation and manipulation of the base of the skull and cervical area proved to be useful diagnostically. Movement could not be elicited at the atlantooccipital joint but, in comparison with clinically normal horses, the range of dorsoventral motion at the atlantoaxial joint was incr...
Sairanen J, Katila T, Virtala AM, Ojala M.Racing and fertility are connected with each other in many ways. Stress and increased body temperature induced by racing may have negative effects on fertility, but on the other hand, high quality nutrition and management of racing horses may have positive effects. Fertility may also be genetically associated with racing performance. The analysed data consisted of Finnish mating records of Standardbreds (n=33,679) and Finnhorses (n=32,731), from 1991 to 2005, and the harness racing records of both mares and stallions. Fertility was measured by foaling outcome, and racing performance was measur...
Brito LF, Baldrighi JM, Wolf CA, Ginther OJ.The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of reproductive hormones (GnRH, hCG, LH and progesterone) on the regulation of corpus luteum (CL) and ovarian blood flow. Diestrous mares received a single treatment of saline, 100μg gonadorelin (GnRH), or 1500IU hCG 10days after ovulation. Plasma LH and progesterone concentrations, resistance index (RI) for ovarian artery blood-flow, and percentage of corpus luteum (CL) with color-Doppler signals of blood flow were determined immediately before treatment (hour 0) and at hours 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. In the GnRH gr...
