Geographical differences in horses encompass variations in equine populations based on their location, affecting physical characteristics, behavior, and health. These differences can arise from factors such as climate, terrain, and human management practices. Horses in different regions may exhibit adaptations in coat thickness, hoof structure, and metabolic rates to suit their environments. Additionally, geographical location can influence the prevalence of diseases and nutritional availability, impacting horse health and management strategies. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the impact of geographical differences on horse physiology, behavior, and health outcomes.
Fisher D, Schliewert EC, Hooijberg EH.An endogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration above the reference interval (RI) is commonly used as means for diagnosing equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Basal ACTH concentrations are highly dependent on photoperiod and RIs should be month- and location-specific. To date, no ACTH RIs have been specifically established for South Africa. This study aimed to determine geographically and seasonally relevant RIs for equine ACTH in the Gauteng province of South Africa. A longitudinal prospective study was conducted over twelve months to determine ACTH RIs for a r...
Sonali , Giri SK, Unnati , Nayan V, Legha RA, Pal Y, Bhardwaj A.India has well documented horse and pony breeds; however, the population is well diversified in different geographical regions. The Myostatin gene is one of the most profoundly studied genetic components for the detection of SNP's for the performance analysis in horses. In the present study, the MSTN exon 2 partial cds were amplified, sequenced and characterized in about 60 samples of eight different breeds of Indian horses. The results indicated the transition of Thymine to Cytosine (T>C) as single nucleotide polymorphisms in the partial sequence of exon 2 of the MSTN gene at two different...
Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an endemic tick-borne disease found in most countries around the world. It affects all species of Equidae, and it is caused by Theileria equi, Babesia caballi and T. haneyi. The research herein is the second study on the prevalence of piroplasms in Romania conducted in the past two decades. The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Theileria equi antibodies and the geographical distribution of this disease in the southwest, west, and northwest regions of Romania in order to obtain a more thorough understanding of the parasitological status of h...
Stange LM, Krieter J, Czycholl I.Equine headshaking syndrome (EHS) is characterised as non-physical and involuntary movement of the horse's head and neck. Although EHS is clinically simple to diagnose, its aetiopathogenesis often remains unclear. The aim of this study was to gain an overview of signalment and therapy possibilities used in France and Switzerland. To do this, an online survey was developed and distributed via newsletters. A total of 933 complete, answered surveys from France ( = 804) and Switzerland ( = 129) were evaluated. The median age in France was 12.4 years (CH = 14.3). Mostly geldings were affected (58.5...
Balkema-Buschmann A, Fischer K, McNabb L, Diederich S, Singanallur NB, Ziegler U, Keil GM, Kirkland PD, Penning M, Sadeghi B, Marsh G, Barr J....Since the identification of Hendra virus (HeV) infections in horses in Australia in 1994, more than 80 outbreaks in horses have been reported, and four out of seven spillover infections in humans had a fatal outcome. With the availability of a subunit vaccine based on the HeV-Glycoprotein (HeV-G), there is a need to serologically ifferentiate the nfected from the accinated nimals (DIVA). We developed an indirect ELISA using HeV-G expressed in and HeV-Nucleoprotein (HeV-N) expressed in recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells as antigens. During evaluation, we tested panels of sera from n...
Ang L, Vinderola G, Endo A, Kantanen J, Jingfeng C, Binetti A, Burns P, Qingmiao S, Suying D, Zujiang Y, Rios-Covian D, Mantziari A, Beasley S....Domesticated horses live under different conditions compared with their extinct wild ancestors. While housed, medicated and kept on a restricted source of feed, the microbiota of domesticated horses is hypothesized to be altered. We assessed the fecal microbiome of 57 domestic and feral horses from different locations on three continents, observing geographical differences. A higher abundance of eukaryota (p < 0.05) and viruses (p < 0.05) and lower of archaea (p < 0.05) were found in feral animals when compared with domestic ones. The abundance of genes coding for microbe-...
DeBoer ML, Jaqueth AL, Tuszka A, Martinson KL.Blanketing is a highly debated practice utilized in the equine community as part of winter horse management. Despite this, little research is available on the prevalence, reasoning, and management decisions related to use of blankets for horses in North America. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop an understanding of blanketing management practices and beliefs of North American horse owners. A 33-question, branched online survey was developed and available between December 1, 2020 and January 5, 2021 and advertised using social media and e-newsletters. The FREQ procedure for ...
de Faria DA, do Prado Paim T, Dos Santos CA, Paiva SR, Nogueira MB, McManus C.Since domestication, horse breeds have adapted to their environments and differentiated from one another. This paper uses two methods to detect selection signatures in 23 horse breeds, eight of which are Brazilian (610 animals), both cold-blooded and warm-blooded, from temperate and tropical regions. These animals were genotyped using the GGP Equine BeadChip and we analysed the data by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The samples were separated into groups based on their geographical area of origin and PCA results studied. The genomic regions under selection were detected by hapFLK and PCAd...
Nadal C, Marsot M, Le Metayer G, Boireau P, Guillot J, Bonnet SI.Caused by two blood parasites, and , equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease that poses major health and economic issues for the equine industry. Our objective was to gain insight into the spatio-temporal variations of parasite circulation in France, where the disease is known to be enzootic, but has been the subject of few studies. Seroprevalence was assessed for each parasite thanks to 16,127 equine sera obtained between 1997 and 2003 from all over France and analysed through complement fixation tests. Results indicated that 13.2% (5-27% depending on the region) of horses were seroposi...
Nguyen D, Vilela R, Miraglia BM, Vilela G, Jasem-Alali N, Rohn R, Glass R, Hansen RD, Mendoza L.To describe the geographic distribution of infections caused by Pythium insidiosum in dogs, horses, and other animal species in the US. For the last 20 years, we have collected data from cases of pythiosis in 1,150 horses, 467 dogs, and other species (59) from various geographic locations in the US. Due to lost data (from 2006 to 2016), the selected cases include years 2000 to 2005 and 2016 to 2020. The selection of cases was based on infected host clinical features, serum samples demonstrating strong positive anti-P insidiosum IgG titers in serologic assays, and positive results on ≥ 1 of t...
Rumfola E, Banse HE, Atkins M, McGowan CM, Ireland JL.Endocrinopathic laminitis is the most common cause of laminitis in the field. Insulin has recently been implicated as a key factor in development of endocrinopathic laminitis; however, it is unclear whether diagnostic, and treatment approaches reflect insights derived from recent research. This study sought to evaluate North American veterinary practitioners' approach to endocrinopathic laminitis in the field. Demographic information, approach to diagnosis, management, and prognosis of endocrinopathic laminitis, as well as factors influencing changes in approach to laminitis were collected. To...
Silva PM, Silva JLS, Bonemann DH, Ribeiro AS, Silva LO, Pizzi GLBL, Martins CF.This study evaluated the levels of calcium (Ca), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the hoof of Criollo foals, pre- and postweaning, correlating them with the concentrations of these inorganic chemical compounds in soil and pasture in the different seasons of the year. We used 41 preweaning foals and 28 postweaning foals. Seventeen forage samples were collected in four seasons, later 10 soil samples per property in five distinct physiographic regions (Santa Maria, Dilermando de Aguiar, Jaguarão, Arroio Grande and Pelotas). There was variability in Ca, Cu and Zn concentrations in the hoof foal betwe...
Henriksen ML, Dwyer AE, Krarup Nielsen R, Bäcklund S, Dahlmann Christensen N, Holberg Pihl T.To describe the most common ocular abnormalities in the Icelandic horse with focus on equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) and association between ocular abnormalities and summer eczema and coat colors. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study. A complete physical and ophthalmic examination as well as measurement of serum titers for Leptospira serovariants was performed on Icelandic horses from Denmark (DK) and the United States (USA). Results: One hundred and twelve Icelandic horses living in DK and 26 Icelandic horses living in the United States were included in this study (total of 138 horse...
Atsenova N, Palova N, Mehandjyiski I, Neov B, Radoslavov G, Hristov P.The question about the time and the place of horse domestication, a process which had a profound impact on the progress of mankind, is disputable. According to the most widely accepted hypothesis, the earliest domestication of the horse happened in the western parts of the Eurasian steppes, between the Northern Black Sea region and present-day Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. It seems that it occurred not earlier than the first half and most probably during the middle (even the last third) of the fourth millennium BC (from ∼ 5.5 kya). The next steps of large-scale horse breeding occurred almost ...
Willette JA, Kopper JJ, Kogan CJ, Seguin MA, Schott HC.We investigated the effects of season and geographic location on detection of nucleic acids of potential enteric pathogens (PEPs) or their toxins (PEP-Ts) in feces of horses ≥6-mo-old in the United States. Results of 3,343 equine diarrhea PCR panels submitted to Idexx Laboratories for horses >6-mo-old were reviewed. Submission months were grouped into 4 seasons, and states were grouped into 4 geographic regions. Logistic regression was performed to assess effects of season and region on detection rates of PEPs and PEP-Ts. Agresti-Coull CIs were determined. Detection rate of was higher in...
Perrett J, Harris IT, Maddock C, Farnworth M, Pyatt AZ, Sumner RN.Over the past five decades, there has been increasing evidence to indicate global declines in human semen quality. Parallel adverse trends measured in male animals indicate a potential environmental aetiology. This study evaluated the progressive motility (PM) of stallion ejaculate through a systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 696 estimates of equine PM from 280 studies, which collected semen samples between the years 1990 and 2018, were collated for meta-analysis. The method of motility analysis, breed, season of collection, and geographical location were extracted. Simple linear ...
Nogueira MB, McManus C, de Faria DA, Santos SAO, Ianella P, Paiva SR.Among the animal species first introduced in Brazil during the country's discovery, horses (Equus caballus) stand out because of their evolutionary history and relationship with humans. Among the Brazilian horse breeds, the Pantaneiro draws attention due to its adaptative traits. Blood samples of 116 Pantaneiro horses were divided into six populations based on their sampling location, aiming to identify the existence of genetic structure and quantify genetic diversity within and between them. Populations were compared to elucidate genetic variability and differentiation better and assess the i...
Li HP, Wang NP, Dai YT.Human activity intensity is mostly used to quantify the degree of human influence on natural systems, with obvious spatial variability. With Lashihai watershed in Yunnan Province as an example, we used SPOT remote sensing images to update land use data, and obtained a comprehensive index of land use intensity after gridding by assigning weights to different land types, which was considered as the basic human activity intensity. The local tourism activities (horseback riding and boating) were also included. The horseback riding and boating were spatially quantified according to the location of ...
Kósa CA, Nagy K, Szenci O, Baska-Vincze B, Andrásofszky E, Szép R, Keresztesi Á, Mircean M, Taulescu M, Kutasi O.A severe form of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis occurs enzootically in a well-defined region of Transylvania, Harghita county. At the highest lying two settlements (more than 800 m above sea level), the prevalence of equine rhabdomyolysis is between 17 and 23%, while in the neighbouring villages in the valley it is less than 2%. The objective of our study was to clarify the role of selenium and vitamin E in the high prevalence of rhabdomyolysis in that region. Soil and hay samples were collected from each area to evaluate mineral content. Ten horses from the non-affected and 20 horses fro...
Bernor RL, Cirilli O, Bukhsianidze M, Lordkipanidze D, Rook L.The Equus datum has been established as a geochronologic 'instantaneous' migratory event of a North American Equus species into Eurasia at the beginning of the Pleistocene (2.58 Ma). A remarkable radiation of Equus followed across Eurasia and Africa. Dmanisi includes excellent remains of Equus, well calibrated between 1.85 and 1.76 Ma. Our morphologic and morphometric analyses of the augmented Dmanisi Equus sample support the co-occurrence of Equus stenonis and Equus altidens in the sequence. Dmanisi E. stenonis is found to be morphologically similar to the European E. stenonis populations a...
Arnold CE, Pilla R, Chaffin MK, Leatherwood JL, Wickersham TA, Callaway TR, Lawhon SD, Lidbury JA, Steiner JM, Suchodolski JS.The fecal microbiome of healthy horses may be influenced by signalment, diet, environmental factors, and disease. Objective: To assess the effects of age, breed, sex, geographic location, season, diet, and colitis caused by antibiotic use (antimicrobial-associated diarrhea [AAD]) and Salmonella infection on fecal microbiota. Methods: Healthy horses (n = 80) were sampled from nonhospital environments across multiple geographical locations in the United States. Horses with AAD (n = 14) were defined as those that developed diarrhea secondary to antimicrobial use. Horses with Salmonella infect...
Arroyo LG, Moore A, Bedford S, Gomez DE, Teymournejad O, Xiong Q, Budachetri K, Bekebrede H, Rikihisa Y, Baird JD.Clinical findings, geographic locations, laboratory diagnoses, and culture isolation of spp. in Potomac horse fever (PHF) cases diagnosed in Ontario between 2015 and 2019 are described. Forty-six confirmed PHF cases occurred from late June to early September. Of 41 horses admitted to the Ontario Veterinary College, 28 (68%) survived and 13 (32%) were euthanized due to poor prognosis or financial constraints. Most cases were in southern Ontario along the Canada-USA border. Blood and fecal samples from 43 suspect PHF cases were submitted to 2 laboratories for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tes...
Kalmykov NP.This report analyzes a find of fossils of Pliocene three-toed horse (Hipparion tchicoicum) in western Transbaikalia. The age of the mammalian fauna from red-brown clay in the Udunga locality indicates that Chikoi hipparion lived in the south of Eastern Siberia as early as the second half of the Early Pliocene; its remains in this area were known only from the red beds of the Upper Pliocene. This find made it possible to fill the existing hiatus (Early Pliocene) in its stratigraphic distribution: Late Miocene-Late Pliocene. The range of this three-toed horse species did not go beyond the border...
Ogihara K, Ishihara A, Nagai M, Yamada K, Mizutani T, Harafuji M, Nishio H, Madarame H.A 23-year-old Falabella gelding kept in Tochigi, Japan, for more than 20 years presented with a recurrent mass of the glans penis that was first noticed about a year earlier. Partial phallectomy was performed with no adjunctive therapy for local regrowth of the mass. The horse was euthanized 3 months after surgery for urinary retention due to suspected regrowth. The resected mass affected the genital and urethral mucosa of the glans penis, and was diagnosed as equine sarcoid by histopathology and identification of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of the BPV genome of the ...
Tirosh-Levy S, Mazuz ML, Savitsky I, Pinkas D, Gottlieb Y, Steinman A.Babesia caballi is a tick-borne hemoparasite of equines and one of the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis, which poses a great concern for the equine industry regarding animal welfare and international horse movement. The parasite is endemic in Israel; however, its seroprevalence in the area was never evaluated due to antigenic heterogenicity in the gene used in the commercially available kit. Blood samples were collected from 257 horses at 19 farms throughout the country and screened for the presence of anti-B. caballi antibodies via an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) an...
Schvartz G, Tirosh-Levy S, Barnum S, David D, Sol A, Pusterla N, Steinman A.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) infection is the cause of an emerging enteric disease of adult horses. Outbreaks have been reported in the USA, EU and Japan, as well as sporadic cases in the UK and Saudi Arabia. Infection of ECoV in horses in Israel has never been reported, and the risk of exposure is unknown. Importation and exportation of horses from and into Israel may have increased the exposure of horses in Israel to ECoV. While the disease is mostly self-limiting, with or without supportive treatment, severe complications may occur in some animals, and healthy carriers may pose a risk of infec...
Bustos CP, Muñoz AJ, Guida N, Waller A, Mesplet M.Strangles is a worldwide infectious disease caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. equi that affects the upper respiratory tract of horses. Streptococcus equi subsp. equi characterisation by seM-typing is internationally used for epidemiological studies and comparison of isolates. Objective: To identify and to compare the seM-types of Argentinian isolates of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. Methods: Investigation of bacterial isolates using molecular and phylogenetic approaches. Methods: A total of 59 Argentinian isolates of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi obtained between 2007 and 2019 were studie...
Rynhoud H, Meler E, Gibson JS, Price R, Maguire T, Farry T, Bennett E, Hartono J, Soares Magalhães RJ.To detect methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) swab samples were collected from dogs, cats and horses from South East Queensland (SE QLD). MRSP carriage in dogs was 8.7% and no MRSP was isolated from cats and horses; no MRSA was isolated. Risk factors for carriage included previous hospitalisation, previous bacterial infection, consultation type, average precipitation, and human population density. The probability of MRSP carriage was highest in Brisbane city, Sunshine Coast and Gympie. This suggests that MRSP carriage in dog populations from SE QLD...
Štritof Z, Mitchell C, Turk N, Habuš J, Hađina S, Perharić M, Waller AS.Clinical cases resembling strangles are regularly seen in some areas of Croatia. However, there are no data on the prevalence of infection and the clinical forms or geographic distribution of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi in horses resident in Croatia, in order to estimate the geographic distribution of infection. The study included 291 horse sera from the eight counties where the majority of Croatian horses are kept. Sera were tested by indirect ELISA (iELISA) for the presence of serum antibodies against S. equi pr...
MacLaren JA.Locomotion in terrestrial tetrapods is reliant on interactions between distal limb bones (e.g. metapodials and phalanges). The metapodial-phalangeal joint in horse (Equidae) limbs is highly specialized, facilitating vital functions (shock absorption; elastic recoil). While joint shape has changed throughout horse evolution, potential drivers of these modifications have not been quantitatively assessed. Here, I examine the morphology of the forelimb metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of horses and their extinct kin (palaeotheres) using geometric morphometrics and disparity analyses, within a phylo...
The Journal of heredityFebruary 28, 2013
Volume 104, Issue 3 386-398 doi: 10.1093/jhered/est003
Khanshour A, Conant E, Juras R, Cothran EG.The Arabian horse ignites imagination throughout the world. Populations of this breed exist in many countries, and recent genetic work has examined the diversity and ancestry of a few of these populations in isolation. Here, we explore 7 different populations of Arabians represented by 682 horses. Three of these are Middle Eastern populations from near the historical origin of the breed, including Syrian, Persian, and Saudi Arabian. The remaining Western populations are found in Europe (the Shagya Arabian and Polish Arabian) and in America (American Arabian). Analysis of genetic structure was ...
Haddy E, Burden F, Prado-Ortiz O, Zappi H, Raw Z, Proops L.Factors affecting working equid welfare are wide-ranging and reflect cultural, economic and climatic conditions, the type of work equids are used for, and individual differences in the practices of their handlers. In Mexico working equids are widely used for facilitating agricultural activities, however, welfare issues are common. Objective: To assess working equids across three communities in Mexico, identify predominant welfare problems and document how these problems vary across locations, associated working roles and species type. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: The study combine...
Hartel PG, Summer JD, Hill JL, Collins JV, Entry JA, Segars WI.Several genotypic methods have been developed for determining the host origin of fecal bacteria in contaminated waters. Some of these methods rely on a host origin database to identify environmental isolates. It is not well understood to what degree these host origin isolates are geographically variable (i.e., cosmopolitan or endemic). This is important because a geographically limited host origin database may or may not be universally applicable. The objective of our study was to use one genotypic method, ribotyping, to determine the geographic variability of the fecal bacterium, Escherichia ...
Ireland JL, Wylie CE, Collins SN, Verheyen KL, Newton JR.This study aimed to describe the provision of preventive health care and owner-reported disease prevalence in horses and ponies within Great Britain (GB), and to assess geographical variations in health care provision. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, using a postal questionnaire administered to a random sample of veterinary-registered owners of horses and ponies in GB (n=797). The majority of animals received regular preventive health care: 95.6% had regular hoof care; 71.3% were vaccinated for both influenza and tetanus and median time since last anthelmintic administration was 8.7 we...
Johns IC, Baxter K, Booler H, Hicks C, Menzies-Gow N.To describe the bacterial and fungal flora of the normal conjunctiva of horses in the UK; to determine the effect of horse age, sex, geographic location, and housing on this flora; and to determine the most appropriate antimicrobial drug(s) for prophylactic treatment of corneal ulcers. Methods: A total of 60 adult healthy horses were studied. Methods: Swabs of the conjunctiva were obtained from 60 horses housed in two locations within the UK. Specimens were cultured for aerobic bacteria and fungi, and sensitivity against six ophthalmic antimicrobials assessed. The effect of age, sex, location ...
Knowles DP, Perryman LE, Goff WL, Miller CD, Harrington RD, Gorham JR.Babesiosis is a tick-borne hemoparasitic disease affecting horses worldwide. To investigate mechanisms of immunity to this parasite, the antibody response of infected horses to Babesia equi merozoite proteins was evaluated. Immunoprecipitation of B. equi merozoite antigens with sera from infected horses revealed 11 major proteins of 210, 144, 108, 88, 70, 56, 44, 36, 34, 28, and 25 kDa. Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 36/133.97, which binds to live merozoites, immunoprecipitated proteins of 44, 36, 34, and 28 kDa. When immunoprecipitations were performed with in vitro translation products of merozoi...
Luna D, Vásquez RA, Rojas M, Tadich TA.Appropriate interventions to improve working equine welfare should be proposed according to scientific evidence that arises from different geo-cultural contexts. This study aims to assess and compare the welfare status of working horses in two administrative regions of Chile and to determine how owners perceive their horses. Horses' welfare status was assessed through direct indicators (direct observation and clinical examination) and indirect indicators (an interview with the owner). Owners' perceptions of their horses were determined through a discourse analysis of their statements. In total...
Penell JC, Egenvall A, Bonnett BN, Olson P, Pringle J.The principal aim of this study was to analyse the incidence of disease due to general and more specific causes among over 100,000 horses covered by complete insurance for veterinary care by a Swedish insurance company during 1997 to 2000. The database was used to calculate the rate of cause-specific morbidity in horses of different ages, sexes and breed groups kept in different regions with different human population densities. The joints were the most commonly affected part of the body, followed by unspecified/whole body, the skin and the digestive system. The most common specific diagnosis ...
Akerreta S, Calvo MI, Cavero RY.To collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnoveterinary knowledge about medicinal plants in a northern Iberian region (Navarra, 10,421 km(2), 620,377 inhabitants). Methods: Field work was conducted between 2003 and 2007, using semi-structured questionnaire and participant observation as well as transects walks in wild herbal plant collection areas. We performed semi-structured interviews with 667 informants (mean age 72; 55.47% women, 44.53% men) in 265 locations, identified the plant reported and analyzed the results, comparing them with those from other territories. Results: Out of 287 species ...
Kooijman LJ, James K, Mapes SM, Theelen MJ, Pusterla N.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) is considered an enteric pathogen of foals and has only recently been associated with infections in adult horses. Seroprevalence data is needed to better understand the epidemiology of ECoV in adult horses, evaluate diagnostic modalities and develop preventive measures. The objective of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence and selective risk factors for ECoV in 5247 healthy adult horses in the USA, using a recently established and validated IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Prevalence factors analysed in this study included geographic region, age, bre...
Lira J, Linderholm A, Olaria C, Brandström Durling M, Gilbert MT, Ellegren H, Willerslev E, Lidén K, Arsuaga JL, Götherström A.Multiple geographical regions have been proposed for the domestication of Equus caballus. It has been suggested, based on zooarchaeological and genetic analyses that wild horses from the Iberian Peninsula were involved in the process, and the overrepresentation of mitochondrial D1 cluster in modern Iberian horses supports this suggestion. To test this hypothesis, we analysed mitochondrial DNA from 22 ancient Iberian horse remains belonging to the Neolithic, the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages, against previously published sequences. Only the medieval Iberian sequence appeared in the D1 group. N...
The Journal of heredityOctober 26, 2005
Volume 96, Issue 6 663-669 doi: 10.1093/jhered/esi116
Royo LJ, Alvarez I, Beja-Pereira A, Molina A, Fernández I, Jordana J, Gómez E, Gutiérrez JP, Goyache F.Despite a number of recent studies that have focused on the origin of domestic horses, genetic relationships between major geographical clusters still remain poorly understood. In this study we analyzed a 296 bp mtDNA fragment from the HVI region of 171 horses representing 11 native Iberian, Barb, and Exmoor breeds to assess the maternal phylogeography of Iberian horses. The mtDNA haplogroup with a CCG motif (nucleotide position 15,494 to 15,496) was the most frequent in Iberian and Barb breeds (0.42 and 0.57, respectively), regardless of geographic location or group of breeds. This finding su...
Leblond A, Sandoz A, Lefebvre G, Zeller H, Bicout DJ.Geographic information system and remote sensing technologies were used to identify landscape features associated with risk of West Nile virus transmission as defined by the presence of confirmed horse cases. SPOT-4 images of Camargue area were used to generate a map of landscape categories of epidemic foci and the geographic information system was employed to determine the proportion of landscape components surrounding 10 horse case sites and 17 control sites. The spatio-temporal analysis of the cases outbreak gave the best results for a spatial window of 9 km and a temporal window of 18 days...
Valentine BA.A retrospective study examined data regarding equine cutaneous and mucocutaneous neoplasms submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University in a 3.5-year period. A total of 536 neoplasms were identified, accounting for 30% of the total equine pathology submissions. Sarcoid, squamous cell carcinoma, melanocytic tumors, papillomas, and mast cell tumors were the most common neoplasms, constituting 87.5% of all cutaneous neoplasms. Sarcoids represented 51.4% of all neoplasms and 15.18% of total equine accessions. Sarcoid was most common in paints, quarter horses, and Ar...
Osterman Lind E, Höglund J, Ljungström BL, Nilsson O, Uggla A.Faecal egg counts were performed during the first quarter of 1995 on samples from 1183 horses of varying breeds, ages and gender on 110 farms in 3 regions of Sweden. The majority of the horses had been treated with ivermectin or pyrantel when stabled the previous autumn. The risk of reinfection with strongyles between treatment and sampling was therefore considered to be minimal. Consequently, the results reflect primarily the occurrence of worms originating from inhibited strongyle larvae refractory to anthelmintic treatment. A total of 922 (78%) individuals were found to shed strongyle eggs,...
Mughini-Gras L, Mulatti P, Severini F, Boccolini D, Romi R, Bongiorno G, Khoury C, Bianchi R, Montarsi F, Patregnani T, Bonfanti L, Rezza G....In Italy, West Nile virus (WNV) equine outbreaks have occurred annually since 2008. Characterizing WNV vector habitat requirements allows for the identification of areas at risk of viral amplification and transmission. Maxent-based ecological niche models were developed using literature records of 13 potential WNV Italian vector mosquito species to predict their habitat suitability range and to investigate possible geographical associations with WNV equine outbreak occurrence in Italy from 2008 to 2010. The contribution of different environmental variables to the niche models was also assessed...
Salim B, Bakheit MA, Kamau J, Nakamura I, Sugimoto C.This is a molecular epidemiological investigation on Theileria equi, a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis. Blood samples were collected from 127 horses from different geographical locations in Sudan. The small subunit of rRNA gene (18S; ~1,600 bp) was amplified from 20 positive field samples and subsequently subjected to direct sequencing and analysis to reveal possible strain differences and the presence of a novel species or genotypes. Sequences were compared with published sequences mainly from South African and Spanish isolates. Eleven distinct T. equi sequences within 18S rRNA gene w...
Oberste MS, Schmura SM, Weaver SC, Smith JF.Phylogenetic analysis of 20 strains of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus subtype IE isolated from 1961 to 1996 in Mexico and throughout Central America showed that VEE virus subtype IE was monophyletic with respect to other VEE virus subtypes. Nonetheless, there were at least three distinct geographically separated VEE virus IE genotypes: northwestern Panama, Pacific coast (Mexico/Guatemala), and Gulf/Caribbean coast (Mexico/Belize). Strains from the Caribbean coast of Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua may cluster with the Gulf/Caribbean genotype, but additional isolates from the reg...
Woolcock JB, Mutimer MD, Farmer AM.Using a selective medium, the epidemiology of Corynebacterium equi in horses was studied. Twelve horse studs in different geographical locations were investigated. In addition, a group of horses was monitored over a period of time to determine whether faecal carriage of C equi is constant or intermittent. It was found that C equi could be recovered from every property tested and from all horse breeds. The organism was found in mares, stallions, yearlings and two year olds, and foals aged from 10 days to several months. It appears that C equi is widespread and that its occurrence is not related...
Holyoak GR, Premathilake HU, Lyman CC, Sones JL, Gunn A, Wieneke X, DeSilva U.The goal of this study was to understand the composition and existence of the resident uterine microbiome in healthy mares and to establish the presence of a core microbiome for the healthy equine uterus. We analyzed the microbiomes of 35 healthy mares that are long-time residents of three farms in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Australia as well as that of 19 mares purchased from scattered owners in the Southern Mid-Western states of the United States. Over 6 million paired-end reads of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene were obtained resulting in 19,542 unique Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs). AS...
Dugan SJ, Curtis CR, Roberts SM, Severin GA.Proportional hospital accession ratios for equine ocular/adnexal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were determined for 14 colleges of veterinary medicine participating in the Veterinary Medical Data Program between January 1978 and December 1986. Comparison of the ratios with their respective geographical, physical data has shown an increased prevalence of SCC with an increase in longitude, altitude, or mean annual solar radiation. In contrast, prevalence of SCC increased with a decrease in latitude. Between January 1978 and December 1988, 147 horses with ocular/adnexal SCC were admitted to the Co...
Secombe CJ, Tan RHH, Perara DI, Byrne DP, Watts SP, Wearn JG.Longitudinal evaluation of plasma endogenous ACTH concentration in clinically normal horses has not been investigated in the Southern Hemisphere. Objective: To longitudinally determine monthly upper reference limits for plasma ACTH in 2 disparate Australian geographic locations and to examine whether location affected the circannual rhythm of endogenous ACTH in the 2 groups of horses over a 12-month period. Methods: Clinically normal horses <20 years of age from 4 properties (institutional herd and client owned animals) in Perth (n = 40) and Townsville (n = 41) were included in the study. M...
Arnold CE, Pilla R, Chaffin MK, Leatherwood JL, Wickersham TA, Callaway TR, Lawhon SD, Lidbury JA, Steiner JM, Suchodolski JS.The fecal microbiome of healthy horses may be influenced by signalment, diet, environmental factors, and disease. Objective: To assess the effects of age, breed, sex, geographic location, season, diet, and colitis caused by antibiotic use (antimicrobial-associated diarrhea [AAD]) and Salmonella infection on fecal microbiota. Methods: Healthy horses (n = 80) were sampled from nonhospital environments across multiple geographical locations in the United States. Horses with AAD (n = 14) were defined as those that developed diarrhea secondary to antimicrobial use. Horses with Salmonella infect...
Alencar J, Lorosa ES, Dégallier lN, Serra-Freire NM, Pacheco JB, Guimarães AE.New data on the feeding patterns of Haemagogus (Haemagogus) janthinomys Dyar from different geographical regions of Brazil, by using the precipitin test as the bloodmeal-identifying tool, are presented. The following antisera were used: bird, dog, human, rodent, cattle, horse, and opossum. The origins of 287 bloodmeals were identified, whereas 33 specimens were negative to the antiserums tested. Among the reactive specimens, 174 (60.6%) fed on only one food source, of which 35.1% originated from birds, 19.5% from rodents, 12.6% from humans, 10.3% from cattle, 10.3% from opossums, 7.5% from dog...
Steinman A, Zimmerman T, Klement E, Lensky IM, Berlin D, Gottlieb Y, Baneth G.The prevalence of Theileria equi infection as well as the environmental and demographic risk factors for infection was studied in 590 healthy horses from 46 farms in Israel. The prevalence of T. equi DNA was assessed using a polymerase chain reaction for a segment of the Theileria 18S rRNA gene. The overall prevalence was 26.4% (156/590). There was a significant geographical variation in the prevalence of T. equi infection, ranging from 9.3% (25/270) in the central lowlands to 81.7% (49/60) in the Golan Heights. The prevalence of T. equi infection was found to be significantly associated with ...
García-Bocanegra I, Arenas-Montes A, Napp S, Jaén-Téllez JA, Fernández-Morente M, Fernández-Molera V, Arenas A.West Nile virus (WNV) is recognized as an emerging zoonotic pathogen, whose incidence in horses, humans and birds has increased significantly in different European countries in the last decade. A serosurvey study was carried out in non vaccinated horses to determine the geographical distribution of WNV in Andalusia (Southern Spain), and to assess the factors that influence the risk of WNV infection in horses. Antibodies to WNV were detected in 54 out of 510 horses analyzed by a blocking ELISA, of which 36 were confirmed by micro virus neutralization test (7.1%; CI(95%): 4.9-9.3). A total of 28...
Lian M, Warner RD, Alexander JL, Dixon KR.In 2002, West Nile virus (WNV) first appeared in Texas. Surveillance data were retrospectively examined to explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of the Texas equine WNV epidemic in 2002. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Spatial and Space-Time Scan (SaTScan) statistics, we analyzed 1421 of the reported equine WNV cases from six contiguous state Health Service Regions (HSRs), comprising 158 counties, in western, northern, central and eastern Texas. Results: Two primary epidemic peaks occurred in Epidemiological (Epi) week 35 (August 25 to 31) and Epi week 42 (October...
Ling YH, Ma YH, Guan WJ, Cheng YJ, Wang YP, Han JL, Mang L, Zhao QJ, He XH, Pu YB, Fu BL.We determined the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among 26 Chinese indigenous horse breeds and two introduced horse breeds by genotyping these animals for 27 microsatellite loci. The 26 Chinese horse breeds come from 12 different provinces. Two introduced horse breeds were the Mongolia B Horse from Mongolia and the Thoroughbred Horse from the UK. A total of 330 alleles were detected, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.719 (Elenchuns) to 0.780 (Dali). The mean number of alleles among the horse breeds ranged from 6.74 (Hequ) to 8.81 (Debao). Although there were abunda...
Ledbetter EC, Patten VH, Scarlett JM, Vermeylen FM.To determine in vitro susceptibility patterns of fungi associated with keratomycosis in horses in the northeastern United States and compare those patterns with results of studies from other geographic regions. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 68 horses with keratomycosis. Methods: Medical records of horses with a clinical diagnosis of keratomycosis, positive results of corneal fungal cultures, and susceptibility data were reviewed from the years 1987 to 2006. Fungal identification and in vitro antifungal susceptibility test results were recorded. The percentage of susceptible isol...
Barbić L, Listeš E, Katić S, Stevanović V, Madić J, Starešina V, Labrović A, Di Gennaro A, Savini G.West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen with rapid global expansion. The virus circulation is confirmed in many countries of Mediterranean Basin and Southern and Central Europe. In our study detection of specific WNV antibodies was performed in horses and cattle sera samples collected from October 2010 to April 2011. Serum samples were randomly taken from different parts of Croatia and tested by IgG and IgM ELISA. Positive serological results were confirmed by virus neutralization assay (VN-assay) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Results showed that WNV antibodie...
