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.
Mira J, Herman M, Zakia LS, Olivo G, Araújo JP, Borges AS, Oliveira-Filho JP.Despite the reported association between aural plaques and the presence of Equus caballus papillomavirus (EcPV), there are few data regarding the distribution of viral types in different geographic regions or possible correlations for different papillomaviruses and lesion characteristics. We detected the presence and frequency of EcPV (1-7) DNA in aural plaque biopsies of horses from different regions of Brazil and identified the patterns of these infections or coinfections and their possible association with lesion severity. A total of 108 aural plaque biopsies from horses in the 5 geopolitic...
Engell-Sørensen K, Pall A, Damgaard C, Holmstrup M.We investigated the prevalence of equine tapeworms, Anoplocephala spp., in Danish horses during a seven-year period assessed by coprological analysis. The data material included >11,000 observations distributed over the period 2009-2015, and four major geographic regions in Denmark representing sandy soils and clayey moraine soils, respectively. This allowed us to test for possible differences between regions (or soil types) and seasons. For a sub-set of the data (about 1200 observations) age of horses was also known, and it was shown that prevalence was highest in the age group 1-5years and t...
The Journal of heredityJanuary 3, 2018
Volume 109, Issue 4 384-392 doi: 10.1093/jhered/esx114
Druml T, Neuditschko M, Grilz-Seger G, Horna M, Ricard A, Mesaric M, Cotman M, Pausch H, Brem G.Within the scope of current genetic diversity analyses, population structure and homozygosity measures are independently analyzed and interpreted. To enhance analytical power, we combined the visualization of recently described high-resolution population networks with runs of homozygosity (ROH). In this study, we demonstrate that this approach enabled us to reveal important aspects of the breeding history of the Haflinger horse. We collected high-density genotype information of 531 horses originating from 7 populations which were involved in the formation of the Haflinger, namely 32 Italian Ha...
Clothier J, Hinch G, Brown W, Small A.Clear definitions of 'normal' equine gestation length (GL) are elusive, with GL being subject to a considerable number of internal and external variables that have confounded interpretation and estimation of GL for over 50 years. Consequently, the mean GL of 340 days first established by Rossdale in 1967 for Thoroughbred horses in northern Europe continues to be the benchmark value referenced by veterinarians, breeders and researchers worldwide. Application of a 95% confidence limit to reported GL range values indicates a possible connection between geographic location and GL. Improved kno...
Carmalt JL, Waldner CL, Allen AL.The objectives of the present study were to determine if diagnosis and treatment of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) vary by geographic region and to report the prevalence of PPID in horses as observed by veterinarians across locations. An online questionnaire was developed for veterinarians who treat horses. Veterinary associations, especially equine specialty subgroups, were contacted and a survey link was sent to members of each organization. Generalized linear models were used to examine whether the method of diagnosis and treatment of this condition, as well as its repo...
Tangyuenyong S, Sato F, Nambo Y, Murase H, Endo Y, Tanaka T, Nagaoka K, Watanabe G.This study aimed to compare body growth, metabolic, and reproductive hormonal changes in trained Thoroughbred yearling horses under different climate conditions with and without light supplementation (LS). Thoroughbred yearlings raised at research centers of the Japan Racing Association in Hokkaido (north) or Miyazaki (south) were divided into control and LS groups. In the LS groups, 44 colts and 47 fillies from Hokkaido and 11 colts and 11 fillies from Miyazaki were exposed to LS with an extended photoperiod of 14.5 hr of daylight and 9.5 hr of darkness. One week before and once a month after...
McNeill LR, Bott RC, Mastellar SL, Djira G, Carroll HK.In South Dakota, the status of equid well being is relatively unknown. This study sought to (a) gain understanding about the current perceptions of nonhuman animal well being in South Dakota, with an emphasis on horses and other equids; (b) determine the level of care equids are reportedly receiving and the perceived challenges to equine well being in South Dakota, and (c) determine if people from diverse geographical locations (east or west of the Missouri River) have similar views on the well being of equids in South Dakota. Respondents indicated the current level of equid well being in Sout...
Barrón-Ortiz CI, Rodrigues AT, Theodor JM, Kooyman BP, Yang DY, Speller CF.Horses were a dominant component of North American Pleistocene land mammal communities and their remains are well represented in the fossil record. Despite the abundant material available for study, there is still considerable disagreement over the number of species of Equus that inhabited the different regions of the continent and on their taxonomic nomenclature. In this study, we investigated cheek tooth morphology and ancient mtDNA of late Pleistocene Equus specimens from the Western Interior of North America, with the objective of clarifying the species that lived in this region prior to t...
Borkent D, Reardon R, Dixon PM.Infundibular caries (IC) is an important equine dental disorder that can cause premature wear, fractures and apical infection of affected maxillary cheek teeth. No accurate prevalence values for IC are available for UK horses. The feeding of high levels of concentrates is believed to increase its prevalence, but no objective information is available on such possible environmental risk factors. The aims of the study were to document the prevalence of IC in UK horses, assess its distribution and severity between infundibulae and teeth in affected horses and examine for potential risk factors for...
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...
Tangyuenyong S, Nambo Y, Nagaoka K, Tanaka T, Watanabe G.Most thyroid hormone determinations in animals are based on immunoassays adapted from those used to test human samples, which may not reflect the actual values of thyroid hormone in horses because of the presence of binding proteins. The aims of the present study were i) to establish a novel radioimmunoassay (RIA) using a more simple and convenient method to separate binding proteins for the measurement of total thyroxine (T4) in horses and ii) to validate the assay by comparing total T4 concentrations in yearling horses raised in different climates. Blood samples were collected from trained y...
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...
Elsner J, Hofreiter M, Schibler J, Schlumbaum A.On large geographical scales, changes in animal population distribution and abundance are driven by environmental change due to climatic and anthropogenic processes. However, so far, little is known about population dynamics on a regional scale. We have investigated 92 archaeological horse remains from nine sites mainly adjacent to the Swiss Jura Mountains dating from c. 41,000-5,000 years BP. The time frame includes major environmental turning points such as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), followed by steppe vegetation, afforestation and initial re-opening of the landscape by human agricultur...
James KE, Smith WA, Conrad PA, Packham AE, Guerrero L, Ng M, Pusterla N.OBJECTIVE To describe the general seroprevalence of anti-Sarcocystis neurona and anti-Neospora hughesi antibodies among healthy equids by use of indirect fluorescent antibody tests and determine potential risk factors for seropositivity. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE Whole blood samples collected from 5,250 equids (1 sample/animal) across 18 states in the United States during October 2013. PROCEDURES Information regarding potential risk factors (geographic region, breed, primary use, sex, and age) was collected along with the blood samples. For each equid, an indirect fluorescent antibo...
Yoon SH, Kim J, Shin D, Cho S, Kwak W, Lee HK, Park KD, Kim H.The Korean native horse (Jeju horse) is one of the most important animals in Korean historical, cultural, and economical viewpoints. In the early 1980s, the Jeju horse was close to extinction. The aim of this study is to explore the phylogenomics of Korean native horse focusing on spatio-temporal dynamics. We determined complete mitochondrial genome sequences for the first Korean native (n = 6) and additional Mongolian (n = 2) horses. Those sequences were analyzed together with 143 published ones using Bayesian coalescent approach as well as three different phylogenetic analysis method...
Hemida MG, Chu DKW, Perera RAPM, Ko RLW, So RTY, Ng BCY, Chan SMS, Chu S, Alnaeem AA, Alhammadi MA, Webby RJ, Poon LLM, Balasuriya UBR, Peiris M.Equine coronaviruses (ECoV) are the only coronavirus known to infect horses. So far, data on ECoV infection in horses remain limited to the USA, France and Japan and its geographic distribution is not well understood. We carried out RT-PCR on 306 nasal and 315 rectal swabs and tested 243 sera for antibodies to detect coronavirus infections in apparently healthy horses in Saudi Arabia and Oman. We document evidence of infection with ECoV and HKU23 coronavirus by RT-PCR. There was no conclusive evidence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in horses. Serological data suggest...
Ketter-Ratzon D, Tirosh-Levy S, Nachum-Biala Y, Saar T, Qura'n L, Zivotofsky D, Abdeen Z, Baneth G, Steinman A.Equine theileriosis caused by Theileria equi is endemic in the Middle East, where it causes a severe disease as well as widespread subclinical infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of T. equi genotypes in Israel and the neighboring Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Blood samples from 355 horses from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan were tested for the prevalence of T. equi DNA. Two hundred and fourteen (60%) were found positive for T. equi infection by PCR. Of those, the 18S rRNA (1458bp) and the EMA-1 (745bp) genes of T. equi were sequenced from 15 horse s...
Science (New York, N.Y.)February 12, 2017
Volume 355, Issue 6325 627-630 doi: 10.1126/science.aag1772
Cantalapiedra JL, Prado JL, Hernández Fernández M, Alberdi MT.Evolutionary theory has long proposed a connection between trait evolution and diversification rates. In this work, we used phylogenetic methods to evaluate the relationship of lineage-specific speciation rates and the mode of evolution of body size and tooth morphology in the Neogene and Quaternary radiation of horses (7 living and 131 extinct species). We show that diversification pulses are a recurrent feature of equid evolution but that these pulses are not correlated with rapid bursts in phenotypic evolution. Instead, rapid cladogenesis seems repeatedly associated with extrinsic factors t...
Berrocal A, de Oliveira JB.Halicephalobus gingivalis is a free-living nematode that causes an opportunistic infection in animals and humans. Two fatal cases of encephalitis and nephritis caused by H. gingivalis in equines from Costa Rica and Honduras are reported. Case 1: a 6-year-old Arabian stallion, from Costa Rica, presented severe neurological signs and was treated with systemic anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. Because there was no improvement, it was euthanatized. Grossly, both kidneys showed large white nodules, ranging from 0.10 to 2.50cm. Histopathologically, both kidneys showed similar changes consisti...
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...
Timonin ME, Poissant J, McLoughlin PD, Hedlin CE, Rubin JE.The feral horses of Sable Island are a geographically isolated population located ∼160 km off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Because these horses have no contact with domestic animals, have minimal contact with people, and have never received antimicrobials, they offer a unique opportunity to study the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in unmanaged populations. As part of an ongoing multidisciplinary and individual-based monitoring program, we collected feces from 508 geolocalized horses (92% of the total population) between July and September 2014. We selectively cultured Es...
Corbeil LE, Morrissey JF, Léguillette R.This report describes 5 horses in the southern Alberta region with typical and atypical external abscessation due to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (pigeon fever). "Pigeon fever" has recently been diagnosed in new geographic regions in North America and should be kept as a differential diagnosis by practitioners when an external or internal abscess is identified in a horse. L’infection parCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis(fièvre du pigeon) chez les chevaux est-elle une maladie émergente dans l’Ouest canadien? Ce rapport décrit cinq chevaux dans la région sud de l’Alberta atteint...
Martin GA, Yanez-Arenas C, Roberts BJ, Chen C, Plowright RK, Webb RJ, Skerratt LF.Hendra virus is a paramyxovirus of Australian flying fox bats. It was first detected in August 1994, after the death of 20 horses and one human. Since then it has occurred regularly within a portion of the geographical distribution of all Australian flying fox (fruit bat) species. There is, however, little understanding about which species are most likely responsible for spillover, or why spillover does not occur in other areas occupied by reservoir and spillover hosts. Using ecological niche models of the four flying fox species we were able to identify which species are most likely linked to...
Dalla Costa E, Dai F, Lebelt D, Scholz P, Barbieri S, Canali E, Minero M.A truthful snapshot of horse welfare conditions is a prerequisite for predicting the impact of any actions intended to improve the quality of life of horses. This can be achieved when welfare information, gathered by different assessors in diverse geographical areas, is valid, comparable and collected in a harmonized way. This paper aims to present the first outcomes of the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) approach: the results of on-farm assessment and a reliable and harmonized data collection system. A total of 355 sport and leisure horses, stabled in 40 facilities in Italy and in Germany, w...
Hristov P, Yordanov G, Ivanova A, Mitkov I, Sirakova D, Mehandzyiski I, Radoslavov G.It is believed that population structure of mountain horse breeds is preserved from any genetic introgression, because of their geographical isolation and specific semi-wild life style of husbandry. Till date there are no molecular data for the Balkan horses. In this study we try to give information about some autochthonous mountain horse breeds from Bulgaria. A total of 121 horses from three different mountain massifs are presented: Stara Planina (the Balkan mountain), the Rhodopes and Rila-Pirin massif were genotyped according to mitochondrial D-loop region. The results showed huge diversity...
Yang Y, Zhu Q, Liu S, Zhao C, Wu C.The origin of domestic horses in China was a controversial issue and several hypotheses including autochthonous domestication, introduction from other areas, and multiple-origins from both introduction and local wild horse introgression have been proposed, but none of them have been fully supported by DNA data. In the present study, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of 714 Chinese indigenous horses were analyzed. The results showed that Chinese domestic horses harbor some novel mtDNA haplogroups and suggested that local domestication events may have occurred, but they are not the dominant ha...
The climatic and cultural diversity of the Italian Peninsula triggered, over time, the development of a great variety of horse breeds, whose origin and history are still unclear. To clarify this issue, analyses on phenotypic traits and genealogical data were recently coupled with molecular screening. Methods: To provide a comprehensive overview of the horse genetic variability in Italy, we produced and phylogenetically analyzed 407 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences from ten of the most important Italian riding horse and pony breeds: Bardigiano, Esperia, Giara, Lipizzan, Maremm...
Mochizuki M, Hayakawa N, Minowa F, Saito A, Ishioka K, Ueda F, Okubo K, Tazaki H.In this study, iodine and thyroxin (T4) concentrations in the serum of 69 horses were investigated. Higher iodine concentrations were obtained from the horses housed in Chiba Prefecture. In contrast, T4 concentrations of horses at Shizuoka Prefecture were higher than those of horses at Chiba Prefecture. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.643, P < 0.001) between the iodine and T4 concentrations of horses at Saitama and Shizuoka prefectures. Although a significant correlation (r = 0.794, P < 0.001) was also observed in the investigation of all horses at Chiba Prefec...
Smyth GB, Dagley K.To obtain information on the types of Australian horses, how they are kept and their activities. Methods: An invitation to participate in an opt-in, internet-based survey was sent to 7000 people who had registered an email address to receive information from the Australian Horse Industry Council Inc. Results: There were 3377 (48%) useable responses from owners of 26,548 horses. Most horses were kept on small properties (usually 2-8 ha) in paddocks in rural areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Most horses were female or geldings and the most common of 54 different activities was...
Pozza ME, Kaewsakhorn T, Trinarong C, Inpanbutr N, Toribio RE.Vitamin D is essential in calcium and phosphorus regulation, bone physiology, cell proliferation and epithelial integrity. Literature on vitamin D in growing horses is sparse, and the effect of age on vitamin D has not been evaluated in equids in the United States or in tropical countries. The goal of this study was to determine if there was an effect of age on serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations in equids in the US (Ohio/Kentucky) and Thailand (Chiang Rai and Kanchanaburi) during the same time of the year. Blood samples were collected from healthy ponies (n=21) and Thoroughbred foals (n=13), yearli...
Ahmadnejad F, Otarod V, Fathnia A, Ahmadabadi A, Fallah MH, Zavareh A, Miandehi N, Durand B, Sabatier P.Geographic distribution of West Nile virus (WNV) is heterogeneous in Iran by a high circulation in the southern-western areas. The objective of our study was to determine environmental and climatic factors associated with the risk of WNV equine seropositivity in Iran. Methods: Serological data were obtained from a serosurvey conducted in equine population in 260 districts in Iran. The climate and environmental parameters included in the models were distance to the nearest wetland area, type of stable, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), annual mean temperature, humidity and precipit...
Kakoi H, Kikuchi M, Tozaki T, Hirota KI, Nagata SI, Hobo S, Takasu M.The distribution of Y chromosomal haplotypes in Japanese native horse populations was investigated to obtain genetic information on these populations. Here, 159 male/gelded horses from eight local populations were investigated, and three Y haplotypes (JHT-1, JHT-2, and JHT-3) were identified by analyzing five Y-linked loci. Five populations had only JHT-1, whereas two populations had only JHT-2. One population had JHT-1 and JHT-3. Based on the geographical distribution of these haplotypes and previously reported haplotypes for other Asian horses, JHT-1 is considered to be a major haplotype in ...
Emet M, Beyhun NE, Kosan Z, Aslan S, Uzkeser M, Cakir ZG.This is a retrospective and registry-based descriptive study including animal- related injuries represented by the most crowded Emergency Department (ED) in Eastern Turkey over a period of two years. Animal-related injuries were 0.2% of all ED admittances; dominant in males and were high in summer. 68% of the subjects were exposed to mammalians. Most prominent injuries were dog bites (30%), horse (22%) and livestock-related injuries (12%). Hospitalization was significantly higher in mammalian animal injuries compared to non-mammalian injuries. The highest hospitalization rate was measured for ...
Saville WJ, Reed SM, Granstrom DE, Hinchcliff KW, Kohn CW, Wittum TE, Stamper S.To determine the seroprevalence of serum antibodies to Sarcocystis neurona in horses residing in Ohio. Methods: Prevalence survey. Methods: Serum from samples from 1,056 horses. Serum was collected on every 36th sample submitted to the Ohio State Diagnostic Laboratory for testing for equine infectious anemia. Methods: Serum was frozen at -80 C and analyzed for antibodies to S neurona, using a western blot. Information regarding blood sample collection, age, breed, sex, and geographic location was recorded for each horse. Data were analyzed, using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Hor...
Morais J, Oom MM, Malta-Vacas J, Luís C.The present study intends to survey the genetic variability of an endangered semiferal Portuguese native pony breed, the Garrano. Thirteen microsatellite markers were examined in 277 animals born in 1998, belonging to eight subpopulations corresponding to eight northern Portuguese geographic regions. Mean heterozygosity (H(o)) in the Garrano breed was 0.732, ranging from 0.531 to 0.857 across subpopulations. Allelic frequencies and diversity differed significantly between regions, suggesting the existence of genetic differentiation within the breed confirmed by the population differentiation e...
Kelly JD, Webster JH, Griffin DL, Whitlock HV, Martin IC, Gunawan M.A survey was conducted to determine whether benzimidazole resistant populations of equine strongyles are present in New South Wales and north central Victoria; what is their frequency and geographical distribution; which species are involved; and whether different methods of parasite control could be related to the occurrence and frequency of anthelmintic resistant populations. Resistant populations of strongyles were found over wide areas of New South Wales and in north central Victoria. There was no relationship between geographical location and the occurrence of benzimidazole resistance. Th...
Kilcoyne I, Spier SJ, Carter CN, Smith JL, Swinford AK, Cohen ND.To quantify the number of horses with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection identified in the United States from January 2003 through December 2012. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: State veterinary diagnostic laboratory records of 2,237 C pseudotuberculosis culture-positive samples from horses. Methods: 44 state veterinary diagnostic laboratories throughout the United States were invited by mail to participate in the study. Data requested included the number of C pseudotuberculosis culture-positive samples from horses identified per year, geographic location from which the C ps...
Barrera R, Torres N, Freier JE, Navarro JC, García CZ, Salas R, Vasquez C, Weaver SC.The distribution of the sylvatic subtype ID Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) viruses in the lowland tropical forests of western Venezuela was investigated using remote sensing and geographic information system technologies. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper satellite imagery was used to study the reflectance patterns of VEE endemic foci and to identify other locations with similar reflectance patterns. Enzootic VEE virus variants isolated during this study are the closest genetic relatives of the epizootic viruses that emerged in western Venezuela during 1992-1993. VEE virus surveillance was condu...
Epp TY, Waldner C, Berke O.The objective of this study was to develop a model using equine data from geographically limited surveillance locations to predict risk categories for West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses in all geographic locations across the province of Saskatchewan. The province was divided geographically into low-, medium-, or high-risk categories for WNV, based on available serology information from 923 horses obtained through 4 studies of WNV infection in horse populations in Saskatchewan. Discriminant analysis was used to build models using the observed risk of WNV in horses and geographic division...
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...
Edwards GT.The stomachs of 448 horses from northern England and Wales were examined for Gasterophilus larvae, and 237 (52.7%) were found to be infected with G. intestinalis. Larvae were present in stomachs examined during each month of the year except August. Second instar larvae occurred from September through February and third instars were present from November through July. Adult fly activity began in August as indicated by the presence of eggs on horses. The life-cycle of G. intestinalis in northern England and Wales is outlined from the data presented. The mean instar burdens were 15.7 second and 3...
Behl R, Behl J, Gupta N, Gupta SC.The genetic relationships of five Indian horse breeds, namely Marwari, Spiti, Bhutia, Manipuri and Zanskari were studied using microsatellite markers. The DNA samples of 189 horses of these breeds were amplified by polymerase chain reaction using 25 microsatellite loci. The total number of alleles varied from five to 10 with a mean heterozygosity of 0.58 ± 0.05. Spiti and Zansakari were the most closely related breeds, whereas, Marwari and Manipuri were most distant apart with Nei's DA genetic distance of 0.071 and 0.186, respectively. In a Nei's DA genetic distances based neighbour joining...
Brooks DE, Andrew SE, Dillavou CL, Ellis G, Kubilis PS.To evaluate in vitro susceptibility to topical antifungal medications, as measured by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50%), of fungal isolates from horses with ulcerative keratomycosis in Florida; to compare results with those of other studies to identify differences in susceptibility patterns among fungi isolated from horses in different geographic regions; and to note indications of fungal resistance to drugs tested in other studies. Methods: Corneal fungal cultures from client-owned horses from Florida with ulcerative keratomycosis (n = 22). Method...
Geigl EM, Grange T.The Equidae have a long evolutionary history that has interested palaeontologists for a long time. Their morphology-based taxonomy, however, is a matter of controversy. Since most equid species are now extinct, the phylogenetic tree based on genetic data can be established only imperfectly via deduction of present day genomes and little is known about the past genetic diversity of these species. Recent studies of ancient DNA preserved in fossil bones have led to a simplification of the phylogenetic tree and the classification system. The situation is still particularly unclear for the wild ass...
Voelter-Ratson K, Pot SA, Florin M, Spiess BM.Keratomycosis is a severe disease in horses. Geographical differences in fungi causing keratomycosis and susceptibility of the organisms to antifungal drugs exist but few previous publications on this disease originate from Europe. Objective: To retrospectively compare the clinical data of 36 eyes with keratomycosis, diagnosed in 35 horses between January 2000 and August 2011 at the Vetsuisse Faculty of Switzerland. Case history, season, prior treatment, clinical appearance, surgical and medical treatment, treatment duration, and globe survival were evaluated. Methods: Retrospective case serie...
Praskova I, Bezdekova B, Zeman P, Jahn P.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the aetiological agent of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA). The aim of this survey was to assess the prevalence of anti-A. phagocytophilum antibodies in the horse population of the Czech Republic (CZ) and to investigate possible links between seropositivity and the geographic origin, age, and/or sex of the tested horses. Antibodies against A. phagocytophilum were screened using an indirect fluorescent antibody method (IFA). Serum samples from 96 healthy horses from 8 localities (7 within the CZ and one control upland/tick-free locality in Ukraine) were examin...
Ketter-Ratzon D, Tirosh-Levy S, Nachum-Biala Y, Saar T, Qura'n L, Zivotofsky D, Abdeen Z, Baneth G, Steinman A.Equine theileriosis caused by Theileria equi is endemic in the Middle East, where it causes a severe disease as well as widespread subclinical infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of T. equi genotypes in Israel and the neighboring Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Blood samples from 355 horses from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan were tested for the prevalence of T. equi DNA. Two hundred and fourteen (60%) were found positive for T. equi infection by PCR. Of those, the 18S rRNA (1458bp) and the EMA-1 (745bp) genes of T. equi were sequenced from 15 horse s...
Blythe LL, Granstrom DE, Hansen DE, Walker LL, Bartlett J, Stamper S.To determine seroprevalence of antibodies to Sarcocystis neurona in neurologically normal horses residing in 4 regions of Oregon and to describe the effects of age, gender, breed, and housing on seroprevalence within each region. Methods: Prevalence survey. Methods: Serum samples from 334 horses systematically selected by practicing veterinarians. Methods: Antibodies to S neurona were measured in sera, using a western blot. Information including age, gender, breed, housing, geographic location, and duration of residence was obtained for each horse. Data were analyzed, using descriptive statist...
Steinman A, Peer G, Klement E.The variations with breed, gender, age and coat colour in the prevalence of Culicoides hypersensitivity were studied in 408 horses on 18 farms in Israel. Data were gathered by means of questionnaires and the diagnoses were confirmed by direct physical examinations. The prevalence of Culicoides hypersensitivity was 28 per cent. The disease was rare on farms more than 800 m above sea level but was more prevalent at lower altitudes. The most important factors affecting the prevalence of Culicoides hypersensitivity were the farm, breed and age, but gender and colour were not significantly correlat...
Trimble AC, Blevins CA, Beard LA, Deforno AR, Davis EG.Leptospirosis is a worldwide veterinary and public health concern, and well recognized infectious disease of horses. Seroprevalence rates vary with geography, but many studies have confirmed a high exposure rate. The correlation between seropositivity and shedding status has not been made in horses, however. The aims of this study were to use semi-nested PCR on urine from apparently healthy horses to determine period prevalence of leptospiral shedding and to correlate these findings with MAT results to establish associations with client based survey data regarding horse management and environm...
Warmuth V, Manica A, Eriksson A, Barker G, Bower M.Many events in the history of eastern Eurasia, including the process of domestication itself, the initial spread of domestic horses and subsequent movements, are believed to have affected the genetic structure of domestic horse populations in this area. We investigated levels of within- and between-population genetic diversity in 'non-breed horses' (working horses sampled in remote areas) from 17 locations in Asia and parts of Eastern Europe, using 26 autosomal microsatellite loci. Non-breed horses have not been subject to the same intensity of artificial selection and closed breeding as have ...
Nicholson VM, Prescott JF.Restriction enzyme digestion patterns of the large virulence plasmids of 8 human and 37 foal isolates of virulence-associated protein (VapA)-positive Rhodococcus equi strains from different sources were compared. Foal isolates came from five continents. Digestion with EcoRI divided these plasmids into three closely related types, and digestion with BamHI divided them into three major types which corresponded to the EcoRI types. The only EcoRI and BamHI type 3 plasmid was from a single foal isolate obtained from Japan. There are thus two major but related virulence plasmids in isolates from foa...
Zhang L, Wang X, Zhan Q, Wang Z, Xu M, Zhu D, He F, Liu X, Huang R, Li D, Lei Y, Xie P.Borna disease virus (BDV) is a non-cytolytic, neurotropic RNA virus that can infect many vertebrate species, including humans. To date, BDV infection has been reported in a range of animal species across a broad global geographic distribution. However, a systematic epidemiological survey of BDV infection in domesticated animals in China has yet to be performed. In current study, BDV RNA and antibodies in 2353 blood samples from apparently healthy animals of eight species (horse, donkey, dog, pig, rabbit, cattle, goat, sheep) from three areas in western China (Xinjiang province, Chongqing munic...
Tang L, Yan L, Jia H, Xiong Y, Ma X, Chu H, Sun Z, Wang L, Shalitanati M, Li K, Hu D, Zhang D.Host-associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness. Therefore, naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts. This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals, as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations. However, little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation. Here, we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) populations in China from three nature reserves (i.e. Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve, KNR; Dunhuang Xihu ...
Contasti AL, Tissier EJ, Johnstone JF, McLoughlin PD.Fine-scale spatial variation in genetic relatedness and inbreeding occur across continuous distributions of several populations of vertebrates; however, the basis of observed variation is often left untested. Here we test the hypothesis that prior observations of spatial patterns in genetics for an island population of feral horses (Sable Island, Canada) were the result of spatial variation in population dynamics, itself based in spatial heterogeneity in underlying habitat quality. In order to assess how genetic and population structuring related to habitat, we used hierarchical cluster analys...
Brocard P, Pfister K.Between March 1988 and December 1989, 198 gastrointestinal tracts from slaughtered horses from different areas of Switzerland have been analysed for the presence and the frequency of Gasterophilus spp. During the same period--always between July and November--200 horses from selected areas of Western Switzerland have been checked for the presence of eggs and their subsequent developmental stages in order to investigate further clinical and biological aspects of this infection. The evaluation has been performed according to origin, age, sex, colour of the horse and seasonal pattern of the cases...
McManus DP, Rishi AK.A segment of the ribosomal RNA gene of Schistosoma mansoni and a DNA fragment specific to Echinococcus granulosus, cloned in plasmids, have been used as DNA probes to assess the extent of genetic variability within E. granulosus and some distinct strains have been identified. The DNA analysis, involving restriction endonuclease digestion and Southern blot hybridization with the probes, did not demonstrate any significant genetic variation within the U.K. horse/dog or sheep/dog strains but confirmed the distinctiveness of the two strains shown in previous studies. The sheep/dog strain was shown...
White GS, Pickett BE, Lefkowitz EJ, Johnson AG, Ottendorfer C, Stark LM, Unnasch TR.Florida has the highest degree of endemicity for eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) of any state in the United States and is the only state with year-round transmission of EEEV. To further understand the viral population dynamics in Florida, the genome sequence of six EEEV isolates from central Florida were determined. These data were used to identify the most polymorphic regions of the EEEV genome from viruses isolated in Florida. The sequence of these polymorphic regions was then determined for 18 additional Florida isolates collected in four geographically distinct regions over a 20-y...
