Topic:Histology
Histology in horses involves the microscopic examination of tissues to understand their structure and function. This field of study provides insights into the cellular composition and architecture of equine tissues, aiding in the diagnosis of diseases and the assessment of tissue health. Histological analysis is used to identify pathological changes, such as inflammation, neoplasia, or degenerative conditions, by examining tissue samples obtained through biopsies or necropsies. Common tissues studied in equine histology include skin, muscle, bone, and internal organs. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore histological techniques, findings, and their applications in equine veterinary medicine.
“Repair cells” in equine uterine cytologic and histologic specimens. Cells resembling those known as "repair cells" in gynecologic cytology specimens from women were identified in uterine cytology specimens from infertile mares treated with antibiotics using indwelling uterine catheters. This prompted a study of the effect on the equine uterus of indwelling catheterization without antibiotic infusion, using light microscopic examination of cytologic and biopsy specimens and electron microscopic examination of biopsy specimens. Cytologic and biopsy specimens had features within normal limits at the start of the study. Following five days of indwelling catheteriz...
A preliminary investigation of the effect of selected electromagnetic field devices on healing of cannon bone osteotomies in horses. The effect of electrical stimulation by means of selected electromagnetic field devices on healing of cannon bone osteotomies in horses was examined. The defects were created as 3 cm x 1 mm longitudinal osteotomies through the dorsal cortices of the mid-metacarpi/metatarsi of adult horses. This type of defect would asses bone healing in a situation similar to an acute, stable fracture of the cortex. Three electromagnetic devices of different design were tested in three different groups of horses. Healing was evaluated radiographically and histologically. Results showed that osteotomies treated...
Vertebral lymphosarcoma as the cause of hind limb paresis in a horse. No abstract available
Equine giant cell tumor of soft tissues. During a routine necropsy examination of a 4-year-old standardbred mare, a well-demarcated dermal mass was seen near the right elbow. Grossly, the mass consisted of multifocal variably sized areas of dark brown, firm material that was separated by thin white septa. Histologically, within the individual compartments, there were numerous multinucleated giant cells, macrophages, and free erythrocytes. A diagnosis of giant cell tumor of soft tissues was made.
Muscular dystrophy-like disease in a thoroughbred foal. A 1-month-old male thoroughbred foal, which had difficulty in walking, was killed and examined by histological, histochemical and ultrastructural methods. The muscles of the trunk and upper hind limbs were chiefly affected, and changes in the affected muscles resembled those in muscular dystrophy in man. The type of muscular dystrophy present in this foal and the significance of this disease in thoroughbred horses are discussed. The dystrophy in this foal resembled the limb-girdle type or myotonic dystrophy of muscular dystrophy in man.
Attempts to restore abduction of the paralyzed equine arytenoid cartilage. I. Nerve-muscle pedicle transplants. The purpose of this project was to adapt a surgical technique from humans and dogs to horses in which a portion of an accessory muscle of respiration and its nerve supply is transplanted to a denervated dorsal cricoarytenoid muscle. Anatomical dissections in seven horses revealed two possible donor nerve-pedicle grafts: the omohyoid and the sternothyrohyoid, both innervated by a branch of the first and second cervical nerves. Histochemical evaluations in two ponies of the dorsal cricoarytenoid, omohyoid and sternothyrohyoid muscles revealed similar proportions of fiber types 1 and 2 in all thr...
Serous cystadenoma in a normally cyclic mare with high plasma testosterone values. Serous cystadenoma was diagnosed by histologic examination of a large ovary removed from a 16-year-old Thoroughbred mare with normal estrous cycles. Palpation and ultrasound examination per rectum had revealed an excessive number of follicles in the right ovary. The ovulation fossa was palpable on the right ovary, and the left ovary appeared to have normal activity. Plasma testosterone values were high at the time of examination (0.15 ng/ml), but decreased to normal values (0.09 ng/ml) after removal of the cystadenoma.
Sperm granuloma in a stallion. A 7-year-old stallion with a history of abdominal pain after it fell was examined and found to have a swelling of the right testis and epididymis. Semen evaluation revealed an increase in secondary sperm abnormalities. The stallion was unilaterally castrated. The histologic diagnosis was sperm granuloma, with no evidence of infection. Periductal fibrosis was observed and appeared to have developed before the trauma occurred. The changes seen could be compatible with chronic blockade of efferent ductules, resulting in extravasation of spermatozoa.
The developmental anatomy of the equine navicular bursa and associated structures. The navicular bone, navicular bursa and their associated structures were collected from 20 horses ranging in age from 80 days gestation to 2 years post-gestation. The right front foot of every horse was sampled for light microscopy. The development of the navicular bursa and associated structures were studied. Study of the developmental anatomy of the equine navicular bursa established that the bursa is a distinct entity in both the fetus and the adult horse. Development of the bursal cavity in the fetus was found to be complete by 120 days of gestation. Synovial membrane of the navicular burs...
[Histochemical changes in skeletal muscles of racehorses susceptible to rhabdomyolysis after exertion. I. Early myopathological changes]. In this communication, the results of an enzyme histochemical study on m. gluteus medius of horses, sensitive to exertional myopathy, during attacks of rhabdomyolysis are presented. The activity and location of about 25 enzymes were examined. In the present report, the early metabolic changes are discussed. Within 6 min after an attack, some large rounded fibres (approximately 2%) were seen, which showed an intense red staining in the haematoxylin and eosin sections. These hypercontracted fibres showed an increase in activity of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase, indicating the presence o...
Muscular adaptation of horses during intensive training and detraining. Five horses were studied during a five-week regime of controlled intensive daily training on a high-speed treadmill followed by five weeks of detraining. Muscle biopsies were taken weekly from both the right and left gluteus muscle and from the sternocephalicus muscle before, and at the end of, the training and detraining periods. Histochemical and biochemical analyses of the sternocephalicus muscle showed no metabolic adaptation with either training or detraining. No significant differences were observed in any of the analysed parameters in the gluteus muscle between contralateral sites. Glyc...
Dermatographism in a horse. An eight-year-old Thoroughbred gelding with dermatographic urticaria is presented. Forelimb edema and generalized urticaria were the presenting clinical signs. All hematologic and serum biochemical values were normal. Immunologic and histologic evaluation failed to reveal specific abnormalities. During hospitalization, an urticarial response to mechanical pressure (dermatographism) was identified. Clinical responses to corticosteroid and antihistaminic (H1) therapy were equivocal. The condition resolved in five weeks and an etiology was not discovered. A discussion of the pathogenesis, diagnos...
Comparative anatomy of the accessory ciliary ganglion in mammals. The orbits of 13 mammalian species (pig, sika deer, domestic sheep, horse, cat, fox, racoon dog, marten, rat, rabbit, crab-eating macaque, japanese macaque and man) were stained with silver nitrate and dissected under a dissecting microscope with special attention to the presence and location of the accessory ciliary ganglion. Some preparations were stained with thionin and examined as whole-mounts in a transmission microscope. The accessory ciliary ganglion was present in all 13 species, although the number and degree of development varied greatly from species to species. The accessory ciliar...
Comparison of respiratory secretion cytology and pulmonary histology in horses. Equine respiratory secretions (RS) collected before (33 horses) and after (76 horses) slaughter were evaluated cytologically and grouped according to the histological diagnosis of the lungs from which they were obtained. The histological categories included normal lungs (control; 17 horses), chronic small airway disease with mild (23 horses), moderate (13 horses) and severe lesions (25 horses), interstitial pneumonia (13 horses), pulmonary eosinophilic infiltration (13 horses) and pulmonary haemorrhage (5 horses). On a group basis there were significantly more neutrophils in RS of horses with ...
Effects of season and lower ambient temperature on the structure of the sweat glands in anhidrotic horses. Histological studies of the sweat glands of anhidrotic horses in the Hong Kong summer and under conditions of reduced thermal stress, both natural and controlled, were undertaken to determine if glandular regeneration occurs. Clinical data were collected for comparison with the histological results in each instance. Horses were assigned to one of three categories on the basis of the resulting change in the number of thin glandular profiles in a cooler environment. Group 1, which was classed as normal, had a low initial value, which was maintained. Group 2, typical of mild and moderately affect...
Urogenital paraneurons in several mammals. Amines and/or peptide-producing cells, deserving to be called paraneurons, were demonstrated in the urethro-prostatic complex of the man, rabbit, buffalo and sheep and in the uterine horns of the pig, horse and mouse, by means of histochemical, immunohistochemical, immunofluorescent and double labeling immunofluorescent techniques. In particular, the urethro-prostatic complex of the sheep contains cells producing serotonin, chromogranin A and somatostatin. Often the amine and the "marker"-protein were colocalized in the same cells. Chromogranin A- and somatostatin-containing cells were found i...
[Histochemical changes in skeletal muscles of racehorses susceptible to rhabdomyolysis after exertion. II. Later myopathological and regeneration phenomena]. Needle biopsies from m. gluteus medius of 22 horses which had suffered from repeated attacks of exertional myopathy were studied at various times after an attack, to determine if metabolic alterations can be demonstrated by enzyme histochemistry. Morphological changes and activity of 25 enzymes were studied. Immediately after onset of an attack, some large rounded fibres with a defect of the oxidative phosphorylation were seen. After some hours these fibres lost their glycolytic enzyme activity, followed by disappearance of mitochondrial enzyme activity with accumulation of Ca2+-containing sub...
Hereditary junctional mechanobullous disease in a foal. Mechanobullous disease was diagnosed in a male Belgian foal that had sloughed hooves at 30 hours and at 6 and 12 days of age. Histologic and electron microscopic studies disclosed that lesions were the result of separation of the basal epithelial cell layer from the lamina densa of the basement membrane zone along the lamina lucida. Results of immunofluorescence on tissue specimens were negative for immunoglobulin deposition. The breeding history of the foal's dam indicated that the foal was produced from breeding of the mare to its full sibling stallion. This same mare had produced a female f...
Equine juvenile mandibular ossifying fibroma. Benign proliferative fibro-osseous lesions of the rostral mandible in six young horses are classified as equine juvenile mandibular ossifying fibroma. Histologically there is a characteristic abrupt transition from subgingival fibroblastic stroma to a zone of proliferating osteoblasts that form irregular spicules of osteoid. The layer of proliferating osteoblasts blends with a deeper zone of bony trabeculae rimmed by osteoblasts and separated by intertrabecular spaces of moderate cellular density. Incomplete surgical excision resulted in local recurrence, while rostral mandibulectomies resulte...
Kleingrass-associated hepatotoxicosis in horses. Chronic hepatic disease was diagnosed in 6 horses with history of anorexia and weight loss. These horses consistently had abnormally high serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activities, total and direct bilirubin and blood ammonia values, and sulfobromophthalein clearance times, whereas serum iditol dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase activities were variable. In the 6 horses, histologic examination of the liver revealed lesions of chronic hepatitis with varying degrees of fibrosis. All 6 horses had ingested kleingrass (Panicum coloratum) for variable periods. Three hea...
A comparison of three methods of end-to-end anastomosis in the equine small colon. Six animals were used to compare simple interrupted, simple continuous, and stapled techniques for end-to-end rotated small colon anastomoses. Three ponies were evaluated three days after surgery for adhesion formation and luminal diameter at each anastomosis site. Two ponies and one horse were evaluated 14 days after surgery for adhesion formation. All anastomosis sites were examined histologically for alignment of tissue planes, and evidence of inflammation. No single technique was superior in all areas examined. While only three of the nine anastomoses had mild fibrinous adhesions at three ...
Malignant lymphoma in three horses with ulcerative pharyngitis. Three horses were examined for ulcerative pharyngitis, which had been unresponsive to treatment. Biopsy specimens of the pharyngeal lesions were characterized histologically by a mixed population of lymphocytes and histiocytes, suggesting chronic inflammation. Only when biopsy specimens of regional lymph nodes revealed this cell population disrupting the lymph node architecture was the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma made.
Excision of cutaneous tumors in the horse using histologic guidance. A highly successful surgical technique for removing cutaneous tumors in humans was used in seven horses with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (n = 3) or sarcoid (n = 4). In humans, the complete underside of the tumor is evaluated histologically by processing horizontal sections from the tumor base, and orientation between the wound surface and the undersurface of the excised tumor is maintained by mapping both surfaces. The technique ensures that small foci of residual tumor can be located accurately and removed. Based on our experience, three modifications of the human technique are suggeste...
Efficacy of ivermectin in paste and injectable formulations against microfilariae of Onchocerca cervicalis and resolution of associated dermatitis in horses. The efficacy of a single dose of ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg), in injectable or paste formulations, against microfilariae of Onchocerca cervicalis and associated skin lesions was evaluated in 20 naturally infected horses during midsummer months in Louisiana. All horses had clinical signs of dermatitis of the ventral midline and/or limbs, shoulders, thorax, and withers. Efficacy was monitored at 21, 42, and 63 days after treatment. Procedures done at these intervals included microfilarial counts of 6-mm skin biopsy specimens of affected ventral midline, grading of gross lesions, and photography and h...
Partial arytenoidectomy in the horse with and without mucosal closure. Left-sided partial arytenoidectomy was performed in eight horses to evaluate healing. Four horses underwent conventional partial arytenoidectomy with suture apposition of the mucosa. In four horses, most of the arytenoid cartilage, including overlying mucosa, vocal fold, and laryngeal saccule, were excised en bloc without mucosal closure. The horses were monitored clinically by endoscopic examination. One horse from each group was euthanatized at weeks 2, 4, 8, and 16. Complete necropsies with gross and histologic examination of the arytenoidectomy sites were performed. Postoperative complicat...
Incomplete subaortic stenotic rings in domestic animals–a newly described congenital anomaly. A newly described congenital heart anomaly, the incomplete subaortic stenotic ring was detected at necropsy in four dogs, one cat, one cow, one horse, one sheep and one pig. These structures were grossly and histologically similar to complete subaortic stenotic rings, being composed of variably dense interlacing bands and sheets of fibrous connective tissue. In all nine cases, their presence at necropsy was considered an incidental finding.
The similarity of mitochondrial distribution in equine skeletal muscles of differing oxidative capacity. A morphometric analysis was performed on horse muscle tissue to quantify mitochondrial distribution relative to capillaries. Samples of M. vastus medialis, M. semitendinosus, M. masseter and M. cutaneus thoracicus were preserved in a glutaraldehyde fixative for electron microscopy, or frozen for biochemical and histochemical analysis. These four muscles varied from highly oxidative in type, consisting nearly completely of type I fibres, in masseter, to highly glycolytic, primarily type IIb fibres, in cutaneus. In all four muscles, mitochondria were found in highest volume density near capillar...
A morphological study on the obliteration processes of the ductus arteriosus in the horse. The obliteration processes of the ductus arteriosus of equine foetuses and newborn foals were studied morphometrically and histologically. The length, internal and external diameters and circumference of the ductus in equine foetuses increased progressively and linearly up to 310 days with advancing foetal age, but the values, especially the internal diameter, decreased from 320 to 330 days. After birth, the ductal measurements decreased gradually and ductal closure was found in three of 14 foals examined on the first day post partum, in two of six on the second day and in nine of nine on the ...