"Horses" is a broad topic that encompasses various aspects of equine biology, behavior, and management. This category includes studies on the anatomy, physiology, and genetics of horses, as well as their behavior, nutrition, and care. Research in this area may also cover the historical and cultural significance of horses, their roles in agriculture, sport, and therapy, and the challenges associated with their conservation and welfare. The page aggregates peer-reviewed research articles and scholarly studies that explore the multifaceted relationships between humans and horses, examining both scientific and socio-economic perspectives.
Lee S, Hector RC, Pezzanite L, Gilleland E, Rezende ML.Dexmedetomidine infusions are beneficial in anaesthetised endotoxaemic horses when administered concurrent to endotoxin, but post-conditioning effects are unknown. Objective: To evaluate whether a dexmedetomidine infusion is beneficial in horses administered Escherichia coli O55:B5 lipopolysaccharides (LPS) endotoxin prior to anaesthesia. Methods: Randomised controlled in vivo experiment. Methods: Ten systemically healthy horses were instrumented for acquisition of cardiac index (CI) using thermodilution. Horses received IV LPS (0.1 μg/kg bwt) immediately prior to anesthesia. Horses receive...
Yalavarthi G, Sabbinen H, Kosuri P, Amalaradjou M, Govoni K, Nadeau J.Strongyles are parasitic roundworms that cause significant gastrointestinal infections in equines, primarily through contact with infected soil. Worldwide, strongylosis affects nearly 90% of horse populations. Objective: The objectives of our study were to determine if there was a relationship between fecal egg count (FEC) and housing types on interleukin IL-4 and IL-13. Methods: Horses (N=25) were separated into two groups based on housing conditions: pasture (housed on pasture 24/7; PS, N=13) and semi-intensive (housed in stalls with turnout overnight; SI, N=12). Within each housing group, t...
Junge HK, Williams Louie EG, Mitchell KJ, Schwarzwald CC.Sustained ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in horses can require medical intervention. Prompt pharmacological treatment is indicated when the arrhythmia leads to hemodynamic or electrical instability. Established antiarrhythmic treatment of VA in horses includes lidocaine and magnesium, administered parenterally. Other antiarrhythmic agents are used; however, concerns regarding adverse effects, financial restrictions, logistics of administration, and lack of access often limit their use. While anecdotal reports of oral administration of sotalol for treatment of VA in horses exist, sotalol has pri...
Hernashki H, Samimi AS, Imani M, Oloumi MM.Prepubic tendon rupture (PPTR) is a rare but life-threatening complication in late-term pregnant mares. It results in abdominal wall failure, ventral oedema and a poor prognosis for both the mare and foetus. A 14-year-old multiparous Kurdish mare at approximately 310 days of gestation presented with acute ventral distension, reluctance to walk and cranial displacement of the udder. Clinical evaluation revealed tachycardia, pallor and Grade 3/4 ventral oedema. Haematology indicated leucocytosis and haemoconcentration. Transabdominal ultrasonography showed a viable foetus and severe thinning of ...
Giancola SC, Ellis KL.Treating primary back pain in horses can be challenging and often necessitates a multimodal approach. Whole-body vibration therapy (WBV) has been used in both horses and humans to alleviate pain and strengthen muscles. A recent study showed worsening back pain following a 30-minute session of WBV; however, the immediate effects of WBV were not evaluated. The purpose of this study was to assess the immediate effects of whole-body vibration therapy on horses with back pain after a single session of WBV. Objective: The objective of the current study was to determine the immediate effects on mecha...
Secor EJ, Chow EN, Thomas M, Johnson L, Siefert A, Wagner B, Engiles JB, Reesink HL.There is emerging evidence for the role of the immune system in osteoarthritis (OA) pathophysiology; however, little is known about how immune cells and the synovial transcriptome are altered in naturally occurring equine OA. Objective: To evaluate synovial fluid (SF) and synovial membrane (SM) immune cell populations and the SM transcriptome in racehorses with fetlock OA. Methods: Cross-sectional cadaver study. Methods: Fetlock joints from racehorses euthanised at NY racetracks were considered for inclusion. SF and SM were analysed by flow cytometry using T-cell (CD3, CD4, CD8) and macrophage...
Pereira LMA, Schade J, Pereira LMA, Tocheto R, Cristo TG, Casagrande RA, Souza AF, Fonteque JH.This study aimed to determine the occurrence of swellings (lampas) in the rostral portion of the hard palate in young, adult, and elderly horses and to characterize them histologically. One hundred and twenty horses of different ages were evaluated by oral inspection. Horses were classified with lampas when the mucosa of the hard palate extended beyond the occlusal surface of the upper incisors and samples of palatal mucosa were collected. Ten other horses without rostral hard palate alterations, euthanized for unrelated causes, were included as the control group. Histological analysis include...
Petersen JL, Finno CJ.A prior genome-wide association (GWA; N = 200) including Thoroughbreds and stock horses implicated chromosome 6 (NC_009149.3) in owner-reported equine anhidrosis. A missense variant in KCNE4 (NC_009149.3:g.11813731A>G) was proposed as a risk allele, although its association with anhidrosis was not reported. Variant annotation and protein modelling in the original study suggested the G allele conferred risk. We reported no association of the G allele with anhidrosis in 50 horses phenotyped by an intradermal terbutaline sweat test (ITST); all horses produced sweat regardless of genotype. ...
Houben RMAC, Broens EM, Broekhuizen-Stins MJ, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, van Maanen C, Heesterbeek JAP.Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) carriers are thought to be important drivers for strangles outbreaks. Limited data are available on the prevalence of carriers in European horse husbandry settings. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of S. equi carriers among apparently healthy adult horses and ponies in the Netherlands. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: The carrier prevalence in the Netherlands was estimated, detecting carriers by PCR analysis of three repeated nasopharyngeal lavages at weekly intervals. Bayesian methods were used for a true prevalence estimation. Result...
Lap A, Gudden DDM, Lashley MJJO, van Loon JPAM, Naoum E.Pain assessment can support monitoring welfare in working equids. Objective: To assess agreement of structured pain scores before and after training observers and to assess differences in pain scores between working equids with or without acute or chronic pain and to compare them to non-working equids. Methods: In part 1, eleven veterinarians and nine technicians performed pain scores before and after training. Agreement with reference scores was analyzed with Intra Class Correlation (ICC) analysis. In part 2, pain assessments were performed in 96 donkeys (n=40 fit-to-work, n=21 acute pain, n=...
Gluck-Flynn CR, Pratt-Phillips SE.Iron absorption tests (IATs) are used to evaluate iron absorption in humans. However, this testing has not been conducted in horses. Objective: The objective was to assess how a large dose of iron affects blood iron parameters during an IAT. Methods: Mixed-breed geldings (n=12) were offered 2% of their bodyweight (BW) in mixed-grass hay and an iron-free vitamin-mineral supplement. A baseline IAT (Baseline IAT) was performed, where horses received 25 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of BW of iron (ferrous sulfate) orally. Jugular venous samples were taken before the iron dose, and 3-, 6-, 12-, a...
Paranjape VV, Hopster K, Lutvikadic I, Driessen B.Intraoperative haemorrhage during equine anaesthesia is a rare but potentially fatal complication requiring prompt haemodynamic support. Postural manoeuvres such as Trendelenburg (TL) positioning and vasopressor support augment venous return and improve cardiac output (CO), yet their efficacy in anaesthetised hypovolemic horses remains unstudied. Objective: To evaluate haemodynamic effects of TL positioning during normovolemia and acute haemorrhagic hypovolemia, and to determine whether concurrent norepinephrine (NE) infusion enhances cardiovascular stabilisation. Methods: In vivo experiments....
Aßmann AD, Suàrez Sànchez-Andrade J, Bischofberger AS.To determine the diagnostic performance of standing computed tomographic tenography (CTT) in detecting naturally occurring intrathecal lesions of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT), manica flexoria (MF), and in identifying palmar/plantar annular ligament (PAL) desmitis and constriction in horses undergoing tenoscopy. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Client-owned horses of various breeds and use, median age of 12.5 years (range: 6-20 years). Methods: A total of 24 horses with inconclusive ultrasonographic and contrast tenograp...
Barton CK, Koch TG, Russell KA, Moorhead R, Mehrpouyan S, Alizadeh AH, Dow S, Pezzanite LM, Goodrich LR.To describe the case presentation, treatment, and outcome of horses treated with Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR-3)-activated allogeneic umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (CB-MSCs). Unassigned: 3 horses presenting with chronic or antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) septic synovitis. Unassigned: All horses presented with clinical signs associated with septic synovitis including marked grade 4/5 lameness, joint effusion, heat/swelling of the limb, and synovial fluid parameters consistent with sepsis. Case 1 presented 3 weeks following the onset of clinical signs. Cases 2 and 3 developed...
Hallsten M, Fogle C, Shippy S, Hobbs KJ, Blikslager AT, Elane GL.To describe the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy of abdominal palpation per rectum in horses treated surgically for colic. Unassigned: Medical records were gathered over 5 years (2019 to 2024). Findings of abdominal palpation per rectum were collected and compared to surgical diagnosis, and cases were categorized as true or false positive and negative. Signalment, physical examination parameters, hematologic values, and years of examiner experience were recorded. Unassigned: Records of 453 horses were included. Overall sensitivity and positive predictive value were 86%...
Helber L, Wagner B, Leeth CM, LeRoith T, Cecere TE, Lahmers KK, Andrews FM, Hay AN, Werre SR, Johnson AL, Clark CK, Pusterla N, Reed SM, Lindsay DS....Currently, little is known about the exact role of immunopathology in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), including the ability to persist after anti-protozoal treatment. The main objectives of this study were to determine whether is present in the CNS in horses with EPM, including previously treated cases, and to evaluate the associated histopathology and immune response. For this study, control ( = 10) and horses with EPM ( = 9) were confirmed based on our inclusion criteria. Based on our preliminary data, we classified horses with EPM and clinical signs for >6 months as...
Zeliszewska-Duk P, Skowerska-Wiśniewska A, Wilk I, Nowicka B, Duk M, Strzelec K.This study aimed to investigate the impact of gym exercises for riders on their posture and the subsequent effect on reducing discomfort for their horses during training, using electronic pressure sensors. The study involved 20 warmblood horses aged 5-10 years, regularly ridden under saddle, and four riders of similar height and body weight. The study group was divided into a control group (10 horses) and an experimental group (10 horses). The horses were trained 5 days a week for 60 days in total. Riders trained three times a week for approximately 60 minutes. The exercises were designed to i...
Orsini JA, Stefanovski D.This study evaluated the clinical application, outcomes, and prognostic indicators of deep digital flexor tenotomy (DDFT) in horses with chronic laminitis. Unassigned: A computer-generated search identified all possible cases of laminitis for horses referred to the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania between 2010 and 2022. Medical records were reviewed for a diagnosis of laminitis by clinical examination and radiographs. The population was characterized by breed, age, clinical features, and radiographic findings. Poisson regression was performed to id...
Vanderbiest L, Rousseau L, Renaville B, Aleman M, Finno C, Milan A, Vinardell T.Occipitoatlantoaxial malformations (OAAM) are developmental disorders occurring at the occiput, atlas and axis. OAAM type 1 is a familial disorder affecting Arabian horses. Currently, a single genetic mutation in the HOXD3 gene region can be tested to confirm the diagnosis. This case describes a 3-year-old Arabian gelding affected with OAAM. Clinical examination revealed a proximal cervical deformation on the right side and severe stiffness of the neck in the sagittal plane without associated pain. Neurological examination demonstrated a generalized proprioceptive ataxia. Radiographs revealed ...
Caceres AM, Sperandio LMS, Alvarenga NACA, Borges AS, Oliveira-Filho JP.Bull-catching (vaquejada) accounting for approximately 13% of sport horses in Brazil. Genetic screening has enabled strategies to reduce the spread of inherited disorders, including Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA), a major skin disease included in the Six Panel required for registration by the Brazilian Quarter Horse Breeders Association. Although the HERDA-associated variant has been extensively studied in other disciplines, it had not been evaluated in Bull-catching Quarter Horses (QH). Objective: The present study aimed to determine the allele frequency of the pathogenic ...
Phillips NAI, Fortier LA, Cable CS, Colbath AC.In horses, standing arthroscopy offers a valuable alternative to general anesthesia for the reduction of anesthetic-associated risks, and provides improved visualization in joints where access is facilitated by weightbearing. These techniques are particularly advantageous for patients with increased anesthetic risk or financial limitations. To the authors' knowledge, the removal of osteochondral fragments from the distal interphalangeal joint in a standing, sedated horse using small-diameter arthroscopic equipment has not been previously reported. Methods: A 7-year-old American Quarter Horse-T...
Salmonellosis in horses can cause severe enteritis with diarrhea, fever, and colic, which is usually severe in foals and hospitalized or immunocompromised animals. Carrier horses may intermittently shed Salmonella, thereby acting as a source of infection for other animals and humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and molecular subtyping of Salmonella spp. in horses from Argentina, focusing on potential zoonotic relevance. Only a single isolate (S. Newport) was obtained from fecal samples of 249 clinically healthy horses (2018-2022), indicating a very low carrier detec...
Coles GC, Bauer C, Borgsteede FH, Geerts S, Klei TR, Taylor MA, Waller PJ.Methods have been described to assist in the detection of anthelmintic resistance in strongylid nematodes of ruminants, horses and pigs. Two tests are recommended, an in vivo test, the faecal egg count reduction test for use in infected animals, and an in vitro test, the egg hatch test for detection of benzimidazole resistance in nematodes that hatch shortly after embryonation. Anaerobic storage for submission of faecal samples from the field for use in the in vitro test is of value and the procedure is described. The tests should enable comparable data to be obtained in surveys in all parts o...
Connor RJ, Kawaoka Y, Webster RG, Paulson JC.The receptor specificity of 56 H2 and H3 influenza virus isolates from various animal species has been determined to test the relevance of receptor specificity to the ecology of influenza virus. The results show that the receptor specificity of both H2 and H3 isolates evaluated for sialic acid linkage specificity and inhibition of hemagglutination by horse serum correlates with the species of origin, as postulated earlier for H3 strains based on a limited survey of five human, three avian, and one equine strain. Elucidation of the amino acid sequence of several human H2 receptor variants and a...
Kaplan RM.Reports of drug resistance have been made in every livestock host and to every anthelmintic class. In some regions of world, the extremely high prevalence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) in nematodes of sheep and goats threatens the viability of small-ruminant industries. Resistance in nematodes of horses and cattle has not yet reached the levels seen in small ruminants, but evidence suggests that the problems of resistance, including MDR worms, are also increasing in these hosts. There is an urgent need to develop both novel non-chemical approaches for parasite control and molecular assays cap...
Band GP, van der Molen MW, Logan GD.In the stop-signal paradigm, subjects perform a standard two-choice reaction task in which, occasionally and unpredictably, a stop-signal is presented requiring the inhibition of the response to the choice signal. The stop-signal paradigm has been successfully applied to assess the ability to inhibit under a wide range of experimental conditions and in various populations. The current study presents a set of evidence-based guidelines for using the stop-signal paradigm. The evidence was derived from a series of simulations aimed at (a) examining the effects of experimental design features on in...
Murray K, Selleck P, Hooper P, Hyatt A, Gould A, Gleeson L, Westbury H, Hiley L, Selvey L, Rodwell B.A morbillivirus has been isolated and added to an increasing list of emerging viral diseases. This virus caused an outbreak of fatal respiratory disease in horses and humans. Genetic analyses show it to be only distantly related to the classic morbilliviruses rinderpest, measles, and canine distemper. When seen by electron microscopy, viruses had 10- and 18-nanometer surface projections that gave them a "double-fringed" appearance. The virus induced syncytia that developed in the endothelium of blood vessels, particularly the lungs.
Kościuczuk EM, Lisowski P, Jarczak J, Strzałkowska N, Jóźwik A, Horbańczuk J, Krzyżewski J, Zwierzchowski L, Bagnicka E.Cathelicidins are small, cationic, antimicrobial peptides found in humans and other species, including farm animals (cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits and in some species of fish). These proteolytically activated peptides are part of the innate immune system of many vertebrates. These peptides show a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against bacteria, enveloped viruses and fungi. Apart from exerting direct antimicrobial effects, cathelicidins can also trigger specific defense responses in the host. Their roles in various pathophysiological conditions have been studie...
Coles GC, Jackson F, Pomroy WE, Prichard RK, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Silvestre A, Taylor MA, Vercruysse J.Before revised World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) guidelines on the detection of anthelmintic resistance can be produced, validation of modified and new methods is required in laboratories in different parts of the world. There is a great need for improved methods of detection of anthelmintic resistance particularly for the detection of macrocyclic lactone resistance and for the detection of resistant nematodes in cattle. Therefore, revised and new methods are provided here for the detection of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of ruminants, horses and ...
von Borell E, Langbein J, Després G, Hansen S, Leterrier C, Marchant J, Marchant-Forde R, Minero M, Mohr E, Prunier A, Valance D, Veissier I.Measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to investigate the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, especially the balance between sympathetic and vagal activity. It has been proven to be very useful in humans for both research and clinical studies concerned with cardiovascular diseases, diabetic autonomic dysfunction, hypertension and psychiatric and psychological disorders. Over the past decade, HRV has been used increasingly in animal research to analyse changes in sympathovagal balance related to diseases, psychological and environmental...
Forkman B, Boissy A, Meunier-Salaün MC, Canali E, Jones RB.Fear is arguably the most commonly investigated emotion in domestic animals. In the current review we attempt to establish the level of repeatability and validity found for fear tests used on cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, poultry and horses. We focus the review on the three most common types of fear tests: the arena test (open field), the novel object test, and the restraint test. For some tests, e.g. tonic immobility in poultry, there is a good and broad literature on factors that affect the outcome of the test, the validity of the test and its age dependency. However, there are comparativel...
Petersen HH, Nielsen JP, Heegaard PM.The body's early defence in response to trauma, inflammation or infection, the acute phase response, is a complex set of systemic reactions seen shortly after exposure to a triggering event. One of the many components is an acute phase protein response in which increased hepatic synthesis leads to increased serum concentration of positive acute phase proteins. The serum concentration of these acute phase proteins returns to base levels when the triggering factor is no longer present. This paper provides a review of the acute phase proteins haptoglobin, C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A an...
Suzuki Y, Ito T, Suzuki T, Holland RE, Chambers TM, Kiso M, Ishida H, Kawaoka Y.The distribution of sialic acid (SA) species varies among animal species, but the biological role of this variation is largely unknown. Influenza viruses differ in their ability to recognize SA-galactose (Gal) linkages, depending on the animal hosts from which they are isolated. For example, human viruses preferentially recognize SA linked to Gal by the alpha2,6(SAalpha2,6Gal) linkage, while equine viruses favor SAalpha2,3Gal. However, whether a difference in relative abundance of specific SA species (N-acetylneuraminic acid [NeuAc] and N-glycolylneuraminic acid [NeuGc]) among different animal...
Costa MC, Arroyo LG, Allen-Vercoe E, Stämpfli HR, Kim PT, Sturgeon A, Weese JS.The intestinal tract houses one of the richest and most complex microbial populations on the planet, and plays a critical role in health and a wide range of diseases. Limited studies using new sequencing technologies in horses are available. The objective of this study was to characterize the fecal microbiome of healthy horses and to compare the fecal microbiome of healthy horses to that of horses with undifferentiated colitis. A total of 195,748 sequences obtained from 6 healthy horses and 10 horses affected by undifferentiated colitis were analyzed. Firmicutes predominated (68%) among health...
Dalla Costa E, Minero M, Lebelt D, Stucke D, Canali E, Leach MC.The assessment of pain is critical for the welfare of horses, in particular when pain is induced by common management procedures such as castration. Existing pain assessment methods have several limitations, which reduce the applicability in everyday life. Assessment of facial expression changes, as a novel means of pain scoring, may offer numerous advantages and overcome some of these limitations. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a standardised pain scale based on facial expressions in horses (Horse Grimace Scale [HGS]). Results: Forty stallions were assigned to one of ...
den Boon JA, Snijder EJ, Chirnside ED, de Vries AA, Horzinek MC, Spaan WJ.The nucleotide sequence of the genome of equine arteritis virus (EAV) was determined from a set of overlapping cDNA clones and was found to contain eight open reading frames (ORFs). ORFs 2 through 7 are expressed from six 3'-coterminal subgenomic mRNAs, which are transcribed from the 3'-terminal quarter of the viral genome. A number of these ORFs are predicted to encode structural EAV proteins. The organization and expression of the 3' part of the EAV genome are remarkably similar to those of coronaviruses and toroviruses. The 5'-terminal three-quarters of the genome contain the putative EAV p...
Equine rabies is a sporadic but highly fatal zoonotic disease. The disease persists in wildlife populations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other parts of the world. It remains a threat to all domestic species, including the horse. This article reports recent advances in the molecular virology of the rabies virus and its pathogenesis, and it also reviews the history, clinical signs, diagnostic tests, vaccination protocols, and postexposure management recommendations for the equine species.
Lykkesfeldt J, Svendsen O.Important infectious diseases in farm animals, such as pneumonia and enteritis, are thought to be associated with the so-called oxidative stress, i.e. a chemical phenomenon involving an imbalance in the redox status of the individual animal. The specifics of oxidative stress and how it may result in disease or be prevented are complex questions with no simple answers. However, the considerable literature on the subject suggests that many researchers consider oxidative stress-related mechanisms to be important early events in disease development. A particularly intriguing aspect is that, at lea...
Furet JP, Firmesse O, Gourmelon M, Bridonneau C, Tap J, Mondot S, Doré J, Corthier G.Pollution of the environment by human and animal faecal pollution affects the safety of shellfish, drinking water and recreational beaches. To pinpoint the origin of contaminations, it is essential to define the differences between human microbiota and that of farm animals. A strategy based on real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays was therefore developed and applied to compare the composition of intestinal microbiota of these two groups. Primers were designed to quantify the 16S rRNA gene from dominant and subdominant bacterial groups. TaqMan probes were defined for the qPCR technique used ...
Uilenberg G.The history of the genus Babesia is briefly outlined. The classical differences with the main other genus of non-pigment-forming hemoparasites, Theileria, are the absence of extra-erythrocytic multiplication (schizogony) in Babesia and the cycle in the vector tick, which includes transovarial transmission in Babesia but only transstadial transmission in Theileria. Also, the multiplication in the red cell of Babesia, by budding, most often results in two daughter cells (merozoites), while that of Theileria gives four merozoites, often as a Maltese cross. In particular this means that what is st...
Gilbert M, Nicolas G, Cinardi G, Van Boeckel TP, Vanwambeke SO, Wint GRW, Robinson TP.Global data sets on the geographic distribution of livestock are essential for diverse applications in agricultural socio-economics, food security, environmental impact assessment and epidemiology. We present a new version of the Gridded Livestock of the World (GLW 3) database, reflecting the most recently compiled and harmonized subnational livestock distribution data for 2010. GLW 3 provides global population densities of cattle, buffaloes, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks in each land pixel at a spatial resolution of 0.083333 decimal degrees (approximately 10 km at the equat...
Prescott JF.Recent isolations of Rhodococcus equi from cavitatory pulmonary disease in patients with AIDS have aroused interest among medical microbiologists in this unusual organism. Earlier isolations from humans had also been in immunosuppressed patients following hemolymphatic tumors or renal transplantation. This organism has been recognized for many years as a cause of a serious pyogranulomatous pneumonia of young foals and is occasionally isolated from granulomatous lesions in several other species, in some cases following immunosuppression. The last decade has seen many advances in understanding o...
Andersson LS, Larhammar M, Memic F, Wootz H, Schwochow D, Rubin CJ, Patra K, Arnason T, Wellbring L, Hjälm G, Imsland F, Petersen JL, McCue ME....Locomotion in mammals relies on a central pattern-generating circuitry of spinal interneurons established during development that coordinates limb movement. These networks produce left-right alternation of limbs as well as coordinated activation of flexor and extensor muscles. Here we show that a premature stop codon in the DMRT3 gene has a major effect on the pattern of locomotion in horses. The mutation is permissive for the ability to perform alternate gaits and has a favourable effect on harness racing performance. Examination of wild-type and Dmrt3-null mice demonstrates that Dmrt3 is exp...
Balazs EA, Denlinger JL.Viscosupplementation is a new medical concept that has as its therapeutic goal the restoration of rheological homeostasis in pathological structures such as osteoarthritic joints. When the normal viscoelasticity of a solid tissue compartment or the elastoviscosity of a liquid tissue compartment is decreased under pathological conditions, normal function and regenerative processes are impaired. By introducing viscosupplementary devices, the normal rheological state of such compartments is restored or augmented. These devices stay in the tissue compartment for various periods of time, depending ...
Groeneveld LF, Lenstra JA, Eding H, Toro MA, Scherf B, Pilling D, Negrini R, Finlay EK, Jianlin H, Groeneveld E, Weigend S.Domestication of livestock species and a long history of migrations, selection and adaptation have created an enormous variety of breeds. Conservation of these genetic resources relies on demographic characterization, recording of production environments and effective data management. In addition, molecular genetic studies allow a comparison of genetic diversity within and across breeds and a reconstruction of the history of breeds and ancestral populations. This has been summarized for cattle, yak, water buffalo, sheep, goats, camelids, pigs, horses, and chickens. Further progress is expected...
Science (New York, N.Y.)May 9, 2018
Volume 360, Issue 6396 eaar7711 doi: 10.1126/science.aar7711
de Barros Damgaard P, Martiniano R, Kamm J, Moreno-Mayar JV, Kroonen G, Peyrot M, Barjamovic G, Rasmussen S, Zacho C, Baimukhanov N, Zaibert V....The Yamnaya expansions from the western steppe into Europe and Asia during the Early Bronze Age (~3000 BCE) are believed to have brought with them Indo-European languages and possibly horse husbandry. We analyzed 74 ancient whole-genome sequences from across Inner Asia and Anatolia and show that the Botai people associated with the earliest horse husbandry derived from a hunter-gatherer population deeply diverged from the Yamnaya. Our results also suggest distinct migrations bringing West Eurasian ancestry into South Asia before and after, but not at the time of, Yamnaya culture. We find no ev...
Witte W, Strommenger B, Stanek C, Cuny C.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus of clonal lineage ST398 that exhibits related spa types and contains SCCmec elements of types IVa or V has been isolated from colonized and infected humans and companion animals (e.g., dog, pig, horse) in Germany and Austria. Of particular concern is the association of these cases with cases of nosocomial ventilator-associated pneumonia.
De Briyne N, Atkinson J, Pokludová L, Borriello SP.The Heads of Medicines Agencies and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe undertook a survey to gain an insight into European prescribing of antibiotics for animals, in particular to highlight the diseases for which antibiotics are most commonly said to be prescribed and which different classes, including human critically important antibiotics (CIAs). The survey was completed by 3004 practitioners from 25 European countries. Many older antibiotics (eg, penicillins, tetracyclines) are cited most frequently as the prescribed classes to treat the main food producing species. The frequency of ...
Science (New York, N.Y.)August 26, 1983
Volume 221, Issue 4613 823-828 doi: 10.1126/science.6308762
Campbell WC, Fisher MH, Stapley EO, Albers-Schönberg G, Jacob TA.Ivermectin is the 22,23-dihydro derivative of avermectin B1, a macrocyclic lactone produced by an actinomycete, Streptomyces avermitilis. It is active at extremely low dosage against a wide variety of nematode and arthropod parasites, apparently by virtue of its action on the mediation of neurotransmission by gamma-aminobutyric acid. It is now in commercial use in various countries for the treatment and control of parasites in cattle, horses, and sheep, and is expected to become available for use in swine and dogs. Since studies with the drug in man are in a preliminary stage, it is not yet kn...
Carroll CL, Huntington PJ.Three hundred and seventy two horses of varying breeds, height and fatness were weighed and measured for height at the withers. They were assessed for condition score by adaptation of a previously published method. The heart girth and length of 281 of the horses were also measured. Weight of horses was highly correlated (P less than 0.001) with height (r2 = 0.62), condition score (r2 = 0.22) and girth2 x length (r2 = 0.90). Nomograms were constructed to predict weight from height and condition score, and girth and length measurements. Weight can also be accurately estimated from the formula: (...
Godwin EE, Young NJ, Dudhia J, Beamish IC, Smith RK.Mesenchymal stem (progenitor; stromal) cell (MSC) therapy has gained popularity for the treatment of equine tendon injuries but without reports of long-term follow-up. Objective: To evaluate the safety and reinjury rate of racehorses after intralesional MSC injection in a large study of naturally occurring superficial digital flexor tendinopathy and to compare these data with those published for other treatments. Methods: Safety was assessed clinically, ultrasonographically, scintigraphically and histologically in a cohort of treated cases: 141 client-owned treated racehorses followed-up for a...
Schubert M, Jónsson H, Chang D, Der Sarkissian C, Ermini L, Ginolhac A, Albrechtsen A, Dupanloup I, Foucal A, Petersen B, Fumagalli M, Raghavan M....The domestication of the horse ∼ 5.5 kya and the emergence of mounted riding, chariotry, and cavalry dramatically transformed human civilization. However, the genetics underlying horse domestication are difficult to reconstruct, given the near extinction of wild horses. We therefore sequenced two ancient horse genomes from Taymyr, Russia (at 7.4- and 24.3-fold coverage), both predating the earliest archeological evidence of domestication. We compared these genomes with genomes of domesticated horses and the wild Przewalski's horse and found genetic structure within Eurasia in the Late Pleist...
