"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.
Wondimagegnehu K, Leta S, Amenu K, Negussie H.Respiratory disease is the most common presenting complaint at veterinary clinics and a priority concern for equid owners and veterinary practitioners in Ethiopia. This study aimed to report the molecular detection of EHV-2 and EHV-5 and to assess the risk factors associated with infection in working equids in central Ethiopia. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 58 horses and donkeys to detect EHV-2 and EHV-5 using PCR targeting the conserved region of glycoprotein B (gB) genes. From 58 equids, EHV-5 and EHV-2 were detected in 20 (34.5%) and 19 (32.8%) equids, respectively. Concurrent in...
Cui JQ, Liu WH, Zang YX, Zhang C, Zou L, Sun HZ, Pan Q, Ren HY.A lytic bacteriophage vB_EcoM_DE7 (hereafter designated DE7) that could infect donkey-derived Escherichia coli was isolated. The bacteriophage was examined by transmission electron microscopy, and the result showed that DE7 belonged to the family Myoviridae. The microbiological characterization revealed that DE7 was stable over a broad range of pHs (3 ∼10) at 40-50 °C. The latent period was 10 min, and the burst size was 43 PFUs/infected cell. The whole-genome sequencing showed that DE7 was a dsDNA virus and had a genome of 86,130 bp. The genome contained 124 predicted open reading frames...
Meister TL, Arroyo LG, Shanahan R, Papapetrou MA, Reinecke B, Brüggemann Y, Todt D, Stang A, Hazlett M, Baird JD, Steinmann E.Theiler's disease (TD) is a (sub-)acute hepatitis in adult horses and one of the most common causes of acute hepatic failure. Recent findings indicate that equine parvovirus hepatitis (EqPV-H) likely causes TD and that its transmission occurs via iatrogenic and/or natural routes. Following the death of an EqPV-H positive mare with TD, close-contact mares and foals in the same paddock were monitored to evaluate if there was any evidence of EqPV-H. For this purpose, the serum of close contact horses was examined 6 and 42 days after the mare's death for the presence of EqPV-H DNA and changes in l...
Begg AP, Carrick J, Chicken C, Blishen A, Todhunter K, Eamens K, Jenkins C.This report describes the fetoplacental pathology of associated abortion, premature birth, and neonatal loss in 46 of 442 equine abortion investigations between 2015 and 2019. Seven abortions, 26 premature births, and 13 neonatal deaths with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were evaluated. In 83% of cases (38/46), infection was considered as the primary cause of loss based on quantitative PCR (qPCR) confirmation, pathological findings, and exclusion of other causes, and was supported by immunolabeling in fetoplacental lesions. Lymphohistiocytic placentitis with vasculitis (36/38) af...
Badr C, Souiai O, Arbi M, El Behi I, Essaied MS, Khosrof I, Benkahla A, Chabchoub A, Ghram A.Equid herpesvirus (EHV) is a contagious viral disease affecting horses, causing illness characterized by respiratory symptoms, abortion and neurological disorders. It is common worldwide and causes severe economic losses to the equine industry. The present study was aimed at investigating the incidence of EHVs, the genetic characterization of Tunisian isolates and a spatiotemporal study, using 298 collected samples from diseased and clinically healthy horses. The global incidence of EHV infection was found to be about 71.81%. EHV2 and EHV5 were detected in 146 (48.99%) and 159 (53.35%) sampled...
Guerri G, Palozzo A, Straticò P, Varasano V, Celani G, Di Francesco P, Vignoli M, Petrizzi L.(1) Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) employs an ultrasound impulse to produce transversely oriented shear waves, which travel through the surrounding tissue according to the stiffness of the tissue itself. The study aimed to assess the reliability of 2D-SWE for evaluating the elastosonographic appearance of the distal attachment of the fetlock joint capsule (DJC) in sound horses and in horses with osteoarthritis (OA) (2). According to a thorough evaluation of metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ), adult horses were divided in a sound Group (H) and in OA Group (P). Thereafter, a 2D-S...
Arroyo LG, Hodgins DC, Guest B, Costa M, Ma Z, Monteiro MA.Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) is associated with colitis in foals and mature horses. C. difficile exposes specific phosphorylated polysaccharides (PSs), named PS-I, PS-II and PS-III. These cell-surface PSs are potential vaccine targets, especially the hexasaccharide phosphate PS-II, that has been found in all C. difficile ribotypes examined. Since we previously identified anti-PS-II circulating antibodies in horses, we postulated that vaccinating foals with PS-II may prevent colonization by C. difficile. In this study, we aim to evaluate the IgM antibody response...
Makowiecki D, Chudziak W, Szczepanik P, Janeczek M, Pasicka E.Knowledge about horses from early medieval (10th-13th c.) Poland has been largely based on historical and archaeological data. Archaeozoological information has only been used to a limited extent. Therefore, this article aims to present the current state of knowledge on this subject, drawing on archaeozoological data from studies of horse bones. Apart from confirming earlier reflections regarding the sacred significance of the horse, additional information was obtained about specific individuals who were the subject of magical treatments. It turned out that sites with horse skeletons and skull...
Gerdes C, Morgan R, Terry R, Foote A, Smith R.This descriptive anatomical study investigates the relationship between the third interosseous muscle, also known as the suspensory ligament, and the carpometacarpal joint in forelimbs of horses, with the hypothesis that there was a direct synovial communication between these structures as shown by computed tomographic arthrography, histology, and gross anatomy sections. Computed tomography of the carpus and metacarpal region was performed on two groups. Group 1 consisted of eight cadaver limbs undergoing computed tomographic arthrography following injection of a mixture of positive contrast m...
Platzer J, Feuerbacher EN.Positive reinforcement is becoming more common in horse training. Identifying effective reinforcers is critical for training success. The aim of this study was to determine relative reinforcer efficacy of different grains. Four horses learned to muzzle touch a target, after which they were tested using a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement with different grains as the consequence. Break points were used to determine relative reinforcer efficacy of each grain and were also converted into unit price per kilocalorie to determine if caloric value impacted reinforcer efficacy. Condition 1 c...
Ekstrand C, Michanek P, Gehring R, Sundell A, Källse A, Hedeland M, Ström L.Atropine is an essential part of the treatment protocol for equine uveitis. Topical atropine administration has been associated with decreased intestinal motility and abdominal pain in horses. Experimental studies have indicated that frequent dosing is associated with a higher risk than dosing every 6 h. Unfortunately, no quantitative pharmacodynamic data for inhibition of the equine gut are published. Unassigned: Eight standardbred horses were assigned to receive either atropine or saline (control) to be infused over 30 min in a two-treatment cross-over design. Atropine concentrations in plas...
McGovern KF, Gough RL.An 18 hours old foal presented with a suspected meconium impaction. There was no response to treatment and a tentative diagnosis of atresia coli (AC) was made. Surgical intervention was declined and the foal was euthanized 12 hours after admission. Type 3 AC was confirmed on post-mortem examination, with the colon ending at the left ventral colon. A 1,080 large colon volvulus (LCV) at the sternal flexure was present. It is speculated that AC could predispose the foal to LCV. Histopathology was not performed but would be useful in further cases of AC.
Dosi MCMC, McGorum BC, Kirton RD, Cillán-García E, Mellanby RJ, Keen JA, Hurst EA, Morgan RA.Vitamin D deficiency is common in humans and is increasingly linked to the pathogenesis of a multitude of diseases including obesity and metabolic syndrome. The biology of vitamin D in horses is poorly described; the relative contribution of the diet and skin synthesis to circulating concentrations is unclear and associations with the endocrine disease have not been explored. Objective: To determine the relationship between management, season and endocrine disease and vitamin D status in horses. Methods: Cross-sectional cohort study. Methods: Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 (25(O...
Wiśniewska A, Janczarek I, Tkaczyk E, Wilk I, Janicka W, Próchniak T, Kaczmarek B, Pokora E, Łuszczyński J.This study aimed to perform a comparative analysis of the horses' heart rate parameters and locomotor activity in a herd or isolation, with or without the company of goats. Twenty horses were tested in a paddock, accompanied (or not) by three goats. The experiment comprised four tests (a control test of a herd of horses without goats, a horse isolation test without goats, a test of a herd of horses with goats and a test of an isolated horse with goats). The horse's locomotor behavior, and the HR, RR, rMSSD, LF, HF, and LF/HF were recorded. The data analysis included a 15-min rest, procedural a...
El-Khatib AH, Engel AM, Weigel S.Hypoglycin A (HGA) and methylenecyclpropylglycine (MCPrG) are formed by some maple trees (Acer species) and have been associated with incidences of atypical myopathy among horses in pastures. In this work, a simple and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method without derivatization was developed for the quantification of HGA and MCPrG in maple samples and validated according to EU guidelines. The LOQ presented here for HGA (16.4 µg/kg) is considerably lower than the lowest published LOQ (500 µg/kg). This method confirms that sycamore and ...
Ayoub C, Arroyo LG, Renaud D, Weese JS, Gomez DE.The objective of this study was to compare the fecal microbiota of two healthy teaching horse herds with that of client-owned horses from the same geographic areas. The fecal microbiota of client-owned horses from Ontario Canada (n = 15) and Florida, USA (n = 11) was compared with that teaching horses from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada (n = 10) and the University of Florida, Florida, USA (n = 15). The fecal microbiota was characterized by sequencing of bacterial DNA using the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. The diversity (inverse Simpson index) of the fecal mi...
Tura G, Brunetti B, Brigandì E, Rinnovati R, Sarli G, Avallone G, Muscatello LV, La Ragione RM, Durham AE, Bacci B.Sarcoids are among the most common tumors diagnosed in equids; their association with bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) infection has been widely reported, but the mechanism of carcinogenesis has not been fully elucidated. To verify whether BPV infection causes dysregulation of the pRb-Cyclin D1-p16-p53 pathway as reported for human papillomavirus (HPV), the study employed immunohistochemistry to test 55 equine sarcoid biopsies for the expression of pRb, Cyclin D1, and p53 cell cycle regulatory proteins and to evaluate the proliferative rate through Ki67. High Cyclin D1 and pRb expression were obs...
Crowell CN, Fenton JM, Perry EB.Gustatory and olfactory changes have been reported during gestation in multiple species. However, few data are available regarding feeding preferences in gestating mares. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of oil-based palatants on feeding behavior in late term gestating mares. Late-term gestating mares (n = 5) and reproductively sound, open mares (n = 4) were evaluated via paired preference testing during the final 120 days of gestation. Oil-based flavors (corn oil, anise, and apple) were topically applied to a basal pelleted diet (0.375 ml/0.23 kg). Diets were offe...
Possessing high meat and dairy productivity and good reproductive and adaptive qualities to year-round grazing, the Kushum breed plays an exceptional role in the improvement of productive qualities in horse herding in Kazakhstan and the former Soviet republics. The aim of the study was to develop breeding methods for creating new highly productive breeding lines for the Kushum breed horses. The leading method was linebreeding, which is based on the systematic use of remarkable animals, the offspring of which will accumulate and develop all the desired qualities and traits. The practical signif...
Victor S, Lampa E, Rask Andersen A, Gafvelin G, Grönlund H, Elfman L.Horse allergens are less studied than allergens from other furry animals and these allergens must be evaluated to understand the complexity of allergy to horses. The aims of this study were to develop assays for the horse allergens Equ c 1 and Equ c 2 in dander and saliva and to determine their levels in ten horse breeds. The study also included a comparison of these findings with previous results on the levels of Equ c 4 performed on the same study population. The study population included 170 horses from 10 horse breeds including American Curly and Russian Bashkir horse, which have been sugg...
Dembek K, Timko K, Moore C, Johnson L, Frazer M, Barr B, Toribio R.Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals. Relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI), defined as an inadequate cortisol response to stress, has been associated with sepsis, prematurity, and poor outcome in newborn foals. In addition to cortisol, the adrenal gland synthesizes several biologically important steroids and steroid precursors, including aldosterone, androgens, and progestogens. However, concentration of these hormones during hospitalization and their association with the severity of disease and mortality in critically ill foals have not been completely evaluate...
Kvist L, Honka J, Salazar D, Kirkinen T, Hemmann K.We used historical DNA samples to examine the history of a native horse breed, the Finnhorse. Samples were collected from private collections, museums, schools and excavations, representing the times prior to, during, and after the foundation of the breed; from the end of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. We sequenced a fragment of mitochondrial DNA from these historical samples to study the history and evolution of maternal lineages of horses back to the early days of the breed, compared the mitochondrial DNA sequence diversity of different historical periods and modern day Fi...
Schrurs C, Dubois G, Van Erck-Westergren E, Gardner DS.The racing industry is supported by a predominance of female stablehands and work riders, but few become professional jockeys. Female jockeys have recently had notable race success. No study has assessed whether the sex of the rider may subtly influence racehorse physiology to affect performance. Here, using a validated exercise tracking system (the 'Equimetre'™) that records many physiological parameters simultaneously, this study characterised racehorse cardiovascular (heart rate, heart rate recovery) and biomechanical (stride length and frequency) parameters at various exercise intensitie...
Whitlock F, Grewar J, Newton R.During 2019, an epidemic of equine influenza (EI) occurred in Europe. Objective: To describe the epidemiology of the 2019 EI epidemic within Great Britain (GB). Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of laboratory confirmed EI cases. Methods: Epidemiological data were obtained from veterinary surgeons referring samples for EI virus testing. Where available, data on confirmed cases and their wider resident population on EI-infected premises were collated and described. On a national level, spatial and temporal representations, consisting of choropleth maps and epidemic curves, described the s...
Averay K, Wilkins C, de Kantzow M, Simon O, van Galen G, Sykes B, Verwilghen D.Horse owners' motivators and barriers for consent to exploratory laparotomy are poorly understood. Objective: To (1) determine the proportion of Australian and New Zealand horse owners who would consent to exploratory laparotomy and (2) identify motivators and barriers for consent. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: A questionnaire was developed and distributed online. Descriptive statistics were calculated by tabulating respondents by their answers to whether they would consent to exploratory laparotomy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify variables associated wi...
Onasanya AE, El-Hage C, Diaz-Méndez A, Vaz PK, Legione AR, Browning GF, Devlin JM, Hartley CA.Equid gammaherpesvirus 2 (EHV2) is a gammaherpesvirus with a widespread distribution in horse populations globally. Although its pathogenic significance can be unclear in most cases of infection, EHV2 infection can cause upper respiratory tract disease in foals. Co-infection of different strains of EHV2 in an individual horse is common. Small regions of the EHV2 genome have shown considerable genetic heterogeneity. This could suggest genomic recombination between different strains of EHV2, similar to the extensive recombination networks that have been demonstrated for some alphaherpesviruses. ...
Wijekoon S, Tsogbadrakh M, Sunaga T, Wang Y, Mwale C, Kim S, Alimaa D, Okumura M.The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-hepcidin effect of pentosan polysulfate (PPS) in Mongolian horses. Twenty-six healthy horses were randomly allocated in to two-groups; one group was treated with a PPS once a week for 4-weeks while another group keeping as placebo. Blood samples at day 0 (D0), before race (BR; day 28) and after race (AR; day 28) were analyzed for serum biochemistry, hepcidin and iron concentrations. Significant reduction of hepcidin was observed at AR in PPS group when compared with BR placebo (P<0.05) and AR placebo (P<0.01). Mean hepcidin concentration differ...
Strutzberg-Minder K, Ullerich A, Dohmann K, Boehmer J, Goris M.The MAT test is of great importance in the diagnosis of leptospiral infections. Based on various differences, the serovar Grippotyphosa has been divided into two types, Moskva V and Duyster. Differences or similarities of the two type strains in the context of leptospiral diagnostics have not yet been elucidated in more detail; therefore both strains were analysed in MAT diagnostics for the detection of leptospiral infections in pigs, dogs and horses. Serum samples from 2996 pigs, 55 dogs and 35 horses, as well as vitreous and/or aqueous fluid samples from these and 13 additional horses were a...
Allen SE, Rosanowski SM, Stirk AJ, Verheyen KLP.No large-scale studies have described veterinary events occurring in National Hunt (NH) flat racing or investigated risk factors for fatality in this race type. Objective: To describe injuries and conditions requiring veterinary attendance on race day and to determine risk factors for racehorse fatality in NH flat racing in Great Britain. Methods: Retrospective cohort study (2000-2013). Methods: Information from all NH flat races held over the study period, including horse, race and veterinary event report details, was combined. Veterinary events were described by type and anatomical structure...
Robert C, Valette JP, Denoix JM.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of speed and slope on the activity of trunk muscles. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the splenius (Sp), longissimus dorsi (LD) and rectus abdominis (RA) muscles was recorded with surface electrodes during treadmill locomotion at trot for different combinations of speed (3.5 to 6 m/s) and slope (0 to 6%). Raw EMG signals were processed to determine activity duration, onset and end and integrated EMG (IEMG). For the 3 muscles investigated, onset and end of activity were obtained earlier in the stride cycle when speed increased. A long...
Musilova P, Kubickova S, Vahala J, Rubes J.Equidae is a small family which comprises horses, African and Asiatic asses, and zebras. Despite equids having diverged quite recently, their karyotypes underwent rapid evolution which resulted in extensive differences among chromosome complements in respective species. Comparative mapping using whole-chromosome painting probes delineated genome-wide chromosome homologies among extant equids, enabling us to trace chromosome rearrangements that occurred during evolution. In the present study, we performed subchromosomal comparative mapping among seven Equidae species, representing the whole fam...
Corbin LJ, Blott SC, Swinburne JE, Sibbons C, Fox-Clipsham LY, Helwegen M, Parkin TD, Newton JR, Bramlage LR, McIlwraith CW, Bishop SC, Woolliams JA....Osteochondrosis is a developmental orthopaedic disease that occurs in horses, other livestock species, companion animal species, and humans. The principal aim of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in the Thoroughbred using a genome-wide association study. A secondary objective was to test the effect of previously identified QTL in the current population. Over 300 horses, classified as cases or controls according to clinical findings, were genotyped for the Illumina Equine SNP50 BeadChip. An animal model was first implemented...
Barbic L, Madic J, Turk N, Daly J.In April 2004 an outbreak of equine influenza occurred at the Zagreb hippodrome, Croatia. Clinical respiratory disease of the same intensity was recorded in vaccinated and non-vaccinated horses. The equine influenza vaccine used in Croatia at the time of the outbreak contained the strains A/equine/Miami/63 (H3N8), A/equine/Fontainebleau/79 (H3N8) and A/equine/Prague/56 (H7N7). At the same time, the usual strains in vaccines used in Europe were, in accordance with the recommendation of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Expert Surveillance Panel on equine influenza, A/equine/Newmark...
Lans C, Turner N, Brauer G, Lourenco G, Georges K.This paper investigates the commonalities in ethnoveterinary medicine used for horses between Trinidad (West Indies) and British Columbia (Canada). These research areas are part of a common market in pharmaceuticals and are both involved in the North American racing circuit. There has been very little research conducted on medicinal plants used for horses although their use is widespread. The data on ethnoveterinary medicines used for horses was obtained through key informant interviews with horse owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys, grooms and animal care specialists in two research areas: Tr...
Nielsen MK.The first parasite fecal egg counting techniques were described over 100 years ago, and fecal egg counting remains essential in parasitology research as well as in clinical practice today. Several novel techniques have been introduced and validated in recent years, but this work has also highlighted several current issues in this research field. There is a lack of consensus on which diagnostic parameters to evaluate and how to properly design studies doing so. Furthermore, there is a confusing and sometimes incorrect use of terminology describing performance of fecal egg counting techniques, a...
Jiang L, Campagne C, Sundström E, Sousa P, Imran S, Seltenhammer M, Pielberg G, Olsson MJ, Egidy G, Andersson L, Golovko A.Constitutive activation of the ERK pathway, occurring in the vast majority of melanocytic neoplasms, has a pivotal role in melanoma development. Different mechanisms underlie this activation in different tumour settings. The Grey phenotype in horses, caused by a 4.6 kb duplication in intron 6 of Syntaxin 17 (STX17), is associated with a very high incidence of cutaneous melanoma, but the molecular mechanism behind the melanomagenesis remains unknown. Here, we investigated the involvement of the ERK pathway in melanoma development in Grey horses. Methods: Grey horse melanoma tumours, cell lines ...
Volpe S, Galeati G, Bernardini C, Tamanini C, Mari G, Zambelli D, Seren E, Spinaci M.Heat shock proteins (Hsp)-60, -70 and -90 are important testis chaperones that fulfil several functions during sperm cell maturation. In post-meiotic cells, their expression may change or may be undetectable and in some species it may be evident in mature spermatozoa. The aims of this study were to verify whether Hsp60, -70 and -90 are present in the sperm, and to compare their localization in boar, stallion, cat and dog spermatozoa by immunofluorescence. Hsp-60 immunoreactivity was detected in sperm midpiece in all the species examined. In stallion sperm, Hsp70 signal was localized in the sub...
Journal of biomechanicsNovember 21, 2020
Volume 114 110146 doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2020.110146
Roepstorff C, Dittmann MT, Arpagaus S, Serra Bragança FM, Hardeman A, Persson-Sjödin E, Roepstorff L, Gmel AI, Weishaupt MA.Objectively assessing horse movement symmetry as an adjunctive to the routine lameness evaluation is on the rise with several commercially available systems on the market. Prerequisites for quantifying such symmetries include knowledge of the gait and gait events, such as hoof to ground contact patterns over consecutive strides. Extracting this information in a robust and reliable way is essential to accurately calculate many kinematic variables commonly used in the field. In this study, optical motion capture was used to measure 222 horses of various breeds, performing a total of 82 664 steps...
Pusterla N, Mapes S, Rejmanek D, Gebhart C.The objective of this study was to determine whether Lawsonia intracellularis was present in the feces of free-living animals collected on two equine premises with documented occurrence of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). Fresh feces from black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus, n=100), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis, n=22), feral cats (Felis catus, n=14), Brewer's Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus, n=10), Virginian opossums (Didelphis virginiana, n=9), raccoons (Procyon lotor, n=4), California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi, n=3), and coyotes (Canis latrans, n=2) were...
Pavulraj S, Eschke K, Theisen J, Westhoff S, Reimers G, Andreotti S, Osterrieder N, Azab W.Equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) is enzootic in equine populations throughout the world. A large outbreak of EHV-4 respiratory infection occurred at a Standardbred horse-breeding farm in northern Germany in 2017. Respiratory illness was observed in a group of in-housed foals and mares, which subsequently resulted in disease outbreak. Out of 84 horses in the stud, 76 were tested and 41 horses were affected, including 20 foals, 10 stallions, and 11 mares. Virological investigations revealed the involvement of EHV-4 in all cases of respiratory illness, as confirmed by virus isolation, qPCR, and/...
Hurtig MB, Fretz PB, Doige CE, Schnurr DL.The mechanisms and completeness of equine articular cartilage repair were studied in ten horses over a nine month period. Large (15 mm square) and small (5 mm square) full-thickness lesions were made in weight bearing and nonweight bearing areas of the radiocarpal, middle carpal and femoropatellar joints. The horses were euthanized in groups of two 1, 2.5, 4, 5 and 9 months later. Gross pathology, microradiography, and histopathology were used to evaluate qualitative aspects of articular repair. Computer assisted microdensitometry of safranin-O stained cartilage sections was used to quantitate...
Larsson M, Pettersson T, Carlström A.The binding of [125I]T4 to serum proteins was studied in human, monkey, cattle, sheep, goat, water buffalo, horse, swine, dog, cat, rabbit, rat, chicken, frog, and salmon. Attempts were made to isolate thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) and thyroxine-binding prealbumin (TBPA) from serum of all species, utilizing purification methods based on the specific properties of these proteins. TBPA was found to exist in all species examined. The protein was found anodal to albumin only in human, monkey, horse, and chicken. In cattle, swine, dog, cat, rabbit, frog, and salmon, TBPA was found cathodal to al...
Lyons ET, Swerczek TW, Tolliver SC, Bair HD, Drudge JH, Ennis LE.A survey to determine current prevalence of several species of endoparasites in equids (n=350) at necropsy was conducted at the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in central Kentucky (1995-1999). Thelazia lacrymalis were found in 42% of the 1- to 4-year olds (n=132), which was the only age group examined for these parasites. Five- to 30-year olds (n=157), examined for Onchocerca spp. worms/lesions, had a prevalence of 24%. In > or =1-year olds (n=324), the infection rate for Gasterophilus intestinalis was 12% for second instars and 14% for third instars and for Gasterophilus nasalis was 2%...
Lun ZR, Fang Y, Wang CJ, Brun R.Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi (surra) is a problem of great economic importance in livestock in China because it affects important working animals: buffaloes in the south and east, and horses and cattle in the north and west. In addition, buffaloes are an important source of meat and leather for the Chinese population. In the north and west, T. evansi is found mainly in camels, whereas in the east, the south and the southwest, it is primarily buffaloes, cattle and horses that are affected by this parasitic flagellate. Although trypanosomiasis is one of the most important parasit...
Sauer P, Andrew SE, Lassaline M, Gelatt KN, Denis HM.To document changes in antibiotic resistance of organisms in cases of equine bacterial ulcerative keratitis over a 10-year time period. Methods: A retrospective study. Methods: Medical records of equine patients with bacterial ulcerative keratitis seen at the University of Florida's VMTH for the years 1991-2000 were reviewed. Methods: All cases of equine bacterial ulcerative keratitis for the above mentioned years were examined. Bacterial isolates were identified and subjected to Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method sensitivity tests. Antibiotics used in the sensitivity tests included bacitracin,...
Biknevicius AR, Mullineaux DR, Clayton HM.Gaited horses employ 4-beat stepping (singlefoot) gaits that extend into speeds typical of trots. Ground reaction force (GRF) patterns of these specialised gaits have not been reported; therefore, appraisal of these gaits using nongaited horse kinetics may lead to clinical misjudgements. Objective: GRFs of tölting Icelandic horses will be comparable in profile and magnitude with those of trotting horses. Methods: Forelimb and hindlimb GRFs were obtained for 10 Icelandic horses ridden at a tölt. These data were evaluated across 3 speed ranges: <2, 2.5-5 and >5 m/sec. Results: Virtually all ve...
Colborn DR, Thompson DL, Roth TL, Capehart JS, White KL.Sexual stimulation induces rapid secretion of cortisol and prolactin (PRL) in stallions. Experiment 1 was designated to determine whether stallions associated location and(or) procedure with previous sexual stimulation in that location. After a control period on d 1, four stallions were exposed to an estrous mare for 5 min on d 2. On d 3, 4, 5, and 6, the same procedure was followed with no mare present. Concentrations of PRL and cortisol increased (P less than .05) after mare exposure on d 2 but did not vary (P greater than .05) on d 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In Exp. 2, six stallions were used to det...
Dürig N, Jude R, Holl H, Brooks SA, Lafayette C, Jagannathan V, Leeb T.White spotting phenotypes in horses can range in severity from the common white markings up to completely white horses. EDNRB, KIT, MITF, PAX3 and TRPM1 represent known candidate genes for such phenotypes in horses. For the present study, we re-investigated a large horse family segregating a variable white spotting phenotype, for which conventional Sanger sequencing of the candidate genes' individual exons had failed to reveal the causative variant. We obtained whole genome sequence data from an affected horse and specifically searched for structural variants in the known candidate genes. This...
Anderson RC, Linder KE, Peregrine AS.Although the original description given by Stefanski (1954) was satisfactory, Anderson & Bemrick (1965), in describing H. deletrix (= Micronema deletrix), claimed Stefanski's description was "inadequate" and the species a "species inquirenda". Thus, infections in horses and humans have been assigned to H. deletrix. We believe the species reported in horses and humans is H. gingivalis and that H. deletrix is its synonym. H. gingivalis is separated herein from forms found free-living. The genital tract in the advanced fourth stage of H. gingivalis is didelphic and amphidelphic and terminal e...
Zink MC, Yager JA, Smart NL.Of 131 cases of Corynebacterium equi infection in horses submitted for necropsy to the Ontario Veterinary College or Veterinary Laboratory Services, OMAF, Guelph, Ontario from 1958 to 1984, 115 were diagnosed as suppurative pneumonia, and of these 55 had associated ulcerative enterocolitis. Only five animals had intestinal involvement without pulmonary lesions. The remaining 11 cases included arthritis/cellulitis, skin abscesses and submandibular lymphadenitis. While the lung, intestine and associated lymph nodes yielded C. equi most frequently, in 21% of cases C. equi was also cultured from p...
Hardeman AM, Byström A, Roepstorff L, Swagemakers JH, van Weeren PR, Serra Bragança FM.Clinical assessment of spinal motion in horses is part of many routine clinical exams but remains highly subjective. A prerequisite for the quantification of spinal motion is the assessment of the expected normal range of motion and variability of back kinematics. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify spinal kinematics and between -measurement, -surface and -day variation in owner-sound horses. In an observational study, twelve owner-sound horses were trotted 12 times on four different paths (hard/soft straight line, soft lunge left and right). Measurements were divided over three ...
Chirino-Trejo JM, Prescott JF, Yager JA.Two groups of three one to three week old foals were immunized orally on four occasions over five weeks with two strains of Rhodococcus equi, a clinical isolate from a pneumonic foal and a laboratory passaged Congo red negative variant of this strain. Three nonimmunized foals of similar age acted as controls. Three weeks after the last immunization, all foals were challenged on five occasions over seven days by aerosol infection with about 10(10) of the pneumonic foal isolate on each occasion. Control foals became seriously ill and were euthanized. Immunization with either strain protected foa...
Rubio-Martínez LM, Elmas CR, Black B, Monteith G.To describe the clinical use of regional limb perfusion with antimicrobials (A-RLP), complications, and outcome in a large series of patients. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 174 horses. Methods: Medical records of horses treated with A-RLP between 1999 and 2009 were reviewed. Signalment, primary complaint, horse use, etiology, duration of clinical signs, previous treatment, structures involved, concurrent conditions, A-RLP characteristics, additional treatments, complications, and outcome were recorded. At long-term follow-up, 2 outcomes were investigated: survival rate and retur...
Robertson SA, Sanchez LC, Merritt AM, Doherty TJ.Commonly used analgesics (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, opioids and alpha2-agonists) have unwanted side effects. An effective alternative with minimal adverse effects would benefit clinical equine pain management. Objective: To compare the effect of lidocaine or saline on duodenal and rectal distension threshold pressure and somatic thermal threshold in conscious mature horses. Objective: Systemically administered lidocaine would increase somatic and visceral nociceptive thresholds. Methods: Lidocaine (2 mg/kg bwt bolus followed by 50 microg/kg bwt/min for 2 h) or saline was administe...
Tomlinson JE, Wolfisberg R, Fahnøe U, Sharma H, Renshaw RW, Nielsen L, Nishiuchi E, Holm C, Dubovi E, Rosenberg BR, Tennant BC, Bukh J, Kapoor A....Pegiviruses frequently cause persistent infection (as defined by >6 months), but unlike most other Flaviviridae members, no apparent clinical disease. Human pegivirus (HPgV, previously GBV-C) is detectable in 1-4% of healthy individuals and another 5-13% are seropositive. Some evidence for infection of bone marrow and spleen exists. Equine pegivirus 1 (EPgV-1) is not linked to disease, whereas another pegivirus, Theiler's disease-associated virus (TDAV), was identified in an outbreak of acute serum hepatitis (Theiler's disease) in horses. Although no subsequent reports link TDAV to disease, an...
Bailey E.Six hundred horses were tested with lymphocytotoxic antisera derived from 550 parous mares and 58 antisera produced by alloimmunization with horse blood cells. Seven equine lymphocyte specificities were identified using correlation analysis of the test data, absorption analysis and lysostripping. These specificities are expressed on lymphocytes and platelets, but not on red blood cells (RBC). Therefore, these specificities do not appear to be products of any of the eight known blood group systems of the horse. The distribution of these specificities in 113 Thoroughbred horses and 57 Arabian ho...
Hildebrand DP, Burk DL, Maurus R, Ferrer JC, Brayer GD, Mauk AG.The spectroscopic and structural properties of the His93Tyr variant of horse heart myoglobin have been studied to assess the effects of replacing the proximal His residue of this protein with a tyrosyl residue as occurs in catalases from various sources. The variant in the ferric form exhibits electronic spectra that are independent of pH between pH 7 and 10, and it exhibits changes in absorption maxima and intensity that are consistent with a five-coordinate heme iron center at the active site. The EPR spectrum of the variant is that of a high-spin, rhombic system similar to that reported for...
