"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.
Podico G, Canisso IF.This study aimed to assess the parameters of epididymal sperm harvested by retrograde flushing (RF) followed by slicing float-up (SF). Epididymides from donkeys (n = 18) and horses (n = 28) were subjected to RF with a freezing extender and then SF technique. The retrieved sperm after RF and SF was evaluated for volume, concentration, and total sperm and then cryopreserved separately. Post-thaw total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM) were evaluated with CASA. Sperm membrane integrity (SMI) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were assessed with flow cytometry. Sperm concentratio...
Maulave J, Mascaró Triedo C, Portier K.To assess the reliability of a French version of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGSfv). Methods: Prospective, randomized, clinical study. Methods: The operated (OP) group included 13 horses undergoing elective surgery. The positive (PC) and negative control (NC) groups included seven colicking horses and eight exercising sport horses, respectively. Methods: Photographs were extracted from videos of the horses' heads. Videos were taken before and immediately after surgery in OP, on arrival of the horse in PC, and at rest in their stalls in NC. Pictures were evaluated by three anaesthetists [Diplomate...
Jacobs CC, O'Neil E, Prange T.To determine the ability of a commercial cryotherapy system (Game Ready Equine) to cool the metacarpal subcutaneous tissue and the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) in horses. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Six healthy adult horses. Methods: Thermocouples were implanted into the metacarpal subcutaneous tissues and the SDFT of six horses. Two treatments (cryotherapy or cryotherapy with 5-50 mmHg intermittent compression) were randomly assigned to forelimbs and performed for 20 minutes. Temperatures were compared to the target range of 10-19°C and between groups. Results: Only...
Fritsch H, Pereira FM, Costa EA, Fonseca V, Tosta S, Xavier J, Levy F, Oliveira C, Menezes G, Lima J, Santos L, Silva L, Nardy V, Astete MKG....During these past years, several studies have provided serological evidence regarding the circulation of West Nile virus (WNV) in Brazil. Despite some reports, much is still unknown regarding the genomic diversity and transmission dynamics of this virus in the country. Recently, genomic monitoring activities in horses revealed the circulation of WNV in several Brazilian regions. These findings on the paucity of genomic data reinforce the need for prompt investigation of WNV infection in horses, which may precede human cases of encephalitis in Brazil. Thus, in this study, we retrospectively scr...
Janssen P, Tosi I, Hego A, Maréchal P, Marichal T, Radermecker C.Asthma encompasses a spectrum of heterogenous immune-mediated respiratory disorders sharing a similar clinical pattern characterized by cough, wheeze and exercise intolerance. In horses, equine asthma can be subdivided into severe or moderate asthma according to clinical symptoms and the extent of airway neutrophilic inflammation. While severe asthmatic horses are characterized by an elevated neutrophilic inflammation of the lower airways, cough, dyspnea at rest and high mucus secretion, horses with moderate asthma show a milder neutrophilic inflammation, exhibit intolerance to exercise but no...
Fabová Z, Tarko A, Harrath AH, Alwasel S, Kotwica J, Sirotkin AV.Influence of oil-related product toluene and herbal remedy puncturevine Tribulus terrestris L. (TT) on female reproduction is known. Yet, mechanisms of their action on ovaries in different species and potential protective effect of TT against adverse toluene action remain to be established. We studied the effect of toluene, TT, and their combination on ovarian granulosa cells from two mammalian species (cows and horses). Viability, markers of proliferation (PCNA) and apoptosis (bax), steroid hormones, IGF-I, oxytocin, and prostaglandin F (PGF) release were analyzed by trypan blue exclusion tes...
Migliorisi A, Hart K, Vaughn S, Austin S, Aldridge B, Wilkins P.To describe ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations, plasma antioxidant capacity (PAC) and markers of oxidative stress, as measured by derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs), in healthy foals at birth and during the first month of life. Methods: Venous blood samples were collected from healthy Standardbred (n = 13) and Quarter Horse (n = 10) foals. Plasma AA, PAC, and dROMs were assessed at 3 to 12 hours, 3 days, and 1, 2, and 4 weeks of age. Methods: AA was measured via high-performance liquid chromatography. PAC and dROMs were measured with a free radical analytical system. Comparisons...
Zhang FL, Zhang XY, Zhao JX, Zhu KX, Liu SQ, Zhang T, Sun YJ, Wang JJ, Shen W.Mongolian horses have been bred and used for labor and transport for centuries. Nevertheless, traits of testicular development in Mongolian horses have rarely been studied; particularly, studies regarding the transcriptional regulation characteristics of testicular development are lacking. In this paper, transcription specificity during testicular development in Mongolian horses is highlighted via a multispecies comparative analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Interestingly, the results showed that most genes were up-regulated in the testes after sexual maturity, ...
Rehrl S, Schulte W, Staszyk C, Lischer C.Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a destructive, painful and underdiagnosed dental disorder. Radiography is necessary to fully assess the disease as early stages occur on clinically normal teeth. Objective: To investigate the distribution pattern of appearance of EOTRH within the incisor arcade. In particular, we aimed to determine the influence of tooth position and horse age on the severity of EOTRH as well as on the frequency of the individual severity stages. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional radiographic case study. Methods: Digital radiographs of 1...
AbouEl Ela NH, El Araby IE, Saleh AA, Abd El-Fattah AH, Hagag NM, Brooks SA, Radwan MA, Kalbfleisch T.Lavender foal syndrome (LFS) is a fatal hereditary condition that is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. This detrimental mutation is more common in Arabian foals of Egyptian origin than foals from other bloodlines. Heterozygous horses are carriers of the LFS trait and appear normal, while recessive homozygous foals died shortly after birth due to serious complications. In Egypt, in 2014, an Egyptian foal died after manifestations of neurological signs and abnormal coat colour as LFS signs. Therefore, it is important to identify LFS carriers in the population of Arabian horses in Egyp...
Fisher D, Schliewert EC, Hooijberg EH.An endogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration above the reference interval (RI) is commonly used as means for diagnosing equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Basal ACTH concentrations are highly dependent on photoperiod and RIs should be month- and location-specific. To date, no ACTH RIs have been specifically established for South Africa. This study aimed to determine geographically and seasonally relevant RIs for equine ACTH in the Gauteng province of South Africa. A longitudinal prospective study was conducted over twelve months to determine ACTH RIs for a r...
Colpitts J, McLoughlin PD, Poissant J.Understanding inbreeding and its impact on fitness and evolutionary potential is fundamental to species conservation and agriculture. Long stretches of homozygous genotypes, known as runs of homozygosity (ROH), result from inbreeding and their number and length can provide useful population-level information on inbreeding characteristics and locations of signatures of selection. However, the utility of ROH for conservation is limited for natural populations where baseline data and genomic tools are lacking. Comparing ROH metrics in recently feral vs. domestic populations of well understood spe...
Pikuła R, Zaborski D, Grzesiak W, Smugała M.The aim of the present study was to analyse the mobility of Polish Konik horses in their natural environment. The study was conducted on a herd of 15 Polish Konik horses in 2018. The Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter was used to track the horses' movements. Two habitats (forest and meadows), four seasons (autumn, winter, spring, and summer), and four times of the day (morning, midday, evening, and night) were distinguished. Season, habitat, and time of the day as well as the interaction among them significantly ( p < 0.0001 ) affected the mobility of Polish Konik horses. The use of ...
Rabbogliatti V, Amari M, Brioschi FA, Di Cesare F, Zani DD, De Zani D, Di Giancamillo M, Cagnardi P, Ravasio G.A balanced anaesthetic protocol is a common concept in modern veterinary anaesthesia and aims to maintain good intraoperative cardiopulmonary function. In horses, alpha-2-agonists produce sedation and analgesia and have been shown to reduce inhalational anaesthetic requirements when administered intravenously. Furthermore, these drugs can improve recovery quality. Preliminary investigations of subcutaneous dexmedetomidine administration in humans demonstrated a reduced haemodynamic impact if compared with the intravenous route suggesting that dexmedetomidine is adequately absorbed with both ad...
Christmann U, Page AE, Horohov DW, Adams AA, Chapman SE, Hancock CL, Emery AL, Poovey JR, Hagg C, Ortega Morales SM, Duncan AR, Morgan J, Couetil LL....To perform lipidomic analysis of surfactant and plasma from asthmatic and healthy horses. Methods: 30 horses with clinical signs of asthma and 30 age-matched control horses. Methods: Detailed history, physical examination, CBC, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytologies were obtained. Asthmatic horses were grouped based on their BALF inflammatory profile: severe equine asthma (SEA), mild equine asthma with neutrophilic airway inflammation (MEA-N), or mild equine asthma with eosinophilic airway inflammation (MEA-E). Each asthma group was assigned its own age-matched control group. Lipid...
Stas EKL, Hermans H, Slenter IJM, Veraa S, Ensink JM.Iris cysts in horses are often asymptomatic and noticed incidentally. However, cysts can cause local corneal oedema and erratic behaviour like shying, decreased performance and head-shaking. Objective: To describe the use of diode laser as a noninvasive treatment option for iris cysts in the horse and to document factors influencing its efficacy, associated complications, long-term outcome and rate of recurrence. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Case records of horses treated for iris cysts by diode laser at the Utrecht University Equine Clinic were reviewed between 2008 and 2020. ...
Senderska-Płonowska M, Siwińska N, Zak-Bochenek A, Rykała M, Słowikowska M, Madej JP, Kaleta-Kuratewicz K, Niedźwiedź A.Obesity is a common problem in horses. The associations between obesity and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and between EMS and laminitis are known. However, there is a lack of data on whether obesity itself can affect hoof lamellae. Forelimbs and blood from 12 draft horses (six obese and six lean) from a slaughterhouse were acquired. To exclude laminitis and EMS horses, insulin concentration was measured, and hooves were radiographed. Histological evaluation was performed. The shape of the primary and secondary epidermal lamellae (PEL and SEL) was evaluated, and the length of the keratinized ...
Colombo I, Podico G, Rudolf-Vegas A, Bauersachs S, Canisso IF.Progesterone is pivotal to maintain pregnancy in the first trimester and low concentration ( .05). Multiple ovulations were associated with greater progesterone concentration and luteal tissue area (P = .0001). There was a moderate positive association between the number of ovulations and luteal tissue area (r = 0.54; P = .0001). The lack of change in the progesterone concentration and luteal tissue area between bred and non-bred mares suggests that horse seminal plasma does not affect luteal function in mares. As all mares had progesterone above 4 ng/mL after 5-days post-ovulation; it i...
Quéré E, Chahory S.Painful eye conditions are a therapeutic challenge in horses. Subpalpebral lavage (SPL) treatment systems allow topical aqueous medications to be conveniently, safely, and frequently administered to the ocular surface. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the outcomes and the complications associated with the location of the SPL treatment systems, in the superior or inferior eyelid in horses in a university practice. Clinical records of all horses admitted to the National Veterinary School of Alfort between January 2004 and October 2021, in which a SPL treatment system was used ...
Ward J, Hovey A, Brownlee K.Across mental health professionals, there is growing interest in the field of Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT). Preliminary evidence suggests EAT is beneficial for a wide spectrum of client populations. EAT programs may be based on groundwork alone, where participants interact with the horses from the ground only, or they may incorporate mounted activities. It remains unclear whether mounted activities add therapeutic benefits to the EAT experience for participants. This scoping review explored whether mounted activities, specifically where the client rides the horse, contribute to distinct thera...
Hunyadi L, Chigerwe M, Sundman E.SAA is a commonly used biomarker for measuring acute inflammation in equine practice, and the administration of prophylactic plasma to foals is a routine practice in large breeding farms. Despite this, limited information is available on the values of SAA in healthy or sick neonatal foals following this common procedure. A prospective study was conducted with 31 foals from a veterinary hospital in Texas in one year. Enrolled foals were part of a foaling program, where a prophylactic hyperimmunized plasma was administered 12 h after birth. Blood was collected for SAA measurements at birth and ...
Voß K, Blaj I, Tetens JL, Thaller G, Becker D.Since domestication, a wide variety of phenotypes including coat color variation has developed in livestock. This variation is mostly based on selective breeding. During the beginning of selective breeding, potential negative consequences did not become immediately evident due to low frequencies of homozygous animals and have been occasionally neglected. However, numerous studies of coat color genetics have been carried out over more than a century and, meanwhile, pleiotropic effects for several coat color genes, including disorders of even lethal impact, were described. Similar coat color phe...
Bimson NH, Morrice-West AV, Wong ASM, Hitchens PL, Rocca MR, Whitton RC.Catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries (CMI) pose a major welfare concern to horses and their riders, yet limited data are available describing their occurrence in South America. Using a retrospective cohort and case-control design, the objective of the study was to determine the incidence of CMI for Thoroughbreds in training and racing, and associated horse-level risk factors in Uruguay. Seventy-seven Thoroughbreds sustained a CMI, 37 of which were age- and sex-matched to 111 control horses in the same race. Training and racing data from 2011 to 2017 were collected. Incidence of race day CMI p...
Scheidegger MD, Gerber V, Dolf G, Burger D, Flammer SA, Ramseyer A.Early recognition of lameness is crucial for injury prevention. Quantitative gait analysis systems can detect low-grade asymmetries better than the human eye and may be useful in early lameness recognition. The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the frequency of gait asymmetries based on head and pelvic movement in elite eventing horses using inertial mounted measurement units and (2) to assess the association between asymmetries and muscle enzymes and blood lactate (LA) levelspost-exercise. Movement asymmetry of the head, wither, and pelvis were quantified in 33 elite eventing horses ...
Sponseller BT, Wong DM, Ruby R, Ware WA, Wilson S, Haynes JS.A 9-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was presented for lethargy, decreased appetite, polyuria and polydipsia (PU/PD), and severe muscle wasting suggestive of immune-mediated myositis. Results: The horse displayed lethargy, fever, tachyarrhythmia, inappetence, PU/PD, and severe epaxial and gluteal muscle wasting. Clinicopathologic findings were consistent with previously reported cases of systemic calcinosis in horses, including increased muscle enzyme activity, hyperphosphatemia, increased calcium-phosphorus product, hypoproteinemia, and an inflammatory leukogram. A diagnosis of systemic calcino...
Biegel U, Mevissen M, Schuller S, Ruess K, Christen O, Ayrle H, Koch C, Walkenhorst M.Cancer is a common disease in humans and in companion animals and treatment is challenging. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and assess the potential use of Viscum album L. extracts (VAE) for treatment of neoplastic diseases in companion animals. Peer-reviewed animal, in vivo and in vitro studies were included, considering the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). Overall, 6,148 references were identified. Following a predefined protocol, 114 full-text references were ...
Kupczyk P, Rykala M, Serek P, Pawlak A, Slowikowski B, Holysz M, Chodaczek G, Madej JP, Ziolkowski P, Niedzwiedz A.The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is composed of cannabinoid receptors type 1 (CBR1) and type 2 (CBR2), cannabinoid-based ligands (endogenous chemically synthesized phytocannabinoids), and endogenous enzymes controlling their concentrations. Cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) have been identified in invertebrates and in almost all vertebrate species in the central and peripheral nervous system as well as in immune cells, where they control neuroimmune homeostasis. In humans, rodents, dogs, and cats, CBRs expression has been confirmed in the skin, and their expression and tissue distribution become di...
Williams NJ, Furr M, Navas de Solis C, Campolo A, Davis M, Lacombe VA.Metabolic syndrome in humans is commonly associated with cardiovascular dysfunction, including atrial fibrillation and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Although many differences exist between human and equine metabolic syndrome, both of these conditions share some degree of insulin resistance. The aims of this pilot study were to investigate the relationship between insulin sensitivity and cardiac function. Seven horses (five mares, two geldings, aged 17.2 ± 4.2 years, weight 524 ± 73 kg) underwent insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance testing to determine ...
Hamamoto-Hardman BD, Steffey EP, Seminoff K, McKemie DS, Kass P, Knych HK.Although morphine has demonstrated antinociceptive effects in horses, its administration has been associated with dose-dependent adverse effects. In humans and rats, part of the analgesic effect of morphine has been attributed to the active metabolite, morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G). Although morphine can cause several undesirable effects, M6G has a more favorable safety profile. The objective of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and behavioral and select physiological effects of M6G following intravenous administration to a small group of horses. In Part ...
Müller AC, Büttner K, Röcken M.In postoperative monitoring of synovial structure infection due to limb wounds, early recognition of a recurrence of synovial infection is indispensable to prevent further damage to the affected synovial structure. This study evaluated the role of serum amyloid A (SAA) as a systemic biomarker in disease monitoring and correlated this tool with clinical variables. In this prospective cohort study, 55 horses with acute limb wounds were divided into two groups: those with (group 1, n = 26) or without (group 2, n = 29) a diagnosis of synovial structure penetration. SAA, lameness and body tempe...
Chung MJ, Park S, Son JY, Lee JY, Yun HH, Lee EJ, Lee EM, Cho GJ, Lee S, Park HS, Jeong KS.In previous work, we established an equine induced pluripotent stem cell line (E-iPSCs) from equine adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) using a lentiviral vector encoding four transcription factors: Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. In the current study, we attempted to differentiate these established E-iPSCs into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by serial passaging using MSC-defined media for stem cell expansion. Differentiation of the MSCs was confirmed by analyzing expression levels of the MSC surface markers CD44 and CD29, and the pluripotency markers Nanog and Oct4. Results indicated that the E-iPS...
Fuller CJ, Barr AR, Sharif M, Dieppe PA.To investigate the relationship between biochemical markers in the synovial fluid of osteoarthritic and contralateral equine joints and gross articular cartilage pathology. Methods: Twenty-two horses underwent bilateral arthroscopy of their carpal or metacarpophalangeal joints following recent onset lameness. The degree of cartilage damage in each joint was scored and synovial fluid, from both the clinically affected and the contralateral joint, was collected. Bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), 5D4 epitope of keratan sulphate (KS), total glycosaminoglycans (GAG) and hyaluronan (HA) were...
Wollanke B, Rohrbach BW, Gerhards H.To measure antibody titers against Leptospira interrogans in serum and vitreous humor and determine the prevalence of L interrogans in vitreous humor of horses with recurrent uveitis. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 242 horses (270 eyes) with recurrent uveitis undergoing vitrectomy and 39 control horses (54 eyes) without any history or clinical signs of recurrent uveitis undergoing euthanasia or enucleation for unrelated reasons. Methods: Serum and vitreous humor were tested for antibodies against 13 serovars of L interrogans. Vitreous humor was submitted for leptospiral culture; isol...
Stewart AJ, Hackett E, Bertin FR, Towns TJ.Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and serum cortisol concentrations increase with illness-associated stress. Dynamics of plasma ACTH and serum cortisol concentrations in adult horses with systemic illness are undocumented. Objective: To determine whether ACTH and cortisol concentrations and the ACTH/cortisol ratio vary with survival, the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), or ischemic gastrointestinal lesions at admission, or throughout hospitalization. Methods: One hundred fifty-one adult horses. Methods: Prospective study measuring serum cortisol and plasma AC...
Silva LG, Genteluci GL, Corrêa de Mattos M, Glatthardt T, Sá Figueiredo AM, Ferreira-Carvalho BT.Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) isolates are the most common group C streptococci in humans and reports of invasive infections associated with SDSE have been increasing. Molecular epidemiology studies are an important strategy to trace the emergence and spread of possible well-fit bacterial pathogens of humans and animals. In this work, we analysed the antimicrobial and clonal profiles of 115 SDSE infection and colonization isolates of human and equine origin. PFGE revealed the spread of two main clusters: clone A (57.4%) and clone A (26.1%). Remarkably, two isolates from ...
Rozovsky I, Hoving S, Anderson CP, O'Callaghan J, Finch CE.Premarin, which contains several equine estrogens, as well as estradiol (E2) as a minor component, is widely used for replacement therapy of estrogen deficits, but little is known of its direct actions on brain cells. In mixed glial cultures, apolipoprotein E (apoE) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are induced by estrogens. GFAP induction showed an inverted-U shape E2 dose response, with a maximum induction at 1 pM, whereas apoE mRNA induction was greatest at 100 pM. GFAP and ApoE mRNAs were induced by equine estrogens in the following order: E2=equilin>estrone>17 alpha-dihydro...
Ahern BJ, Richardson DW, Boston RC, Schaer TP.To determine the rate of postoperative infection (POI) for internal fixation repaired equine long bone fractures and arthrodeses and identify associated risk factors. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=192) with fracture repair of the third metacarpal and metatarsal bones, radius, ulna, humerus, tibia, and femur, or arthrodesis with internal fixation. Methods: Medical records (1990-2006) were reviewed for signalment, anatomic location, fracture classification and method of repair, technique and surgical duration, bacterial species isolated, postoperative care, onset of POI, and outcome. ...
Abutarbush SM, Carmalt JL, Shoemaker RW.The medical records of equine gastrointestinal colic cases presented to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine between 1992 and 2002 are reviewed. There was no breed predisposition to colic. Geldings were more prone to colic than females and stallions. Overall, the 3 most common causes of colic were large colon impaction (20.8%), large colon displacement (16.5%), and spasmodic colic (11.7%), after excluding the 13% of cases in which the diagnosis was undetermined. Of the medical cases, large colon impaction (38.4%) and spasmodic colic (22.5%) were the most common. Of the surgical cases, la...
Dini P, Daels P, Loux SC, Esteller-Vico A, Carossino M, Scoggin KE, Ball BA.The human chromosome 14 microRNA cluster (C14MC) is a conserved microRNA (miRNA) cluster across eutherian mammals, reported to play an important role in placental development. However, the expression kinetics and function of this cluster in the mammalian placenta are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the expression kinetics of the equine C24MC, ortholog to the human C14MC, in the chorioallantoic membrane during the course of gestation. Results: We demonstrated that C24MC-associated miRNAs presented a higher expression level during early stages of pregnancy, followed by a decline later in g...
Vietmeier J, Niedorf F, Bäumer W, Martin C, Deegen E, Ohnesorge B, Kietzmann M.A study was performed to evaluate the use of precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) for studies on the contraction of equine airways. Lungs of 10 horses were taken to prepare PCLS of approximately 250 microm from equine lung tissue using a special microtome. The lung slices were cultured and the enclosed small airways were monitored using a microscope with coupled digital camera, which was used to determine the airway luminal area and diameter from digital images. As indicated by the beating of the ciliated epithelium and reactivity of airways on methacholine challenge, the tissue slices were found ...
Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Kusano K, Nagata SI.The Thoroughbred breed was formed by crossing Oriental horse breeds and British native horses and is currently used in horseracing worldwide. In this study, we constructed a single-nucleotide variant (SNV) database using data from 101 Thoroughbred racehorses. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) revealed 11,570,312 and 602,756 SNVs in autosomal (1-31) and X chromosomes, respectively, yielding a total of 12,173,068 SNVs. About 6.9% of identified SNVs were rare variants observed only in one allele in 101 horses. The number of SNVs detected in individual horses ranged from 4.8 to 5.3 million. Individual...
García-Bocanegra I, Arenas-Montes A, Napp S, Jaén-Téllez JA, Fernández-Morente M, Fernández-Molera V, Arenas A.West Nile virus (WNV) is recognized as an emerging zoonotic pathogen, whose incidence in horses, humans and birds has increased significantly in different European countries in the last decade. A serosurvey study was carried out in non vaccinated horses to determine the geographical distribution of WNV in Andalusia (Southern Spain), and to assess the factors that influence the risk of WNV infection in horses. Antibodies to WNV were detected in 54 out of 510 horses analyzed by a blocking ELISA, of which 36 were confirmed by micro virus neutralization test (7.1%; CI(95%): 4.9-9.3). A total of 28...
Romeike A, Brügmann M, Drommer W.Despite extensive clinical research, the etiology of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is still unknown. After an immunologic pathogenesis was established in recurrent uveitis in humans, a similar pathogenic mechanism was assumed to exist in ERU. To investigate whether immunopathologic mechanisms are involved in ERU, 20 eyes of 15 horses with ERU were examined immunohistochemically with a T cell marker, B cell marker, and anti-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antibodies. Twenty-six eyes of 20 horses were used for investigation of MHC class II antigen expression in normal equine eye...
Gy C, Leclere M, Vargas A, Grimes C, Lavoie JP.Asthma in horses is associated with nonspecific respiratory clinical signs and may be manifested only as exercise intolerance. Its diagnosis relies on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology in the presence of compatible clinical signs. The identification of blood biomarkers for this condition would facilitate diagnosis in the field, because there are regional areas where BAL is not routinely performed in clinical practice. Objective: Identification of blood biomarkers for the diagnosis of asthma in horses. Methods: Fourteen horses with asthma with increased neutrophil numbers in BALF (ne...
Lopes AP, Sousa S, Dubey JP, Ribeiro AJ, Silvestre R, Cotovio M, Schallig HD, Cardoso L, Cordeiro-da-Silva A.Leishmania infantum and Toxoplasma gondii are protozoa with zoonotic and economic importance. Prevalences of antibodies to these agents were assessed in 173 horses from the north of Portugal. Results: Antibodies to L. infantum were detected by the direct agglutination test (DAT); seven (4.0%) horses were seropositive with DAT titres of 200 (n = 5), 800 (n = 1) and ≥ 1600 (n = 1). Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT); 23 (13.3%) horses were seropositive with MAT titres of 20 (n = 13), 40 (n = 5), 80 (n = 3) and ≥ 160 (...
Vidugiris GJ, Royer CA.The volume change for the transition from the native state of horse heart apomyoglobin to a pressure-induced intermediate with fluorescence properties similar to those of the well-established molten globule or I form was measured to be -70 ml/mol. Complete unfolding of the protein by pressure at pH 4.2 revealed an upper limit for the unfolding of the intermediate of -61 ml/mol. At 0.3 M guanidine hydrochloride, the entire transition from native to molten globule to unfolded state was observed in the available pressure range below 2.5 kbar. The volume change for the N-->I transition is relat...
Bodo G, Hangody L, Modis L, Hurtig M.To describe treatment of equine subchondral bone cysts (SBCs) by reconstruction of the articular surface with osteochondral grafts. Methods: Case series of horses with SBCs unresponsive to conservative therapy. Methods: Eleven horses (1-12 years). Methods: SBCs were identified in 4 locations: medial femoral condyle (5 horses), lateral femoral condyle (1), distal epiphysis of the metacarpus (4), or metatarsus (1). Osteochondral autograft transplantation (mosaic arthroplasty) was performed, taking grafts from the abaxial border of the medial femoral trochlea of the unaffected limb. Graft implant...
Thean S, Elliott B, Riley TV.During a 24 month period from 2007 to 2009, 174 faecal specimens from horses in Australia (predominantly from Western Australia) were tested for Clostridium difficile. C. difficile was isolated from 14 (23 %) of 62 diarrhoeal animals (including 10 foals) and from none of 112 healthy adult horses. These isolates were toxin profiled by PCR for toxin A, toxin B and binary toxin, and ribotyped. Ten of the equine isolates were A(+)B(+)CDT(-). Other toxin profiles detected were A(-)B(-)CDT(+) (one isolate), A(+)B(+)CDT(+) (two isolates) and A(-)B(-)CDT(-) (three isolates). There were six different...
Wilson DA, Baker GJ, Boero MJ.Complications of celiotomy incisions were evaluated retrospectively in 274 horses that survived at least 1 month after surgery, or died or were euthanatized within 1 month of surgery, as a direct result of these complications. Horses were divided into four groups; group A, a ventral median celiotomy for intestinal disease; group B, ventral median celiotomy for nonintestinal disease; group C, repair of an umbilical hernia; and group D, celiotomy in a region other than the midline. Specific incisional complications were peri-incisional edema, drainage, incisional abscess, suture sinus, and dehis...
Komar N, Spielman A.The 20th century emergence in Massachusetts of zoonotic eastern encephalitis was interpreted in terms of recorded environmental change. The main mosquito vector of the infection, Cs. melanura, appears to have been scarce in eastern North America before the 1930s. Its relative scarcity resulted from destruction of the swamps that had been lumbered or drained for farming in the 18th and 19th centuries. When swamps matured once again early in the 1900s, the formation of subsurface pools of water beneath mature trees would have increased the availability of breeding sites for this mosquito. Transm...
Rosenberg HF, Druey KM.Asthma is a chronic, heterogeneous, and recurring inflammatory disease of the lower airways, with exacerbations that feature airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Asthma has been modeled extensively via disease induction in both wild-type and genetically manipulated laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Antigen sensitization and challenge strategies have reproduced numerous important features of airway inflammation characteristic of human asthma, notably the critical roles of type 2 T helper cell cytokines. Recent models of disease induction have advanced to include physiologic aero...
Cripps PJ, Eustace RA.Lateromedial radiographic projections were made from the feet of 25 normal horses and 3 angles and 3 distances were measured. From these, normal ranges of calculated variables were obtained. The width and length of each foot and the height of the horse at the withers was also measured. In view of its possible importance in clinical laminitis, particular attention was paid to 'founder' distance (D). This is the vertical distance between the proximal limit of the dorsal hoof wall and the proximal limit of the extensor process of the distal phalanx. There were significant differences between bree...
Swegen A.Maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) is a process by which an early conceptus signals its presence to the maternal system and prevents the lysis of the corpus luteum, thus ensuring a maternal milieu supportive of pregnancy continuation. It is a fundamental aspect of reproductive biology, yet in the horse, the mechanism underlying MRP remains unknown. This review seeks to address some of the controversies surrounding the evidence and theories of MRP in the equine species, such as the idea that the horse does not conform to the MRP paradigm established in other species or that equine MRP invo...
Rochette F, Engelen M, Vanden Bossche H.The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of antifungal agents currently in use in veterinary medicine. The practical applications and the therapeutic regimens that have proved successful in the treatment and prevention of fungal infections in dogs and cats, cattle and sheep, horse, pig, poultry and other birds, rodents, rabbits and fur animals are summarized.
Dynon K, Black WD, Ficorilli N, Hartley CA, Studdert MJ.To examine the association of viruses with acute febrile respiratory disease in horses. Design Nasal swab and serum samples were collected from 20 horses with acute febrile upper respiratory disease that was clinically assessed to have a viral origin. Methods: Each of the samples was inoculated onto equine fetal kidney, RK13 and Vero cell cultures, and viral nucleic acid was extracted for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcription PCR. PCR primers were designed to amplify nucleic acid from viruses known to cause or be associated with acute febrile respiratory disease in horses in...
Minervini F, Giannoccaro A, Fornelli F, Dell'Aquila ME, Minoia P, Visconti A.The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA) and its derivatives, alpha and beta-zearalenol (alpha and beta-ZOL), synthesized by genera Fusarium, often occur as contaminants in cereal grains and animal feeds. The importance of ZEA on reproductive disorders is well known in domestic animals species, particularly in swine and cattle. In the horse, limited data are available to date on the influence of dietary exposure to ZEA on reproductive health and on its in vitro effects on reproductive cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ZEA and its derivatives, alpha and beta-ZOL, on granulosa c...
Ghafar A, Abbas G, King J, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, El-Hage C, Beasley A, Bauquier J, Wilkes EJA, Hurley J, Cudmore L, Carrigan P, Tennent-Brown B....Faecal egg counting techniques (FECT) form the cornerstone for the detection of gastrointestinal parasites in equines. For this purpose, several flotation, centrifugation, image- and artificial intelligence-based techniques are used, with varying levels of performance. This review aimed to critically appraise the literature on the assessment and comparison of various coprological techniques and/or modifications of these techniques used for equines and to identify the knowledge gaps and future research directions. We searched three databases for published scientific studies on the assessment an...
Guruge KS, Manage PM, Yamanaka N, Miyazaki S, Taniyasu S, Yamashita N.The persistent metabolites of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) which have been detected in the tissues of both humans and wildlife, and human contamination by PFCs suggest differences in the exposure patterns to these compounds. However, studies focused on identifying human exposure pathways to PFCs are scarce. To provide a preliminary assessment of PFCs in farm animals such as chicken, cattle, pigs, goats and horses, blood and liver samples were collected from various regions in Japan. Additionally, dog sera samples representing pet animals were also employed for analysis. Perfluorooctane sulf...
Ghosh S, Das PJ, McQueen CM, Gerber V, Swiderski CE, Lavoie JP, Chowdhary BP, Raudsepp T.We explored the involvement of genomic copy number variants (CNVs) in susceptibility to recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), or heaves-an asthmalike inflammatory disease in horses. Analysis of 16 RAO-susceptible (cases) and six RAO-resistant (control) horses on a custom-made whole-genome 400K equine tiling array identified 245 CNV regions (CNVRs), 197 previously known and 48 new, distributed on all horse autosomes and the X chromosome. Among the new CNVRs, 30 were exclusively found in RAO cases and were further analyzed by quantitative PCR, including additional cases and controls. Suggestive as...
Zablotskij VT, Georgiu C, de Waal T, Clausen PH, Claes F, Touratier L.During its 20th annual meeting in Paris in May 1999, the OIE (World organisation for animal health) Ad Hoc Group on Non-Tsetse Transmitted Animal Trypanosomoses expressed the following concerns about dourine: the discrepancies in some of the results of the complement fixation test (CFT), which is the only international diagnostic test officially recognised by the International Organisation for the Transportation of Equidae; the persistence of suspected cases of dourine in some Asian, European and African countries; the impossibility of differentiating Trypanosoma equiperdum from Trypanosoma ev...
